Oak Tree Elementary School

The Monroe Public Schools, in collaboration with the members of the community, shall ensure that all students receive an exemplary education by well-trained, committed staff, in a safe and orderly environment.

Principal’s Newsletter September 2015

Dear Oak Tree Families, Welcome to a brand new school year at Oak Tree Elementary School! I hope that you

and your family had a relaxing, safe, and enjoyable summer. The time flew so quickly!

I am confident that 2015-2016 will be another successful and exciting one for all of us.

Our teachers, paraprofessionals, office staff, and custodians have worked very hard

throughout the past two months to ensure that our building is ready and that our

classrooms are organized, colorful, and welcoming for our students.

This year Oak Tree welcomes the following new and returning staff: Melissa Fletcher Acting Assistant Principal Michael Fattibene Physical Education Alexa Tringali First Grade Leave Replacement

Danielle Mazza Third Grade Leave Replacement Austin Barney Music Leave Replacement Maureen Drabyk Special Education Leave Replacement Welcome to our Oak Tree Family!

Each school year brings a sense of excitement, eagerness, nervousness, and sometimes even tears. Our staff is working diligently to plan engaging learning experiences and innovative educational activities for our students. I encourage you to establish an open line of communication between you and your child’s teacher. We will be making a concerted effort to keep you informed through flyers, newsletters, updates, reminders, and of course, our website. Please review the Code of Conduct with your child and discuss our rules and procedures. Look over and ask them about their homework and specific questions about their day. It may open up a whole new discussion and demonstrates your interest and that you care. Of course you may also receive an answer like the one described in the poem below! Our Oak Tree PTA has also been hard at work planning wonderful school events for the upcoming school year. We appreciate their time and commitment to making our school

the amazing place it is. Look for notices on how you can get involved. Your participation is welcomed and encouraged. Back to School Night will take place on September 30th at 6:30. We will meet in the gym for an orientation. You will then be directed to visit your child’s teacher for a brief presentation. More details regarding this informative evening will be coming home shortly. Your support and involvement are extremely important to us and crucial to our school’s success. We welcome your input as we strive to make Oak Tree School the very best. Please feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher or myself with questions, concerns, and thoughts at (609) 655-7642 or via e-mail. Again, a warm welcome to Oak Tree School! Kindest regards,

Patty Dinsmore Patricia J. Dinsmore Principal Oak Tree School patricia.dinsmore@monroe.k12.nj.us

Visit us on the internet at http://www.monroe.k12.j.us

When children come home at the end of the day The question they’re asked as they scurry to play is

“Tell me what you did today?” And the answer they give makes you sigh with dismay.

“Nothing, I did nothing today.” Perhaps nothing means that I played with blocks,

Or counted to ten, or sorted some rocks. Maybe I painted a picture of red and blue

Or heard a story of a mouse that flew. Maybe I watched the gerbils eat today, Or went outside on the swings to play.

Maybe today was the very first time That my scissors followed a very straight line

Maybe I led a song from beginning to end, Or played with a special brand new friend.

When you’re in school And you heart has wings,

“Nothing” can mean so many things.

SCHOOL HOURS - 2015-2016 SCHOOL YEAR Students .......................................................................... 8:55 AM - 3:24 PM Kindergarten AM ............................................................. 8:55 AM – 11:29 AM Kindergarten PM ............................................................. 12:50 AM – 3:24 PM Pre-K AM ......................................................................... 8:55 AM – 11:29 AM Pre-K PM ......................................................................... 12:50 PM – 3:24 PM Four-Hour Session Hours Grades 1 – 3 ................................................................... 8:55 AM – 12:55 PM Kindergarten AM ............................................................. 8:55 AM – 11:29 AM Kindergarten PM ............................................................. 10:21 AM – 12:55 PM Pre-K AM ........................................................................ 8:55 AM – 10:55 AM Pre-K PM ......................................................................... 10:55 AM – 12:55 PM Delayed Opening Grades 1 - 3…………………………………………………… 10:55- 3:24 Kindergarten/Pre-K AM…………………………………………10:55- 1:09 Kindergarten/Pre-K PM…………………………………………1:10 – 3:24

Important Information for Visitors to Oak Tree Our school district requires all visitors to identify themselves and state the purpose of their visit upon entering our buildings. Visitors are required to sign in at the office and wear their visitor’s badge in a

prominent place on their person. Our staff has been instructed to question anyone who is not wearing a badge. Anyone wishing to sign

out a child during school hours must be authorized to do so and must properly identify themselves with a picture ID, such as a driver’s license. MORNING DROPOFF

The safety of our students is a priority at Oak Tree School. If you are bringing your child

to school, they may be dropped off directly in front of the school at 8:50 am. The other

option is parking your car and walking your child into the school. Under no

circumstances may students be dropped off in the parking lot and walk by

themselves. Cars are entering the very busy lot and are also dropping off on the

roadway in front of the school. Your cooperation is appreciated in this important

matter. Thank you as always for your support.

Please note that Oak Tree students cannot be dropped off BEFORE 8:50AM EACH

MORNING. Staff is unavailable prior to that time to monitor the students in the foyer.

Our school day begins at 8:55 am. We have many parents dropping off their children

and then driving away. This is very unsafe. If your child arrives at school after 9:00 am

then an adult must walk the child into the office and sign them in for the day.

A WORD FROM MS. FLETCHER…….. Welcome back! I would like to introduce myself. My name is Melissa Fletcher and I am Mrs. Amendola’s leave replacement as Acting Assistant Principal of Oak Tree and Brookside Schools. I have worked in the district since 2004 in positions in both elementary education and special education. I am very happy to be a part of the Oak Tree family. I look forward to meeting you and spending time with your children. Thank you for the warm welcome! I hope that you and your children had a wonderful summer filled will sunshine and fun! September’s Character Value - Respect As part of our school-wide character education program, we will focus on a different character value each month. Our school counselor will instruct the students through various lessons and programs. You can support our lessons at home by discussing the character values with your children, modeling the values and reading books with your child. September's character value is respect. Below are some books related to respect that you can read with your child:

Time to Say "Please" by Mo Willems

Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae

Odd Velvet by Mary Whitcomb

Cookies: Bite-Size Life Lessons by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Dog Eared by Amanda Harvey

Big Al by Andrew Clements Web Resources There are many wonderful educational websites and mobile device applications for you to download and use. You may have some favorites that your children enjoy or perhaps you are stuck on where to begin your search. Listed below are some websites and applications that we either use at Oak Tree or may be resourceful for use at home. Language Arts

Word World http://pbskids.org/wordworld/index_flash.html - A word game to practice sounds, letter identification and more. The website and games are also available as a mobile download.

Reading Eggs – Used at Oak Tree http://readingeggs.com/ - Reading Eggs makes learning to read interesting and engaging for kids, with great online reading games and activities. Children can play games, songs, earn golden eggs and other rewards.

We Give Books – For mobile devices http://www.wegivebooks.org/books-This website is owned by Pearson Foundation, and has hundreds of e-books available for kids to read for free. You can sort books by content and age appropriateness. In addition, the foundation donates books to kids in need around the world.

Mathematics

Pearson Success Net – Used at Oak Tree https://www.pearsonsuccessnet.com -A website supplement to the mathematics textbook used in the classroom. You will need your login from the classroom

teacher to enter the website. The site contains practice activities, games, reinforcement lessons from the classroom instruction and much more.

Illuminations http://illuminations.nctm.org/Default.aspx -Interactive math games, brain teasers and more!

Free Fall Math – For mobile devices Practice addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. The practice can be leveled for a beginner and a more advanced student.

We appreciate your support as we kick off a new school year. I look forward to meeting you at Back to School Night! BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT You are invited to our Back to School Night which will be held on Wednesday, September 30, 2015, at 6:30 pm. This is a great opportunity to visit your child's classroom, meet his/her teacher, and get an overview of our educational programs. Please make time to attend this informative evening. Code of Conduct The student Code of Conduct is located on the Oak Tree website (you will find the Oak Tree page through the district website at www.monroe.k12.nj.us). Please review the Code of Conduct with your child. The information in this document should be read and understood by you and your child. If you have any questions regarding anything in the Code of Conduct, please contact us at 609-655-7642. Should you need a paper copy of the Code of Conduct, please let us know and we will send a copy home with your child. You will receive a letter confirming you have read the Code of Conduct with your child. The bottom portion of this letter should be signed by you and your child and returned to their homeroom teacher by September 11th. Anti-Bullying Information The most recent information regarding anti-bullying can be found on the district website at www.monroe.k12.nj.us and will also be available as a link on the Oak Tree website. Should you have any questions, please contact us at 609-655-7642. INFORMATION UPDATE The Monroe Township School District will be using a new automated communication

system called Connect 5. This system enables the district to dispense important information (e.g. school closings, delays, etc.) to staff, parents and students in a very short time frame. It is therefore very important for Emergency Forms and Information Forms to be completed and returned to the Oak

Tree Office no later than Monday, September 11th. Please include your current address, home, work and emergency telephone numbers. It is

very important that we have up-to-date phone numbers and addresses in case of emergencies, both in our school records and for the Connect 5 Network. Please note that only individuals who are

listed on the form will be allowed to pick up your child from school.

PARKING PROCEDURES Just a reminder that school buses and staff use the parking lot to the right of the school. Oak Tree parents and visitors may use the visitor parking lot located in the front of the school. The lane directly in the front of the school is a student drop off lane. Thank you for helping us to provide a safe environment for all our youngsters. GREEN FAIR Oak Tree School will once again host the Monroe Township Green Fair on Saturday, October 3rd from the hours of 10:00 - 3:00. The Fair is presented by the Monroe Township Environmental Commission and the Monroe Township Library. Many local merchants from the community, along with demonstrations on recycling materials and how they can be used, will be here. SCHOOL BUS FLASHING LIGHTS - STOP! All residents are reminded that the state of New Jersey requires motor vehicles to stop when school buses are loading and unloading student passengers. School buses display red flashing lights whenever they pick-up or drop off students. Also, would you please share the following important rules with your child: School Bus Safety Rules 1. Be on time. 6. Don't yell or shout. 2. Never run to or from the bus. 7. Always obey the driver. 3. Stand back from the curb. 8. Wait for the driver's signal before crossing. 4. Don't push or shove. 9. Always cross at least 10 feet in front of the bus. 5. Stay in your seat. 10. Never crawl under a school bus. Please review with your child the bus rules as outlined in our Code of Conduct. Thank you.

RIDE WITH CHARACTER Ride with Character is Oak Tree’s positive behavior program which ties directly to our Rising Star program. Bus drivers will keep track of positive behavior on their bus by placing stickers on the bus poster which also highlights the word of the month. At the end of the month stars will be counted and one bus will be recognized as Bus of the Month. Oak Tree students will receive two star tickets and a certificate. FREE/REDUCED LUNCH AND STUDENT INSURANCE Information regarding free/reduced lunches and student insurance will be distributed. Forms must be returned whether or not you participate. Please return these forms by September 11th.

SCHOOL PICTURES School pictures will be taken Monday, September 21st. Please watch for

further information. TALENTED AND GIFTED & BASIC SKILLS PROGRAM Our Talented and Gifted Program (Grades 2 – 3) will begin on

Monday, October 5th. Third grade Basic Skills will also begin on October 5th. TAG and Basic Skills students & parents will be notified of program schedules. If you have any questions about our district’s Talented and Gifted program, please call Mrs. Laurie McConnell, Supervisor of Grants, Testing and Special Programs at 732-521-1550 or for the Basic Skills Programs, please contact Ms. Fletcher, Acting Assistant Principal, during the school day at (609) 655-7642. A MESSAGE FROM OUR SCHOOL NURSE, MRS. MC NUTT Welcome back to Oak Tree Elementary School. I hope everyone had a safe and relaxing summer. Please see below for some health office reminders for the upcoming school year. Required Immunizations and Physicals All new kindergarten and preschool students, as well as students transferring into Oak Tree School from a private school or another school out of state, will need a physical examination completed by their physician that should be submitted as soon as possible. Physical forms, as well as medication forms and asthma action plans, can be found on the Oak Tree School web

site on the nurse's page. Recommended Physical Examinations Student physicals are required upon entrance into the school system in kindergarten. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a continuing relationship with a physician or other health care provider to

ensure all students have regular physicals at each stage of development. These include one physical in each of the following developmental stages: Pre-kindergarten through grade 2, grades 3-5, grades 6-8 and grades 9-12.

Screenings I will be performing health screenings on all students over the course of the year which include height, weight, blood pressure, vision, hearing and scoliosis. The screenings done at each grade level are determined by state guidelines. I will notify parents of any discrepancies that I may find after screening each child. Attendance If your child will be absent, please call the nurse's office at 609-655-7642, extension 3306 to report the absence. If you do not report the absence, a school representative will call your home and emergency numbers to verify your child's safety. If your child has a specific contagion, please do not hesitate to call the nurse's office and let me know. Please send a note upon your child's return to school. Notes from your physician are requested after 5 days of absence. Illness Please keep your child home when they are sick. Students should not return to school until they are fever free for 24 hours without the use of Tylenol or Motrin. Medications According to New Jersey State law, medications may not be given in the health office without a physician's order and parental consent. This includes Tylenol, Motrin, cough drops and cough medicine. Students also are not allowed to carry medication on their person or transport medication to school. Students determined to be capable of managing their own inhalers in school may carry their medication in school with a Self-Carry Order from their physician and parental permission. Self-carry medication order forms are available in the nurse's office or on the school web site. Food Allergies There are many students with food allergies in our school. Please follow your teacher's guidelines when sending snacks into the classroom as many students have dairy, egg and peanut allergies. The cafeteria is not peanut free so you may send peanut butter in for your child's lunch. However, we ask that you avoid sending snacks into the classroom that contain nuts of any kind. Students requiring a peanut or dairy free environment in the lunchroom are provided a safe, monitored place to enjoy their lunch. Parents of students with food allergies can contact the health office for specific allergy information for foods available for purchase in the cafeteria. Parents of students with food allergies are also encouraged to provide safe snacks for their child in the classroom in the event of birthday celebrations or parties in the classroom. New Jersey Family Care New Jersey Family Care is available to eligible families needing insurance for their children. If you would like information regarding this or available Middlesex County based clinics for required immunizations or physicals, please call the health office for information. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your child through the course of the year, please do not hesitate to call the Nurse's office and speak with me. Together, we can work out a plan to meet your child's needs in the school environment.

Counselor’s Corner

I hope everyone had a rejuvenating summer break! We are so

excited to be back in school and ready for another great school year.

As you may know, Oak Tree has a school-wide character education

program called, “Rising Stars”. Each month we focus on a different

character value, or, “word of the month”. These “words of the month” are

reinforced through monthly guidance lessons, daily morning announcements, “star

messages” hung throughout our hallways, teacher and staff reinforcement, and reward

opportunities when students display these values. When a student is “caught” showing

these values they are given a star ticket which they place in their class’ star ticket box.

Star tickets can be earned at any time throughout the day, including lunch and recess,

and may be given by any staff member. At the end of each month, one ticket is drawn

from each class at random. The student whose star ticket is picked is able to choose a

small reward, such as getting to be “Oak Tree Helper” and aid in a small task at the end

of a school day. Additionally, our entire school is working together to achieve a certain

amount of star tickets to earn our school-wide “Celebration Days”, which occur

approximately every two months. These much anticipated “Celebration Days”, which

include every student, are a slight variation of our normal routine such as getting to eat

lunch outside or having a dance party during recess. Through our “Rising Stars”

program students are motivated to engage in positive and pro-social behavior towards

their peers. “Rising Stars” also fosters a strong sense of connection and cooperation at

Oak Tree as we are all helping each other “do the right thing” and earn star tickets to

achieve our school-wide “Celebration Days”. Students understand which behaviors are

valued and expected of them here at Oak Tree and it gives our school a common

language to explain these expectations. Teachers and staff continually reinforce to

students that we are not just practicing these values to earn star tickets, but because it

is the “right thing to do” and acting in these ways always makes us feel proud and helps

to make our school the best that it can be. Our “Rising Stars” program serves as our

primary anti-bullying preventative measure.

Parent involvement in our character education program is vital to its success and to

your children’s social and character development. In this newsletter each month you

will find a description of our monthly value, information about the guidance lessons

being taught in each grade, ways that we are practicing and reinforcing these values in

school, as well as ways that you can practice these values with your children at home.

More information can be found on the Guidance website on Oak Tree’s

home webpage each month.

For the month of September, we are focusing on the important value of

“Respect”. For our students, we define respect as, “treating others the

way you want to be treated”. We remind students to pause and ask themselves this

question many times throughout the day. Teachers and staff place a strong emphasis

on using manners such as saying, “please”, “thank you”, “excuse me”, and so forth.

Students are also taught how to “respectfully” disagree with others by using kind words.

Students are taught what respectful listening and speaking looks and sounds like in the

classroom and other places in our school. Other socially appropriate behavior such as

being friendly towards everyone and introducing ourselves are also reinforced. Parents

can practice these skills with your children at home by making manners a priority and

talking with your children about how showing respect is beneficial for your children. Our

students are very proud of themselves and love to share with staff members when they

have acted in positive ways, even if they have not received a star ticket. Make it a point

each day to ask your children about ways that they showed respect throughout the day

and celebrate these moments with lots of praise and encouragement. The best way to

help our students learn and show respect is by being good models of this in our

everyday lives and by making it known that this is something that we value. We can’t

wait to see all the ways that our students show their respectful behaviors here at school.

Have a great month!

STUDENT COUNCIL NEWS Oak Tree Student Council will be comprised of student volunteers in

third grade. We are looking forward to an exciting year full of giving

back to our school and community. Several events and fundraisers run

by Student Council include spirit days, food drives, a holiday gift drive

and much more! Together we will work to make a difference and help

others in and around our community in need. Please stay tuned for more

information as the school year continues!

SCHOOL CLOSED Please be sure to mark your calendar – September 14-15 School Closed September 22 4 Hour Session September 23 School Closed October 12 School Closed/Staff in-Service October 23 4 Hour Session/Staff In-Service SCHOOL LIBRARY Welcome back to school from the Oak Tree Library! I look forward to having a fantastic year with your students! Over the summer, we received hundreds of new books for your children to enjoy. Many thanks in helping your students remember to return their books on their scheduled library

day. Please note that students may keep a book longer than one week. However, they may not check out a new book until they return what they have borrowed. STUDENTS BEING PICKED UP AT THE END OF THE DAY It is school policy that parents who need to pick their children up before dismissal, please send a note to the teacher stating who will pick the child up and at what time. Sometimes unforeseen circumstances arise during the course of the day, requiring an early pick up of a student. When this happens, please be sure you contact the office to share any pertinent information. Also parents should try not to come into the office at the end of the school day to pick up their child at the same time as students are being dismissed to board buses. As you can imagine, this type of situation, when a child is already on the bus, is less than ideal and can be very stressful for him/her. When an emergency develops and you are planning to pick up your child at the end of day, please help us by insuring pick up no later than 3:14 PM, at least 10 minutes before students begin boarding buses (3:24 PM). It is also imperative that emails are not sent to the teacher regarding possible changes. Often the teacher will not be able to read their email until after dismissal. Thanks for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. DATES TO REMEMBER: September 2 Pre-K and Kindergarten Orientation 3 First Day of School 9 PTA Executive Board Meeting, 9:30 am @ Oak Tree 10 School Store 11 Schoolwide Positive Behavior Assembly Code of Conduct and Emergency Forms Due Summer Reading Due 14 & 15 School closed 16 Board of Education @ 7 pm 17 PTA General Membership Meeting @ 7:30 @ OT 21 School Pictures 22 PTA Pretzel Sale/4 Hour Session 23 School closed 30 Back to School Night @ 6:30 Laser Safari Assembly October 3 Green Fair 5 Basic Skills and TAG Begins 8 School Store 9 Progress Report 12 School closed/Staff in-Service 14 PTA Meeting @ 9:30 Board of Education Meeting @ 7 pm 15 Scholastic Book Fair PTA Trunk or Treat

16 Scholastic Book Fair 17 PTA lothing Drive 23 Student Council Pretzel Sale 4 Hour Session/Staff In-Service 30 Halloween Parade LUNCH PRICES FOR 2015-16

High School. 2.25 Middle School. 2.20 Elementary School 2.15 Reduced Price Lunch .40 Adult Lunch 3.05 Second Lunch 3.05 White Milk .60 Chocolate Milk .65 Kindergarten Milk .35

Monroe Township Food Service

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL INFORMATION

NANCY R. MITROCSAK August 20, 2015

Food Service Director

Dear Parent or Guardian,

The Monroe Township School District welcomes your child back to school. The Food Service Department

looks forward to providing your child with fresh and nutritionally balanced meals for the upcoming year.

Enclosed is information about the Monroe Township School Lunch Program.

.

Pricing for the 2015-2016 school year:

Elementary School Lunch $2.15

Reduced Price Lunch $ .40

1% White & Skim Milk $ .60

Fat Free Flavored Milk $ .65

Lactose Free Milk $ .60

Kindergarten Paid Milk $ .35

Adult or Second Lunch $3.05

Menus:

There are four entrée choices are available daily

at the elementary schools.

1. The featured meal of the day

2. The weekly alternate

3. The weekly Up for Grabs

A grab & go lunch at the cold table

4. Cheese Pizza

All Lunch Choices come with 1 fruit, 2 vegetables

& Choice of Milk

WHAT’S IN A LUNCH?

You must choose at least 3 of the 5 components available for the

School lunch price. One of the components must be a fruit or

vegetable serving. (Listed Below)

WHAT’S A COMPONENT?

The 5 components are:

1. Meat, Cheese or Meat Alternative (Hummus or Yogurt)

2. A serving of bread, grain, pasta, pretzel rod, crust or rice.

3.(May Choose 1): ½ cup of canned or fresh fruit, ½ cup 100% juice

*Ala Carte Snack Item Pricing is available through the school website along with the lunch menu.

PAYING FOR LUNCH

Automated Point of Sale System (POS):

The Monroe Township School District has an automated point of sale system in the cafeteria. Students

use a keypad to enter their student ID number, which is also the number students use to access their

computer at school. Please help your child memorize their student ID number if they have not already.

This will help to speed the line. Should they forget their ID number, the cashier can access their account

by doing a search. All students are automatically set up in the computerized POS system.

There are three methods to pay for lunch. Option 1 or 2 are the preferred method because it speeds the

line, giving your child more time to eat and relax.

Option 1: An online prepayment service is available for easy and secure deposits into your

child’s school meal account. This service allows parents/guardians the ability to view

your child’s account balance, deposit money into their account, and also set low balance

alert notifications. There is no charge to set up an account, and you do not have to put

money on account in order to access the available features. To set up an account go

to www.myschoolbucks.com. There is a small convenience per deposit. Please be aware

that on-line deposits may take up to 24 hours to clear, depending on your bank.

Automatically add money to a student’s account when the balance runs low. This is strongly recommended to avoid negative balances.

Set up automatic recurring payments.

Low balance notifications.

View purchases for the past 90 days.

There is also an app for mobile devices.

Option 2: Either cash or a check payable to The Monroe Township Board of Education

can be given to the cashier to be deposited into your student’s account. Please write the

name of your student on the check. We strongly encourage sending a check placed in a

sealed envelope with your student’s name, teacher and the words “lunch money” on it.

The amount of the prepayment deposit is entirely up to you and can range from one day

to an entire year. Should your child have a balance at the end of the year, it will

automatically be rolled into the next school year, unless otherwise requested. Once

money is on your child’s account, it will be debited when used. The child will be notified

when a low balance appears, and a payment should be sent in at that time. We strongly

encourage that you set a low balance alert through the on-line pre-payment system.

If there is more than one student in the family that attends the same school, one student

can make a deposit to both their account and a sibling’s account, as long as you give the

cashier the name, grade and amount to be deposited to each account. A sibling deposit

cannot be made for a student in another school.

Example:

A $20.00 check…….Billy Doe - Grade 4 Mrs. Smith $10.00

Judy Doe - Grade 6 Mr. Jones $10.00

Option 3: Students can pay cash at the cash register.

Negative Balances: We ask that parents/guardians take an active role in monitoring and funding there

student’s lunch account. This is simple to do by setting up an on-line account with myschoolbucks.com.

Once an on-line account is set up you have the option to set an automatic email notification when your

student’s lunch balance is low, or if you wish you can have the student’s account automatically

replenish.

In the event that a student’s account is in arrears, the parent or guardian will be notified via electronic

mail on Fridays. The student’s parent or guardian shall have a period of 10 (ten) school days from the

day child’s account went into arrears to pay the amount due.

If after 10 (ten) school days the parent or guardian has not made full payment, then the district shall

contact the student’s parent or guardian via electronic mail to provide notification that school lunch will

not be served to the student beginning 1 (one) week from the date of the second notification unless

payment is made in full.

Limiting Student Purchases: A parent or guardian may limit the amount a student can spend

in a day. Limits are set by dollar amount, not number of items. If you wish to place a purchase limit on

your child’s account, please send a note to the cafeteria manager indicating the maximum dollar

amount to be allowed in a day.

Special Warnings/Allergies: The POS system enables the cafeteria staff to be notified through

a pop-up notice, that a child has an allergy or any other special concern. If you would like a

pop-up warning to appear, please send your request to the cafeteria manager, so that our cafeteria staff

can aide in monitoring their meals.

Built in Security: When a student enters their student ID number, the student’s photo appears

on the screen, enabling the cashier to verify the person using the account number. If a meal has already

been rung up that day with the student’s ID number, the cashier will be alerted to that.

No Overt Identification of Students Receiving Free & Reduced Meals: The system is set up

to insure that students who receive free and reduced lunch are not identified as such.

Free & Reduced Lunch Applications

Applications for Free and Reduced Lunch are sent home at the beginning of each school year. There is

also a copy of the district website. If your student was on the Free & Reduced Lunch Program last year,

you still need to re-apply this year. If you were free or reduced price lunch last year and fail to re-apply

by Oct. 22, 2015, your student’s status will automatically change to regular paid lunch. You can at

anytime in the school year apply for the Free & Reduced Price Lunch Program.

If you have any POS questions, please contact Janet in the food service office:

732-521-6042 Ext. 2041.

Best Regards,

Nancy Mitrocsak

Food Service Director

Monroe Township Board of Education