Principal Garcia's Newsletter

• November 9 - Veteran's Day Assembly
• November 10-11 - Schools Closed for NJEA Teacher's Convention
• November 17 - TJS Family Trivia Night
• November 19 - PTO Turkey Trot/Book Fair
• November 21- Single Session Early Dismissal Day for Evening Parent/Teacher Conferences
• November 22- Single Session Early Dismissal Day for Daytime Parent/Teacher Conferences
• November 23 - Single Session Early Dismissal Day for Thanksgiving
• November 24-25 - Schools Closed for Thanksgiving
• November 30 - PTO Sponsored Assembly, Ball in the House

Evening parent/teacher conferences will be held on Monday, November 21, 2022, between 5:00 - 8:00 PM. Daytime conferences will be held on Tuesday, November 22, 2022, between 1:30 - 3:45 PM. Both days are single-session early dismissal days. Your child’s teacher will be reaching out to schedule an in-person conference time. At your child’s conference time you may be meeting with one or more of your child’s teachers. We kindly ask that you be on time for your scheduled conference time as our teachers will be busy with back-to-back meetings and have an allotted time for each conference. Teachers are equipped to share out various aspects of student progress as well as individual data points such as a child’s reading level, writing samples, in-class assessments, as well as how your child is developing socially and emotionally. We hope to continue to remain partners in your child’s education and thank you in advance for attending a conference for your child!

The fall window of Star administration is now complete. The Star assessments are diagnostic assessments designed to provide educators and parents with important information about a student’s progress. For students in grades 1-5, a copy of your child’s literacy and math reports will be found in a sealed envelope in your child’s backpack on Wednesday, November 9, 2022. Parents of kindergarten students will be able to review their child’s Star assessments during November conferences. Please note that the reports do not need to be signed and returned. In preparation for understanding the STAR report, parents are encouraged to access this STAR parent guide.

Hi! My name is Meredith Waryha. I am one of the kindergarten teachers at Torey J. This is my 16th year teaching at TJS! I started out teaching a full day kindergarten program in the South Bronx and was then lucky enough to wind up here in Madison. Teaching kindergarten has been such a wonderful experience. Every year the children amaze me with how much they learn and grow.

I have three sons who keep me busy. Jake is 11 and just started middle school, Ryan is 9 and in 4th grade, Ben is 6 and in first grade. Sports are a big part of our life. When I am not at school you can typically find me cheering on my boys at their games. We have two Australian Labradoodles named Tucker and Molly. I adore them! Our house is busy and full of energy. I wouldn’t have it any other way!

In my free time, I love taking trips with my family. The beach is definitely our happy place. I also love spending time helping a nearby dog breeder with her litters. This summer I had the chance to hang out with 9 golden retriever puppies! It was an incredible experience.

I am looking forward to another year of fun, learning, and adventures with my kindergarten class!

My name is Emily DeMarco. This is my 10th year at TJS. At TJS, I have taught the kindergarten wrap-around program, second grade, and first grade. I graduated from college with a degree in Elementary Education and I have my masters in Technology Education. I’m so grateful to be a part of the TJS community and it’s always a pleasure to watch the students grow each year!

Aside from teaching, I love playing disc golf, basketball, going on hikes/walks, reading, eating, and baking. At home, I absolutely enjoy mowing the lawn and gardening! My husband and I are excited to welcome our first child into our family in February!

Please join us on Saturday November 19th at 9:30am for our TJS Turkey Trot! All family members, including parents and siblings, are welcome and encouraged to participate. The course is just about a mile long and will loop the school, starting at Glenwild Rd to Loantaka to Woodland Rd to Green Village Rd and back to TJS. After the race, families can make their way to Jaguar Jungle to enjoy some refreshments and spend time at the TJS Scholastic Book Fair. Cost is $16 per person ($60 max per family)

This event is a great way to socialize with the school community, get some fresh air, and run (or walk) off some of that energy our children have…all while supporting our school. Thanks to your generosity, the PTO can continue to provide educational and cultural enrichment programs for our children throughout the year!

Questions? Email Jill Sabol - JillLoraF@hotmail.com

Click Here to Register by Nov. 9th

It takes a village to run this BIG event! Please Click Here to Volunteer to Help at the Turkey Trot!

Pizza and Trivia Night - Nov. 17th

The PTO is excited to offer homemade pizza kits for Family Trivia Night on Thursday November 17th! Romanelli’s will be putting together delicious make-your-own pizza kits that include sauce, cheese, and homemade dough for you to bake at home. Each kit contains a large pizza with cooking instructions.

The deadline for ordering is Friday November 11th. Each pizza kit costs $17.

The kits will be available for pick-up at TJS on Thursday, November 17th from 3:00-3:45 so you will be all ready to eat and then join the online trivia!

The link for trivia will be sent November 17th right before the session begins! There will be prizes for the top three families!

Order here (please note: for your convenience, this link also includes the ordering form for Thanksgiving Pies if you would like those as well):

Questions? Please text Julie Snyder at 201-572-8786 or Michelle Schmutz at 973-216-7495

Thanksgiving Pie Sale

Take one thing off of your holiday to-do list by leaving the Thanksgiving dessert to us! We have an assortment of delicious pies from our local Baba's bakery for sale. These make a great gift to neighbors, teachers, friends and family to show your thanks. Also a great option to freeze and have on hand for last minute get-togethers around the holidays!

Flavors are pumpkin, apple, apple crumb ($20 each) and pecan ($23 each).

Pies will be available for pickup after school on Tuesday, November 22nd (half day session) from 12:15 to 1:15 pm in the TJS parking lot, so mark your calendars. Alternate pickup times can be arranged by contacting Maria at beacommaria@gmail.com.

The deadline for ordering is Wednesday, November 16. Email Maria at beacommaria@gmail.com with any questions. Click here to order your pies!

Library Help Needed!

Mrs. Thomas needs our assistance to keep the TJS library organized between classes. Volunteers are needed for short periods to help reshelve books. Please check out the times on the SignUp Genius if you are interested!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4DACAD2EA3F58-tjslibrary

Thank you for fueling up for MEF at Pump #6 over the past three months! We appreciate your dedication to our schools. Thank you, as well, for participating in our #MEFPump6pic. We’re happy to announce that Michelle Major has won the 50$ gift card to Bottle Hill Tavern!

While the Giving Pump campaign is over, it’s never too late to give to the MEF. Invest in MEF here.