The Monroe Messenger

Hello James Monroe Families,

We are looking forward to fabulous fall weather and seeing you at our spectacular school events. Please take some time to learn more about our school activities.

We are very proud of our students and staff for their hard work during the first month of school! In September, we read "Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao" to every class and we focused on getting to know each other by sharing our perfect recipe and growth mindset strategies. Did you know that Mrs. Tufaro's perfect recipe is brownies and Mr. Hristofis is working on his corner kick for soccer?

Our school-wide initiative helps us to build a supportive climate where we form connections through food and learn about each other. If you would like to listen to the story at home read by author, Kat Zhang, click HERE. Students can buy dumplings (vegetable or chicken) for school lunch on October 21st in the cafeteria!

Kind regards,

Mrs. Cyndi Tufaro, principal

Mr. Argiris Hristofis, assistant principal

Thank you for registering to shop through Schoolstore.com. This site hosts hundreds of merchants which give a percentage of sales back to our school. So far, our classrooms have earned over $1,000 in rewards to spend on their students. It is easy to register and a great time to shop during the upcoming holidays. See merchants affiliated with the program.

James Monroe unites to show respect. Please join us each day and dress up for our theme days! Use the questions on the chart below to start a family discussion focused on each day's lesson.

Picture day is October 21st & 22nd. Students will take individual photos and class pictures. Click the link below for information about picture packages. All 5th graders will be getting their pictures taken on Monday before their class trip to Camp Bernie on Tuesday.

All breakfast orders were placed for the year and are delivered to the classrooms each morning by our safety patrols. Please check with your child to make sure they are eating the breakfasts. If they are not going to eat the breakfasts, please inform the office and we will update the order.

Remember! Children are eating lunch in the cafeteria daily. They have the option to bring lunch from home or to purchase lunches for $3.50, vegetarian or with meat, every day. See the tabs below to set up your child's account on My School Bucks. We highly recommend using this service which will allow you to monitor all purchases and account balances. For us, it will assist with expedited lunch lines. Also, please review the daily menu choices with your child so they are prepared with their order.

We hope to see you at our PTO Harvest Eve on October 18th from 5 pm - 8 pm. This special event is a tremendous source of revenue for our PTO which aims to finance many events at our school including upcoming field trips. Please join us with your family and enjoy the old-fashioned carnival style atmosphere on what will hopefully be a beautiful fall evening. Look for more flyers to be sent home soon!

We are grateful for your assistance and volunteers are still needed. Email monroeowlspto@gmail.com if you want to help. If you can't be here, consider sending in something for the snack table. See the link below for more information.

Our Halloween Parade will take place on Thursday, October 31st at 9:30 a.m weather permitting. Please send your child to school dressed in their Halloween costume.

Please remember that all costumes must be safe, non-violent and not cover the face. If your child will not be participating, please send a note to your child's teacher, and your child will not participate in the parade.

The parade route starts out the front doors and proceeds twice around the building. You can view the parade along all four sides of the building. Children will be walking on the sidewalk, please stay on the perimeter.

Is there a special teacher or Educator Support Professional (ESP) in your child's life? Please consider nominating a staff member at James Monroe for Teacher or ESP of the year. All nominations are due by Oct. 31st.

We hope you will join us at our first sidewalk Scholastic Book Fair on October 10th after school from 4 - 6pm.

Please join us in the cafeteria or virtually at or next PTO meeting on Oct. 15th at 6:00 p.m. This month's meeting will be used to prepare for Harvest Eve. A link to join the meeting will be sent out that day.

Click on the orange bar to download the PTO membership form or use the QR code to join the PTO. We are looking for families to support our school community. Your membership fee goes to helping fund school events like our Ice Cream Social and resources for the children. Thank you for your partnership!

Mrs. Morris is available at James Monroe every other Friday. As a partner with University Behavioral Health, P.A.T.H. clinicians provide a range of free and confidential mental health services at our school. Please see the flyer to learn more.

Our local firefighters will be visiting grades Kindergarten and first grade with demonstrations of their fire trucks and equipment. We are grateful for their community service and education.

This year, our 5th grade classes will be going on a one day adventure to Camp Bernie on October 22nd. This day will consist of outdoor experiences, team building and confidence exercises.

8:40 Arrive at school

9:20 – 9:30 Depart for Camp Bernie

10:20-10:45 Arrival/Orientation

10:45-11:45 Activity Block 1

11:45-12:45 Lunch

12:45-2:15 Activity Block 2

2:15-2:30 Transitional Break

2:30-4:00 Activity Block 3

4:00-4:15 Transitional Break

4:15-5:45 Activity Block 4

5:45-6:00 Transitional Break

6:00-7:00 Dinner

7:00-8:00 Depart for School

8:00 Parent pickup

Please make sure all forms must be turned in. Please contact your child's teacher with any questions. Dietary forms have been shared with the nurse and Camp Bernie staff. There are choices of food for all students needs!

If you are a parent of a 5th grade student and would like to learn more information about Camp Bernie, check out the presentation from the Parent Information Meeting.

Our next newsletter will include photos from our adventure!

1. For any students with severe allergies or asthma: Please submit your child's medication and either the severe allergy treatment plan or asthma action plan to Mrs.Stevens as soon as possible. If you have any questions or need the forms, please let the nurse know.
   
2. Flu season is quickly approaching. Although the flu shot is not mandatory in elementary school in New Jersey, the CDC recommends everyone ages 6 months and older get vaccinated every flu season, as long as there are no contraindications. As always, check with your child's pediatrician. Encourage good hand hygiene at home, and remember to cover your mouths when coughing or sneezing.
   

Immunization Clinics

There is an immunization clinic coming up at the Edison Health Department (Edison Senior Citizen Center) on October 9- Please call to make an appointment (732 248 7285). It is for families with no insurance only.

JRF Community Health Center in Edison also offers immunizations on a sliding scale fee or medicaid/medicare. The number is 732 482 9600.