Dear Desmares Families,
We hope you are enjoying the start of the school year and the beginning of the Fall season. Adjusting to a new schedule, grade level, teacher, and learning expectations, in addition to extracurricular activity schedules, is a lot to get used to. We remember all too well the days of juggling our work, the children’s homework, football, and cheerleading with our children, so we respect what you are going through now. The responsibility and commitment you are instilling in your children will pay dividends in the future!
Back to School Night was a great time to learn more about what is expected in the classroom. We want to emphasize the importance of communicating with your child’s teacher regarding any challenges your child may be experiencing. We strongly recommend that you first begin with notifying the teacher in the event your child comes home concerned about something that may have happened during the school day. While email is the preferred way to communicate with our teachers, they may not be able to check email until the end of that day, so if you have an emergency and need help right away, please call the main office.
This year, during Back to School Night, we hosted our Title I Parent Session, sharing information about what it means to be a Title I school. If you were not able to attend, but would like to know more, you can view the presentation here. If you are interested in serving on our Title I Needs Assessment Committee, please fill out this brief survey. We value parent input and would love to have representation from all grades.
Throughout the start of the school year, your child will be forming relationships with classmates and getting to know a new teacher. It takes time to reacclimate to school. Our teachers take a lot of time walking students through academic expectations, developing classroom rules, and sharing valuable insight on resolving conflict. Our school counselors visit classrooms and will soon be teaching lessons using our Second Step Program to foster conversations about forming relationships with classmates, making friends, and resolving issues they may encounter. Please know that we take bullying seriously and when parents use this word, it is a very serious matter. However, we have discovered that oftentimes, parents use the word bullying to describe all forms of conflict and mean behavior. That said, if your child is experiencing a problem with another student or an adult, please notify the classroom teacher and an administrator by providing them with the facts or details of what happened. Please remember to describe the situation your child experienced. Ask your child to tell you the full story surrounding the situation including what led up to the problem so you have a more clear picture to provide the school.
Our Fourth Grade teachers are now using the new Bridges in Mathematics program. We are very excited about the implementation of this program in grades K-4, and hope you are able to participate in making the implementation more successful by following along and using these three links to Parent Resources.
We are thankful for the support of our Desmares PTO, and want to highlight a few key events coming up this month:
PICTURE DAY is October 17th!
FALL BOOK FAIR begins October 7th. The Family Night is Wednesday, October 9th from 5:00 - 7:30.
The Walkathon on October 18th is one of our biggest fundraisers. Your support is greatly appreciated! Please see our PTO Membership Toolkit link or website for donation information.
Fall Fest is Friday, October 25th from 5-8:00. This is a fun evening when parents and students can Trunk-or-Treat on our blacktop and students can visit the Haunted Gym.
Halloween is Thursday, October 31st. Our parade is from 9:30 - 10:00 on the blacktop.
Standardized testing information was recently shared through our curriculum office. Here is the link with this information for your review: Parent Notification of Standardized Testing
Free and Reduced Lunch information: if you have not returned the Free/Reduced Lunch Form for our business office, the deadline to avoid payment for new balances this year is to send the form in by October 11th. One very important reminder is for all families who have previously qualified for the Free/Reduced Lunch Program, to please make sure you complete the forms EVERY SCHOOL YEAR, as they do not carry over from year to year. If families qualify, the business office can credit any balances due. You can access the application by clicking here for English and here for Spanish.
We welcome your feedback and insights for communication and information sharing. Please let us know your thoughts by emailing Mr. Masessa at mark.masessa@frsd.us or Mrs. Custy at maryjane.custy@frsd.us. We look forward to seeing many of you at our annual Halloween Parade at 9:30 on October 31st.
Sincerely,
~ Mr. Masessa and Mrs. Custy
Last month, we were happy to welcome all our dolphins to a new School year! Sometimes, a new year brings different feelings to the students. They can feel nervous and anxious to go to a new class and have a new teacher and new friends. If the students come to school, it’s easier for us, as
School Counselors, to support and assist them in adapting to a new school year.
These are some ideas of how to avoid school refusal and support your children if they don’t want to come to school.
- Allow your children to have enough hours of sleep. This way, they don’t feel tired and have difficulties waking up in the morning.
- Validate your child’s feelings. Stay calm and keep communication open. It helps children know they are seen and heard.
- Establish and follow routines, especially in the morning.
- Practice separation for smaller periods and in contexts other than schools.
- Make Good byes quick. You can trust us. We’ll take care of your child!
Suggested book: The Pigeon Has To Go To School
We’ll also celebrate the Week of Respect between October 7-11. Respect is treating others with kindness, celebrating differences, and feeling excited about the opportunity to hear another person’s point of view. Our theme this year is Choose Respect! During these days, we planned a Spirit Week. You’ll receive more information about this in the next few weeks. Encourage your child to participate by following the daily themes.
Calling All Desmares Writers!
This year, I want to showcase all of the amazing writing that is happening in our classrooms at Desmares! Outside my office, students will find a bulletin board that features folders with several different paper choices.
Writers are encouraged to stop by, select a paper type, write, write, write, and then return their writing to the folder on my door so that their writing can be shared with our school. Students are invited to try out any genre or genres of their choice! Students can take as many writing booklets as they would like and can continue to participate throughout the school year. I look forward to sharing the work of our writers with the Desmares school community!
To speak with Mrs. Sellers about your child's health, please call 908-284-7545.
This year, Parent and Teacher Conferences will be held on November 21, 22, 25, and 26. Keep an eye out for an email from FAD in late-October to schedule your conference using Pick-a-Time.
November 21 - Evening Conferences
November 22 - Afternoon Conferences
November 25 - Evening Conferences
November 26 - Afternoon Conferences
Becoming a part of the FAD PTO is a great way to get involved in our school community. Registering is free and easy through our Membership Toolkit platform. When you sign up, you’ll stay informed about important school updates, events, and opportunities to engage with your child’s education.
For even more benefits, consider upgrading to a paid membership! Paid members enjoy exclusive perks, including access to the school directory, signups, and more! Your support helps fund essential programs and initiatives that directly benefit our students.
Come to the next PTO meeting - Tuesday, October 22 at 7:00 pm in the FAD Stem Lab!
Francis A. Desmares Elementary School
Nurse's Office - Mrs. Sellers: 908-284-7545
School Counselor - 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