First day jitters are quickly behind us! Although we experienced some extreme heat and had some modified school days, our first week at Torey J. was a great success! The staff and I enjoyed welcoming back familiar faces and new faces to our learning community. Students are acclimating to school routines and new classes. From community circle time, to diving into reading, writing, math, and more, your students are already on their way to learning and growing! I truly hope your children have enjoyed their first week of school.

Every Friday throughout the school year, you will receive my principal newsletter which includes important information regarding our school operations as well as instructional, programming, and academic highlights. In previous years, parents/guardians have shared that they find the newsletter extremely helpful in staying informed on all things Torey J.!

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend! Perhaps this weekend you can ask your child what their highlight of the week was.

Your partner in education,

Principal Ms. Garcia

• September 8, 2023 - MEF Fall Adult Social... I hope to see you all there!
• September 20, 2023 - TJS Back to School Night at 7:00 PM
• September 25, 2023 - No School - Yom Kippur
• September 28, 2023 - Picture Day!
• September 29, 2023 - PTO Fall Adult Social
• October 4, 2023 - PTO General Meeting - TJS Art Room - 9:00 AM

Last year we featured our amazing educators at Torey J. each Friday in the Principal Newsletter. This year we are sharing a Google Slides Presentation (linked below) culminating all of the faculty and staff bios into one place. I encourage you all to read about our teachers and teacher assistant's to get to know the individuals who work so closely with your children each and everyday.

This year we will be sharing monthly activity calendars in the principal newsletters. Each month a new choice board will be featured. We hope that the activities on the choice board encourage families to do fun things together at home to continue the home to school connection. Click the link below to access and print the SEPTEMBER calendar. As a family try to do as many of the boxes as you can during the entire month of September!

On Friday, September 8, 2023, all students participated in an assembly led by Principal Ms. Garcia and School Counselor Mrs. Bletcher. We reviewed our school rules and code of conduct as well as bullying prevention training. Our Code of Conduct is detailed in our TJS Family Handbook which can be found on our school website and is also linked above for your convenience. Torey J. has been identified as a No Place for Hate School since 2017. We are hopeful that our students recognize the importance of school rules and understand their role and impact in our larger school community. This year we expect all students to PAWS to THINK!

• Practice Kindness
• Act Safe and Responsible
• Work Hard
• Show Respect

We hope to catch our students using their PAWS each and every day! Please ask your child what they learned today regarding using their PAWS at TJS!

Dear Parents/Guardians:

Welcome back to the new school year! It has been wonderful meeting your children and attending to their health needs this week. The students effectively acclimated back to the classroom environment while experiencing some very warm temperatures in the building. Teachers and staff have done a wonderful job of ensuring that students stay well hydrated, listen to their bodies, and visit the health office when needed. The half days were a welcome gift from the district to ensure that students' health and safety is prioritized. As the temperatures remain elevated, please continue to keep your children hydrated before and after school, and reinforce the importance of drinking water throughout the day while in school. In addition, please see below for important health office reminders:

• Immunization and PE Forms: Thank you to all new student parents and guardians for your cooperation with providing the required health documentation for your child to begin school at TJS. For any outstanding forms, I will be reaching out directly in the upcoming week.

• Medications: Any medication that is needed for your child during the school day must be brought into school directly by the parent or guardian with a signed and stamped prescription from your healthcare provider. This includes vitamins, supplements, and cough drops. Please use this link for required asthma and allergy paperwork https://www.madisonpublicschools.org/o/tjs/documents/health-office/allergy-and-asthma-required-forms/452347.

• Snacks: Please provide your child with a peanut/tree nut-free snack and re-fillable water bottle daily. The TJS Food Allergy Guidelines are attached for your reference.

• Absence/Tardy: Please report absences/tardiness to the TJS roll call line at (973) 593-3182 (#1) and leave a detailed message with your child’s name, teacher, and reason for absence or late arrival. Please try to report absences prior to the beginning of the school day at 8:40 AM.You may also email me directly at guarinoc@madisonnjps.org and copy Mrs. Dakss in the front office at dakssm@madisonnjps.org.

• Illness: If your child is home sick, they must be fever free for 24 hours before returning to school,and symptom free for 24 hours if they have experienced vomiting or diarrhea. If your child begins to experience symptoms including fever, sore throat, cough, runny nose, fatigue, muscle/ body aches, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing they must remain home until symptoms are resolved. Testing is recommended for both Covid-19 and Flu. Please use this link for updated Covid-19 protocols https://www.madisonpublicschools.org/article/1228204. As with any significant virus or infection, please provide a doctor’s note for clearance to return to school, especially if they have exhibited symptoms of Covid-19 or Flu.

As always, please feel free to reach out to me at any time with questions or concerns. I look forward to a safe and healthy new school year!

Kindest Regards,

Carrie Guarino, RN

An email was sent today to fourth and fifth grade parents/guardians regarding an opportunity for your child to join the TJS Chorus. If you have questions regarding Chorus, please direct them directly to Mrs. McEachern.

Happy first week TJS families! This is Adam Gerenstein (Mr G). I am so excited to be starting my 16th year as the physical education teacher at the best school in the world, Torey J!

My favorite part of the first week of school is meeting all our new friends! Not only all our new friends in kindergarten, but all the new friends sprinkled in some of the older grades. I love seeing their faces when I say that I used to live on a cruise ship, my favorite food is Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, my favorite color is rainbow, and my favorite animals are unicorns!

For the first week , similar to the classroom teachers, we will review the importance of following directions(rules make the game more fun!), how to move safely in class, and some icebreaker activities. We do this in a variety of ways from instruction in "information station" and in such activities as "I See", "The Question Game", and "Two Square Volley".

Just a reminder, on PE days, please wear some sort of athletic/running shoe(Crocs in "sport mode" do not count as a "running shoe". haha). Wearing these shoes will not only assist in the safety of your child, but also the other children in class. It will help them move safely and efficiently during activities.

As mentioned, I am so excited for this year and looking forward to teaching all our TJS friends!

Torey J. and the Board of Education Office have a very small parking lot with little room for cars to pass once the parking spaces are full. Parking spaces are for staff members only. If you are driving your child to school, we kindly ask that you park your car on a side street and walk your student to the door or path. If you need to “kiss and drop” in the morning, please drop your child off on Woodland Road in front of the Board of Education Office where your child can follow the sidewalk directly to the school. In an effort to help with the dismissal congestion, parents/guardians are asked not to stand in close proximity to the exit doors, but rather a location further back in eyesight of the exit doors. It is helpful to determine a mutual "meeting spot" with your child and to leave the property immediately once you have all of your children.

Torey J. families are reminded for the safety of their children to please utilize sidewalks at all times when escorting their child to and from school. It is important to note that Glenwild Circle is an open road and both TJS and BOE have active parking lots. Parents/guardians are asked to communicate with caretakers who assist with student arrival and dismissal that the use of the sidewalk along the fence should be utilized to walk toward Glenwild Road as well as avoid walking across the parking lots during drop-off and dismissal. Thank you for your cooperation to ensure the safety of our students and families.

The Madison Education Foundation (MEF) has been funding teacher-initiated grants in Madison Public Schools for 20 years! By the numbers, this translates to more than 600 grants awarded and more than $2 million funded. Help us mark this milestone anniversary by celebrating and fundraising with us at “A Roaring 20th Anniversary Celebration of the Madison Education Foundation” on Friday, September 8th. This milestone adult-only gala---featuring a silent auction, wine pull, 50/50 raffle, bourbon tasting, live entertainment, and more---will be a swanky soirée to mark two decades of grant-making in Madison Public Schools. Let's toast this special anniversary together! With your continued support, we can anticipate many more years of helping our teachers, students, and schools thrive. Learn more about the MEF Gala HERE, and buy your Gala tickets HERE.