On Monday, September 23, we were very fortunate to have child advocate and best-selling children’s author, Trudy Ludwig share her books, research, and words of wisdom with the Tuscan community.  Since 2002, Ms. Ludwig has been writing books that provide children with insights and strategies to deal with bullying behavior.  And not just the classic case of bullying that involves physical aggression, but verbal aggression, and relational aggression (using relationships to manipulate or harm others).  According to Ms. Ludwig, research indicates that relational aggression is much more of a concern to children and teenagers than the physical kind.  Ms. Ludwig’s mission is to give children mental tools to deal with bullying behavior in safe and

On September 18th Principal Ms. Majeed and PE Teacher Ms. Sullivan sent a message home regarding Field Day/Spirit Day and Back to School Night using School Messenger, the school's contact system.
In addition to re-posting this information here on their behalf, this notice serves as a check to see if your contact information on file at the school is reaching you at the proper phone numbers and emails.

If you have one or more children at Tuscan and did not receive an email and phone call please contact Mrs. Tolelo in the Main Office 973-378-5221 or mtoledo@somsd.k12.nj.us to update your contact information.  If you have more than one child at Tuscan you should have recieved just one phone call and one email.

A brief recap of the message: 
Ms. Majeed is looking forward to seeing adults at Back to School Night on Thursday and she expressed gratitude for the involvment of parents and guardians in the Tuscan community.   (copies of BTS notices on our Flyers page)  

PE Teacher Ms. Sullivan's reminder: 
Friday September 20th is Field Day and Spirit Day.  Students should 

• Wear Tuscan shirts or blue/yellow
  
• Apply sunscreen at home, bring a water bottle with child's name on it
  
• Wear sneakers

Students in grades 1-3 will be taken by bus to Field Day to arrive on time for activities.  Thank you in advance to all parents and guardians who are volunteering time for Field Day and she looks forward to seeing you there!

On September 23, children’s advocate and best-selling author, Trudy Ludwig will visit Tuscan School to present to students in kindergarten through 5th grade and at our evening PTA Meeting. This author visit is sponsored by the PTA in partnership with Mrs. Baltin and Principal Majeed.  
To pre-order books for author signings, please complete this form, include a check made payable to Tuscan School PTA and have your student return it to the school librarian, Mrs. Baltin. Feel free to visit the author’s website, www.trudyludwig.com, for a description of each book. Since there will be a limited number of each title on the day of the presentation, orders will be filled on a first come, first serve basis. Should we run out of copies, additional books will be ordered as soon as possible through Words bookstore, (also signed by the author). 
Ms. Ludwig is our featured speaker at our first PTA Meeting the evening of September 23rd as part of Mrs. Baltin's ROAR Book in a Bag program - reminder that babysitting will be available onsite through the YMCA for adults to attend.  Find the information here for childcare.

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.  ~Oscar Wilde   

It is with great excitement that I welcome you to the 2013/2014 Tuscan school year.  Teachers and staff, we’re glad your back!  Returning students and families, welcome back!  New students and parents, welcome to our Tuscan family!

I hope to see all of you, old friends and new, at the FIRST DAY COFFEE tomorrow morning, Sept. 9th, after drop-off in the Tuscan Cafeteria.  Meet other parents, swap first-day stories, pick our brains for Tuscan and PTA info, and sign up to help at Tuscan.

2013/2014 promises to be an exciting year.  We anticipate visits 

Special project taking place on Friday
Two documents were sent by Ms. Majeed via School Messenger and are posted by the PTA on her behalf:

This Friday photographers will be at Tuscan School to capture images to be used for First Lady Michelle Obama's http://www.letsmove.gov/active-schools program.   It is an honor that Tuscan was chosen to represent the nation as any school in any town!
 
Two documents have been sent home electronically:

1. a letter explaining the project can be found here
2. an authorization form for image use can be found here

 Ms. Majeed would like to share that although Tuscan shirts are usually encouraged any day of the year and students & staff often wear Tuscan shirts on Fridays, please save your Tuscan wear for Monday and Tuesday of next week and wear "regular" or "not Tuscan" shirts for this Friday.   
(the 5th Grade dresses nicely for their Moving On ceremony on Monday the 24th).
 
Any families that are able to print and send in a signed release for photo use please do so! Additional copies will be available at school.
 
Please contact Ms. Majeed at the office or Ms. Lo Bianco if you have any questions about this exciting project and honor!

Friday June 14th is our last School Spirit Day - theme is Red, White and Blue for Flag Day.
Kindergarten parents will soon see the result of the white t-shirts they sent in to school. Students, staff and parents visiting for class events on Friday are all encouraged to show their colors!

Yearbook orders are being taken until Friday June 14th. 
Books are $15.00 each.
Each 5th grader recieves a yearbook courtesy of the PTA at their Yearbook Signing party on the last day of school.
Can't sign up online? A signup sheet will be in the front office.
Find the form here

Hydrate in Tuscan Tiger style with SIGG water bottles with the Tuscan logo, with or without customization.   http://www.tuscanpta.org/water-bottle-orders-2013.html

Contact Spirit Wear Chair Elizabeth Keegan with questions 

Our Tuscan Fair was a bright spot on Saturday despite a few rain drops.   Thanks to Liz Perlman and Amy Halperin and their veritable army of volunteers who make the "flash mob" of a fair such a success.   Family fun for the smallest to the oldest - face painting, carnival games, a clown show, sassy and funny musical chairs, cake walk prizes, relay races, a scavenger hunt, crafts, BBQ food and snacks, DJ and dancing, bouncy house, "Tubs of Fun" ride, prize booth, spirit wear -- so many volunteers show up at 8:30 am to set up the fun and by 4:00pm not a trace is behind except the photos.    Thank you for the staff who came out to enjoy the day and to our custodians for working with us to get the school yard back to business.  

For May 17th the Green Route Start Time has been updated to 8:20am.  Please note the change.  Thank you!

A third route has been added to the Walking School Bus!
Thank you to all for embracing this effort - we are delighted to be expanding!
New Route is the Green Route lead by Kelly Villanueva.
Blue Route is Candice Davenport and Yellow Route is Cami Zelevansky.
Find information on how to join the WSB here and the PDF with the new route here.
Bus stop times are available from the route coordinators and the Green route will start on May 17th.

Dear Tuscan Families,
Pre-Fair ticket sales will be outside of school this week for the Tuscan Fair
Ticket sales will occur on 

• Thursday 5/16 afternoon
  
• Friday 5/17 morning AND afternoon 
  

Look for us in front of school and on both afternoons.  We will have a station outside of cafeteria doors for aftercare families also. 

• Pre-Fair tickets cost $10 for 50 tickets. 
  
• Day of the Fair (Saturday) tickets cost $10 for 40 tickets. 
  

Tickets are used for Fair games, rides and food/snacks/drinks.

In May schools across the district participate in the nations's largest fitness class, Project ACES - All Children Exercise Simultaneously.   A favorite school tradition filled with movement, dancing and ending with conga lines the entire school community assembles on the blacktop and follows the direction of PE Teachers Miss Noelle Sullivan and Mr. Theodore Panayoutou.   With a special appearance by the Tuscan Tiger on the school roof cheering on the students this year's ACES was a fun and fitness oriented afternoon.
PE and Nursing Supervisor Judy LoBianco, Head of Curriculm and Instruction Dr. Lydia Furnari and Deputy Mayor Kathy Leventhal were all on hand to particpate.   Thanks to Miss Sullivan and Mr. P for a fantastic ACES!

For May 17th the Green Route Start Time has been updated to 8:20am.  Please note the change
A third route has been added to the Walking School Bus!
Thank you to all for embracing this effort - we are delighted to be expanding!
New Route is the Green Route lead by Kelly Villanueva.
Blue Route is Candice Davenport and Yellow Route is Cami Zelevansky.
Find information on how to join the WSB here and the PDF with the new route here.
Bus stop times are available from the route coordinators and the Green route will start on May 17th.

Come show your Tuscan pride in the Memorial Day Parade, held the morning on Monday May 27th.   
Wear Tuscan wear or navy blue -  more info to come on spirit wear sales in the next two weeks for anyone interested in Tuscan wear.
The route proceeds thorugh town and ends at Maplewood Town Hall in time for the Memorial Day Ceremony and before the Duck Races!
Mark your calendars - family friendly, siblings and family welcome to march wtih students and staff (the more the merrier!); children must be accompanied by an adult. Backpack flyer will come with details on lineup time, etc.
~Bridget Brown, Parade Coordinator

Bowcraft on May 10th Spirit Day
click for the flyer for details

Tuscan Fair - rain or shine! May 18th

The Fair is coming!
Saturday May 18th
10:00am-2:30pm
Family fun rain or shine!
Tickets on pre-sale the Thursday & Friday before the fair.

Can you lend a hand?  This one day event is made possible by many hands.  Come work alongside veteran Fair volunteers who will be moving on with their graduates this year.   Contact Liz Perlman  <ryndaliz@verizon.net>
~  Fair Chairs, Amy Halperin & Liz Perlman

An update on the "soft launch" from our WSB Coordinators
Friday morning there was much buzz around Tuscan Elementary School as we launched our first Walking School Bus!  A “Walking School Bus” is a group of children walking safely to school with the help of adult volunteers.  Children on the two routes: Blue Route (from Hilton Ave across Springfield Ave at Rutgers Ave) and the Yellow Route (from Oakland St on Prospect St.) beamed with Tuscan pride as they walked from their homes to school, some for the first time.  As a ‘soft launch’, last Friday morning was an 

(continue reading for more information on how to join, the breakfast provided by Rent Party, how the PE Department and Student Council are involved and more)

Congratulations to all of our Tuscan Free to Read Read-A-Thon participants!  Together you read for 37,876 minutes and raised $3,235.27!       Wonderful Job!
Our Top Readers in each grade who received a Spirit Gift Pack were:

• K -  Gavin M. with 1,025 minutes
  
• 1st grade - Dashell H. with 950 minutes
  
• 2nd grade - Ciel B.A. with 982 minutes
  
• 3rd grade - Justin S. with 1,438 minutes
  
• 4th grade - Gabriel R. with 1,980 minutes 
  
• 5th grade - Jayla W. with 2,455 minutes
  

Our Words gift card winners were picked at random by Mrs. Clark 

• $25 - RJ G
  
• $15- Margaret M
  
• $10- Abby S 

Thank you all for your hard work and keep reading!

~ Michele Streck, Readathon Chair

Tuscan students are ready to board the Walking School Bus on Friday for the start of a Safe Routes to School initiative Walking School Bus pilot.
Volunteer "bus drivers" have been trained, routes are mapped and marked, and the first groups of students have signed up to walk the "bus" route.   Find more information here and you may see excited students like Will on their way to school showing Tuscan pride and walking the "Safe Routes" way.

On Friday, March 1st, we eagerly awaited the little yellow bus carrying our CHS Celebrity readers to Tuscan School.  Just at 11:05, the bus appeared on Harvard Avenue.   

With kindergartners and fourth graders to greet them, Columbia High School students, accompanied by their teacher, Judi Cohen, paraded into our school, ready to help celebrate Read Across America Day.  Fourteen energetic and enthusiastic students 

Friday is Dr. Suess Day and also Read Across America day.   

Mrs. Baltin our librarian invites students to dress as their favorite character or in Tuscan colors on Friday as a special school spirit day.  Celebrating "RAA Day" is a long standing tradition at Tuscan, you can find last year's happenings here.   TV Turnoff Ambassadors, Celebrity Readers and other acitivities will mark the day this year.

Bed-head, bunny slippers, bathrobes and PJs - all seen in school on the Thursday before break - our annual pajama day was enjoyed by many and Tuscan School was able to collect over 430 pair of new pajamas to help others.  Thanks to Mrs. Sinclair for bringing us together to help in this way.

Also on Thursday, the Snowflake Assemblies were held.  An annual school tradition of songs and singalongs - check back in January for photos and video from the assemblies.

This Thursday is PJ Day - show your school spirit by wearing PJs to school - students, staff, parents, everyone!  In addition, we will be collecting NEW pajamas for children in need in our area. Guidelines for donations:
• Pajamas must be brand-new.
• Pajamas in all kids sizes are needed—from newborn to teen (16/18).
• Pajamas must be in complete sets or nightgowns.
• Pajamas in must be manufactured as pajamas— this ensures that they are flame-retardant and safe.

This collection is optional, and students should feel welcome to participate in our school spirit day regardless of whether they donate pajamas.

Coordinated by Mrs. Sinclair with the support of the Tuscan PTA Community Outreach Committee.    Questions?
Contact Mrs. Claire Sinclair: csinclai@somsd.k12.nj.us Chris Costanzo: chris_costanzo@hotmail.com or Melissa Sheehy: mlsheehy@gmail.com 

Last Friday was the Tuscan Elementary Walk to School Day. We had a great turnout with lots of Tuscan Tigers showing their school spirit on their way to school. This Safe Routes to School kick off event