Dear TES Families,
I hope this message finds you all well. As the leaves finish falling and the air turns crisp, I'm filled with warmth thinking about our amazing school community. November is a time for gratitude, and I'm truly thankful for each of you and your children. I sincerely value our partnership. Your support at home and involvement in school activities makes a huge difference. Thank you for helping with homework, volunteering in classrooms and for special activities, attending school events, and supporting our service projects. Together, we create the best learning environment for our students!
Wishing you cozy family time and lots of laughter in the month ahead.
Lisa Moore
Principal
This is a friendly reminder to help us keep our school community safe during dismissal by following the procedures put in place. Parents picking up students will park their vehicle in the lower parking lot and proceed to your designated cafeteria door. Please do not park in the upper lot. Please note that the upper lot is a one-way road and you should follow the painted arrows for direction. Thank you all for your cooperation.
Please note that recess happens outside every day except if it is raining or in the case of extreme temperatures. Our staff and students even go out in the snow! Please send your students in with a jacket, gloves, and a hat so they are prepared for all types of weather. Additionally, please label all items. We have a. growing pile of unidentified lost and found items. They will be on display during our Winter Concert for you to claim. After that, all items will be donated to those in need.
We understand that occasional absences due to illness or emergencies are inevitable and we appreciate your cooperation in keeping us informed of such instances. Most recently, we have noticed an increased number of students leaving early on a regular basis. Please note that early dismissals cause a disruption to students and teachers and result in lost instructional time. Please get a note from the doctor or dentist to ensure the absence is excused.
Please view Dr. Shouffler's full letter on the importance of regular attendance as well as our Code of Conduct and district policy:
Family
First grade has been busy this month! We had our first field trip of the year! We went to Centenary College to see “Miss Nelson Is Missing!” In math, we have been learning about subtraction. We learned that addition and subtraction are opposites, and if you know one fact you actually know four related facts in all! In writing, we are wrapping up our Opinion writing unit. We have been writing our opinions and supporting them with reasons! In Social Studies class we have been talking about our families. We created family trees! We learned that our families are made up of people who love us and help us. We also talked about some of our family traditions. What is your favorite family tradition? Finally, we created a thankful turkey and wrote about things we are thankful for. The first grade is thankful for so many things… our families, our friends, our toys, and our teachers! Happy Thanksgiving!
Enjoying Personal Narratives and Math Karate
November may be a shorter month in school, but it packs a powerful punch of important activities. We enjoyed meeting with families during conferences to learn more about the children we spend our days with. Conferences provided us with an opportunity to share successes and challenges, and talk in person about working as a team to support individual students' social, emotional, and academic needs. Thank you all for showing your children the importance attached to their days at school.
Our young authors developed Personal Narratives as we walked through the writing process together. Students learned how authors spend much time planning and thoughtfully choosing parts like openings and closings after trying out some different styles.
If you were to walk by the Second Grade corner during Math time, you would surely notice facts practice in full swing. The "Karate Cards" are a favorite tool for practicing facts within twenty. Students are sorting by sums, quizzing each other, and playing games that integrate their facts. Gratitude and traditions are always a part of classroom discussions and activities of course, in November. We hope everyone enjoyed the comforts of family and friends over the Thanksgiving weekend.
TES Third Grades Are Global Citizens!
Third Graders are Global Citizens! In social studies we learned about our connection to the world through map studies, exploring the labels on our foods and products, and following the journey of raw materials such as cocoa. We explored the concept of culture while learning about other countries. In science we continued to use maps to help us understand weather and climate. Do you know how to read clouds? We do! We also learned about extreme weather, and its connection to climate. Our final project was an experiment to create weatherproof homes.
Creating Using Autumn as the Inspiration
In Preschool we have been busy creating turkeys using paper doilies and stamp markers, and watercolor painting our turkey bodies. The next class we stamped with bubble wrap to create corn for everyone to Gobble Gobble! Next class we will practice cutting to finish and add the green stalks. First graders have been busy using shaving cream to create a textured paper owl. We are also printmaking the stars and creating a controlled splatter to add a beautiful nightscape to this project. Second graders are learning about warm and cool colors as we discover a neon oil pastel resist, and as we paint and draw autumnal leaves. Third and Fourth graders are finishing up our metal tooling lesson based on Romero Britto and his POP art. Students created a Pumpkin in this new style and designed using bright patterns, colors and black outlines.
IN ART NEWS….. Romero Britto has a new store at the Short Hills Mall that opened November 12th!! Your son or daughter just learned about this modern artist from Brazil and immigrated to Miami. We explored his rise to fame and his definition of "Happy Art".
PARENTS SAVE THE DATE I just wanted to mention that this year we are very excited to announce two Art Shows for TES students. The first one is January 11, 2025 and will be a total of 15 pieces of art from TES and 15 pieces from OTS, this kickoff event will be held at Whittemore, and run for 2 weeks. Our second show will be Thursday, May 22, 2025, and will feature art from the whole school. Every child will have one artwork that will be framed, and on display together in this special event. As a result of these art events I am holding onto your childs’ art until I have made decisions about what items will be displayed.
Come On, Do the Locomotion
November has been a productive month in Physical Education classes! Ms Sconda's classes are fully engaged in our throwing and catching unit, and we're also reinforcing spatial awareness and locomotor movements to prepare students for a variety of activities. Meanwhile, Mr. Wooby's classes are working through an exciting soccer unit, and it's great to see how our focus on cooperation is benefiting both skill sets and teamwork in all of our classes.
- Mr. Wooby and Ms. Sconda
Exploring and Borrowing
There is much to be thankful for here at the TES Library Media Center! All of our students continue to love exploring and borrowing books from our wonderful collection! Our kindergarten and first grade students are learning about the positive stories and bright artistic style of author/illustrator, Todd Parr. Second and third graders have been celebrating Native American Heritage month by reading and connecting with Native American folktales from across the country. Our fourth grade students have been expanding their understanding of nonfiction text through a unit on database research. In collaboration with their classroom teachers, fourth grade students used their state research projects as a jumping off point to discuss and practice using databases. Learning information literacy skills now (such as assessing and utilizing a variety of informational resources) have benefits that expand far beyond our Library Media Center!
Ms. Rose-Mason
Familias alrededor del mundo
All grades will be learning and practicing family vocabulary in Spanish class. Our younger students are singing a song called "Mi Familia" that comes with some sign language gestures. Our second graders are making a family album in their notebooks in class. Third graders will be graphing siblings and pets' and fourth graders are learning about family trees and will work in a small group to create an imaginary family! All grades will be looking at a huge photography project that shows how families live in countries all over the world. Many classes helped to make bilingual greeting cards to add cheer to the holiday food packages for the Flemington Food Pantry.
- Senora Obercian
Typing, Adventuring, and Preparing for the Hour of Code
Technology class has been productive. This short month was spent focusing on Typing in grades 2-4. I checked in on students to ensure they appropriately used the correct fingers in our typing program. I am so proud of their hard work and efforts. Keep up the good work practicing at home! Kindergartners enjoyed their ABC Mouse accounts. They are off on their learning adventure all while learning how to use the mouse to click and drag properly. Grade one students explored our Write Reader program to create their “All About Me” books. Look for them soon.
Next month, we are excited to participate in the Hour of Code. All students will learn about coding and algorithms. Do you have any coding skills? Do you use code for your job? Want to talk to our students and share how learning code has helped you in your profession? Reach out to me, we would love you to visit or zoom with us. Krinehart@tewksburyschools.org.The Hour of Code occurs yearly during Computer Science Education Week, December 9-15th. If you want to see what it is about let me know.
- Ms. Rinehart Havens
The Halls are Alive...
The halls of TES are alive with the sound of music as our TES Tigers prepare for their upcoming Winter Concert! Our young musicians have been working hard in music class to learn a variety of songs that are sure to spread holiday cheer. From familiar classics to new and exciting pieces, each grade is getting ready to showcase their talents. Whether it’s singing, playing instruments, or adding fun movements to their performances, the students are pouring their energy and creativity into every rehearsal. The Winter Concert is not just about music; it’s also a celebration of teamwork, practice, and the joy of performing for an audience. We can’t wait for families to join us and see all the effort and enthusiasm that have gone into these performances. Mark your calendars for Friday, December 13th, and get ready to be amazed by the wonderful music your students have been preparing. You will enter at the doors near the loading doc. See you there!
- Mr. Shaffer
Together We Can Keep Our Students Healthy!
Flu and cold season is upon us. The usual rise in illness is expected as we head into the winter months. In order to monitor classroom illness, please give a specific reason/ symptoms (fever, cough, vomiting, flu, or personal day) for your child’s absence rather than stating “out” or “sick.” These more specific comments in PUP or on the absentee line denote if there is a rise in a specific ailment or contagion. Classrooms are cleaned daily. Hands are to be washed prior to and after eating. In the event we see a rise in specific illness, additional strategies to reduce spread are implemented.
Healthy students are better learners. Keep your child at home if ANY of these symptoms exist: Temperature 100.0 or greater. Vomiting or diarrhea. Unexplained rash. Drainage from eyes. Frequent, uncontrolled or hard coughing. Copious nasal secretions if your child is unable to blow/wipe their nose.
Please use parental judgement when other cold and illness symptoms are present. If your child exhibits symptoms that will prohibit him/her from actively participating and learning, please keep them home. These symptoms can include fatigue, lethargy, body aches, earache, sore throat, or lack of appetite.
Your child may return to school after they have been fever free for 24 hours without the use of Tylenol or Advil to reduce the temperature. Returning to school too soon may slow recovery and expose them to other pathogens. Keep your child home until 24 hours after the last vomiting or diarrhea episode. Students that have been diagnosed with bacterial infections (such as pink eye, strep throat, scarlet fever, impetigo) must be on the antibiotic for a full 24 hours before returning to school. Please send in the doctor’s note so your child’s absence can be marked as excused. A student that has been sent home with an unexplained rash may return to school with a medical note of clearance.
Together we can work to keep our students healthy and happy as they enjoy the winter months at TES!
Nancy Auld-Morogiello RN, BSN, CSN-NJ
Tewksbury Elementary School Nurse
908-832-2594 x2011
The Fifth Annual TEF STEM Night - December 5th 6:30 to 8:30 PM
Click on the link above for more information.
TES Penguin Holiday Shop:
December 2nd-5th
TES Gingerbread Event:
Tuesday, December 17th
Maschio's Food Service
Maschio's Food Services, Inc. is the contracted lunch provider at TES. See the following links for more information about the lunch service provided by Maschio's as well as PaySchools, our point of sale service system. You can find their menu on our school website at the following link:
https://tewksburyschools.nutrislice.com/menu/tewksbury-elementary/lunch