The year has come to an end...

Please take a moment to revisit our end of the year events in this newsletter. We are sad to see our fifth graders move on to middle school and look forward to the day when they return as seniors for the EHS clap out as we experienced this week.

We also will have some staffing changes for the coming year. Good-byes can be difficult, but we wish staff the best of luck along their career paths and next steps. They have been an important part of our team!

Mrs. Rochelle Schwarz, 5th grade teacher

Mr. Tom Giddes, paraprofessional

Ms. Kathleen Sclafani, nurse

Mrs. Laura Stanko, speech

Mr. Joshua Weiss, social worker

Mrs. Maggie Callahan, assistant principal

We hope your summer months are enjoyable and full of happy days. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us if you need anything. It is best to contact us by email during the summer months. An informative "Welcome Back Letter" will be sent home at the end of August.

Thank you for your help, support and trust this school year!

Warmly,

Mrs. Cyndi Tufaro

principal

cyndi.tufaro@edison.k12.nj.us

To the James Monroe Families,

As some of you may already know, I will be transferring to James Madison Primary school for the 24-25 school year. My ending here at James Monroe is bittersweet. I have enjoyed getting to know each one of your children; and learning alongside them has been the best part of my job. Each morning greeting students at the door and seeing their smiling faces, or when they visited the office to share something they wrote and the moments I had watching them in their classrooms have been the highlights of my days here. Thank you for trusting me with your children and I wish you all a wonderful summer and great school year!

Warmly,

Mrs. Callahan

Please mark your calendar! School starts September 5th at 8:55 am.

We urge you to apply for before or after care immediately as the locations fill up quick! Last year, there was a waitlist for the Edison ABC program which is housed at James Monroe. This year, we are excited to also partner with the Metuchen YMCA for childcare, however we will need enough students to enroll to maintain this facility as an option.

Dear Edison Township Public School Parents,

As this academic year comes to a close, we seek your feedback on your child(ren)'s experiences during the 2023-2024 school year.

We invite you to share your insights by completing 8 multiple choice questions and one general feedback question. All questions are optional. You can skip any question by leaving it blank and clicking the NEXT button.
Click here to access the survey . The survey will remain open until June 30, 2024.

our input is valued and appreciated.

Thank you,

Edison School District Communications/Community Relations Committee
Biral Patel - President and Committee Chair
Dr. Edward Aldarelli - Superintendent of Schools
Heather Daniel - Director of Communications and Policy
Virginia White
Christopher Lugo
Anjana Patel

You can find the application for bussing on your Parent Portal under Forms. It is also available on the district website at www.edison.k12.nj.us under Quicklinks.

We know many of you like to get a headstart on Back to School shopping while others do not even want to hear the words. Here are the grade level supply lists for the 24-25 school year! Please let us know if you need any assistance and we can offer support.

Congratulations to our 5th graders as they prepare to move on to middle school. A ceremony was held which included a slideshow highlighting each student, a song with lyrics written and performed by students in each class, a dance performance and the delivery of certificates. James Monroe and the outstanding 5th grade teachers have provided these students with the foundation for the rest of their lives and we are proud to be a part of their story. Each student received a special handcrafted owl pin provided by the PTO to wear for their future graduation ceremonies as a reminder that their educational journey started here.

Finding Nemo, Jr. swam onto stage this past month at James Monroe School with fin-tastic performances on May 22nd and 23rd. The cast and crew put in many hours practicing songs, dances and scenes to make this magical production come to life under the direction of Mrs. Meagan Sanchez and Mrs. Lisa Romeo. A backstage crew and set designers composed of students created the scenery and props which made the ocean emerge on the James Monroe stage thanks to the production club led by Ms. Maureen Speckin and Ms. Danielle Buzy. It certainly takes a village to create this splashy show with over 300 Kindergarten through fifth grade students involved in some way. Our production couldn't have happened without the entire James Monroe staff who embrace a creative environment for our students to gain valuable lessons from their theatrical experiences. Congratulation to the cast and crew of Finding Nemo, Jr.!

Our James Monroe PTO Executive Board had a phenomenal year providing access for all of our classes to attend field trips, covered expenses for children such as playground equipment and books, paid for special events for our 5th graders such as yearbooks and end of the year Fun Day and offered multiple free events for families throughout the year including Ice Cream Social, Winter Stroll and Movie Night. Every child in the school received a free James Monroe field day t-shirt! Thank you to all the James Monroe families who raised money by attending Dine Out Nights, joined us at events, purchased books at the Book Fairs or participated in fundraising.

Thank you to Shefali Patel who will now be joining the middle school PTO, for her guidance on the executive board as PTO President. Her leadership and involvement has been invaluable.

We look forward to working with some familiar faces in the PTO leadership roles next year including Nicole Stewart, Eunice Ortiz, Kara Felcetto and Doug Peters. However, we still need assistance with this collaborative effort and seek new ideas and contributions in whatever ways you can support. Please email Mrs. Tufaro and the Monroeowlspto@gmail.com if you are interested in helping.

Attached please find the Middle School Summer Literacy Challenge 2024 for all students entering Grades 6-8 (2023-24 school year).

All students are expected to read at least two books of their choice. There will be NO assignment or assessment (*). Upon their return to school, students will share and recommend the books they loved with peers. Should students want additional challenges over the summer AND an opportunity to possibly win prizes, they should review the other literacy options, which include podcasts, nonfiction articles, TEDTalks, and virtual field trips. As well, they should complete the forms after each challenge. (The form is embedded on the slides.)

(*) Grade 8 Accelerated students have a separate assignment as noted on the slideshow.

Graduates returned to celebrate their accomplishments and visit their former elementary school. This inspirational visit helps our younger students aspire to future goals and see themselves as graduates. Our staff agrees that this is one of their favorite days of the year. This year's class of 2024 were the first 5th grade class to graduate from the new building in 2017. They were joined by their principal, Mrs. Lynda Zapoticzny. Congratulations to the class of 2024!

The district is excited to announce that full day Kindergarten will be offered for the 2024-2025 school year. It is recommended that you enroll your child as soon as possible to ensure that they're ready to start for September!

Please click here for the enrollment requirements. It is recommended that enrollment be completed online using the Registration Gateway.

If you have a child who is eligible to begin Kindergarten, they must turn 5 years of age by October 1st, 2024 and be full time resident of Edison.

• Please remember to pick up all student medications from the nurse’s office by the last day of school. They will be discarded if left behind. **ESY students - medications will remain until the program ends.

• Medications and treatment plans need to be obtained at the beginning of each school year. Visit the health office web page for forms: https://mon.edison.k12.nj.us/staff/health-office

• If your child needs medication next year, please bring the completed and signed paperwork to school 9/6/2024. Remember to sign the parent permission form, obtain a doctor’s signature for all prescription and non-prescription medications, and assure the doctor has filled in the dosage, frequency, and symptoms for administration.

All medication must be brought to school in the original container by a parent or guardian.

(Children are not permitted to transport medications).

School Nurses are not permitted to accept medications without an order form.

Students going into Sixth Grade

1. Letters went out to all 5th Graders regarding the 6th Grade Immunization requirements for entry into Middle Schools. Please be sure to make your doctor appointments to have your student/s receive these to begin 6th grade.

2. Sports Physicals are required for all Sports in Middle School. Students interested in joining a Fall Sport team or intramural, must obtain a sports physical from their physician. The deadline has passed for those who wish to submit their sports physical for the fall. Any questions should be directed to your new middle school health office nurse.

• Visit the health office web page for forms: https://mon.edison.k12.nj.us/staff/health-office

June - Health News

JUNE IS NATIONAL SAFETY MONTH

· Injuries are the leading cause of death for Americans ages 1 to 40. The good news? Everyone can get involved to help prevent injuries.

During National Safety Month, James Monroe Elementary School encourages you and your family members to educate yourselves and work together to help reduce the risk of injuries. This June, we encourage you to learn more about important safety issues like preventing poisonings, transportation safety, and sun safety to protect from the sun’s harmful rays.

For more information on summer safety tips for parents/families, visit

http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/center/summer-center.html

Farewell

Tomorrow will be my last day as the school nurse of James Monroe Elementary School. I am grateful for the opportunities and relationships developed during these 8 years and wish all students, families and staff much health, happiness and success. As I am moving on to an exciting opportunity within the Edison school district, my email will remain the same. However you are requested to direct all matters for the 2024-2025 school year to your new school nurse brooke.stevens@edison.k12.nj.us. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the students, staff and families of James Monroe Elementary School.

Have a wonderful summer!

Nurse Sclafani

The Monroe Motto

• Be Respectful
• Try Your Best
• Choose Kindness

Email: cynthia.tufaro@edison.k12.nj.us
Website: https://mon.edison.k12.nj.us/
Location: 7 Sharp Road, Edison, NJ, USA
Phone: (732) 452-2970
Facebook: facebook.com/PTOatJamesMonroe:

X: @monroeowls

Instagram: @monroeowls