The TES Times September

What an incredible and vibrant start to the school year! As the air turns crisp and we step into autumn, our hallways and classrooms are overflowing with energy, curiosity, and warmth.

September is always a month of unique transitions, and I am thrilled to share that our students are now fully settled into their daily routines. Across all grade levels, children have acclimated wonderfully to classroom expectations and shared school spaces. It brings so much joy to walk through the building each morning and see focused, confident learners eager to greet their peers and teachers.

Thank you for helping us make the first month of school such a resounding success. We look forward to a fantastic fall ahead filled with rich learning experiences, growth, and community events.

Lisa Moore

Principal

Lily Smith (Grade 4), Paige Smith (Grade 2), and their parents, Lindsay and Derek, created this wonderful eagle to welcome students back to school. Thank you, Smith Family, for the third year of kicking off the hay bale activity!

The fish tank is important to us at TES and children love greeting the fish when they come in each morning. So, a huge thank you has been given to the PTA for sponsoring the recent rehabilitation of the fish tank by Creation of the Sea, LLC. Lou of Creation of the Sea has been extremely helpful in teaching us what is required and restoring the tank to optimal performance. He also donated two fish from Hackettstown Pet Supply to start our renovated fish home. Lisa and Eileen had visited Hackettstown Pet Supply during the summer and their owner, Christian, had donated several fish and snails.

Below: Mrs. Callahan & Mrs. Moore on a summer field trip to Hackettstown Pet Supply and Mrs. Moore with students admiring the clean tank and new fish.

District Calendar

The New Jersey Department of Education has opened the application process for the 2026-2027 Governor's Educator of the Year Program. Please take some time to nominate a teacher and/or educational services professional that has made an impact on your family or the school.

A selection committee will select one teacher and one educational services professional from Tewksbury Elementary School and one teacher and one educational services professional from Old Turnpike School.

Please see the link below for the nomination form.

Nomination Form

To nominate a teacher and/or an educational services professional, please complete the nomination form and return it to the building Principal by November 13, 2026.

Preschool is off to a great start this year. Our friend, Baby Echo, is helping us learn about the letters A though D. We use the Fundations Phonics program to build phonemic awareness and early reading and writing skills. One important time of our day is eating meals together. “Eating time is table time!” We use this phrase to remind students to participate in good eating habits and learn the extremely important skill for waiting for others. This is hard work but everyday we are getting better! Play is the guiding force in preschool and we are fortunate to have many play opportunities both inside our classroom and in our beautiful outdoor spaces including the big playground, preschool playground, Discovery Den, and our outdoor classroom and garden. Over the last couple of weeks we watched our caterpillars turn into chrysalis and look forward to releasing them as butterflies. We are in need of playground sand. Any donations would be gratefully appreciated.

The Class of 2039 has officially entered Kindergarten! Our little learners have been doing a great job acclimating to TES! Days have been filled with exploration and making new friends. The fourth graders did a fantastic job teaching expectations at TES during our first whole school assembly. Tewks the Tiger, our school mascot, even made a guest appearance! During September, Kindergarteners are immersed in alphabet activities, begin the “FUNdations” phonics and handwriting program, and begin learning to read, write, model, and count within numbers to ten.

This year is off to a wonderful start! First graders have been busy getting to know one another, learning our classroom routines, and building a strong classroom community. We read How to Be a Bucket Filler! and have been practicing filling each other’s buckets by showing kindness, helping others, and making positive choices throughout our school.

We are also learning to become more independent learners! Students have been practicing working independently during literacy and math centers, following directions, making good choices, and taking responsibility for their learning.

In Reading, we are building good reading habits, learning how to choose books, practicing reading independently, and working on retelling stories and identifying important details. In Writing, students are learning to share their ideas through pictures, words, and sentences while practicing proper letter formation, spacing, and punctuation.

In Math, students have been identifying, representing, counting, and comparing numbers 1–10. We are also exploring number patterns and practicing different ways to represent numbers.

We are so proud of all that our first graders have accomplished during our first few weeks together! We are excited for a fun-filled year of learning, growing, and making wonderful memories together!

Second Graders are well on their way to an exciting school year. Each classroom has been involved in various activities that help to build the all important classroom community. Some of these activities include creating community pictures, playing games to get to know one another better, writing a poem about who we are, reading stories about including others and kindness, and working in cooperative groups throughout the day. To complement our work with creating a cohesive classroom community, we have begun our Social Studies unit on Types of Communities and Meeting Our Needs and Wants. The students are beginning to understand the Tewksbury Community that they are all a part of! We are looking forward to a wonderful year of growth and learning with our new students!

Third graders have been working toward building warm and understanding learning communities. Teachers are encouraging learners to take risks, especially in math. Math Update from 3rd Grade: We are hitting the ground running in Math, building upon prior skills from 1st & 2nd grades and reviewing the skills needed for our first chapter "Numbers to 10,000." The children are excited to learn about larger numbers! We will build skill knowledge with lots of hands-on practice using manipulatives like place value blocks. This first unit is the number sense foundation for our year of learning. We are comparing numbers using the <, >, and = symbols. (ex. 1,234 > 234 by 1000, 566 < 766 by 200, etc.) We are also patterning by adding 1, 10, or 100 (2125, 2135, 2145, etc.) and practicing math fact basics. This will help us to build a strong foundation for a year of problem solving and collaborative learning.

Fourth graders have been busy establishing their new daily routines both in the classroom and out. On September 11th, during the first Tiger Time assembly, fourth graders presented the rules and expectations for behavior on the playground, the bus, and in the lunchroom. Students enjoyed their time on stage and are seizing the opportunity to serve as role models for the rest of the student body. Students also enjoyed their first Den Day this month welcoming new den members with community building activities. We are excited for a new year filled with learning, exploration, and building friendships.

To kick off the school year, this September was full of artwork to express identity! Students in all grades created self portraits and filled the backgrounds with symbols to represent their identities and interests. This created a school wide collaborative rainbow of portraits!

Coming up... Kindergarteners are creating their colorful fall leaves full of texture. 1st and 2nd graders are working hard to create their chaotic and colorful portfolios to review the art elements of line and shape. And 3rd and 4th graders are reviewing the 7 elements of art with their portfolio covers.

- Ms. Holston

In Physical Education this September, Ms. Sconda and Mr. Neuhs are kicking off an exciting month of active learning! Our Kindergarteners are focusing on spatial awareness, learning how to safely navigate shared spaces while practicing teamwork and fair play. In First and Second Grades, classes are diving into the fundamentals of health and fitness to discover why keeping our bodies strong and active matters. Meanwhile, our Third and Fourth Graders are kicking off their fall soccer unit, sharpening their ball control and footwork through dynamic drills and practice. We are looking forward to a fantastic, movement-filled month ahead and a fun, active year!

Ms. Sconda & Mr. Nuehs

The TES Library Media Center is full of excitement at the beginning of the year. Our Kindergarteners and new students discover the Library Media Center for the first time and our returning students get to explore again! Students have been showing lots of enthusiasm and responsibility as we read stories, learn about our amazing Library Media Center, and review how to take care of books. Ask your child about the “Dangerous Box for Books” (a silly and interactive way we review book care). It was great to have so many parents checking out library books at our Back to School Night! If you have any Library Media questions, don’t hesitate to reach out (email is best): arose-mason@tewksburyschools.org.

-Ms. Rose-Mason

Hola Familias! We're off to a great start to the school year in K-4 Spanish. We're learning new routines and practicing old ones, singing songs, and playing games! If anyone wants to support Spanish learning at home, check out Rockalingua.com. Our username and password are both holatewks and there are lots of great songs and games to play. I am looking forward to a great year of seeing everyone learn and grow in Spanish!

- Senora Obercian

All students have reviewed and signed the Acceptable Use Policy for Chromebook use. They are also enjoying our new Acer Chromebooks, and we are all looking forward to an amazing year ahead.

First, I want to start off with the definition of Technology that I taught to all students:

“Technology is simply anything made by humans that helps us solve a problem or make a job easier.” So even a pencil is technology!

Kindergarten: Our youngest learners are beginning to practice logging in and memorizing their passwords. Parent support at home makes a big difference in helping them become confident and independent with this skill. Please review their passwords together and help them locate the letters on the keyboard. Password will be sent home soon. We also celebrated International Dot Day! Using iPads and the Quiver app, students created 2D dots that magically transformed into 3D designs—a creative and exciting way to blend art and technology.

Grades 1 & 2: Students are reviewing important technology terms while practicing proper mouse and keyboard use. I just introduced EdClub Typing to 2nd grade, and sent a letter home with details on how to access the program from home. Regular practice at home is encouraged, as typing is a skill that improves most with consistent use.

Grades 3 & 4: Students have continued practicing typing using our new program EdClub Typing. In addition we are reviewing some important skills on how to be a good Digital Citizen when going online.

Typing is a valuable skill for success in school and beyond, and logging in from home through Clever is simple and quick. If you need help getting to our EdClub school account, please reach out for help.

Please don’t hesitate to email me: krinehart@tewksburyschools.org.

- Ms. Rinehart Havens

Welcome back to music class! September has been a wonderful start to the school year in the music room. We spent the first few weeks getting to know one another, learning classroom expectations, and sharing our favorite songs, artists, and musical experiences. It has been exciting to see so much enthusiasm and discover the many ways our students enjoy music! Our Kindergarten through 2nd grade students have begun learning about the steady beat in music. Through singing, movement, games, and listening activities, students are practicing how to find and keep a steady beat. Meanwhile, our 3rd and 4th grade students are focusing on rhythm. They are learning how to read, perform, and create different rhythm patterns while developing the skills needed to become confident musicians. We are looking forward to a fantastic year of music making and can't wait to see all the progress our students make in the months ahead!

4th Grade Band Club and Winter Concerts Friday December 18th

- Mr. Shaffer

NEWCOMERS:

Welcome to TES! In addition to our new Kindergarteners, we as a school community, are lucky to be welcoming twelve new students to our TES family. I appreciate the efforts of our TEF, our families, and our students in both welcoming our newest members and creating a community that is inviting and positive. Here at TES, our teachers/staff work consciously to create a culture of community and connectedness throughout our school. We know that every student grows/learns/ thrives best in communities where they feel supported and connected. We enjoy partnering with all our families in the growing of each of our students.

TES LUNCH BUNCH:

Lunch Bunches are back at TES. Lunch Bunch is a fun opportunity for a small group of students to eat together with our school counselor, Mrs. Donovan, away from the busy lunch room. It is the perfect setting to chat about our school day around a lunch table and get to know our classmates. Student may request a lunch bunch, and sometimes a student may be invited by another student to “join” their lunch bunch. It is wonderful to see our students talking, laughing and enjoying spending time together. If your child attends a lunch bunch, you will receive an email or note to let you know. Typically students really enjoy attending a lunch bunch. If you do not want your child to attend a lunch bunch, please send an email to: sdonovan@tewksburyschools.org

- Sheila Donovan

Nancy Auld-Morogiello RN, BSN, CSN-NJ

Tewksbury Elementary School Nurse

908-832-2594 x2011

October 5 to 18 - PTA Spirit Wear and Den Day Shirts for Sale

Note: Students are given Den Day shirts by the PTA when they start at TES. For any additional apparel, please purchase trough the PTA.

October 7 - PTA Meeting at TES at 9:00 AM

October 15 - Candidates' Night at OTS at 7:00 PM

October 24 - Trunk or Treat at TES at 5:30 PM

www.tewksburynjpta.com

The TEF is a volunteer organization dedicated to enhancing and expanding educational opportunities at TES and our middle school, OTS. The TEF is governed by a board of dedicated volunteers and includes representation from Tewksbury schools. The TEF is a 100% volunteer-run organization. They have several opportunities for you to get involved...click here for more information.

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