JEFFERSON NEWS
“LEADING OUR CHILDREN INTO TOMORROW”
The mission of the Jefferson School is to provide a safe environment that will encourage a
lifelong love of learning. We wish to develop the academic, social, and emotional well being of
a diverse student body to create well rounded citizens.
Vol. 1 Issue 124
www.bergenfield.org
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
Spring
and
Daylight
Savings Time has finally
arrived.
Second Trimester
report cards were distributed
and we were delighted to
report that 88 students
received either regular or
high honors based on their
academic performances.
On Tuesday evening, April
a
district-wide
Kindergarten
Parent
26th,
Orientation has been scheduled at Lincoln School
at 7:00-8:00 p.m. A power point presentation will
outline the proposed All Day Kindergarten program
for September 2011.
The Jefferson School Parents’ Association has
arranged for a character education assembly, “Yes
I Can!” on April 25, 2011 at 9:30 a.m.
The assembly on respect and self-esteem places
a large emphasis on the idea that everyone should
respect and believe in themselves as well as
respect the rights, abilities and feelings of others.
Three important messages are presented to the
students.
 It’s who we are on the inside that counts,
not the outside.
 It’s important to never give up in life…no
matter what.
 Realizing when you need to ask for help.
The annual School Board/Budget Election will
be held on Wednesday, April 27, 2011 at 7:00 am –
9:00 pm. Please come out to vote for our school
budget. All Our Children Deserve the Best!!!
Our Third, Fourth and Fifth Graders are busily
preparing for the NJASK Test which begins on
Tuesday, May 3, 2011. Grade 5 will be tested on
May 3-6 due to a special modification the district
was granted by the NJ State Department of
Education. Grades 3 and 4 will be tested on May
9-12. Grade 4 will also be tested on May 13 in the
area of science.
Our teachers are engaged in the final stages of
preparing our students for the test. We will be
forwarding some things that families and friends
[email protected]
April 2011
can do at home to help us prepare our students for
the assessment. We are fully confident that our
students will rise to the occasion as they have done
in the past. We want them to feel confident and
not nervous about facing the NJASK and we want
to partner with you to make sure that they come to
the test each day with the right attitude and the
proper perspective.
Final parent conferences have been scheduled
for Thursday evening, May 26, 2011 (5:30-7:30
pm).
Progress reports will be distributed
Thursday, May 19, 2011.
Dates to Remember
5/6/11 - Farmstead Estate – Grade 2
5/20/11 – New York Hall of Science – Grade 5
5/26/11 – Lenni Lenape park – Grade 4
6/10/11 – Bronx Zoo – Grade 3
Yours with Jefferson School Pride,
Dr. Dennis J. McDonald, Interim Principal
BELL SCHEDULE REMINDER
Please remember that
the late bell rings at
8:35 a.m.
Students
should be in school
no later than 8:30
a.m. each day.
2
APRIL
HEALTHY HAPPENINGS:
WE THE PROUD STUDENTS OF
JEFFERSON SCHOOL PLEDGE TO TRY
OUR BEST TO ACHIEVE OUR
PERSONAL
AND
SCHOOL-WIDE
ACADEMIC
GOALS.
WE
ARE
DETERMINED TO SUCCEED IN OUR
CLASSROOMS
BY
STUDYING,
LISTENING TO OUR TEACHERS, AND
COMPLETING OUR HOMEWORK TO
THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY WITH A
POSITIVE ATTITUDE.
WE BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD
TREAT EACH OTHER AND THE
FACULTY AND STAFF WITH RESPECT.
WE SHOULD BE FAIR, HONEST, AND
TRY
TO
CREATE
LASTING
FRIENDSHIPS. WE PLEDGE TO
CREATE
A
POSITIVE
SCHOOL
ENVIRONMENT WHERE EVERYONE
FEELS RESPECTED, SAFE, AND PART
OF OUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY.
WE BELIEVE THAT EACH OF US IS
RESPONSIBLE
FOR
RESPECTING
SCHOOL RULES AND PROPERTY. WE
WILL WORK TOGETHER TO SHOW
PRIDE IN OUR SCHOOL BY KEEPING
IT SAFE AND CLEAN. WE PLEDGE TO
PROTECT
THE
SCHOOL
ENVIRONMENT BY RECYCLING AND
DOING ALL WE CAN TO MAKE OUR
SCHOOL A HEALTHY PLACE FOR ALL.
WE PLEDGE TO BE GOOD
CITIZENS OF OUR SCHOOL, LOCAL
COMMUNITY, AND OUR COUNTRY
AND TO MAKE ALL WHO KNOW US
PROUD OF EVERYTHING WE DO.
After this long winter in which
we spent so much time
indoors, it will be good for our
children to get outdoors to
run and play. Here are a few hints to keep them
safe and healthy as they re-experience the
outdoors.
First Aid for Minor Injuries:
With the coming of warmer weather, children will
be playing more outdoors and getting more
bruises, scrapes and minor cuts.
There are some changes in the recommendations
for cleaning and caring for minor injuries.
- For bruises- generally all that is needed is
a cool pack applied at intervals during the
first few hours after the injury.
- For abrasions - wash with clean tap water
and soap. Latest research indicates that
certain disinfecting agents (such as
hydrogen peroxide) can be damaging to
the healing process. It is best to cover the
abrasion with a band aid or non-sticking
dressing. Although the formation of a
“scab” protects the wound it can be
dislodged by a second injury or by little
fingers!
Bicycle Safety:
As children take to the street on their bicycles
please make sure they wear helmets. Wearing a
properly fitted bicycle helmet can reduce your
child’s risk of serious head injury by over 85
percent.
In a survey conducted by Safe Kids Worldwide,
children said they didn’t feel the need to wear a
helmet because they believe “it won’t happen to
them”. They also report that they don’t feel the
need to wear helmets when biking near home.
Research shows that the typical bike crash occurs
within one mile of home.
Tips to encourage your child to wear a helmet:
- Let your child pick out his/her own helmet.
They are more likely to wear it if it is one
they like.
- Point out that the professionals like biker
Lance Armstrong and skater Tony Hawk
always wear helmets.
- Be consistent. Whether it is a long trip or
just up and down the block, helmets are a
must.
Children should ride with the traffic but cycling
should be restricted to the sidewalk until the child
is at least ten years old.
3
Children should wear bright colored or reflective
clothing and avoid riding at night.
Nutrition Tip:
Eat a Rainbow:
Children need lots of fresh fruits and veggies to
grow strong and healthy. A way to describe eating
these foods is to say you are eating a rainbow.
Here are just a few foods that you can include in
eating a rainbow:
Red: apple, strawberry, watermelon, red pepper,
beet
Orange: mango, orange, carrot, yam
Yellow: banana, pear, squash, corn
Green: grapes, kiwi, peas, broccoli, spinach
Blue:
raspberries, blueberries, eggplant
Make a Smoothie:
This is simple and yummy.
Use a blender to mix low fat vanilla yogurt and
frozen berries. (on sale in freezer section of
supermarket)
Blend ingredients together. You can add orange
juice to thin. Smoothies can be an alternative to ice
cream, cake and cookies.
I hope you had a restful and hopefully spring
break.
Carolyn Niederman RN
AN AWESOME APRIL
April has been an awesome month in the
Kindergarten.
We have been
closely monitoring the spring
weather as we learn about spring.
This month we studied the five
senses. We used our senses to
create a “Spring Senses Poem”
which is displayed in our
classroom.
We read several
spring books to help generate ideas. We even
wrote about what we like to do in the springtime.
Now all we need is some warm spring weather!
In Reading and Math, we’ve been learning a lot
of new things. We learned about the different
forms of transportation as we read Max Takes the
Train. As a class, we discussed ways we used
transportation and which forms we experienced.
Abuela was a story that used both English and
Spanish words. We loved how the girl in the story
flew places with her Abuela, grandmother. Next,
we used that information to write about a place we
would like to travel. The kindergarteners have
been busy decoding words. I am so proud of their
success!
In Math, we continue to learn about various
ways to count. We have been counting to 5’s and
10’s. This month we used our number grid to help
us count. We graphed the pets in our class. Ask
your child what pet most people have at home. We
also have been using measurement in the
classroom. Great job!
We hope we see some flowers soon. The April
showers should be bringing some May flowers
along shortly!
AMAZING APRIL IN 2ND GRADE
Though April was a short month, it was jampacked with learning and fun in the second grade.
In Reading, we finished our unit on Responsibility.
All of our stories this month had
us learning about responsibility.
We became responsible writers,
readers, and citizens in our own
classrooms. We made a class
book about the ways we are
responsible family members. We
finished
our
Mercer
Mayer
author study. We wrote our own versions of
“There’s a Nightmare in My Closet” and we ended
our unit with a field trip to see a trilogy of stories
written by her at the Mayo Center in Morristown.
Much thanks to our class mothers who were able
to attend.
Beginning multiplication was the hot topic in
Math this month as students took part in activities
using manipulatives like flashcards, polygon
shapes, and array blocks, to discover simple
multiplication models.
In Science we’ve begun our unit on Physical
Science. Just ask your kids what’s a Matter and we
are sure they will be able to tell you about the 3
states of matter and list properties of anything they
observe.
In Social Studies, students learned about our
world’s landforms. We studied all the different
kinds, created our own islands to visit and explore
4
and then painted each landform on the island for
all to see.
Hoping for a May filled with sunshine!
does fly by when you’re having fun while learning!
Preparation for the NJASK has begun and students
are learning strategies to make them confident,
test-taking pros! Reading, Writing, and Math skills
are being practiced and strengthened for the
NJASK test, which is right around the corner. We
know the third graders will try their best and make
us proud!
AN AMAZING APRIL IN THIRD GRADE
Third graders certainly
had
many
amazing
experiences this month!
After completing an in
depth unit about animals
and
their
habitats,
students got to visit a
wetlands habitat at the
Meadowlands Environmental Center.
Third
graders had a remarkable experience acting as
scientists through hands-on investigations. First,
they conducted a taste test to discover the
difference between fresh, salt, and brackish water,
which is a mixture of fresh and salt. After that,
students took a hike to a dock in the middle of the
estuary, where brackish water is found. Once at
the dock, fishing with nets allowed students to
catch and observe different organisms found in the
marsh.
Next, students met Stinky and Snippy,
the turtles that were found outside the
Environmental Center and now help educate
students. To end the informative and exciting
experience, students completed a wetland’s food
chain and sketched animals that were observed.
Third graders were able to keep their science
notebooks, where they completed their work for the
day, as a souvenir. A wonderful time was had by
all!
In Social Studies, students learned about time
lines and created one for their own lives. Students
enjoyed sharing the important events of their lives
and seeing how much they have changed and
grown through the years!
To celebrate poetry month, students have been
enjoying a variety of poems and have even begun to
write their own. Diamante poems about spring
were made into kites that are displayed in the third
grade hallway. The sky is the limit for our young
poets who are embracing this beautiful form of
written expression!
The third grade classes wrote and illustrated
alliteration alphabet books.
Each page was
dedicated to a letter and animal. For example,
“The lively, little ladybug gently landed on a lovely
and long lilac.” Can you tell which letter page this
descriptive sentence could be found on? Students
were very proud of the books they published.
Spring has finally arrived and with it brings the
start of the third, and final, trimester. Time really
AN AWESOME APRIL IN 4TH GRADE
For a short month, April sure did prove to be a
busy month! Preparation for the NJASK has been
in full swing! Students have been receiving
instruction in class to help them become testtaking pros! Skills in Math, Language Arts, and
Science are being practiced and
strengthened as our fourth
graders gear up for the test in
May. We are proud of all of our
students and the effort they put
into their learning.
In Language Arts, NJASK
preparation has turned our students into literary
sleuths. Our detective work has been inspired by
reading passages where we need to find the main
idea/ supporting details, author’s purpose,
fact/opinion, drawing conclusions, and much
more! With each passage we worked with we
became better and better at solving the “case”. In
writing, the fourth graders have been incorporating
dialogue and figurative language into their written
responses. By adding dialogue and figurative
language, the students have been successful at
implementing “voice” into their writing. After all
this practice, the fourth graders feel confident and
ready to take on the NJASK Test.
In Math, Unit 8 focused upon finding the
perimeter and area of objects. The students came
to realize that perimeter and area are concepts that
will be used in their everyday lives. So if your
family is looking to put up a new fence in your
backyard or a new carpet in your living room, call
upon you fourth grader to give you the accurate
measurements. The fourth graders have become
area and perimeter experts! We still managed to
brush up on other topics to prepare for the NJASK.
The students have become quite good at
computation and open ended questions where they
have to explain their mathematical processes.
In Science, we have started the Magnetism and
Electricity kit. Our primary focus in April has been
exploring the magnetic force and it’s attraction to
iron or steel. Students tested the strength of the
magnetic force by conducting many experiments.
One experiment included the use of washers. We
discovered that 14-16 washers are needed to break
5
the force of attraction between 2 magnets.
However, only 3-5 washers were needed to break
the force when “spacers” were placed between the
magnets. The students also reviewed concepts in
Earth Science to help prepare for NJASK.
In Social Studies, the focus for the month of
April has been upon the novel, Number the Stars.
This novel, which is read district-wide in the fourth
grade, tells the story of two families affected by the
Holocaust. As we draw closer to the conclusion of
this story, I can say that the students have
genuinely enjoyed this novel and it has left them
with a deeper understanding of the Nazi
Occupation in Europe during World War II. Our
hearts have been so engrossed in this thrilling
novel that we can’t wait to discover the solution!
The fifth grade students have begun to finish
up the novel My Brother Sam is Dead as well as
continue to investigate and learn about the
American Revolution. As part of the novel study,
the students have selected a final project which
they will be completing independently in class, as
well as completing the floor plans for The
Meekers’s Tavern.
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS
HONOR ROLLS
HIGH HONORS
APRIL NEWS FROM 5TH GRADE
During the month of April, fifth graders
were busy preparing for the
NJASK in Language Arts.
Much
time
was
spent
focusing our efforts on
narrative and expository
writing.
Students
were
taught how to incorporate various types of
figurative language, such as similes, metaphors,
and personification, into their writing. We also
began reading Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine
Paterson and Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech to
explore how authors use figurative language when
writing.
Recently we finished our science unit on
mixtures and solutions. The students enjoyed the
final investigation in which they combined different
chemicals to witness the effects of a chemical
reaction. Next month we will begin our final
science unit titled Environments, a life science unit
that focuses on the study of the relationships
between plants and animals and the environment.
In Math, the students have been preparing for
NJASK, as well as learning new concepts such as
coordinates, area, volume, and capacity. The
students completed Unit 9 by practicing plotting
points on a coordinate grid. They played Hidden
Treasure, a game which allows students to plot
numbers and read ordered number pairs, which is
very similar to the game Battleship. The students
were also introduced to negative and positive
coordinates and transformations of geometric
figures through the application of designated rules.
We also reviewed the area of rectangles and began
investigating
the
area
of
triangles
and
parallelograms.
5TH GRADE
Katherine Bautista, Simon Daniel, Dennis Layne,
Agostina Sanchez
4th GRADE
Jamison Bandivas, Ah-Hyun Lee, Isabel Medina,
Said Kouiri, Alyson Kumor, Ryan Teves
3rd GRADE
Sophia Corredor, Emily Hughes, Norah Khadraoui,
Jaylyn Senise, Abigayle Usi, Arabella Yabut,
Anthony Frangiosa, Ayanna Pagaduan, Ariana
Suits
HONOR ROLL
5TH GRADE
Alex Arcila, Matthew Cespedes, Robert Detko,
Branden Fernandez, Rachel Franciledo, Sharon
George, Jered Gibb, Jared Haag, Kevin John,
Sarah Khadraoui, Ann Marie Matel, Steven Mulder,
Anna Philpott, Marielle Quibilan, Noelle Scanlon,
Joseph Sembrano, Vashti Surujdeen, Jhunneth
Bautista, Caitlyn Brown, Katarina Felix, Dennis
Gurban, Daniel Lemus, Antonio Liberato, Renna
Manansala, Andrew Morel, Aakash Patel, Diego
Pavesio, Megan Quibilan, Kyle Rivera, Kelle Supan,
Bernard Usi, Dylan VanHoorn
4th GRADE
Angelica Argueza, Shaniya Binns, Martina Gomez,
Sharmaine Gonzales, Noah Jones, Andrew Lang,
Joshua Lewis, Megan Motta, Andrew Rojas, Aila
Sinag, Merci Wilson, Kelly Arboleda, Krizelle
Barsatan, Joshua Cabuyao, Ally DaCosta, Mya
DeLatorre, Jonathan Easo, Carolina Gomez, Angela
Rose Massa, Heba Saleh
6
3rd GRADE
Rafael Arango, Andrew Gomez, Lindsey McCall,
Joseph Siuda, Juliana Valdez, Nathan Bravo, Arjo
Canilao, Erin Dayan, Meredith Frias, Rachel
Kumor, Dayshon Milo, Oscar Ramirez, Sara Saleh,
Carol Sanango, Amir Tyner
MOST IMPROVED
5TH GRADE
Harry Allen, Samantha Rahman
JSPA News!
The month of May is here, and with that everyone’s
favorite day…Field Day! The children had a lot of
fun voting for their favorite T-Shirt. I’m sure they
can’t wait for them to arrive. Please be on the
lookout for the memo coming home regarding the
PA lunch provided to all Jefferson School children
on this day.
The end of the year also brings with it some
unfinished business. There are two seats opening
up on our Board, President and Recording
Secretary. Nomination notices went home so please
be sure to send in your nominations.
A quick thank you to all who participated in our
Spring fundraiser. Hopefully you enjoyed the
chocolate as much as we did.
Hope to see you at our next meeting.
Jennifer DaCosta
President
Anna Picca
Vice President
Lori DeRosa
Treasurer
Marianne Kaszner
Recording Secretary
Danielle Tulgar
Corresponding Secretary