Dear E.C.S. Families,

As we step into March, we have so much to celebrate and look forward to!

First, a huge thank you to everyone who helped make the Kids Heart Challenge a tremendous success! A special shoutout to Mr. Glavan, Mrs. Cappetti, and Mr. Pendry for their dedication—not only in running the event but also for their hard work behind the scenes. Thanks to our amazing community, we raised nearly $1,500 for the American Heart Association to support life-saving research and heart health awareness!

Next up, Wellness Week is just around the corner! Students and staff will take on wellness challenges throughout the week, all focused on developing healthy habits and making well-being a priority. Get ready for a fun and active week ahead!

We’re also excited to host this year’s Battle of the Books competition this month! Our students and teachers have been working incredibly hard to prepare, and we wish them the best of luck as they put their knowledge to the test. We know they’ll make us proud!

Important Reminders:

• Classroom Drinks – All drinks in the classroom must be water only.
• Breakfast Guidelines – Unless a student is purchasing school-provided breakfast in the cafeteria, all breakfast foods and drinks should be consumed before entering school. Outside food and drinks are not allowed in classrooms.
• Preschool Lottery for 2025-2026 – The preschool lottery will take place on April 30th. Interested families should complete the interest form here. Please submit only one entry per child. Families who have already submitted a form will receive their lottery number prior to April 30th. Currently enrolled students will be automatically rolled over into the 2025-2026 school year—no further action is needed.

March is shaping up to be a fantastic month—let’s keep up the great energy!

MONDAY: TAKE THE SCREEN-FREE PLEDGE

Teachers will distribute Screen-Free Pledge forms to students the week before Wellness Week. All students who sign and return the form to school during Wellness Week are entered into daily prize drawings. The students' Screen-Free Pledge forms will be on display for everyone to see.

TUESDAY: TRY IT TUESDAY

Samples of blueberries, mandarin oranges, cucumbers and carrots will be available during lunch for students to try. If your child has any allergy concerns, please contact the Nursing Office.

WEDNESDAY: RECESS ROCKS!

Fun games will be played during recess. Students should wear sneakers to school and get ready to have a blast at recess!

THURSDAY: GET CAUGHT EATING A VEGGIE

Students can pack vegetables in their lunchbox or choose them as they go through the lunch line. Volunteers will be taking photos of students spotted eating vegetables. The photos will be on display Friday in the cafeteria.

FRIDAY: GET MOVING AND GROOVING

Students can be dropped off at Manor House at 8:00 am to walk with staff to school at 8:10 am. Everyone who walks to school gets a sticker as they enter the school building. Students who walk to school can write their name and color a sneaker that will be displayed for everyone to see. In the afternoon, students will get moving with Miss Ragone in the gym. Students should wear comfy clothes and sneakers to school.

(Preschool will be celebrating The Week of the Young Child in April.)

On February 26th, members of our 8th Grade Band participated in the "Side-By-Side Band Night" at Rancocas Valley Regional High School. They spent the day rehearsing with other 8th Grade Band students from Mount Holly, Westampton, Lumberton, and members of the RV High School Wind Ensemble. That night, they all performed together in a culminating concert.

3/17-3/20- Wellness Week

3/17- Board of Education Meeting

3/19- Teen Arts Festival

3/19- Battle of the Book Competition

3/31- PTA Grandparent Sock Hop

4/9- Last Day of the 3rd Marking Period

4/10- Math Night 5:30-7:00pm

4/11- Preschool Family Friday- 1:00pm

4/11- PTA Easter Egg Adventure (Pre-K-4th grade) 5:30-7:30pm

4/14- Report Cards

4/16- PTA Meeting

4/18-4/25 Spring Break (NO SCHOOL)

4/29- Board of Education Meeting

4/30- Preschool Lottery

ECS has a new club! Knight Vision is a unique media and communications club consisting of one representative from each school club and sport team. Our primary goal is keeping the school community informed and engaged with club events and school happenings.

Make sure to check the Knight Vision bookmark, which displays important dates for the marking period. It also features a QR Code linked to the club website, where you can find the cafeteria slideshow and all of our school event flyers. Each student was given a bookmark by their homeroom teacher.

Mrs. Parylak grew up in Cream Ridge, NJ, and went to school in New Egypt, where she had amazing teachers who made learning fun and memorable. Their passion for teaching inspired her to follow in their footsteps and become a teacher herself, hoping to create the same positive experiences for her own students.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in English and Elementary Education from Georgian Court University, along with an endorsement to teach students with disabilities. She began her teaching career in New Egypt, working alongside some of the very teachers who once taught her! She spent the first few years teaching in both general education and special education classrooms, primarily in a self-contained setting. In 2023, she made the move to Eastampton and quickly realized that middle school was exactly where she was meant to be—even though she once thought teaching middle schoolers sounded a little crazy!

Outside of the classroom, she loves spending time with her husband and their pets—Zeus, their dog, and Remy and Layla, their two cats. She enjoys reading, photography, home projects, and cheering on her favorite sports teams (Go Giants, Devils, and Yankees!). She’s also a big Disney fan and has been to Disney World many times, with hopes of visiting all the Disney Parks one day.

In this unit, students were tasked with the role of being conservation biologists. They were investigating why the population of Tokay geckos was declining. Throughout the unit, we learned about prey, predators, and how animals use their senses to survive in their environment. Students discovered that recently there were new streetlights put near the road in the Tokay gecko's environment. While investigating the structure of animal eyes, students realized different animals have different light receptors which causes them to need different amounts of light to see.

In this project, students created models of animal eyes, one with high sensitivity light receptors, one with low sensitivity light receptors. This helped them to be able to explain why different animals need different amounts of light to see while also recognizing key structures of eyes and their functions. Students had the chance to explain how light travels through the structures and why their animal would be able to or not be able to recognize its prey given different lighting conditions.

Ultimately, this allowed students to write excellent scientific explanations about why the new streetlights were causing Tokay geckos to not be able to see their prey, causing the population decline!

Please stay up to date on your child's grades by checking PowerSchool. See the links below for the student/ parent sign in and Frequently Asked Questions.

Reach out to Kari Thalwitzer with information about your login: 609-267-9172

Early Pick-Up

If you are going to be picking your child up early from school, please email or call kthalwitzer@etsdnj.us at least one hour before picking up your child. Also, please complete early pick-ups by 2:00pm. The end of the school day is extremely busy in the main office, so ample notice is appreciated.

Volunteer Announcement

To ensure smooth arrival and dismissal, volunteers are welcome in the building only between 8:40 AM and 2:30 PM.

Attendance Reminder

Unexcused lateness and early pickups affect your child’s attendance record. Please limit missed school time whenever possible to keep them on track academically. Preschool arrival is 8:15am at the preschool doors. For kindergarten through 8th grade, school doors open at 8:15am, and students are expected in homeroom by 8:30am. Preschool dismissal is at 2:15 PM, and K-8 dismissal is at 3:00 PM.

Parking Lot Reminders

Please remember to slow down when dropping off or picking up your children. The safety of our students, staff, and families is our top priority.

Also, be sure to park only in lined parking spots—not on the grass.

Please click HERE to register your child for the after school tutoring program.

**If you have already completed registration and your child is attending tutoring, please fill out THIS FORM by 9:00am the day they are attending.

If the form is not completed by 9:00am, your child will be dismissed at 3:00pm.**

If an emergency situation exists or adverse weather conditions cause a delayed opening, interruption, or cancellation of school, you will be notified via our Blackboard Connect telephone system. Please be sure to update your contact information should any changes occur throughout the school year. Additionally, school closing information can be found at the following locations:

• Eastampton Community School website – www.etsdnj.us – and our Facebook page
• RV-TV Channel 19

School closings on KYW-TV3, WCAU-TV NBC 10 and WPVI-TV 6 will be listed by school

district name – Eastampton Township School District.

Early Dismissal – Emergency Closing During School Hours:

If an emergency develops during school hours causing an early dismissal, the District will

initiate the Blackboard Connect telephone system to notify parents/guardians. All after school

activities will be canceled for the day.

Delayed Openings:

In the event that a two-hour delayed opening occurs, your child’s bus pick up time will be

delayed by two hours (e.g., pick up time of 8:04 am would now be at 10:04 am). Walking

students should report to school two hours later than usual. Lunches will be served, although

lunch periods and menus may be adjusted. School will be dismissed at the usual time.

Depending on weather conditions, after-school activities (athletics, clubs, and meetings) may be

canceled and the school building closed for the day. Please check the website for the status of

after-school activities.

Should you have any questions pertaining to emergency closings, delayed openings, or early

dismissals, please contact the main office at 609-267-9172.