To Our Thomas Jefferson School Families,

As we conclude October, we are rapidly approaching the end of Marking Period One. November 6th will be the final day of the marking period - time flies! Students should ensure that they have submitted all their work. Teachers are always available to answer questions on assignments and content. 

October included the following weeks: Respect, Fire Prevention, School Violence Awareness, and Red Ribbon. Students showed a tremendous level of participation in our themed attire days and numerous lessons accompanied these important topics. 

This past month also included a highly successful Talent Show, with eighteen (18) student acts showing their confidence, showmanship, and abilities by performing in front of a highly supportive and well-attended crowd. Their acts were nothing short of impressive!  

Halloween was celebrated with students attending school in various creative costumes. Fourth grade students joined Lincoln School for a parade and grades 6-8 had a Halloween Dance with seventh grade ELA teacher Mr. Leahey as the DJ!

Fourth grade students had an enjoyable day attending the Legoland field trip. This trip was both connected to the curriculum and fun for all!

On two dates in mid-October, band and chorus members were able to practice with middle school students from other sending districts as well as high school students from Morris Hills and Morris Knolls. Concerts were held at the end, with students performing the music they had learned throughout the day. 

The 8th grade had a wonderful Murder Mystery Authentic Performance Task on 10/25. Teachers decorated the gym and in accordance with the Mystery Genre Unit in ELA, students spent the day interacting, critically thinking, and analyzing all while having fun in a unique learning environment!

Our fall sports, including Cross Country, Girls Soccer, and Boys Soccer recently concluded their seasons. Our student athletes competed rigorously and made RAMS nation proud! Our Athletic Coordinator, Mr. Onischuk, will provide more detail later in this newsletter. 

Upcoming Events

• Veterans Day - celebrated at school on Monday, November 11th. Wear Red, White, or Blue! Students will also be writing letters to Veterans to honor their service to our country. 
• Teachers Convention November 7-8. School is not in session these days. 
• TJ Musical Info Session Wednesday, Nov. 13, 3:30 pm followed by JAM Audition workshop* (Music Rm)
• Parent Conference Days - November 22, 25, 26. These days will be half days. These conferences are designed to discuss your child’s progress. Teachers will reach out to families should they see any potential concerns to schedule a meeting. Also, families are encouraged to communicate with teachers and request a meeting at any point in the school year to discuss their child. 
• Thanksgiving Break - There will be a half day on Wednesday, November 27th and school will not be in session for the remainder of the week. 

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

Leon Samuels

Principal

Athletics Update and Recap...

Winter 24-25 - Athletics Update!

Winter 1 - Boys and Girls Basketball

Registration closed on 10/31/24 and tryouts start the week of November 4!

Stay tuned for the start of our season!

**We are very low on Girls Basketball players! If you are in 6-8th grade and interested, please contact Mr. O immediately! monischuk@rockboro.org.**

Winter 2 - Clubs

Co-Ed Club Volleyball - Grades 7 & 8

Morning Movement - Grades 4-8

Registration is OPEN until December 15!

For more info: https://www.rockboro.org/Page/281 

Questions? monischuk@rockboro.org 

From Coach Schumacher: The girls’ soccer team had an enjoyable season, developing their skills and building team cohesion. Their determination and sportsmanship were evident in every match. We celebrate our players’ hard work, dedication, and unforgettable memories made on and off the field. This year was filled with thrilling matches, impressive teamwork, and significant growth for our athletes.

A massive thank you to all the parents, teachers, and fans who cheered us on this season! Your support made each match even more special. 

A special shout-out to all the 8th grade players, Julia Caliendo, Alexa Hansen, Katie Lee, Megan Lee, Meghan McCambridge, Samantha Sanchez, Ashley Tomaszewski, Catalina Valdebenito, for three seasons of hard work and dedication. 

Thanks for an incredible season, everyone! 

Go, Thomas Jefferson RAMS Soccer! 

From Coach Selikoff: Our athletes had a great season and we hope that we have even more runners next year! There were many new faces to our team this year. Our team had some great accomplishments and the runners all improved their times as the season went on as well as achieved new personal records. The coaches are very proud of the runners and can't wait to see what next year holds! Best of luck to our 8th grade athletes in high school! 

From Coach Onischuk: The boys soccer team wrapped up their season with a 1-12-1 overall record. Although we were a younger team, the Rams fought hard all season long and played with a lot of determination and grit. The team was led by Captains Logan Alvarenga and Trey Russell. The Rams' hard work ethic started at practice and translated into games. Individually and as a team, we had a lot of successes other than wins and the boys should be proud of that! Best of luck to all the 8th graders in their future soccer careers! Our 6th and 7th graders are already looking forward to next season!  Attention 5th Graders - Future Soccer Rams! Get excited to be part of the team next year - registration starts May 2025!

From Miss Selikoff....

https://students.arbitersports.com/programs/2024-2025-winter-2-clubs-volleyball-club-morning-movement

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScLw9eR_FWYF4_8gWV9lUnwoB1GsLm-h8aflbniRs7_9dKUBA/viewform?usp=sf_link

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfwNWTzCBzm1-Wo30w11a4dLxOghBZmzbU_Pob-PPFiT7iA2w/viewform?usp=sf_link

From Mrs. Love and Mr. Bova...

November

The Winter Concerts will be held Dec. 3 & 4 at the Rockaway Assembly of God Facility as follows:

Tues. Dec 3 Evening Concert

The 7 pm performance will include:

TJ Choir (6th-8th grade)

Concert Band

Jazz Band

Wed. Dec 4 Afternoon Concert

The 1:30 pm performance will include:

4th Grade Chorus

5th grade Chorus

Beginner Band

Junior Band

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 14-16.

There will be an information session and JAM audition workshop Wed. Nov 13 until 5 pm (ALL 6-8th graders are invited to attend.)

Audition/Sign Up week for the TJ Musical will be the week of Dec 9th.

Stage crew sign-ups can be done after school Wed & Thurs. Dec. 11&12.

Cast tryouts will be Wed. Dec. 11 & Thurs. Dec. 12 after school until 5.

Call backs will be Fri. Dec. 13 and possibly Mon.-Wed. of the following week.



Any questions, please contact Mrs. Love at hlove@rockboro.org

Talent Show Recap

What a wonderful evening Congratulations to all our talented performers! Thank you to those who came out to support the event!

2024-2025 SCHOOL CALENDAR

From the HSA....

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Welcome to the 2024-2025 school year!

We are excited to being a new fundraising season. Last year, we were able to donate communication folders for students, outdoor recess equipment, ice pops and water for Field Day, fund one Morris Hills High School student a $1,000 scholarship, beautification for the fall and spring, donate towards the 8th grade fund. We were also able to celebrate the teachers during Teacher’s Appreciation Week with a food trucks, massages, breakfast, $1,500 to redo both TJ and Lincolns Teachers break room, replenish snack baskets for staff throughout the year and treat teachers to coffee or dinner on late nights at the school. We fulfilled multiple mini grants from staff! Additionally, the RBHSA provided staff with an Amazon gift card at the beginning of the year to use towards their classroom needs and did so again this year, including our amazing para professionals and support staff. 

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Stay tuned for our future events;

The Winter Wonderland: Saturday, December 7th

The Valentines Sweetheart Social: Date TBA

The Annual Tricky Tray: Friday April, 25th

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Please consider joining us for our next HSA meeting which will be held on Wednesday, 

November 20th, in the TJ cafeteria at 7:30 pm

Rockaway Borough Home and School Association

Co-Presidents - Jaclyn Long & Kimberly Merrick

Treasurer - Danielle Wheelock

Corresponding Secretary- Christina Michelucci

Recording Secretary - Sarah Langan

From the RBEF.......

LOCAL ACTIVITIES

Monthly Programs for November

NOVEMBER 2024

 ROCKAWAY BOROUGH PUBLIC LIBRARY

Call 973-627-5709 or visit rblibrary.org to register.

AFTERNOON ARTS & CRAFTS*

Wednesday, November 6 ~ 3:30pm. Ages 6-10. *Registration required.

Learn how to make a Beaded Indian Corn craft with Ms. Geri.

TIME FOR TOTS*

Friday, November 8 ~ 11:00-11:45am. Ages 1-5. *Registration required.

Meet friends for books, playtime, and coloring.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS CLASS*

Tuesdays, November 12, 19, 26; December 3, 10, 17 ~ 4:30-5:30pm. Adults 18 and up.

Learn English through conversation, short grammar lessons, reading, and writing prompts. *Register once for the full session.

THE PILGRIMS AND THE MAYFLOWER: FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA*

Wednesday, November 13 ~ 6:30pm. Adults 18 and up.

Historical Lecture by Joel Farkas. From Christianity to Catholicism to Protestantism. From Henry the Eighth, (yes the one with all the wives), to the Pilgrims and the Mayflower. And finally, (you’ve got to be hungry after almost 2000 years of travel) THANKSGIVING (and the woman who made it happen).

AFTER SCHOOL GAME CLUB*

Thursday, November 14 ~ 3:30pm-4:30pm. Ages 8-18. *Registration required.

MY FIRST BOOK CLUB*

Friday, November 15 ~ 3:30 pm. Grades 1-3. *Registration required.

Join the fun at My First Book Club! This month, we're diving into “Mercy Watson to the Rescue” by Kate DiCamillo (reading level K). After we chat about the story, we'll get crafty with a Mercy's Snack Time project and munch on Mercy's Buttered Toast (butter crackers). Don’t forget to pick up your book ahead of time!

TURKEY FLOWER POT CRAFT*

November 16 ~ 11:00am. Ages 3-10. *Registration required.

Join us to build a fun turkey flower pot just in time for Thanksgiving!

LET'S DISH!*

Monday, November 18 ~ 1:30pm. Adults 18 and up. *Registration required.

This month we welcome dietitian Kimberly from Weis Supermarket.

We'll discuss recipes using cranberries and/or apples.

THANKSGIVING STORYTIME & CRAFT w/Ms. GERI*

Tuesday, November 19 ~ 11:00am. Ages 2-5. *Registration required.

ART JOURNALING HOUR!*

Tuesday, November 19 ~ 4:00pm. Adults 18 and up. *Registration required.

Participants can bring supplies from home or share ours as they work on creating a new page for their journal. First-time art journaling participants will receive a journal of their own to use.

KNIT AND CROCHET GROUP

Thursday, November 21 ~ 11:00am-12:30pm. Adults 18 and up.

Please note that this month's program will take place on the 3rd Thursday instead of the 4th Thursday due to next week's holiday closure.

OREO TURKEYS AND COOKIE PILGRIM HATS*

Monday, November 25 ~ 6:30pm. Ages 10-17. *Registration required.

Create an edible Thanksgiving craft made out of candy and cookies. Please note: peanut products will be used at this event.

--

Melissa Okerblom

Library Director

Rockaway Borough Public Library

82 East Main St

Rockaway, NJ 07866

973-627-5709