12/5Picture Retakes
12/5Franklin Institute
Assembly
12/6Holiday Shop
12/7Holiday Shop
12/8Holiday Shop
12/10Tatem Vendor Fair 3:00-7:00 p.m. (APR)
12/23Half-Day Session
12/26Winter Recess through 1/2 / A Letter from the Principal…
Dear Parents and Friends of J.F.TatemSchool:
I hope this letter finds you and your family well, and that your Thanksgiving was filled with peace and happiness. I would like to again extend my sincere thanks for the warm welcome and support that has been shown to me these past few months. It has been an honor and pleasure to work with all members of the Tatem school community to help develop our vision in creating the best possible educational experiences for our children.
To that end, I have developed school goals that have been shared at a variety of gatherings, including PTA meetings, Principal Advisory Meetings, and Coffee with the Principal. These goals are also available for review on my community e-board, which is located at I would like to take this opportunity to update the community on progress that we are making toward those goals.
Student and Community Connections/Character Education
Student Led Conferences
The concept of student led conferences was piloted at Tatem this past November. Teachers volunteered to take part in this program, which helps students to make greater connections to their learning by being centrally involved in the teaching and learning process. The initial feedback from our pilot has been very positive. Parents and teachers have completed surveys on the program. This data is currently being analyzed and will be used in helping to determine the future direction of this concept. Tatem’s involvement in student led conferences made front page news in the Philadelphia Inquirer. To read the full story, please visit:
Good Citizenship Awards
Last month, Tatem implemented a Good Citizenship Program. Through this initiative, students are recognized for performing deeds that go beyond the call of duty, based upon the six pillars of good character. Each week, the recipients are announced and certificates are distributed and celebrated during lunch-time. Visit the following web address to see a sample award:
Hurricane Relief Efforts
To date, TatemSchool has collected over $1,000 in funds and also provided supply kits for over 60 students, which have been sent to families in the GulfCoast region. The final phase of our relief project will involve the making of Hurricane Relief Pins. Two weeks ago, the Tatem students votedto determine the pin design for our Hurricane Awareness Pin. The pin- making will involve the students at Tatem on Friday, December 16. If you are interested in assisting our efforts on this day, please e-mail Mr. Priolo at t the following link for a photo of the winning pin design: pin.htm
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Child Assault Prevention Program
The CAP Project aims to prevent child assault by teaching children to recognize and deal with potentially dangerous situations, and by training teachers and parents to help prevent victimization of children. The program has three components: a teacher/staff in-service, which was conducted on November 8th, a parent program, and individual classroom workshops for children in kindergarten through fifth grade. Our district participated in the CAP project six years ago, and it was extremely well-received by our students, staff and parents. Click here to learn about this year's CAP implementation at Tatem:
Anti-Bullying Initiative
To help build upon the momentum of the CAP program, Tatem’s guidance counselor, Elyse Batoff, and I will be presenting lessons to individual classes on topics related to bullying and teasing. These presentations will center on the questions: What is bullying and teasing? What can I do if I am being bullied or teased? What can I do if I see others being bullied or teased? To learn more about research and statistics about these topics, please view the note “Resources about bullying and teasing,” which is part of my community e-board (
Coffee with the Principal Program
As part of our efforts to provide our community with clear and consistent information in a personal style, a Coffee with the Principal program has been developed. The overall objective of this program is to provide community members with an opportunity to discuss issues related to the general school community in an informal environment. Clear and consistent information is in everyone’s best interest. Please visit my e-board for the dates and time of future gatherings.
Lunch with the Principal
In an effort to get to know the students in an informal setting, we have developed a “Lunch With the Principal” program. Each class has an assigned Friday to have a pizza lunch with me. This program has been generously funded by the Tatem PTA. During this time, we talk about interests; students get to know me better and I get to learn more about them. The hour also includes some games and magic tricks.
E-News from the Tatem Office
We have established a parent e-mail distribution list, which currently reaches over 130 of Tatem’s families. Approximately every two weeks, an e-mail about school events and related news are sent via the Tatem E-News. If you would like to sign-up for the service, please send an e-mail to .
High Achievement For All Students/Math Differentiated Instruction
Everyday Math Implementation
The first full implementation year of Everyday Math has been going very well. Teachers and students are reporting a renewed enthusiasm for teaching and learning in mathematics. Many parents attended the math information night and found the event informative and helpful in supporting their children in math. Grade level teachers throughout the district have been attending monthly math meetings, where the teachers have an opportunity to share best practices, as well as preview upcoming material and collaborate on planning and implementation.
Differentiated Instruction
The concept of differentiated instruction continues as an instructional goal for our teachers. At its essence, differentiated instruction is an approach that aims to meet each student at his/her instructional level, thus providing students with different avenues to acquiring content, processing ideas, and developing products. Teacher training has been ongoing.
Professional Development: Writing
I, along with seven teachers from Tatem, attended a workshop presented by Dr. Lucy Calkins, a professor and scholar on student writing from Teachers College at ColumbiaUniversity. The experience has sparked a rich dialogue among the faculty as we continue to evaluate the effectiveness of all of our programs to ensure that we are producing students with the best possible learning experiences.
That is just a sampling of some of the things happening at Tatem. I will continue to keep the community informed of school initiatives through the Tatem Times, bi-monthly E-Messages, and upcoming sessions of Coffee with the Principal. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at or 429-0902. Wishing you and your family a happy and pleasant Holiday Season,
Gino R. Priolo, Principal
PTA President’s Message
Dear Tatem Family,
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I can't believe the holiday season is already upon us!
I'd like to thank Alice Connelly (Spirit Wear), Beth McFadden (Note Cards) and Beth Meteer (Cookie Dough) for organizing and running such successful fundraisers. Their hard work is greatly appreciated! Thanks to all of you for your continued support of our fundraisers.
You will soon be asked to volunteer to help at two of our biggest events of the school year--the Tatem Scholastic Book Fair and the Tatem Fair. I ask that each of you please volunteer to help in some way. We rely heavily on our volunteers to help make these events successful.
Our Vendor Fair will take place on December 10th from 3:00-7:00 p.m. in the All Purpose Room. Our theme is a Holiday Bazaar and there will be plenty of vendors there to help you complete your holiday gift lists. There will also be a craft table where your children can complete holiday crafts for only ten cents each. We hope to see you there!
Make sure to mark your calendars for our January 11th PTA meeting. We are very pleased to have Dr. O'Brien as our special guest at this meeting.
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For those of you who haven't had the pleasure to meet him yet, this would be an excellent opportunity to do so.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions, comments, suggestions or concerns you may have. I wish you and yours a joyous holiday season and a very Happy New Year. Happy Holidays!
--JoAnne Curley
Tatem’s Hurricane Relief Efforts
Thanks to your wonderful support,Tatem collected over $230 during our "change" drive, which means that the Pew Charitable Trust donated over $700 to the Red Cross in our name.
Thank you to all who donated school and personal supplies for victims of the recent hurricanes on the GulfCoast. At our November Student Council meeting, 50 complete kits were assembled by the representatives. There were also additional supplies boxed. Ten boxes of needed supplies will soon be on their way to the MississippiGulf coast!
What a way to show our Tatem spirit!
Holiday Shop
Tatem’s Holiday Shop will be held on December 6th, 7th and 8th this year. Each item costs $1. Parents of interested “shoppers”should put money in an envelope marked with their child’s name. This year’s shopping schedule follows:
12/61st, 2nd and 4th gradersshop during recess; parents of PM pre-k students may bring their children to shop 12:40-1:00 p.m.
12/73rd and 5th graders shop during recess; parents of AM pre-K and kindergarten students may bring their children to shop after 11:10 a.m.; shop open to all grades 3:00-3:20 p.m.
12/8All grades may shop during recess
Volunteers are also needed to help with the shop; anyone interested in helping shouldcall Christi Tedeschi at 429-6411. Thank you!
ReflectionsArt Competition Update
This year’s PTA Reflections Art Program was a huge success with 78 entries culminating in a wonderful art show in the Library on November 14th. The theme “I wonder why…” provided a fun springboard for creativity. If you were there, you’ll agree that there is a lot of talent in our Tatem artist community! The judges had a very difficult job in selecting only 10 visual arts entries to go on to the CamdenCounty segment of the competition. Special thanks go out to the many volunteers who helped to make the program a success: To the workshop helpers--Marianne Poisel, Marie Lewis, Tracy Noone, and Ellen Sherman; to Andy Macfadden for help in setting up and breaking down the gallery; to our judges--Nancy Mansfield, John Giannotti, and Gwynn DiPilla; to Rosie Hymerling for all her help and enthusiasm; to Elaine Gilmartin for the publicity; to Mrs. Marino and Mr. Priolo for their support; to Mrs. Johnston and Mrs. Babcock for sharing their space; to Mrs. Gardine for last-minute exhibit supplies; to the Tatem PTA for providing a budget to cover the cost of supplies; and to all those who contributed refreshments. The finalists will go on to compete in the CamdenCounty segment of the Reflections art competition.
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There will be a special exhibit at the MarkheimArtCenter in early January with all the county finalists on display. We’ll keep you posted as details become available.
The results are as follows:
Literature Category:
Finalists:
Rachel Cipolla 5L
Jason Cavanaugh 5L
Quinn Laidig 5L
Juliette Strasser 5B
Visual Arts Category:
Primary: Pre K - Grade 2
Finalists:
Natalie Baliker 2P
Christina Gallo 2S
Adam Strasser 2P
Meghan Smart 1L
Joanna Moles 1J
Honorable Mention:
Jacob deBlecourt 2P
Sam Goetz 1M
Natalie McCrudden 2P
Lauren Lynch 1J
Intermediate Grade 3-5:
Finalists:
Kaitlyn McCrudden 5L
Cole Oskiera 5L
Julie Sheehan 5B
Jayne Yost 5B
Grace Spraker 4T
Honorable Mention:
Brianna Ballard 5L
Taylor Buttaro 5L
Rachel Reinicker 5L
Drew Conte 3Halbert
Congratulations to the winners and thanks to all who participated!
--Dina Oskiera & Jill Ballard
Reflections Committee
A Health Fair Is Coming
On Saturday, March 25, 2006, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.HaddonfieldMemorialHigh School will be hosting its first annual community-wide health fair. A committee of more than 40 students has been working since Spring to plan this event. The goal is to reach out to the community and provide a wide variety of health information, activities and presentations. The American Heart Association has committed to hold a Family and Friends CPR course, and there will be a community-wide blood drive held throughout the day. In addition, the Camden County Health Department, KennedyMemorialHospital, Virtua Health System, Dr. Kammerling, M.D., and the Haddonfield Police and Fire Departments will be exhibiting and providing speakers at the event. A variety of workshops and informational sessions that address health needs from birth through the senior years are planned. Presenters and exhibitors are still needed. Please consider joining to make this a meaningful event for the entire community. For more information, please contact Sharon Garnier, RN at 856-429-3960 ext. 144 or Thank you!
Join In Some Hassle-Free Fundraising!
By working together, we can help raise extra funds for Tatem without having to sell something or work another dunk tank at the Fair.
Here’s how you can help:
Register your Stop & Shop (formerly Super G) Bonus Card at Tatem’s School ID number is 03070. Then shop for groceries as usual. Stop & Shop gives a donation directly back to Tatem in the Spring. Last year, the school received $362.19 through the A+ Super G Bonus Bucks program.
Register for eScrip and save for Tatem when you shop at many stores like Genuardi’s and Macy’s. Details at Escrip sends the money directly to the Tatem PTA.
Each time you use your Target card, Tatem can receive a donation. Details about the community-giving program are available at Designate Tatem as your school with the School ID # 72932. So far, 108 people have registered Tatem as their benefactor. Since the beginning of this program, Target has given more than $3000 to Tatem.
Collect General Mills Box Tops for Education and Campbell’s Soup labels and return them to the office at Tatem.
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These are redeemed for equipment, school supplies and other free items that would otherwise come out of the budget.
These programs all add up if every Tatem family registers their cards, spends a few seconds clipping labels and thinks of Tatem while walking the store aisles. Best of all, these programs return money to Tatem without costing you any extra money.
Thank you!!!
Tatem’s Turkey drive was an incredible success and exemplified the true spirit of giving. On behalf of Cam-Care, I wish to thank all for contributing 83 turkeys this Thanksgiving. A special expression of thanks is conveyed to the Monteleones for their overwhelming generosity and support. Just think of how many people had food to eat who would have been hungry. They are eternally grateful. Ella Murphy has been my contact person for the past 20 years and was deeply touched by your kindness to those less fortunate, and distributed the birds along with thousands of cans donated by our HMHS students.
Our next collection drive is about to begin; winter is upon us! There are hundreds of children in Camden who need hats, gloves, scarves, and mittens.
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With support from Tatem’s PTA and the Student Council, our goal is for each child to donate just one item. Your next trip to the $1.00 store could include a gift of warmth. Any size, any color…, from infant to teen. The stretchie’s are perfect. They will be given to the children when receiving care at the Center. Our deadline is December 15th. Please help! The more we collect the better. Nearly new, gently used, but clean would be readily accepted too. Let’s make our dream, our goal, come true.
With heartfelt gratitude, love and deepest appreciation, I thank you.
Joyous Holiday Greetings to you and yours. XXXOOO--Rosie Hymerling
Happy
Holidays!