Maugham Moments

Dear Maugham Families,

Sweater weather is here! As you pull out those coats, boots and mittens and we head into the holiday season, I hope we can all remember to keep gratitude and hope in our hearts through the busyness of it all. I am truly thankful to be part of this school community. It is always so evident how passionately you love your children and are vested in their success in life. I am proud to partner with you on this journey not only as an educator, but as a fellow parent walking this road as well.

We had our first whole school morning meeting in October where I introduced our new school motto, Make Your Mark at Maugham, and our Spirit Fridays contest. At the end of each month, one class will be awarded our GOAT trophy (graciously donated by our HSA) for highest participation in wearing Maugham gear. The HSA is also generously providing new Make Your Mark motto t-shirts for every student and staff member. A HUGE thank you to the HSA for this wonderful contribution to boosting school spirit and a sense of community.

Please read below for other exciting events happening this month including our Candy Drive, Winter Wear Drive, and Book Fair!

Have a wonderful weekend!

With Warmest Regards,

Mrs. Loor

We are very grateful to our HSA who are providing t-shirts for the whole school featuring our new motto, Make Your Mark!

If you haven't done so already, please [fill out this form] with your child's tee-shirt size.

The Tenafly High School Interact Club is collecting leftover candy to support our local food pantries and to send care packages to members of the military. Your donations will help brighten someone’s day while putting all that extra candy to good use!

Please drop off your candy donations at the main office now through Tuesday, November 5.

Thank you for helping us spread kindness (and candy!) throughout our community!

Our Student Council is collecting new or gently used winter outerwear to help those in need within the community. Donations in children and adult sizes are welcomed! All collected items will be distributed to local charities supporting families in our areas.

Items accepted include:

• Jackets
• Vests
• Gloves
• Hats
• Boots

Drop-off bins are located outside the main entrance thru Nov. 7.

Thank you for your generosity and support!

The book fair will take place ONCE this year - From Nov 12-13. Students will shop during the day with their classes and parents/guardians will also be welcome to come shop WITH their kids on the evening of the 12th! More information to come!

From today until Nov 14, the Literati online shop for Maugham is OPEN! You can shop expanded titles as well as purchase gift cards so that your child can shop cashless at the in-person fair. Make sure you CONNECT to our school when loading the card for your child to use from the 12-13th.

When you come to school for a meeting or other business, we kindly ask that you do not stop by your child’s classroom. It can be distracting for both students and teachers who are in the middle of lessons.

When you have a change to your child’s dismissal plans, please do not email only the teacher. Elementary teachers are often away from their computers while actively teaching, so they may not see your message, or there may be a substitute in the classroom with no access to the teacher's email.

• Please be sure to include the school secretary, Ms. Saxenian, on all dismissal change emails: lsaxenian@tenafly.k12.nj.us
• If your pickup change also affects club attendance or dismissal, please include the Club Supervisor as well: MaughamClubSupervisor@gmail.com
• When in doubt, please call the school directly at (201) 816-7706 to report last minute changes.

Please remember that no one should be on school grounds before dismissal. This includes the blacktop, playground, and other outdoor areas.

We’ve noticed this becoming an issue toward the end of the day, when parents arrive early for pickup while classes are still taking place outside. Your cooperation helps us keep the school environment safe and focused for our students.

Please remember that the playground is not available for use after 3:50 PM. This space is reserved for children in our after-care program, so it can’t be shared with students who aren’t enrolled. We appreciate your understanding in keeping the playground safe and organized for everyone.

Please remember that pet animals are not permitted on school grounds—both during and after school hours. Please reference our district policy [7490 - Animals on School Property linked here.]

We work hard to keep our classrooms and school environment clean, safe, and healthy for all of our students. Unfortunately, we’ve recently had incidents of dog waste on school property that ended up being tracked into the building, creating quite a mess.

Your cooperation helps us maintain a clean and welcoming space where our students can learn and play safely. Thank you for your understanding!

Students who were absent on Picture Day or need a retake can have their photo taken on the morning of Tuesday, November 11.

Please let your child’s teacher know if they should have their picture taken that day.

Students in our district will be participating in the upcoming New Jersey Student Learning Assessments (NJSLA)/New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment (NJGPA) Field Testing. This is a state-required initiative for all New Jersey public schools designed to evaluate and improve the assessment process for students across the state.

• Student results from the field test will not count toward their academic record or school accountability measures.
• Neither parents nor the district will receive individual student performance results from this field test.

Our 4th and 5th graders will be testing this month. Here is the schedule.

• Wednesday, Nov. 5 - Mathematics (60 minutes)
• Monday, Nov. 10 - Writing (120 minutes)
• Wednesday, Nov. 12 - Reading (60 minutes)

Testing will take place in the morning. If a student is absent on these dates, there will not be makes-up. Participation is solely for the purpose of helping to refine future testing.

Please reference [this letter] from Ms. Yoo, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, for more information.

Nov. 5 - NJSLA Field Testing for grades 4 & 5

Nov. 6 & 7 - Schools Closed for NJEA Convention Days

Nov. 10 - NJSLA Field Testing for grades 4 & 5

Nov. 11 - Picture Retakes

Nov. 12 - NJSLA Field Testing for grades 4 & 5

Nov. 12 - Book Fair Classroom Visits (students only) and Evening Hours for Families, 5:30 - 7:30PM

Nov. 13 - Book Fair Classroom Visits (students only)

Nov. 18 - Grade 4 Field Trip to Kean University [click here for a reminder of the details]

Nov. 20 - HSA General Meeting, Library, 8:45 AM

Nov. 24 - Multi-Lingual Students Thanksgiving Celebration, 9:00 AM

Nov. 26 - Early Dismissal, 12:45 PM

Nov. 26 - Grade 4 Essay Celebration, 9:00 AM

Nov. 27 & 28 - District Closed in Observance of Thanksgiving