Principal Garcia's Newsletter
Friday, January 19, 2024
Torey J. Sabatini School
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Important Upcoming Dates
- January 26, 2024 - Grade 2 Awesome Art
- January 31, 2024 - District Speaker: The Impact of Screens & Social Media (info below) 7:00 PM at MJS
- February 1, 2024 - March 1, 2024 - Black History Month
- February 2, 2024 - TJS Spirit Wear Day
- February 8, 2024 - District Chorus Concert at MJS at 7:00 PM
- February 9, 2024 - Grade 3 Breakfast with the Principal
- February 14, 2024 - Valentine's Day Celebrations
- February 19, 2024 - School Closed - President's Day
- February 20, 2024 - School Closed - Staff In-Service Day
- February 23, 2024 - Grade 3 Awesome Art
January Monthly Activity Calendar
Click the link below to access and print the calendar for the month of JANUARY. As a family try to do as many of the boxes as you can during the entire month of January! You will see that many of the activities are geared toward indoor activities to do inside on these cold days. You may even consider completing these during the anticipated snow this weekend! A huge THANK YOU to Special Area Teachers, Ms. D'Amico, Mr. Gerenstein, Mrs. McEachern, Ms. Obermaier, and Mr. Locke, for creating this month's activity calendar!
TJS Day of Service
On Thursday, January 18, 2024, our students engaged in a schoolwide service project to assemble hygiene kits with all of the generous donations collected by TJS students and families. These hygiene kits will be donated to BRIDGES, a non-profit organization based in Summit, NJ. To learn more about hygiene kits and BRIDGES, check out, https://bridgesoutreach.org/hygiene-kits-cold-weather-packs/. A tremendous thank you to our school counselor, Mrs. Judy Bletcher, for organizing and coordinating this day of service for our students. Additional gratitude to our fifth grade peer leaders, led by Mrs. Bletcher and Ms. Kennedy, for helping to count our items and prepare for our day of service! Together as a school community we are proud to be making a difference for others in need. Pictures below are from the day's events!
Meet Ms. Kaelyn Passeri, Counseling Intern
Hello! My name is Kaelyn Passeri and I am a graduate student at Montclair University. I am thrilled to be interning with Mrs. Bletcher here at Torey J. Sabatini School. I have a Bachelor's degree in Psychology, and I am currently in my last semester of field work for my M.A. in Counseling with a certification in School Counseling. I coach high school marching band in my time off and I love trying new foods. I also love the New York Yankees! I am excited to be at Torey J. Sabatini this semester and look forward to what is to come!
Incoming Kindergarten and First Grade Student Registration Opens
CLICK HERE to access information regarding registration and residency requirements for new students to Madison Public Schools who will be entering kindergarten or first grade during the 2024-2025 school year. For your student’s registration to be processed, you must log in to the site, enter the appropriate information, and complete or upload the required forms. The portal for registration opened on January 15, 2024. Parents/guardians are encouraged to register your children sooner rather than later.
Valentine's Day...Coming Soon!
Valentine's Day is fast approaching and we are super excited to begin planning for such a fun day for your children. Valentine’s Day will be celebrated in all three elementary schools on Wednesday, February 14, 2024. There will be classroom parties and Valentine’s Day cards.
Valentine’s Day Cards - We request that you adhere to the following guidelines:
No candy of any kind may be distributed with the cards.
The cards must be brought to school no later than Monday, February 12, 2024. This will allow for the cards to be distributed before the special day.
If you elect to participate in the Valentine’s Day Card exchange, it is expected that your child gives a card to every classmate.
As Valentine’s Day approaches, it is necessary to remind parents of the potentially life threatening danger of food allergies to certain students in our school.
The issue of food allergies can be incredibly serious for many students. Peanut and tree nut products are particularly problematic, but other foods such as dairy, eggs and wheat can also cause students health problems. The extreme end of the spectrum in terms of a health risk is anaphylaxis, when the bodily systems experience a shut down due to exposure to the substance in question.
This danger is particularly acute during holiday celebrations, when consuming goodies is the order of the day. If you are a child whose safety depends upon never consuming the wrong food, a party is a true obstacle course. With certain children, even bodily contact with the wrong substance can be disastrous.
As we approach Valentine’s Day and the holiday parties, please keep the following in mind:
Please refer to the elementary food allergy guidelines for additional information.
Nut products are forbidden in “nut-free classrooms”. Please carefully adhere to classroom guidelines.
Students must consume all goodies within the class during the party. Goody bags and other treats designed to leave the class with the students are forbidden.
Crafts and activities involving nut products are forbidden.
All products should be packaged with the ingredients listed.
If you have any questions pertaining to holiday celebrations, please consult your child’s teacher or the school nurse.
Second Graders Enjoyed Breakfast with the Principal this month!
Ms. Garcia read The Word Collector & students picked a word for 2024!
Star Assessments
The second administration of the Star assessments (Grades 1-5) and the Star Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) (kindergarten) assessments will occur during the month of January. Families will receive the scores in February. For more information about the Star assessments, please refer to this webpage - https://www.renaissance.com/family-resources-star-assessments/.
Upcoming Parent Workshop
The Impact of Screens & Social Media: Keeping Your Kids Healthy & Safe
Madison Junior School & Project Community Pride of the Madison Area YMCA hosts a parent workshop: “The Impact of Screens & Social Media: Keeping Your Kids Healthy & Safe”
Wednesday, January 31, 2024 at 7:00PM Madison Junior School Auditorium
Presented by: Lauren Muriello
Lauren will address the Impact of Screens & Social Media on Children & Teens including:
• The impact of social media on children, teens and beyond
• The social media lifestyle - tech happy, or tech terrible?
• The latest research and trends - get in the know
• To Monitor or Not to Monitor, That is the Question
• How to Teach Critical Thinking Skills
• Take Control, or Lose Control
• Your Role as Parent - How to Really Get Through
• Creating a Healthy Balance for Your Child
PLEASE JOIN US FOR A WONDERFUL & IMPORTANT PROGRAM! Any questions, please contact Christine McIntyre at 973-845-6480
Special thanks to the Madison Elks Lodge for their generous donation.
Lauren Muriello, LPC is the Founder of Well Being Therapy Center She is a licensed psychotherapist and educational speaker having presented dynamic programs on trending topics in mental health and parenting education. Lauren Muriello, MA, LPC Licensed Psychotherapist Founder of Well Being Therapy Center Montville & Short Hills, NJ
Thank you to those that attended our PTO meeting last night. And thank you to Ms. Garcia for presenting on the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support. For more information on these programs provided by our district, visit their website.
With all of this cold and snow it’s the perfect time to cozy up with your family at home for a night of home-cooked pizza and trivia!
The PTO is excited to offer homemade pizza kits for the upcoming PTO Family Trivia night on Thursday, January 25. These kits will be available for pick up at school on January 25 from 3:00 to 3:30 so you will be all ready to eat and then join the online trivia! Please note: pizza kits will not go to the main office after 3:30. Please ask a friend to pick up for you if you can’t make the time given.
A link for trivia will be sent out a few minutes before 7pm. Good luck and have fun!!
The deadline for ordering pizza kits is Monday, January 22. Order HERE.
Email Emily with any questions emilykoh337@gmail.com
We are thrilled to announce that the 12th Annual Science Fair at TJS will take place on March 20, 2023, from 6:30 pm- 7:30 pm in the Jaguar Jungle.
This is a voluntary activity sponsored by the PTO.
The Science Fair is open to Grades 1 – 5.
Students may participate individually or in a group. Groups are generally kept to 2 or 3 students and can be across grades.
Students decide on an experiment and work on it during off-school hours. Students are provided with a trifold display board which is used to document and showcase their experiment.
Display boards are brought in during school drop-off the day of the event. They will remain up throughout the day for the classes to view.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS: REGISTRATION OPENS JANUARY 22nd
Visit our Science Fair page for resources and further details and watch for further communications from the PTO about the registration process and event specifics.
Reach out to Jen Standig and Laura Venuto at tjssciencefair@gmail.com with any questions.
Do you have an hour to spare to help re-shelve books in the library? More library volunteer slots have opened up for January and February! Grab a friend and help re-shelve books — times available every Tuesday and Thursday 12-1pm. If another day works better, please reach out to Madeline Smith madelineday08@gmail.com
Thank you, PTO, for updating our display case for January!
News from the Madison Education Foundation
Hosting fundraising events is a major source of income for our MEF grantmaking program. Volunteers make our annual Madison 5K Run/Walk, Pickleball Tournament, and Fall Gala possible. Join us at Pico & Guac on Thursday, February 1 at 7pm to learn about all the ways -- big and small -- you can help out this year. We can't wait to meet you!
News from Pomptonian, our Food Service Provider
Pomptonian is excited to kick off the New Year with Pomptonian’s Healthy School Lunch Challenge and our Foods Across America promotion.
As part of Pomptonian’s 5th Annual Healthy School Lunch Challenge, each year we invite students to submit a healthy recipe with a picture of their meal. Winners are broken down into three grade groupings, PreK-5, 6-8, and 9-12. The Super Grand Prize Winner (1st place winner) of each category will receive a vertical garden for their school.
For your reference, the Pomptonian Healthy School Lunch Challenge announcement video provides more information regarding the challenge. Flyers are attached reviewing the challenge as well.
Additionally, during the month of January we are featuring Foods Across America for High School students. Each week highlights a different state and entrée. Skyline Chili represents Ohio this week; next week Nashville Hot Chicken is on the lunch menu representing Tennessee; and lastly Chimichangas are on the menu during the week of the 22nd representing Arizona.
We are excited to offer the Healthy School Lunch Challenge each year to our students and enjoy reviewing their recipes as well as exposing students to new foods through the Foods Across America promotion. Please reach out with any questions.
Healthy regards,
Toni Marie Bowman, MBA, RDN, SNS
Director of Nutrition Services
Phone – (973) 241-3013
2024 Madison Lacrosse Registration
Click HERE to access a registration form for the Spring 2024 Madison Boys Jr. Lacrosse season.