Principal Garcia's Newsletter
Friday, September 30, 2022
Torey J. Sabatini School
Important Dates
- September 30, 2022 - PTO Back to School Adult Social
- October 3-7, 2022 - Week of RESPECT
- October 3, 2022 - PTO Sponsored Assembly, Best Foot Forward
- October 5, 2022 - Schools Closed (Yom Kippur)
- October 6, 2022 - PTO Sponsored Assembly, feat. David Harrell
- October 7, 2022 - TJS Spirit Wear Day!
- October 7, 2022 - General PTO Meeting at 9:00 AM - TJS Art Room
- October 15, 2022 - Rescheduled Madison Bottle Hill Day
Bus Evacuation Drills
News From Mrs. Bletcher in the Counseling Corner
Dear Parents,
At Torey J. Sabatini School, we continually strive to foster a positive school climate, strengthen character education, and reduce/eliminate incidences of harassment, intimidation, and bullying, to provide students with a safe environment to achieve and grow. As part of this effort, we will be celebrating the statewide “Week of Respect,” from October 3 - 7. We are confident the following activities will continue to build upon what our students already know about bullying, respect, and appreciating our differences.
· Monday, 10/3: “Putting your Best Foot Forward” School-wide Assembly
This assembly brings awareness to how we view/treat the special needs community. It’s a chance to learn firsthand from middle school amputee, Logan Marmino about how we can put our best foot forward regarding inclusion, awareness, and acceptance. “Best Foot Forward '' is a new Apple+ family-friendly TV comedy based on a true story, and the book Just Don’t Fall by Josh Sundquist. In addition to being named a "must watch'' by People Magazine, “Best Foot Forward” is spreading awareness about the special needs community in front of and behind the camera.
· Tuesday, 10/4: “Start with Hello!”
Students participate in a school-wide “HeyDay,” purposefully greeting each other by name throughout the day. “HeyDay” is a fun, engaging activity that is part of the “Start with Hello” campaign. Students and staff take small but powerful actions to promote connectedness and inclusion. To learn more, visit, https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/.
· Wednesday, 10/5: No School- Yom Kippur
· Thursday, 10/6: School-wide Character Education Assembly
David Harrell from Young Audiences Arts for Learning will deliver an engaging and uplifting message to all students. "The goal of my work is to use my story to encourage audiences to recognize the universality of our shared experience and be a catalyst for discussion about broader themes of diversity and inclusion. I relish the opportunity to show that disability is not a heroic obstacle to overcome but a unique aspect of one’s life. Through my work I entertain, enlighten, and educate children to not be defined by limitation, and I help them learn the valuable lessons of acceptance and how to not let circumstances peel away the core of who they are as human beings."
· Friday, 10/7: No Place for Hate Pledge & Promise Day
TJS is a certified “No Place for Hate” school in conjunction with the New York Anti-Defamation League. No Place for Hate is a simple, empowering, and effective program designed to prevent bullying before it begins. It gives school staff and parents the power to address social safety in an age-appropriate manner. TJS students will learn the “No Place for Hate” pledge and will sign the promise. To learn more about No Place for Hate, please click here.
The TJS staff and I look forward to engaging in these activities with your children!
Sincerely,
Judy Bletcher
School Counselor
Special Area Highlights
News from Physical Education Teacher Mr. Gerenstein
I cannot believe that we are officially in Fall and the end of September already, but I am sure you all know the saying, "time flies when you teach elementary physical education". The following is a little recap of September. Every grade level is different, and so is every class within those grade levels. Class and grade content may be similar, but differentiated at the same time.
Kindergarten and first grade are currently working on their spatial awareness. In order to move on to the next content level, it is important that this age group understand the importance of moving safely in class with others. In order to teach this over the last month, we have done the following activities, Driving, Floor is Lava, Spaceship, and Mouse Trap. We have also sprinkled in "What Time is it Mr. G?" as a warm-up, along with Fitness Freeze Dance.
Second-grade through fifth-grade have been working hard and starting classes off with our warm-up, which consists of about four-minute stations that include Hula Hoops (hula hooping, castle building, spinning competitions) for their coordination skill, the Jaguar Jog for their warm-up, and the Rockwall for muscular strength and flexibility. After we warm up at these stations, both groups have done some sort of combination of Spatial Awareness and Fitness. These include activities such as Rock Paper Scissor Baseball, Kings and Queens, and Team Tag.
It is so nice that most of these activities can be done inside and outside, so weather permitting, we can get some fresh air. All of these activities are under the PE umbrella of moving safely and doing things that are "Kind, True, and Necessary", one of our PE class mottos, which encourages students to be honest and treat others in a respectful manner while participating in an activity.
Lastly, as a reminder, sneakers should be worn on PE days. We do a lot of moving and changing directions and for students to move safely and efficiently, they should have sneakers that can be tightened snuggly on their feet. This is not only for their safety but for the safety of others in the class as well. If a student is not wearing sneakers, an alternative activity with less movement may be given to ensure their safety. I would even encourage sneakers every day, regardless of PE, because of all the running that happens at recess as well.
I feel we are off to a great start and am so looking forward to the rest of the school year! Thank you for taking the time to read about TJS PE.
From,
Mr. Adam Gerenstein
Indoor PE
Outdoor PE
Indoor PE
News from Art Teacher Mr. Thompson
Over the next two weeks, Mr. Thompson and the PTO are working on a school-wide fundraiser. This is our first Square1 Art event. This year students are decorating one of their initials in art class. Projects will be shipped out to Square1 by October 6th to be scanned into their system. By 10/19 we will receive custom-made catalogs and stickers of your artist's artwork. All information about ordering any artwork will be included in this packet! Once ordered all gifts will be shipped directly to you just in time for the holiday!
Please follow this link to the company's website for examples and catalogs.
News from Librarian Ms. Thomas
Enjoy this weekend’s poem from, Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year.
“The Leaves are Green”
Anonymous
The leaves are green
The nuts are brown,
They hang so high
They will not come down.
Leave them alone
Till frosty weather,
Then they will all
Come down together.
The 2022-23 Jaguar Reading Challenge begins this Saturday, October 1.
This reading challenge is completely optional and a fun way to get our students reading at home!
Each month, students should keep track of how many minutes they are reading at home on this calendar.
Those minutes can include reading you are doing for reading logs, homework, minutes spent listening to an audiobook or read aloud on the computer (such as bookflix), or minutes spent being read to by an adult. This is not an extra assignment- If you are reading for homework, include that reading here too!
Each month, there are different challenges to complete that can earn you an extra 100 minutes to add to your total!
At the end of the month, add up all of your minutes!
Then, log in to your Library Google Classroom on the computer and fill out the monthly Google Form to tell me how many minutes you read! (IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE ACCESSING THE FORM, BRING THE CALENDAR TO MS. THOMAS!)
The school will be broken up into three teams, and the team that reads the most minutes by June will win a personalized collectible keychain!
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at thomasm@madisonnjps.org.
A reminder that library books are due back on your child’s Library Letter Day.
Next Weekend, October 7-8 is the Morristown Festival of Books. Some of the great authors who will be there include Dan Gutman–a TJS favorite; Tad Hills; and James Patterson. The keynote speaker is Frank Bruni. And Mendham native, Maggie Doyne will also be there. She is an amazing young woman who took a life-altering trip to Nepal when she was 19 and has dedicated her life to making a difference.
Staff Spotlight
Second Grade Teacher, Ms. Amanda Adrion
My name is Ms. Amanda Adrion and I am a second-grade teacher at Torey J. This is my first year at Torey J and have had such warm welcomes from the staff and the community. I am so excited to be a part of the Torey J family and am looking forward to a great school year!
I previously taught for 5 years in New York state before joining the TJS family. I love being a teacher and working with children. When I was in elementary school I always said I was going to be a teacher when I grow up. A goal in our class is to create lifelong learners and students excited about learning.
Some fun facts about me are that I have two cats that I always talk about named Froffy and Poncho. When I am not teaching I enjoy cooking, baking, and crafting. Some of my favorite things to bake are cupcakes!
STEAM/Technology Teacher, Ms. Michelle D'Amico
My name is Michelle D’Amico and I am the K-5 Technology & STEAM teacher at TJS! Many of you may know me as Ms. D. This is my 11th year teaching and my 6th year teaching in Madison. Prior to coming to TJS, I taught middle school science for 5 years.
I graduated from college with a B.S. in Environmental Science. I have my Masters degree in Educational Leadership and am currently working on my Doctoral degree in the same area.
I recently just purchased my first home and am enjoying my free time in my backyard with my mini goldendoodle, Remy! I love to travel, but primarily spend most of my vacations at Walt Disney World! A fun fact about me is that I LOVE legos and have a house filled with them! My most recent lego purchase was a world globe.
I am looking forward to another amazing year at TJS! It is always a pleasure getting to work with all the students at Torey J. and watching them grow each and every year!
News from the TJS PTO
Tonight is the Night!! You can still join us and buy tickets at the door for our Fall Adult Social! See you tonight at Noe Pond Club from 6-10 pm!!
We still have one more week to order TJS Spirit Wear! We can’t wait to see our children show their TJS pride on spirit days! Click here to purchase your new TJS gear!
Please join us for our first general PTO meeting of the year at TJS on Oct. 7th at 9 am. We will discuss and vote on this year’s budget, and work together to continue planning out the year. Ms. Garcia will be in attendance, as well. If you have a question for Ms. Garcia to answer at the meeting, please email them to presidents.tjspto@gmail.com by Wednesday, Oct. 5th. We really hope to see many people in attendance!
Thank you to Maria Beacom, Cindy Pappa, and Dana Patella for organizing the fall mum sale this year! It was a huge success.
Other Upcoming PTO events-
- Oct. 3 - Best Foot Forward Assembly - With special guests Logan Marmino and Joy Suprano (A KRS mom) - An assembly that brings awareness to how we view and treat the special needs community. A chance to learn firsthand from a middle-school amputee (Logan Mormino) how we can put our best foot forward regarding inclusion, awareness and acceptance. **Bonus, Logan and Joy also happen to be the actors starring in the hit Apple+ TV show, Best Foot Forward.
- 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
Click Here to pay PTO dues, make donations, order ½ day pizza orders, etc.