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October Principal Message 2025

Dear Elms Families,

The  school year is off to a great start filled with energy, anticipation, and optimism.   I want to take a moment to thank our entire Elms community for a wonderful first month of school. As we move into October, we have many exciting events and activities planned. Please remember that consistent, daily attendance is essential for your child’s academic success. Attendance truly matters—not only for learning today but for building strong lifelong habits.

Back to School Nights

Thank you to all our parents who attended Back to School Night. The evening events were well attended, and it was so nice to meet so many of our parents at the onset of the school year! Back to School Night offered  parents an opportunity to create that all-important relationship with the classroom teachers, hear about some of our programs, and learn about each grade level’s curriculum and other educational activities.  We are proud of so many things at Elms and with your help, we will continue to build an inclusive, dynamic, and supportive school community.

We encourage you to visit the Elms School Website (https://www.jacksonsd.org/Elms) often for the latest news and information. Whether you are new to Elms Elementary School or a returning family, we encourage you to become an active participant in your child’s education and become familiar with the variety of activities our school offers.

PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES:

Parent-Teacher Conferences Will Be Held Nov. 3-5, 2025. Beginning Oct. 17 through Oct. 26, you can schedule your conference on the parent portal. You will be given the option to schedule a conference IN-PERSON or VIRTUALLY. For help, see our How to Schedule a Conference on the Portal document.

CONFERENCIAS DE PADRES Y MAESTROS:

Las conferencias de padres y maestros se llevarán a cabo del 3 al 5 de noviembre de 2025. Desde el 17 de octubre hasta el 26 de octubre, puede programar su conferencia en el portal para padres. Se le dará la opción de programar una conferencia EN PERSONA o VIRTUALMENTE. Para obtener ayuda, consulte nuestro documento Cómo programar una conferencia en el portal.

NJ4S Compass Parent Session

We are happy to announce that Elms' parents are invited to     participate in a special presentation entitled, Navigating the Digital World, presented by Preferred Behavioral Health Group and NJ4SCompass.

The presentation is scheduled to take place at Switlik Elementary on Wednesday, December 10th, 6:30 - 7:30 PM  in the APR.

The program will cover cybersafety, cyberbullying, and managing your child's digital footprint. The presentation aims to educate participants on online safety, the impacts of cyberbullying, and effective online identity management.   

Please note: this evening is intended for parents only.  

Please RSVP to this event HERE.

We are looking forward to seeing you there.

Pink Day 

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Elms is joining the fight by encouraging students, staff, and families to show their support. We encourage everyone to wear PINK on Tuesday, October 14th, to honor survivors, remember loved ones, and raise awareness for early detection. Together, we can spread hope and strength throughout our school community!  

PTN

The Elms PTN is always looking for parent participation!  We encourage all of our Elms community to join our very active Parent-Teacher Network.  Our collective mission is to enhance and support our children’s educational experience. There are multiple opportunities throughout the year with many jobs of all sizes and shapes that are essential to the success of our school. Parents can help out by volunteering for an event or committee.  If you’re not sure how to become involved, please ask—we’d love to have you!

We’d like to thank the Elms PTN for providing our students with school supplies, including (but not limited to) class shirts, field trips/assemblies, and extracurricular activities.  We are lucky to have such a dedicated PTN organization.

PTN membership dues ($15/family) go to support our many cultural arts programs and assemblies for ALL students in our school.  PTN meetings are held each month and are open to all. Please join us as the home-school partnership is vital to the success of all our learners. We look forward to seeing you at our first meeting.   The first meeting of the year is Wednesday, September 17th @ 9:15 AM in the Elms Cafeteria. Please join us as the home-school partnership is vital to the success of all our learners.

Arrival & Dismissal

The official school day will begin at 8:00 am and dismissal will take place at 2:15 pm. Please read carefully to review the procedures for arrival and dismissal.

Arrival

As in the past, if students are being driven to school, parents/guardians may drop off their children in the car loop at the north end of the building. [Stay to the right.] The loop door will open promptly at 8:00 am and close at 8:10 am.  For the safety of all, we kindly request students and parents remain in their cars until the 8:00 am bell.  Staff members will be available to escort arriving students into the building and to their classroom as needed; no teachers are on duty before 8:00 am.  To support a safe transition, we ask that all students exit their cars on the curbside only. Parents are NOT permitted to enter the building at the loop door.

Dismissal

Please note that the car loop is NOT used for parent pick up/ sign-out in the afternoon.  In the afternoon, parents/guardians will need to park in the parking lot and report to the main entrance to pick up their child[ren].  Early dismissal will conclude at 2:00 p.m.  Any parent who wishes to sign out their child after 2:00 p.m. will wait until dismissal at 2:20.  With the exception of pre-school students, NO CHILD WILL BE DISMISSED BETWEEN 2:00 p.m. and 2:20 p.m.  When granted access to the building, parents will be buzzed into the vestibule and wait until the receptionist facilitates school sign-out procedures. Proper identification is always required and will be requested daily by the receptionist as part of our safety protocols and district policy.  Additionally, we kindly ask that all changes to your child’s regular dismissal routine be communicated to the homeroom teacher and main office as early as possible to ensure a smooth transition.  Thank you in advance for your support and cooperation with our dismissal protocols.

 

Early Dismissal

 If it is necessary to sign your students out prior to regular dismissal, please do so by 2:00 pm to ensure a safe and efficient dismissal for all students.

Please send in a note if early dismissal is needed.  In addition to the note, it is best to call ahead and also let us know that you are coming to the school.

If someone other than a parent/guardian is picking up students, a written note must be submitted with the name of the person picking up the student, or they must be on the EMERGENCY LIST prior to pick-up/dismissal in order to sign the child out with the receptionist. All emergency contacts listed must be 18 or older as per district policy. Proper identification is always necessary.

Students Returning to School After Dismissal or Late Parent Pick-Up

Students returning to school as a result of a parent/guardian not being at the bus stop to receive them, will be placed in childcare at the walk-in rate. The parent will be responsible for picking up their child from childcare.  The same policy will hold true for students that are scheduled for parent pick-up, who are not picked up on time.  Please be aware that childcare hours end at 6:00 p.m.  All rates for childcare can be found on the District website.

Food Services

Information regarding school lunch and food services can be found on the JSD webpage.  Students in Grades K-4 are reminded to bring their student ID cards for lunch/snack purchases.  More information will be in the Student Handbook and on the district and school web page. Please complete and return the Free and Reduced Lunch forms, if applicable.  THESE FORMS NEED TO BE COMPLETED EACH YEAR.  Submitting this form provides opportunities for other reduced or free opportunities for our families.  These forms are posted on our school website.  Please click this link to the Jackson Food Service Department to complete your 

Free and Reduced Lunch forms and to set up a student account to purchase items from the cafeteria.

Safety

In September, Elms will conduct our first fire drill for the year.  A variety of safety drills will continue to be implemented regularly throughout the year.  Such drills foster student safety and are important to practice regularly. In an effort to provide the safest environment, nothing is more important than maintaining an open line of communication between home and school. In that light, parents should be sure to complete their emergency contact information in detail.  It is important to include trusted adults in the “emergency contact” area of the portal.  This information is invaluable when an unforeseen circumstance occurs.

Please be aware that, as in the past, no parent will be allowed to cross the bus ramp from 7:55-8:10am (student arrival).  This is a safety procedure. A staff member will be stationed at the parking lot to let you know when it is safe again to cross the bus ramp. We appreciate your cooperation and efforts to keep our students safe.

Important Dates to Remember:

10/13—School Closed

10/14 - Breast Cancer Awareness-Wear Pink

   10/17- Picture Day

 

  10/22- PTN Meeting 6:30pm

10/16  1st Supply Cart Day!

10/24 Trunk or Treat ( Rain Date 10/27)

Staying Connected

Technology

If your child has a Chromebook, please check that it is in working order. Repairs and replacements may incur costs (screen $39, keyboard $60, charger $32, Chromebook $250 – subject to change). A completed Chromebook Loan Agreement is required for all devices[available on the Parent Portal].

Technology Assistance
For Portal Login  issues, email portalsupport@jacksonsd.org with your name, phone number, and your child’s details (name, school, grade, ID, and issue). Please try the “Forgot My Password” link on the login page first (works only if your email is the login ID).

For Chromebook issues, contact the main office at (732) 833-4680 Thank you for your patience as we work quickly to support all students.

On behalf of the entire Elms Staff, we welcome you to the new school year and 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        ​ ​Christopher Nye                             

    Principal                     Assistant Principal