Maugham Moments

Dear Maugham Families,

Happy New Year! I hope everyone is having a restful and fun holiday break with loved ones! It will be wonderful to welcome our students back next week. As we continue in the second marking period, we are excited to build on the progress made this fall.

Before we dive into the new year, I want to celebrate the incredible spirit our community showed last month. Our December events were truly a highlight of the year. We had beautiful performances at our Winter Concert and a festive visit from the THS Madrigal singers. We had our holiday sing-along on the last day before break and the joyful energy was palpable. We also had our first GOAT Spirit Contest winner and we LOVE our new Make Your Mark t-shirts! Thank you to everyone who helped make these moments so special.

This month, we will be focusing on re-establishing strong routines and diving into new academic units. Thank you for your continued partnership—from ensuring your children are dressed properly for outdoor recess to supporting their reading habits at home.

We look forward to a healthy and productive January together!

With Warmest Regards,

Mrs. Loor

Did you know that this newsletter can be translated into over 130 different languages? All you need to do is click the Translate button at the top of the page.

On Friday, December 19, our entire staff and student body gathered together for a special whole-school photo, proudly wearing our Make Your Mark T-shirts generously donated by our HSA. The photo captured the incredible school spirit that filled the building and marked a wonderful finale to our Holiday Spirit Week.

We extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped make this moment possible and to all who remembered to wear their shirts. It was truly special to see our school community united in pride and spirit.

Over the past few weeks, we have been carefully counting the number of students who enthusiastically participated in our Spirit Fridays contest.

We are so proud to announce that Ms. Breakfield’s class is our very first Spirit Contest winners! Their enthusiasm, school spirit, and consistent participation truly set the bar high. They will have the honor of displaying the GOAT trophy all of January.

We can’t wait to see which class takes home the trophy next! We’ll keep tallying participation on Spirit Fridays. Remember - every Friday is Spirit Day, so wear your Maugham gear and show your school pride all year long.

Judie Forcier, our beloved crossing guard at Magnolia and Sisson, is hanging up her vest after 28 years of dedicated service! Parents, students, and staff of Maugham came together to give her a well-deserved clap-out as she steps into a new life of leisure. We are so grateful for the care, smiles, and safety she provided our community every single day.

Here is a message from Judie to all of our Maugham parents:

Dear Families,

It is bittersweet for me to share that I am retiring as your crossing guard. I will always cherish the many happy memories from my 28 years of greeting and crossing children each morning and afternoon. I have always thought of the children as my children, watching them grow from kindergarten through fifth grade—and beyond.

Thank you for allowing me to be a small part of your daily lives. I will forever treasure the joy of seeing your wonderful children each day. I am also incredibly grateful for the thoughtful and generous holiday gifts I have received. Thank you so very much.

I will miss the children, along with the parents and grandparents—many of whom have become dear friends and hold a very special place in my heart. I hope to visit from time to time to attend school concerts and fifth-grade graduations as the children continue on their life journeys.

I’ve told the children not to be surprised if they see me stop by occasionally in the afternoons at dismissal, just to see their smiling faces and maybe get a hug or two. I will truly miss them—and I will miss all of you kind parents as well.

Love and hugs,

Judie Forcier - Crossing Guard @ Magnolia and Sisson

To help keep everyone comfortable and ready for the day, we kindly ask families to make sure students come to school dressed for the weather. Coats, hats, gloves, and other cold-weather gear are especially helpful on chilly mornings. For reference, the district standard for outdoor supervision and recess is a “real-feel” temperature of 28 degrees or higher.

Student supervision begins each morning at 8:20 a.m. and takes place outdoors from 8:20–8:30 a.m., unless there is inclement weather. This routine is followed year-round. During the winter months, students are not automatically brought indoors if the weather is mild. From December through March, it is typically cold, so students are often allowed inside; however, on milder days, students will remain outdoors during the supervision period.

Our students have been enjoying checking out so many fun holiday-themed books - it’s always fun to see the titles appear on display during the month of December.

Also, our big focus during December has been “The Hour of Code”! This year it was actually changed to “Hour Of AI”.

The purpose of this is to have all of our students participate in a global campaign that introduces students to coding. The “Hour of Code” and “The Hour of AI” are run by the website Code.org, which is a leading provider of K-12 computer science education that is in alignment with the curriculum. Seeking to “demystify” code, it takes place during Computer Science Education Week (December 8-14). It gives every student the opportunity to experience computer science and helps nurture problem-solving skills, logic and creativity. By starting early, students will have a foundation for success in any 21st-century career path. All students at Maugham School had a chance to experience the “Hour of Code/Hour of AI” during their library classes using grade/age-appropriate coding activities, plugged and unplugged. Some of the activities that were used were: Kodable, CodeSparkAcademy, Lightbot and Code.org. Ask your child which they enjoyed!

More information can be found at www.hourofcode.com

Keep reading!

Mrs. Herbst

Cold and flu season is here and in order to keep our school as germ-free as possible we want to make sure that students who are sick are able to fully recover without spreading any germs. Please take notice of the school protocols regarding fevers:

• A student must be fever free for 24 hours without fever reducing medication to attend school.
• If your child is sent home with a fever from school then they must remain home the following day as well. This helps them get the rest they need and will mitigate the spread of germs.

Please do not hesitate to contact Nurse Shyong with any questions or concerns. Her email is eshyong@tenafly.k12.nj.us.

We had so much fun surprising this year’s Governor’s Educator of the Year and Educational Services Professional of the Year winners - Danielle Breakfield and Kimberly Shirk! Moments like these remind us how fortunate we are to have such exceptional educators in our school community. In a district celebrated for its exceptional educational standards, Ms. Breakfield and Ms. Shirk stand out for the love and dedication they exhibit towards our students every day. We are sincerely delighted that these two educators received this well-deserved recognition. We are so proud!

Thank you for all the feedback we've gotten about the drop off and pick up line! It seems like it is running smoother than in previous years, but there is always room for improvement.

Senora Tellez is our arrival supervisor and Ms. Meehan is our dismissal supervisor. You will see both teachers outside daily along with myself. It is important that you follow their instructions.

As the weather turns colder and more families utilize the car line, it is to everyone's benefit that the car line is used safely and correctly.

Here are some important reminders:

• Have your child ready to exit the car as soon as you are stopped no matter where they are in the car line in the drop off/pick up zone. (see picture below)
• Children must exit on the passenger side/curb side only for their safety.
• Do not exit your car at any time. If you must assist your child in getting in and out of the car, please park elsewhere and walk your child to the school.
• Pull up all the way to the front of the car line as not to leave large gaps in the car line at arrival or dismissal.
• The bus parking area is reserved from approximately 8:15-8:35 am and from 2:50-3:10 pm. Once the bus has dropped off or picked up students, the sign will be turned allowing you to pull up to the first drop off/pick up sign.
• Your child must be in Genesis as independent dismissal in order to use the pick up car line.
• Do not block the entrance at arrival or the exit at dismissal of the staff parking lot.

Please watch and share our video below with all caregivers who drop off and pick up your children from school daily!!

Jan. 5: School Reopens

Jan. 12: First Week of Winter Clubs

Jan. 15: HSA General Meeting, Library, 7:30 PM

Jan. 19: No School in Observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Jan. 21 & 28: Variety Show Rehearsals, Auditorium, 4:30 - 7:30 PM

Jan. 29: Variety Show, Auditorium, 6:00 PM