Principal Garcia's Newsletter
Thursday, April 6, 2023
Important Dates
- April 7 - No School - Good Friday
- April 13 - Grade 4 Wax Museum Parent Evening 6:30 PM
- April 14 - Grade 5 Awesome Art
- April 17 - 21 - TJS Green Week
- April 17 - 5th to 6th Grade Student Only Orientation (Field Trip to MJS)
- April 17 - 5th to 6th Grade Parent Orientation at MJS at 6:30 PM
- April 20 - Fifth Grade Musical Performance, Winnie the Pooh
- April 27 - Take Your Child to Work Day (permission slip required below)
- April 28 - Grade 5 Breakfast with the Principal
- April 29 - Arbor Day Ceremony at Hartley Dodge Memorial at 9 AM
TJS Teacher of the Year and Educational Services Professional of the Year
Dear Torey J. School Community:
Every year as a community, it's important that we stop and reflect on the absolutely amazing educators we have at TJS! Beginning today we are accepting nominations from parents, staff, and community members for the next TJS Teacher of the Year and TJS Educational Services Professional of the Year.
The positions listed below are considered Educational Services Professionals by the New Jersey Department of Education:
- Anti-Bullying Specialist
- Athletic Trainer
- Mathematics Specialist / Mathematics Coach
- Basic Skills Teacher
- Paraprofessional - Teacher Assistants (Instructional only)
- Behavior Specialist
- Reading Specialist / Reading Coach
- Cooperative Education Coordinator / Hazardous Occupations
- School Nurse
- School Occupational Therapist
- Director of School Counseling Services / Child Study Team
- School Physical Therapist
- School Social Worker
- Educational Interpreter (Cued Speech, Transliteration, Oral Interpreting, Sign Language Interpreting)
- Speech-Language Specialist
- Student Assistant Coordinator
- Technology Coach
- Guidance / School Counselor
- Learning Disabilities Teacher Consultant
- Library Media Specialist
Please consider submitting nominations to honor our wonderful TJS professionals. The deadline to submit nominations for both recognitions is no later than Monday, April 17, 2023.
Please complete this Google Form to submit your nominations for both categories. Please submit at maximum only one nomination for Teacher of the Year and one nomination for Educational Support Professional of the Year categories (a maximum of 2 nominations per person). Both entries can be submitted on the same Google Form.
Educators of the Year will be formally announced on Friday, May 5, 2023. We look forward to reading your nominations and celebrating the hard work and dedication of our elementary educators.
Sincerely,
Ileana Garcia
TJS Principal
Take Your Child to Work Day
As you may know, Thursday, April 27, 2023, is "Take Your Child to Work Day." In order for your child to be excused from school, please print and complete the permission slip below and return it to your child's teacher no later than Tuesday, April 25, 2023.
TJS Green Week is Coming... April 17 - April 21
Please join our school community as we celebrate our Earth during Green Week! Green Week will take place at Torey J. from April 17th-April 21st. Students will be participating in numerous activities to learn about how to take care of our planet. Please see the below information for a schedule of activities, poster competition directions, and a family choice board!
Weekly Reading Tips from Mrs. LoBrace
All About Visualizing
When a reader visualizes they are creating a picture or movie in the mind as they move through their reading.
We are consistently creating, adding-to, and revising our mental images as we engage with a text, both in:
fiction (in terms of the characters, setting, plot, and actions) and nonfiction (in terms of details about the topic and timelines).
Visualizing helps a reader:
-Actively engage in their reading
-Make inferences as they read
-Recall and summarize the text more easily
-Understand the story more deeply
What to Remember as You Visualize
-Use your 5 senses to fully immerse yourself in the experience of creating a mental image.
-Rely on the information and details from the text and your prior knowledge.
-There’s no right or wrong way to create your own mental image! It is unique to your understanding of the text.
-Sketching out your mental image as you build it is always helpful in understanding what you read.
Below are 3 different types of organizers for visualizing to help further your child’s understanding as they read.. Enjoy!
Organizers for Visualizing
Source: ©2019 The Classroom Nook
TJS PRINCIPAL, MS. ILEANA GARCIA
Hello TJS families! I am so proud to be the TJS Principal and have been lucky to call Torey J. my home away from home for the last three years, joining Madison in February 2020. Prior to joining Madison, I served as a K-12 Regional Curriculum Coordinator for five years in the Quad Districts (Allendale K-8, Ho-Ho-Kus K-8, Upper Saddle River K-8, and Northern Highlands High School 9-12) in Bergen County. I also taught for eight years in first, second, and third grade in the Upper Saddle River and Paramus School Districts.
My academic background includes a Bachelor's degree from The College of New Jersey '07, where I obtained certifications as Teacher of Preschool through Grade 3, Elementary School Teacher, and Teacher of Art K-12. From there, I pursued a Master's degree in Literacy from William Paterson University, earning certifications as a Reading Specialist and Supervisor. I then completed the NJEXCEL program to obtain Principal certification and am currently re-enrolled in another NJEXCEL program to obtain Chief School Administrator certification. I also have extensive Orton-Gillingham training that I received through the Institute for Multi-Sensory Education. You can say that I definitely consider myself a lifelong learner!
I come from a family of educators and was destined to follow. Outside of my work as the TJS Principal, I love to travel! I have been to 5 continents and have 23 countries pinned on my travel map at home. My most recent trip was to Iceland over Spring Break. My other hobbies include hiking, going to Barre classes, spending time with family, friends, my ten-year-old twin niece and nephew (Adriana and Dylan) as well as my 5-year-old French Bulldog (Diego).
News from the MEF
Registration is officially open for the 20th Annual MEF Madison 5K Run/Walk and Kids Fun Run. Registration is available at
www.mefnj.org News from the PTO
THANK YOU!
One last thank you to everyone who made last week’s Spring Social such a successful fundraiser for TJS! Thank you to all who attended and donated through our various raffles. Thank you to Ms. Garcia and the entire teaching staff for donating their time for countless prizes and outings - they were a huge hit! Thank you to Billy Brown, Katie Kyle, Corinne Murphy, Madeline Smith, and Amber Thomas for putting in countless hours to help plan. And our biggest thank you to our chairs of the event Alyson O’Connell and Jaime Seeley for planning a beautiful evening for us all to enjoy! If you have any questions about your prizes, please contact us at presidents.tjspto@gmail.com.
Library Help Needed! - New Dates and Times Added
Do you have an extra half hour to help out at school? Ms. Thomas needs our assistance to keep the TJS library organized between classes. Volunteers are needed for short periods to help reshelve books. Please check out the times on the SignUp Genius if you are interested!
Save the Date for COLOR RUN!!!
More details coming soon!
News from the MMA
Registration is now open for Madison Music & Arts' 33rd Annual Dessert & Jazz fundraiser to benefit the visual and performing arts in Madison! This family-friendly event features a cabaret of talented MHS students followed by performances from the MHS Chamber Strings, MHS Jazz Chorus, MJS Jazz Band, and MHS Jazz Ensemble. Dessert will be provided.
For more information and to make your reservations, visit dessertandjazz.madisonmusicarts.org.
Madison Summer Steam Academy
The Madison STEAM Academy returns this summer for its sixth year and is bigger than ever before!
The STEAM Academy offers a hands-on, engaging camp experience for students entering grades 1 through 12 in the 2023-24 school year. With a diverse range of interesting courses, there's an exciting opportunity for every interest! Programming is offered across six week-long sessions in either AM, PM, or full-day options, and enrollment is not limited to Madison residents. Extended day options and tuition assistance are also available to ensure that any interested student can access this amazing program! For enrollment, course offerings, and more information, please visit www.madisonpublicschools.org/steamacademy
Madison Summer Arts Program
Click the link below to access the Madison Summer Arts Program Brochure.
