Thomas Jefferson School Newsletter February 2026 Revised

Thomas Jefferson School

February 2026

To Our Thomas Jefferson School Families,

February has been a fantastic month here at Thomas Jefferson School! Students and staff enjoyed the mid-winter break; the winter sports season came to a close; club volleyball was held before and after school. Students have been working diligently on our upcoming school play; and students engaged in many dynamic learning activities.

We are thrilled to celebrate the outstanding efforts of our fourth graders, who recently completed a captivating nonfiction book project centered around biographies of notable figures. Each student crafted a three-paragraph essay, designed an engaging visual display, and dressed up as their chosen individual for our exciting Wax Museum event held in the cafeteria. Our third-grade friends had the unique opportunity to explore the museum, pressing “play” buttons to learn more about each historical figure and enjoying personal interactions with our fourth graders, who even signed autographs! This educational yet fun experience showcased the dedication and creativity of our students. Kudos to the fourth graders, Mrs. Tuluca, Mrs. Duker and Mrs. McGill for a fabulous job!

Art trip to Morris Museum -Art Club students attended Contemporary Volumes, an inspiring exhibition that explored how books can be transformed into sculptural, conceptual, and symbolic works of art. The exhibit featured contemporary artists from across the United States who reimagined books through sculpture, installation, and mixed media. The experience allowed students to see how familiar objects can be reinvented to communicate meaning beyond words and encouraged them to think critically about materials, symbolism, and artistic intent. After a docent-led tour, students participated in a hands-on studio session where they created artwork inspired by what they observed. The visit concluded in the museum’s maker space, where students had time to explore, experiment, and collaborate. Overall, the trip was a meaningful and rewarding experience, and our students represented TJ with maturity while deepening their appreciation for contemporary art and creative expression.

New General/Vocal Music Teacher - We are thrilled to welcome Mr. Connor Strapp to the Rockaway Borough School District. Mr. Strapp will begin in the district at the beginning of marking period 4 at TJ, if not sooner. He will assume Mr. Bova's previous role and will work to not only educate our students, but also prepare them for the TJ Spring Concerts. Mr. Strapp has extensive musical abilities and prior teaching experience in music. Welcome, Mr. Strapp!

Upcoming Events

March 3rd (12:45) - Early Dismissal for Students - Staff Professional Development
Read Across America Week will be celebrated February 27-March 6th. Various themed days and reading events will be occuring throughout the week.
TJ’s musical performance - The Wizard of Oz will be performed on the following dates:
Friday, March 13th - 7:00 pm
Saturday, March 14th - 7:00 pm
Sunday, March 15th - 3:00 pm
March 20th - No School
March 27th - Early Dismissal (12:45)
March 30-April 6th No School - Spring Break Students return Tuesday, April 7th.

Future Dates to Consider

April 10th School Wide Student Government Organization Dances
May 4-12 NJSLA Testing
TJ Spring Concerts
May 19 - Grades 6-8 Evening Concert
May 21 - Grades 4 and 5 Concert @ 9:00 am

Thank you all for partnering with our school and staff to benefit each child!

Leon Samuels

Principal

Nurses Corner

The weather remains chilly - please remember to send your child with a coat and any other cold weather accessories for outdoor recess.

Reminder to all parents.

If your child needs to take medication during the school day, whether it be prescription or over the counter a signed medical form must be signed by the prescribing healthcare provider. These forms are found on the District website, or you can request one be sent home with your student. All medications must be brought in by an adult and in its original packaging.

Any students who need Inhalers must have a signed Asthma Action Plan by the prescribing healthcare provider. The inhaler must be brought into and kept in the Health Office unless the prescribing healthcare provider states the student is capable of self carrying and self administering the Inhaler.

EpiPens must have a signed healthcare provider order and the EpiPen must be brought to the Health Office.

If your child needs cough drops a note from the parent can be sent in with the cough drops and kept in the Health Office.

Remember breakfast is the most important meal of the day, please make sure your child eats breakfast prior to coming to school and they also should have a refillable water bottle.

Last but not least if your child is not feeling well, please do not send them to school. If they have a temperature of 100.4 they MUST be kept home for 24 hours and must be fever free for 24 hours. If your child vomits during the night they must be kept home for 24 hours with no vomiting.

If you need to reach me - the best way is through email: lsavercool@rockboro.org or by leaving a message on my office phone # 973-625-8603 x 305.

Thank you,

Mrs. Savercool

Coming Soon...

8th Grade Cap & Gown Re-Take Photos

will be taken on

Friday, March 6th

READ ACROSS AMERICA

From Mr. Onischuk...

Athletics - WINTER RECAP!

Boys Basketball - The boys ended their season with a 6-15 record. Their record doesn't indicate their hard work and effort throughout the season! They saw solid wins over Wharton, Mendham Boro, and Bloomingdale. The Rams were in every game even if they lost which made the games great this year! Congrats on a great season!

Girls Basketball - With Mr. Leahey taking the helm this season, the girls final record was 6-14. The Lady Rams saw great wins against Totowa, Mt. Arlington and Lincoln Park. Their season was filled with a lot of hard work and learning new systems. Great season - congrats!

SPRING UPDATES

While we wait for the snow to melt...here are a few updates:

Registration for the following activities closes on February 28:
Baseball/Softball - Grades 6-8
Morning Movement Club - Grades 4-8
Spring Run Club - Grades 4-8
Register online here!
Coaches/Advisors will be in touch via email about start dates and modifications due to weather.

Any questions? Contact Mr. Michael Onischuk, Athletic Coordinator: monischuk@rockboro.org

From Miss Selikoff...

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe5sXYl42ZgMwrUDLNr7IMmEX8zByMp5Db6RRPRKHIR-EIh4A/viewform?usp=publish-editor

Book Tasting Google Form Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScKkGTKNwZ8v7Y9bENDlbGP-PPjs9-lE8fCuLTDL-kcsCcWOw/viewform?usp=publish-editor

From Mr. Bova...

Musical Notes...

"The cast and crew of TJ Players are working hard to get The Wizard of Oz polished and ready for your viewing pleasure. If you would like to cheer them on with an ad, or would like to advertise your business, or would like to ask a business in our community to advertise with us, we welcome the participation. The more the merrier! Here is the link to the Ad form. "

If that's possible, we'd greatly appreciate it.

Thanks,

Jenny Barbosa & Nic Bova

7th & 8th Graders Take Note

You are eligible and invited to join the Morris Hills High School Marching Band for their next season.

Please see below info and share it with anyone you think might be interested! (This includes students who have never played an instrument before or those interested in Color Guard with no prior experience.)

Hey Everyone,

I hope this message finds you well!

If you are interested and/or planning on joining the 2025 MH Marching Scarlet Knights Marching Band, here’s some information for you:

THE SHOW:

The marching band staff and I are working on our 2025 show selection, and will make an official announcement as soon as we've confirmed everything! Our membership (as in who plays certain instruments or signs up for the color guard) dictates what type of show that we program, so please sign up to partake in a positively life-changing experience!

THE SCHEDULE:

While I'm waiting on information from the school and our competition organization to will help finalize the schedule, here's what I can share:

Summer Practices - one evening a week starting in July (color guard members may have some additional practices as scheduled by Mrs. Moreno, our color guard director)
Band Camp - August 4th through 8th at Morris Hills
Two evening practices a week (we have to practice in the evening due to facility limitations) starting at the end of August, wrapping up at the end of October/first week of November. These practices are typically on Tuesdays and Thursdays, although adjustments may need to be made based on the master school calendar.
Occasional Friday evening football games
Saturday competitions and football games in September and October (possibly the first weekend in November)
Possibly ONE Sunday competition (for a championships performance)

*For note: high school sports teams typically operate, between practices and games/matches/meets, over 6 or 7 days a week throughout the fall. (I know this firsthand, as my oldest son was an athlete at MH!) The marching band meets 3 or 4 times a week!

HOW TO JOIN:

Here is the link to sign-up, and feel free to share this link with anyone you think would be interested: 2025-2026 MHMB Sign-Up Form

There is no experience necessary, and we can use members in all sections! Anyone in 8th through 12th grades is able to join, keeping in mind that any 8th grader interested must live in Wharton, Rockaway Township and/or Borough, or Denville.

BEHIND THE SCENES:

Here is a link to a GREAT video put together by one of our outstanding band parents, showing past season highlights and “behind the scenes”: https://www.dropbox.com/s/g84r78sgfeeaz45/Final.mov?dl=0

Lastly, I’d like to share with potential new members (and their parents/guardians) a great article: 10 Lessons Your Child Will Learn in Marching Band. It’s a quick and informative read!

As we're coming off one of our most successful seasons in about a decade, as well as our largest group in at least 15 years, it goes without saying that this is an INCREDIBLY EXCITING time to be part of one of the most successful and storied programs in the state!!!!!!

Please reach out with any questions you may have!

Take care,

Mr. H.

RICHARD HARTSUIKER

Director of Bands

Morris Hills High School

973-664-2300

rhartsuiker@mhrd.org

https://morrishillsbands.com/