A Note From The Administrators

Dear Desmares Families,

We hope your New Year is off to a great start and you were able to fully enjoy the holiday break with family and friends. It was an exciting week prior to the end of the 2022 year, with many fun classroom celebrations. We thank all of you for volunteering and visiting the classrooms to be with our students. As we mentioned in our last school newsletter, the first few months of the year are when we begin to see consistency with full days of school without long breaks. Let’s hope the weather continues to cooperate! Our teachers are preparing their schedules to conduct benchmark assessments using the Fountas and Pinnell assessment tools and the NWEA MAP Winter Benchmark assessment, which will take place from January 17th – January 25th. All students will be participating in these assessments. The results will be compared to the Fall assessment data to determine student growth and areas of instructional focus that teachers can adjust to meet the needs of students to help them achieve state standards.

Recently, the curriculum office sent out invitations to qualified students to attend a Literacy focused tutoring program, LITTERA, and the Experience Math. Eligibility for these programs is primarily based on student performance on the NWEA MAP assessment and individual criteria. Please join us in our effort to accelerate student learning by replying to the invitation if you have not done so already. We anticipate two sessions for each 12-week program which would mean if your child did not receive an invitation, they may qualify for the second session, and more information will be sent home at a later date.

As we begin the New Year, we would like all parents to know we take all unkind or mean behaviors and actions seriously. With that said, we encourage all parents to revisit the section of our school or district website under HIB to fully understand what is or is not Bullying. As a school, we foster a community where students need to respect one another, but we know there will be times when children will not. If your child experiences a situation in school or on the bus where another student(s) is not being respectful, please contact Mr. Masessa or Mrs. Peake so we can resolve the issue in a timely fashion. While all parents have the right to complete a HIB referral form, we feel more education and understanding are needed to help parents decipher the criteria that needs to be met under the NJDOE HIB Law. Please contact us if you have any questions or if you would like clarification.

All the best for the start of a prosperous 2023!

Mark Masessa and Nydia Peake

Diligence means performing tasks with thoroughness and effort from start to finish where one ca be counted on to follow through on commitments and responsibilities.

Perseverance means pushing through challenges and not giving up!

Here are some great videos that help explain these two traits:

Dear FAD Families,

We are committed to ensuring the academic success of all students, and attendance is a vital component of your student's success. We must work collaboratively to support our students. Research shows that chronic absenteeism can negatively impact student performance.

Last month we featured some educational videos on the importance of attendance. This month we would like to understand your perspective on attendance better. Please fill out our attendance survey by clicking on this link. We are in the process of developing informational resources for our families, and your input is valued.

Last month we also shared our current status in reference to absenteeism. If a student misses an average of two absences a month, they could easily and quickly be identified as a student with chronic absenteeism. This is cold and flu season, and absences can add up quickly and sneak up. Please know that we want our students in attendance, healthy, and ready to learn. Here are some guidelines you can follow to help make the best attendance decisions possible:

• A slight cough is no longer a reason to keep a child home. Your child will not be sent home for a simple cough.

• A tired child can make it through the day. Once they are in school, they enjoy the company of their classmates.

• A child that is experiencing anxiety can best be supported once they are in school. We have a great team of counselors and personnel ready to help.

• Please keep your child home if they have a fever, are vomiting, or have diarrhea. If your child has any or all of the previously stated, they should remain home until they are symptom-free for 24 hours.

• If you have any questions about your child’s ailments and are uncertain, please call the nurse, and she will assist you.

• Please do your best to make appointments after school hours.

• Always report your child’s absence. Unreported absences are considered truant.

Please feel free to review the FAD parent handbook information on attendance located on pages 4- 8.

Tardies can also impact absenteeism as they are added to a student's absenteeism count. Did you know that once a student is tardy three times it is counted as an absence. We have 81 students that have accumulated three or more tardies that have counted toward their absence totals.

We thank you for your support and look forward to working together to reduce the number of absences to ensure the academic success of our students.

Sincerely,

Mr. Masessa & Sra. Peake

Principal Vice Principal

* Click on the image below to view a quick video on the Total Number of Absences.

Dear Parents,

The cold weather has arrived. Recess is an important part of the day for our students. We do our best to get students out and playing each day. However, during these cold months it is important to have the proper attire. All students should arrive to school with warm winter jackets, gloves, and if needed a hat. If students wish to wear shorts they should have long pants under their shorts to protect their legs from the cold weather. If students do not have the proper attire they are not allowed to enjoy their recess and play time with peers.

We ask for your support to ensure that all of our students are able to enjoy their much needed time of unstructured play and socialization with peers.

Sincerely,

Sra. Peake

For information on Maschio's Food services please click here.

For Maschio's Welcome Letter Click here

You can access our school lunch menu by clicking here.

For information on the cashless pay system click here.

You can access the PaySchool site by clicking here. If you are new to our school community you can create an account. If you need the information in Spanish please click here.

Student Breakfast= $2.00

Student Lunch = $3.50

SNACKS= Prices range from $0.50 to $2.00

Please note that snacks are not included as part of the Free & Reduced program. Any child interested in purchasing a snack must bring money in for snacks or have money available in their Pay-for-it account. We are asking students to only purchase one snack after they have eaten the majority of their main meal.

Free & Reduced Lunch Forms English Form Spanish Form

1/16 - No School- Martin Luther King Day

1/17- 1/25- NWEA Assessments K-4

1/23- 1/27 The Great Kindness Challenge

1/24 - Early Dismissal for students- Staff Development

During the 2022-2023 school year, Dr. McGann will hold a Superintendent's Roundtable discussion at each school. These sessions are designed to open dialogue between my office and community members. The intent is to have an open dialogue with community members about issues that are important and on-the-mind of Flemington-Raritan residents. She is hopeful that events such as these help her build relations with parents, staff, and community members and assist her to keep a pulse on the community.

Click here to visit the roundtable page.

During the month of January the focus is increased awareness of slavery & human trafficking. Understandably, the topic of human trafficking is one for a mature audience. These can be tricky topics to navigate. However, we can focus on stranger danger and stranger safety conversations to help keep our students safe. Please feel free to use some of the resources below to begin a developmentally appropriate conversation with your child. Please feel free to visit our Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion site to learn more about the special themes. Please click here to visit the site.