November 15, 2024
Mr. Matthew Reiner, Principal
SCHOOL NEWS!
Upcoming Events
- November 22nd- SJG HSA Afternoon of Service 3:15pm-5pm in the APR
- November 27th- 12:40 Dismissal Day
- November 28th and 29th- School Closed for Thanksgiving Break
Governor's Educator of the Year
If you would like to submit a nomination for the 2024-2025 SJG Governor’s Educator of the Year award for a SJG staff member, please see eligibility criteria and the nomination form. Please submit the nomination form to Mr. Reiner by end of day on 11/15/24.
What Are We Learning At SJG?
How often do your children come home and give you the answers of "SCHOOL WAS FINE" or "NOTHING" when you ask them what they did today? We recognize that and now our students are informing all the parents about what they are learning by completing this section of the newsletter! Each week, different students from each class will collaborate and put together what they are excited to share about their learning. Below is a picture of our reporters for the week!
Kindergarten (Carson, Grayden, Dawson): We have been learning how to make books. We are also using iReady for reading and math. We are subitizing too! We are learning our letters and our numbers. We learned "R, U, A, G, D, B......." and all our numbers up to 14!
1st Grade (Minahil, Cecelia, Abby): We are learning how to read. We read nonfiction and fiction. We are increasing our reading stamina! In math, we are learning about teen numbers. We are writing about Thanksgiving and learning about Thanksgiving.
2nd Grade (Maelynn, Nikolas): In 2nd grade we are learning about subtracting on open number lines. We are writing a personal narrative and we are writing a lot of stories. We are reading chapter books and "Tree House" books. We are learning about matter in science. We know about solids, liquids, and gases! We tried to trick Mr. Reiner by telling him that we went to Africa on a field trip!
3rd Grade (Luke, Daleska, Peyton): We are learning multiplication using arrays, number lines, and skip counting. We are reading chapter books and we just finished reading "Pandora" as a class. We answered comprehension and vocabulary questions. We are learning about clouds and weather in science. Math mysteries are our favorite things to do. They are so fun and we get rewards when we solve them!
4th Grade (Andrii, Kylie): For science we have been learning about volcanoes and how the old volcanoes get covered by grass. You can find old rocks that have been created by lava. We are also learning about weathering and erosion. In writing we have been writing different personal narratives and working on adding on after writing something simple. We add on new evidence. In Math we are doing multiplication, division, and comparison word problems. We are also reading theme realistic fiction. In Social Studies we are learning about the Lenape Indians!
5th Grade (Milan, Ryan): For reading we are learning about the great depression and reading "Bud Not Buddy." We are doing projects including our suit case project where we are putting special things and survival stuff which is part of "Bud Not Buddy". We are creating our bag like the character in "Bud Not Buddy". In Math we are estimating division using area models. Social Studies and Reading are together with the Great Depression. We took a science test about scales and measurement. We are about to start an Idiom project too! We are learning a ton!
Phys Ed (Joey): In grade 4 gym, we have been doing proper warm ups for our heart flow. We are also learning about soccer and how to get passed defenders.
Music (Austin): In Kindergarten music we are learning "I Am a Little Snowman" song. We are also learning our high C to the low C. We are also learning the song "Peaceful".
Media (Dylan): We are learning how to read a little. We are also playing coding games on the computer. We are reading a new Dory book and are really excited. We take out books too.
Art (Emma): In grade 5 art we are making trees using rulers to make grids. We then use the grids to make the trunks and branches to make them realistic. All the branches have to be different sizes. We use cool colors like blue and green and hot colors like red, orange, yellow, and pink. It is a lot of fun to create our fall tress.
ESL (Jeffrey): We have been practicing our communication skills. We are learning accountable talk, how to give your opinion, how to ask questions of others, and practicing respectful talk like "I agree with you..." and " I respectfully disagree with you because.....". We practiced this through a game of would you rather where we talked about things we would rather swim with sharks or jelly fish!
Our 5th Grade Pledge Leader For The Week!
Leilani did an amazing job this week reciting The Pledge of Allegiance as well as our kindness quote for the day. Thank you for being so wonderful Leilani!
SJG Calendar of Events
If you are looking for future events, we update the SJG Calendar of Events as we solidify dates. You can find the calendar on our website but below is the link that we will keep in our newsletter going forward.
Late Student Sign In- IMPORTANT!
In the event that your child arrives at school late, please park your vehicle and come into the building to sign them in. It is essential for us to maintain accurate records of student attendance. Therefore, parents are no longer permitted to have students ring the bell and enter the building unaccompanied when they are late. Thank you for your cooperation.
Elementary Handbook for 2024-2025
Please see the handbook below for the school year.
Attendance Matters!
Being present in school is super important! Full days out, 1/2 days out, being late, and leaving early affect your children's learning. See below!
DISTRICT NEWS
SJG HOME AND SCHOOL ASSOCIATION
HSA Calendar
Stay in the know with the HSA calendar below!
Helping Hands and Giving Hearts!
This Thanksgiving season, let's come together to give back to our community. Join us for this special event for SJG students to make a difference by helping those in need. Space is limited. Register using this link- Volunteer List: Helping Hands and Giving Hearts
Save The Date: Dueling Pianos and Beefsteak, March 28th! A Great Night Out!
Save the Date for our SJG Fundraiser! Registration opens next week. You won't want to miss this event!
NURSE'S CORNER
Staying Healthy This Time of Year!!!
We are at the beginning of cold and flu season. We can also see other childhood ailments.
These can include Covid, Strep throat, Coxsackie viruses and stomach viruses. There are
common things we can all do to lessen the spread of such illnesses. These include:
1. Proper hand washing. Reinforce to your children how and when to wash hands. Hand
washing is the number one way to protect yourself and others against all of
these childhood illnesses.
2. Remind children to cover their mouths and noses with a tissue or sleeve
when sneezing or coughing. Throw tissues away after each use. This is always
reinforced here at school.
3. The flu and covid vaccines are recommended and available.
4. Keep sick children home. If your child is ill, PLEASE keep them home for 24hrs -
symptom free. This means symptom free without medication like Tylenol or Advil.
Symptoms include temperature 100.4 or above, vomiting, diarrhea, consistent
coughing, runny nose, sore throat, new skin outbreaks or rashes etc. I will only have
to send them home if the symptoms continue at school. Most illnesses, if
contagious, are spread right before and right after the illness appears. Staying
home while symptoms persist can lessen the spread to others. It also protects your
child from picking up secondary illnesses while their immune system is already
working hard.
5. Have children get plenty of rest and eat a nutritious diet. While these are
important every day, it is even more important when children are not feeling well.
6. When your child is ill, please call or email the main office by 8:15am to report
an absence. The attendance line is available 24/7. I also ask that you let the
school know why your child is absent and be as specific as possible. If you
take your child to the doctor it is helpful to bring documentation of the illness
from the doctor. Let us know if your child has a specific illness.
HEALTH RESOURCES ALL YEAR ROUND
1. Below you can find some resources on these childhood illnesses.
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pdf/treatment/flu-guide-for-parents.pdf
https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/flu-vs-cold.html
https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/hfm.html?WT.ac=p-ra
2. Below is additional information on head lice, a childhood concern that can occur any time of year.
Healthy Eating
With the holidays upon us, Mrs. Griffith is sharing some healthy eating tips! Click on the PDFs below to learn about 5 ways to use pumpkin in your cooking, turkey in your cooking, and healthy eating habits for kids.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
Stephen J. Gerace Elementary School
Email: Matthew.Reiner@pequannock.org
Website: sjg.pequannock.org
Location: 59 Boulevard, Pequannock Township, NJ, USA
Phone: (973) 3055615
Twitter: @SJGPride
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sjgpride/