40
Windows and Patio Doors! BUY ONE, GET ONE
%
OFF
AN D $0 Money Down, $0 Interest, $0 Monthly Payments for 12 months
Offer Ends December 31 Call for your FREE in-home consultation. 1
855-977-6378
¹
Minimum purchase of 4. Interest accrues from the date of purchase but is waived if paid in full within 12 months.
DETAILS OF OFFER: Offer expires 12/31/2020. Not valid with other offers or prior purchases. Buy one (1) window or patio door, get one (1) window or patio door 40% off, and 12 months $0 money down, $0 monthly payments, $0 interest when you purchase four (4) or more windows or patio doors between 7/1/2020 and 12/31/2020. 40% off windows and patio doors are less than or equal to lowest cost window or patio door in the order. Subject to credit approval. Interest is billed during the promotional period, but all interest is waived if the purchase amount is paid before the expiration of the promotional period. Financing for GreenSky consumer loan programs is provided by federally insured, federal and state chartered financial institutions without regard to age, race, color, religion, national origin, gender, or familial status. Savings comparison based on purchase of a single unit at list price. Available at participating locations and offer applies throughout the service area. See your local Renewal by Andersen location for details. License MN:BC130983/WI:266951. Excludes MN insurance work per MSA 325E.66. Los Angeles License #992285. Orange County License #990416. MHIC #121441. VA License #2705155684. DC License #420215000125. All other license numbers available upon request. Some Renewal by Andersen locations are independently owned and operated. “ENERGY STAR” is a registered trademark of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “Renewal by Andersen” and all other marks where denoted are trademarks of Andersen Corporation. © 2020 Andersen Corporation. All rights reserved. rba12288
1
*Using U.S. and imported parts.
www.pinebarrenstribune.com
Facebook.com/PineBarrensTribune
To Advertise Call: 609-801-2392
FR
@PineBarrensNews
EE
ide f t Gu1 i G y S a
Hol idSee Page
S E MA IST UID R G H P C SHI e C1 R WO ee Pag S
Vol. 5 – No. 14 ♦
The News Leader of the Pines
♦
December 19, 2020 – January 8, 2021
BEYOND JUST FUN AND GAMES
Pinelands Regional Gives Its Students ‘Safety Nets’ By Way of New Grading and Assessment Practices Implementation of the Changes, Purportedly Long in the Making, Was Sped Up After Data Showed ‘Tremendous Number’ of Pupils Failing Amid Virtual Learning
By Douglad D. Melegari Staff Writer
Photo By Andy Milone
Burlington County Sheriff Anthony Basantis and sheriff’s agent Amber Barcliff with a box full of donated toys collected at the Red Lion Diner in Southampton. Pictured, from left, are Basantis, Executive Chef Edio Barrera, Barcliff, and diner owner Paul Tsiknakis.
The BurlCo Sheriff’s Annual Holiday Toy Drive Is Now Helping to Provide Area Families Undergoing Economic Hardship with Essential Commodities By Andy Milone
SOU T H A M PTON —I n apparent recognition of the economic hardships many working families have suffered due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 25th annual Burlington County Sheriff’s Department’s Holiday Toy Drive has seen a significant increase this year in contributions to its cause. Hundreds of disadvantaged families will benefit from what organizers claim is the biggest toy drive since the charitable effort was launched in 1996. But unlike past years when the donations would have just included
board games, plush toys, dolls and other gifts for children, the Coronavirus crisis has prompted both individuals and organizations to donate essential items needed by some families to help them through these difficult times. “The drive this year is reflective of everything that is going on with COVID-19,” said Burlington County Sheriff Anthony “Tony” Basantis last week when he was collecting donations at Red Lion Diner in Southampton Township. “You would never have had laptops donated for schoolwork before this year, and basic supplies, like toiletries. It has become more than just a toy
drive. We’re starting to get other donations and are beginning to expand into other areas of basic needs.” There were more than 50 available drop-off locations, including a number in Pinelands communities, where a number of businesses and public offices provided floor space. Charitable donations were collected from early November until Dec. 14 and scheduled to be distributed to families who were identified as having a need for assistance on Dec. 21, 22 and 23 with the help of a number of outside agencies. See BEYOND/ Page 10
See GRADING/ Page 8
INDEX
****ECRWSS**** LOCAL POSTAL CUSTOMER
Staff Writer
LITTLE EGG HARBOR—The Pinelands Regional School District, which purportedly began reviewing its grading system and assessment standards in 2014, has “sped up” the implementation of a number of recommended changes that give its students a number of “safety nets” after data indicated that a “tremendous amount” of them are failing at least one or more of their courses in the wake of virtual learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Assistant Superintendent Gina Frasca. “We reached a crisis point, and we are still in a crisis,” she told this newspaper in a Dec. 14 interview. Frasca contended t hat she believes “Pinelands got out in front of the equity issues that have resulted from this pandemic” and that the changes have put the district “far, far ahead” of others in the area and “ahead of a national crisis,” but acknowledged that they are “controversial.” The assistant superintendent added that a parent Q&A held regarding the changes, however, only had one participant who was supportive of the changes. The school district, according to Frasca, recently lowered the threshold for students receiving a passing grade from 70 to 65, capped the lowest failing grade a student can earn at 55, increased the ranges for earning satisfactory
Business Directory... 14
Christmas Worship
Local News................. 2
Christmas Coloring
Guide...........................C1
Marketplace.............. 13
Contest....................... 4
Games..........................12
Worship Guide..........C4
Christmas Countdown....3
Holiday Gift Guide....... S1
Vincentown, NJ Permit 190
PAID Presorted Standard US Postage