A Note From The Administrators
April Newsletter
A Note From Mr. Masessa & Sra. Peake
April Newsletter
Dear Desmares Families,
We hope you are enjoying the intermittent spring weather, and looking forward to warm days ahead. This month we incorporated more recess activities on the grass and we are using the new GAGA Pit that was donated by former Dolphin Girl Scouts in the Fall. Our dolphins are working hard in the classroom, getting plenty of exercise with Gymnastics, and Safety Town in PE. Healthy Minds, Healthy Bodies! Regarding attendance, Mrs. Peake and I wanted to let you know that your efforts are hugely appreciated and with those efforts we were able to maintain above 90% for the month of January, February, and March. Thank you again for your efforts!
The start of April gets us thinking about our preparation work for next school year. If you would like to share information about your child’s learning style or experience in preschool, or even at our school, we would love to hear about it! If you have a special request, please identify the characteristics and teacher traits that would best suit your child’ learning style, and please put this in an email or note to Mr. Masessa by April 30th. We do not accept teacher requests, only information regarding your child’s personality and learning style that will help us create a match with their next teacher.
Throughout the month of March, our teachers participated in professional development, workshops that focused on Literacy and Math, where they worked with Fontas and Pinnell assessments to drive their instruction, and received training in the new Bridges Mathematics program which will begin in grades kindergarten through third grade starting next year school year. Under the leadership of our mathematics supervisor, Mrs. Kristin Wolff, we learned more about the procedures and structure of this program, and unpacked the Math materials for next year. We also had a presentation by Mrs. Jennifer Positieri, on Universal Design for Learning, or UDL, as it’s often referred to by the teachers. Our teachers on the School Safety Team participated in a life-saving activity that was facilitated by of the district nurses where we simulated a patient who needed CPR. Our team reported to the scene in record time and began the sequence of procedures to save Annie. We continue to focus on school safety, and in the wake of such sadness in Tennessee, we are thankful for the structures we have in place at our school. Awareness, communication, and following school procedure are all ways that we keep our children, safe and secure. Throughout the month of March we also completed a Fire Drill and Evacuation Procedure Drill. We encourage you to talk with your children about these drills, especially the security drills as these conversations help ensure children are learning how to remain calm and have confidence in our safety procedures. If you have any feedback for us, please email or call to let us know!
Professionally yours,
Mark Masessa and Nydia Peake
Mr. Mark Masessa
Principal
Sra. Peake
Vice Principal
Cooperation & Good Sportsmanship
Cooperation & Good Sportsmanship can be difficult for our young students. It takes practice and plenty of opportunities to learn how to work together, problem solve, and be patient and understanding.
Character Trait of the Month: Cooperation & Good Sportsmanship
Cooperation and Good Sportsmanship - Working together for a common purpose, the ability to take winning or losing without gloating or complaining.
Here are some great videos that help explain these two traits:
Read-A-Thon News!
Dear Families,
We wants to say THANK YOU! We are so proud of our readers! With your support, we were able to have a successful fundraiser and our students were able to enjoy reading. We were able to raise $4840 and our PTO will receive a total $3872. Our Top 10 readers:
- Kinder - 1,163 min. read
- 2nd Grader- 1,608 min. read
- Kinder- 1,555 min. read
- 4th grader- 1,178 min. read
- 2nd grader- 1,125 min. read
- 2nd grader- 1,113 min. read
- 4th grader- 1,020 min. read
- 1st grader- 730 min. read
- 3rd grader- 690 min. read
- 1st grader- 600 min. read
As a school we read 32,728 minutes! We had 195 participants that registered! Our goal is to beat these numbers next year! We can't wait to host a Read-A-Thon again next year!
Thanks again,
FAD Admin. Team & Your PTO
Attendance Matters
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.
This month we have focused on meeting with families that have 15 or more absences. Our meetings have been centered around learning more about how we can work collaboratively to support our students develop healthy attendance habits. We thank all of the families for their support at home and time they have dedicated to meeting with our administrative team.
We understand that there are times when our students are ill and must stay home to recover. However, there are ways that we can work together to reduce the number of unexcused absences and/or proactively manage absences due to illnesses. Please be sure to watch the video below.
Feel free to also review the FAD parent handbook information on attendance located on pages 4- 8.
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
Spring is here!
Recess
Dear Parents,
The weather can be tricky during the springtime. 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 the spring months some days may be cooler than others and at times it can be rainy. All students should arrive to school with proper outerwear and shoes. Crocs and sandals can interfere with a young student's ability to run and play and can increase the likelihood of falls. These types of shoes are also an inconvenience for them on the playground.
We ask for your support to ensure that all of our students are able to safely enjoy their much needed time of unstructured play and socialization with peers.
Sincerely,
Sra. Peake
Lost & Found
We have many items in our lost and found section. Please encourage your child to stop by and check the items. You too are welcome to drop by and peruse the items.
LOST & FOUND
LOST & FOUND
Please let the students know to stop by and claim their items!
LOST & FOUND
Please let the students know to stop by and claim their items!
Maschio's Food Services
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
"Talk-a-Latte"
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.
Heritage, History, & Awareness Education
During the month of April there is a lot to celebrate!
Deaf History Month (Until April 15)
To learn more cool facts about these celebrations please visit our Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion site!
Please feel free to visit our Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion site to learn more about the special themes. Please click here to visit the site.