Dear E.C.S. Families,

We have many exciting events this month! Softball and baseball are in full swing, and our students have been showing incredible teamwork and sportsmanship.

🎗 Autism Awareness Spirit Week (4/7-4/11) – We encourage everyone to participate! See the flyer below for details.

➗ Math Night (4/10) – Mark your calendars! We can't wait to see you there for a fun night of learning. See the flyer below for details.

Important Dates:
📖 Last Day of Marking Period 3 – April 9th
📄 Report Cards Distributed – April 15th
🌸 Spring Break – April 18th–April 25th
✏️ NJSLA Testing – May 12th– May 16th

Important Reminders:

💧 Classroom Drinks – Only water is allowed in the classroom.

🥞 Breakfast Guidelines – Students must eat breakfast before entering school unless they are purchasing a school-provided breakfast in the cafeteria. Outside food and drinks are not permitted in classrooms.

🎟 Preschool Lottery for 2025-2026 –The preschool lottery will be held on April 30, 2025. Interested Eastampton families with a child that is three or four years old can complete our interest form here: https://www.etsdnj.us/for-parents/preschool-program

The form will be open until April 17, 2025. All families will be contacted with a lottery number and a link to a live virtual meeting if they would like to join virtually. Virtual attendance is not required. All families will be contacted after the lottery to indicate if they received a seat in the program. A waiting list will be created during the lottery to indicate the order of seats in the event that there is one available.

Please contact our Assistant Principal, Jenna Carrell, at jcarrell@etsdnj.us if you have any additional questions.

Thank you for your continued support!

Selected as the Eastampton Middle School Delegate to the annual New Jersey School Board (NJSBA) 8th Grade Dialogue, Dash S. truly made us proud! The NJSBA's 8th Grade Dialogues are a platform for students to share their experiences, insights, and ideas with school board members and other community stakeholders. Dash did an excellent job sharing his insights and representing ECS. Dash is certainly going places and we cannot wait to see what is next for him."

4/7- Week of the Young Child (Preschool)

4/7-4/11- Autism Awareness Spirit Week (see flyer below)

4/9- Last Day of the 3rd Marking Period

4/10- Math Night 5:30-7:00pm

4/11- Preschool Family Friday- 1:00pm

4/11- PTA Easter Egg Adventure (Pre-K-4th grade) 5:30-7:30pm

4/15- Report Cards

4/16- PTA Meeting

4/18-4/25 Spring Break (NO SCHOOL)

4/28- NJSLA Infrastructure Testing

4/29- Board of Education Meeting

4/30- Preschool Lottery

4/30- NJSLA Infrastructure Testing (Gr. 3-8)

5/1- Select Chorale/ Drama/ Art Club Trip

5/8- 7th & 8th Grade Band and Chorus NYC Trip

5/9- Preschool Goodies with Gals - For Mothers and Special Ladies

5/12-5/16- NJSLA Testing Week

5/14- Kindergarten Field Trip

5/20- PTA Meeting- 6:30pm

5/20- Board of Education Meeting

5/22- 8th Grade Trip to Pocono Valley

5/23- Early Dismissal (staff inservice)

5/26- No School- Memorial Day

5/27-5/30- Summer Reading BOGO Fair

5/29- Last Day of After School Tutoring

5/29- Preschool Safe Kids NJ Presentation for Families (1:30-2:15pm)

5/30- Gr. 6-8 Field Day

6/2- Preschool Kindergarten Transition Meeting - VIRTUAL (3:30pm)

6/13- Preschool Breakfast with Buddies - For Dads and Special Friends (8:15-9:00am)

ECS has a new club! Knight Vision is a unique media and communications club consisting of one representative from each school club and sport team. Our primary goal is keeping the school community informed and engaged with club events and school happenings.

Make sure to check the Knight Vision bookmark, which displays important dates for the marking period. It also features a QR Code linked to the club website, where you can find the cafeteria slideshow and all of our school event flyers. Each student was given a bookmark by their homeroom teacher.

My name is Joe Firetto. I am the Business Administrator for Lakehurst and Eastampton Boards of Education. I have been a BA for 3 years and an accountant for 6 years! I graduated from Monmouth University with my Master's Degree in 2019. My wife Sam and Australian Shepherd (Sailor) and I live in Toms River, NJ and grew up at the Jersey Shore. My hobbies are golf and I am a big fan of the New York Yankees. In my free time, my wife and I love to cook together and I am big on giving back to our students and local communities. I am a strong advocate for a well-rounded education and I highly encourage a strong focus in the classroom and in extra-curriculars such as clubs in the arts, sports, and STEM. I am very happy to be a part of the Golden Knight family and I cannot wait to be a part in helping achieve the goals of the District to help our students excel in their education and young lives!

Mrs. Guzman, our school social worker, grew up in East Windsor, NJ, and attended her K-12 education within the East Windsor Regional School District. Throughout her academic career, she was surrounded by amazing educators who definitely inspired her to pursue a career in education. She always knew she wanted to work in a school, but little did she know that instead of pursuing a job as a teacher, she would become a school social worker! She loves being a safe space for her students and collaborating with students, teachers, and parents!

Fun fact: Mrs. Guzman has three degrees! She earned an Associate's degree in Education from Mercer County Community College, a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Education as a Social Justice from Rutgers University, and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Rutgers University (GO SCARLET KNIGHTS!). She has always worked with children, from working at a summer camp, interning with the Make A Wish Foundation, working in a preschool classroom, and working as a school social worker at both private and public schools throughout New Jersey. She loves what she does and feels as though being a school social worker is exactly what she was meant to be! Her favorite educator moment is when she gets to work with therapy dogs during counseling sessions!

Outside of the school setting, she loves spending time with her husband, family, and friends. She enjoys traveling, going to the shore, trying new restaurants, watching reality TV, and going to soccer games (especially to cheer on her favorite soccer player, Messi #10!).

Spring has sprung, recess is back outdoors most days, and our Recess Runners are counting laps again. We want to remind everyone that it is important for your student to have comfortable and safe shoes for gym and for recess. The right shoes not only protect their feet, but also their whole body from falls. So please help your student be prepared for each school day by adding proper shoes to the homework list. And if your student is still learning how to tie their shoes, practice with them. Make it fun! Sometimes they just need a little encouragement and patience to master a new skill, which is always a great confidence booster.

Shoe Tying Resources

Shoe Tying Video - Around the Tree (Standard Knot)

How to Tie Your Shoes - Curious George

Shoe Tying Video - Two Bunny Ears

How to Tie Your Shoes - Two Bunny Ears

Shoe Tying Video - Circle

Shoe Tying Video - In One Second

Parents Magazine - 4 Hacks for Teaching Kids How to Tie Their Shoes

The OT Toolbox - Best Shoe Tying Tips

Eastampton Community School Dress Code

“Shoes - For safety reasons, sandals, flip-flops, or any other open toed footwear must not be worn.”

Follow the link for full ECS Dress Code.

Unfortunately, students will not be able to participate in gym class if they aren't wearing safe footwear. (See the poster above.)

Please stay up to date on your child's grades by checking PowerSchool. See the links below for the student/ parent sign in and Frequently Asked Questions.

Reach out to Kari Thalwitzer with information about your login: 609-267-9172

Early Pick-Up

If you are going to be picking your child up early from school, please email or call kthalwitzer@etsdnj.us at least one hour before picking up your child. Also, please complete early pick-ups by 2:00pm. The end of the school day is extremely busy in the main office, so ample notice is appreciated.

Volunteer Announcement

To ensure smooth arrival and dismissal, volunteers are welcome in the building only between 8:40 AM and 2:30 PM.

Attendance Reminder

Unexcused lateness and early pickups affect your child’s attendance record. Please limit missed school time whenever possible to keep them on track academically. Preschool arrival is 8:15am at the preschool doors. For kindergarten through 8th grade, school doors open at 8:15am, and students are expected in homeroom by 8:30am. Preschool dismissal is at 2:15 PM, and K-8 dismissal is at 3:00 PM.

Parking Lot Reminders

Please remember to slow down when dropping off or picking up your children. The safety of our students, staff, and families is our top priority.

Also, be sure to park only in lined parking spots—not on the grass.

Please click HERE to register your child for the after school tutoring program.

**If you have already completed registration and your child is attending tutoring, please fill out THIS FORM by 9:00am the day they are attending.

If the form is not completed by 9:00am, your child will be dismissed at 3:00pm.**