Dear TES Families,
As the year comes to a close, I reflect on all that your children have accomplished and all that we have accomplished together as a school community. Your children have worked diligently to do their best in all areas academically. Beyond academics, one area that I am most proud of is on spreading kindness and showing compassion for others. TES is a special place and I am so thankful to be a part of it. Thank you for sharing your children with us; it has been a joy to see them grow and prosper.
We have an exemplary faculty of dedicated educators. I am thankful to them for dedicating their time and care to your children's success.
I also want to take this time to thank the TPTA & TEF. These organizations provide events and programs beyond the scope of our school budget. These opportunities enrich our student's learning experiences. Thank you to the board and volunteers who dedicate tireless hours to improving all of our students educational experience.
I wish you all a safe and healthy summer filled with amazing memories. See you next school year!
Lisa Moore
Principal
Please note: The Last Day of School is now June 13th - Dismissal at 1 PM from TES
Once again the teachers and PTA have worked together to create Supply Lists that you can order your and have delivered right to their classroom. Click on the box below to order PTA School Supply Packs. The deadline is July 1st. If you choose not to order a pack through the PTA, here are your lists:
Celebrating Moms and Preparing for June 12th Ceremony
Preschool students were so excited to celebrate Mother's Day with their annual Mother's Day Tea Party (pictured below). Moms were invited to share iced tea and sweet treats with their littles. Preschool students listened to a special Mother's Day read aloud and sang songs to their Mommies; including I'm a Little Tea Pot and I Love My Mommy. Sharing a special gift with their mothers was also a special moment for students. They painted a picture frame and added gems to it, before putting their picture in it. Preschool is now looking forward to their Graduation and Moving Up Ceremony on June 12th.
- Mrs. Kovalsky
A Busy Month of Learning
This month has been a busy and exciting one in first grade! In writing, we’ve continued developing our personal narratives. The students have many wonderful stories to tell and enjoy sharing them with their classmates. In math, we’ve been working on addition and subtraction within 20, using a variety of strategies to build strong number sense. In reading, we’ve been learning about suffixes and how they change the meanings of words—an important skill for building vocabulary and comprehension. In Social Studies, we began our new unit: Our Special Location. To kick things off, we revisited our Earth, Moon, and Sun unit to make connections to our planet. We zoomed in on Earth, created a book about the continents, and made a model showing the continents and oceans.
Over the next two weeks, we’ll explore how geographic location shapes our lives. Students will use maps and globes to identify important places in our community and investigate how location and climate influence our daily routines. We’ll also learn about how goods and services meet the needs of a community. We’re discovering that “Learning can take you anywhere!”
- Mrs. Barnes, Mrs. Chapman, Mrs. Hall, and Mrs. Saksa
Sparking Inventive Ideas
May has brought a lot of new learning for our second graders in a variety of topics. Our social studies unit on Innovation has given them the opportunity to read about an inventor of choice on the web site Pebble Go. Students learned about famous and not so famous inventors and what drove them to invent. They also got to experience the thrill of inventing on our class trip to the Morris Museum's "Spark Lab" (pictured below) where their creativity and engineering skills were put to the test. Science has brought on our study of plants where the students are conducting experiments with live plants in order to study what conditions plants need to thrive. They are also learning about pollination and seed dispersal, important aspects of plant growth. As we finish up May, students are happily engaging in Math lessons on multiplication and division. It always makes them feel like they've learned something “magical and mysterious" and they are so proud of themselves! Many Flat Stanleys have returned home to TES along with the hundreds of postcards received have taken everyone on a journey across the globe. Ahh, May - a most wonderful month to be a Second Grader!
-Mrs. Barnes, Mrs. Bristow, Mrs. Nugent, Mr. Strange
From Tadpoles to Frogs
Third graders made good use of our lovely school grounds as we explored our ponds and collected tadpoles. Afterwards, all students observed first hand in each of their classrooms the metamorphosis from tadpole to froglet in amazement. Additionally, all third graders got to plant seeds and watch the growth of different plant species in our classrooms. Have you ever seen a pea plant grow? We have! Each child took their own pea plant home. Third graders also experienced "fast plants" that complete their life cycle in 14 days. Now we look forward to taking our knowledge of ecology to Raritan Headwaters to get hands-on experience with a wetland habitat that supports a variety of local plant and animal life.
- Mrs. Emge, Mr. Frankoski, Mrs. Kouzis, and Mrs. Nichols
This month the fourth graders were busy preparing for and taking the NJSLA test. Their favorite science lesson was when they used their Mystery Science kits to build their own flashlights using an LED light bulb, a battery and aluminum foil. They also enjoyed an informative assembly on black bears (pictured below), a visit from the Seeing Eye Association of Morristown, a Den Day, performing at the spring concert and now they are looking ahead to Move Up Day that is June 12th at 9:00 AM in the cafetorium. Their favorite part of the month was “Transition Day,” when they traveled to OTS and shadowed their 5th grade mentor. Having a close up view of a day in the life of a 5th grader created excitement and diminished worries about their big move in the fall.
MOVE UP DAY - JUNE 12th at 9:00 AM - Enter at the Cafeteria Doors
- Mrs. DelGrande, Mrs. Forsythe, Mrs. Kinzel, Mrs. Picardo, Ms. Wade Taffera
Amazing Art Show
What an incredible evening we had at our Annual Art Show! I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you who attended and helped make it such a joyful and inspiring celebration of creativity. The attendance was absolutely fantastic—and the art? Even better! Our young artists truly shone, and it was a joy to watch them proudly share their work with you all.
A special thank you goes out to our wonderful community artists—Janet Wadler, retired Art Teacher, Eileen Callahan, School Secretary and Artist, and Natalia Dar-Sabiha, parent, Artist, and Illustrator. These women graciously shared their talents with us to show students what is possible when they pursue their art. Their presence helped bridge our school with the broader artistic community, and we are so grateful for the beauty and inspiration they brought to the show.
As we wrap up this school year, I encourage all of you to keep nurturing creativity and discovery within your classrooms and at home. Art is not just about making beautiful things—it’s about thinking in new ways, expressing emotions, and celebrating each child's unique voice. If you ever need ideas to keep that creative spark alive, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m more than happy to help!
- Mrs. Pecora
Basketball, Baseball, a Job Well Done, and Field Day on June 6th
This May, Ms. Sconda’s classes are wrapping up the basketball unit with fun lead-up games and a review of key skills learned throughout the year. Meanwhile, Mr. Wooby is finishing the school year with striking skills through engaging baseball and softball activities.
As we close out the year, we want to give a very special shoutout to Mr. Wooby, who is retiring after more than 30 years of inspiring and dedicated teaching. His energy, creativity, and passion for helping students grow through movement and play have made a lasting difference in our school community. He has been a mentor, a role model, and a beloved part of our team. We wish him all the best in his well-deserved retirement—he will be deeply missed by all!
Field day is right around the corner on June 6th! Thank you to those who have signed up to volunteer your time! Please be on the look out for a email with key information to make sure your child is ready to go for a fun filled day!
- Ms. Sconda
Please Return Your Books!
The end of May marks the end of book check out for the 2024-2025 school year. All library books were due back by Friday, May 23rd. However, even without book checkouts, there is still a lot of fun happening here! Our 4th grade students are leaving their mark on the T.E.S. Library Media Center. They have been working on book reviews that can be read by T.E.S. students for years to come on our online library catalog, Follett Destiny! Students in the 3rd grade have been using a variety of fiction and nonfiction books about animals as a jumping off point into discussion about information literacy. Their fact vs. fiction animal research project is an engaging way to tie together their research. Our youngest students have been reading and discussing engaging picture books about forts and making connections with art and engineering activities!
- Ms. Rose-Mason
Listening and Learning
In Spanish, we have been keeping busy and having fun! Kindergarteners learned a hand-clapping game called Mariposa. First graders concluded their animal vocabulary unit with a listening game and by inventing their own animals. Second graders are finishing up their arpilleras, a beautiful folk-art form inspired by South America. Third and fourth grade have been learning all kinds of food vocabulary in Spanish with some shopping activities. Fourth grade is finishing up the year with a food truck project. And we are looking forward to a visit from our OTS 5th graders where they will read to TES Kindergarteners in early June!
- Senora Obercian
Fun and Meaningful Activities
This month in Technology class, K-4 students have been busy wrapping up the year with fun and meaningful activities! We've been using Google Docs to create a list of our favorite memories from the school year, which will become part of a special 4th-grade culminating project. Grade 4 students will then use this list of memories to design a TES pawprint to take home on Moving Up Day – a keepsake to celebrate their years at TES!
In addition, to reviewing key skills, students have been playing Kahoot, an interactive game on topics like Digital Citizenship, Online Safety, and helpful tips for using Google tools. Everyone is enjoying learning and having a great time in Technology class!
- Ms. Rinehart Havens
Many thanks to the TEF for sponsoring the following residencies at TES:
May - 3rd Grade Poetry with BJ Ward
May - Mural Project with artist Dan Fenelon
The mural project was a huge success and every student was able to contribute their talents under the direction of Dan Fenelon, Artist. It will be a lasting memory of your children while they were here at TES. We are grateful to the TEF for providing this opportunity for all of our students.
BJ Ward returned for what we believe is his 30th year as Poet in Residence and he worked with 3rd Graders to better understand poetry and create exciting poems for Father's Day. This is always a highlight of the 3rd grade year.
Maschio's Food Service
Maschio's Food Services, Inc. is the contracted lunch provider at TES. See the following links for more information about the lunch service provided by Maschio's as well as PaySchools, our point of sale service system. You can find their menu on our school website at the following link:
https://tewksburyschools.nutrislice.com/menu/tewksbury-elementary/lunch