Greetings Desmares Families!
October is a special time for our students, teachers, and staff. Aside from Rosh Hashanah, there was only one half day of school off for students. That’s a lot of time for uninterrupted learning! This is when we begin to develop real stamina for learning and our teachers focus on the results of standardized tests that students took in September to better prepare their lessons and guide instruction. Students needing support for Reading, Math, and ESL instruction in small groups are getting the additional support they need at this time. Varsity Tutoring began for those students who qualified and we are preparing for Project Enrich tutoring to begin on November 13th. There is more information below regarding Project Enrich.
Some of our special events from October included:
Friday meetings with the Therapy Dogs in classrooms, and the School Counseling office.
Book Fair: Thanks to Mrs. Reed and our PTO for hosting this evening when parents and children could browse and buy books for reading at home.
The Academic Parent Teacher Team Meeting: Parents and teachers worked collectively to establish goals for our students. If you were unable to attend this meeting, we will have our next meeting in February!
Walkathon 2024: This was the most successful fundraising walkathon ever, thanks to your support! Students continue to be amazed that Mr. Masessa’s hair didn’t stay the color blue and that Mrs. Custy was slimed for the first time ever! Congratulations to Colin and Everett for being our top earners.
Halloween: Our Fall Fest evening event was very well attended. Thank you to the many families who set up their trunks with treats. It was a special treat for students to visit the Flemington Fire Department truck, Raritan Township Police car, and a Raritan Township Ambulance! Please see our X postings, the Desmares Instagram, and our FAD website for pictures of these events.
Parent - Teacher Conferences:
Information about scheduling your conference(s) can be found by clicking here: Parent Teacher Conference Scheduling Instructions. We are using ‘Pick a Time’, which is an online program for scheduling conferences. If you have any issues or questions after you have followed the procedures outlined in the link above for scheduling a conference on Pick a Time, please contact the main office. As a reminder, conference dates (November 21, 22, 25 and 26) are early dismissal days for students.
In November, we will host a Title I Needs Assessment Committee meeting which will be made up of one parent from each grade level, teachers, administrators, and members of our PTO. Mrs. Custy and Mr. Masessa will present important data that drives our teacher professional development and daily instructional strategies. If you are interested in participating on this committee, which should meet two times this year, please complete the Title I Needs Assessment Committee survey by clicking here. Our first meeting will be held on Thursday, November 21st at 5:30 pm in the Desmares Library.
LOST and FOUND: We are noticing many more jackets and sweatshirts piling up on our Lost and Found table in the main foyer. Please stop by the school or encourage your child to ask for assistance looking for a lost item. All items on the table and hung up on the lost and found rack will be donated to the PTO Clothing Drive on November 2nd.
Please be mindful of your child's attendance. Consistent attendance is critical to your child’s academic progress. If you are not sure if your child should stay home, please reach out to Mrs. Sellers for guidance.
At the end of this month, we celebrate Thanksgiving. We are truly thankful for our Desmares Dolphin community, and we wish all of our families a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Sincerely,
~ Mr. Masessa and Mrs. Custy
During November, we encourage our students to understand the meaning of the word gratitude. Gratitude is the feeling of being thankful for things you have in life, including people, basic needs, health, education, etc. It’s important to practice gratitude because it increases feelings of happiness, reduces sadness and stress, and improves mental health.
Here are some books that illustrate the meaning of being grateful:
- The Thankful Book by Todd Parr (English)
- El libro de los agradecimientos por Todd Parr (Spanish)
Also, this month, on November 13th, we’ll celebrate World Kindness Day. It was established to encourage people and communities to appreciate kindness and recognize it as an essential value. As a school community, we’ll celebrate World Kindness Day by painting kindness rocks as a whole school activity. We'll use these rocks to decorate our beautiful garden in Spring.
Mrs. Monks is going on maternity leave in the first week of November. We wish her and her family the best. While Mrs. Monks is home with her baby, Mrs. Kaitlyn Powers will work at FAD supporting our Dolphins. We look forward to welcoming Mrs. Monks back in March. Please see below for a note from Mrs. Powers.
I am so excited to be working with students and families as the maternity replacement for Mrs. Monks. School counseling holds such importance to me and I cannot wait to share with you my passion for student support and advocacy in the world of academics and social and emotional health. Prior to my most recent position as a leave replacement counselor at JP Case Middle School, I was a tenured high school counselor in the Hillsborough School District. Although most of my career has been working with older students, I am so eager and thrilled to share my experiences and skillset with the elementary level. I have heard so many wonderful things about the FAD community and I am so honored to now be a part of it. ~ Mrs. Powers
Teachers are eager to share your student's progress in reading and writing during our November Parent-Teacher conferences with you! In the meantime, I wanted to share some resources to support and continue our literacy work from school at home. Check out this quick Reading Rockets video for parents that provides some great tips for helping boost your student's reading comprehension at home. If you are looking for some discussion stems for reading with your student at home, check out this document, which includes prompts in both English and Spanish. Happy reading!
This month, Desmares School bus drivers began recognizing Dolphins who are making a splash by going above and beyond to demonstrate safe, kind, and respectful behavior on the bus. When they see this, they are sending a notice to the main office and students are recognized by Mr. Masessa and Mrs. Custy with a certificate and a small dolphin, and together, they call home to share the good news. We are so proud of our Dolphins and we love celebrating the great things they do!
To speak with Mrs. Sellers about your child's health, please call 908-284-7545.
Francis A. Desmares Elementary School
Nurse's Office - Mrs. Sellers: 908-284-7545
School Counselor - Mrs. Monks: 908-284-7542
Bilingual School Counselor - Mrs. Moncada: 908-284-7553
Email: firstname.lastname@frsd.us
Website: https://www.frsd.k12.nj.us/Domain/284
Location: 16 Old Clinton Road, Flemington, NJ, USA
Phone: 908-284-7540
Twitter: @desmaresschool