Dear TES Families,
Happy New Year!
I hope you all had a fun and restful winter break. We were excited to welcome our students back for another great month of learning! January at TES was extremely productive; our students engaged in enriching residencies sponsored by the TEF & TPTA which included exploring "Our Changing Earth" with scientist John Miller and also learning about penguins with a real-life penguin visit! We loved having Kringle at TES!
Our students are looking forward to the next couple of weeks where we will celebrate the 100th day of school, Ground Hog Day, President's Day, and Global School Play Day just to name a few. Read on for all TES news!.
Lisa Moore
Principal
Please note that recess happens outside every day except if it is raining or in the case of extreme temperatures. Our staff and students even go out in the snow! Please send your students in with a jacket, gloves, and a hat so they are prepared for all types of weather. Send boots too if there is snow! Please label all items.
Penguins, Blubber Gloves, and Math
First Grade had a busy January! We had a very exciting visit from a penguin this month! Members of Jenkinson’s Aquarium brought Kringle, a 30-year-old penguin who is about 15 inches tall. It was a wonderful experience for the students to learn more about penguins firsthand. We thank the TPTA for sponsoring this enriching event for our students. We continued our Animal Adaptations Unit learning about other arctic animals and adding to our knowledge of how animals adapt to their environment. We completed a science experiment where students got to feel icy cold water with a variety of gloves and then compared it to a penguin ‘blubber’ glove. We learned how the blubber layer helps the penguin stay warm. This was a fun experience for all! We applied all of the knowledge we learned in Science to help us write non-fiction books. Our first book is “All About Penguins.” In math, we kicked off our Measurement Unit by learning about Non-Standard Units of Measurement and practicing measuring objects with cubes. We even measured all different types of penguins and compared the size of the penguin to our own height.
The First Grade Team
Hands on Learning
With lots to do and lots of weather, this has been a busy January in second grade. We’ve been learning to tell time on an analog clock, learning to count money, and continuing to practice math facts. We’ve moved through our unit on informational writing and are looking forward to some poetry next month. In science, we had a lot of fun exploring "Our Changing Earth" with our scientist in residence John Miller from The Pearl Observatory. The students learned how the Earth has changed slowly over time with continents moving incrementally around and seas coming and going. They even got to make their own fossils in class, as well as examine fossils from Earth of the past and build a dinosaur model! We also learned about ways that the Earth can change quickly, such as earthquakes and volcanoes. There was lots of fun hands-on learning thanks to the TEF who sponsored Mr. Miller's visit.
Pictured below is Mr. John Miller and Second Graders during the "Our Changing Earth" Residency
Multiplication Exploration!
One of the core concepts in third grade math is learning about multiplication. Students learned the meaning of multiplication through arrays, skip counting, groups of objects, and other hands-on explorations. We also explored through literature with books like, "Amanda Bean's Amazing Dream," in which the main character learns how using multiplication applies to her everyday life. Students are also focusing on learning their facts, which builds a solid foundation for future learning. Division, and its relationship to multiplication, will continue to be explored. Similar to learning cursive handwriting, learning multiplication is a third grade rite of passage, and students feel accomplished and successful!
Upcoming Third Grade Event
Research Day: March 21, 2025 10-11 AM
More Info to Follow
Learning and Adventure
We've had an exciting month filled with learning and adventure. Our 4th graders had a fantastic time on their recent field trip to MPAC (Mayo Performing Arts Center) to see "Let's Go Science." The show was both entertaining and educational, sparking curiosity and enthusiasm for scientific concepts. It was wonderful to see our students so engaged and asking thoughtful questions!
Back in the classroom, we've been diving deep into the world of fractions! Building upon the solid foundation laid in 3rd grade, our students are now exploring more complex concepts. They're learning to add, subtract, compare and order fractions (like and unlike). In social studies we began to explore our state’s history and in both reading and writing we continue to study the genre of nonfiction.
Mrs. DelGrande and Ms. Picardo's 4th grade class organized a Pajama Drive for the Pajama Project and collected 157 sets of pajamas! Students wrote letters, made posters, visited classrooms and made announcements to encourage TES families to donate new pajamas for children living in our area that have been displaced from their homes. The Pajama Project believes that all children need a good night sleep in order to be their best and do their best. Thank you to all our donors. Every donation makes a difference!
Creating in 2025!
We welcomed the new year in art ! Preschoolers have been creating landscapes with heart shaped flowers and then also colored beautiful flowers and put them in a frame too! Kindergarten celebrated the new year with a candles collage art project, a 2025 artwork, and hand printed the five little fingers that they have. We have started a new project about polar bears in first grade and finished a folded flock bird project in second grade. We are gearing up to begin a clay unit for all grades, once projects are complete. Third graders are creating 3D onomatopoeia art out of cardboard and painted papers while fourth graders continue to finish their sculptures with a Yayoi Kusama inspired sculpture project.
TES students celebrated a Touring Art Show at Whittemore on January 11th and this art tour continues to travel over the Hunterdon Art Museum on February 22nd and then to The Tewksbury Library on March 8th. Please celebrate the arts and the collaboration of both schools and visit this show this winter!
Parents and Teachers - The art room could use your help with the upcoming clay projects and the transporting of clay projects on the bus to your home safely.
If you could kindly collect and save any Amazon padded envelopes, all sizes, to transport the clay projects home safely, that would be appreciated. I will be accepting the envelopes through February. Please just have students write their names in sharpie somewhere on the envelope, and send them into school with your child.
- Mrs. Pecora
Snow Much Fun
Reading is SNOW much fun at the TES Library! In Library Special with our younger students, we started the month by reading and connecting fiction picture books with nonfiction resources. We focused on topics students have been learning about in their classes. The Kindergarten students loved sharing and connecting their knowledge about animals in the winter. The students in first and second grades really enjoyed exploring atlases! In celebration of The Great Kindness Challenge, at the end of this month, we have also been reading and discussing fiction picture books that relate to the theme of kindness. Our third and fourth grade students have embarked on a creative project this month during Library Special that ties together our love of stories and our Tewksbury Elementary community. They have been working hard on their “Surprise Book Project”. We will share more about this fun project next month, when their projects are shared with the students in grades Kindergarten through second grade!
Save the Date for Read Across America Week!
Our annual, week-long celebration of reading and books will take place March 3rd through 7th! Please mark your calendars and keep your eyes out for more information coming soon!
- Ms. Rose-Mason
¡Feliz año nuevo!
Fourth graders wrote letters to send back to our penpals at the unexpectedly-named John Lennon School in Madrid, Spain, and will continue with their LA ROPA (clothing) unit which culminates in a fashion show next month! Third graders are finishing up their MASCOTAS (pets) unit by learning about what foods pets should avoid, and filling out an imaginative pet adoption application in Spanish. First and Second graders have been practicing numbers with a variety games and inventing characters with El Laboratorio de la Imaginacion, a very engaging creative program. Kindergarteners have been reviewing colors and sizes (Grande, Mediano, Pequeño) with some artwork and some experiments with water.
- Senora Obercian
Our K-3 students have been busy using an online book writing program. Throughout the year students will be using this digital learning tool called WriteReader. WriteReader allows students to create and easily share digital books while learning to read and write. Learn more about WriteReader at https://www.writereader.com/. Your child can access WriteReader from home using Clever and Google Classroom. Fourth grade students are using the Tinkercad program to learn how to design objects to be 3D printed. Eventually 4th graders will create and print unique bubble wands that produce multiple bubbles. In addition, 3rd graders will also use Tinkercad and work through the online tutorial sessions and learn the ins and outs of the program. All students will create an object to print and take home.
- Ms. Rinehart Havens
The Winter Months Are Cold and Flu Season
As the winter months settle in, we know that cold and flu season can be challenging for families. Our priority is keeping all students healthy and ensuring they can fully participate in learning. Please use your best judgment when deciding whether to send your child to school if they are feeling unwell. If they have a fever, persistent cough, nausea/vomiting, or diarrhea, we kindly ask that you keep them home to rest and recover.
Additionally, if your child is experiencing symptoms that may prevent them from actively participating in learning—such as fatigue, lethargy, body aches, earache, sore throat, or lack of appetite, consider allowing them extra time at home to regain their energy.
Helpful Reminders:
● If your child is diagnosed with a contagious illness (flu, strep throat, pink eye, COVID, Norovirus, etc.), please notify the health office so we can help protect others.
● Children may return to school 24 hours after their last episode of vomiting or diarrhea. For fevers 100.0°F or higher, they must be fever-free for 24 hours without medication before returning. If diagnosed with strep throat and prescribed antibiotics, they may return after 24 hours on medication.
● When reporting an absence, please provide details to help us track illness trends and support classroom wellness.
● Encourage good handwashing habits—before eating, after coughing/sneezing, using the bathroom, and upon returning home.
● Remind children to cough/sneeze into their elbow or a tissue instead of their hands to prevent the spread of germs.
● Ensure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather to stay warm and comfortable.
● Support their overall well-being with plenty of sleep, hydration, nutritious meals, and a clean environment (e.g., washing hands, sanitizing surfaces, changing toothbrushes and pillowcases frequently).
Extra steps are being taken to sanitize classrooms daily to help keep our school community healthy. Thank you for your partnership in keeping our students safe and well. If you ever have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I am happy to help.
Nancy Auld-Morogiello RN, BSN, CSN-NJ
Tewksbury Elementary School Nurse
908-832-2594 x2011
Many thanks to the TEF for sponsoring the following residencies at TES:
February - All Grades with Artist, Dan Fenelon, "A Mural of TES 2024-2025"
April - 1st Grade Learning by Doing with Kevin & Erin O'Keefe, "Circus Minimus"
May - 3rd Grade Poetry with BJ Ward
Featured below is an example of Dan Fenelon's work on view at The Gallery at Bex Kitchen in Califon.
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