The Dolphin News

Dear Desmares Families,

Happy New Year! We sincerely hope the start of 2026 is a healthy one for you and your family. It was an exciting week prior to the end of the 2025 year, with many fun classroom celebrations, and our Sing-a-Long All School Meeting hosted by Mrs. Thompson’s class and Mrs. Kiesling. We thank all of you for volunteering and visiting the classrooms to be with our students.

Academically speaking, the upcoming months are a time when we see consistency in our school calendar with full days of school and relatively few days off from school. Let’s hope the weather continues to cooperate! Our teachers are preparing their schedules to conduct benchmark assessments using the Fountas and Pinnell assessments and the NWEA MAP Winter Benchmark assessments, which will take place from Monday, January 5th - Wednesday, January 14th. All students will be participating in these assessments. The results will be compared to the Fall assessment data to determine student growth and areas of instructional focus that teachers can adjust to meet the needs of students to help them achieve state standards. Please remind your child to take their time with the assessments and do their best. Attendance and consistency with arriving at school on-time is always a key factor to student success in the classroom and on our standardized testing. Thanks in advance for your support!

As we begin the New Year, we would like all parents to know that we take all unkind or mean behaviors and actions seriously. With that said, we encourage all parents to revisit the district website HIB resources to fully understand what is or is not Bullying. As a school, we foster a community where students need to respect one another, but we know there will be times when children will not. If your child experiences a situation in school or on the bus where another student(s) is not being respectful, please contact Mr. Masessa or Mrs. Custy so we can resolve the issue in a timely fashion. While all parents have the right to complete a HIB referral form, we feel more education and understanding are needed to help parents decipher the criteria that needs to be met under the NJDOE HIB Law. Please contact us if you have any questions or if you would like clarification.

All the best for the start of a healthy and prosperous 2026!

Warm regards,

Mr. Masessa and Mrs. Custy

Marley

Alee

Hunter

We started the day with a visit from our therapy dogs to welcome us back to school!

There are some fabulous snowmen being created in all our classrooms!

Our Related Arts team is fabulous - Paper Plate Ice Skating and Beat Saber!

Thank you to our amazing PTO for serving the hot cocoa!

Do you have a child who will turn 5 by October 1, 2026?

The registration portal for Kindergarten opens on February 9th. Click on the button below for registration information and procedures. It is very important to register early to support planning for kindergarten class sections.

Please share the registration information with friends or neighbors who may have incoming kindergarten students.

2026-2027 Kindergarten Registration Information

If you have a child who will turn three or four by October 1, 2026, you are invited to enter the FRSD Preschool Lottery. The lottery opens on January 5th and closes on February 27th. Click on the buttons below for more information and for the link to the lottery that opens on January 5th.

FRSD Preschool Lottery Information

FRSD Preschool Lottery - Opens January 5th

January is a great time to revisit your reading routines at home and to set reading goals for the new year! Start by checking in with your child- how do they feel like their reading time is going at home for homework? Do they have a quiet place to read where they have access to their books/library books from school? Would they better benefit from breaking up their 20 minutes of reading into two ten minute sessions? Based on these questions, work together to refresh your routine as needed!

With your refreshed routine in place, it is also a great time to set literacy goals as a family! You might set a goal for how many books you collectively read, how often you'll go to the town or county library, or even plan to have a family book club!

Use January as a reading "refresh and renew" time to set yourselves up for a great year of reading ahead!

Happy Reading!

~ Miss Rowe

Happy 2026!

As we step into January, it’s an appropriate time to encourage your children to press the reset button and embrace a fresh start. The beginning of a new year offers an opportunity to reflect, reset priorities, and energize for a successful second semester.

At the start of a new year, it’s beneficial for students to reflect on their accomplishments and experiences from the first part of the school year. Encourage your child to recognize achievements and challenges. Reflecting on both helps in understanding what worked well and what improvements can be made at home and school.

January is a busy month: re-adapting to routines, testing, and celebrations. During the last week, we’ll celebrate the Great Kindness Challenge. Students will learn about friendships and spreading kindness around to start the new year. We’ll have an All School Meeting before this celebration. I'll also focus my lunch bunches on this topic.

As a suggestion, I’m sharing a list of Kind acts you can utilize. You can practice with your children, be creative, and have fun!

The Great Kindness Challenge

Remember, I’m here to support your child’s academic, emotional, and social growth. Feel free to reach out if you have any concerns or if your child needs additional support.

Wishing you and your family a wonderful start to the new year!

~ Mrs. Moncada

Polypad is a powerful math tool that students of all ages can enjoy. Students love using the geometry tiles to play with shapes and create beautiful art. Check out the fraction tiles and base ten pieces, which are in the "numbers" section. Both of these virtual manipulatives can help with problem solving and are an excellent homework resource.

https://polypad.amplify.com/

Happy New Year!

~ Mrs. DeLorenzo

Happy New Year!

Check out the links below for information about healthy habit for the new year and guidelines when to keep students home and when to send them to school.

Healthy Habits - English

Healthy Habits - Spanish

Sick Day Guidelines - English and Spanish

If you need to speak with me regarding your child's health, please call 908-284-7545.

~ Ms. Cioni