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Principal Message-Autumn 2024

Dear Elms Families,

Autumn has been an exciting time at Elms Elementary with many fun-filled activities and learning opportunities.  Thank you to all our parents and guardians who attended our Back to School Nights and the PTN welcome breakfast. Making connections between home and school is key to a successful educational experience for our children.  

During the month of October, students and staff are celebrating the Week of Respect and Safe Schools Week. In conjunction with Safe Schools Week, the Jackson Police are presenting 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!

5th Annual Pumpkin Decorating Contest 

We would like to invite all students to participate in this year's Pumpkin Decorating Contest! We hope families will enjoy doing this activity together at home, and then bring in their decorated pumpkins to decorate the Elms hallways. Inspiration can be found on Pinterest, Google or other websites. Pumpkins should be small and able to be carried into school by your child. Pumpkins must be real, but please do not carve or cut out any part of them. Please do not use any edible ingredients when decorating your pumpkins.Pumpkins may be brought to Elms beginning October 21st. Have fun decorating!! 

 

Trunk or Treat 

Mark your calendars, our Trunk or Treat event will be held at Elms on Thursday, October 24th! Our Book Fair will also be open during this event for families to shop together. All families decorating a trunk should bring one bag of candy, and we will provide the rest. Families that are attending and trick or treating are asked to bring one bag of candy per student to school. 

To sign up to decorate a trunk or to RSVP to attend the event, please use this link: 

 Google Form to sign up 

To sign up to donate money to buy candy or send in candy:

Cheddar Link

Halloween (Thursday, October 31, 2024)

In keeping with the spirit of fun, children may dress in costumes on Thursday, October 31st, if they wish.  Children who choose to participate should come to school dressed in their costumes and be prepared to remain in their costumes all day.   Please keep in mind that costumes should be comfortable and allow children to move freely and should not depict any sort of violence.  Remember that your child, while in his/her costume, will need to be able to sit, write, walk, and eat lunch and/or snack, as well as do other school-related activities.  If your child chooses to wear a costume, it should lend itself to these activities. 

Of course, safety is the utmost concern.  In order to provide for a safe and fun experience for all, please be sure to adhere to the following precautions:

  • COSTUME MASKS may NOT be worn at any time.

  • Please plan to apply make-up at home.

  • Costumes must be school dress code appropriate.

  • Fake weapon accessories are prohibited. (All costume peripherals should stay at home, please.)
      

PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES

(Parent Portal opens October 15, 2024, and closes October 24, 2024)

Parent-Teacher Conferences Will Be Held Nov. 4,5,6, 2024. You can schedule your conference on the portal beginning Oct. 15 through Oct 24. You will be given the option to schedule a conference IN-PERSON or VIRTUALLY. See our district website announcement for more details and instructions.

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.

CONFERENCIAS DE PADRES Y PROFESORES:

Las conferencias de padres y maestros se llevarán a cabo el 4, 5 y 6 de noviembre de 2024. Puede programar su conferencia en el portal a partir del 15 de octubre hasta el 24 de octubre. Se le dará la opción de programar una conferencia EN PERSONA o VIRTUALMENTE. Consulte el anuncio en el sitio web de nuestro distrito para obtener más detalles e instrucciones.

 

Elms is a Community of Readers 

This month Elms is scheduling our first Book Fair of the year. Thank you to the PTN volunteers for your hard work organizing 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: As we transition to the more regimented days of school, we'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.

Elms Green Initiative: 

The trout are coming! In the days ahead, Ms. Konopack’s 5th grade class will receive trout eggs and will be raising them throughout 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!

Report Cards

As the 1st marking period nears an end on December 13th, 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 Tuesday, December 17th.  

Buddy Classrooms are coming to Elms!!

 

This year Elms will join classes and have some fun building community.  Buddy Classes will be classes on different grade levels that meet at least once a month throughout the year to do various activities such as holiday projects, partner reading, or science experiments. Teachers will work together to decide the level of involvement between the two classes.

The goal of the Buddy Classroom initiative is to create student bonds, foster inclusivity,  and strengthen the sense of school community.  We hope your children enjoy this opportunity.

IXL Monthly Challenge

Elms students are off to a strong start practicing and strengthening their skills through IXL.  This year, as an additional motivator and to celebrate their hard work, students are being challenged each month to focus their efforts on reaching proficiency in as many relevant skills as they can each month.  This can be achieved through in-school and at-home practice in IXL on the skills within students' grade level, teacher-assigned skills, as well as skills on each student’s recommended list.  Individual students, classes, and grade levels will be recognized for their achievement.

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. 

 Food Services

You may apply for free/reduced price lunch benefits. Applications were 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.  Please complete and return the Free and Reduced Lunch forms.  Submitting this form provides opportunities for other reduced or free opportunities for our families.  Please click this link to the Jackson Food Service Department to  complete your Free and Reduced Lunch forms.

PTN Meeting

Please join us for our next PTN meeting on Wednesday, November 13th  at 6:00 pm.

Looking and Planning Ahead: 

  

  • Picture Retakes will be held on Wednesday, December 4th 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 7th, 2024 and Friday, November 8th, 2024 for the New Jersey Teachers Convention. 

  

  • Elms Elementary School will have an early dismissal on Wednesday, November 27, 2024.  All students will be dismissed at 1:40PM on that day.   Elms Elementary School will be closed on Thursday, November 28, 2024, and Friday, November 29, 2024.

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.

 

Michael Burgos                              Renee Pagano-Hein

Principal                                            Assistant Principal