Dear Parents/Guardians,
Sincerely,
Dr. Kathy Koop
Halloween Information
Our Halloween parade will begin promptly at 1:15 PM on October 31, 2023.
Please see this link for Dr. Koop's Halloween letter.
- Class parties for students only will follow the parade.
- Class pictures will occur behind the school immediately after the conclusion of the parade.
- Children may bring their costumes to school and change after lunch or students may wear their costumes to school.
Halloween costumes should be school appropriate:
Masks are allowed as long as vision is clear.
Costumes should allow for easy walking.
Costumes should not represent violence. (no blood or weapons)
Please no scary clown costumes.
We love when adults wear costumes, but please no masks.
Welcome KRS/TJS Media Specialist Mr. Locke!
Our new media specialist Mr. Locke begins in Madison on Monday, October 23, 2023. His email address is lockea@madisonnjps.org.
Mr. Alex Locke is excited to join the Madison community as a media specialist at KRS and TJS. Previously, he has worked as a school library media specialist and public librarian. Mr. Locke enjoys teaching fun, creative library lessons and fostering in his students a love for reading and research.
Mr. Locke graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in photography and earned a Masters of Library and Information Science from Rutgers University. When not teaching, Mr. Locke enjoys reading, taking photos, and spending time with his wife Michele and five year old daughter Arden and two year old daughter Emery.
Welcome Mr. Locke! Thank you to Mrs. Varga for substituting! We appreciate her commitment and hard work!
Math Program and Math Fact Fluency
At the elementary level, we utilize the Math in Focus program for mathematics instruction. Information about the Math in Focus program can be found on the Madison Public Schools website at this link. The math curriculum as well as other elementary curricula can be accessed within individual grade level documents at this link.
Math fluency (math facts knowledge) is a critical piece of mathematics instruction for student learning. Within the Math and Focus information on the Madison website, are resources to assist your children with math fluency. Improving math fluency at school and at home, will provide your child with a strong fluency baseline to build upon as their math learning becomes more complex throughout the years.
Principal Professional Development
TJS Principal Garcia and KRS Principal Koop attended the NJPSA/FEA/NJASCD Fall Conference Convention on October 12 and 13 in Atlantic City, NJ. The theme of the conference was Making Excellence Happen! We engaged in various session topics including Sold a Story: Where do we go from here?/Science of Reading, Transforming Equity Through Teacher Champions, Supporting the Whole Child: A Look into Restorative Practices, Special Programs, and Academic Integrity, and Owning your Data: Building Data Teams in your District to Support & Sustain Multi-Tiered Instruction. The professional development sessions were valuable and applicable to bring back new ideas and best practices to our schools and district.
