Thomas Jefferson School Newsletter November 2025

Thomas Jefferson School

November 2025

To Our Thomas Jefferson School Families,

November was a short but eventful month! We concluded Marking Period one, took breaks for Teachers’ Convention and Thanksgiving, conducted parent conferences, participated in American Education Week, began winter sports, and engaged in academic and SEL activities to grow and learn.

Morris Hills High School Band and Choir students came to our gym to put on a performance of their Marching Band and Choir, showcasing what is possible for our students in the future. Seventh and eighth grade students were able to see the performances!

The Thomas Jefferson School community would like to extend our sincere appreciation to this year’s Governor’s Educator of the Year, Mrs. Zangara, Special Education Teacher, and the Educational Services Professional of the Year, Mrs. Marsh, Reading Specialist. These two outstanding educators were honored at TJ’s last faculty meeting and will also be recognized at the upcoming December Board of Education meeting. Congratulations to both on an outstanding achievement!

American Education Week was celebrated in various ways at Thomas Jefferson School. Students wrote thank you notes to teachers, there was a family breakfast, our paraprofessionals were celebrated, and some of our eighth-grade students taught lessons to students at Lincoln School.

The Girls and Boys Basketball seasons have begun! The teams have finished preseason and are now in their second week of games. We wish them good luck this season!

Upcoming Events

TJ Winter Concerts
December 2nd at 7:00 pm - Grades 6-8 Concert @ AOG
December 4th at 1:00 pm - Grades 4-5 Concert @ AOG
Students will be at AOG for a portion of the day before their concert for a practice session.
December 3rd will be an early dismissal for TJ (Staff Professional Development) 12:45 pm.
TJ Musical (Grades 6-8) Auditions after school, starting December 11th.
On Friday, December 12th, Morris Hills Regional School District counselors will be visiting with our 8th graders regarding course offerings for next year. They will then be providing the 2026-2027 9th Grade Course Selection Sheets to TJ for distribution, and will be available to answer any questions regarding the scheduling process.
In addition, course scheduling will start mid-January this year and will be run by both Ms. Dennison (school counselor) and some of the Morris Hills High School Counselors. More Information about this will be communicated as we get closer.
Winter Break - There will be an early dismissal(12:45 pm) on Wednesday, December 23rd, and school will not be in session until Monday, January 5th.
RBHSA’s WinterWonderland - This incredible event will take place at TJ on Saturday, December 6th!

Thank you all for partnering with our school and staff to benefit each child! Please reach out with any questions.

Leon Samuels

Principal

Nurses Corner

With the weather turning colder - please remember to send your child with a coat and any other cold weather accessories for outdoor recess.

Have a Happy and Enjoyable Thanksgiving break!

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.

I hope everyone has a great 25-26 school year.

Thank you,

Mrs. Savercool

Coming Soon...

Cap & Gown Measurements

Will BeTaken On

Wednesday, December 10th

From Miss Selikoff...

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSewuJP0eyHbMjotAs5S6n5Uucf-pr59nZMYNtNOX1yY2zZA9w/viewform?usp=publish-editor

Family Coding Night Sign up- Photo Attached

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd_ToCRjTi0oU2wfKEeyI2cyB9fXAyG7yuzKdW2trDdOGCLbQ/viewform?usp=publish-editor

Family Crochet Night Sign up

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfGsI0o5XUihVxyAB2mHn3JkBE4bl7n5YUW0r9BwEUIrowPfQ/viewform?usp=dialog

From Our Athletic Director...

We had an exciting season of Fall Sports this year!

Cross Country

Another Cross Country season is in the books - and what a year it was! The program nearly doubled in size, and every runner showed incredible growth from start to finish. Highlights included strong performances at the Sparta Invitational Race and an impressive showing at Counties! A big shout out to our fifth graders for their enthusiasm and to our eighth graders for their leadership and hard work. We can’t wait to see what you’ll accomplish in high school!

Girls Soccer

The girls team ended their season with 3 wins, 12 losses, and 1 tie. The Lady Rams showed a lot of spirit on the field. Their notable wins came against Mt. Arlington and Boonton Twp. Their effort should be commended!

Boys Soccer

The boys team had a very successful season, flipping their losing record in 2024 to 7 wins, 7 losses and 2 ties in 2025! The Rams played a very strong schedule and saw HUGE wins against Denville and Pope John plus two great ties against the Peck School and Mountain Lakes. The Rams were a tight knit group and truly enjoyed working with each other. This team battled every game and gave it their full effort on the field. Congrats on an awesome season.

Looking ahead...Winter Preview...

Our basketball season is underway! Basketball tryouts were the week of November 3. Our first game was November 18. Good luck to the boys and girls teams!

You can always check our schedule and results here: https://as2.rschooltoday.com/public/genie/1523/school/3/

Club Volleyball registration is open until December 15th and our season starts in February.

Any questions? Email Mr. Onischuk at monischuk@rockboro.org.

From Mrs. Love and Mr. Bova...

November

Please don’t forget that students are scheduled once a week for Band Lessons and should be logging home practice. Please be sure to check the Full Band rehearsals that meet before school according to the Band schedule. Stay tuned to Mrs. Love's Google Classroom and feel free to contact her at hlove@rockboro.org Thank you.

The Winter Concerts will be held Dec. 2 & 4 at the Rockaway Assembly of God Facility as follows:

Tues. Dec 2 Evening Concert

The 7 pm performance will include:

TJ Choir (6th-8th grade)

Concert Band - 7th & 8th Graders (Advanced players in lower grades may be included)

Jazz Band

Thur. Dec 4 Afternoon Concert

The 1:00 pm performance will include:

4th Grade Chorus

5th grade Chorus

Beginner Band - 4th Graders (Beginner players in upper grades may be included)

Junior Band - 5th & 6th Graders (Other grades may be included based on playing level)

Get excited for the Wizard of Oz!

The TJ Musical is open to any interested 6th-8th grader with fewer than 5 behavior points and a passing grade in all academic classes. Rehearsals will take place between Jan.- March culminating in performances the weekend of March 13-15.

Please submit a 2026 TJ Musical Audition & Sign Ups if you would like to participate!

(This is different from the Interest Form)

Audition/Sign Up week for the TJ Musical will be the week of Dec 8th.

Stage crew sign-ups can be done after school Wed & Thurs. Dec. 9 &10.

Cast tryouts will be Tues. Dec 9 & Wed. Dec. 10 after school until 5. (Choose one)

Call backs will be Thur. Dec 11 & Fri. Dec. 12.

Any questions, please contact Mrs. Barbosa jennifer@rockboro.org or Mr. Bova at nbova@rockboro.org

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