INSIDE IEF
Ms. Nicole Cruts , Editor
Principal’s Corner
-The current student enrollment – Pre-K through Grade 4 – at IEF School is 462.
-The IEF Family welcomes new teachers Ashley Grutta (Music); Jen Collett (Computers); Samantha Wong
(Resource); Hallie Yula (1st Grade); and Chantal Reffler (Secretary). We also welcome back Lisa Dent –
formerly Costa – (3rd Grade); and Lori Gross (4th Grade).
-I would like to thank the entire IEF staff, and the entire IEF community for their parts in making the
start of the 2015-16 school year run so smoothly.
-On Tuesday, September 1st, teachers and staff attended Professional Development Day in the a.m. at
Green Brook Middle School. The district’s Reader’s Workshop initiative was a highlight feature of Professional Development Day. In the p.m., IEF staff met with Mr. Lamberti for a faculty meeting at IEF
School. Consultant Christy O’Connor was on hand to consult with teachers about Reader’s Workshop.
IEF also held a Meet Your Kindergarten Teacher time on September 1st.
-On Thursday, September 3rd, Mr. Lamberti and Ms. Ostrander held IEF School’s first Health & Safety
assembly for the entire student body. Presentations were centered on the following topics: the Code of
Student Conduct, safety in and around the school grounds, and staying healthy while at school and outside of school. I thank Mrs. Marchese for assisting in the enactment of various scenarios presented to
the student body.
-On Friday, September 11th, IEF School held a brief/respectful ceremony commemorating 9/11 at the
front entrance area of the school. IEF students and staff – along with Mr. Carroll and a number of parents of the school community – assembled for the ceremony. Mr. Lamberti presented words pertaining
to the need for peace and humane citizenship. All joined in a moment of silence as the flag was hoisted
to half-staff. The assemblage joined voices in the Pledge of Allegiance, God Bless America, and the IEF
School Song. Mr. Lamberti read Peace Poem which he composed in September of 2014.
-IEF held its annual Back-to-School Night on September 16, 2015. The event was very well-attended. I
wish to express my appreciation to Mr. Benscoter, Mr. Carroll, Mrs. Kusch, Mrs. Scavo, Mrs. Howe, and
Mr. Murray for their presentations to parents from the dais. Their participation made the event extra
special. Appreciation is also extended to Chief Kurz for providing police monitoring of the traffic situation in and around the IEF School campus.
-IEF School Conducted a fire drill on Friday, September 11th. -IEF School conducted a secure your students drill on Friday, September 18th. -IEF School – in coordination with the transportation department
– conducted a fall bus evacuation drill on Friday, September 25th.
-We also welcome student teachers: Katie Harabin, Jennifer Hachey, and Amanda Hazen.
-Homework Club began at IEF School on Tuesday, September 22nd. Mrs. Belcuore and Mrs. Pirrone are
the Homework Club moderators.
-The PTO held a parent breakfast in the IEF School Cafeteria on Wednesday, September 2 nd. Mr. Carroll
and Mr. Lamberti addressed the parents at this well-attended event sponsored by the PTO under the
auspices of Co-Presidents Mrs. Kusch and Mrs. Scavo.
-IEF School’s Sports Mania intramurals for 3rd and 4th graders were held during the week of September
14th. 1st and 2nd graders enjoyed Sports Mania during the week of September 21st. Sports Mania for 3rd
and 4th graders will be held again during the week of September 28th.
-IEF School’s fall picture day is scheduled for Monday, October 5th.
-The PTO held a book fair at IEF School on September 15th, 16th and 17th.
-Mrs. Hahn, Mrs. Breunig, and Ms. Wong’s class loves Reader’s Workshop. The children eagerly wait for
that period each day. The children are currently “shopping” in the class library for “just right” books.
They also have been practicing picking good spots to read. Some spots include the rug, the rocking
chair, and an easel tent. The boys and girls are working on building read stamina just like runners do.
Lastly, the children have started to partner read. The teachers love walking around and listening to
each group read. It is great to see their excitement and eagerness towards reading.
r ’15
Septembe
What’s Going on at
IEF?
9/11 Ceremony 9/11
Back-to-School Night
9/16
Bus Evacuation Drill
9/25
No School 9/7, 9/14,
9/23
Picture Day 10/5
Fingerprints 10/14
What’s Inside:
- Nurse’s Nook
- Yearbook information
- Grade Level Updates!
-Specials Updates
- Nurses Fact Sheet
Nurse’s Nook
It’s hard to believe that September is
here already and we need to readjust
our thinking to being back at school.
Here are a few helpful hints to get you
started for the year.
Calls to the Nurse: ALL ABSENCES
must be reported to the nurse by calling
732-968-1052 and press #2 for attendance. The answering machine is on 24/7
so call at any time. Please be specific
regarding illness symptoms as I am required to report specific illnesses to the
county on a weekly basis. Please try to
report an absence before the start of the
school day. If you do not notify the
school with the reason for the absence, it
will be recorded as unexcused. Contagious diseases such as strep throat,
chicken pox, impetigo and mononucleosis must always be reported. If you need
to leave any other messages for the
nurse or to speak with me directly press
#3 for my office line. A parent note is
required for every absence of 2 days or
less and a doctor’s note is required for an
absence of 3 days or more.
Medications: Do NOT send any form of
medication to school with your child.
Medication orders need to be renewed
every year, so if you want your child to
be given medicines such as Tylenol, or
asthma inhalers, new forms must be
completed by you and your physician
every school year. Medications must be
delivered to the nurse by the parent or a
designated adult.
School Nutrition Procedure: IEF School
is registered with the Department of
Agriculture as a “Team Nutrition
School”. To fulfill our responsibilities as
such, and meet the new national nutrition law, during the school year we will
foster appropriate nutritional practices
in both special nutrition projects, as well
as during snack and lunch times. Due to
the danger related to a high number of
students with allergies, no foods may be
sent in for student birthdays. You may
however, send in a small nonfood treat
such as pencils, or stickers. A summary
of our current nutrition policy can be
found on the IEF webpage.
Head Lice: Yes, those little critters do
still exist and they are happy to crawl
(no, they can’t jump) onto anyone’s nice
warm head (clean or dirty). Once coats
and hats start hanging together at school
or heads ”hang together” on pillows at
sleepovers, “sharing” critters can happen. Be on the lookout for your child
frequently itching the bottom of the back
of his/her head. Also the lice eggs or nits
look like tiny pieces of dandruff stuck on
the hair, but are very difficult to get off
(unlike dandruff that would brush off
easily). Be sure to alert the school nurse
as soon as possible after discovering your
child has been infected so that measures
can be instituted at school to prevent the
spread of this condition.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Ostrander
Principal’s Corner Continued..
-At the September 28th Board of Education Meeting, I am presenting on, and seeking Board approval for the 2014-15 HIB SelfAssessments for IEF School and Green Brook Middle School. I will be entering data and electronically submitting HIB Self-Assessment
information for the Green Brook School District to the State by the September 30 th due date.
-On Monday, September 21st, consultant Brook Geller worked with 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade staff on Teachers’ College staff development
pertaining to Reader’s Workshop. The training included modeling in “lab classroom site” situations, and discussion in grade-level teams.
Mr. Carroll and Mr. Lamberti have met with IEF teachers during grade-level meeting dates during the week of September 7th. The topic of
discussion pertained to report cards. We are seeking to revise the grades K through 4 report cards to better reflect pupil progress – especially in light of Reader’s/Writer’s Workshop implementation, new Science Standards, and Core Curriculum. A moratorium on first marking period report cards will be initiated as November parent conferences will serve as the first reportage of student status. We seek to
have an appropriate report card ready for reportage of second marking period pupil progress. A committee will convene on Tuesday,
September 29th for its initial meeting. The committee will meet regularly during the first marking period. Already, some research has
begun, and report cards from other districts have been gathered and disseminated.
2015-2016 Yearbook Orders
Again, this year the year book company
will be supplying us with envelopes for
you to submit your order. These will go
home with students sometime during the
month of October. If you should lose the
envelope, please note that we will continue to publish a year book order form in
the IEF newsletter and on the Year Book
area of the IEF web site for your convenience. We are also in the process of setting up online ordering – we’ll let you
know when that is ready.
Thank you –
Ms. Ostrander & Ms. Silver, Year Book
Editors
Preschool ABA
Here we are in September already! I hope
everyone had a relaxing and enjoyable
summer. It was
great to see all the smiling
faces on the 1st day of school. The students are acclimating well to being back in
the school routine. This year we will double our fun by attending many more specials per week. The boys and girls are
doing so well following the classroom rules
of sitting appropriately, taking turns and
following classroom routines. “Show and
Share” is coming up at the end of the
month so begin to look for something special that your child can bring to school to
share with his or her friends. We are looking forward to a great year. Thank you in
advance for all your assistance in helping
us make school a wonderful experience for
your child.
Welcome back from our Grade Level Teachers! ...Continued
Welcome to IPSP!!
This September in the Integrated Preschool
Program we are having a wonderful time
learning perhaps for the first time- what it
finally means to “go to school.” In these
fledgling days, we learn what it means to be
a part of a group. This life-long learning
process starts in the first few moments of
preschool with learning how to greet one
another, how to walk in a line, how to hang
up a jacket and unpack a backpack. We
begin to recognize our names in print, and
learn to try hard before asking for help. Our
first few weeks mean sharing, taking turns,
listening, and following a routine. They are
about being a little bit out of our comfort
zone and being okay with that, and thinking
about being away from home and parents for
a time,. Here in the IPSP, we grow a little bit
more independent each day. We have had
many proud moments already. We have
walked in a straight line, we have found the
right cubby with our name on it, we have
asked for help to open a snack and helped a
friend with the same task. We are already
artists, athletes, dancers, writers, thinkers,
builders, readers, and explorers.
Welcome Kindergarten!
The children are truly becoming acclimated
to their new environment. They are learning
the classroom routines as well as developing
the social skills required to be successful in
Kindergarten. For example, we are learning
how to walk in a straight line, share toys, put
folders and backpacks away independently,
open our own lunches/snacks, and utilize
classroom materials appropriately. We are
so proud of the children and the tremendous
progress that they have made in Kindergar-
Music
This year in music class we will be
singing, moving, and playing! We
will learn about composers, musical
time periods, music from around the
world, music literacy, and more.
Everyone will experience playing
xylophones, drums, keyboards, and
other percussion instruments. Third
and Fourth grade will be learning
recorders as well. Please check the
IEF calendar to see when our performances will be!
Library
Start planning your entry for the
annual Pumpkin Decorating Contest
in the library media center.Please
bring in your pumpkins by October
28th. Many thanks to the Green
Brook P.T.O. for supplying all the
prizes. Parents please stop by and
select a book from the parent library.
ten thus far. We are looking forward to a
spectacular year!
Hello First Graders!
Some reminders….Please empty your child’s
folder every night. You will find homework for
the night on Monday through Thursday. You
will also find checked work and graded tests
along with notices. When a folder is emptied
each night, it is much easier for your first
grader to keep their papers neat and organized. We will eat snack every day. Snack
time helps to provide your child with a break
and an energy boost before lunch. Please
provide a simple, healthy snack (fruit, yogurt,
etc.). If a spoon is required, be sure to Include it for your child. We enjoyed meeting
you all at Back to School night! Thank you for
coming and demonstrating your support of
your child’s learning.
Hi Second Grade!
They are off and soaring through their first
month of school. Thank you for sending such
happy, helpful, well-rested students to school
each day. We are looking forward to an exciting, productive year. Please talk to your child
each day when he/she comes home from
school. Ask your child to show you his/her
homework assignments which should be written in a homework journal. Encourage your
child to unpack and place homework away
when it is complete. Let’s work together to
develop self-confidence in the children this
year. There’s no telling how far they will soar!
Welcome back Third graders!
We are off to a great start this school year. It
was wonderful meeting all of our parents at
Back to School Night. Please continue to
check homework folders and planners every
night and encourage your child to stay orga-
nized. We are looking forward to our second
year of Writing Workshop and are confident
our third graders will enjoy the varied and
interesting writing projects. This year we will
deliver reading instruction via the workshop
model with Reading Workshop. The big
change already is that all of our third graders
are reading more! Hopefully you are seeing
this change at home since the children
should be bringing their book bags, reading
logs, and books home every night for homework. We all look forward to a great learning
adventure this year. Welcome to third grade!
Welcome back Fourth Graders!
The fourth graders have had a wonderful
start to the school year. They are very excited to hold the honor of The Seniors of IEF.
It was a pleasure to meet all of our parents at
Back to School night. Please continue to
check your child's planner nightly.
The fourth grade students are working hard
and excited about Reader's Workshop!
Reading Workshop compliments Writer's
Workshop to help promote a balanced literacy approach in the classroom. Encourage
children to talk about their reading at home.
Their reading log is a wonderful indicator of
how much reading students will be doing this
year! Right now, in both reading and writing,
students are working on character development. Readers are looking at mentor texts to
help them grow grounded, significant ideas
by noticing the author's craft. Writers are
developing characters and plotting story arcs
to help them draft their first realistic fiction
story! We are so excited with the implementation of the workshop model. Our students
are developing into confident
and independent readers and writers!
Art
Physical Education
This month in art, students began the school year
bursting with creativity and excitement. The first
few weeks of school focused on a “Back to
School Night” theme. Students drew selfportraits and their favorite part of school. Moving forward in October, students will practice
their drawing, painting and collage skills. Keep
your eyes out for a paper quilt mural the third
grade classes are working on.
Welcome back to another year of physical education. Mr. Billman and Ms. Cruts are very excited
for the fun activities planned this year for all
grade levels. Students have been getting back in
the groove of exercising two times a week! Students are learning about the muscles with our
Muscles of the Week. Looking forward into
October, we will be starting our football and
soccer units and soon getting into our rock wall
Spanish
!Bienvenidos! Welcome to the new school year
for Spanish K-4. Kindergarten will be learning
colors and numbers in Spanish. Grade 1 will be
learning the body parts in Spanish and the song
"Cabeza, Hombros, Pierna y Pies". Grade 2 will
be learning classroom objects in Spanish. Grade
3 will be learning Tengo hambre/tengo sed, I am
hungry and thirsty and various food and drink
items. Grade 4 will be learning Family vocabulary and how to create their family tree. Please
feel free to contact me about coming in as a guest
speaker or to join in our classes.
Computers
We have an exciting year planned for computers!
We are starting out our year using our Google
Drive and getting used to all the Google Apps.
After this unit, we will be
moving into computer
programming! I am looking forward to a fantastic
year in computers. If you
have any questions please
feel free to email me at
[email protected]
ON
ATTENTI
Parents/Guardians: Please SAVE or COPY the duplicated form below in
case your child’s pick up from school changes!
COPY and CUT
**A CHANGE IN PLANS** Please use this form or another with the same information in
order to clearly indicate your child’s plan. Please fill in completely – this is essential for the safety
of your child. Feel free to make copies of this form or print out from our website:
www.gbtps.org.
Date: ________________ Teacher _________________________
Student’s Name _________________________________
The change for this date: ______________________ is:
(month, day # & day of week)
____ NOT taking the bus
____ NOT going to aftercare
____ Is being picked up by
Name/relationship _____________________________
____ Will leave early/pick up time ________________
____ Other ___________________________________
Parent/Guardian signature __________________________
________________________________________________________
**A CHANGE IN PLANS** Please use this form or another with the same information in
order to clearly indicate your child’s plan. Please fill in completely – this is essential for the safety
of your child. Feel free to make copies of this form or print out from our website:
www.gbtps.org.
Date: ________________ Teacher _________________________
Student’s Name _________________________________
The change for this date: ______________________ is:
(month, day # & day of week)
____ NOT taking the bus
____ NOT going to aftercare
____ Is being picked up by
Name/relationship _____________________________
____ Will leave early/pick up time ________________
____ Other ___________________________________
Parent/Guardian signature __________________________
YIKES LICE!! - Helpful Hints for Parents
Lice are insects that live in human hair (not animals). Their goal in life is to feed
on your blood and lay eggs (about 6/day). Lice are brown to black in color and
CANNOT jump, fly or hop. They CAN crawl from head to head or hitch a ride on
objects such as combs, coats, hats or scarves. (So – no sharing!) Lice will usually
die within 24-48 hours off of a human host, the egg or nit can survive off a host
about 10 days. It takes 7-10 days for the eggs to hatch and then another 7
days for the female to be able to lay eggs. Unchecked, a female louse can live for
about a month and produce MANY (about 400) nymphs that will eventually grow
into egg-laying adult lice. Having lice does NOT have anything to do with personal hygiene/cleanliness. Lice infestation is an annoyance, not a disease; however,
infection can result from scratching open the scalp with “germy” fingers.
Most people, but not all, experience scalp itching from the saliva the lice injects into their scalp.
This is the only “symptom” of an infestation. Confirmation of lice is by exam for the eggs or live
lice. The eggs or nits are very small oval sacks which the lice “glue” to the hair shaft. One
should use a bright light and a magnifying glass to check for lice and their eggs. Dandruff or dry
scalp flakes are sometimes mistaken for lice, but these can be easily removed from the hair,
whereas the nits cannot. Sometimes a live louse can be seen, but they crawl quickly from light so
are often missed during the exam. ALL cases of lice must be reported to the school nurse
upon discovery. Students will be checked throughout grade levels upon reports of active
lice cases.
Most lice are killed by using a pediculocide shampoo such as Nix or Rid, however these products
are only 99% effective on the eggs, hence the district’s “no nit” policy. This means ALL eggs or
nits MUST be removed from the hair before the student can return to school. This process
involves combing through the hair with a metal tined comb after the shampoo has been used. It
often takes hours to comb through the hair and it is usually necessary to pick out individual nits
the comb leaves behind. It is suggested that before using the lice shampoo, the student’s hair
should be shampooed with a “cleansing” shampoo (such as Prell) to ensure the best effect by the
lice shampoo. Upon return to school, students with confirmed lice MUST see the school
nurse before returning to class to insure complete removal of all eggs from the hair.
Applying a non-pediculocide such as mayonnaise, olive oil, or Vaseline in an attempt to “suffocate”
lice has no proven scientific benefit.
Besides treating the child, the home must also receive attention. In the
home, all furniture and carpets should be vacuumed – there are commercial sprays that can be applied, however the benefit of their use is in
question. Thorough washing and machine drying (for a minimum of ½
hour on hot) of all bedding and used clothing (worn in the previous 7
days) is most important. If any objects in the person’s environment cannot be washed, they should be bagged for a minimum of two weeks to
assure any lice or nits on them are dead. Car seats should be vacuumed
or wiped down as well. Combs, brushes and hair clips should be soaked
in hot water (above 130 degrees) for 10 minutes.