Dear Families,

Welcome to May! As we step into this vibrant month, we are reminded how quickly the school year is flying and how much we’ve grown together. With warmer days and blooming flowers, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the connections we’ve built with one another throughout the year.

Beginning May 5th, students in third through fifth grades will participate in NJSLA testing. Thank you for helping your child prepare by ensuring they get plenty of rest, eat a healthy breakfast, and arrive at school on time. Encouragement and a calm start to the day make a big difference.

We are looking forward to Evening of the Arts on May 22nd. It’s a celebration of creativity and connection! Join us as we honor our students’ uniqueness, talents, and achievements! Catena Colts are getting ready for a day of team spirit, laughter, and shared joy on Field Day on May 23rd! It is a chance for students to strengthen connections, encourage one another, and experience the power of working and playing as a team. More information will be shared with families as the dates near.

As we head toward the end of the school year, we are filled with gratitude for the strong partnerships we’ve built with our families. Thank you for the many ways you support learning and growth, and for being part of our school’s story this year. As always, please let us know if there is anything we can do to support you and your family during this busy time of the year.

With warmth & gratitude,

Ms. Shaw & Mrs. Fern

Join us in celebrating our incredible school staff during Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week! This is a special time to recognize the dedication, hard work, and heart our teachers and staff bring to our school every day. We invite families to show their appreciation in big or small ways to help make this week truly memorable for our amazing Catena team.

Please remember that students must have sneakers to participate in both Phys. Ed class and Recess. Students wearing shoes like Uggs, Crocs, slides, sandals etc. will not be permitted to play.

FTSD is committed to creating a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment for all students, staff and families. Bullying, in any form, is not tolerated. Recently, we’ve observed that the most common forms of bullying in our building have been comments made about others' appearance and cultures. We also recently communicated with families regarding an uptick in threatening and violent language amongst students. We hope that conversations at home will focus upon this and remind students that utilizing such language and/or drawing violent scenes or items is not tolerated in school.

We encourage open communication between parents, students, and staff to help prevent bullying and address other behavioral concerns. Please remind your child about the importance of kindness, inclusivity, respect, and standing up for others. Together, we can ensure a positive school experience for everyone.

To learn more about our HIB policies please visit our district webpage and/or click here

It’s been a very hard season for illnesses and we have seen an uptick over the past few weeks. Illnesses spread fast! We ask for your help in stopping the spread. Please keep students home when they report not feeling well. We also ask that students remain home until they are symptom free. You can find our illness guideline here.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PFiqAFCFRqIolvNgyblRjpyEpP2IJ3o0/view?usp=drivesdk

Parents have shared concerns regarding the attendance policy and understand it may cause you to question whether you should send your child back to school before they feel 100% or are fever free for 24 hours. However, students’ health is our priority! Families should give students the time to rest and heal. We ask that you report their illness to the office using the Genesis Parent Portal, the attendance line, and/or via email and send in doctors’ notes when warranted.

Please share your voice with us. Together we can make our school community the best it can be.

We believe we are all connected and together we will foster our PBS core values. At home, families can help to remind students by reviewing our PBS Expectation Matrix and support them throughout the year by using our common language when talking about the school day.

We hope you'll continue to support our schoolwide PBS and behavioral expectations by reviewing with your child(ren) at home. Recently we have seen a significant increase in negative, physical, damaging, and inappropriate behaviors in school. Students would benefit from reminders around being respectful of those around them, responsible in their environment, being safe, and being kind toward others. We ask that families reinforce playing safely with peers on the playground and being safe on the school bus. Parents are always encouraged to review the importance of being kind toward others. Commenting on another's appearance, race, ethnicity, or other characteristics will prompt a HIB investigation. If you have questions regarding the district's anti-bullying policies and procedures, you can access them in the handbook or on the district website linked here. Questions can always be directed to one of us or Mrs. Senna, our Anti-Bullying Specialist. Staff are always available to support students who may be facing a challenging situation or who are struggling emotionally. Additionally, parents are encouraged to keep an eye on students with access to devices, group chats, and/or social media accounts.

Another way parents might support our PBS program is by helping us to stock our PBS school store. Students have the opportunity to visit the PBS School Store to “cash” in their Colts Cash for both tangible items and for experiences with staff.

Please review the items below in preparation for the beginning of the year:

• Genesis Parent Portal

• Support for Genesis Parent Portal is found under the log-in dialog box.

• Arrival & Dismissal procedures for 2024-25 school year are linked here. All families should review these procedures and adhere to them to help us ensure the safety of our students, staff, and families.

• School hours for JJCS students: 8:55 am-3:30 pm. Doors open at 8:45am. Students arriving in their classrooms after 8:55 am are considered tardy.

• Students late due to transportation delays are not marked tardy.

• Fridays will always be School Spirit Days. Students are encouraged to wear their Catena or Donovan spirit wear and/or PBS shirts on Fridays to show their school pride!

• Free & Reduced Lunch Applications for the 2024-2025 School Year will be available on the district website.

Families are encouraged to review the updated policy. Click here to review the FTS Attendance Policy.

Week of May 5th: NJSLA testing for 3rd, 4th and 5th grades

May 22nd: Evening of the Arts

May 23rd: Field Day; Early Dismissal at 12:55

May 26th: Memorial Day; District closed

Week of 6/2: Scholastic Book Fair

June 13th: Kindergarten Recognition Ceremony

June 16th: 5th Grade Recognition Ceremony; Early dismissal at 12:55

June 17th: Early dismissal at 12:55

June 18th: Early dismissal at 12:55; Last Day of School!

Here is our eighth episode of JJC News with our very own student reporters. Be sure to tune in and learn all about what's going on & stay classy, Catena!

It's time to register for Kindergarten! The registration link and more information is shared below. We look forward to welcoming our newest Catena Colts in September 2025! Call the Catena Main Office with questions, 732-431-4430.

2025-2026 Kindergarten Registration

In May, we are focusing on the last four of the eight, Standards for Mathematical Practices. By focusing on the practices for problem solving, rather than just getting the "right answer," we are helping students become mathematical thinkers who can reason and make connections,

Use Appropriate Tools Strategically: Show your child how to use rulers, measuring cups, or calculators when needed.

Attend to Precision: Encourage careful work by double-checking answer and emphasize the importance of accurate measurements.

Look for and Make Use of Structure: Together with your child, identify patterns in nature, art, or daily routines.

Look for and Express Regularity in Repeated Reasoning: Discuss predictable patterns in schedules or daily activities.

By seeing how these practices apply outside of school, students gain confidence and begin to understand that math is an important life skill!

Click this link for some tips on making literacy part of your family's lifestyle!

Take a look at tips for families with children who have ADHD from The ADHD Foundation-The Neurodiversity Charity. Find many more resources by following this link and visiting Understood.org.

Developing and Supporting Social Skills

Reading & ADHD Advice & Top Tips

Free & Reduced Lunch Applications

Paper applications can be found on the district webpage. This folder contains all of the information regarding applying for Free/Reduced Lunch. If you can not print it, please contact your child's school and they will send a paper copy home for you. Please note, families will need the child's school ID Number to complete the application. School ID Numbers can be found in Genesis Parent Portal.

Please send any paper applications to:

Ali McKee

Freehold Township Schools

Benefits Coordinator

384 W. Main Street

Freehold, NJ 07728

You may also send by email or fax:

amckee@freeholdtwp.k12.nj.us

Fax: (732) 462-5939

Phone: (732) 462-8400 ext.8809

Paying for meals

Payments may be made with student's MealTime account. Any cash or checks brought to school for meals will be applied to your student's mealtime account. No change can be given in the cafeteria.

Nutrislice

Please check out the program we'll be using to share our menus and nutritional information with you. Nutrislice will be updated any time we have a menu change and will have menus prepared weeks in advance. You can even add the app to your phone for up to date information. Click here to learn how to filter your menus!

MealTime Information

To add funds to your student's MealTime account so they may purchase items in the school cafeteria, please click here (white box) or send cash or a check written out to Freehold Township Schools in with your student. All funds submitted in the cafeteria will be deposited into your student's Mealtime account. No change will be available in the cafeteria. For more information about Mealtime, please click here.

Breakfast is now available for Preschool & Elementary School Students

Breakfast is Served!

We'd like to remind everyone that breakfast is available for purchase in the cafeteria for all elementary school students. The menus are here. Students can go directly to the cafeteria when they come to school and grab a meal to bring to their classroom. All students who receive free lunch are also eligible to receive free breakfast. Regular price for breakfast is $2.05 and will be billed through the student's mealtime account. Menus will be posted on Nutrislice.

Doors will open at 8:30am for JJCS breakfast and 8:45am for LDS breakfast. Staff will monitor Door # 28 near the parent drop-off/pick-up to welcome students. Those students riding the bus to school will grab breakfast once buses unload and eat in their classroom.

For more information or to contact our Sodexo Food Services Department, visit our district webpage linked here.

Click here for Menus

Meet Mrs. Hazard

FTS District Webpage Health Information

Resources from NJ Department of Human Services

Resources for Financial Assistance

The Freehold Township School District will be administering both state and local standardized assessments throughout the 2024-2025 school year. All of these assessments, along with information and links to resources for families can be found on our website. You can also download this document, which lists the testing windows for all assessments. If you have any questions, please contact your building principal.

Click above for the FTS Attendance Newsletter. This picture was the message sent by Mr. Dickstein on 10/15 to clarify and answer questions regarding the district's attendance policy.

Visit the website. Make a membership toolkit account. Support our school community. Email for information: jjcpto@gmail.com

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