Welcome

Mrs. Emden ~Principal Welcome to the Thomas Jefferson Middle School Blog. This blog is designed to provide the latest information pertaining to the operation of the school, events, grade level activities, and most importantly crisis and emergency management information. Mr. Saggese~ Assistant Principal Mission Statement Thomas Jefferson Middle School is dedicated to the promotion of academic excellence in a supportive environment which cultivates self-esteem, addresses the unique needs of adolescent, and fosters respect for cultural diversity and the right of others. School Motto TODAY WE LEARN, TOMORROW WE LEAD Important things to know......... Because of the rain, the March of Dimes Walk is rescheduled for Thursday, March 17, 2011. The walk will take place at 1:30PM. Students and staff raised $1600.00 for research pertaining to problems that threaten the health of babies. NJASK Tutorials for LAL and math began on March 2. The tutorials will be held on Wednesdays, after school. Late buses are available. The new superintendent, Dr. O'Malley, has made several visits to Thomas Jefferson Middle School. Because of his leadership, the falling tiles in the hallways are finally being replaced. In addition, several EBOE workers are currently fixing the bathrooms that were out of order. The middle schools and high schools of Edison Township are currently in the process of collecting parent information for the Parent Portal in Genesis. The Parent Portal is the online parent application that allows parents to view student grades, attendance, and other student centered items. Please log on to edisonpublicschools.org and click on Thomas Jefferson Middle School's website. Once you are there, click on the parent portal registration icon. Please complete the registraton form according to the instructions posted. You will need your child's identification # which is located at the top of his/her schedule. The NJDOE 2011 NJASK Schedule has been changed. FROM: NJASK 6, May 3-6 TO: NJASK 6, May 9-12 NJASK 7/8 will begin May 3-6 NO CHANGE Encourage your child to use the planner he/she will receive in homeroom. Take the time to look over the planner. It provides a lot of helpful information (school rules, discipline code, etc). The planner is a wonderful resource to help your child remain organized throughout the year. On a daily basis, review the planner to support your child with his/her academic success. For the sixth graders new to Thomas Jefferson, the sixth grade holding area is located to the left of the main entrance to the school building. Grade 7- Holding area is located by the gym entrance doors. Grade 8- Holding area is located by the eighth grade entrance/exit door ( Doorway by New Addition). REGULAR SCHOOL HOURS ARE AS FOLLOWS: 8:20 a.m. doors open 8:25 a.m. warning bell 8:30-8:37- Homeroom 8:30-3:00 p.m. (school hours) Regular attendance is a prerequisite for success in school. New Jersey State Law (N.J.S.A. 18A: 38-25,26) requires that students attend school regularly, and it is the parents' responsibility to see that their child attend school on the days that Thomas Jefferson Middle School is in session. In order to facilitate students' chances for success, administration/guidance counselors and teachers will work cooperatively with parents to assure that students attend school daily. If a student is absent, a parent or guardian should call TJ (732-650-5290 ext 1) before 10:00 AM to inform the school. Students who arrive at school after the start of homeroom are considered tardy and must sign in at the office. Please help your child to develop good habits for coming to school on time. Students who are tardy to school will be subject to disciplinary action as follows: 6th occasion- 1 day central detention 8th occasion- 2 day central detention 10th occasion- in school suspension 13th occasion- 4 hours Saturday detention EDISON BOE ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION DEVICE POLICY- #5145.7 Students are not permitted to use an electronic communication device in school during school hours or while attending school-sponsored activities on or off school grounds, without the express written permission of the Edison Board of Education. Students may have their possession of an ECD which shall be turned off and put out of sight during the part of the day they are in school or on school grounds during school hours. Administration will assign the appropriate consquences to students who fail to adhere to the ECD policy. BREAKFAST The school breakfast program will be offered at Thomas Jefferson Middle School. The cost for breakfast is $1.75. Students must enter the cafeteria doors from (8:05-8:20AM). LUNCH Encourage your child to eat a healthy breakfast and healthy lunch. At Thomas Jefferson Middle School, Chartwells provides a well balanced meal for $3.25. We use a computerized point of sale system for lunches. Parents can prepay for lunch. Make checks payable to Edison Board of Education. On your check, you can indicate if you would like the monies to be used for lunch only or to include snacks. Some parents prefer all monies to be used for lunch only, which will limit the snacks your child eats during lunch. The Edison Township Public Schools also offers MealpayPlus(http://www.mealpayplus.com/), a state-of-the-art online service that provides you the convenience and information you need to manage your child's meal account. This system speeds up serving lines in the cafeteria, eliminates the need to send checks to school or worry about lost or forgotten lunch money, and ensures that your child will receive a nutritious meal. Grade 8 -Graduates The 8th grade held their first RED WAGON Breakfast of the year. The following students were celebrated for their effort and achievements during the first marking period: Sunny Kim, Jason Barger, Michelle O’Brien, Ankita Verma, Jaa mirr Scott, Zachary Perez, Zil Modi, Naveen Mettal, Dayanara O’Casio, Sahil Hihal, Helen Foote, Cintia Carmona Perez, Dylan Balka, Amanda Mercuro, Carlos Botero, Gregory Toro, and Wasim Zatar. In Social Studies classes, students are studying the American Revolution and the people involved who impacted the fight for freedom and democracy. In Math classes, our students are exploring the meaning of percent and using these concepts in problem solving situations. English classes are writing Photo Essays. Students are combining photographs and text to convey meaning in an effective manner. Our eighth graders have just completed the Astronomy Unit in Science classes. This unit included an activity where each student calculated their weight on other planets throughout our solar system. In all content areas, students continue to prepare for NJASK. Grade 7 -Knights Social Studies Social Studies students recently finished a Windows Movie Maker project focusing on Kiva, a non-profit organization that lends money to small business owners in impoverished countries. Next we will explore the life and culture of the Middle Ages and feudal society as we prepare for the upcoming class trip to Medieval Times on April 15. Science Students are using interactive models to recreate the cell processes of osmosis, diffusion, and cellular respiration. Students will use their creativity to write a letter or design a comic strip showing their knowledge of these processes. English The English Department is currently working on inferencing skills and interpreting text in order as preparation for our book club unit. During writing class, students are working on their persuasive writing skills in order to prepare for the NJASK. In addition, students are continually working on their vocabulary units and practicing test taking skills for the NJASK. Math This month will be concentrated on the study of percents. With NJASK quickly approaching, we will be spending some time in class preparing for the state assessment. Students are encouraged to use the Study Island program at home. In order to help your child to have a better understanding of mathematical concepts, ask them to explain how they solved the problem and why they chose those steps. Grade 6- Wizards Social Studies will be having Geography week of January 3rd in preparation for the school GeoBee, which will be held in classrooms on Friday, January 7th. The school finals will be on Wednesday, January 12th at 3:15PM. Science will learn how to use a periodic table by researching the internet and other sources about families and how all elements are arranged on the periodic table. Students will have a choice to create a PowerPoint presentation or mimio presentation representing all families. In the end, students will electronically submit their presentation for evaluation. Students will be assessed on their findings and realize how easy a periodic table is to use and how to combine elements to create everything in the world that we use on daily basis. Language Arts will be starting a guided Reading Inference Unit. They are working on their new vocabulary program, Word Build, and continue to develop narrative writing with their new curriculum. Math is proud to announce that we have already raised $1,761.29 for Saint Jude’s. Students can continue to raise money through the end of January by participating in Penny Wars…so bring in your loose change!! In the classroom, students continue to develop problem solving skills in order to prepare for NJASK. The sixth grade teachers continue to emphasize the importance of homework and are looking forward to another great month in math!