❄️☃️The month of December certainly is a special time of celebration at Nishuane! Over the course of this month, we will focus on the theme of Celebrations and Giving. We will explore how during this special time of year families and communities come together to celebrate many different holidays. We will also share the many different traditions for this time of the year with each other. Additionally, we will discuss how people find ways to give to others!
This past week we also continued our Social Justice Lessons, as well as commenced our annual Kindness & Justice Challenge. Please see below for additional information pertaining to these important and exciting initiatives!
Thank you to those who joined us for our School Action Team for Partnership General Meeting this past week! If you were not able to attend, the minutes from the meeting may be found here. It is not too late to directly support Nishuane’s SATp! To learn more regarding the different SATp subcommittees and ways that you may get involved, please click here. Please sign up to help us enrich our students' learning experiences while meeting our school's goals! Participation in the Nishaune SATp is a great way to give back and contribute to our school community! Additionally, we invite parents and caregivers to participate in our next PTA meeting that will be facilitated this Tuesday, December 10th at 7:00 pm in the Nishuane School library.
As a reminder, December Parent/Caregiver Teacher Conferences
(Wednesday, December 11th & Thursday, December 12th)
Parent/Caregiver teacher conferences will be facilitated this upcoming week on Wednesday, December 11th (Evening Conferences: 6 pm-8 pm) and Thursday, December 12th (Afternoon Conferences: 2:30 pm-4:30 pm). Both afternoon and evening appointments will be available. Please see communications from your child’s teacher(s) regarding how you may schedule a conference time. Additionally, there will be an abbreviated day with a 2:10 pm student dismissal on both of the two conference days.
As always, please be sure to visit the Nishuane Family Calendar for a full list of Nishuane events for the month of December (and the new year of 2025)!
Social Justice Lessons
We are excited to share that our K-2 learners have just begun reading a new book in their grade level series of social justice picture books to support the Social Justice Lessons, exploring the themes of representation, community & service, and injustice & action. If you want to follow along as your child explores the anchor text for this cycle, please see the grade-level the titles listed below:
● Kindergarten~ Eyes that Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho
● First Grade~ Something, Someday by Amanda Gorman
● Second Grade~ That’s Not Fair! Emma Tenayuca’s Struggle for Justice by Carmen Tafolla & Sharyll Teneyuca
Please check out the Nish News each month for an update on how the themes are addressed in these books. See them on display in our Main Hallway Lobby!
Kindness & Justice Challenge
Our Kindness & Justice Challenge began on Tuesday, December 3rd and will last through Friday, January 10th! Please click here for the letter that was sent home to all families regarding this very special challenge.
During the Kindness & Justice Challenge, we will be focused on completing as many activities as we can from our Kindness & Justice Challenge Calendar. Please remember to check your child’s homework folder to cross off any acts of kindness that have been completed each day. This week we:
● Said Hi to 5 people?
● Helped someone clean up a mess.
● Played with someone new at recess.
● Helped our teachers.
● Picked up one piece of garbage.
Every time our learners do something kind, they will earn a link to add to our school kindness chain. So, keep the kind acts coming so we can have the longest Kindness Chain ever!
🎉🎉🎉Congratulations Tara Wentzell!!!🎉🎉🎉
Please join us in congratulating Ms. Tara Wentzell for being named Nishuane School’s 2024-2025 Governor’s Educator of the Year recipient. Congratulations Ms. Wentzell for this much deserved recognition!
Nishuane Staff Welcome!
Please join us in extending a very warm Nishuane welcome to the newest member of our team: Beth Sehr (Paraprofessional Room 105). Welcome to the Nish family!
December Parent/Caregiver Teacher Conferences
(Wednesday, December 11th & Thursday, December 12th)
Parent/Caregiver teacher conferences will be facilitated on the following dates: December 11th (Evening Conferences: 6:00 pm-8:00 pm) and December 12th (Afternoon Conferences: 2:30 pm-4:30 pm). All conferences will be arranged by your child’s classroom teacher(s) and will be conducted in-person at Nishuane. Nishuane will follow an abbreviated schedule on both of these school days with a 2:10 pm. dismissal time. Please see communications from your child’s teacher(s) for additional details.
If participating in an in-person conference, please follow the below protocols for entering the school building:
1.) Please do not park in the staff parking lots as spaces are needed for staff to park.
2.) Enter the building through the front main entrance (Door A).
3.) At the top of the stairs, please sign in, fill out, and put on a Visitor's Badge.
4.) Proceed to the location of the conference. Administrators will be available on the first and second floor to direct visitors to their conference locations.
5.) Sign out before leaving the building through the front main entrance (Door A).
6.) Should you need to use the restroom while in the building, please only use those designated for staff use. They are located next to room 203 on the second floor and in the Staff Lounge on the first floor.
7.) Only proceed to the location of the visit. Please refrain from making additional stops.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to the Nishuane main office staff or your child’s teacher(s) with any questions that you may have prior to the scheduled conference. The office may be contacted at 973-509-4222.
Thank you for your partnership! We very much look forward to seeing you next week!
Second Grade Production & Cast Parties (Thursday, December 20th)
We are excited for our second-grade production, What’s Your Superpower? Our learners and teachers have been working hard preparing for the big showcase of talent! The second-grade production and cast parties will take place on Friday, December 20th at 9:45 am in the Nishuane Auditorium. Please click here for the letter that was sent to all second-grade families earlier this week regarding the production and cast parties. Additionally, four tickets will be sent home in backpacks to all second grade families.
Nishuane School Vision Statement Survey
As part of the New Jersey Inclusion Project Strategic Plan Grant, our Nishuane site-based team has drafted two versions for a revised Nishuane vision statement. Please review the draft vision statements and select your preference using this Google Form. This survey will remain open through Friday, December 13th. Thank you in advance for your input with this important decision, it is greatly appreciated!
IXL Information Session
There will be a live, virtual session for parents/caregivers on IXL, the comprehensive online program that provides personal learning in Math and Language Arts on Tuesday, December 10th at 6:30 pm. Please visit the district’s IXL page for more information and an opportunity to submit questions in advance.
Computer Science Education Week
Computer Science Education Week is an annual call to action to inspire K-12 students to learn computer science, advocate for equity, and celebrate contributions of students, teachers, and partners to the field. It is celebrated each year during the week of Admiral Grace Hopper’s birthday. This year the students in Ms. McGowan's classes are celebrating by programming Kibo screen-less robots (as pictured) or Micro:bits (provided by the PTA and MFEE).
🎉😊Nishuane Faculty & Staff Compliment Club🎉😊
It is our absolute honor and pleasure to serve the learners and families of the Nishuane community! Our passionate faculty and staff work tirelessly to foster a nurturing and nourishing learning environment for each of our learners every day.
In appreciation of our faculty and staff, we invite all members of our community to join our “Compliment Club” by recognizing and celebrating the unwavering dedication of Nishuane’s talented faculty and staff. Please utilize this Google form to recognize individual faculty/staff members and/or groups/teams at Nishuane. The compliment will be shared with the spotlighted faculty/staff member(s) and/or group(s)/team(s). This form will be open throughout the course of the 2024-2025 school year and multiple compliments may be shared by a community member. Please feel free to revisit and submit compliments at any time!
Thank you for "filling buckets" by showing your appreciation of Nishuane’s faculty and staff! 😊
Dressing for Colder Temperatures
As the temperature begins to drop, please be sure to send your child to school each day with warm clothing. As a reminder, outdoor recess is held outdoors when the real temperature is 28 degrees Fahrenheit or above (when there is no inclement weather). Jackets and dressing in layers for temperature fluctuations is strongly encouraged.
Arrival & Dismissal Safety
Please carefully review the important Nishuane School arrival and dismissal information included in the beginning of year communications and available here. These protocols and safety precautions must be carefully followed at all times to ensure a safe arrival and dismissal.
As always, thank you for your partnership in ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our entire school community!
Nishuane Visitor Form & Protocols
● Please click here to review Nishuane’s visitor protocols. Visitors must complete the visitor form prior to a visit.
○ Please remember that visitors must report only to the location of the building that was indicated on the visitor form. Visitors may not visit other locations in the building. Thank you for your support with this important safety measure!
○ Please wear a visitor’s badge for the duration of your visit. The visitor’s badge must be visible at all times.
○ Please do not prop doors open under any circumstance.
○ Please do not hold open the door for anyone behind you when entering or exiting the building.
Nish Spirit Wear Fridays
Every Friday at Nishuane is School Spirit Day! On Fridays students may participate by wearing blue and white, as well as Nishuane spirit wear. Spirit wear is available for purchase through our PTA.
Nishuane Instagram
Nishuane is on Instagram! Follow us @nishschool for a peek into the learning and fun we have in our community. Our account is private for everyone's safety. When requesting to follow us, please send a message with your child's name and we will accept you.
Nurse’s Notes
Please see the below reminders from Nurse Anne Ndungu
(Phone: 973-509-4236~Fax: 973-509-1197 ~ E-mail: [email protected]):
Gentle Reminders from the Health Office:
I hope that everyone is doing well and healthy. The weather has changed, and the days are very chilly, please help your child/children to dress appropriately for the weather and ensure that your child/children have a warm coat as we do go outside for recess.
Also, kindly send an extra pair of clothes for your child to keep in the locker just in case of an accident. I am kindly asking for a donation of slightly used clothes for boys and girls ages 5-8yrs.
Flu Season is Here!
● It is important to keep your child home when sick so that we can keep everyone safe.
Below please find the guidelines on when to keep your child home:
● The student has a temperature of 100 degrees or higher. The child may return to school when fever free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medications (Tylenol, Motrin).
● When antibiotics are prescribed, The student may return to school after taking the antibiotics for a minimum of 24 hours and fever free for at least 24 hours, without fever-reducing medications.
● The student seems tired/lethargic, pale, has little appetite and is generally not him/herself.
● The student is vomiting or has diarrhea. May return to school 24 hours after the symptoms are resolved and able to tolerate a normal diet.
● The student has an undiagnosed rash. A rash may be indicative of many things, frequently of illnesses that are contagious. Therefore, a student should see a physician to be evaluated. A note from the physician should be provided upon return to school.
● The student has severe cold symptoms or the flu, an upper respiratory infection, strep throat, a persistent cough, a runny nose that cannot be managed, or any other symptoms that would interfere with effective school participation. Please contact the school nurse before sending your child back to school.
● Please do not hesitate to seek the advice of your healthcare provider to determine when your child is able to return to school.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
I wish you and your families a Great Weekend!!
Nurse Anne
Anne Ndungu, RN
Phone: 973-509-4236 Fax: 973-509-1197
Email: [email protected]