Principal Garcia's Newsletter

• January 27 - STAR Reports Sent Home in Backpacks
• January 31 - PTO Sponsored Assembly, Dance China New York
• February 1 - World Read Aloud Day
• February 1 - Second Grade Breakfast with the Principal
• February 3 - TJS Spirit Wear Day!
• February 10 - Third Grade Awesome Art
• February 14 - Valentine's Day Celebrations
• February 20 - School Closed for President's Day
• February 21 - Schools Closed for Staff In-Service Day
• February 28 - Troy Cummings Author Visit!

Today, Star reports were put into the backpacks of all students in a sealed envelope. Parents/guardians are encouraged to review the reports and reach out to their child’s teacher if they have specific questions.

Valentine's Day is under a month away and we are excited to celebrate it on Tuesday, February 14, 2023. There will be classroom parties and Valentine’s Day cards.

We request that you adhere to the following guidelines for Valentine's Day cards:

• No candy or goody bags of any kind may be distributed with the cards.

• The cards must be brought to school no later than Friday, February 10, 2023. 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.

Classroom teachers will be reaching out to inform parents of the ingredients of any food items that will be served at the Valentine's Day party. We will continue to adhere to the elementary food allergy guidelines. Parents of children with food allergies will be required to complete a permission slip form in order to consume the classroom treat.

All About Schema & Making Connections to Boost Comprehension

Below are the defining characteristics for how students use schema and make connections in reading, as well as questioning techniques you can use at home to further your child’s reading comprehension!

Source: © 2012 Teachers For Teachers

Schema: Schema is a reader’s background knowledge. It is all the information a person knows – the people you know, the places you have been, the experiences you have had, the books you have read – all of this is your schema. Readers use their schema or background knowledge to understand what they are reading. Our knowledge of topic, author, genre, and our own personal experiences help us understand the characters, plot, setting, themes, topics, and main ideas in a text. When readers read about things they know about or have experienced, they connect to what they are reading and are naturally more engaged.

Making Connections: Readers use their schema to connect their background knowledge with the information in the text. We make connections to our lives, other texts and to the world. The connections we make bring us back to the text and help us understand the meaning and message of what we are reading.

Guiding Questions to Ask Before, During, and After Reading

• What is your schema for this book?

• How does your schema help you to understand the text?

• What is your schema for the topic?

• What is your schema for this author?

• What are you wondering?

• How is your schema helping understand the story?

• Which book was easier to read, and why?

• What could you do if you don’t have any schema for a text?

• Tell me about how your schema is changing as you are reading this book.

• Tell me about your schema for this story

• What do you know about this genre?

• What do you know about this topic?

• What do you know about this author?

• How are you using your schema as you are reading?

• What is your schema now that you have finished reading?

• Show me where you made a connection in this story? What is your connection?

• Tell me about the connections you are making. How are they helping you as a reader?

• How does that connection help you to understand your characters? What have you learned about your characters? Show me the evidence in the text.

• How is your character feeling? How do you know?

• What type of person is your character? How do you know?

Enjoy this weekend’s poem from, Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year.

“Be Like the Bird”

By Victor Hugo

Be like the bird, who

Resting in his flight

On a twig too slight

Feels it bend beneath him,

Yet sings

Knowing he has wings.

For 13 years, World Read Aloud Day has called attention to the importance of sharing stories by challenging participants to grab a book, find an audience, and read-aloud! The global effort, created by the non-profit LitWorld and sponsored by Scholastic, is celebrated annually in over 173 countries and is all about bringing people together through the shared connection of reading aloud in all of our communities.

If you don’t have a book handy to read to your kids, Scholastic authors will be reading live! Check out the schedule and directions for downloading their app so you don’t miss this great opportunity!

We have begun the countdown to our visit from author/illustrator, Troy Cummings!

He will be here February 28.

Be on the lookout for information from the PTO on how you can order a book for him to sign.

Students learned the song "Cups" by Anna Kendrick and engaged in the rhythm as a class.

Hi Torey J Families! I am Lauren Gambino and this is my seventeenth year here at TJS. I graduated from La Salle University in Philadelphia. Later I went on to earn my masters in special education from the College of St. Elizabeth. I’ve been fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to teach in several different grades throughout my time here. During my first ten years at TJS, I was a fifth grade classroom teacher. Then I spent five years as a third grade classroom teacher. For the last two years I have been a special education teacher and have been a part of the fourth and fifth grade teams.

My husband, Phil and I are the proud parents of Gabriella, eight and Maya, almost five. We enjoy spending time at the Wildwood beach, taking bike rides and walks around our neighborhood, and spending time at our local playgrounds. Additionally, I enjoy exercising, reading, and spending time with my extended family.

Save the Date for our Spring Adult Social and Fundraiser on Friday, March 31, 2023. Thanks so much to Alyson O’Connell and Jaime Seeley for taking the lead on planning, but we need lots of volunteers to make it happen!! Email presidents.tjspto@gmail.com to join the planning fun!

Trivia and Pizza Night

Our next Trivia Night will be February 23rd. More info to follow!

Author Troy Cummings Visit!

We are so excited to welcome Troy Cummings to TJS on February 28th! He present to the students in school and will sign books ordered through the PTO! Be on the lookout for book order info next week.

Science Fair Registration is Open!

Registration for the Science Fair is now open!! The Science Fair will be held on March 8th from 6:00 pm- 8:00 pm in the Jaguar Jungle. Provided below are details to review and share with your child/children to determine if they’d like to participate.

Overview

The Science Fair empowers students to explore the world around them, spark curiosity, and to share their knowledge and interests with the TJS community. Open to first grade and above, the Science Fair provides students with the opportunity to get hands-on experience breaking down the scientific method, while learning about a topic of interest.

Students have the option to work independently or within small teams. Ideas can come from a number of science-related subjects, including but not limited to Earth Science, Engineering, Chemistry, Biology and Electronics.

You can visit the Science Fair page on the PTO website - link here

Questions? Please reach out to Laura and Jen at tjssciencefair@gmail.com

Library Help Needed!

Do you have an extra half hour to help out at school? Ms. Thomas needs our assistance to keep the TJS library organized between classes. Volunteers are needed for short periods to help reshelve books. Please check out the times on the SignUp Genius if you are interested!