Tenakill Times

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Dear Tenakill Families,

I hope you are having a wonderful summer!

As we begin the 2026-2027 school year, we are excited to welcome back our returning families and a warm welcome to all families joining the Tenakill Middle School community for the first time. The middle school years are filled with opportunities for growth, discovery, and new experiences. We are excited to see both familiar and new faces and can't wait to begin another year of learning, friendships, and school spirit together.

As we enter the new school year, TMS remains committed to developing well-rounded students who are equipped with the knowledge, skills and character trains necessary to thrive in a complex, ever-changing world. Aligned with the profile of a Closter Learner, we strive to create learning experiences that foster the growth of all students.

Each month, an edition of the Tenakill Times, a monthly family newsletter will be sent to all families, designed to keep you informed and connected. Each edition will include key dates, school updates, and highlights from TMS. All newsletters will be accessible through our school website. Additionally, to stay up to date, we encourage you to subscribe to the district calendar, which includes all major events and activities. Our code of conduct and student handbook can be reviewed via Realtime Forms, and is also available on our school website. You can find grade-level school supply lists here to help your child prepare for the start of the year.

We are looking forward to the start of the 26-27 school year with new learning, growth and experiences. I am excited to welcome the following new staff members to Tenakill:

• Mrs. Tracy Barron-BCBA

• Ms. Juliane Bilotta- ESL

• Ms. Sing Han-Special Education Leave Replacement

• Ms. Emily Linick-School Psychologist

• Mrs. Ashley Ryan-LDTC (Child Study Team)

• Ms. Hailee Scarafile- Speech Language Pathologist

• Mrs. Adrienne Stuart-Special Education

• Ms. Bridget Smith-West Bergen Clinician

Ms. Deborah Gonzalez will be joining TMS from Hillside as a part of the ESL department. A full list of staff members can be found on the school website.

A special thank you to our custodial and maintenance staff for their efforts throughout the summer to ensure our building is clean, staff, and ready to welcome students and staff.

We look forward to welcoming all students on Thursday, September 3rd, for the first day of school!

Sincerely,

Christi Cipollini

Principal, Tenakill Middle School

Schedules will be accessible in the Realtime Parent Portal and the Realtime Student Portal, which opens on August 25th. All necessary forms in surveys and documents must be completed before viewing student schedules. Families will receive an email message when the Portal is fully accessible.

Please note that classroom placement has been given careful consideration, in connection to student needs and courses. Therefore, no request to change teacher assignments will be granted.

Prior to the first day of school, parents are encouraged to log in to Realtime and add two emergency contacts other than the parents or guardians.

Students can be dropped off beginning at 8:05am, as we will be providing supervision starting at that time. Students dropped off before this time will be unsupervised. Students will enter the building at 8:20am, using the grade level entrances (noted above). Students will be considered late at 8:25am. Students arriving after 8:25am must enter the main doors and sign in late in the office.

Drop-Off Procedures:

Right-Turn Entry (Red Arrows on Attached Map):

All vehicles entering the school property after making a right turn shall utilize the lane closest to the curb adjacent to the front entrance of the school. Drivers are required to pull their vehicle forward to the furthest available point within the designated drop-off zone before allowing their student(s) to exit. This movement pattern is identified by red arrows on the attached map.

Left-Turn Entry (Blue Arrows on Attached Map):

All vehicles entering the school property after making a left turn shall utilize the left lane and proceed through the inner driveway. Drivers are required to pull their vehicle forward to the furthest available point within the designated drop-off zone before allowing their student(s) to exit. This movement pattern is identified by blue arrows on the attached map.

Ample signage and traffic cones will be installed to clearly delineate lanes and guide drivers through the appropriate routes. Closter Police Officers and Tenakill Middle School staff will be present to assist with traffic direction. We respectfully ask for your full cooperation in adhering to these procedures. Your attention to the designated traffic flow and drop-off locations is essential to maintaining a safe and efficient arrival process for all students.

This is a friendly reminder that the High Street Parking lot entrance is closed to all vehicular traffic with the exception of district buses during the afternoon dismissal window. Parents and caregivers have two options to pick their child(ren) up from school:

1) Parents are encouraged to use the St. Mary's Church Parking Lot, as has been done in the past, for parking. There is ample parking on the property for anyone who chooses this option. Students exiting the front of Tenakill School should safely cross with the crossing guard on High Street and locate their parent or caregiver.

2) Parents can also pick up their child at the rear of the school, where they may use Harrington Avenue for pickup. Students can safely cross Harrington Avenue with the assistance of a crossing guard.

As always, officers will be present to assist with dismissal as the school year begins.

Returning students and their parents must submit a new laptop agreement form, which will be accessible as one of the surveys in the Realtime Parent Portal. Some parents, whose student had excessive repairs to their device, will need to submit another $36 insurance check or money order made payable to the Closter Board of Education. You should have received an email should you need to submit another check.

Fifth graders and all new students to Tenakill can pick up their chromebooks August 19-21 or August 31 from 10:00am-12:00pm.

If your child has a broken chromebook or broken chromebook charger, please email Ms. Chow (chowc@nvnet.org), prior to the start of the school year.

Please note that use of personal internet-enabled devices (cell phones, smart watches, tablets etc.) is prohibited during the school day as per board policy and the code of conduct. All devices must be turned off and stored in student lockers for the duration of the school day.

Our schedule this year will be based on a two day rotation using letters A and B. This primarily impacts the special area classes, so students should make note of which days they have Gym and Art/Music/Digital Media. Additionally, grades 5 and 6 will have world language as a special area class. Make sure to bookmark the Letter Day Rotation calendar (on District Site) to keep track. Please note that the dismissal time for TMS is 3:00PM.

This year we will continue with the PAW Prints program. This program is a positive referral system to acknowledge positive student contributions to the school community. The contribution may be through kind words or actions. The PAW Prints program will enhance the following:

Teachers and staff will submit a positive referral form and verbally notify the student of their recognition. At the end of each month, all PAW Print award recipients will receive a certificate to take home, and have the opportunity to have their PAW print displayed in the main hallway.

Tenakill Middle School is excited to introduce W.I.N. period, a dedicated time each Thursday when students receive personalized academic support. During this time, students work on assignments, complete assessments in their advisory class or get extra help from teachers in a small-group setting. If a student doesn't have current work to complete, they'll spend the time reading independently within their advisory class. Our goal is to give every student flexible, targeted support to help them stay on track and build strong independent learning habits.

At Tenakill Middle School, students participate in CharacterStrong lessons during Advisory to support their social-emotional growth and overall well-being. These engaging, age-appropriate lessons help students build skills such as empathy, resilience, responsible decision-making, positive relationships, and effective communication. Through CharacterStrong, we strive to foster a safe, inclusive, and supportive school community where every student feels connected, valued, and empowered to succeed both in and out of the classroom. Here you can access the program’s family connection home page.

Welcome back, Tenakill students and families!

Please check the “Health Office” webpage on the Tenakill School website located under the “About Us” tab. Here you will find important information and forms you might need for the school year.

For students requiring medication during the school year please remember that all medication must be dropped off to the office by a parent or guardian in the original container with proper prescription labeling. Please also have the prescribing provider fill out the medication authorization form to accompany any medication. Additionally, asthma action plans and epinephrine action plans can be found on the website located under “Forms.”

For parents or guardians of students entering grade six, please see this link for TDaP and Menactra Vaccine Requirements.

For parents or guardians of students entering eighth grade, please see the link for an educational factsheet on meningitis located under “Important Information” on the health page.

For parents or guardians of students entering seventh grade, please see the link for information about the causes, symptoms and means of transmission of Human Papillomavirus (HPV), including where additional information may be obtained located under “Important Information” on the health page.

For students interested in participating in school sports, please see the updated sports physical information including the physical form, history, physician sign-off sheet and concussion, cardiac, opioid and eye injury information and sign-off sheets.

Reminder completed physicals are due by September 9th in order to try out for Fall sports.

Enjoy the rest of summer break and I look forward to seeing you all soon!

Sincerely,

Virginia McHale, RN,CSN

Tenakill School Nurse

• August 20, 2026 (1:00pm)- New to district orientation

• August 20, 2026 (1:30)- All incoming 5th graders orientation

*Note: Parents/Guardians must attend the orientations with their child.*

• September 16, 2026 (6:30pm)- Grades 5/6 Back to School Night

• September 23, 2026 (6:30pm)- Grades 7/8 Back to School Night

• October 15, 2026- TMS Picture Day

• November 19, 2026- Group Photos & Picture Retakes