WISE Words

Dear Rossi Families,

Whether your summer was the engaging adventure of a lifetime, a chance to connect with family and friends, or just some time to relax and reflect, we hope these past couple of months gave you and your students exactly what you needed.

Our teachers and staff are incredibly excited to receive your children on the first day of school - September 4, 2025. The first day of school marks a fresh beginning—new classrooms, new friends, and new opportunities to grow together as a school community. Whether you're returning or joining us for the first time, we're so excited to have you as part of the Rossi family!

This year, our theme is "Teamwork Through the Seasons: One Team, Four Seasons of Change." Just as each season brings its own beauty and rhythm, our school year will be filled with opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive together. In the fall, we’ll embrace change and new beginnings. During the winter, we’ll strengthen our bonds and support each other through challenges. In the spring, we’ll grow new ideas and celebrate progress. And as we reach summer, we’ll take time to shine and reflect on all we’ve accomplished together. Through it all, we’ll move forward as one team—students, families, and staff—committed to making this an extraordinary year.

We’re so glad to be starting this journey with you and your children. In this newsletter, you’ll find important information to help you prepare for the first day, updates about what’s new at Rossi, and ways you can get involved in making this year a success. Let’s make 2025–2026 a year to remember—one season at a time, together as one team!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Coia and Mr. Cifaloglio

Thank you to all of our families, friends, and community members for “squeezing” in the time to sip some lemonade with our building leaders! Our first annual Lemonade with the Leaders event was “pitcher-perfect”. Students and their families were able to meet and greet with our new administrative team, Mrs. Coia and Mr. Cifaloglio, while sipping lemonade, making their own trail mix, decorating sticker art, and even taking home some sweet summer reads!

A big thank you to Consalo Family Farms for donating all of our “berry” delicious fruit, Mrs. Luanne Allen and Mrs. Peretti for their creativity and hard work, and especially our incredibly dedicated teachers and staff for all of their hard work. We truly have the best team!

We loved seeing so many of our students and families come together to celebrate the start of a new school year. Your energy and excitement made the day so special!

A huge thank you to our incredible Rossi staff for creating such a welcoming and fun tent – you truly made our school shine!

On August 27th, our Rossi Elementary team gathered at beautiful Camp Merrywood for a day of connection, reflection, and fun. With sunshine, laughter, and a spirit of positivity, staff reconnected with our mission, built stronger relationships, and reignited the passion that drives us to serve our students each day.

From meaningful conversations and nature walks to friendly games and kayak races on the lake, the day reminded us of the power of teamwork and the joy of being part of the Rossi family. All of it prepared us to move into the new school year energized, united, and ready to help every student shine.

We are grateful to the Cumberland Cape Atlantic YMCA for donating the use of Camp Merrywood and supporting us with everything we needed throughout the day. Breakfast was made extra special thanks to Amigos Bakery, D’Ottavio Farms, and Bagel U, with snacks from Wawa’s soft pretzels and sweet treats from Crumbl Cookies. Acme generously contributed funds to help us purchase water bottles and materials, and lunch was provided by the PQ Mobile Unit. Our team looked great in their Camp Rossi shirts, made possible by the donation of Doug Stasuk and BFA, and Angelo Cileone. A huge thanks also goes to Atlas Real Estate for their donation towards making Camp Rossi so special and Renati Solutions for donating the books our staff read in preparation for Camp!

We welcomed our newest owls to the Rossi family at Kindergarten Open House! Families had the chance to visit classrooms, meet teachers, guidance counselors, our nurse, our amazing special area team, and our administration team, Mrs. Coia and Mr. Cifaloglio. Our little owls left with goodies, free books, and their very own MVP All-Access Pass. The highlight? Hanging out with Hootie, our Rossi mascot, who made the day even more memorable! We are so excited to watch our kindergarteners spread their wings as they begin their elementary journey.

Team Rossi is back! Our staff kicked off the year with our opening meeting, breakout groups, training, and a strong sense of purpose. Our theme “Teamwork in every season: one team, four seasons of change” sets the tone as staff prepared to welcome our students on Thursday.

Opening day featured ballpark treats like peanuts and cracker jacks and a great lunch provided to our awesome staff. Special thanks to Luanne Allen for her time and energy setting up our space for opening day, Texas Roadhouse for donating peanuts, Dunkin’ for keeping our teachers caffeinated with free coffee, and Chick-fil-A for their generous donation of cookies. To top it off, our staff received a very special treat in recognition of their hard work and dedication: the ice cream truck! Our family at Rossi is so grateful for our community partnerships!

Our Rossi Owls had a wonderful first day back to school on Thursday! Staff eagerly greeted students as they stepped off the buses and arrived in the car rider lane, sending them off with smiles and encouragement for the year ahead. From our youngest kindergarteners just beginning their journeys to our fifth-grade “veterans,” it was a joyful and memorable day for everyone at Rossi!

On September 9th, the WISE assemblies began for the 2025-2026 school year for the Rossi Owls!

The beautiful cantaloupe colored WISE shirt was introduced to the students! The meaning of WISE and purpose of the character traits, and what a WISE ambassador does, was discussed by past ambassadors!

WISE traits align with our Portrait of a Graduate competencies; which allow the students to reach their fullest potential with the greatest support!

September 12th: WISE Dress Down Day: Wear Rossi Pride Attire or school colors (Blue and Yellow)

September 15th: Hispanic Heritage Month Kick-Off in School

September 16th: Harlem Wizards Assembly (3rd-5th graders)

September 16th: Back to School Night 5:30 PM-7 PM at Rossi

October 1st: T&F Fall Pictures (K-2)

October 2nd: T&F Fall Pictures (3-5)

October 6th-10th: Grandparents Lunch & Book Fair

October 7th: PTO Meeting

Students may enter the building beginning at 9:00 a.m. Car riders and walkers will enter through D-Wing on the Palermo Avenue side and report directly to their classrooms for breakfast. Students arriving before 8:55 a.m. must be enrolled in the Champions before-care program.

Bus riders will be dismissed at 9:00 a.m. to pick up their breakfast and proceed directly to their classrooms.

Students arriving after 9:20 am are considered tardy.

The instructional time with your child is very important to their education; therefore, please make every attempt to make all appointments after school hours. Early dismissals count as part of your child’s overall attendance.

If there are any changes in your child’s transportation home, a note MUST be sent to the school and signed by the legal guardian.

If your child does not have a note, he/she will go home using his/her regular transportation.

Please know that communication electronically throughout the school day is not acceptable for transportation changes, due to the fact that teachers can’t check throughout the day while in class. Any changes throughout the school day require the parent/guardian to call the main office.

Please follow Rossi School’s car rider traffic pattern for safety and efficiency. Buses only may use the front driveway during arrival and dismissal times. All car traffic must approach the driveway from one direction—no left turns—by going down Palermo Ave and turning around. Students should exit from the passenger side onto the sidewalk. For dismissal, parents must use the second driveway on Palermo Ave and remain in their vehicles. Display the school-issued car tag and have a photo ID. Cars will line up in two single-file lanes (Red side and Purple side), and students will be escorted to vehicles. Remain in line, do not switch lanes or pass, and follow staff directions to keep traffic flowing smoothly.

Your child’s health is our top priority! Please keep your child home if they are sick, especially if they’ve had a fever, vomiting, or diarrhea—students must be symptom-free for 24 hours without medication before returning. A doctor’s note is required for absences of three days or more.

Ensure your emergency contact info is current in Genesis, and students must be picked up within one hour if called home. If desired, young students may keep a change of clothes at school for accidents.

Medications must be delivered by a parent/guardian and require a doctor’s order—students may not bring medicine to school themselves. A new medication order is needed each year, and any unused medication must be picked up by the last day of school.

If your child has a chronic condition (e.g., asthma, allergies, diabetes, seizures), a care plan from your physician must be submitted before the first day of school. Health history updates and forms can be found on the district’s Health Services page.

Injuries that require medical equipment (crutches, braces, etc.) must include a doctor’s note with restrictions. Students must wear sneakers for gym and recess.

Health screenings will be conducted for vision, hearing, height, weight, blood pressure, scoliosis (age 10), and color perception (grade 2). Families will be notified of any concerns.

New enrollees and students entering Kindergarten must provide up-to-date physical exams and immunizations within 30 days. Forms and immunization requirements are on the district website. For help with immunizations, contact the Vineland Health Department at 856-796-4000 ext. 4806.

For more detailed information and forms, visit the Health Services page on the district website.

Each month, we host our WISE (We Inspire Someone Everyday) assemblies. These special gatherings feature guest speakers from our community who talk with students about important character traits such as respect, responsibility, perseverance, and empathy. During the assembly, students are honored for consistently displaying the highlighted trait, with one student selected from each grade level. These traits are aligned with our district's Portrait of a Graduate Competencies.

Every week, staff members nominate students for our Caught Being Good award. These awards celebrate students who go out of their way to complete random acts of kindness or show outstanding behavior. It’s our way of recognizing the small, everyday moments that make a big difference.

H.O.O.T. is a 60-minute class period that takes place monthly. It is a school-wide activity that focuses on a variety of social-emotional learning skills. Here at Rossi School, we take pride in our character education program, “We Inspire Someone Everyday” W.I.S.E. We teach our students patience, respect, integrity, responsibility, and empathy everyday. Character education helps children create a caring and safe school environment that fosters learning. Our S.E.L. (Social-Emotional-Learning) initiative will tie into our W.I.S.E. program that focuses on self-awareness, academic achievements, and positive behaviors.

We believe that being present every day is an important part of success! When an entire class achieves perfect attendance for the week, they receive a special surprise treat from the principal as a thank-you for showing up and giving their best each day.

Together, these incentives help reinforce our school-wide expectations and encourage students to be kind, responsible, and engaged learners. We're proud to support our Rossi Owls every step of the way!

Our PTO is a great way to become involved in our school. Any caregiver is encouraged to come to our monthly meetings held in the library at Rossi. Here is a list of 2025-2026 meeting dates:

• October 7, 2025
• November 11, 2025
• January 6, 2026
• February 3, 2026
• March 3, 2026
• April 14, 2026
• May 5, 2026