TIGER TOWN NEWSLETTER

• 3/3: Last day to order the limited edition Roller Skating t-shirts!
• 3/7: Family Reading Night at 6:15pm PLUS Spirit Day ~ Pajama Day!
• 3/8: Friday Spirit Day ~ wear your favorite book character

Volunteer to be on the PTO for 2024-2025 school year! We cannot do these wonderful events and experiences without your help! See below!

• 3/11: School Closed ~ Staff Inservice Day
• 3/14: Second Trimester Ends
• 3/15: Spirit Day ~ Grinchy Green Day
• 3/19: Board of Education Meeting
• 3/22: Spirit Day ~ Cat in the Hat Day

*Scroll down to Quick Links to access the full 23/24 Calendar or CLICK HERE

Keep the pajamas on all day and join your teachers for our annual Family Reading Night! Beginning at 6:15pm, we have mystery readers, special guests, snacks, and prizes! Our teachers will be reading their favorite books out loud to our students. This is a free event. Don’t miss it!

Don’t forget to enter your February Minutes to help your students team win this month!

Monthly Blue Tiger Reading Challenge: Click here to enter your minutes

We have so many events, spirit days (every Friday in March) and guest readers to help our children discover the joy of reading! Let's celebrate Dr. Seuss, the original author of Read Across America week. Feel free to reach out to the CAS Library Media Specialist, Mr. Paradiso, with any questions at Paradisoc@madisonnjps.org

Roller Rink Event

CAS is taking over the Florham Park Roller Rink for TWO nights of family fun and skating!! Please select ONE night per family. This is NOT a drop off event, all students must have a chaperone. Feel free to bring your own skates (price includes skate rental). www.caspto.com

Let the good times roll with these limited edition CAS shirts that you can wear to the event! SUNDAY 3/3 IS THE LAST DAY TO ORDER!! All are welcome to purchase this one-of-a-kind shirt, whether you plan to attend or not (but we hope to see you there!). Limited edition T Shirts

International Day is coming up on April 19!! Calling all international families to share your culture with our CAS students. If interested, please email Verena at casinternationalday@gmail.com. There will be a brief zoom meeting for all participating parents on Tuesday, April 8 at 7:30pm.

Be on the lookout for flyers and order forms coming home in your child’s backpacks! You can support both our school and your child’s art work by purchasing one-of-a-kind items designed by your child!

The CAS Multicultural Club is partnering with Coconut Haven in the Dominican Republic on a global event to bring bones to dogs. See flyer below for info!

CAS would not be able to provide our students with all these wonderful events, opportunities, and memories without the commitment of parent volunteers! As we prepare for the second half of this school year, we are looking ahead at open roles for September. Please email caspto@gmail.com to volunteer for these open positions!

Assistant Treasurer

Starts in September. Minimum 1 year responsibility but no term limit. The Assistant Treasurer assists the Treasurer with all financial needs. The Assistant Treasurer is responsible for handling cash/coin deposits.

PTO Secretary

We are looking to fill our PTO secretary beginning in September 2024. Minimum 1 year responsibility but no term limit. PTO Secretary is responsible for taking minutes during meetings, publishing the minutes, attending PTO executive committee meetings once every two months and being a part of PTO committees as desired.

Webmaster(s)

Official role begins fall 2024, but shadowing current member is recommended**. The webmaster/s work with the PTO presidents closely to modify the PTO’s website and Square content continuously in order to provide the most current and up to date information. The webmaster is responsible for: Website Design & Management; Square Registration creation and management. Experience with Square preferred, but not required.

PTO Vice Presidents (two positions)

Grab a friend for some teamwork! This position consists of “shadowing” the 2024-2025 presidents for one year, followed by the co-presidency positions for the 2025-2026 school year. During the first year, the Vice Presidents will assist the Presidents in a variety of activities, such as managing emails, scheduling events, organizing volunteers, overseeing the budget of events, fulfilling teacher requests, after-school enrichment, teacher appreciation, and more.

Many students are privy to information or content that they simply do not understand. In many of these situations they have difficulty processing the information or take away information that is damaging to their social and emotional skill sets. It is important to engage children in developmentally appropriate conversations and content. Click the link below for some strategies on fostering developmentally appropriate conversations and exposure to content:

Please click for archived Home Connections and CAS Chats

The Department of Visual and Performing Arts is excited to announce the details for the upcoming 2024 Summer Arts Program. All classes will be given at Madison Junior School and will be held between 9:00 a.m. and 12:15 p.m., Monday-Friday. Our program will include instrumental music, musical theater classes, chorus, and art! See registration and class details here

The Madison High School Dramatic Dodgers are excited to present this year’s spring musical, "Momma Mia". Showtimes are as follows:

• Thursday, March 7th @ 6:30pm

• Friday, March 8th @ 7:30pm

• Saturday, March 9th @ 2:00pm

• Saturday, March 9th @ 7:30pm

All performances will be held in the John H. Bunnell Auditorium at Madison High School. Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased on the Madison Public Schools Box Office.

Makerspace Saturdays

Saturday, March 2, 11am-3pm

FREE

Create, build, explore! Come to the METC Education Annex anytime between 11am and 3pm for our collaborative workspace geared towards kids ages 5 to 12. Kids will build with Legos, paint, make jewelry, experiment with coding robots, use our 3D Printer, and more! Children must be accompanied by guardians at all times.

Makers Day Presents THE POTATO

Saturday, March 16, 11am-3pm

FREE

Dive into our favorite vegetable as we create potato stamps, make potato batteries to power a lightbulb, and use potatoes to create oobleck and Play-Doh. We will also examine how the potato grows and its life cycle. Come see what this versatile spud can do during New Jersey STEM Month. This event is free, thanks to funding by NJ STEM Pathways Network. Register today!

MJS will present their first sensory-friendly performance of Shrek the Musical Jr. on March 23rd at 2pm!

Our sensory-friendly performance is a theatrical experience in which the environment and typical "rules of attendance" are relaxed. House lights will be dimmed, but not turned off completely, to allow for ease of movement for audience members. There will be designated "cool down" areas if audience members need a break during the performance. Sound levels and lighting levels will be adjusted to accommodate different sensory-needs. At this performance, smartphones and tablet devices are allowed for communication purposes, and there may be some talking during the performance from audience members. With the additional supports and modifications, we hope to use our March 23rd, 2pm performance as an opportunity to create an inclusive environment for everyone to enjoy the magic of theatre, and enjoy the twisted fairy tale of Shrek Jr.!

Tickets can be purchased HERE. Social narratives, a guide to the theatre, character guides, and other informational documents will be sent via email the week leading up to the performance based on the contact information provided during the ticket sale. All information will also be available in-person the day-of performance.

The New Jersey Coalition for Inclusive Education (NJCIE) invites all United States public, charter, and vocational school students in grades 1 to 12 to enter its 15th annual ALL IN Poster Contest: https://www.njcie.org/poster-contest

Formerly known as “Inclusion Works”, the contest launched during National Inclusive Schools Week on December 8, 2023, and will end on May 3, 2024. At the end of the contest, a grand prize winner is selected, and all winning submissions will be displayed in a poster exhibit on our website. The contest has taught countless students the importance of inclusion for more than 10 years. When all students are included, everyone shines!

Awards Participants, based on their grade level, will choose to enter their submissions into one of the following categories:

• Elementary I – artwork completed by students in grades 1-2.

• Elementary II – artwork completed by students in grades 3-5.

• Intermediate – artwork completed by students in grades 6-8.

• Secondary – artwork completed by students in grades 9-12.

The Grand Prize winner will receive a $250 award. Printed copies of their poster will be distributed to schools throughout the country. The winner’s poster will also be announced and exhibited at NJCIE’s Summer Inclusion Leadership Conference on June 7th.

Each category will have one winner and honorable mentions. Category winners will receive a $50 award. We will display all winning submissions and honorable mentions on a virtual exhibit on our website.

The Madison Special Education Parent Advisory Group represents parents of children with disabilities who are eligible for or receiving services under an IEP or 504 plan. To join and receive meeting information, please register via our directory at www.madisonsepag.com"

The 2024 Meeting Date Are As Follows:

• April 10th
• June 12th

More details can be found on the SEPAG website Meetings page.