Torey J. Sabatini
School
September 2012
Important Dates
October
4, 5
5
8
8
9
9,10,11
16
18
23
26
31
31
November
5, 6
7
8, 9
13
16
21
22,23
27
28
29
December
8
12
11
14
19
21
24-31
School Pictures
DEAR – 8 am
Columbus Day – Single Session/
PM Professional Development/Staff
BOE 7:30
Parent Visitation
4th Gr. Trip – Turtle Back Zoo
5th Grade Class Trip – Camp Bernie
BOE 7:30
1st Gr. Trip – Great Swamp –
Cultural Arts “Story Pirates”
Halloween Parade and Parties
Welcome to 2012-2013
Well, the school year is three weeks old and
we already feel as if we have been in session
for much longer. Students are secure in their
daily routines, teachers are focused on classroom goals and process and the school has
that wonderful, happy hum of activity. It all
feels great.
Book Fair/Single Sessions/Teacher
End of 1st MP
NJEA Convention/School Closed
BOE 7:30
1st MP Report Cards Issued
Thanksgiving Recess/Single Session
Thanksgiving Recess/School Closed
BOE 7:30
PTO Meeting – 2:30
Cultural Arts “Schoolhouse Rock” –
The new staff at Torey J. are wonderful professionals, and each of them is poised to add
something very special to the school. We were
very fortunate to bring these talented educators into our fold. To refresh your memories,
we have added Allison Brozyna (3rd), Michelle
Velasco (1st) and Susan Nering (teacher’s assistant). We have also benefitted from several fine professionals being transferred from
other schools in our district. Herb Lockett
(night custodian) and Teresa Townsend
(special educator) came to us from other
schools and we are excited to have them on
staff.
Holiday Workshop 9 am
2-Hr Delayed Opening for Students
BOE 7:30
Holiday Concert – 1:30 pm
Winter Concert 1:45 pm
Holiday Sing Along 2:30 pm
Holiday Recess/School Closed
Great thanks are deserved by our parent community. Your help and support are much appreciated. Our children come to school ready
and able to learn, and learn enthusiastically.
This is due to your contributions at home and
are most appreciated. Thank you!
TJS PTO
Torey J. is very fortunate to have an active and
supportive PTO. Over the years, our PTO has
contributed time, energy and support by funding
and developing programs like Cultural Arts, Educational Enrichment, Awesome Art and a variety
of enrichment programs.
Additionally, the fundraising of the PTO has resulted in some really special additions to the
Torey J. program, like stage curtains, our sound
system, playground equipment, Smartboards,
Orff instruments for the music program and
school beautification projects. Their contribution has made our school a far better place for
all of our students for years to come.
For years now, the PTO has supported our
teachers with a grant program, providing classrooms with books and materials based on
teacher grant requests. Every student in the
school has benefitted from these classroom
grants. Many of our classroom libraries have
been bolstered by the PTO’s generosity.
This year a very exciting PTO project has improved the face of Torey J. The PTO funded a
project to install paving stones near the main
office entrance, providing parents and students
a clean and attractive place to stand and assemble before and after school. It looks incredible!
Our PTO is led by Karen Tom and Colleen Taddeo, who serve as co-presidents. Laura Baisch
and Louisa Eilender are the co-vice presidents.
These leaders and many other contributors
make the PTO an organization that truly supports the learning environment for all of our
students, year in and year out.
Thank you, PTO. You make it all happen.
Mrs. Figarella
Megan Figarella began as the part-time elementary school counselor last year and did an
amazing job while serving three schools on a
limited schedule. Mrs. Figarella is also the
elementary schools’ HIB specialist.
This year, Mrs. Figarella is full time. She still
serves all three elementary schools, but at
least she has more time in each school than
she did last year. At Torey J., Mrs. Figarella
has an office situated in the media center.
Mrs. Figarella is an incredibly positive, supportive presence in our students’ lives. She is
working to establish a leadership program for
fifth graders that will provide interested students with service projects.
We are very lucky to have Mrs. Figarella in our
elementary schools. Her presence has already
proven to be invaluable.
TJS Media Center
The TJS media center is a special place. Mrs. Taylor, our media specialist, has created a fertile place
for students to learn and enrich their reading.
This summer, a great improvement came our way.
The media center was carpeted, and it is beautiful.
The new carpeting led to some reorganization of
the library and Mrs. Taylor worked very hard to
make the space even more effective and pleasant
for students.
Mrs. Taylor also teaches computer technology to
our students in grades one though five. Our computer lab occupies one corner of the media center.
The computer monitors and other technology were
donated by our PTO.
Thanks to Mrs. Taylor for making our library a
place students are eager to visit and find just the
right book!
NJ ASK 2013
This year’s NJ ASK is being administered the week of May 12th.
Please do your best to adjust plans
around these dates.
Thank you!
Honeywell
The use of Honeywell Instant Alert System as
a way to notify parents of news around the
district is expanding.
No longer is its use solely to notify parents of
school closings. You can now expect to be notified by Honeywell for a variety of reasons.
Due to this change of use, you may wish to return to Honeywell and adjust your contact
preferences and information.
The instructions for making changes in your
Honeywell account are on the district website
Madison Public School District Mission Statement
The Madison School District will inspire
and challenge all students to be life-long
learners, empowered with the knowledge,
skills, and character to shape their futures, realize their dreams, and contribute positively to the world.
School Nutrition Resource for Parents
Beginning this year, school cafeterias across
the state and across the country must meet
tough new federal nutrition standards. These
standards make sure that all students receive
well-balanced meals and all the nutrition they
need to succeed in school. School meals will
include a larger variety of fruits and vegetables, serving sizes appropriate for each age
group, more whole grains, less salt, and either
fat free or 1% milk.
The New Jersey Department of Education
(NJDOE) in collaboration with the New Jersey
Department of Agriculture created a parent
resource that provides information about the
new federal nutrition standards. This resource
may be accessed on the NJDOE’s Keeping Our
Kids Safe, Healthy, and in School webpage at
http://www.state.nj.us/education/students/
safety/health/nutrition/changes.pdf
National Prescription Drug TakeBack Day
This day is scheduled for 9/29/12 from 10 am
to 2pm! The program is sponsored by The US
Dept. of Justice which has arranged collection
sites throughout the country. The Madison
Borough Police Department located at 62
Kings Road is a collection site where you can
drop off any unwanted medications. This is a
great way to properly dispose of prescription
drugs that are no longer being used. Check
the following site for additional collection locations and information.
http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/
drug_disposal/takeback/index.html
MAP Tests
Classroom Libraries
Last year, the Madison Elementary Schools administered the MAP Tests instead of the previously administered Terra Nova tests. Everyone
agreed that the Terra Novas were not giving us
the sort of information that could effectively
be utilized to better instruct our students.
At Torey J., we are doing our very best to establish classroom libraries that are rich and
varied. Each classroom is establishing a library
within the classroom that not only encompasses each child’s reading level, but each
child’s reading style and preference.
This year, students will be assessed using the
MAP tests in both grades two and three. Testing will take place in the fall and then again in
the spring to measure growth over the year.
Testing will take place in the computer lab and
will take approximately two hours.
Our purpose for establishing the libraries is
to support our readers by encouraging the activity proven to develop reading skill more
than any other...time to actually read.
Though the NJ ASK take several days and are
taken very seriously, they do not provide us with
very useful, specific information to help us
guide focused instruction. It is our hope, that
by administering the MAP test twice yearly, we
will be able to discern not only student’s
strengths and areas in which we need to help
them improve, but specific areas we can focus
on in developing better differentiated instruction.
Actually reading is not as simple as it may
seem. Matching the right books to the right
reader is crucial. Many of us can probably look
back on those books that enticed us into a
lifetime of reading. For me it was a series of
biographies written about American heroes,
from Nathan Hale to Lou Gehrig, from George
Washington to Louis Armstrong. Once hooked,
I couldn’t wait to find the next volume to consume. For others it could be any number of
books or series of books that helped to pave
an entry into reading.
If you are picking your child up early or delivering instructions for them to go home with another parent or altering their pick up routine in
any way, please make a point of copying Mrs.
Empson on your e-mail or note. This will help to
ensure that everyone is in “the know” .
Today’s young readers have choices more enticing and varied than ever...and for each
child, it is something different. For some,
their reading habits are driven by specific interests usually non fiction. For some, it is the
ability to enter a world of fantasy. For others, it is the chance to connect with a character who feels both familiar and commanding.
Regardless of what brings us to see ourselves
as readers, it is the fact that we become
readers that is important.
We do everything we possibly can to be certain
that every child is accounted for as they leave
school. With your help in connecting with Mrs.
Empson we can make extra sure this happens.
Thank you!
Isolated skill instruction is necessary at times,
but anything that takes students away from
actually reading and contextualizing that
knowledge for large chunks of time is not time
well spent. Thus, our classroom libraries!
The fall MAP testing window is scheduled the
last two weeks of October.
Pick Up Instructions
Reading Recovery
We are very fortunate to have Reading Recovery at Torey J. Mrs. Ryan, our Reading Specialist, is also our Reading Recovery teacher.
Mrs. Ryan underwent Reading Recovery Training seven years ago, for a full year. This has
resulted in some truly remarkable results and
ancillary benefits for our school.
First of all, Reading Recovery has been rated
as a top reading intervention by What Works
Clearinghouse. It is a rare program that’s efficacy has actually been proven. It is focused
on first graders who are struggling with reading. The goal is to give these students intensive instruction for twenty weeks, getting
them up to speed and back into their mainstreamed classrooms. The one-on-one instruction is a daily half hour session with Mrs. Ryan.
This process has resulted in a huge percentage
of the students Mrs. Ryan has worked with
coming up to grade level and being fluent readers by the time they complete first grade.
Mrs. Ryan also works in the classroom with
small groups of students, helping them to accelerate their reading ability and gain fluency.
Perhaps the most valuable aspect of Reading
Recovery has been the effect Mrs. Ryan has
had on the entire TJS faculty. It has taken a
true teacher leader and made her even more
effective. Since Reading Recovery is a distilled version of the balanced literacy approach, working with students to strategize
and become assertive advocates for their own
reading, Mrs. Ryan has been a support for all
aspects of our language arts program.
We are very lucky to have Mrs. Ryan and very
lucky to be a school that offers Reading Recovery. It has enriched our school in many
valuable ways and that impact continues.
Columbia Teachers’ College Reading
and Writing Project
This past summer, four members of our staff
attended Columbia Teachers’ College for a
weeklong, invaluable experience at the Reading
and Writing Project headed by Lucy Calkins.
This experience is one of a number we have had
with “TC” over the years, beginning with their
consultation on our writers’ workshop and including a number of training experiences both at TC
and in our district. It has all led to our language
arts program growing into a richer, more rewarding experience for our students and, inferentially, our staff.
As opposed to packaged programs that require
only that a teacher follow a packaged series of
scripts and worksheets, the TC method demands
that teachers truly become strong and intuitive
educators, knowing their students’ learning
needs and idiosyncrasies and focusing their instruction accordingly. The readers’ and writers’
workshops place emphasis on activities that are
within the context of reading and writing, as
opposed to providing activities that are largely
divorced from the flow of reading and writing.
The effectiveness of our curriculum and practice are not solely reflected in our typically
strong test scores, but with the breadth of our
students’ fluency in reading and writing and the
culture of literacy we have developed.
Books to check out to deepen one’s understanding of the reading and writing workshop are
Calkin’s The Art of Teaching Reading and The
Art of Teaching Writing. For more information
regarding TC and the Reading and Writing Project, visit their website at http://
tc.readingandwritingproject.com/
(This film was referred to us by MAASA) You are invited to a free showing of the Sundance Award Winning documentary Miss Representation
Wednesday, October 24th 7PM Chatham High School Auditorium 255 Lafayette Avenue Chatham 07928 (Screening to be followed by a panel discussion) Learn about how media affects girls self image and what we, as parents, can do about
it.
Teenagers spend on average over 10 hours a day consuming media – TV, internet, movies, music, etc. The media often has limited and disparaging portrayals of women. The consequences of how woman are portrayed in the media are dire. 65% of American women and girls report disordered eating behaviors and the number of cosmetic surgical proce‐
dures performed on youth 18 or younger more than tripled from 1997 to 2007. The United States is 90th in the world in terms of women in national legislatures. Women are merely 3% of Fortune 500 CEOs. About 25% of girls will experience teen dating violence Miss Representation brings together some of America's most influential women in poli‐
tics, news and entertainment… to give audiences an inside look at the media's message and depiction of women. The film explores women's under‐representation in positions of power by challenging their limited and often disparaging portrayals in the media. ‐ Oprah Winfrey Network website We encourage all parents, caregivers, educators, counselors and High School students to attend. It is important to note that the
OWN Network rated the film TV-14 DL. For more information about the film and the rating, please see missrepresentation.org and commonsensemedia.org.
Responsive Classroom
This past summer, five staff members from
Torey J. were trained for one week in Responsive Classroom, which was held, conveniently, in
Randolph. The overwhelming majority of our
staff have now received level one training in Responsive Classroom. This is given over the summer on our staff’s own time. It is no minor commitment.
This program has had a substantial impact on
TJS. The program focuses on the creation of
classroom communities and strengthened, humane, classroom practice. At Torey J., each
class has a brief but invaluable morning meeting
during which students greet each other, share
valuable experiences with their classmates, take
part in an activity and review news and announcements for the day.
We have also worked to incorporate other aspects of the program, like developing a common
language, employing logical consequences, providing choice when appropriate regarding certain
classroom activities and modeling classroom and
school routines.
Responsive Classroom is endorsed by Dr. Maurice Elias, the director of “Improving School Climate for Academic and Life Success” among
many other leaders in the field. Learn more
about this wonderful program at
http://www.responsiveclassroom.org/sites/
default/files/pdf_files/rc_brochure_8page.pdf
Parents and Professionals for Exceptional Children
Workshop Schedule
2012-2013
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
A Landmark College Parent Night
Explore the college search and transition for
students with a learning disability, ADHD or ASD
Presenter: Rachel Masson, Director of Admissions
7:00 p.m.
Madison High School
Media Center
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Exploring Holiday Gift Buying For Your Children
Presented by Our Occupational
Therapists and Speech-Language Specialists
7:00 p.m.
Madison Junior School
Media Center
Tuesday, February 5, 2012
Navigating through Your Child’s IEP
Presented by Parents and Child Study Team Members
7:00 p.m.
Madison Junior School
Media Center
Tuesday, April 23, 2012
Healthy Living for the Adolescent
Presenters: Katharine Holtzman, LCSW
Lauren Cianciotta, Nutritionist
7:00 p.m.
Madison Junior School
Media Center
Kindergarten Wrap-Around Program
The Madison Elementary Schools have an exciting addition to our primary level programming. We now have a kindergarten wraparound program that takes place in the morning.
This enables students enrolled in our afternoon kindergarten to come to school in the
morning like everyone else, have recess and
lunch and then transition to our afternoon
kindergarten. It has been an excellent addition
to our school!
The program is headed by teacher Suzanne
Pelkey and teacher’s assistant, Heather Conway.
They make a true dynamic duo for our students.
The children love the program and have benefitted in many ways. There is a lot of fun and a lot
of learning happening in the wrap-around kindergarten room!
For more information about this exciting program, please check the district website.