Dear Catena Families,

As we move into the final stretch of the school year, we have so many wonderful celebrations and events to look forward to—and some special thank-yous to share!

A Huge Thank You to Our PTO!
We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to the Ladies Night Out Committee for organizing such an awesome event on May 9th. It was a fun and successful evening, and we are so grateful for the support of our families and community members. Our Catena Colts are truly lucky!

A huge shout-out also goes to our PTO Hospitality Committee who went above and beyond to treat our staff during Staff Appreciation Week! From daily goodies and prizes to a delicious luncheon and bagel breakfast, we felt incredibly appreciated. We also think our staff is Wicked OZ-some!

Kindergarten Screening (& Registration is happening now!) Families with incoming Kindergarteners should see the information below to get registered. We are filling up our Kindergarten Screening appointments for next week and don’t want to miss an opportunity to meet our newest Catena Colts before summer. Reach out to the Catena Main Office with questions, 732-431-4430.

Evening of the Arts – Thursday, May 22nd
Join us for an evening celebrating student creativity and expression! You’ll enjoy student artwork and musical performances that highlight the amazing talents of our Catena Colts. Details on times and location will be shared soon.

Field Day – Friday, May 23rd~Early Dismissal
Field Day is just around the corner! Students will enjoy a variety of outdoor games and activities. One of the new stations is an inflatable one; please note that students must have parent/guardian permission to participate. This form was sent home and must be completed prior to the event whether students will participate or not.

End-of-Year Ceremonies & Class Parties
Grade-level ceremonies and class parties will be held in June. More information will be shared by teachers and class parents. These events are always a joyful way to celebrate a great school year. Information about our 5th Grade End of Year Recognition Ceremony was sent separately as was Kindergarten End of Year Celebration information.

Last Day of School – Wednesday, June 18th
The last day of school is Wednesday, June 18th. We are so proud of everything our students have accomplished this year and look forward to ending the year positively.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support. Together, we make Catena a truly special place to grow and learn.

With warmth & gratitude,

Ms. Shaw & Mrs. Fern

It's time to register for Kindergarten! Kindergarten Screening for those fully registered is scheduling now. The registration link and more information is shared below. We look forward to welcoming our newest Catena Colts in September 2025! Call the Catena Main Office with questions, 732-431-4430.

2025-2026 Kindergarten Registration

Please remember that students must have sneakers to participate in both Phys. Ed class and Recess. Students wearing shoes like Uggs, Crocs, slides, sandals etc. will not be permitted to play.

FTSD is committed to creating a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment for all students, staff and families. Bullying, in any form, is not tolerated. Recently, we’ve observed that the most common forms of bullying in our building have been comments made about others' appearance and cultures. We also recently communicated with families regarding an uptick in threatening and violent language amongst students. We hope that conversations at home will focus upon this and remind students that utilizing such language and/or drawing violent scenes or items is not tolerated in school.

We encourage open communication between parents, students, and staff to help prevent bullying and address other behavioral concerns. Please remind your child about the importance of kindness, inclusivity, respect, and standing up for others. Together, we can ensure a positive school experience for everyone.

To learn more about our HIB policies please visit our district webpage and/or click here

Please share your voice with us. Together we can make our school community the best it can be.

We believe we are all connected and together we will foster our PBS core values. At home, families can help to remind students by reviewing our PBS Expectation Matrix and support them throughout the year by using our common language when talking about the school day.

We hope you'll continue to support our schoolwide PBS and behavioral expectations by reviewing with your child(ren) at home. Recently we have seen a significant increase in negative, physical, damaging, and inappropriate behaviors in school. Students would benefit from reminders around being respectful of those around them, responsible in their environment, being safe, and being kind toward others. We ask that families reinforce playing safely with peers on the playground and being safe on the school bus. Parents are always encouraged to review the importance of being kind toward others. Commenting on another's appearance, race, ethnicity, or other characteristics will prompt a HIB investigation. If you have questions regarding the district's anti-bullying policies and procedures, you can access them in the handbook or on the district website linked here. Questions can always be directed to one of us or Mrs. Senna, our Anti-Bullying Specialist. Staff are always available to support students who may be facing a challenging situation or who are struggling emotionally. Additionally, parents are encouraged to keep an eye on students with access to devices, group chats, and/or social media accounts.

Another way parents might support our PBS program is by helping us to stock our PBS school store. Students have the opportunity to visit the PBS School Store to “cash” in their Colts Cash for both tangible items and for experiences with staff.

Please review the items below in preparation for the beginning of the year:

• Genesis Parent Portal

• Support for Genesis Parent Portal is found under the log-in dialog box.

• Arrival & Dismissal procedures for 2024-25 school year are linked here. All families should review these procedures and adhere to them to help us ensure the safety of our students, staff, and families.

• School hours for JJCS students: 8:55 am-3:30 pm. Doors open at 8:45am. Students arriving in their classrooms after 8:55 am are considered tardy.

• Students late due to transportation delays are not marked tardy.

• Fridays will always be School Spirit Days. Students are encouraged to wear their Catena or Donovan spirit wear and/or PBS shirts on Fridays to show their school pride!

• Free & Reduced Lunch Applications for the 2024-2025 School Year will be available on the district website.

Families are encouraged to review the updated policy. Click here to review the FTS Attendance Policy.

May 22nd: Evening of the Arts

May 23rd: Field Day; Early Dismissal at 12:55

May 26th: Memorial Day; District closed

Week of 6/2: Scholastic Book Fair

June 13th: Kindergarten Recognition Ceremony

June 16th: 5th Grade Recognition Ceremony; Early dismissal at 12:55

June 17th: Early dismissal at 12:55

June 18th: Early dismissal at 12:55; Last Day of School!

Here is our ninth episode of JJC News with our very own student reporters. Be sure to tune in and learn all about what's going on & stay classy, Catena!

In May, we are focusing on the last four of the eight Standards for Mathematical Practices. By focusing on the practices for problem solving, rather than just getting the "right answer," we are helping students become mathematical thinkers who can reason and make connections,

Use Appropriate Tools Strategically: Show your child how to use rulers, measuring cups, or calculators when needed.

Attend to Precision: Encourage careful work by double-checking answer and emphasize the importance of accurate measurements.

Look for and Make Use of Structure: Together with your child, identify patterns in nature, art, or daily routines.

Look for and Express Regularity in Repeated Reasoning: Discuss predictable patterns in schedules or daily activities.

By seeing how these practices apply outside of school, students gain confidence and begin to understand that math is an important life skill!

Click this link for some tips on making literacy part of your family's lifestyle!

Take a look at tips for families with children who have ADHD from The ADHD Foundation-The Neurodiversity Charity. Find many more resources by following this link and visiting Understood.org.

Developing and Supporting Social Skills

Reading & ADHD Advice & Top Tips

Free & Reduced Lunch Applications

Paper applications can be found on the district webpage. This folder contains all of the information regarding applying for Free/Reduced Lunch. If you can not print it, please contact your child's school and they will send a paper copy home for you. Please note, families will need the child's school ID Number to complete the application. School ID Numbers can be found in Genesis Parent Portal.

Please send any paper applications to:

Ali McKee

Freehold Township Schools

Benefits Coordinator

384 W. Main Street

Freehold, NJ 07728

You may also send by email or fax:

amckee@freeholdtwp.k12.nj.us

Fax: (732) 462-5939

Phone: (732) 462-8400 ext.8809

Paying for meals

Payments may be made with student's MealTime account. Any cash or checks brought to school for meals will be applied to your student's mealtime account. No change can be given in the cafeteria.

Nutrislice

Please check out the program we'll be using to share our menus and nutritional information with you. Nutrislice will be updated any time we have a menu change and will have menus prepared weeks in advance. You can even add the app to your phone for up to date information. Click here to learn how to filter your menus!

MealTime Information

To add funds to your student's MealTime account so they may purchase items in the school cafeteria, please click here (white box) or send cash or a check written out to Freehold Township Schools in with your student. All funds submitted in the cafeteria will be deposited into your student's Mealtime account. No change will be available in the cafeteria. For more information about Mealtime, please click here.

Breakfast is now available for Preschool & Elementary School Students

Breakfast is Served!

We'd like to remind everyone that breakfast is available for purchase in the cafeteria for all elementary school students. The menus are here. Students can go directly to the cafeteria when they come to school and grab a meal to bring to their classroom. All students who receive free lunch are also eligible to receive free breakfast. Regular price for breakfast is $2.05 and will be billed through the student's mealtime account. Menus will be posted on Nutrislice.

Doors will open at 8:30am for JJCS breakfast and 8:45am for LDS breakfast. Staff will monitor Door # 28 near the parent drop-off/pick-up to welcome students. Those students riding the bus to school will grab breakfast once buses unload and eat in their classroom.

For more information or to contact our Sodexo Food Services Department, visit our district webpage linked here.

Click here for Menus

Meet Mrs. Hazard

FTS District Webpage Health Information

Resources from NJ Department of Human Services

Resources for Financial Assistance

The Freehold Township School District will be administering both state and local standardized assessments throughout the 2024-2025 school year. All of these assessments, along with information and links to resources for families can be found on our website. You can also download this document, which lists the testing windows for all assessments. If you have any questions, please contact your building principal.

Click above for the FTS Attendance Newsletter. This picture was the message sent by Mr. Dickstein on 10/15 to clarify and answer questions regarding the district's attendance policy.

Visit the website. Make a membership toolkit account. Support our school community. Email for information: jjcpto@gmail.com

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1. Go to the top of the newsletter and click "translate".
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