Summer Edition

Dear Franklin School Families,

Welcome to the 2026–2027 school year! I hope you and your children have had a wonderful summer filled with relaxation, fun, and special memories together.

As I step into my second year as the proud principal of Franklin Elementary School, I am more excited than ever for the bright year ahead. Our teachers and staff have been hard at work preparing our classrooms, and we cannot wait to fill our halls with student laughter, curiosity, and learning once again. I deeply value the connection between home and school, and I am dedicated to collaborating with you to nurture your child’s academic growth and emotional well-being. Should you ever need anything, please feel free to reach out anytime.

At Franklin School, we take pride in our motto, Fly High Falcons—to dream big, treat others with kindness, and do our best every single day. This year, we’re taking that motto a step further with our 2026-2027 theme: Define Your Distance.

Everyone’s journey is different, and that is something to celebrate! This year, we are focusing on:

• Setting Personal Goals: Encouraging each child to think about what they want to achieve.

• Building Independence: Giving students the confidence to make good choices and take pride in their own work.

• Growing at Our Own Pace: Reminding our students that learning isn't a race. It’s about making steady progress and celebrating every step along the way.

Whether your child takes giant leaps or small, steady steps this year, what matters most is that they are moving forward and growing into the best version of themselves. We can't wait to watch them soar!

Inside this newsletter, you'll find important information including class placements and this year's Family Handbook to help your family prepare for a smooth start to the year.

Staff Updates and New Faces

This year, we are excited to welcome some new faces to our Franklin community, as well as share some new roles for our current staff.

• Ms. Mallory will be moving to 3rd grade
• Mrs. Douglas will be moving to 4th grade
• Mrs. Baykir will be our district IDEAS teacher for the year while Mrs. Goodman is on leave

*You can learn more about our new staff in the "New Faces at Franklin" section below*

Our first official issue of the Franklin Front Row will be sent out on 9/3/26. Please also save the date for our PTO Back to School Party on September 18th from 5:00-6:30 PM.

Wishing you a relaxing and memorable rest of your summer!

Best,

Ms. Colineri

*click the four arrows to enlarge each poster*

Thank you to our Franklin students and families who kept our garden thriving this summer!

9/8: First Day for Students (Full Day)

9/16: Back to School Night (6:30-8:00 PM)

9/18: Picture Day AND PTO Back to School Party (5:00-6:30 on the playground/field)

9/21: Yom Kippur - No School

Genesis Parent Access will open to parents on Monday, August 31st at 3:00 PM. You will find your child's placement at that time. You will not be able to view assignments if your forms are not read, signed and finalized. If you have any issues with Genesis, please send an email directly to PROBLEM@summit.k12.nj.us

Please read through the Franklin School Family Handbook 2026-2027 (click HERE) thoroughly as it contains important information you need to know before the first day of school including arrival and dismissal instructions and other general information pertaining to the school. There have been some revisions from prior years so please make sure you have read through the entirety of the handbook.

*The handbook will also be conveniently linked below under "Year-Round Resources" for easy access throughout the school year.

New for the 2026-2027 School Year - all Summit elementary students Grades 1-5 will keep Chromebooks at school each day.

Additionally, elementary students may not use or have with them any cell phones or other personal electronic devices (including smart watches) during the school day. Devices should not be brought to school. If they are needed for use before or after school, then devices must remain off and stored in backpacks.

Please see the revised policy&regulation below:

5516 - policy

5516 - regulation

We know that back-to-school is synonymous with school supplies and paperwork. Please note that the majority of the papers you will need to complete can be found in Genesis under the “Forms” tab.

You can find school supply lists on the PTO website.

Attendance

Students should not exceed 18 total absences in a school year. Please keep this in mind as you plan family events as unexpected absences arise due to illness (e.g., COVID, flu, or other viruses). These unplanned absences can quickly add up. Regardless of verification status of any absence, these are NOT considered "excused" and count towards the 18 absence total. The ONLY absences that DO NOT count toward the 18 absence total are the state approved NON-CUMULATIVE absences listed below.

As a district, we are required to follow District Attendance Policy 5200. Please take a moment to review the policy, and if you have any questions, feel free to contact Ms. Colineri and Mrs. Frasca.

Thank you for your partnership in supporting student attendance and success.

Definitions:

Cumulative (two sub-categories)

• Verified - counts towards credit loss, and a letter is sent out to families notifying them of the number of days absent at (5,10, &15) absences.

• Unverified – no communication from parent/guardian and/or cutting class (discipline)

Non-Cumulative:

• Religious observance

• College visit (up to 3 days per school year, only for students in grades 11 and 12)

• “Take Our Children to Work Day”

• Participation in the observance of Veterans Day

• Participation in district board of election membership activities

• The closure of a busing district that prevents a student from having transportation to the receiving school

Please note, per district policy:

• Students must be present in school for a minimum of 4 hours to participate in co-curricular activities.
• Students who are sent home ill from school may not return to participate in co-curricular activities.

More information on this policy can be found here.

*IMPORTANT*'

We understand how busy mornings can be, and we appreciate your cooperation in helping to keep our school drop-off and pick-up zones safe and efficient for everyone. Please ensure you are utilizing the designated drop off and pick up zone.

Please remember to be mindful of all parking regulations and ensure your vehicle is legally parked. This helps to maintain clear lanes for traffic flow and emergency vehicles.

We also want to remind you that your child's safety is our top priority. Please instruct your children to only cross the street at designated crosswalks where a crossing guard is present. This simple step makes a huge difference in preventing accidents.

Car Line

The car line drop-off at Franklin will be staffed by a faculty member who will assist with moving the line along, ensuring the efficient arrival of students. Students must exit the vehicle on the PASSENGER SIDE ONLY.

Please reference this document for more specific instructions on the drop-off zone.

Arrival

Car line and student supervision are provided from 8:05 AM until 8:15 AM. If your child arrives prior to 8:05 AM, adult supervision is not available.

The following is an outdoor lineup “map.”

1st Grade – Facing the main entrance to Franklin School, students will line up to the RIGHT of the main entrance. A cone will indicate the front of the class line and include the teacher’s name.

2nd Grade - Facing the main entrance to Franklin School, students will line up to the LEFT of the main entrance. A cone will indicate the front of the class line and include the teacher’s name.

3rd Grade – Facing the Library entrance door, students will line up in FRONT of the library entrance sidewalk. A cone will indicate the front of the class line and include the teacher’s name.

4th Grade – Students will line up in front of the door by the garden on Warwick behind the appropriate cone indicating their teachers’ name.

5th Grade – Students will line up on the basketball court/blacktop. A cone will indicate the front of the class line and include the teacher’s name.

Faculty will greet their classes at 8:15 AM and escort them into the building.

Dismissal

All students are dismissed at 3:00 PM.

Students will exit, by grade level, through the same door where they entered in the morning.

All 1st and 2nd grade students will be released to caregivers who are noted on parent approved student dismissal forms. These forms can be found in the Genesis parent portal and must be completed before the first day of school. Teachers will NOT release our youngest learners to any person, other than those indicated on this form.

Our 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students may be dismissed without a guardian if parents grant permission on the dismissal form in Genesis. Teachers and staff at these grade levels supervise dismissal on a rotating basis.

Welcome Back (English)

Welcome Back (Spanish)

As we prepare for those inevitable inclement weather days, we’d love to build our collection of board games, card games, and UNO cards for students to enjoy during indoor recess! If you have gently used games or card decks at home that your family no longer needs, we would be so grateful for your donation.

Your “old” game could become a favorite new indoor recess activity for our Franklin School students! Thank you for helping us make those rainy, snowy, and extra-cold days a little more fun!

If you would like to donate any games, please bring them to the main office. Thank you!

• Franklin School Family Handbook
• District Website
• PTO Website

• HIB Overview in English

• HIB Overview in Spanish

• SPS Elementary Code of Conduct

• SPS Elementary Code of Conduct (Spanish)
• The Special Education Process