Principal Garcia's Newsletter
Friday, September 2, 2022
Torey J. Sabatini School
Welcome Back! It's a great day to be a jaguar!
Every Friday throughout the school year, you will receive my principal newsletter which includes important information regarding our school operating procedures as well as instructional, programming, and academic highlights. Parents/guardians have shared that they find the newsletter very helpful in staying informed on all things Torey J.
Wishing you all a wonderful and restful long weekend!
Your partner in education,
Ms. Ileana Garcia
Important September Dates...
- September 2, 2022 - TJS Spirit Wear Day (first Friday of every month!)
- September 5, 2022 - Schools Closed (Labor Day)
- September 9, 2022 - MEF Fall Adult Social
- September 14, 2022 - PTO last day to order Fall mums
- September 19-23, 2022 - NJ Start Strong State Testing in Grades 4 and 5...more information to come!
- September 21, 2022 - Back to School Night at 7:00 PM
- September 26, 2022 - Schools Closed (Rosh Hashanah)
- September 28, 2022 - Picture Day!
- September 30, 2022 - PTO Sponsored Assembly, Hip Hop Fundamentals
- September 30, 2022 - PTO Back to School Adult Social
Bucket Fillers!
The Future of the World is in this Room Today!
Community Circle
From Mrs. Bletcher in the Counseling Corner
Welcome back to school! I am pleased to share a myriad of leadership opportunities that will be open to students this year. Third graders will have the chance to sign up as Peer Mentors to our second graders during the lunch period. Fourth graders who are interested in serving the TJS community will be introduced to the AAA Safety Patrol Program. Interested students can sign-up for positions around our school to help manage the flow of traffic and potential safety hazards. Sign-ups for The 5th Grade Peer Leadership program will be forthcoming. The Peer Leadership team participates in a variety of school-wide activities. It is an integral part of the TJS school community and I encourage ALL 5th graders to participate. Applications will be sent home in late September and meetings will be held after school beginning in October.
I am on the lookout for students who would like to serve as mentors and participate in social groups during the school day. If your child is interested in participating in these fun and important roles, please complete the form below. Please note that not all students who are signed up may be chosen to participate. Groups and mentorship opportunities will be offered in a variety of grade levels and are based on student needs. I will reach out to you directly if your child is signed up and has been selected. Thank you for your consideration!
Health Office News from Mrs. Guarino
Welcome back to the new school year! It has been wonderful meeting your children and attending to their health needs this week. While the first few days of school were met with some warm temperatures in the building, the students did a wonderful job of staying hydrated, listening to their bodies, and visiting the health office when needed. Thankfully the temperatures have cooled down and the classrooms are more comfortable. Please continue to keep your children hydrated before and after school, and reinforce the importance of drinking water throughout the day while in school. In addition, please see below for important health office reminders:
Immunization and PE Forms: Thank you to all new student parents and guardians for your cooperation with providing the required health documentation for your child to begin school at TJS. For any outstanding forms, I will be reaching out directly in the upcoming week.
Medications: Any medication that is needed for your child during the school day must be brought into school directly by the parent or guardian with a signed and stamped prescription from your healthcare provider. This includes vitamins, supplements, and cough drops.
Snacks: Please provide your child with a peanut/tree nut-free snack and re-fillable water bottle daily. The PTO has graciously donated saltines and water for the health office, however, these are reserved for children who are feeling unwell.
Illness/Absence/Tardy: Please report absences/tardiness to the TJS roll call line at (973) 593-3182 (#1) and leave a detailed message with your child’s name, teacher, and reason for absence or late arrival. You may also email me directly at guarinoc@madisonnjps.org and copy Mrs. Dakss at dakssm@madisonnjps.org. Please try to report absences prior to the beginning of the school day at 8:40 AM. As a reminder, students may not return to school until they have been fever-free for 24 hours. If you have questions about your child’s symptoms and whether or not to send them to school, please reach out to me directly.
Enjoy the holiday weekend and please reach out with any questions, suggestions or concerns.
Carrie Guarino, RN
From Ms. Thomas in the Library Media Center
So happy to see your kids again, and to meet our new students! I hope you all had a great summer of reading and were able to get to the Madison Public Library to participate in their wonderful Summer Reading Program. It has been exciting to see how many students participated in the School’s Summer Reading BINGO! Let’s keep the momentum going. For those of you who love soccer, the Red Bulls have a reading program in which your child can read to earn a ticket to an upcoming game! Find more details here.
Each day in Library we read a poem from, Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year, with poems selected by Fiona Waters and illustrations by Frann Preston-Gannon. Here is one of this weekend’s poems:
“From a Dakota Wheat-Field”
By Hamlin Garland
Like liquid gold the wheat-field lies,
A marvel of yellow and russet and green,
That ripples and runs, that floats and flies,
With the subtle shadows, the change,
The sheen,
That play in the golden hair of a girl –
A ripple of amber – a flare
Of light sweeping after – a curl
In the hollows like swirling feet
Of fairy waltzers, the colors run
To the western sun
Through the deeps of
The Ripening wheat.
Author Spotlight:
I’d like to introduce you to Ann Braden, a Vermont author I had the pleasure of writing with this summer at the Putney School Summer Arts Program. Her first two books, The Benefits of Being an Octopus, and, Flight of the Puffin are wonderful middle-grade books with very uplifting themes. I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek of her upcoming book, Opinions and Opossums, which is due out in May 2023. I can’t wait to read the entire book.
From Ms. D'Amico in the STEAM Room
This year, students in Kindergarten will begin to explore their Chromebooks and the Google Suite. In STEAM they will embark upon a multitude of challenges using the engineering design process and focus on collaboration and teamwork. Kindergarten will also start to learn the basics of coding.
In 1st grade, students will advance their Google Suite skills in technology and work on typing. In STEAM they will use the engineering design process to help them understand why it is important to ask questions about the world around them. First-grade students also will begin using computer-based coding to advance their coding skills.
In 2nd grade, students work to perfect their skills using Google Suite, specifically Google Slides. They will also sharpen their research skills as they get to research a topic of their choice. In STEAM, 2nd-grade students will begin to dive deeper into the engineering design process solving problems and learning how to create models. They will also continue their coding skills.
In 3rd grade, students will also be using the engineering design process with higher-level challenges while integrating coding and robotics.
In 4th grade, students will begin to explore Google Sheets, 3D printing, and game design using a coding platform called SCRATCH.
In 5th grade, we spend a lot of time preparing students for real-world applications of technology, engineering, and design. This includes the use of the engineering design process, tinkercad, and higher-level coding.
The students and I are very excited to embark on another year of STEAM and technology and enhance our learning and collaboration in our STEAM space!
From Mr. Gerenstein in Physical Education
School Security Drills
This week on Wednesday, August 31, 2022, students practiced a fire drill and a lockdown drill. The purpose was to familiarize students with the sound of the fire alarm, their designated exit from their classroom, as well as the procedure during a lockdown drill. The staff is well trained for emergency situations and will prepare the students for all drills and other potential scenarios. Your children were responsive and cooperative throughout the exercise. It is our goal to keep all students safe, secure, and happy in our school environment.
Morning Drop-Off / Dismissal Reminders and Pedestrian Safety...
Torey J. and the Board of Education Office have a very small parking lot with little room for cars to pass once the parking spaces are full. Parking spaces are for staff members only. If you are driving your child to school, we kindly ask that you park your car on a side street and walk your student to the door or path. If you need to “kiss and drop” in the morning, please drop your child off on Woodland Road in front of the Board of Education Office where your child can follow the sidewalk directly to the school. In an effort to help with the dismissal congestion, parents/guardians are asked not to stand in close proximity to the exit doors, but rather a location further back in eyesight of the exit doors. It is helpful to determine a mutual "meeting spot" with your child and to leave the property immediately once you have all of your children.
Torey J. families are reminded for the safety of their children to please utilize sidewalks at all times when escorting their child to and from school. It is important to note that Glenwild Circle is an open road and both TJS and BOE have active parking lots. Parents/guardians are asked to communicate with caretakers who assist with student arrival and dismissal that the use of the sidewalk along the fence should be utilized to walk toward Glenwild Road as well as avoid walking across the parking lots during drop-off and dismissal. Thank you for your cooperation to ensure the safety of our students and families.
Lunch Service Procedures
News from the TJS PTO...
Welcome back to school! We are so excited to serve as your co-presidents this year. Sara Buckley has a 2nd grader and kindergartener and Lindsey Dubman has children in 4th, 2nd, and kindergarten. We are eager to continue to provide high-quality programming and foster the connections between school and home. Please contact us with ideas and please consider contributing your time! Our email is presidents.tjspto@gmail.com.
The TJS PTO has been busy planning many fun-filled events for our students, teachers, and families this year! Already, our New Student Committee welcomed new students with a popsicle social on the playground and first-day coffee for new parents. Our Hospitality Committee welcomed back the teachers with a beautiful breakfast spread on their first day of work. And our youngest students loved their greeting from Paws on the first day of school!
We look forward to our first meeting at Back to School Night on Sept. 21st! Please save the date for our Fall Adult Social on Friday, Sept 30th. Join us at Noe Pond from 6-10 to meet other parents and celebrate the start of a new year together. More info will be coming soon.
Click Here to pay PTO dues, make donations, order mums, ½ day pizza orders, etc.
Other Upcoming PTO Events...
- Sept 14- Deadline to order mums (pickup day is Sept 23 & 24 at J&M)
- Sept. 28 - Picture Day
- Oct 12-28 - Read-a-Thon Fundraiser begins - get ready to read, read, read and raise money for TJS
- Oct. 21 - 3:30-4:30 Pumpkin Patch - come pick and decorate a pumpkin after school with your TJS friends
- Nov 19 - Turkey Trot and Scholastic Book Fair - join us for an early morning trot around the block ending with hot chocolate and treats at the Book Fair
All smiles on the first day!
A high-five for PAWS!
Some new TJS kindergarteners!
News from the Madison Education Foundation (MEF)...
Tickets to "An Evening of Glamping" to benefit the Madison Education Foundation ARE OFFICIALLY ON SALE! Don't miss out on this opportunity to mingle with old friends, connect with new friends, and raise money for the MEF! All proceeds go directly to fund grants in Madison Public Schools that inspire educators and enrich the academic and creative lives and social emotional health of students. Buy your tickets TODAY: https://mefnj.networkforgood.com/events/46616-an-evening-of-glamping-to-benefit-the-madison-education-foundation
See you at the campfire! #mefgoesglamping #happyglamper