Toms River Thanking Teachers, Staff With Livestream Celebration

TOMS RIVER, NJ — The Toms River Regional School District will be kicking off Teacher Appreciation Week with a Google Meet video conference on Monday evening.

The video conference will be livestreamed on the district's YouTube channel beginning at 7 p.m.

The event will feature families from grades pre-K to high school seniors, representing all 19 school buildings, to celebrate teachers and staff members throughout the district.

School nurses will also be recognized and honored during the video conference, particularly with Nurses Appreciation Week beginning Wednesday.

"We’ve come to rely on this virtual world to connect with our staff and community, including our public board meetings via Google Meet and the YouTube live stream," Superintendent David Healy said. "So when it came to recognizing our teachers, nurses and others, it was clear how we wanted to do this."

"During a school year when we’ve collectively never had more appreciation for everything our teachers and staff do, we’re genuinely excited to be able to honor them in a new, fun, far-reaching way," he said.

Healy and Board of Education President Anna Polozzo will participate in the celebration.

Families with children in the Early Learning Center and all 18 schools will take part in the live Google Meet, each sharing a message of gratitude for teachers and staff members. Building administrators have encouraged families to personalize their messages however they’d like, so viewers can expect to see signs, pets, music, props, and maybe even a dance or two.

The plan is for a high school mascot to conclude the staff appreciation event by leading its participants in a "We Are TR!" chant.

Viewers can access the stream and set a reminder for 7 p.m. at https://youtu.be/VrRkAwQbis4.

Have a news tip? Email karen.wall@patch.com Follow Toms River Patch on Facebook.