Hello James Monroe Families,

We have so much to be thankful for this November, starting with our families. Thank you for being supportive and active members of our James Monroe Community. It was wonderful to see you at our recent events such as Harvest Eve and our annual Halloween Parade. The PTO makes magic happen behind the scenes by organizing and planning for our upcoming events. We look forward to discussing your child's progress at the upcoming Parent Teacher Conferences in November.

We also appreciate our teachers for creating such positive communities in each of their classrooms, volunteering at our school events and chaperoning Camp Bernie. They have been working so hard to deliver instruction to meet the needs of your children in every subject!

Last but not least, we are grateful for our brave and brilliant children who give us hope each and every day. They are the purpose for which our community comes together to create this very special learning environment.

Wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

With appreciation,

Mrs. Cyndi Tufaro, principal

Mrs. Maggie Callahan, assistant principal

Harvest Eve was a perfect fun-filled fall night! Thank you to our amazing PTO for planning this annual tradition. Families and staff joined in to volunteer and we couldn't have done it without all of their support!

The home-school connection is extremely important to us here at James Monroe! We realize that virtual conferences can be convenient for some families, as they eliminate the need for transportation, childcare arrangements and/or having to take time off work. Thus, for the upcoming conferences, we will be offering either in-person on Nov 15th & 29th and virtual conferences on Dec. 1st.

Parent Teacher Conferences will be held on the following dates:

Tuesday, November 15th at 5:00 - 6:30pm

Tuesday, November 29th at 2:00 - 3:30pm

Thursday, December 1st at 5:00 - 6:30pm - virtual only

These are all early dismissal days for 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 valuable time to help forge a strong relationship and will provide you with a progress update. Parent Portal Conference Scheduling will open later this week on Nov. 4th.

How to set up a Parent Teacher Conference:

1. Log into Parent Portal.

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

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

4. Select only one meeting per teacher. You will receive an email notification to confirm the appointment.

5. Conference registration closes 24 hours prior to the conference date.

If you are unable to attend the conferences, please email the teacher to cancel or reschedule your appointment in the Parent Portal. This is a courtesy to the teacher.

We had over 100 pumpkins decorated with our favorite storybook characters. Congratulations to the three winners on each grade level. This creative competition continues to grow and thrive under the leadership of Mrs. Pedana and the Reading Committee. Thank you to all the children who participated and for their wonderful designs!

Please join us in the cafeteria or virtually at or next PTO meeting on November 16th at 6:00 pm. A link will be shared to join virtually as well before the meeting.

Do you have any gently used Halloween costumes that your child has outgrown? We are collecting cosutmes at the next meeting that we can donate to other families.

James Monroe PTO declares a Penny War! Each classroom is participating and gains points by filling their jug with pennies. They can lower other grades points by adding silver coins into another grade! The class with the most points will have a chance to silly string Mrs. Tufaro and Mrs. Callahan! All of the money will be donated back to the PTO to be used for the school!

The 2022-2023 student council elections have wrapped up at James Monroe! The Student Council’s goal is quite simple; lead and serve the student body through team collaboration and many wonderful opportunities to enrich the James Monroe community. The election procedure started within our grades 3-5 classrooms. Any student interested in running for a position gave a speech to their homeroom class. Each homeroom class then elected one student to represent them in the final selection process. The homeroom winner spent one week campaigning and creating election posters. This process culminated with speeches, where the students spoke to peers in grades three - five about why they believed they would best represent James Monroe on our Student Council Executive Board. Over 250 students voted, and the results are as follows:

Victoria Tobar will represent 3rd grade as our Student Council Secretary.

Liliana Petrovsky is representing 5th grade as the Public Relations Liaison.

Rayyan Qureshi will represent 4th grade as Vice President.

Emmarose Felcetto will also represent 5th grade as your Student Council President!

We are so proud of all the students who were willing to express themselves during this process. We hope this year will be an exciting and memorable one for all of the James Monroe community, and our goal as Student Council will remain “Kindness through Service.”

• 2nd grade: Robotics every Wednesday at 8:00am (students who have previously signed up)
• 3rd grade: Sports Club every Friday at 8:00am (group A and B rotate each week)
• 4th grade: Media Club every Tuesday at 8:00am (schedule will change for groups each week)
• 5th grade: Makerspace Club every other Thursday at 7:45am
• 4th/5th grade: Chorus every Wednesday at 8:15am
• Please look for information about our school play auditions this winter.
• Safety Patrols and Student Council will meet during the school day.

Do you know a classroom teacher or educational services professional who is dedicated, inspiring, and making a difference? If so, please take the time to recommend this person for the Governor’s Educator of the Year Program by completing this nomination form template and returning it to the building principal. Administrators, staff members, students, parents and community members are encouraged to participate. Please return this form to the building principal by November 15th.

Candidates will be scored based on the criteria below:

• Serves as an exceptionally skilled and dedicated educator in a public or charter school;

• Inspires students of all backgrounds and abilities to learn;

• Demonstrates leadership and innovation in and outside the classroom;

• Has the respect and admiration of students, parents, administrators and colleagues; and

• Plays an active role in the community as well as the school.

The fire trucks stopped by to meet our Kindergarten and First grade classes recently. Students were able to meet our hometown community helpers and firefighters shared important information about what to do in a fire and how their gear helps them. We are grateful to the Edison Fire Department for their time!

Congratulations to the following winners of the Fire Safety Poster Contest!

2nd: Maanya K.

3rd Dahlia M.

4th Athena B.

5th: Alyssa B.

5th graders had a once of lifetime experience at Camp Bernie on October 26th! While there students engaged in several activities including streamology where they fished for stream life and learned about the ecosystem, learned archery and shot bows and arrows, participated in the low-ropes course and complete a blindfolded walk where they needed to use their senses and each other to guide through.

During lunch and dinner students assisted setting and clearing the table, and were challenged to limit their food waste during both meals! We got close to the golden spoon during lunch, having only 4oz of food waste! Way to go 5th grade! Check out video for some highlights of the day.

MESSAGE FROM THE SCHOOL NURSE

MRS. SCLAFANI, RN BSN CSN-NJ

This Season a Flu Vaccine is More Important than Ever!

Frequently Asked Influenza (Flu) Questions: 2022-2023 Season

• Getting a flu vaccine is more important than ever during 2022-2023 to protect yourself, your family and your community from Influenza. A flu vaccine this season can also help reduce the burden on our healthcare systems so please get vaccinated now.

• If you do not have insurance that covers physicals, flu shots or other immunizations, please call and make an appointment for the Health Department clinic on November 16, 2022 that begins at 3:30pm. Call the Toth Memorial Health Center at 80 Idlewild Road, Edison, NJ 08817 at 732-248-7285 to make your appointment.

Don’t forget to send your documents to the school nurse please!!

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National Healthy Skin Month – November 2022

It’s time to pay attention to your skin. National Healthy Skin Month each November is sponsored by the American Academy of Dermatology. You may not realize it, but your skin reveals a lot about your overall health. This month makes you and your family aware of what it takes to keep your skin healthy as well as understanding how to treat and prevent common skin problems. National Healthy Skin Month stresses how to correctly use sunscreen and offers helpful tips on how to check your skin periodically to prevent skin cancer.

How to observe National Skin Month

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U.S. Antibiotics Awareness Week (November 18-24)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is sponsoring the U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week to raise awareness about combating antibiotic resistance. Please click on this link below to Be Antibiotics Aware is a national effort to help fight antibiotic resistance and improve antibiotic prescribing and use. Click on the picture link below to find helpful details about not treating your child with an antibiotic when it is not necessary. Click→ BE ANTIBIOTICS AWARE

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PHYSICAL EXAMINATIONS AND IMMUNIZATIONS PAST DUE…..

If you have not handed in your child’s physical examination, dental examination and/or up-to-date immunizations you were informed about when enrolling into James Monroe Elementary School, NOW IS THE TIME.

Please submit all health documents to the school nurse by Nov 21, 2022 to avoid your child being excluded from attending school. Email, or send the missing document in your child’s backpack. If you are unsure if you sent it or not, please email Mrs. Sclafani at kathleen.sclafani@edison.k12.nj.us or call 732-452-2970 Ext/ 62004. You may also check out the forms, policies, health lessons, etc. at the school nurse website: https://mon.edison.k12.nj.us/staff/health-office

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Kind regards,

Mrs. Sclafani

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