Falcon Flyer

Meet Mrs. Jessica Brennan! Jessica has been a teacher in Jefferson for the last eight years; seven of those years were spent teaching first grade at Briggs and this past year she taught third grade at Stanlick. Jessica and her family live and breathe anything education, sports, or the arts! Her husband, Brian, is a history teacher and head coach of boys basketball for the last 20 years. They are the proud parents of two girls; Cailin is a sophomore and Avery is a seventh grader. When Jessica is not at school or at a school event, you can find her on a pool deck at a swim competition, in an audience watching her girls perform, or enjoying time with friends and family at her lake. She’s very excited and honored to take on this new role in our district and looks forward to continuing to work alongside our outstanding Falcon administration, students, and staff! Mrs. Brennan assumes her new responsibilities on July 1st.

Congratulations to Gifted and Talented Teacher, Mrs. Barbara Platz, on being selected for the Confratute 2eASD Grant Scholarship. This upcoming, transformative opportunity will continue to increase her knowledge and skills to engage and challenge her students.

In partnership with the Mental Health Association, Briggs students were treated to an assembly called Gizmo’s Pawesome Guide to Mental Health. Children were introduced to mental health concepts and how to care for their feelings, thoughts, and actions. In addition, that evening, parents were invited to attend a program that shared the same information and gave them strategies and techniques to promote their child’s mental health as well as their own.

For the preschool unit on Trees, retired Briggs Teacher, Mrs. Linda Pierson came to talk to the students about being an arborist. She brought tools, tree samples, and many other items to teach children about trees and how an arborist takes care of them.

Briggs School had the pleasure of having author Michael Sampson come and speak with the students and share his new book, Puppy Dog, Puppy Dog, Do You Want to Play?, along with many of his other famous books, including Chicka Chicka 1, 2, 3. Students were able to ask him questions about his work and the writing process. Families who pre-purchased the books had them personalized and autographed as well.

In their study of the Building Unit, Mrs. LaPaz’s preschool class went on a walk around Briggs School, talking about the features of the school building. They counted the windows and doors and noted the different types of windows. When they went back to their classroom, students drew pictures of their school and communicated their findings.

Kindergarten students recently spent the whole week being zoologists and studying animals that they thought they would see at the zoo. They learned about the needs of animals, their habitats, and what they eat. Students took a field trip to Turtle Back Zoo, where they had a wonderful time walking through the entire zoo and seeing all of the animals.

Mrs. Herman's class celebrated "May the 4th Be with You" by making their own ice cream! The class measured out the ingredients then shook the ingredients in a plastic bag and created ice cream. The students are enjoying the Building Unit of study. They have discovered new ways to build with blocks, using magnetic blocks the class was able to build on metal doors. They also used wood blocks to make a city.

The Kindergarten Move-Up Day and tour of White Rock School was a great experience. The White Rock second graders put on a great talent show and the children toured their new building and met the teachers.

Kindergarten has been busy planting and learning about how plants grow. They are kicking off the backward countdown from Z to A, starting with a letter fashion show. Each child designed and created a vest to wear. They are filling their last days of kindergarten with fun and learning!

The first-grade teachers created an authentic learning experience for their students as they witnessed chicks hatching in an incubator, which had been cared for, for over two weeks. The students shared their excitement with their families on Chick Day.

Ximena Florez Bocangel, Kylie Alonso, Anna Benfante, and Jason Castle participated in the Elementary Honors Band Festival - Approximately 95 fifth-grade musicians from all over Northern New Jersey performed including our four Stanlick participants.

Congratulations to Mrs. Uvino's class for raising 8,532 pennies ($85.32) for the recent Middle School fundraiser, which was the most of any homeroom in the district.

The first-graders performed a wonderful concert for their parents and the rest of the White Rock community. Music teacher Mr. Tiedemann worked very hard with his students to prepare them for this special spring performance.

There were over 50 creative fifth-graders participating in TREP$. The young entrepreneurs showed the world a great deal of passion, determination, and hard work by launching their businesses in a flea-market-style event open to the public. Special thanks to Mrs. Platz for making this amazing program possible.

The third-grade Drama Club has been meeting during recess once a week, allowing the children to enhance their reading fluency, public speaking, and social skills. Mrs. Kirschner, Mrs. Tamayne-Hettema, Mr. Tiedemann, and the students put forth tremendous effort in producing a play. Congratulations to all for a job well done!

Congratulations to the April Students of the Month on being recognized for their trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship.

• 6th Grade: Jesse Mutia & Cheyenne Pinand
• 7th Grade: Cate Jacob & Lily Millikin
• 8th Grade: Alina Greiner & Dilan Quiros Gonzalez

Bring Your Child to Work Day - Middle School Community Welcomes Staff's Children

JTMS faculty squeaked out a win, 81-75 against a remarkably talented group of 8th grade athletes. Fun had by all!

The eighth-grade GATEways' students are working on their Legacy Projects. Their projects celebrate the culmination of their journey through Middle School, honoring the impact they have made and the legacy they are leaving behind. Through various presentations, performances, and reflections, this project showcases their growth, achievements, and contributions to the JTMS community over the years. It is a reminder of the mark they will leave and the foundation they have built for future students to build upon. A Legacy Night will be held in June where students will present their projects to their families, administration, and staff members.

Nominated by Mrs. Montgomery, Matthew has grown to become a student leader and athlete within the school. According to Mrs. Montgomery, "I am nominating Matt for many reasons. Specifically, the character that he showed during the multiple FBI outreaches. Matt was engaged and asked many amazing questions through the 3 days. He was unbelievably respectful of all the members of the FBI that came out to Jefferson. At the end of the outreach, he personally went up to every member who was in attendance and thanked them for their time. Mr. Thompson and I were blown away by not only this action but just overall how Matt was during the outreach. He stood out not only to us but also to the members of the FBI."

Nominated by Mrs. Kula, Kevin has quickly grown into a positive role model for his peers, and someone who is also leading by example in the community. According to Mrs. Kula, "Kevin Gallagher has been an invaluable asset to the Student Council, consistently demonstrating exceptional leadership skills and a strong commitment to improving our school environment. Whether organizing school events, leading meetings, or advocating for student concerns through RSVP, Kevin approaches every task with enthusiasm, creativity, and professionalism. His ability to collaborate effectively with peers and advisers alike has resulted in the successful execution of numerous initiatives, enriching the experiences of students throughout our school. In addition to his contributions to the Student Council, Kevin is actively involved in various service projects through the National Honor Society. He consistently volunteers his time and talents to support local charities, participate in community service events, and provide mentorship to his peers. Kevin embodies the values of service and altruism, inspiring others to make a positive difference in the lives of those around them. Furthermore, Kevin maintains an impressive academic record, consistently achieving excellence in his studies while balancing their extracurricular commitments. His dedication to academic achievement serves as a testament to his unwavering work ethic and determination to succeed."

Nominated by Mr. Lopez, Irelyn goes above and beyond as a leader in the classroom and is always seeking to grow as a learner. According to Mr. Lopez, "Irelyn goes above and beyond on her assignments. For instance, two classes ago I was asking a question about social justice during the lesson, and at the end of the lesson she approached me and gave me a long response in Spanish that impressed me with her efforts to excel in the second language."

Matthew, Kevin, and Irelyn will each receive custom t-shirts, certificates, and $10 gift cards courtesy of Ding Dong Dairy in Oak Ridge.

The Art Department was recently awarded 3rd place at the Teen Arts Festival at the County College of Morris. Individual students were recognized for the following awards:

• Joanna Mackey , 1st Place in the Acrylic, R34
• Samantha Cocca, Colored Pencil and Gel Pen, Skittles
• Sara Kisto, 2nd Place, Mixed Media, Exhibit 1
• Zack Jackson, Honorable Mention, Clay and Acrylic Paint, The Frozen Man

Our first and second place winners have advanced to a statewide competition.

Joanna Mackey

Mr. DeVries was nominated due to his unrelenting support, dedication, and passion for our students and art education. His contributions to our students and our school community are numerous and usually beyond the bells of the normal school day schedule. Mr. DeVries was honored at WDHA's banquet on May 8th at Casa Bianca in Oak Ridge.

The JTHS softball program hosted its 7th annual Lace-Up for Pediatric Cancer Softball Tournament. Six schools participated and all of the proceeds were donated directly to the Go 4 the Goal Foundation. The first pitch was thrown by a former Jefferson softball player who sadly lost her sister to cancer.

The top 20 graduates of the Class of 2024 were recognized for their achievements during the longstanding tradition of the Top 20 Dinner.

Members of Mr. Smith's Academy World History Honors class displayed their recently assembled tumbling composter. The composter, additional garden beds, and soil were a result of Mr. Smith receiving a grant from the Education Foundation. This grant will help support student projects across three grade levels and include students researching and growing flax as a response to Fast Fashion/Globalization (World History), Three Sisters Gardening Techniques (US History I), and Climate Victory Gardens (US History II), as well as addressing the latest Climate Change Education standards.

The Science National Honor Society hosted an Eclipse Viewing Party. About 20 students, along with Mr. Guziewicz, Ms. Kirshenbaum, and Mr. Hiben witnessed the astronomical event. All were provided with appropriate, certified eye protection for direct viewing of the eclipse. Other indirect methods of viewing the eclipse were also demonstrated by Mr. Guziewicz and Ms. Kirshenbaum. Although clouds came just as the eclipse reached its maximum, all were amazed at the spectacle. Special thanks to Science National Honor Society members Nicole Ciampa and Maggie Gesek for helping plan and publicize the event.

The Academy for Environmental Science hosted their annual EcoFest where students in the Academy created eco-friendly products to sell and provided outreach opportunities on a variety of topics. Students worked together to create this fair, complete with a variety of different vendors including the Lake Hopatcong Foundation, the New Jersey School of Conservation, Simple Bare Necessities, and the Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority. The Academy is a satellite academy through Morris County Vocational School District composed of students from across Morris County.

Supervisor Mr. Devine arranged with The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History to display seven free-standing posters on the history of voting rights. The display outside of the auditorium will remain until the end of the school year.

JTHS welcomed some of their staffs' children on Take Your Child to Work Day. Hopefully, we have inspired many future educators!

Are you looking for a part-time job with hours to fit perfectly with your child's school schedule?

Jefferson Township Public Schools is now hiring dedicated individuals like you to join our team.

• Substitute School Nurse INCREASED RATE! $250/day!
• Special Education Aide INCREASED RATE! $21/hour!
• School Bus Aide
• School Bus Driver