Thomas Jefferson Middle School

Huge shout out to one of our TJ Orchestra students for being accepted into Region 1 Orchestra! Grace Chang, who is a 7th grader and a dedicated violin player, is now considered to be one of the best violinists in North Jersey! Congratulations Grace!

Unfortunately, due to inclement weather conditions, we must postpone this evening’s performance at TJMS. To allow adequate planning time for families, we have rescheduled for Tuesday, January 23 at 7pm.

We would like to thank the Tyszko family for their continued support and efforts to help others in memory of their son, Peter, who died on January 17, 2022 of complications from sarcoma. In the spirit of giving, they have organized what has become an annual blood drive, which will take place on Saturday, January 27, 2024. To learn how you can participate and schedule an appointment, please see go to https://www.petertfoundation.org/ for the Peter Tyszko Foundation.

Dear Parent/Guardian of an 8th grade student, The Fair Lawn High School Music Department cordially invites all 8th-grade students to our Fair Lawn High School Music Program Promo Concert Tour and Q&A Session. If your child is committed to continuing their music education and is interested in learning more about our FLHS curricular music courses, please click on the link on the TJ website to read about our Concert Tour and Q&A Session. The form serves both as a registration form and a permission slip form. This event will take place during the school day on Tuesday, January 30. We encourage all musicians (vocalists and instrumentalists), students who are eager to learn how to play an instrument, and musical theater performers to attend. This is a great opportunity for our 8th grade students to visit our FLHS Music facilities, watch upperclassmen perform, and have questions answered by our directors/musicians. Please reach out with any questions and we look forward to having your child attend this concert.

On Wednesday, December 20, the Multilingual Learners at TJMS had their annual Comfort Foods Party. This was a celebration of their book project in which each student writes a memoir piece about their family's favorite recipe or dish from their home country. Mrs. Finneran and Mrs. Palmieri also shared their own recipes with their classes. Staff was invited to attend to learn and celebrate with our students.

TJ Wrap and Roll!! We are very thankful to all of our faculty/staff and TJ families for supporting our first Bergen Volunteers Adopt-a-Family for the Holidays. This year we supported four children under the age of nine being raised by their grandparents. Thanks to your generosity, we were able to purchase 6-10 toys per child, as well as 6-10 outfits each (along with new winter coats) with gift cards to Shop Rite and Walmart. Thank you to all who supported this great cause!

On behalf of your colleagues, students, and the TJMS community, congratulations to Ms. Bonito on being named this year's Teacher of the Year and to Mrs. Romano on being named this year's Educational Services Professional of the Year.

Mrs. Finneran's and Mrs. Palmieri's multilingual learners learned about fall traditions. The classes teamed up and decorated their own pumpkins while trying new foods and snacks. A great time was had by all!

🎃 Happy Halloween from Thomas Jefferson Middle School! 🎃

TJMS Midseason Fall Classic (Ultimate Football/Soccer): On Friday, October 13th and 16th, the 2023-24 TJ Cares initiative began by hosting the Midseason Fall Classic to raise funds for the Radburn 4th grader Kaylee Wan. Faculty and students dressed in pink, raffle tickets were sold and snacks were enjoyed while students enjoyed games of ultimate football and soccer. Thank you to everyone who was able contribute to the event.

A big shout out to three of our music students at TJ for being accepted into the All-Bergen County Band and Chorus: Shira Semory Gertler- Band Megan MacDonald- Chorus Katie Lim- Band Congratulations to all!

Join us at the Multilingual Learners Parent Tea!​ Learn about: -The ML Program -Fair Lawn Schools -Community Resources When: Tuesday, October 3, 2023 at 4:00 PM Where: Warren Point School 30 - 07 Broadway, Fair Lawn, NJ CHILDCARE WILL BE AVAILABLE

Fair Lawn Public Schools make front page news on the first day of school!

The circus came to Thomas Jefferson Middle School! Students and families were welcomed back to school complete with clowns, balloon animals, circus performers, photo opportunities, snacks and a DJ! Thank you to all who supported this event!

It's a boy! Faculty, staff and students at Thomas Jefferson Middle School had an epic gender reveal on June 20th for our Vice Principal, Mrs. Renna, in a nail biting potato sack race between our Principal, Mr. Weaver, and Vice Principal, Mr. Grubman.

Congratulations to Ariana Benitez, an eighth grader at Thomas Jefferson Middle School. She was one of two winners in the 2023 New Jersey Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages and Bilingual Educators Eighth Grade Writing Challenge. Ariana was invited to attend the NJTESOL- NJBE Awards Reception on May 24, 2023 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in New Brunswick. Ms. Finneran presented her the award with her family in attendance. We are very proud of Ariana and her accomplishments. Ariana was awarded a laptop computer as her prize. Congratulations to Ms. Finneran and all of Ariana’s teachers at TJ!

Good Evening Fair Lawn Parents/Guardians, The Fair Lawn Board of Education is working with Strategic Educational Advantage (“SEA”) Search firm to assist it in identifying a Superintendent of Schools to lead the Fair Lawn Public Schools. As part of this process, SEA is seeking input from our families. Your input will help build the profile, characteristics, and experience the new superintendent will possess. We thank you for assisting and your participation in this process. You are invited to participate on Tuesday, June 13th at 7:30pm in the FLHS Auditorium so that you can provide feedback and hear about the timeline and process. Thank you for participating if you are able to make it. Sincerely, Ron Barbarulo, FL BOE President

On Thursday, April 20th, members of the TJMS Student Council and Celebrate America Club participated in a schoolwide clean up outside in honor of Earth Day. Thank you for your hard work and raising awareness of the need to protect Earth’s natural resources for future generations. Great Job!

On Thursday, March 30th, at Thomas Jefferson Middle School, a check signing ceremony was held for this year’s initiative; The Class of 1993 Taormina Foundation. Deputy Chief Phillip Taormina was the loving husband of our 2022 – 2023 NJ Governor's Educator of the Year, Mrs. Renee Taormina, a devoted father to his children, a 27-year veteran of the East Rutherford Police Department and a leader within his community, Phillip was diagnosed with an aggressive form of liver cancer in June 2022. Treatment was not possible due to medical complications and, tragically, he passed away on July 27, 2022. Phillip was a graduate of Becton Regional High School in East Rutherford where a scholarship has been established in his name for students who serve their community and are pursuing a career in law enforcement, EMT, military, or cybersecurity. Thank you to the families and students for their generosity. With your support for the TJ Cares Volleyball tournament, snack sales and faculty bake sale, along with other outside fundraisers, at least 20 years of scholarships have been raised. A special thank you to the entire Physical Education Department for organizing and competing in the volleyball tournament itself. Thank you all for continuing Phil’s motto in life by helping others even when no one is looking.

Congratulations to all participants and finalists in this year's TJ Cares Volleyball tournament. The competition was fierce and fun was had by all. Many thanks for the generosity given in this year's initiative: The Class of 1993 Taormina Foundation.