Dear Allenwood Families,

Welcome back to another exciting school year at Allenwood Elementary School! We hope you and your children had a wonderful summer and are ready for an amazing year ahead. We have some exciting updates and reminders to share with you as we kick off the 2024-2025 school year, which begins on Wednesday, September 4, 2024.

Birthday Celebrations Update:

Celebrating a birthday can be one of the best days of the year for a child, and we are committed to making our students feel special on their birthdays. Please note that students are not permitted to bring in food for birthday celebrations.

This year, we are introducing a new way to celebrate student birthdays! Students will still be recognized on their special day with the class singing “Happy Birthday” and receiving a sticker and pencil from the principal. However, instead of individual classroom celebrations, we will hold a special "Birthday BINGO Day" on the last Friday of each month.

On this day, students with birthdays in that month will gather in the cafeteria to play BINGO with me, the principal. This event is a fun way to celebrate all the birthday students together and foster a sense of community. Students with summer birthdays in June, July, and August will join the June BINGO Day. We can’t wait to get started!

Staff Changes:

We are thrilled to announce that Susan Goss will still be at Allenwood Elementary School, but in a different role. Instead of being in the main office, Susan will be joining us as a paraprofessional this year. Additionally, we are in the process of hiring someone who will take over Susan’s previous role. This new staff member will be with us on Mondays, Tuesdays, and every other Wednesday when the hiring process is completed.

Important Forms and Guidelines:

If you have not already completed the Google Bus Form (link below), please do so at your earliest convenience. This form is essential for ensuring smooth transportation arrangements for your children.

For those whose children will be riding the bus, please see the link below to review the expectations of behavior on the bus. We want to ensure a safe and respectful environment for all students and drivers during their commute.

Food:

To maintain a safe and focused learning environment, food will only be permitted during special occasions such as Halloween, Winter Break, and End-of-Year parties. Food for these occasions must be pre-packaged. The ingredients of the pre-packaged food will be reviewed by our school nurse before being served. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation with this procedure.

Join the PTG:

We encourage all families to join our Parent-Teacher Group (PTG). The PTG is a fantastic way to get involved with school events and support our students and teachers. Your participation makes a big difference! Please consider volunteering at one or multiple events throughout the year. The more volunteers we have, the more successful the events will be.

Review the 24-25 Handbook:

Lastly, please take some time to review the updated 24-25 Handbook. This handbook contains important procedures and information that will guide our operations throughout the school year. It is essential reading for all families to stay informed about school procedures and expectations.

We look forward to a fantastic year filled with learning, growth, and memorable moments. Thank you for your continued support and partnership. Here’s to a great start to the school year!

Sincerely,

James Sterenczak
Principal

Dear WTPS Elementary Parents and Guardians,

As we are wrapping up the 2023-2024 school year, our students are looking forward to a well deserved break! Summer is a great time to recharge and reset! While we’re doing that, we want to be mindful of the “Summer Slide.” Summer learning loss is a real thing, but it can be significantly minimized with meaningful and consistent activities to keep those brains sharp.

If you didn’t have a chance to attend last night’s parent presentation, “Let’s Avoid the Summer Slide,” please take a moment to click through the presentation as it contains many links with resources to help your child become a Summer Climber and avoid becoming a Summer Slider! Don’t miss the incentive slide, which explains how to earn raffle tickets to win individual and class rewards!

Although nothing is mandatory, these opportunities provide a chance for our students to engage their brains and minimize summer regression. Parents are encouraged to assist their children when needed.

Have a great summer!

Mrs. Erin Embon

Director of Curriculum PK-5

Welcome Dragons!

Play an instrument!

See flyer for QR codes to register for classes or sign up for rentals.

• WHS: Thursday, September 19th at 7:00 pm

• WIS: Tuesday, September 24th at 7:00 pm

• Allenwood: Wednesday, September 18th at 6:30 pm

• Central: Thursday, September 26th at 6:30 pm

• Old Mill: Thursday, September 12th at 6:30 pm

• West Belmar: Monday, September 16th at 7:00 pm

• Primary: Wednesday, September 25th at 6:00 pm

We will kick off the new year focusing on the mindset, EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE. Join us for our first Mindset Showcase on September 17th during the Board of Education meeting at 7:00 PM at Wall Intermediate School.

Please join us for “THE POWER OF SHOWING UP,” an evening presentation related to school participation and engagement by Integrated Care Concepts!

Also, gain access to support personnel who will assist in the following areas:

• Technology Support Staff- Genesis Parent Portal
• School Counselors & CST members- Social support and HIB prevention
• Nursing Staff- Required health forms and paperwork

Register HERE by Tuesday 9/3/25

Dear Wall Community,

Welcome to the 2024-2025 school year! We’re thrilled to continue our journey with The 7 Mindsets curriculum and are eager to build on the success of our first year. Last year, we saw fantastic engagement through counselor-led classroom lessons, morning announcements, parent newsletters, and staff workshops, all designed to celebrate and reinforce each mindset. To get a comprehensive view of what we achieved, please take a moment to watch the presentation linked HERE and posted on our District website.

This year, we are excited to deepen our commitment with continued instruction and new initiatives. Our plan includes:

• School-wide activities to help students apply positive mindsets.

• “Wellness in the Works” parent newsletters.

• Monthly “Mindset Showcase” at Board of Education meetings to highlight our progress.

• Wellness Webinars for students in grades 3-8, facilitating real-time, grade-level discussions.

• A new 9th-grade transitional curriculum aligned with the mindsets.

• Student leadership opportunities, known as Mindset Mentors.

• Enhanced curricular connections through classroom instruction.

We will kick off the new year focusing on the mindset, EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE. Join us for our first Mindset Showcase on September 17th during the Board of Education meeting at 7:00 PM at Wall Intermediate School.

Additionally, we remind you to join us at our first Family Night on September 5th from 5:30-7:00 PM at West Belmar School. Family Night is an opportunity for parents and children to socialize over dinner, win prizes, and learn about a topic aligned with health and wellness. The topic of September 5th is WE ARE CONNECTED: Parent Partnerships & School Supports. Please use this link HERE to learn more about the evening and reserve your spot at Family Night.

Looking forward to another impactful year together!

Warm regards,

Tiffany A. Steiner
Director of Intervention Programs and Student Wellness

Families must submit a new application every school year.

During the first 30 school days, students with free and reduced-price meal eligibility from the prior school year will be carried over.

Any student who has not filled out an application up the the 30th school day will have their prior year status changed to full pay status until a new application is received.

Parents / guardians are highly encouraged to fill out the applications as soon as possible. Also, it is very important that applications are filled out correctly.

Please note if families receive a direct certification letter in the mail / email, families do not have to fill out a free and reduced application for the school year. If you are unable to print at home, copies are available in your school's main office.

Questions? Please contact Joe Piddington at jpiddington@wallpublicschools.org or 732.556.2602

Thank you Mrs. Cimino and the tireless PTG Board for a year full of enriching and

fun experiences. Please consider being an active member of the Allenwood PTG.