Tenakill Times
October 2026
Translations
Dear Tenakill Families,
October has arrived, and with it the crisp mornings, changing leaves, and the steady rhythm of a school year that is now well underway. Our students have settled into their routines, and it has been a joy to see classrooms buzzing with curiosity, collaboration, and hard work.
We're looking forward to Picture Day on Thursday, October 15th! It's always a fun day to capture our students' bright smiles, so please mark your calendars and see below for ordering information.
I also want to encourage every family to read each monthly newsletter in its entirety. It contains important school updates, upcoming dates, and information you won't want to miss. Taking a few minutes to look it over is one of the best ways to stay connected with everything happening at TMS.
As always, thank you for your continued support. I am so proud of our students and grateful for this community. Here's to a wonderful October!
Warmly,
Christi Cipollini
Principal
Student Safety Reminders
During morning drop off, please pull up as far as possible, drop off your child, and then move your vehicle.
Students must cross in the crosswalks in the street and the parking lot.
Students must exit the vehicles on the sidewalk side.
Students must walk their bicycles/scooters while on school property and wear a helmet.
Attendance Reminders
A friendly reminder that class begins each day at 8:25am. Daily, on-time attendance is one of the strongest predictors of success. If your child is unwell or will be absent for any other reason, please notify us of your child's absence by:
1) Entering your attendance through the Realtime Parent Portal (select Daily Attendance)
OR
2) Call the main office 201-768-1332, select 1 to report an absence.
Nurse's Office Updates
Welcome to October! With the cold and flu season approaching, now is the time to reinforce healthy habits like good handwashing and staying home if you feel sick. It is also a great time to make sure the school nurse has any medication your child might need during the school day. Medications such as asthma inhalers/nebulizers and epi pens should all be brought in with proper paperwork to be kept in the health office. Please update the school nurse with any recent changes to your child's health and any medications that may be needed while in school. The medication authorization form, asthma form and epinephrine action plan are all located on the Tenakill Middle School website under the tab for Health Office.
After School Academic Assistance Program
The after school academic assistance program will begin on October 20th. It will run each week, Tuesday through Thursday, from 3:05-4:05pm. This year the program will focus on math, and there will also be an ESL class. Throughout the school year our teachers will recommend students to the program who they believe could benefit from reviewing the math lesson from that day or week. You will be notified if your child is recommended to this program. Please feel free to contact Mr. McElroy (mcelroyk@nvnet.org) with any questions.
No Place for Hate Committee Student Application Invitation
We're excited to share that TMS is launching No Place for Hate® this school year! No Place for Hate is a program from ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) that more than 1,600 schools across the country have joined. It gives students, staff, and families a shared framework for addressing bias and bullying and building a school climate where everyone feels welcome and respected.
At the heart of the program is a student-led committee. Committee members will help plan school-wide activities, create messages and campaigns that promote kindness and inclusion, and serve as role models for their peers. Throughout the year, all TMS students will take part in activities the committee helps organize, and together we'll work toward earning our official No Place for Hate designation.
Any student interested in joining the committee is invited to complete a brief application by October 16th. 10 students will be invited to join the committee after application review. All students will be notified via email by October 30th. No prior experience is needed, just a genuine interest in making TMS a place where everyone belongs.
Families, please encourage your child to consider applying, and keep an eye on future newsletters for updates on our activities. Please note that this application should be completed by students independently.To learn more about the program, visit www.adl.org/no-place-for-hate. Students must be logged in to their Nvnet email to complete the survey.
Application link: https://forms.gle/FV9yuXLoCY2bXdBF6
TMS Picture Day (October 15th)
Tenakill Middle School Picture Day will take place on October 15th, 2026. Please see the linked flier with information about how to order photos.
Should you have any questions about how to order photos, the photography company can be contacted using this link.
For eighth graders, picture day photos will be used as graduation photos. It is strongly recommended that students wear a shirt and tie, or a nice blouse.
For any questions regarding pictures or yearbooks, please reach out to Ms. Dunn and dunne@nvnet.org.
Picture retakes and group/club photos will be on November 19, 2026.
TMS Scholastic Book Fair
7th and 8th Grade Spanish Class Updates
Our 7th and 8th graders Spanish students celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month by researching influential Hispanic-American leaders and exploring their contributions, achievements, and lasting impact. Through creative research projects, students learned about the lives and legacies of inspiring individuals while recognizing the rich diversity and history of the Hispanic community
TMS Earns Silver Recognition for NJ Safe Routes to School!
We are excited to share that Tenakill Middle School recently earned Silver Level recognition from the Safe Routes to School Program! To earn this recognition, we held a bicycle safety assembly, participated in the Walk/Bike to School with the Closter Police, ran a poster contest, added new bike racks, added safety signage around the school, and infused safety tip reminders for students through newsletters, TBN, and the student morning announcements. More information is available at the link below.
8th Grade Trip to Northern Valley Demarest (NVD)
All 8th grade students will be visiting NVD on Friday, October 23rd.
During this trip, our 8th grade students will have the opportunity to:
Learn more about the wide range of elective courses available at NVD
Take part in a tour of the building to become more familiar with their future school environment
The 8th grade teaching team will accompany students throughout the trip.
We are excited for our students to experience this important step in their transition to high school.
October CharacterStrong Updates
Counselor's Corner & Week of Respect
This October, our 5th graders are building foundational life skills by focusing directly on responsibility. Students will learn what it means to take ownership of their lives, using goal-setting techniques with a "Target" worksheet to accomplish daily responsibilities, and identifying key personal areas they want to improve. Meanwhile, our students in grades 6 to 8 are diving into emotional awareness, with 8th graders specifically exploring how emotions develop and link to thoughts and actions as they practice challenging snap judgments and managing difficult feelings.
Together, these lessons tie directly into the Profile of a Closter Learner and our schoolwide SEL theme for October: Being a Responsible Citizen. Being a responsible citizen rests on core SEL pillars: Self-Awareness and Self-Management (recognizing and regulating our emotions to make thoughtful choices) alongside Social Awareness and Responsible Decision-Making (understanding how our actions impact others). Whether setting goals in 5th grade or managing emotions in the upper grades, our students demonstrate that being a Closter Learner starts with accountability, self-management, and empathy across our school community.
Bring the Conversation Home
Parent Prompt: Ask your child, "What is one responsibility or emotion you navigated this week, and how did your choice affect the people around you?"
Recommended Resource: Explore CASEL’s family resources (casel.org/families) or the Second Step Parent Resources for practical strategies on supporting goal-setting and emotional regulation at home.
Students have just completed foundational sessions focused on getting familiar with the format of sessions while also building connections and creating community.
Through interactive group discussions, connection games, and collective reflection, students have worked together to establish shared community agreements, explore the differences between personality and character, and gotten to know each other more.
This week in advisory students were introduced to the CharacterDare. Weekly CharacterDares are small, actionable challenges that invite students to put values like kindness, respect, and patience into practice in the real world. A new CharacterDare will be introduced each week and the previous one will be discussed (Were you able to do it? What happened? What got in the way).
To spark a meaningful conversation at home, you can ask your student: “What was your most recent CharacterDare? Do you think it will be easy or hard to do and why? How could this challenge impact our school community if lots of people did it?
Current and previous CharacterDares are listed here.
Week of Respect:
From October 5 to 9, our school will be celebrating NJ’s annual Week of Respect.
Our theme this year is "Brick by Brick” to remind us that a strong, positive school culture isn't built by a few big events—it is built day by day, brick by brick, through our small, individual choices, words, and actions. Through daily announcements, activities, and a Spirit Week we will intentionally explore how we can be community builders, working together to create a school community where we and others feel safe, respected, and welcome.
We know that the most impactful discussions about respect start at home. As such, we invite you to partner with us this week by following us on instagram @tmscloster to see highlights of the Week of Respect. We will also share daily dinner-table/car ride conversation starters that will allow you to continue the conversation at home (also linked here).
8th Grade Updates:
Our eighth graders will have the opportunity to visit Northern Valley Regional High School - Demarest on Friday, October 23rd. To prepare for this field trip, Ms. Stabile will give a High School Readiness Presentation during the WIN period on October 22nd. There will also be an Open House at NVD for families to attend on October 14th at 6pm.
Please don’t forget to fill out the High School Application Request form, if your student is applying to a high school or program outside of NVD. Check out the Classwork section of the Grade 8 Students Google Classroom page for helpful tips and information.
Upcoming Important Dates & Reminders
OCTOBER 2026
10/6 – CogAT for New Students
10/8 – Board of Education Meeting @ 7:30 PM
10/12 – Early Dismissal @ 12:20 PM / Staff Professional Development
10/15 – TMS Picture Day
10/23 – 8th Grade Visit to NVRHS Demarest
10/23 – PTO Lunch Program Cycle 1 Ends
10/23 – Trimester 1 Interim Report Released at End of School Day
10/25 – PTO Halloween Fair @ 11:00 AM / Tenakill Field
10/28-10/29 – PTO Fall Book Fair
10/29 – Board of Education Meeting @ 7:30 PM
NOVEMBER 2026
11/2-11/4 – Grade 6 Fairview Lake Trip
11/5-11/6 – School Closure / NJ Teacher’s Convention
11/9 – Winter Sports (Basketball) Physical Forms Due
11/11 – Veterans Day Assembly (In School)
11/11 – Grades 5 & 6 Change Specials for Marking Period 2
11/19 – TMS Group/Sports/Club Photos & Picture Retakes
11/19 – Board of Education Meeting @ 7:30 PM
11/25 – Early Dismissal @ 12:20 PM
11/26-11/27 – School Closure / Thanksgiving