• Tomorrow, June 14, is Olympic Day for Grades K-6. Students will participate in a rotation of events for the morning and then will come together for the relay races and tug of rope at 1:00pm. Please be sure to send your child with sunscreen already applied and a filled, reusable water bottle.

• On Monday, June 17, at 2:00pm, the 6th Graders take on the Faculty in a friendly game of softball.

• Preschool Graduation takes place in the classroom on Wednesday, June 19: AM at 10:45am; PM at 2:15pm.

• Kindergarten Graduation is on Thursday, June 20, at 9:00am, in the Gym, followed by a reception in the Media Center. The 6th Grade Graduation Rehearsal is at 1:30pm in the Gym.

• Please join us for our annual 6th Grade Clap Out on Thursday, June 20. Our entire school will line the halls of our main building to cheer and clap as our 6th Grade students make their way at 3:05pm from the Media Center, through the halls, and out onto the field as they leave the school for the last full day. Feel free to bring flowers, balloons and/or signs (but please, no confetti) to celebrate.

• The 6th Grade Graduation is at 9:00am on Friday, June 21, in the Gym.

• The last day of school for 2018-19 is an Early Dismissal Day, with dismissal at 12:45pm.

• Congratulations to the 2019-20 EFS Student Council Executive Board: Gary Buccino, President; Will Mazzei, Vice President; Meghan Criqui, Treasurer; and Teddy Skopak, Secretary. Great work to all the candidates who ran this year!

• Thank you to the Board of Education Members for their faithful work on behalf of our school. We appreciate the commitment of Kris Huegel, President; Steve LoCascio, Vice President; Bethany Buccino, Shani Drogin, and Debra Tedesco.

• Thank you to the 2018-19 PTA Executive Board: Angela Vega, Julie Piccoli, Margaret Nowak, and Brenda Cioce. We appreciate all the PTA does for our school community and look forward to another wonderful year working together.

• Thank you to the EFFEE for all they provide for our school: Laura D'Avella, Maya Autret, Lucinda Davis, Greg Gardner, and Kathy Critchley. We look forward to our continued partnership on behalf of our school.

• Thank you to all the parent volunteers who contribute their time and efforts to EFS!

• A few more items to note:

1. The Parent Portal will be open to view your child's final report card from June 21, at 12:45pm, to June 28, at 12 noon.
2. Summer reading and math homework assignments were handed out at Move Up Day. Copies will also be available on the district website.
3. Class lists for 2019-20 will be posted on the secured section of the school website in mid-July.
4. A summer parent packet, which includes letters from your child's teacher(s), will be mailed out in August.

• As the school year comes to a close, I would like to wish everyone a safe and happy summer break. I look forward to seeing you and your child(ren) in the fall. Best wishes, 6th Graders, as you move on to middle school. I know the lessons and experiences provided to you at Essex Fells School will serve as a strong foundation as you build upon your education. See you Thursday, September 5, 2019!

No Fuss Lunch Ordering

The No Fuss Lunch calendar for June has been posted. Please note you cannot order for Friday, June 14(Olympics). The PTA will be providing lunch for the entire school.

Olympics

• The PTA will be providing pizza lunch for the students and teachers on the day of the Olympics (Friday, June 14th). If you do not want your child to have pizza, please send in a bagged lunch.
• Please send your child in with a filled, reusable water bottle to use at the Olympics. There will be a water cooler at the snack table where children can refill their bottles as needed.
• We still need some fruit donations for the snack table, please contact Lisa Massaroni at rlmassaroni@aol.com if you are interested in helping.

End of Year Gifts

The PTA will be gifting teachers and staff members “End of Year’ gift cards with the funds collected in September via MobileArq. Thank you for your generosity.

Ice Cream Truck Celebration

The ice cream truck is coming to school on June 20th! Students will celebrate the end of the school year as they enjoy ice cream during their lunch periods.

2019-2020 Volunteers

We are looking for volunteers for next year! There are a number of ways to volunteer including class parents, book fair, family fun night, rolling drop-off and pick-up, lunch program and more! If you are interested in signing up, please contact Julie Piccoli at thepiccolikids@gmail.com.

We thank you all for your generous support and contributions throughout the year, which make so many wonderful programs for our children possible. We will send you updates later in the summer as we prepare for fall programs and enrichment. You can also visit our website for updates at: https://www.effee.org/

There are two open Board of Education positions as of January 2020. Please contact Steven Lella, Business Administrator, for more information regarding the November 2019 election.

BOE Candidacy Information

For any Essex Fells Families who have recently moved within town, please update all information in the school office by providing three (3) proofs of residency: a deed, lease or tax bill; a photo ID; and a utility bill, all with your name and Essex Fells address. In addition, a signed residency/domicile status form, provided by the school, is required.

Please check out all the clubs and activities available to our students and generously sponsored by the Essex Fells Foundation for Educational Excellence:

Art Club

Art Club is a 10 week club that runs Wednesday mornings from 7:30am to 8:30am. This club is offered to 6th grade students only. The 6th graders participate in making murals and sculptures for the school as well as designing their own ceiling tile to be put up in the school for everyone to enjoy.

The 6th Grade Art Club has concluded for the 2018-2019 school year.

Keyboarding Club

The Keyboarding Club is open to all students in grades K-3 during lunchtime in the tech room. Days of the club vary and Mrs. Castellano notifies the students on the days the club is running. Students practice proper keyboarding techniques in a relaxed and fun atmosphere. This is a great alternative for students who do not want to play outside while developing their typing skills. Please note that the maximum number of students on any given day is 18. Attendance is on a first come first served basis.

Stock Market Club

The Stock Market Club is open to fifth & sixth grade students. The students are participating in the TD Stock Market Game and are maintaining portfolios that each started with $100,000. The club kicked off with TD representatives explaining to the students the fundamentals of investing. We meet at lunchtime to buy and sell stocks while discussing trends in the news that impact the market. The culmination of the club will be a prize to the student who is able to make the greatest profit from their investment.

Yearbook Club

The Yearbook Club is open to 6th graders only. Participants meet once or twice a month at lunchtime to design the 2018-2019 school yearbook. Dates are decided upon by Mrs. Christopher and the 6th grade participants each month.

The Yearbook Club has concluded for the 2018-19 school year.

Second and Third Grade Book Club

After signing up with Mrs. MacKenzie, students meet during lunch period on Thursday or Friday. They enjoy their lunch, read a good book, and discuss big ideas! Students may simply listen to the story or participate in reading out loud with copies of the book provided by the Foundation. All children have personalized notebooks that they use to respond to questions in either written or drawing form. Students are welcome to share their responses if they choose. Students in Mrs. MacKenzie's book club are currently reading Ramona Quimby, Age 8. #WeLoveReading!

The Second and Third Grade Book Club has concluded for the 2018-2019 school year.

Postal Club

Postal Club is open to third grade students and is held Wednesday mornings at 8:00am in room 110. The postal club participates in writing letters, creating posters, and delivering the school mail to the classrooms.

The Postal Club has concluded for the 2018-2019 school year.

Study Hall

Study Hall is a club that is open throughout the entire school year and runs from Tuesday- Thursday. It is open to students in grades 4-6 during lunch/recess or just recess. This club allows children to study for tests, work on homework, and long term assignments. Study Hall will continue through the end of May.

Study Hall has concluded for the 2018-19 school year.

Stories with Holes

Stories with Holes is a winter club for students in grades 4-6 that runs one time a week from January through March. This lunchtime club inspires imagination, increases cognitive functioning, and develops listening skills as students think in creative ways to find the answers to the riddle-like challenges in the stories.

Stories with Holes has concluded for the 2018-2019 school year.

School Store

School Store is a club run by sixth grade students periodically throughout the year during the lunch periods. Fellow students may make purchases of items ranging in price from 10 cents to $3.00.

School Store has concluded for the 2018-19 school year.

Upper Building Book Club

Students in the fourth through sixth grade meet with Mrs. Reynolds Fridays during the first lunch. She gathers signatures for up to twenty students who are eager to spend their time reading and responding to a novel. Journals are used to draw and write on topics related to the book. Students lounge in the back of the media center, eat lunch, and soak up the pleasures gained from reading a great book.

The Upper Building Book Club has concluded for the 2018-2019 school year.

Newspaper Club

The Newspaper Club will be meeting every Monday at 8:OOam in Room 109 with Mrs. Brzostowski. This club is open to 4th-6th graders. Students will be able to shed light upon newsworthy topics and flex their creative and informative writing skills.

The Newspaper Club has concluded for the 2018-2019 school year.

MORNING ENSEMBLE REHEARSALS

All early morning (8:00am) Band, Orchestra, and Chorus ensemble rehearsals have ended for the 2018-19 school year.

All instrument rentals must be returned to the school by Monday, June 17.

TRANSFERS FOR 2019-2020

For the 2019-2020 school year: if your child will not be attending EFS or West Essex Junior High School (for current 6th grade students), please notify the school office in writing. See the transfer form attached. Sixth grade records will be sent to WEJHS unless we have written parental permission to send the records to another school.

Transfer Form 2019-20

ART/ ART THERAPY/ CLASS MEETING

Magazine donations are welcome and can be dropped off in the main office. Thank you to all who made donations.

STUDENT COUNCIL

Please support the following:

Pops for Tops

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

EFS End of Year Pool Party sponsored by EFCC

Pear for Pair - EFS will be participating in a shoe donation community service project. Black fabric bags will be coming home with your child this afternoon. If you wish to participate, please place a clean pair of gently used children's shoes in the bag and return them to school. Shoe donation boxes will be available in both buildings. The shoes will be collected for the remainder of the school year before they are shipped to children in Africa, India and Nepal. Thank you for your support.

FROM THE EF RECREATION DEPT

EFRD Summer Program

2019 Fall Soccer

2019 PreK/K Soccer