Thomas Jefferson School

April 1, 2022

Hello To All of our Thomas Jefferson School Families,

I hope this reaches all of our families doing well as we are finally into our Spring season months. As we enter the final months of our school year, we will update all of our families on many of our upcoming school programs such as field trips, after school activities, night programs, upcoming standardized testing and end of year 8th grade programming and celebrations. This information will come out to our families as we work to finalize the dates. Thank you for your support, as always and we look forward to celebrating so many of these events with all of you. 
In speaking of events and programming, we had so many reasons to celebrate our programming this year whether it be after school clubs and activities, our sports programs--not to mention our championship boys soccer team and girls basketball teams!--Into the Woods Jr. musical, and so many others! There is nothing more than our team at TJ loves, is to see our kids enjoying school, and in creating these programs for our students, we try to give them great opportunities and reasons to stay after school (and sometimes before school) to be a part of our learning community. But, I also need to share a personal moment, as well. Before the Friday night performance of Into the Woods Jr. musical, I walked into the cafeteria to see the students as they put in their final moments of preparation---right before they went on stage. And I was so immediately hit by the excitement of the kids. They were incredibly excited to go on stage. Sure, there was some nervousness and anxiety, too, but the overall excitement and enjoyment of the kids to be together and to perform together was so inspiring to me. I was so incredibly proud of them in this moment. And what always impresses me year to year and several times a year, is the fact that our clubs and sports programs are made up of so many kids of different backgrounds and ability levels who come together as one. If your child is not in a club or afterschool program I encourage you to talk to them about joining one---just one. There is no obligation to just try one. We know that the last thing most kids want to do is to extend their school day, but our staff are always creating new clubs and programs for our students and we are always open to suggestions. I wish every student of ours, to feel the great joy and excitement that the kids felt on the night before the Into the Woods performance, or when one of our sports teams comes off the winning field together, or even as any groups of students in a club comes together to take their yearbook photo, together, at the end of a season. Please consider talking to your child about joining a club with us. 
One final note to share is that I will be sending out some information in the coming days that we are hoping to encourage our students to use their lockers again. Because of our COVID days, many of us got into the habit of carrying many of our items around school throughout the day such as jackets, sweatshirts and backpacks. We would like to get our students back into the habit of using lockers again so that they don’t need to carry all of their personal belongings with them, throughout each school day. 
And finally, while we understand that many of our students do have cell phones in school, please know that cell phones must be turned off and in lockers--or at the very least, turned off and in backpacks during the school day. Please see the Student Handbook for our cell phone and electronics protocols. We have had to speak to several students about this in the past several weeks regarding the use of cell phones in classrooms and bathrooms and we do follow the protocols in the handbook. 
Thank you, as always, for your partnership,

David

Facebook: Thomas Jefferson Middle School-Rockaway Borough
Instagram: tjprincipal
Twitter: Principal of TJ
Phone Number Main Office: 973 625-8603
Nurse: 973 625-8603 ext. 305
Counselor: 973 625-8603 ext. 331
Nurses Corner


DILIGENT URGENT CARE
ON-SITE TESTING HOURS

Mon-Thurs. 9-1

A valid insurance card and state-issued ID is required, otherwise a fee of $30 will be imposed, payable by debit or credit only.















































COVID VACCINE REQUEST-Any students who have been vaccinated completely with 2 doses of Pfizer for Covid and/or had a booster, please make a copy of the vaccination card and send in or email to the Nurse's Office as soon as possible.


CURRENT COVID-19 INFORMATION FOR STAFF AND STUDENTS


Please read through the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) attendance and exclusion guidelines for students that the district must follow. Please understand these guidelines, including length of quarantine, are subject to change at any time upon recommendation from our local health department.   

Students with Covid-19 Compatible Symptoms (at least two of the following symptoms: fever, chills, shivers, muscle aches, headache, sore throat, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, congestion or runny nose; OR at least one of the following symptoms: cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, new loss of sense of smell, or new taste disorder) must not come to school until they receive a negative Covid-19 test, have been fever-free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications, and other symptoms have improved, regardless of the student’s vaccination status. If the student is not tested for Covid-19, they must remain home for five days from the date of symptom onset. 

Any other unvaccinated children in the household who attend district schools must also remain at home until the ill child tests negative for Covid-19.  

If an unvaccinated student is a household member of someone who is ill with Covid-19 Compatible Symptoms*, the student must remain at home until the ill individual tests negative for Covid-19. If the ill individual is not tested, the unvaccinated student must remain home for 5 days from the date of their last exposure to the ill person.  Vaccinated students do not need to remain home if they are not having any symptoms.

The NJDOH is permitting pre-existing conditions to be taken into consideration when determining if symptoms warrant Covid-19 exclusion criteria. Per the NJDOH: "For students with chronic illness, only new symptoms or symptoms worse than baseline should be used to fulfill symptom-based exclusion criteria". Documentation of pre-existing conditions/chronic illness must already be on file with the school nurses.

Parents/Guardians: Please review this form daily before sending your child to school and report your child’s information to your child’s school nurse, (Mrs. Denise Jacobus, RN, at djacobus@rockboro.org or 973-625-8602 for Lincoln School, or Mrs. Linda Savercool RN at lsavercool@rockboro.org or 973-625-8603 for Thomas Jefferson School), if any of the symptoms or close contact/exposure fields are checked off.

Section 1: Symptoms
Any of the symptoms below could indicate a COVID-19 infection in children and may put your child at risk for spreading illness to others. Please note that this list does not include all possible symptoms and children with COVID-19 may experience any, all, or none of these symptoms. Please check your child daily for these symptoms:

Column A  (Two or more symptoms)      Column B  (One symptom)

 ___ Fever (100.0F or higher)             ___Cough
___ Chills                             ___ Shortness of breath
___ Rigors (shivers)                    ___ Difficulty breathing
___ Myalgia (muscle aches)             ___ New loss of smell
___ Headache                          ___New loss of taste
___ Sore throat                                                                        
___ Nausea or Vomiting
___ Diarrhea
___ Fatigue (feeling tired)
___ Congestion or runny nose

Students who are sick (e.g. fever, vomiting, diarrhea) should not attend school in-person, regardless of vaccination status. If TWO OR MORE of the fields in Column A are checked off, or AT LEAST ONE field in Column B is checked off, please keep your ill child and any unvaccinated siblings or household members attending district schools at home and notify the school for further instructions.
































































































STUDENT GOVERNMENT NEWS
Stay tuned for future announcements!
From Ms. Selikoff's MEDIA ROOM






"












2021-2022 REVISED/UPDATED SCHOOL CALENDAR




































2022-2023 SCHOOL CALENDAR


























Day of the Cycle for
April


The TJ

Players

extend a great big THANK YOU
for supporting their performances!
HOME AND SCHOOL NEWS
Hope to
See You At
Tricky Tray
2022



















8th GRADE FUNDRAISERS










TJ Discount cards will be sold March-April, cost $10 and don't expire until 4/1/23. 



Shoprite gift cards will be on sale until further notice. Denomination options of $25, $50 and $100 and these cards will be delivered every Friday. 



LOCAL ACTIVITIES
‌



APRIL 2022
LIBRARY PROGRAMS




DROP-IN RAINBOW SUNCATCHER 
Saturday, April 2 ~ 10:30 am-12:00 pm. Ages 5+
Drop in to create a rainbow themed craft. While supplies last.
DESTRESS AND REFUEL*
Monday, April 4 ~ 5:30pm. Ages 18+. *Registration required.
This 45 minute presentation via Zoom will help identify your stressors as well as cultivate and refuel your personal resiliency. Presented by NJ Hope and Healing counselors. This program is part of a monthly series on mental health topics sponsored by the Mental Health Mondays & More grant.
SPRING STORYTIME & CRAFT*
Tuesday, April 5, 12, 19 ~ 11:00am. Ages 2+. *Registration required.
Six-week program with Ms. Geri continues Tuesdays through April 19.
INTRODUCTION TO MINDFUL YOGA*
Friday, April 8 ~ 11:00am. Ages 18+. *Registration required.
Join instructor Nancy Candea for an in-person chair yoga class. Funded by an American Rescue Plan Act grant.
NIGHT OWLS STORYTIME
Friday, April 8. Ages 2+. Watch Miss Amanda as she reads a story on Facebook.
KINDERGARTEN READINESS BAGS
Ms. Debbi's preschooler bags will be available during the weeks of April 11 & 25. While supplies last.
PUZZLE WEEK
Week of April 18-22. Ages 5+.
It's Spring Break week and if your kids are looking for something to do, stop in the library to work on a jigsaw puzzle! We'll also have Boredom Buster Puzzle Bags to go, while supplies last. Don't forget to check out some books!!
MONOGRAM YARN CRAFT*
Wednesday, April 20 ~ 2:00pm. Ages 10+. *Registration required.
Looking to keep busy during Spring Break? Join Ms. Geri for a Monogram Letter Yarn Craft. Fun and easy to make!
BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING
Wednesday, April 20 ~ 7:00pm
Meeting will be held at Community Center for Board Members. Open to the public. Zoom link available.
KNIT AND CROCHET CLUB*
Thursday, April 21 ~ 11:00am-12:30pm. Ages 18+. *Registration required.
Join Geri and bring your knitting, crocheting, cross-stitch or needlework project.
CREATE YOUR STORY: A STORY-WRITING WORKSHOP*
Friday, April 22 ~ 4pm. Ages 13+. *Registration required.
Join Miss Amanda for tips and tricks on perfecting your narrative story. Bring a notebook, pen or pencil, and a creative mind. This program is the first in a series that will be held twice a month.
BOOK LOVERS MEETING*
Wednesday, April 27 ~ 6:30pm. Ages 18+. *Registration required.
Reserve a copy of the book, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid which we will discuss at the meeting. Bring a book suggestion or two to share with the group.
ARBOR DAY DROP-IN CRAFT
Friday, April 29 ~ 11am-1pm. Ages 3-5.
Drop in to create a cute tree craft for Arbor Day with Ms. Lauren
CELEBRATE ARBOR DAY*
Saturday, April 30 at 10:30 am. Ages 6+. *Registration required.
Celebrate Arbor Day and the importance of trees. Join Friend of the Library, Barbara McCloskey, for a craft and planting to take home.


Visit http://rblibrary.org/ or call 973-627-5709 to register for library programs.






Run For A Cause!










‌
















What's New in Our Schools and in Our Community
Respect Yourself and Others
Achieve Excellence
Make Good Choices
Stay Safe
Thomas Jefferson School - 95 East Main Street, Rockaway NJ 07866 - Phone: 973-625-8603
basicImage