Terrapin Talk

What a beautiful week of weather we had! We had our first fire drill on Friday and the staff and students did an amazing job staying quiet as everyone exited the building to their designated areas outside. We will be having a safety/security drill before the end of the month. Both a monthly fire drill and security drill are required by law. After a security drill is practiced, a Parent Square notification will be sent which is also part of the law requirement. For more information please review the NJDOE School Security Drill Guidance document.

Plumbing

Last week we experienced a significant clog in our plumbing system. Being an old building with 2 additions, our building systems require extra care. The center portion of our building is the original 1926 section, the Clay St. side is the '80s addition, and to the right (parking lot side) is the '90s addition. Unfortunately, the cause of the clog was a result of a large amount of debris and an article of clothing that had been flushed in the '90s side of the building. It's uncertain when that might have occurred. It is actually more common than one might think...In Friday's morning announcement video, I reminded students to never flush anything down the toilet that doesn't belong there - families please talk with your children about that.

Lunch

We ask that all families to complete a Free/Reduced lunch application even if you believe you won't qualify. Completed applications are vital for all schools as the state uses this data a part of the calculation for state aid.

Please use the link below to set up your child(ren)’s lunch account:

https://mealapp.lunchtimesoftware.net/

All students are encouraged to pack a nutritious lunch which includes a main meal (protein) and beverage. Our supervising cafeteria staff will encourage students to pack additional lunch items and/or talk with the classroom teacher when a student continues to only have snack food items.

Medications

For the the safety of our students and staff, medication may not be packed with your student and sent into school. Medications require proper supporting documentation and brought in directly by a parent/guardian to be given to the nurse.

If you haven’t done so already, please complete the online annual school registration steps in OnCourse. This important step helps us keep our records up-to-date. When your child attends school on Thursday, all information will remain current, including dismissal procedures, until a guardian logs on and confirms and/or makes changes. Please make every effort to complete these short steps before then.

Siobhan Grayson

Superintendent/Principal

Together Everyone Succeeds!!

• All dismissal changes must be made to the main office prior to 1:30pm. Any verbal (calls) changes are to be followed up with a written notification via Parent Square or email as verification.
• Students arriving late to school must be accompanied by an adult to enter the ground level main entrance, complete a tardy slip for your child and send the tardy slip with your child for them to enter the main office. The slips are inside the doorway. PreK-K students will be met by a staff member outside the main office door. 1st - 6th may come up the stairs on their own with their tardy slip.
• Students getting picked up early - parent/guardians will sign the student out from the main office then wait outside the main office doorway

Thank you for your cooperation in these changes as we implement practices to make our main office entryway more secure.

We love to celebrate our Terrapins' birthdays! Our staff and students' birthdays are announced during our daily morning announcements. In compliance with Tuckerton's Nutrition Policy 8505 and due to the food allergies in our school, we wish to re-emphasize the importance of food safety of all of our students. Therefore, no homemade treats or foods will be permitted for student consumption at birthday celebrations OR classroom celebrations. Pre-packaged store-bought items have a factory/store label for quick and easy reference of nutrition information and ingredients. Moreover, it is strongly recommended that parents of a student with food allergies work with the classroom teacher to keep safe snacks (provided by the parent in the classroom) available for this student as a precautionary measure.

Classroom teachers make this day special by having the class sing Happy Birthday and give items such as certificates, pencils, and special crowns. We encourage parents to send in non-food items with their child to be shared with their classmates such as pencils, stickers, erasers, pocket games, small (non-food) goody bags, etc.

• Classroom invitations will only be distributed when they are prepared for all students.

Pets on School Grounds🐶

TES is a special neighborhood school where many of our students and families walk together. With the busyness of arrival and dismissal, we ask our respectfully ask our families to adhere to the District's Policy 7490 regarding pets on school grounds. While we enjoy meeting our families' furry friends, the increasing number of dogs during arrival and dismissal has been a concern raised by parents and staff and is one which should be adhered to as our school policy states. Thank you for your anticipated cooperation and understanding.