The mission of Cedar Grove Elementary is to grow our students into respectful, curious and productive citizens.

Want to give a teacher or staff member at Cedar Grove a shout-out this week? Click on the Google form below to enter their name and the reason for the shout-out. Your acknowledgement will be posted in the following week's staff newsletter and read during morning announcements! This form will remain in our family newsletter for the duration of the school year. Thank you for making gratitude "intentional" at Cedar Grove Elementary!

Children need healthy meals to learn. The Toms River Board of Education offers healthy meals each day. For information on eligibility for free meals or reduced priced meals, and to find out how to apply, please click the 24-25 District Letter to Parents in English or Spanish.

We encourage you to review the weekly menu with your child to determine what days (if any) they will purchase lunch. Our district is committed to ensuring the health of our students and we will never deny a student lunch if they report that they are hungry or have not brought a lunch from home. Click on the live link to find the monthly Toms River Regional Schools Food Services Menu. *Menus are located when you scroll down on the right side.

24.25 Cedar Grove Culture & Climate Calendar (School Spirit Days & PTO Events)

Important Upcoming Dates:

Tuesday, 2/4

• Peer Leadership Social 3:45 - 4:45

Wednesday, 2/5

• Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (Gr.3)

Thursday, 2/6

• ESL Parent Involvement Breakfast (by invitation)
• Helmet Education Program (K-2)

Friday, 2/7

• Someone Special Dance (K-2 = 5:30 - 7:00pm; 3-5 = 7:30 - 9:00pm)

Saturday, 2/9

• Dine to Donate at C&G Cafe - Route 37 (English Flyer; Spanish Flyer)

Wednesday, 2/12

• Dress like you are 100: The 100th Day of School!

Thursday, 2/13

• Wear red or pink for Valentine's Day

Friday, 2/14

• Valentine's Day
• School Closed for Presidents Day

Monday, 2/17

• School Closed for Presidents Day

Tuesday, 2/18

• Random Acts of Kindness Day

Wednesday, 2/19

• Wear red for American Heart Awareness Month

Monday, 2/24- Friday 2/28

• American Heart Association Event

Friday 2/28

• PTO Coloring Contest Due

In February, our schools are dedicated to fostering the value of compassion among our students, which involves understanding, empathy, and kindness towards others. It’s about recognizing when someone needs help and taking steps to offer support or simply showing understanding and care. In our classrooms, we are engaging in various activities and discussions to help students understand the importance of being compassionate. We are also encouraging acts of compassion, whether it's through helping a classmate, or extending a kind word to someone who needs it.

At Cedar Grove, we also are going to focus on how to achieve important goals. We will discuss the importance of "growing your brain," how to believe in yourself, how to set goals, and how to show compassion to ourselves and others when things get hard!

How families can participate at home: At home, you can support this effort by discussing the importance of compassion and modeling compassionate behavior. Encourage your children to talk about their feelings and the feelings of others, and discuss different ways of showing care and support. Participating in family activities that involve helping others, such as volunteering or simple acts of kindness like writing a thank-you note, can also reinforce these values. By working together, we can help our children develop into empathetic and caring individuals, ready to make a positive impact on those around them.

How often do our kids have an opportunity to be completely quiet (without a screen)?

Teaching students to “shut off their voices like a light switch” is an essential skill that benefits them in many ways. First and foremost, it ensures safety—in an emergency or important moment, students must be able to quickly stop talking and listen for instructions. This ability allows teachers and administrators to efficiently communicate what needs to happen next, keeping everyone secure and informed.

It also supports learning. When students practice quieting their voices on cue, they create a more focused and productive classroom environment. Less noise means fewer distractions, allowing both themselves and their classmates to engage more deeply in lessons, discussions, and independent work.

Finally, mastering the skill of quickly becoming silent fosters emotional regulation. It teaches children self-control, patience, and awareness of their surroundings. Learning when to pause and listen helps them manage their emotions, stay present in the moment, and interact respectfully with teachers and peers.

Practicing this simple yet powerful skill at school and home can have a lasting impact on a child’s success and well-being. Parents can help reinforce this by modeling active listening and encouraging children to practice turning their voices off and on at appropriate times. Together, we can support our students in becoming safe, focused, and emotionally aware learners!

Thank you to Mr. Jeff Hanaway and the Toms River Regional Schools Food Services Department for our new cafeteria tables! Rectangle, bench seating has been replaced with round tables. Students have expressed that they enjoy being able to see and speak to everyone at the new tables during lunch. Hooray for old fashioned conversation!

As a reminder of our arrival procedures:

Our primary goal is the safety of our students, staff and families. Please click on this document for a detailed explanation of our procedures.

When dropping students off by car, we kindly ask that you:

• Do not cut the line.
• Let students out of the car on the curbside only.
• Pull all the way up, allowing the maximum number of students to exit their vehicles at one time.
• Please be respectful of other drivers as well as our staff and security officers.

Doors open at 9:10am and school begins at 9:25am. Doors facing the Brookside lot are closed and locked at 9:25am so staff can go to their classrooms. If you pull up to the curb after the doors have closed, you need to go to the front of the building to drop off your child/ren.

Students are not allowed to ride their bikes to school. This is a long standing practice which is even more important now considering the increased traffic on the double-lined roads that border our school.

ALL PTO fundraisers are listed here in one spot! When the PTO has volunteer sign-ups they will be there too. Check out the live link below!

https://my.cheddarup.com/me/488566?mrId

This super easy fundraiser gives back to our kids through online flower sales. The link is located below as well as on our PTO fundraising page! Happy shopping!

Crayola Flowers -- Send Flowers to Someone Special

Need to catch up on previous news and information shared in past editions? Click on the link below to find all 2024-25 Family "Patriot Posts!"

Website: https://www.trschools.com/cedargrove/
Location: 173 Cedar Grove Road, Toms River, NJ, USA
Phone: 732-505-5830

Instagram: trrscedargrove