9/11/2026 Edition

It was 25 years ago today that the unimaginable happened. On this day in 2001 we lost 2,977 people in three separate incidents: One at the World Trade Center in NY City, One at the Pentagon in Washington DC, and One in a field in Pennsylvania. There were many heroes ranging from police officers to firefighters, to everyday Americans who helped those who were in need. The stories of the heroism shown on this day are truly amazing. Innocent people and many of those heroes lost their lives that day and many have since lost their lives from injuries sustained on September 11th. In honor of those people, our flags are flown at half staff today.

September 11th has been named Patriot Day since December 18, 2001 to remind Americans that their country remained strong in the face of massive terrorist attacks and to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice. We have a memorial garden here by the flag pole at SJG that contains a piece of World Trade Center Steel. Our garden is a sign of peace and on many days, one can see community members sitting there enjoying the calm and serenity of our garden. Our garden and monument ensure that the students of SJG and the residents of Pequannock will continue to celebrate those heroes and never forget the sacrifices that were made that day.

Below is a link that will take you to the 911day website and their Educator's Guide to talking about 9/11 in the classroom and there is also a section about how to talk to your children about 9/11.

https://www.911day.org/

https://www.911day.org/downloads/9-11-Day_An-Educators-Guide_082526.pdf

Please see the letter below about our Elementary G&T Program.

September 2, 2026

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Welcome to the 2026–2027 school year! We are excited to begin another year of learning and growth in English Language Arts. As we begin the school year, I wanted to share a few exciting updates about our ELA programming for students in grades 3–5, as well as the ways we will continue to monitor and support student growth.

A New Focus on Cursive Handwriting

One exciting addition this year is cursive handwriting instruction for students in grades 3–5. Beginning with the 2026–2027 school year, the State of New Jersey requires public schools to provide cursive instruction in grades 3–5. The goal is for students to develop proficiency in both reading and legibly writing cursive by the end of fifth grade.

To support this requirement, we will be adopting Zaner-Bloser Handwriting, a well-established, research-based handwriting program. Zaner-Bloser provides explicit and systematic instruction in handwriting, with lessons designed to build students’ efficiency, legibility, and automaticity. The program uses a consistent instructional approach, guided practice, and opportunities for students to apply their skills in meaningful writing.

While cursive is a new required component of our ELA program, handwriting itself remains an important part of developing strong writers. Research has connected fluent handwriting with students’ ability to focus on composition and communicate their ideas effectively. Our goal is for students to develop cursive skills while also strengthening their overall confidence and fluency as writers.

A Comprehensive ELA Program

Students in grades 3–5 will also be using Magnetic Literacy, a comprehensive English Language Arts curriculum designed to bring the different components of literacy together. Rather than teaching reading, writing, vocabulary, and language skills as separate subjects, Magnetic Literacy integrates these areas around rich, knowledge-building texts and topics.

Students will engage in instruction and practice in:

• Reading comprehension and fluency

• Vocabulary and language development

• Writing and written expression

• Grammar and syntax

• Foundational reading skills

• Speaking and listening

• Knowledge building and critical thinking

The program is grounded in the Science of Reading and uses explicit, systematic instruction while giving students opportunities to read, discuss, think, and write about meaningful content.

Continuing to Monitor Student Growth

While we are introducing new instructional resources, we will continue using our established assessment practices to monitor student learning and growth throughout the year. These assessments provide teachers with valuable information about each student's strengths and areas for continued growth and help us make informed instructional decisions.

Students will participate in several benchmark assessments throughout the year, generally two to three times annually, including:

• DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment): Used to monitor reading fluency and reading performance.

• i-Ready Inform (formerly i-Ready Diagnostic): Provides information about student achievement and instructional needs in reading.

• DIBELS 8: Used in Grade 3 to monitor foundational reading skills, including phonics.

Assessment results will be shared with families, so that you can remain informed about your child's progress throughout the year. Our goal is not simply to collect data, but to use that information to better understand student needs and provide targeted support and instruction. i-Ready Inform, formerly known as i-Ready Diagnostic, is designed to provide teachers with actionable information about student strengths and areas for growth.

Partnering with Families

As always, we believe that strong communication and collaboration between school and home are essential to student success. I am excited to partner with our teachers and families as we implement these programs and continue strengthening our ELA instruction.

I will also be scheduling a Parent ELA Information Night in the coming weeks. During this evening, we will have an opportunity to review our new and continuing programming, discuss our assessment practices, explain how we use student data to support instruction, and answer any questions you may have.

We are excited about the year ahead and the opportunities these programs will provide for our students. Thank you for your continued partnership and support as we work together to help every student become a confident reader, writer, thinker, and communicator.

Warmly,

Alyssa Competiello

Alyssa Competiello
Prek-12 Supervisor of English Language Arts & Media

The Pequannock Profile of a Graduate outlines the skills and qualities that our community expects students to develop in order to succeed in their future endeavors, whether in higher education, the workforce, military service, or other career paths. In this section of the newsletter, I will weekly highlight how these competencies and dispositions are being integrated and promoted at the elementary school level.

Collaboration

Graduates work productively with others moving forward through teamwork and shared effort.

• Value Diverse Perspectives - Actively seeking, respecting, and integrating different viewpoints.

• Contribute Meaningfully - Actively contribute one’s own viewpoint.

• Demonstrate Flexibility - Achieving shared goals through a combination of compromise and consensus-building.

What does this look like at SJG?

Students will actively working with one another to learn, solve problems, create, communicate, and improve their understanding. It goes beyond simply sitting together or completing a group assignment. Effective collaboration requires students to listen, contribute, question, explain, and build on one another's ideas. We look to see students talking about the learning, explaining their thinking, asking one another questions, responding to peers, and using one another's ideas to deepen their understanding.

• September 15th- SJG HSA Meeting 7pm in SJG Media Center
• September 17th- Picture Day (during the day)
• September 18th- SJG HSA Back To School Picnic- 5:30-7pm on the SJG Blacktop and Field
• September 29th- Blue and Gold Assembly 2pm in APR

Information regarding free and reduced lunch can be found by following this link.

Pomptonian is our lunch service provider. You can view menus and obtain allergy information by following this link. All elementary students must pre-order lunch. Lunches are made at the high school and transported to the elementary schools.

Peyton did an amazing job this week reciting The Pledge of Allegiance, as well as our kindness quote for the day. Thank you for being so awesome Peyton!

We continue to ask for your partnership in bringing students to school each day when they are well, and scheduling vacations around school days. Please note that the state still counts all absences, even those with doctor's notes or a parent phone call (even ones that we mark as "excused"). To help keep you aware of your child's totals, at the beginning of each month, we notify parents of students who have been tardy or absent 5, 10, or more days thus far. At 10 or more days absent, we will often request a conference or a phone call where we can help develop personalized strategies to improve your child's attendance. Please reach out if you notice any signs of school avoidance, or if you have questions about whether to keep your child home. As always, thank you for your support!

Click on the link below for our 2026-2027 Handbook.

If you are looking for future events, we update the SJG Calendar of Events as we solidify dates. You can find the calendar on our website but below is the link that we will keep in our newsletter going forward.

The HSA Board is excited to welcome all of our families to the 2026-2027 school year. We have a lot of fun activities planned. Follow our Instagram and Facebook for upcoming news and events!

Sincerely,

Kelley Acker, President

Dana Arrigo, Vice President

Alexa Lynch, Treasurer

Steph Naser, Corresponding Secretary

Cara Colombo, Recording Secretary

Follow our calendar to stay updated on upcoming events!

Our first HSA meeting of the year will be Tuesday, September 15th in the SJG Library Media Center. Hear updates from the HSA Board and Mr. Reiner, and get a sneak peek at all we have planned for the year!

Our 2026-2027 HSA Membership is officially open! Brand new this year, if you want to be a class parents, you have to be a member of the HSA. Use this link to complete our membership form: Join the HSA here!

Join us on Friday, September 18th from 5:30-7:00p.m. on the SJG Back Field. Bring a blanket, chairs, lawn games, and dinner or snacks for a fun evening with other SJG families. If you'd like to order a pizza for the picnic, click here: Family Picnic Pizza Order Form

Sale is open until Friday 9/18

Plants will be available for pick up Friday 9/25 between 2-4pm at SJG

Click Here: Mum and Fall Plants Order Form

Sale is open until Tuesday 10/6

Bags will be available for pick up late November/early December

Click Here: Pequannock Panthers Tote Bags

Sale is open until 9/16 at midnight

Orders will be ready 4 weeks later for pick up at SJG

Get your gear here: Fall Spirit Wear

The Pequannock Public Schools will participate in National Stomp Out Bullying Day on October 5, 2026. We are asking that all students wear blue that day. If a parent would like, we are also going to sell T-Shirts to mark the occasion. The shirt will look like the picture below.

If you would like to order, please click HERE.

Our committee for the inclusive playground worked hard over the summer to secure donations and organize with vendors and contractors on an optimistic timeline that would ideally have an operational playground in place before the end of the year. While the playground will be at NB, it really is intended as a community play space that will be open to all families not only in our town, but also surrounding towns as well. Our website has more information about the project and how to donate to this great effort.

We have a new Pequannock Township School District Promotional Video that was created by PTHS students as part of a passion project. This is amazing! Give it a view!

Email: Matthew.Reiner@pequannock.org
Website: sjg.pequannock.org
Location: 59 Boulevard, Pequannock Township, NJ, USA
Phone: (973) 3055615
Twitter: @SJGPride

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sjgpride/