Dear Desmares Families,
We hope the start of 2025 is a healthy one for you and your family! It was an exciting week prior to the end of the 2024 year, with many fun classroom celebrations, and our Sing-a-Long All School Meeting hosted by Mrs. Thompson’s class and Mrs. Kiesling. We thank all of you for volunteering and visiting the classrooms to be with our students.
We are so fortunate to have such compassionate and caring families (and former Dolphins). During the month of December, we were approached by a former Desmares student who was also the recipient of the Stephen Masczcak Scholarship when she was a senior at Hunterdon Central. She called to ask how she can give back to our school community by donating to the Overdue Lunch Balances. Fully understanding that every household goes through tough economic times, she wanted to make sure we shared the wealth of her donation to assist as many families as possible with her generous donation. In addition to this kind gesture, another family donated toward what we are calling the “Snack Fund”, which will allow students who would not normally be able to afford a snack, the ability to get one, specifically ice cream, with their friends on days when ice cream is being served. We feel so very fortunate to have such kind and caring people surrounding our students and families. Thank you for these random acts of kindness.
Academically speaking, the first few months of the year are a time when we see consistency in our school calendar with full days of school and relatively few days off from school. Let’s hope the weather continues to cooperate! Our teachers are preparing their schedules to conduct benchmark assessments using the Fountas and Pinnell assessments and the NWEA MAP Winter Benchmark assessments, which will take place from Monday, January 6th - Tuesday, January 14th. All students will be participating in these assessments. The results will be compared to the Fall assessment data to determine student growth and areas of instructional focus that teachers can adjust to meet the needs of students to help them achieve state standards. Please remind your child to take their time with the assessments and do their best. Attendance and consistency with arriving at school on-time is always a key factor to student success in the classroom and on standardized testing. Thanks in advance for your support!
We will host our second Title I Needs Assessment Committee Meeting on Thursday, January 30 at 5:30 pm in the Desmares Library. During this meeting we will highlight our Winter assessment data and continue our conversation regarding Title I Schoolwide Designation. Any interested parents are welcome to attend. Please reach out if you would like any additional information.
We have been learning more about AI and exploring its role in education. One tool we have been working with is NotebookLM, which creates a podcast from documents, notes, or presentation slides. We created a podcast of the school highlights that we shared with Dr. McGann in December. The podcast is about ten minutes long and it spotlights and celebrates some of the work we have been doing at Desmares. Happy listening!
Desmares Highlights Podcast - English
Desmares Highlights Podcast - Spanish
All the best for the start of a healthy and prosperous 2025!
Sincerely,
~ Mr. Masessa and Mrs. Custy
Francis A. Desmares School is proud to announce that Mrs. Viviana Moncada, our Bilingual School Counselor, has been selected as the 2025 New Jersey School Counselor of the Year. Last year, Mrs. Moncada was recognized as the Hunterdon County Counselor of the Year. As a result of this state level recognition, Mrs. Moncada will now be considered for the American School Counselor Association's National School Counselor of the Year award.
We are so proud of Mrs. Moncada and deeply grateful for all she does to serve the students and families at Desmares School and across all of the Flemington-Raritan Schools. Please join us in congratulating Mrs. Moncada.
Storytelling and Snowy Days
While third graders are immersing themselves into new reading and writing units that focus on storytelling with folktales, fables, fairy tales, and more from many countries and cultures, and as the days get colder and snowier, we encourage students of all grade levels and their families to share stories that are important to their cultures. A snow day or ANY cold day is a great time for students to spend some time together to tell stories, read stories, and write stories. If your student would like to share a story that is representative of your culture, please encourage them to grab a writing paper on our school writing bulletin board so they can write about it and share their story with our school community!
Hello Dolphins! We hope you had a wonderful winter break and took the time to rest, relax, and enjoy special time with friends and family. We are happy to see you back!
The character traits we will focus on this month are self-control and taking responsibility. Although many people believe in “a new year, new me," we believe that it is important to build on the person you are. Take a moment this month to think about how you want to grow as a person or set new goals for yourself.
Also, January 1st is Global Family Day. It is a time to spread peace and unity across the world. We want to recognize the importance of looking at and treating all others with respect and kindness to make our world a safe, happy place to live.
January is very special because it is National Thank You Month. Take a moment this month to thank a parent, teacher, friend, or even a stranger for something you appreciated they did for you. A few ways you can express your gratitude are:
● Write a thank you note
● Tell someone you're thankful
● Do something nice for someone else
● You can share who or what you're thankful for at the dinner table.
Finally, in the last week of January, we will celebrate The Great Kindness Challenge. Mrs. Moncada and Mrs. Powers have planned an activity where every dolphin will have the chance to demonstrate kindness by supporting others and encouraging them with positive messages. More details on this exciting activity to come!
Hi Families!
As winter travel and sleepover season approaches please remember to check your child's head regularly for lice.
The first sign of lice is an itchy head which can be confused with dry scalp. You may not see the actual bugs when you check a child's head, but you may see nits. Nits, or lice eggs will NOT move if brushed away like dandruff flakes would, but rather stick to the stands of the hair. They are usually found around the ears or the back of the hairline.
Treatment kits for lice can be purchased at any pharmacy. Click here to read more about lice, prevention, and treatment. Feel free to call my office with any questions! Have a wonderful weekend and upcoming holiday!
To speak with Mrs. Sellers about your child's health, please call 908-284-7545 or email alexis.sellers@frsd.us.
Francis A. Desmares Elementary School
Nurse's Office: Mrs. Sellers: 908-284-7545
School Counselor: Mrs. Powers (leave replacement for Mrs. Monks): 908-284-7542
Bilingual School Counselor: Mrs. Moncada: 908-284-7553
Email: firstname.lastname@frsd.us
Website: https://www.frsd.k12.nj.us/Domain/284
Location: 16 Old Clinton Road, Flemington, NJ, USA
Phone: 908-284-7540
Twitter: @desmaresschool