A Message from the Principal
Dear Arbor Families,
Happy New Year! I am excited to see all that 2025 will bring for our students, staff, and families. Students have settled back into a routine after the holidays, and we have a busy few months ahead of us. The New Year provides us all with the opportunity to celebrate our students and their hard work. Concert season is underway, and our students in the Band, Orchestra, and Chorus programs have been working hard and are excited to showcase their progress and talents. The end of the second marking period is coming up, which will allow us to recognize our Honor Roll students.
We are looking forward to many fun upcoming events and fundraisers. We continue to have great participation from families for Family Fun Nights, concerts, Dine to Donate events, and PTO sales. Be sure to check out the PTO section of the newsletter to save the dates for our upcoming events. The New Year will surely bring many more opportunities to gather as a community to celebrate our students' successes!
Sincerely,
Heather O’Donnell
Classroom Birthday Celebration Guidelines for Parents
Birthday Celebrations:
• Recognitions are brief and are scheduled at a time of the day that is convenient for the teacher’s classroom schedule. Please make contact with your child’s teacher ahead of time to schedule the date/time.
• Recognitions are for students only (guests/family members may not attend).
• If you would like to send in a snack they must:
- Be store-bought
- Be individual servings (nothing to cut, etc.)
- Have the ingredients visible and nut-free
- Not be candy
• Please do not send in goodie bags or additional items for your child to distribute.
• Please let your child’s teacher know if your child is not permitted to participate in their peers’ birthday celebrations.
Counseling Corner
Thanks to all who braved the cold and joined me for this month’s Coffee with the Counselor. Our discussion focused on internet safety.
In today's digital world, teaching children about internet safety is more important than ever. Encourage your child to use technology responsibly by setting clear guidelines for screen time and online activity. Remind them never to share personal information, such as their full name, address, or school, on social media or unfamiliar websites. Keep communication open so they feel comfortable discussing anything they encounter online. To ensure a safer experience, consider using parental controls and privacy settings to monitor their activity. Together, we can help our children navigate the internet safely and make informed choices in the digital age.
Please see link below for the presentation.
Nurse's Corner
It’s cold outside! Please dress for the weather. It’s time to wear hats, gloves, scarves, winter coat and sometimes boots.
It’s also cold and flu season.
It’s important to: Stay home when you’re sick
Cover your coughs and sneezes
Wash your hands often
Eat healthy foods
Drink plenty of water
Keep moving and exercise
Get plenty of sleep
We can stay healthy together!!!
L.E.A.D. Program
Piscataway detective T. Myers teaches 5th grade students through the L.E.A.D. (Law Enforcement Against Drugs and Violence) program. L.E.A.D focuses on social and emotional learning by promoting positive attitudes, teaching aversion to negative peer pressure, and encouraging healthy habits and relationships.
Arbor Awesomeness- Staff Recognition
Arbor Awesomeness is a way to share your appreciation for the wonderful staff at Arbor School. We encourage families to take some time to recognize staff throughout the school year. Please click on Arbor Awesomeness- Staff Recognition to complete a recognition. We will share your responses at staff meetings.
Arbor PTO
Dear Arbor Families,
As we begin the new year, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you for your unwavering support. Your participation and volunteering make our fundraisers successful and impactful. Follow our progress and updates on Facebook and Instagram!.
Key Highlights:
● Spirit Wear Sale: Items were delivered just before the holiday break. Thank you for purchasing over 80 items! We more than doubled our sales during this second round!
● Dine-to-Donate at Panera Bread: A big thank-you to everyone who participated by ordering a delicious and healthy lunch on December 20th! The event had a great outcome.
● Family Fun Night: Join us for our Valentine’s Bingo Night on February 21st, from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. This will be a wonderful event for the whole family to enjoy! There will be multiple winners, exciting prizes, including Roblox and Fortnight Gift cards!
● Scholastic Book Fair: Our spring book fair will run from March 3rd to March 7th! Every purchase made will earn a raffle ticket for a chance to win a prize. The Book Fair will be open from 7:45am!
● Dine-to-Donate: We have several Dine-to-Donate events running into the spring! See the details below:
○ 🥡Panda Express - South Plainfield, NJ
📅 Date: Friday, January 24th, 2025
⏰ Time: 10:30AM – 10:30 PM
📢 Details: 20% of sales will benefit our school.
○ 🌯 Chipotle Fundraiser
📅 Date: Wednesday, March 19, 2025
⏰ Time: 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM
📢 Details: 25% of sales will go directly to our school. More details to follow!
● Volunteers Needed: We rely on your support to make these events a success! Stay tuned for upcoming communications on how to sign up.
Upcoming Activities:
● Dine-to-Donate:
○ Panda Express - 01/24/2025 from 10:30AM to 10:30PM
○ Chipotle - 03/19/2025 from 4:00PM to 8:00PM
● PTO Meeting #3 - Wednesday, March 5th, 2025
● Scholastics Book Fair - Monday, March 3rd - Friday, March 7th.
Important Information:
● Valentine’s Bingo Night Registration: Link
● Bingo Night Volunteers: Link
● Scholastics Book Fair Volunteers: Link
● Online Donations: Link
● Join the PTO: Link
● Email: arborintermediatepto@gmail.com
● Follow us: Facebook | Instagram
We are excited for all the events to come this new year and are ready to make 2025 a fantastic one. Thank you for being part of this wonderful community and for your continued help and commitment!
Sincerely,
Arbor PTO Board
Tania Valenzuela, President
Dipali Patel - Treasurer
Harshita Patel - Co-Treasurer
Dominique Jones - Corresponding Secretary
