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Dear Donovan Families,

I hope this message finds you well! I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to each of you for joining us at the sold out LDS movie event yesterday to see The Wild Robot. It was a wonderful gathering that truly brought our “One District, One Book” initiative to life on the big screen.

It was a joy to see our students engage with the story in such a dynamic way, and your presence made the event even more special. A special shout-out goes to Mrs. Garrison for the effort of transporting her beautifully crafted hut for our photo op. It added an extra layer of excitement and creativity to our gathering!

Thank you once again for your support and enthusiasm. We look forward to more events that foster a love for reading and community engagement. Keep an eye out for the next exciting movie event....coming soon!

Warm regards,

Mrs. Benbrook

We are looking for varied sizes of new/like new (clean and in a labeled package with character name and size) Halloween Costumes to be donated for some of our students in need for our October 30th

There will be a collection bin outside of West Freehold School that says "LDS Costumes" until October 17th. Thank you in advance.

Dear LDS Parents,

Thanks to the invaluable support and cooperation of the district media specialists—myself, Mrs. Kowalewski at Applegate, Mrs. Heine at Catena, Mrs. Neilus at Errickson, Mrs. Schmon at West Freehold, and Mr. Cantelli's extra help—I am thrilled to announce that our students will begin checking out library books on October 7th!!

Our students will be able to visit the respective media centers every other week, ensuring a regular and consistent book check-out schedule. I will continue to be the point of contact for late or lost books and any questions about check-out in general. If you have any questions, please email me at jkablaoui@freeholdtwp.k12.nj.us.

Sincerely

Mrs. Kablaoui

The schedule will be as follows:
Applegate, Catena, and Errickson students will begin checkout on Oct 7th, which is Week 1/Day A

West Freehold students will begin Oct 14 (Week 2/Day A) due to the bookfair

5th grade

Day E

Week 1: Mrs. Rodia-Jarvis and
Ms. Parke/Haines

Week 2: Mrs. Creech and Mrs. Nielsen

4th Grade

Day C

Week 1: Mrs. Metti

Week 2: Mrs. Harris

Day E

Week 1: Mrs. Colley

Week 2: Mrs. Kuhn

3rd Grade

Day B

Week 1: Mrs. Persky

Week 2: Mrs. Azar

Day E

Week 1: Mrs. Meeker

Week 2: Mrs. Mallon

2nd Grade

Day A

Week 1: Mrs. Woetko

Week 2: Mrs. Reed and Mrs. Roche

1st Grade

Day A

Week 1: Mrs. Murphy, Mrs. Sauer and Mrs. Sorce

Kindergarten

Day B

Week 1 & Week 2: Mr. Colvin, Mrs. Hohmann, and Mrs. Woods

We are excited to gather together on October 30th for our Pawlie's Halloween Parade at Michael Tigue Park.

Please see the attached Halloween letter for specific details.

Here are just a few important tidbits to note:

1. Parents should park in the main parking lot near the basketball courts and main building at MJT. Overflow parking is near the Lacrosse Fields (1st lot on the left as soon as you enter the park)

2. Students should come to school fully dressed (no time will be allocated in school for changing). Students should have clothes under their costume for when they return to the school.

3. Keep the costume length safe for walking and attire appropriate.

Costumes should be elementary school appropriate: nothing too gruesome, violent, scary or revealing. If you aren't sure, feel free to send a picture to check.

4. NO ACCESSORIES WILL BE ALLOWED THIS YEAR. (anything that needs to be carried; swords, sticks, etc) Due to being on the bus in close proximity, walking to stations at MJT, no accessories allowed for the Pawlie's Parade. All accessories will be kept at school if sent in.

5. Parents must observe from the grassy areas of the field only and dismiss immediately after the parade has concluded. Once students have paraded, we kindly ask all parents to return back to their cars. Students will be rotating to quick grab and go stations.

Parents cannot go into the student areas. Only assigned volunteers will be assisting.

Thank you for helping us to keep things safe and orderly.

Dear Families,

We realize that due to some transportation bumps this years, some families have sent students in with smart watches. Please note, that while smart watches are permitted to be worn while riding the bus, they may not be worn during the day, as it is a violation of district policy.

This has been an increasing distraction, as well as students using them to make calls and texting. Even when they are in "school mode", they should not be worn, as per district policy.

Students should keep smart watches in the backpack only.

If any watches are out, staff members will kindly ask parents to pick up the device when convenient.

Please see the district policy below:

According to the district policy, any electronic device that can be used as a texting device is allowed in school; however, it must be turned off and kept in their backpack for the entire duration of the day.

Any student who uses a phone/watch during the school day will have the device sent to the office, a parent contacted and asked to come pick it up from school.

If you could have an additional conversation with your child at home about district expectations for devices, that would be greatly appreciated!

Please see the District Handbook for further information and review.

District Policy 5516 https://www.straussesmay.com/seportal/Public/DistrictPolicy.aspx?policyid=5516&id=6cd9f7f9033b49bc87090f26ef6d9803

CELLULAR TELEPHONES

Students are permitted to bring cellular phones to school. Cell phones also shall include all other electronic devices providing text messaging. All phones shall be turned off and placed in lockers or backpacks while the pupil is in school or at a school-sponsored event. Pupils on class trips may not use phones without the permission of the teacher or administrator. Pupils who use their phones while they are in school, or at a school-sponsored event, may have their phones confiscated and shall be subject to disciplinary action. Confiscated cell phones may be returned only to the parent/guardian. Repeat offenders shall be subject to the district’s student discipline code. You may review this Board Policy 5516 on our website

Please remember to report your child absent by 7:30 a.m.

Via The Parent Portal: Notify Attendance Office – allows parents to notify the school of a student absence or tardiness instead of calling the attendance line.

* Please see instructions below

If you choose to email, please include both Mrs. Lopes flopes@freeholdtwp.k12.nj.us and Mrs. Rusterholz drusterholz@reeholdtwp.k12.nj.us on your email.

We’re excited to remind all elementary school students that breakfast is available for purchase in the cafeteria! You can grab a meal to bring to your classroom as soon as you arrive at school.

Menu: https://freeholdtwp.nutrislice.com/menu/laura-donovan-elementary-school

Pricing:

• Regular breakfast: $2.05 (charged to your meal account)
• Free breakfast for students eligible for free lunch

New Attendance Guidelines

Absence Categories

Student absences are recorded in one of the following categories based on the information provided (or not provided) by parents/guardians.

● State-Excused Absence: Any absence from school that meets the criteria of the following

applicable reasons granted by the New Jersey Department of Education:

○ Religious observance, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:36-14, 15, and 16;

○ Participation in observance of Veterans Day, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:36-13.2;

○ Participation in district board of election membership activities, pursuant to N.J.S.A.

18A-36-33;

○ Take Our Children to Work Day (must be on the designated date);

○ College visit(s), up to three days per school year for students in grades eleven and twelve

(absences are only excused for the individual student pursuing college);

○ Closure of a busing school district that prevents a student from having transportation to

the receiving school; and

○ Attendance at a civic event, one day per school year for students in grades six through

twelve, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:36-33.2.

● District-Excused Absence: Any absence from school for a full day or a portion of a day for one

or more of the following reasons:

○ The student’s illness supported by a physician’s note provided upon the student’s return to

school;

○ The student’s required attendance in court supported by a subpoena or other

documentation provided by the court;

○ The student’s suspension from school;

○ Serious family illness or death supported by a written letter from the parent or guardian

upon the student’s return to school;

○ Necessary and unavoidable medical or dental appointments that cannot be scheduled at a

time other than the school day supported by a physician’s note provided upon student’s

return to school; and

○ An absence considered excused by the Commissioner and/or a NJDOE rule.

● Unexcused Absence Towards Truancy: Any absence that is not listed above, including

vacations.

2024-2025 School Calendar

We want to thank the numerous Donovan Families who have gone out of their way to send positive messages, generously donate, deliver beautiful little surprise care packages and tokens of love and appreciation to show you are thinking about our school! It is appreciated more than words can express.

It was also wonderful to see our Donovan community out in full force at Jersey Freeze on Monday. What a special event that brought all of the energy and good vibes that LDS always puts out.

Do you have creative ways to spread sunshine to our staff and/or students? While our family is separated, this is a special way to remind them that we are thinking of them, and always together in heart! Below is a Sign up form for the next couple of months to participate.

If the slots are filled, and you would like to do an extra date, please reach out! Never too much magic!

Staff count: 76

Student count: 436

To Our LDS Families,

We are truly inspired by the resilience and unity of our community. You've chosen to show up and rise up with unwavering dedication when we received the news about our beloved school being temporarily closed. This is not where our story ends. In fact, it's just the beginning! Our school year may look a little different, and you may have some questions about the PTO and what we plan on doing during this unconventional time.

Our number one goal is to be here for our families! We have many fundraisers that benefit our children's school. Just last year, we were able to put in a new sound system due to many fundraisers that families participated in.

We want to reassure you that we are still committed to doing fundraisers this year. Coming together as a school and a community is a priority, and we're confident that with your help, we can continue to enhance our children's school experience. Like most events, they will remain in the TBD category.

Please continue to bear with us on this wild ride! We are eager to have you as part of our PTO this year and would greatly appreciate your commitment through the payment of our annual dues.

As always, we are here to support our families. We are DONOVAN STRONG!

Warmest Regards,

Laura Donovan School PTO

To join our PTO, scan the QR code to complete the membership form.

Check out ways other FTS Elementary Schools are supporting LDS.

Book Fair will be at Erickson next week, part of your child’s purchase of merchandise is coming back to LDS! Happy shopping.

https://drive.google.com/.../12ND41Ai_ua.../view...