The Monroe Messenger

Dear James Monroe Families,

The month gets started with a wild reading adventure! Our school-wide theme "Wild About Reading" will include buddy reading, guest readers from the community and a wildly popular family reading night. We encourage you to pick up a book and read to your child, no matter their age, and enjoy reading together.

We look forward to seeing you at our Multicultural Night and Parent Teacher Conferences.

Warmly,

Cynthia Tufaro, principal

Maggie Callahan, assistant principal

Parent Teacher Conferences will be held on the following dates:

Tuesday, March 23rd at 5:00 - 6:30pm (in-person)

Tuesday, March 28th at 2:00 - 3:30pm (in-person)

Thursday, March 30th at 5:00 - 6:30pm (virtual)

These are early dismissal days.

Grades K - 5 - 1:30 p.m.

You may schedule a 10-minute conference with your child's teacher using the conference feature on Parent Portal. Conferences are a valuable time to help forge a strong relationship and assist the teacher in getting to know your child better as well as providing you with a progress update. Contact your child’s teacher if you have any problems scheduling an appointment.

Directions for grades K - 5 and SCA:

1. Log into Parent Portal.

2. Go to Student Data and select conferences. A link will appear that says “Schedule conference for Parent Teacher Conferences” for each available day. (See image below)

3. On the next screen, select “Reserve” to choose a day and time for your child's teacher.

4. Select only one conference per teacher. Select a conference appointment that matches your preference. An email notification will be sent to confirm the appointment.

Our “Soup”er Bowl Food Drive was a huge success! We were able to collect 268 items! When we work together as a team to fight hunger, we are all winners! Thank you for all of your generous donations!

March kicks off with a celebration of reading! Our school comes together throughout the first week for buddy reading across grade levels, Wild About Reading Night with a guest animal expert and featuring non-fiction books about animals, themed dressed up reading days around the various habitats and special guest readers from our community. Thank you to our reading specialist, Mrs. Kelly Pedana, our intervention team Mrs. Amin and Mrs. Ciccarella and our reading committee for elevating the value of reading in such fun and engaging ways!

It is time for a library reading challenge! This year we will be focusing on our "Wild About Reading" theme. We will be competing to symbolically adopt one of four animals from the World Wildlife Federation. Classes will be sorted into the following teams- Red Panda, Giraffe, Snowy Owl, and Green Turtle. The team with the most hours read will determine which animal we adopt. The WWF will provide us with a stuffed animal to symbolize our adoption. Extra bonus this year... the class with the overall highest total of hours read will get to name the stuffed animal! Thank you to the Student Council for their support in the adoption of an endangered animal.

Our Physical Education classes kicked off the American Heart Association's “Kids Heart Challenge” this month across all of their classes! Together we raised almost $3,000.00! Students learned about how to build a healthy lifestyle and engaged in fun cardiovascular activities! Check out the video for some highlights!

James Monroe Elementary School Kids Heart Challenge

A special thank you to Mrs. Reif or Mr. Fernandez for leading this initiative!

First grade classes came together for a celebration of our rich and diverse community. Parents took a museum walk through our gallery and students had an opportunity to present information about the culture they selected research! We are very proud of everyone's hard work and thank the first grade teachers for planning this special event.

Please join us at our upcoming Multicultural Night to be held on March 15th from 6 - 7 pm. It is a wonderful celebration of our school community's diversity and gives us an opportunity to learn about each other's cultures, traditions and food. We can't wait to see our featured dancers and musicians perform! Please scan the QR code or register HERE if you plan to join us for the event.

We are still seeking families to volunteer. Click here if you are interested in helping host a table.

Thank you to our Media Club for creating this month's Whoo's News! Features include:

• Black History Month
• Meet our New Staff
• Library Reading Challenge
• Joke of the Month

Check out these highlights from our Someone Special Dance. Children and their special guest danced the night away. Thank you to the James Monroe PTO for creating a magical atmosphere and to our staff volunteers for their assistance.

Students in Grades 3-5 are invited to participate in our Science Fair! To register, please fill out the form below by March 10th. Registration includes the required trifold display board and a chance to win a science related door prize. Students are able to work with a partner. For more information, please visit our website:

https://sites.google.com/edison.k12.nj.us/science-fair-2023/home

Visit the Edison Public Schools Website to learn more about how to register your incoming Kindergarten student.

The Public Schools of Edison Township is proud to offer a Dual Language Academy (DLA) to be located at Washington Elementary School. In this dual language program, students will be taught literacy and academic content in both English and Spanish. The DLA will be a full-time program of instruction running from Grade K through 5th grade that provides structured English language instruction, as well as instruction in Spanish, in all core content areas.All Edison School District students are eligible to apply for the program prior to the start of kindergarten.

The Young American Poetry Society is looking for entries to publish in this year’s digest. If interested, please pick up an entry form from the Library. You may return your original poems to the Library and they will be mailed in to be reviewed by their committee. They feature Haiku poetry but all forms of poetry are welcome. Poems must be 80 words or less. Poems are due to the Library by March 10th. For more information please visit www.youngpoets.org We are looking forward to seeing our creative Owls at work!

Please join us in the cafeteria or virtually at or next PTO meeting on March 7th at 6:00 pm. A link will be shared to join virtually as well before the meeting.

“We just can’t wait to be king!...and to start performing!

The Drama Club is gearing up for their May performance. We are getting into full swing as we rehearse, plan and prepare!

The level of excitement is palpable in the building as we are working on costume decisions, set and prop pieces, and learning our lines.

For the month of February, we rehearsed on the stage after school each week with our directors, Mrs. Romeo and Mrs. Sanchez, as well as daily lunchtime vocal practice for our ensemble numbers arranged by Mrs. Sanchez. In addition to our 33 lead actors, our ensemble numbers are beginning to work on their songs and choreography! Ensemble actors in grade 3 will play the “cubs and grubs” in “Hankuna Matata”. Grade 4 Ensemble were cast as “Simba’s Stampede” in “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King!” , and Grade 5 will portray “Rafiki’s Rhythm makers in “One by One” and “He Lives in You”. We will continue our weekly rehearsal in March!

Information is going home this week for our Kindergarten, First and Second graders who may be interested in performing in the opening number of the show. Please see the flier for more information! Break legs everyone!

This month I am addressing two very important items for students and families of James Monroe, good nutrition and sleep; without which your student will not be at their best health and ability to learn in school. Please note the following resources below:

National Nutrition Month® is a nutrition education and information campaign sponsored annually by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The campaign is designed to focus attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. National Nutrition Month also promotes the Academy and its members to the public and the media as the most valuable and credible source of timely, scientifically based food and nutrition information.

Maschio’s National Nutrition Month Theme is : “Go for H20!”

Each year, Maschio’s food service schools celebrate National Nutrition Month to encourage students and adults to make healthy choices both in and outside of the school cafe. This year's theme, "Go for H20!" is all about making it your goal to drink more water this month. Aim for at least 6 glasses of water per day for adults and at least 4 glasses of water per day for children.

🔸If your child buys food at school, please consider reviewing the menus on Maschio’s website for James Monroe: https://edisontps.nutrislice.com/menu/james-monroe-elementary-school and discuss with him/her what foods would be a good alternative to what is usually eaten. Add a fruit or vegetable, etc. Please send your student/s to school with a water bottle. Encourage them to drink that whole bottle the first half of the school day, REFILL it and drink that 2nd bottle the second half of the school day. Then, have them continue to drink 2 more bottles minimum at home before bed. This is the recommended minimum to drink daily.

🔸Try these computer games available online for children to play that allow them to have fun and learn how to make good food choices at the same time: https://www.healthyeating.org/products-and-activities/games-activities/myplate https://www.myplate.gov/life-stages/kids

🔸Tips to “Eat Right At School” are available here from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/features/eating_healthier.htm

Don’t forget that eating a balanced diet should also be accompanied by routine exercise, not just for children, but the whole family.

NATIONAL SLEEP AWARENESS

Every year, the National Sleep Foundation takes this time to reemphasize the important connection between your sleep and your health and well-being.

Many students are a little drowsy in the morning but some students are extremely tired with fatigue, glassy eyes, irritability and some are almost unrousable falling asleep on their desks. These students are frequently sent to the nurse’s office to be assessed for illness and may be sent home because they are not able to stay awake to learn.

If your student is having difficulty sleeping on a regular basis, please refer to this list of concerns below and discuss with your pediatrician if your child would benefit from an evaluation by a pediatric sleep neurologist and/or pediatric pulmonologist such as these folks listed below at the nearby JFK Center for Sleep Disorders.

Please call or email me to discuss if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you,

Mrs. Sclafani

IMMUNIZATION CLINIC

Finally, if your student has not fulfilled their immunization requirements from their continued enrollment, the next immunization clinic for those WITHOUT INSURANCE is at the

Edison Health Department March 29, 2023 3:30pm to 6pm.

This is BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. Please call for an appointment at 732-248-7286.

Children can purchase snacks after they eat lunch on Tuesday and Thursdays!