From Mrs. Abatemarco, Principal
Believe it or not, February 4 marked the 90th day of school, which means half the school year is behind us. I cannot believe how fast time is flying by. As I reflect on what we've accomplished as a school community, I am so proud of how much our students have grown! Knowing how much progress we've made in the first 90 days, I am eager to see what the next 90 days have in store for our students!
School Closings
Monday, February 17 - No School - President's Day
Please make sure your contact information in Genesis/Parent Portal is accurate. I have tried calling several families in the past few weeks only to discover that many numbers are no longer in service, have mailboxes that are not set up, or mailboxes are full, which makes it very difficult to connect with parents/guardians in a timely manner. If you need help updating your contact information, please contact the school at 732-452-2960 and Press 8 to connect to our Main Office.
February 11 - Grade 3
February 18 - Grade 4
February 25 - Grade 5
Doors will open at 5:30 to allow time for our scientists to set up. Two teams will share one table so please be mindful of your space.
Mrs. Abatemarco and Mr. Mirfield will take a group picture at 5:45 in the MPR. Please understand that due to the number of teams, Mrs. Abatemarco and Mr. Mirfield will not be able to visit every table or take individual team pictures.
Scientists will be asked to clean up starting at 6:55.
Remember, as with all night events, students who are absent from school cannot attend night events.
- all students are encouraged to wear PINK on Friday, FEBRUARY 7.
- our students will celebrate Random Week of Kindness during the week of February 18
Valentine’s Day is approaching on Friday, February 14th! Even though there are no class parties, students will have an opportunity to exchange valentines. Exchanging Valentine’s Day cards is optional, however, if you do choose to participate, please be sure to have one for every child in the class.
- Any card containing candy can be distributed but cannot be eaten in school.
- Please do not send in any food items like donuts, Munchkins, bags of chips, cupcakes, etc. as those will not be distributed.
As part of our Read Across America celebration in March, JMI will host it's 2nd Annual Vocabulary Parade. It was a huge hit last year and we are excited to bring it back.
The purpose of the Vocabulary Parade is to encourage students to examine new words and integrate new words into their vernacular. This is completely optional and students are not required to participate.
Our Reading Specialist, Mrs. Rudnick, has created a slide show presentation and video to help explain the event to our students and families. Students are encouraged to be creative and it is important to note that students should not have to spend money in order to participate.
JMI teachers will be reviewing the slides and video in class. Please reach out to Mrs. Rudnick (amy.rudnick@edison.k12.nj.us) with any questions. We are looking forward to seeing the students' brilliant creations in March!
Students who bring cell phones to school must have them completely turned off and stored in their bookbag. Students are not allowed to call/text or receive calls/texts during the school day. If you need to speak to your child, please call the main office at 732-452-2960, and press 8 to reach the main office.
Smart Watches can be worn but can only be used in the capacity of a watch during the school day. Students are not allowed to call, text, take pictures, play games, or record with their smart watches.
NJSLA will take place again in MAY 2025. Specifically, JMI will be testing starting on Monday May 5 and we will be testing through May 15. While make-ups are available, students are pulled out of their class to complete the test. This means that while taking the test, they are missing work that is going on in their classroom. Unless a child is sick, all students should be coming to school for NJSLA Testing and all travel should be avoided.
PAST EVENTS
During the month of January, our PTO hosted our two Fun Nights for Grades 4 and 5. The Grade 3 Fun Night will be held in March. Thank you to our PTO Executive Board and all the volunteers who put in so much work behind the scenes to make these events come to life. They would not happen without you so THANK YOU!!!
UPCOMING EVENTS
February is dedicated to our Science Fair events! Remember, as with all night events, students who are absent from school cannot attend night events.
Our next PTO meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 18 at 6:00 PM. The meeting will be held virtually.
Of course, should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Mrs. Abatemarco (donna.abatemarco@edison.k12.nj.us) or the JMI PTO (jmipto@edison.k12.nj.us).
RESPONSE TO INTERVENTION (Math and Reading)
Every Sunday (or the day before the first day of school that week), Mrs. Abatemarco will send out a weekly update. Please check your spam/junk folders and send the emails to your inbox to ensure you are up to date on all the latest and greatest JMI news!
If you have checked your spam folders and are still not receiving the weekly updates, please email Mrs. Abatemarco to be added to the list.
Instead of asking families to email the homeroom teacher, we are asking that families email our JMI ATTENDANCE EMAIL ACCOUNT at JMI.ATTENDANCE@EDISON.K12.NJ.US. Both secretaries can monitor this account. We were finding that if teachers were absent or were not able to check their attendance because they were teaching, student's attendance reporting was delayed.
Therefore, we ask that moving forward, families email JMI.ATTENDANCE@EDISON.K12.NJ.US to report your child's absence. If you would like to cc your child's teacher, you may, but the attendance email is the priority account to inform the school of your child's attendance.
Of course, families can still call the school at 732-452-2960 and Press 1 to call in their child's absence as well.
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If your child needs to get picked up early, or if there is a change in dismissal procedure (i.e., your child will be a walker instead of taking the bus, etc.), CALL THE MAIN OFFICE TO SPEAK TO SOMEONE DIRECTLY to ensure that a child is dismissed accordingly. Please do not email changes of dismissals because the email might not be read before dismissal.
Birthdays are very important to the students, and should be celebrated! They are just as important as the academic instruction that our children receive on a daily basis. While we recognize the importance of the celebration, food or goodie bags of any kind (containing food or non-food items) are NOT ALLOWED for birthday celebrations. This includes sending things into school to send home with the students. The following are “non-food” birthday options:
read a book to the class (either by a parent/guardian, grandparent, or child)
donate a book to the classroom library
These options will allow for your child to celebrate his/her birthday while having a limited interruption to the classroom instruction.
Invitations to birthday parties cannot be distributed during the school day or on school grounds unless the entire class is invited.
Our Parent Helpdesk and Support Solution has the following modules to support your needs (click on the department name to access the respective helpdesk):
James Madison Intermediate School
Email: donna.abatemarco@edison.k12.nj.us
Website: https://jmi.edison.k12.nj.us/
Location: 838 New Dover Road, Edison, NJ, USA
Phone: 732-452-2960
Twitter: @JMI_Edison
PTO Membership Letter
Click picture to access letter.
OPT-OUT Option
Click picture to access flyer.
Birthday Sign Fundraiser
Click picture to access flyer.