Still Connected: An Eden II Programs Update
A Letter From Hester Bekisz,
Director of the Genesis School
After a long break due to COVID-19, the Genesis School finally opened its doors in July to welcome students and staff back.  Summer session was a hybrid model, which included both direct in-person instruction and virtual instruction. Summer school was broken up into two sessions, and every student was able to have direct in-person instruction for three weeks. The other three weeks were done virtually through Google Classroom and Google Meet.  Some students continued to engage in remote instruction for the entire six weeks.  
 
Virtual teaching has been a learning experience for all staff since mandatory closures in March. Over the course of the next weeks and months staff have honed their teaching skills through virtual instruction. The summer session brought new challenges for our staff. How do we merge virtual classes with students who are directly in the classroom?  Teachers, speech teachers and teacher assistants have done an amazing job with navigating this new task. Classrooms have been able to merge students at home with students in the classroom.   

With COVID-19 comes a new normal, and staff are adjusting to wearing masks, extra cleaning routines and lots of hand sanitizing. Our school nurse Nirmala “Molly” Mazzella has been helpful in assessing possible symptoms in our students. Luckily, we have only had to use our isolation room a few times over the course of the summer months. Both Molly and fellow nurse Cathy Neuberger have trained staff in personal protective equipment, COVID-19 symptoms and, thankfully, so far we have not had any confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Genesis building.  

The Genesis School would not exist without our hard working teaching staff and our exceptional students. It has been awesome to hear the echo of laughter from both students and staff. Students have come back with smiles on their faces. Staff have been highly motivated and I cannot thank them enough for everything they have done. This includes coordinators, teachers, speech teachers, behavior specialists and teacher assistants. I hope everyone feels they work as a part of the Genesis Team. I am proud to work alongside everyone on our team!

This summer has gone by quickly and I'm happy to say that it has been a success. I hope everyone can enjoy the next two weeks of summer vacation and I look forward to seeing everyone in September!
School Program Reopening Plans
This week, we held several Town Hall meetings to discuss reopening plans for our Beach Street School Program, Early Childhood/Preschool and the Genesis School. Our comprehensive reopening plans are also now available on our website. Answers to many questions concerning the reopening can be found in these documents.

For any questions regarding the Beach Street reopening, please contact Jamie Arnold at 718-816-1422 ext. 1064. For questions on our Preschool/Early Childhood reopening, contact Lauren Grimaldi at 718-727-8202 ext 1501.For questions on the Genesis School's reopening, please contact Hester Bekisz at 516-937-1397 ext. 1318
Eden II & Genesis Golf Outing: Sponsorships, Tee Signs, Foursomes & More Available!
Join us for a fun day on the course while helping to raise funds for programs serving children and adults with autism.

We are working closely with the golf course to follow strict safety protocols for the well-being of our guests and staff. Additional details and protocols will be provided prior to the outing to all participants. 

Due to capacity limits we will not be selling individual tickets for the dinner. 

If you are interested in being on our golf committee or need more info please contact golf@eden2.org.
#TBT Edition

While we continue to remain socially distant, here are some throwback photos from years past. We can't wait until we are all able to gather together again for fun times like these!
Genesis staff and participants having a wonderful time at a luau party last summer!
Participant Nicky and Francesca Saraniero, our Director of Employment and Business Development, at last year's grand opening of Encore! A Thrift Store for Everything Kids.
Assemblyman Charles Fall meeting participant Israel during the Assemblyman's visit to our Preschool earlier this year.
Genesis staff, parents and friends showing off their finished artwork during last year's paint night event.
Donate Supplies or Funds Today!
Our residential staff are working around the clock to take care of our participants, and are doing an amazing job! We currently have supplies for all of our locations that need them, but with a surge in demand, we are being proactive and looking to increase our current supply. If you or someone you know have any of the following items available to donate, please contact info@eden2.org to arrange a dropoff.

Powder free exam gloves
Medical isolation gowns
Chemical splash goggles
Hand sanitizer
Hand sanitizer wipes
Surface sanitizer wipes
Disinfectant spray
N95 face masks

Thank you to those who have generously donated PPE for our staff:

Borough President James Oddo
Senator Andrew J. Lanza
Assemblyman Michael Cusick
Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis
Assemblyman Mike Reilly
Assemblyman Charles D. Fall
Councilman Steven Matteo
Councilman Joe Borelli
Councilwoman Debi Rose
District Attorney Mike McMahon
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Steven Anderson
Clara Azadegan
Lauren Baker-Anderson
Anthony Castiglione
Amy Hume Bellisano on behalf of The Woodbridge Center
Denise Bianchi
Brooklyn Home Foundation
Debbie Burwasser
Joe Caldarera
Stephanie Cassas
Sabrina Rose Dallas
Denise Eget
Dr. Ryan Galligan
Hatteras
Audrey Hassuer & other
Metuchen residents
Dr. Jane Howard
Magnacare
Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis
Shelley Chi Mawhinney, Metuchen
Randy McArthur
Joe McCormack
Making Waves Foundation
Medtrak Rx
Nassau/Suffolk Autism Society of America
Sue Reek
Rab's Country Lanes
Rescuing Families, Inc.
Sulma Rivera
Staten Island Elected Officials
Staten Island Glove & Safety
Elizabeth Thomas
Westpoint Home
Oscar Valera, Metuchen
Amazon Smile is a free and easy way to help support Eden II. Simply select Eden II as the charity of your choice, and Amazon will donate a percentage of every purchase made back to Eden II when you shop through Amazon Smile. Click here to select Eden II.