TES Times December

Happy December! 🎄❄️

As we wrap up 2024, I want to thank you all for your support this year. Our students have grown so much, and it's been wonderful to see their smiling faces each day.

Remember, school starts again on January 2, 2025. Until then, enjoy time with your loved ones!

Wishing you joy and peace this holiday season,

Lisa Moore

Principal

Thank you, Lampariello Family! Landon (Grade 3), Neve (K), Margaux, and Mark Lampariello created this memorable snowman! And, we had just enough snow to make him feel at home!

Our daytime custodian, Paige Slinkowksi, worked with the YMCA Before Care students to create this gingerbread house and hundreds of gingerbread people. On December 20th, our students and staff will find the gingerbread people hidden around the school and return them to their home for the holidays! Thank you, Paige, and the kids who enjoy YMCA Before Care!

January 2, 2025, is the first day to register Kindergarten students for 2025-2026!

If you are a Tewksbury resident and are the parent or guardian of a child who will turn 5 before

October 1, 2025, please register your child for Kindergarten at Tewksbury Elementary School.

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.

Link to 2025-2026 Tewksbury Public Schools Schedule

January 1 - Winter Recess

January 2 - Welcome Back to School!

January 20 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - School Closed

Happy holidays! Preschool has enjoyed learning about many different holidays celebrated this time of year! Students have played dreidel and painted Hanukkah menorahs. Students have made grinch faces and played pass the Christmas tree ornament. Lastly, students have played Kwanzaa bingo and decorated present pictures. Preschool is also anticipating the New Year in January! We are all looking forward to hearing about their New Year resolutions!

December has been an exciting month in our classroom! We wrapped up our Gingerbread unit with a festive Gingerbread House Decorating Event that everyone enjoyed. In ELA, we dove into different versions of The Gingerbread Man story, including The Gingerbread Girl, The Gingerbread Baby, The Gingerbread Boy, and The Gingerbread Cowboy. The students did a fantastic job comparing and contrasting the stories. They have also been hard at work blending sounds to read and confidently spell CVC words—what amazing progress they’re making!

In Math, we completed our measurement unit using non-standard units to measure various objects. We also explored all the different ways to make the number 5 through fun, hands-on activities. In Social Studies, we took a trip around the world to learn how different countries celebrate holidays during December. It’s been a joyful month of learning, discovery, and creativity!

In writing, we wrapped up our opinion writing unit. We have been learning about geometry, plane and solid shapes, in math. In Fundations, students have been busy practicing reading, writing and spelling trick words. We have learned about using a bonus letter when words that end in f, l, s have a short vowel sound right before the bonus letter. In social studies, we finished up our unit on families. We learned about how families help each other and have rules. We also shared some of our unique family traditions. We ended the month with our annual Penguin Party and look forward to learning about these amazing birds in the New Year!

Enjoy making memories with your families during the upcoming Holiday Season!

Happy Holidays!

The First Grade Team

Second Graders are always busy during the month of December, especially with the many special projects they participate in. Our tradition of sewing a decorative stocking has continued. Students have learned the art of sewing with yarn to create a special keepsake that they will have for years to come. They first design their stocking on paper, then make it come to life with the necessary materials. It's a wonderful memory that we welcome each year. We are also getting ready for our science in residency program next month by learning about Landform shapes and where they are both in NJ and in the US. The students have created a 3D landform map of NJ from model magic which shows the diverse landscapes of their state. It's a busy, yet fun month of learning! Happy 2025 to all!

In Third Grade our Wilson Fundations program not only helps students become better readers and spellers by helping them understand the fundamentals of the English language, but it also emphasizes comprehension strategies and vocabulary development, as well as teaches them cursive writing.

Recently students were introduced to the 1-1-1 Doubling Rule for spelling words with suffixes: If a word has 1 syllable, 1 short vowel, and only 1 consonant at the end, you need to double the final consonant when adding a vowel suffix; For example tap = tapping. This month students will not only continue to master the 1-1-1 Doubling Rule, but they will also be learning and practicing the Silent E Spelling Rule: when adding a vowel suffix to a word ending in a silent e, you must drop the e, then add your vowel suffix. For example: The Third Grade Teachers are hoping you have a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year!

The month of December was a quick and busy one for the Fourth Grade. Early in the month we had a wonderful visit from one of our parents, Christina Copland Checket, MD, and research science director for Stealth Biotech, who helped kick off our science unit by teaching us all about the human brain. Using feathers, students were able to experience first hand how nerves send messages to our brain. Coinciding with Dr. Copland’s lesson, students completed lessons in class where they created “fingers” demonstrating how tendons and muscles are used to move bones. They also learned how our eyes take in light images and send messages to the brain to be interpreted. Thank you, Dr. Checket!

In reading, students explored nonfiction text features and in writing students learned about nonfiction text structures (such as sequence, compare and contrast, description, problem and solution). Students learned how to research a topic using multiple sources, take notes, and are completing their first nonfiction article on arctic animals.

While students enjoyed performing in front of their families for the annual holiday concert, they are really looking forward to watching the Polar Express as a grade level before leaving for winter break. The Fourth Grade wishes everyone a joyous holiday season and a happy and healthy 2025!

Students in Mrs. Kinzel's math class put their skills to the test! Students planned out a holiday meal! Our third and fourth graders decided upon which entrees, sides, desserts, and festive drinks to serve at their table and used their skills and strategies to add multi-digit numbers to find the total amount spent. Students were required to stay within a budget and even subtracted from the total to find out how much they have leftover! We enjoyed "grocery shopping" and had a great time making menus for our tables.

This month TES students have been so busy! So many of my classes have been creating, and actively getting stronger with scissor development and drawing skills. December is one of the busiest, yet most exciting months for our young artists! In the art room, we’re diving headfirst into holiday-themed projects that bring a sparkle of creativity and joy to the season. Students are painting, crafting, and designing everything from festive ornaments in preschool to winter collages in 3rd and 4th, and practicing techniques like cutting and collaging with the first grade Winter Barn Owl Project and finally a candle mixed media assembly with Kindergarten students. Second graders are also flying through a winter night by folding and assembling textured 3D birds.

And of course, the holiday decorations wouldn’t be complete without some collaborative efforts. So proud to work together with a great Specials Team. Mrs. Obercian created a colorful chain of holiday decor in her Spanish classes, Mr. Wobby helped make 100 snowflakes and Mrs. Havens made posters to help decorate and make the school festive for our Winter Choral celebration! I am so exited to work with a team of dedicated professionals here at TES!

Additionally, I am preparing for our first art show at Whittemore on January 11, 2025! Some of our outstanding artists from TES and OTS have been selected for the show. Families of these artists will be notified soon.

It’s a true team effort, and I’m so proud of how dedicated and enthusiastic our students are. Their hard work and creativity are shining brighter than ever this season! Happy Holidays !

- Mrs. Pecora

This December in PE, we are keeping busy with a variety of fun and engaging activities! In Ms Sconda's classes, we are continuing our throwing and catching unit, focusing on improving accuracy and coordination, while also playing cooperative games that encourage teamwork and problem-solving. Mr. Wooby is working with students on the skill of volleying, helping them develop control and precision. Together, we are always emphasizing the importance of sportsmanship, honesty, kindness, and teamwork to ensure students grow not only as athletes but as individuals.

- Mr. Wooby and Ms. Sconda

This month in the TES Library Media Center, students across the grades have been learning about traditional literature (focusing on folktales and fables) and story adaptation. Our Kindergarten students have been revisiting the classic story, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, through modern retellings. Our youngest students have shown a lot of creativity in imagining their own twists on the story and using their engineering skills for a Three Little Bears LEGO challenge. Our first and second grade students have been comparing versions of folktales (such as The Turnip). We also compared some of the work of award winning author and illustrator, Grace Lin. Our third and 4th grade students have also been learning about fables. We have discussed the elements needed to create a fable. In groups, students have even started writing their own fables! Wishing you all a wonderful winter break with some extra time for cozying up with a good book!

- Ms. Rose-Mason

During the festive month of December, Spanish students continued themes of family, pets, and for the 4th graders, clothing! Several classes learned about an interesting New Year's tradition from Colombia involving running around the block with a suitcase for good travel wishes in the coming year!

In the picture, a student took over class when Senora had laryngitis!

- Senora Obercian

During the month of December all TES students began our coding unit. We dove headfirst into the world of coding. Students discovered the joy of problem solving and unleashed their creativity through interactive and engaging coding activities. All K-4 students participated in the Hour of Code during Computer Science Education Week.

The Hour of Code is not just about learning some lines of code, it is about collaboration, resilience and critical thinking. The students were challenged to think outside the box, persevere through challenges and celebrate their accomplishments.

Our youngest learned block coding, while our third graders learned to write Coffee Script and our fourth graders learned to write Python code using a program called Code Monkey.

If you have a coding skill or work in the coding world, please reach out to me. We would love to have you visit our class and talk to the students. Families can always go to www.code.org to explore more coding activities. Happy Coding!

- Ms. Rinehart Havens

This year’s winter concert was a success and I couldn’t be prouder of our students! Their hard work, dedication, and enthusiasm truly shone through in every performance. From the cheerful songs to the spirited rhythms, it was wonderful to see our students share their musical talents with the entire school community.

We also want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the families who attended and supported our young musicians. Your encouragement means so much to our students and helps make events like this so special.

As we close out the year, we wish all of our students and families a joyful and relaxing winter break. Thank you for making this concert season unforgettable. We can’t wait to see everyone again in the new year, ready for more musical adventures! Happy Holidays!

Wishing you all a wonderful winter break with your children and families. This school year, Mr. Strange and I have developed a professional learning commitee to look at the benefits of unstructured free play for children. We look forward to sharing what we are learning, but it appears undisputedly that kids benefit from child directed free play. This break can be a great opportunity for all families to encourage kids to "play" inside or outside even if, or especiallly if, "there is nothing to do". Creativity emerges when kids are bored! We look forward to hearing their adventures!

We also encourage you to give our students the freedom to grow their independence and exercise their problem solving skills. Kids can be incredibly capable when left to their own devices. Students grow when they complete tasks independently and experience trial and error. A kindergartener can make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. A second grader can make brownies and a fourth grader can make the family pancake breakfast. We look forward to hearing about their new skills. Feel free to send me a picture to add to next month's newsletter. sdonovan@tewksburyschools.org

Wishing you all a restful break and happy 2025.

- Sheila Donovan, MSW

School Counselor

The holiday season is a time for joy, family, and celebration, but it can also bring unique health challenges for children and families. Here are some tips to keep everyone healthy and happy during this busy time of year:

Fight Seasonal Illnesses: December is peak flu and cold season. Encourage good hand washing habits and remind children to cover their coughs and sneezes. According to the CDC, vaccination is the best protection against the flu.

Healthy Eating Amid Festivities: With all the sweet treats and festive meals, it's easy to overindulge. Offer balanced options like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains at meals and encourage portion control with desserts. Harvard’s School of Public Health suggests using smaller plates to help manage portions.

Stay Active: Cold weather doesn’t mean physical activity has to stop. Bundle up and enjoy outdoor activities like sledding, ice skating, or even a brisk walk. For indoor fun, try dancing to holiday music or yoga for kids.

Prioritize Rest: The excitement of the season can lead to late nights and disrupted routines. Ensure children get the sleep they need to stay energized and healthy. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends 9–12 hours of sleep per night for school-aged children.

Manage Stress: The holidays can be overwhelming for families. Keep expectations realistic, involve kids in simple holiday traditions, and make time for relaxation. The National Institute of Mental Health highlights the importance of mindfulness and self-care during stressful times. By taking small, mindful steps, families can make this holiday season both joyful and healthy. Wishing you all a season filled with warmth, love, and well-being!

For more health tips, visit CDC.gov or the AAP.

Nancy Auld-Morogiello RN, BSN, CSN-NJ

Tewksbury Elementary School Nurse

908-832-2594 x2011

PTA Family Bingo Night

January 17th, 2025 6 to 7:30 PM

Link to Sign Up

Many thanks to the TEF for sponsoring the following residencies at TES:

January - 2nd Grade with Scientist, John Miller, "Our Changing Earth"

February - All Grades with Artist, Dan Fenelon, "A Mural of TES 2024-2025"

April - 1st Grade Learning by Doing with Kevin & Erin O'Keefe, "Circus Minimus"

May - 3rd Grade Poetry with BJ Ward

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

January 1 - Winter Recess

January 2 - Welcome Back to School!

January 11 - TES and OTS Art Show at Whittemore

January 20 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - School Closed