The TES Times Welcome Back!

Welcome to a brand-new school year! We are so excited to open our doors and hearts once again to your children. As we begin this journey together, I want to take a moment to thank you for being our partners in creating a school community rooted in kindness, respect, and care. Our goal is to nurture not just the minds of our students, but also their hearts. With your continued support, we know this will be a year filled with learning, growth,

and meaningful connections.

As you enjoy the last weeks of summer, please take time to review the important information in this newsletter. You'll find key dates, upcoming events, and helpful tips to ensure a smooth and successful start to the school year.

Here's to a joyful and kind start to the school year! Thank you for entrusting us with your children. Together, we'll make this year memorable.

Warmly,

Lisa Moore

Principal

We are starting our fifth year of decorating the hay bale! Last year, so many creative families decorated the hay bale in front of the school to welcome students, staff, and visitors to TES. We invite families to sign up to decorate this year's hay bale. Once again we thank Bob Hoffman, local farmer and the district's transportation coordinator, for providing the hay bale.

At the end of each month, the family that is signed up will decorate the bale with something unique for the following month. We are looking forward to seeing what your imagination and your family can do!

Sign Up to Decorate the Hay Bale

If you purchased a supply kit from the PTA, it will be in your child's classroom on August 31st. If not, please view the supply list in the link above.

Marley Holston - Art Teacher

Marley Holston is our new art teacher. Ms. Holston is a multi-media artist with a passion for painting and creating digital and fiber art. Marley is a recent graduate of Montclair State University and has experience teaching in her hometown of Verona, NJ. Welcome, Marley!

Ruthie Champagne - Supervisor of Special Services

Ruthie joins our staff as the Supervisor of Special Services. Mrs. Champagne is an experienced special education teacher and most recently has been an Assistant Principal in Rockaway Township. She's a graduate of Radford University and earned her Masters degree at Saint Elizabeth University. Welcome, Ruthie!

Kelley Rodriguez - Special Education Instructional Aide

Kelley Rodriguez will be a new PreSchool Special Education Instructional Aide at TES, but she is not new to our school. Mrs. Rodriguez is the mother of three of the district's students and has been very active as a parent volunteer. Additionally, Kelley earned a degree in education from Centenary University and has worked at Haytown Nursery School as a teacher for the past three years.

First Grade:

Ms. Jaime Levy will return to First Grade as a homeroom teacher. Prior to serving as our Project Aspire (Gifted and Talented) Teacher, Ms. Levy was also a First Grade and Third Grade teacher for many years. Jaime said, "First Grade is a pivitol year for growth...particularly in Reading. I'm looking forward to working with our new First Graders and the team!"

Project Aspire:

In addition to teaching Technology to all students and Kindergarten and first grade Aspire, Ms. Kristen Rinehart-Havens will teach Aspire for all second through fourth graders who qualify for the program..

Link to TES Website

• Supply Lists
• School Event Calendar
• Archived TES Times Newsletters
• Health Services (Nurse)
• Realtime Parent Portal
• Pick Up Patrol
• Virtual Backpack (Flyers and Notices)
• Lunch Menu

Families that are new to the district will receive an email with the Realtime Parent Portal access information on August 19th. The Parent Portal will open for all parents on August 20th at 9:00am. Parents are required to login to the Parent Portal, answer a series of informational questions, and indicate that he/she has reviewed the Code of Conduct. Once complete, you will be able to see who your child's teacher will be! Before you logout, please check that your contact information is up to date.

Bus stop information will be emailed to you in August from Bob Hoffman, Transportation Coordinator.

Pick Up Patrol welcome letters will be emailed on August 20th directly from Pick Up Patrol. It is a time-expiring email so please review it immediately and set up your child's dismissal default information. Please remember to use Pick Up Patrol to let us know if your child will be absent. Also, new this year, you will be able to indicate if your child will be coming late and leaving/returning for appointments.

Please note that your child's classroom assignment will be available to view in Realtime on Thursday, August 20, 2026, at 9:00am. As mentioned above, you will be prompted to answer several important questions and review the Code of Conduct. Then, you will have access to see the class assignment. If you need assistance with your Realtime login, please email Mrs. Callahan: ecallahan@tewksburyschools.org

We are pleased to invite all of our incoming Kindergarten students and their families to the PTA-sponsored Kindergarten Playdate on Thursday, August 20, 2026, from 9:00 to 11:00 AM. On this day, you and your child will have an opportunity to meet their teacher, view their classroom, drop off supplies, and meet new friends on the playground. While students are taking a brief bus ride around campus and learning the bus safety rules, parents will be invited to a short informational meeting with Principal Moore. We look forward to meeting you all soon!

We look forward to seeing all of our returning students, and to meeting and welcoming our Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, and new students and families to TES! We would like to invite your child(ren) who will be attending TES this fall to our school on Thursday, August 27th and Friday, August 28th, to take a "sneak peek" at their classroom and meet their teacher. Feel free to send your child with school supplies so they don't have to worry about that on the first day. *If you pre-ordered kits from the PTA, they will be in your child's classroom for the first day of school.

This event was a great success last year and helped make drop-off and the transition on the first day much easier for all of our students. Please read the important details below to ensure this event runs smoothly for all.

Drop-Off

Arrive at your designated time slot and follow the outer driveway to the main entrance. Please have your child exit your vehicle on the right (passenger side) where staff members will assist them in lining up with their teachers. Parents will remain in their cars and then should proceed to the lower level parking lot and park. Please know that this provides important practice getting out of the car quickly and efficiently on the first day of school.

During Sneak Peek

The teacher will walk his or her students into the building and take them to see their classroom.

Pick-Up

Five minutes before your child is due to be dismissed, please park your car in the lower level parking lot and proceed to the labeled cafeteria doors, A-L and M-Z. Homeroom teachers will dismiss your children to you from the cafeteria.

Please arrive promptly at your designated arrival and pickup times.

*Kindergarten families: please do not feel obligated to attend if you plan on attending the Kindergarten Playdate on August 20th. We are providing this sneak peek for those unable to attend the playdate.

If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Callahan in the main office.

PickUp Patrol (PUP) is a database used for attendance and to dismiss our students safely at the end of each day. On August 20th, all families will receive a time expiring email directly from PickUp Patrol. (It expires in 24 hours.) Please set up your child's default plan, where they will go on a typical day.

Going forward, PUP will be used for the following:

1. When your child will not be following their default dismissal plan, you will enter them in PUP to let us know. You can do this for their upcoming clubs/activities or simply if you have a change for one day. Please make sure all plan changes are in PickUp Patrol by 3:00 PM daily.

2. If you are picking your child up early from school, you will enter that information in PickUp Patrol using the drop down labeled "Early Dismissal". There are no early pickups between 3:00pm and 3:20pm.

3. If your child will be absent from school, you will enter "Absent" in the dropdown and provide a detailed reason.

4. New feature: If your child will be coming in late, please use "Arriving Late" in the dropdown and let us know when to expect you and your child to be signed in. If your child arrives after 11:30, they are welcome to attend but it will be marked as an absence.

5. New feature: For students who need to leave and return for appointments. Please use "Leave/Return" option in the dropdown. Students must be in school for 3 hours for it to count as a school day.

Click on the image below to access the Parent Guide. If you have any questions about PUP, please contact Eileen Callahan at ecallahan@tewksburyschools.org or 908-832-2594 x2001. Thanks!

Arrival:

The school day starts promptly at 8:45 AM. You may drop off your children from 8:35-8:45am Students are considered tardy if arriving in the classroom after 8:50 AM.

If your child will not be taking the bus, parents/guardians will drive to the upper parking lot and follow the outer driveway to the main entrance where staff will guide you and assist your child, if necessary. Please ensure that your student(s) exits your vehicle on the sidewalk/passenger side. Parents: please remain inside your vehicle; there will be an abundance of faculty on hand to assist your child.

Dismissal:

Parents picking up students will park their vehicle in the lower parking lot and proceed to your designated cafeteria door, A to L or M to Z. Please note that parents will not be allowed to enter the building; in the event of inclement weather, please come prepared.

Late Arrivals:

If your child arrives after 8:45am, please park your car and escort your child to the main entrance to sign them in.

The YMCA of Bucks and Hunterdon Counties provides school age child care after school for families in the Tewksbury Township School District. Our program includes homework support, art, leadership development, service learning, physical activities, and Sanford Harmony Social and Emotional Learning. The Y staff are here to support families and help children build social connections. Currently, enrollment is low and more students are needed to ensure the program can run. The deadline to register has been extended to August 7th. Please contact Wendy Crocetti at 908-483-4622 or wcrocetti@ymcarivercrossing.org.

Illness Protocol

• If your child is ill, please keep them home.
• Reasons to keep your child home: Temperature of 100 or higher, coughing, runny nose, vomiting, diarrhea, sore throat, pink eye, a new rash or head lice. Children need to be 24 hrs free of fever (without fever-reducing medicine), diarrhea or vomiting before returning to school. If they come to school with any of the above symptoms, they may be sent home.

If your child is going to be absent for any reason, please notify the school by 9:00AM by entering it in PickUp Patrol or by calling 908-832-2594 and select option 2 from the voice prompt. Please leave a reason for your child's absence (vomiting, fever, cough, strept throat, personal day or family day etc.) rather than just saying "out" or "sick". Having specific information enables us to track the type and class/ grade of illness activity.

Please contact the school nurse if your child has a medical condition, is having surgery or has an injury to discuss any accommodations your child might require at school. Please note if your child is restricted from participating in PE, outdoor recess activities are also restricted.

Health Services

Nancy Morogiello

School Nurse

nmorogiello@tewksburyschools.org

Ext. 2011

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

We use PaySchools for adding money to your child's lunch account. Click on the button below to go to their site. Thanks!

Students will have an opportunity to have a snack during the school day. Snacks will be eaten in the classroom or outside. Please be mindful of student allergies when packing snacks. You will be notified prior to the start of school if there are students with allergies in your child's classroom. Please pack your child(ren) a healthy snack each day that they can open and consume independently along with a bottle of water. Please label the water bottles.

We have a very active PTA and hope you will join!

The Tewksbury Education Foundation (TEF) is a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization established to bring innovative, inspiring, and cutting-edge events and programs to the students in the Tewksbury Township School District. In collaboration with teachers, the TEF procures enrichment programs for each grade as well as assemblies for each school. The TEF also partners with outside organizations to bring parent speaker programming and provides mini-grants directly to teachers. Stay tuned for a new spring fundraiser this year! Please visit our website https://www.tewksburytef.org to find out how to get involved and donate, and be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram @TewksburyTEF.

Early Dismissal - September 4th

School Closed for Labor Day - September 7th

PTA Color Run - September 13th at 1:00 PM

Back to School Night @ TES - September 17th at 6:30 PM

School Closed - September 21 - Yom Kippur