Elms Principal Message Autumn 2022

Dear Elms Families,

Autumn has been an exciting time at Elms Elementary with many fun-filled activities and learning opportunities.

During the month of October, students and staff celebrated a Week of Respect and Safe Schools Week. In conjunction with Safe Schools Week, the Jackson Police presented important safety tips through our school-wide D.A.R.E. program. Additionally, the Jackson Fire Department came to visit facilitating fire safety presentations for our Pre-K through grade 5 population. Thank you to our students, staff and community for keeping our school safe and secure. Special thanks to the Jackson Police and Fire Department for being so involved with our students. We are fortunate to live in such a caring community!

Thank you to all the families who joined us for our annual Trunk or Treat event! It continues to grow every year and is always a great event for the whole community. The PTN Trunk or Treat Committee is simply amazing!

Last month we also facilitated our annual pumpkin decorating contest. Thank you to all of our inventive students who submitted a pumpkin creation. The pumpkins were so creative, original and amazing! The pumpkins surely decorated the hallways for the season.

Elms is a Community of Readers

This month Elms facilitated a very successful book fair. Thank you to the PTN volunteers for your hard work and all of our families for visiting the book fair in support of reading and literacy. As a school community, we pride ourselves on being a community of readers. One of the most profound ways a parent can help their child be successful in school is to protect 20 minutes of reading time at home daily. Reading daily is foundational to students' reading achievement and overall success in school. Please continue to support our school wide reading goals by reading with your child every day!

Suggested Reading Routines from Ms. Villecco, Reading Specialist: As we transition to the more regimented days of school, I'd like to remind the Elms community of the importance to make reading at home a priority. This reading may look different in every home or from day to day; reading to your child(ren), reading with your child(ren), or listening to your child(ren) read.

No matter what your "reading" looks like, reading and talking about books with your child(ren) will provide numerous benefits; including but not limited to academic success, increased concentration, and improved imagination. If you're in need of some suggestions to implement or spruce up your reading routine at home, check out this article on simple ways to build a reading routine.

Homeroom Competitions: This week we also completed our 1st ever Homeroom Competitions! For our first competition, 4th and 5th grade classes showed their corn hole talent during classroom playoffs. Congratulations to Ms. Tice’s class for their big win, and great job to all the participating students for their outstanding sportsmanship.

Elms Green Initiative: The trout have arrived! This week, Elms School's fifth graders received trout eggs and will be raising them through the year as part of our Media/Aquaponics program. As participants in the “Trout In the Classroom'' program, our eldest students will diligently feed and nurture these tiny fish each day. The trout eggs were harvested at the Peaquest Trout Hatchery, delivered to our school by NJ Trout Unlimited volunteers, and maintained in the IMC by Mrs. Konopack. Students will learn to create and sustain a healthy, cold, freshwater environment for the rainbow trout. They will take turns counting the fish, measuring their growth, changing the tank water, monitoring the pH levels, and even scooping out dead fish! In the spring, fifth graders and their families will be invited to the Forest Research Education Center, right here in Jackson to participate in a trout release into the Toms River!

Parent Conferences: As the parent-teacher conference days approach, we hope that you will have the opportunity to meet with your child’s teacher regarding their academic progress. Although there are no other official conference days during the school year, we encourage you to stay in close communication with your child’s teacher and to stay involved in their education. Whether through a phone call, an email, or a note in the planner, the Elms staff is ready to help.

Report Cards

As the 1st marking period nears an end on December 8th, please make sure you are ready to access your child’s report card on the district portal website. If you haven't done so already, be sure to log into your Parent Portal account. Report cards will be released to the Portal on Wednesday, December 22nd.

American Education Parent Experience

As we continue to build the important connection between home and school, Elms is excited to welcome parents to join us for a classroom learning experience. Please review the schedule below so you can “save the date”. More details will be provided by the classroom teachers. We look forward to you joining us for these fun, educational event.

Grade	Teacher	Event	Date
PreK	ALL	Guest Readers	Ongoing
K	ALL	We Read Together WKSP	Jan 11-12
1	ALL	We Read Together WKSP	Dec 14-15
2	ALL	Read Aloud & Craft	Nov 22
3	Lokerson, Paquette	STEM Challenge	Dec 1
3	Hussa, Paradise	STEM Challenge	Nov 22
4	ALL	STEM Challenge	Nov 29
5	Frenville	Holiday Trash-ketball Tourney	Dec 16
5	Avila, Sulia, Rutyna	Holiday Craft	Dec 16

Free and Reduced Lunch Application

You may apply for free/reduced price lunch benefits. Applications are sent home with students in September, and are always available on our website or at your child’s school. Only one application is required per household, but must be completed annually. If a new application for prior recipients is not received, the full price for lunch will be charged. Applications may be found on the Food Services website.

Looking and Planning Ahead:

Conference Schedule Dates - Please note that these are shortened days for ALL students (8:55AM - 1:35PM)

Please schedule your conference(s) through the Parent Portal from October 28 through November 6 (more information will be forthcoming from the district regarding sign up).

Tuesday, November 15th - Afternoon conferences
Wednesday, November 16th - Afternoon conferences
Thursday, November 17th - Afternoon and Evening conferences

How To Schedule Your Parent -Teacher Conference In The Parent Portal (click here)

Picture Retakes will be held on Monday, December 5th for anyone that needs to have their picture taken due to being absent or needing a re-take.
Elms Elementary School will be CLOSED on Thursday, November 10th, 2022 and Friday, November 11th, 2022 for the New Jersey Teachers Convention.
On Wednesday, November 16th, the Board of Education Meeting will be held at 6:30 pm in the Fine Arts Building at JMHS.
Elms Elementary School will have an early dismissal on Wednesday, November 23, 2022. ALL students will be dismissed at 1:35PM on that day. Elms Elementary School will be closed on Thursday, November 24, 2022 and Friday, November 25, 2022.

November is a time intended for giving thanks. We are very fortunate to have a school community with a nurturing staff, happy students, and caring parents. Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy your Thanksgiving Recess with friends and family!

On behalf of the entire Elms Staff, we look forward to working together to help your child achieve their hopes and dreams. Please contact the school directly if you have any questions. We will be glad to help you.

Sincerely,

Michael Burgos Shawn Levinson

Principal Assistant Principal