Principal Garcia's Newsletter
Friday, February 16, 2024
Torey J. Sabatini School
Important Upcoming Dates
- February 16, 2024 - Winter Star Reports will be backpacked home
- February 19, 2024 - School Closed - President's Day
- February 20, 2024 - School Closed - Staff In-Service Day
- February 23, 2024 - Grade 3 Awesome Art
- February 26, 2024 - K-2 and 3-5 Outside the Bachs Assembly
- February 27, 2024 - MPS BOE Meeting at 7:00 PM
- February 28, 2024 - PTO Read-a-Thon Begins
- March 1, 2024 - TJS Spirit Wear Day!
- March 1, 2024 - Women's History Month Begins!
- March 4-8, 2024 - Read Across America Week
- March 5, 2024 - Author Visit - Welcome Tara Lazar
- March 6, 2024 - TJS Third Annual Family Reading Night at 6:30 PM! Doors open at 6:15 PM (more details will be forthcoming)
- March 11, 2024 - School Closed - Staff In-Service Day
- March 13, 2024 - TJS Family Reading Night (snow date)
- March 14, 2024 - Second Trimester Ends
- March 15, 2024 - Third Trimester Begins
We had so much fun celebrating Valentine's Day and the 100th Day of School!
Thank you to all the parent volunteers who came to classrooms on Valentine's Day to assist with class parties. Students had so much fun and enjoyed the festivities with their friends. We all have so much to be grateful for as a TJS learning community!
February Monthly Activity Calendar
Click the link below to access and print the calendar for the month of FEBRUARY. As a family try to do as many of the boxes as you can during the entire month of February! You will see that many of the activities are geared toward indoor activities and events and holidays occuring during the month. This month's activity calendar was created by Ms. Garcia and Mrs. Dakss!
Star and CBM Reports
Families with children in grades 1-5, will receive their child's Star reading and math reports via their child's backpack today, Friday, February 16, 2024. Families of kindergarten students, will receive their child's CBM math and reading reports via their child's backpack today as well.
News from Mrs. Bletcher in the Counseling Corner
Happy Friday Kindergarten, 2nd grade, and 4th grade Lunch Group Parents/Guardians!
Today wraps up our first week of our social skills lunch group! This week our focus was positive communication and conversation skills. Our objectives this week were to demonstrate the ability to take turns/wait in conversation as well as defining and demonstrating communication skills, both nonverbal and verbal. With our friend the conversation crab, we practiced going around and speaking about ourselves while also being attentive listeners. The students did a great job showing respect, using kind words, and being patient during our group discussions. The students left their group with an understanding of how important it is to be a positive communicator and conversationalist. Below is a photo of the handout each student received to take with them as well as the poem that was read to the kindergarten students. We are looking forward to another great week of lunch groups, this time focusing on friendship! Have a great weekend!
SOUPER BOWL UPDATE!
Our 2024 Souper Bowl was a big success this year! The donations were sent to the Interfaith Food Pantry Network and were greatly appreciated! In total, our school community donated 1,497 lbs of food. Just like the real Superbowl, our Torey J. Sabatini Souper Bowl winner was… The Kansas City Chiefs! Thank you to all who participated and made this year's Souper Bowl a great success.
Torey J. is now on INSTAGRAM! FOLLOW US!
Don't forget to follow Torey J. on Instagram @toreyjsabatini to see all of the wonderful things happening in our school community.
Student Illness
Cold, flu and COVID-19 season has arrived. If your child has a fever and/or symptoms of congestion, sore throat, cough, fatigue, headache, nausea/vomiting or body aches, please keep them home and visit the pediatrician for an evaluation. Your doctor will determine if a test for Covid-19 or the flu is needed. The New Jersey Department of Health Communicable Disease Service mandates that all students stay home from school if they have a fever and remain home until they are fever-free (without the use of fever reducing medications) for a full 24 hours prior to returning to school. If your child is diagnosed with Covid-19 or the flu, please contact me directly (x3184) to discuss return to school procedures and timeline. For your convenience, Covid-19 district policies and helpful Covid-19 infographics can be found here: https://www.madisonpublicschools.org/article/1228204. I have also linked the NJDOH exclusion list which provides a detailed description of communicable diseases and the required school exclusion time period (not limited to Covid-19 and the flu): https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/documents/topics/outbreaks/School_Exclusion_List.pdf.
Strep Throat
Strep throat has been circulating in the community and through many TJS classrooms. Symptoms of strep throat include persistent sore throat, fever and stomach ache (may include nausea and vomiting). Oftentimes, children with strep throat may not always present with “typical” symptoms and may not even complain that their throat hurts them at all, or may only have GI symptoms that appear to be a stomach virus. It is recommended that you bring your child to the pediatrician for evaluation when they present with a fever, vomiting, or if they are just feeling unwell so that they may be tested and treated accordingly. Please note that strep throat is highly contagious. Should your child be diagnosed, please keep them home until they have been treated with antibiotics and are fever-free for a full 24 hours. It is also advised to wipe down surfaces and avoid shared items.
Please help prevent the spread of illness within the TJS community by reinforcing healthy daily habits, including frequent handwashing, covering coughs and sneezes with the arm or a tissue, and limiting contact with others who are ill. If your child is home sick, please call or email the health office with their symptoms and any confirmed diagnosis. This information is very helpful to minimize outbreaks within the TJS community.
Mandatory 5th- Grade Immunizations:
As a reminder, when your child turns 11 years old they are required to have 2 additional vaccinations, Meningococcal and TDAP, in order to enter grade 6 in the fall. As you begin to schedule your child’s well visit around their birthday, please remember to follow up with the necessary immunizations and documentation that is required for entry into school. Please see the attached link for the necessary form and return it to the TJS health office upon completion. Should your child’s appointment be scheduled over the summer months, please send the form to the MJS nurse, Pauline Bliss, RN at blissp@madisonnjps.org.
Are you ALL IN?
The New Jersey Coalition for Inclusive Education (NJCIE) invites all United States public, charter, and vocational school students in grades 1 to 12 to enter its 15th annual ALL IN Poster Contest!
Formerly known as “Inclusion Works”, the contest launched during National Inclusive Schools Week on December 8, 2023, and will end on May 3, 2024.
At the end of the contest, a grand prize winner is selected, and all winning submissions will be displayed in a poster exhibit on our website.
The contest has taught countless students the importance of inclusion for more than 10 years. When all students are included, everyone shines!
Awards
Participants, based on their grade level, will choose to enter their submissions into one of the following categories:
Elementary I – artwork completed by students in grades 1-2.
Elementary II – artwork completed by students in grades 3-5.
Intermediate – artwork completed by students in grades 6-8.
- Secondary – artwork completed by students in grades 9-12.
The Grand Prize winner will receive a $250 award. Printed copies of their poster will be distributed to schools throughout the country. The winner’s poster will also be announced and exhibited at NJCIE’s Summer Inclusion Leadership Conference on June 7th.
Each category will have one winner and honorable mentions. Category winners will receive a $50 award. We will display all winning submissions and honorable mentions on a virtual exhibit on our website.
Harlem Wizards...Coming Soon! April 25, 2024
It’s back…The MHS Project Graduation Committee will be hosting the Harlem Wizards Event again this year.
Date: Thursday, April 25, 7pm
Location: FDU Ferguson Recreation Center
Our Fifth Graders Inspired a New Spirit Day!
Ms. Kennedy's class read a NewsELA article all about some students in Maine who started "Dapper Wednesday" at their elementary school. The class was inspired by their story and wanted to encourage the students at TJS to try it too. Recently our 5th graders tested it out and dressed to impress.
Nutrition News from Pomptonian - Blueberries, New Jersey, and You!
We are excited to share Pomptonian’s next edition of the Nutrition News - Blueberries, New Jersey, and You! This virtual excursion promises to be both educational and engaging, offering students the opportunity to learn about the journey of blueberries from the farm to the lunch tray and the nutritional benefits they offer. Coming up in March we will be offering frozen local Blueberries, from Blueberry Bill Farms located in Hammonton, New Jersey.
TODAY IS THE LAST DAY!!! Order by tonight for:
Order pizza and cookies for Trivia Night
We’re so excited to share that our biggest fundraiser and adult social of the year will be March 22nd. More details to follow. Save the date!!
The Book Swap is back! We are collecting used books, prior to the TJS Reading Night on March 6th. That evening, we welcome everyone to take home as many ‘new’ reads as they would like.
Before March 6th, please drop your gently used books in the bin outside of the main office or on one of these porches: 44 Maple Ave. or 81 Green Village Rd.
Get ready for our second and final Trivia Night this year! Order here TODAY is the last day to order!
We’re offering Romanelli’s pizza kits and Paint Your Own Cookie Kits from Dough and Behold.
Pick up time: Feb 22nd between 3:00-3:30
Our students will be visited by author Tara Lazar on March 5th. If you’d like to purchase one of her books to be personally signed for your child, you can purchase them here. Books will be distributed at school on the day of her visit.
Our TJS Read-a-Thon kicks off on Feb. 28th! Our kids read and we raise funds for TJS - a winning combo! More info will come home in backpacks and via email soon.
12TH ANNUAL TJS SCIENCE FAIR - Deadline to register is TODAY! REGISTER HERE
Visit our Science Fair page for resources and event specifics. Reach out to Jen Standig and Laura Venuto at tjssciencefair@gmail.com with any questions.
Thanks to our volunteers who jump in and grab a time slot to help re-shelve books in our school library! Times available every Tuesday and Thursday 12-1pm. If another day works better, please reach out to Madeline Smith madelineday08@gmail.com
News from the Madison Education Foundation (MEF)
ATTENTION PARENTS OF 5TH GRADERS... PREPARE TO BE AMAZED! Drop off your 5th graders for a fun Friday night of magic and munchkins at MJS for a great cause... our schools! "Magic and Munchkins at MJS" is made possible by the The Spelker Real Estate Team to benefit the Madison Education Foundation to help fund grants in Madison's public schools. This event for students in grades 5-8 includes a spectacular magic show followed by refreshments sponsored by Sugar Rush. Purchase tickets HERE before they magically disappear!