Originally delivered on 3/1/2022 10:01 am

SUBJECT: Flipper's E-Newsletter - March 2022

Flipper's E-Newsletter - March 2022

A message from Mr. Masessa and Sra. Peake

 

We hope all our families are surviving the changing weather of this winter and ready for some serious March Madness! 

Of course our brains go directly to College Basketball, but let’s focus on Walkathon which is set for Friday, March 4th and PICTO NIGHT, March 11th!  

We are so grateful for our fabulous PTO Board and the numerous parent volunteers involved with planning these major fundraisers and hope everyone is able to join in on the fun.  

Thank you for all you do!

Read Across America Spirit Week

Now - March 4th


Join the celebration!

March 1st: Wear comfy clothes/pajamas & bring a stuffed animal.

March 2nd: Wear animal print clothing.

March 3rd: Wear blue for unity.

March 4th: Wear Desmares colors/spirit wear.

Please take pictures of your Dolphins and post them on Desmares PTO Facebook page or send them to FADpto@gmail.com to be added to our yearbook!

Flyer / En Espanol 

PTO Happenings 

Mascot Mania Event at Chirp Workshop


March 1st

Our 30 Dolphins who adopted the 30 Dolphin plushies are invited tonight to Chirp Workshop to bring their Dolphin plushies to life between 5 - 7 pm.

Address:

32 Fulper Rd. Flemington.

Each participant will get: an 8-inch dolphin plushie, stuffing to bring their dolphin to life, a heart to put inside their dolphin plushie and a cottage box home.  

Please take pictures of your Dolphins and post them on Desmares PTO Facebook page or send them to FADpto@gmail.com to be added to our yearbook!

Flyer / En Espanol

15th Annual FAD Walkathon


March 4th

Every Dolphin gets to spend a brief part of the day walking a course full of fun activities with their classmates and FLIPS! 

Below is the schedule if you want to come and walk with your Dolphins, please wear Desmares blue colors!

Kindergarten: 11:35 - 12

2nd Grade: 12:10 - 12:35

1st Grade: 1 - 1:25

3rd Grade: 1:25 - 1:50

4th Grade: 1:50 - 2:15


Today is the last day to donate!

For every $25 your Dolphin raises, he/she will receive a free Ice Cream from Humdoo (size small) with Desmares colored sprinkles!

Ways to donate:

Membership Toolkit by clicking here

PayPal:  https://www.paypal.me/FADpto  

Venmo: @FAD-PTO (last 4 digits: 4793)

Please take pictures of your Dolphins and post them on Desmares PTO Facebook page or send them to FADpto@gmail.com to be added to our yearbook!
Flyer / En Espanol

Spirit Day & Contest


March 4th

Every First Friday of the month is Spirit Day at Desmares!

Our dolphins are encouraged to wear their FAD swag on spirit days to show their school pride. 

 Your PTO will ask the teachers to count how many dolphins are wearing blue on spirit days to win a trophy for their class. You can always buy spirit wear through the membership toolkit by clicking here and orders will be delivered to the students during school hours.

March 4th is our next Spirit Day and its Walkathon Day, please send your Dolphins to school wearing Desmares blue or spirit wear.

Please take pictures of your Dolphins and post them on Desmares PTO Facebook page or send them toFADpto@gmail.comto be added to our yearbook!

Book Drive


March 5th, 12th, 19th & 26th

We are collecting gently used books (kids & adult books).

There will be bins outside Desmares entrance on Saturday March 5th, 12th, 19th & 26th.

Thank you for your participation!

Gertrude Hawk Spring Chocolates


Now - March 10th

We are raising funds with Gertrude Hawk Chocolates through a virtual online sale. 

It’s easy to participate! 

Simply set up an account and share a link so friends and family can shop our Holiday Catalog virtually.

View Spring 2022 Catalog here!

 Our Dolphins can earn Sweet & Cool Prizes when they sell from $5.00 - $1500 (View Prizes here)  

Flyer / En Espanol

Shammy Shine Gift Cards


Now - March 15th

We are selling Shammy Shine Gift Cards to raise money for our digital sign and to keep our cars shiny!

Join the fun and help us reach our goal of $3,000!

Sell Mom, Dad, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Neighbors & Friends.

You can start selling now by clicking here!

Distribution Day: Monday, March 21st 

 Flyer / En Espanol

Dolphin Canvas Painting with Hammer & Stain Flemington


Now - March 31st 

Join your Dolphin friends for an outdoor instructional canvas painting session of our school mascot FLIPS! 

 The session will be instructed by Hammer & Stain – Flemington.

Date: Monday, April 11th 

Time: 3:30 - 5 pm

Grades: K - 4

Location: FAD Outdoor Classroom

Click here to sign up!

Flyer / En Espanol

PTO Meeting


March 9th

at 7:30 pm via Zoom

Join us and be heard!

Meeting Agenda & Zoom Information

PICTO & Basket Raffle Event


March 11th

Your PTO will be hosting our Annual PICTO & Basket Raffle Event on Friday, March 11th, 2022 virtually on Zoom at 6:30 pm.


  1. Preorder your Raffle Tickets by March 8th here.
  2. Get your Preordered Raffle Tickets LABELED by March 8th here.
  3. Preorder your PICTO Boards by March 8th here.
  4. Preorder your PICTO Prizes by March 8th here.
  5. Please volunteer here to help us make this event a success!
  6. Preorder cookies from Storybook Cakes by March 4th here.
  7. Preorder dinner from QCrew BBQ by March 10th here.
    Pick up all your preordered items from school on March 11th between 3:30 - 6 pm. Order Delizia Pizza for dinner on March 11th by calling  (908-237-4502) and please mention "Desmares School" at checkout! Here is a sneak peek of some PICTO Baskets!
Spring Flowers Sale


March 14th - March 31st


Your PTO will be selling Spring Flowers by Hionis Greenhouses!

We will be offering Tulips, Hyacinths, Daffodils in different sizes & Easter Lilies in addition to Ranunculus & Pansies.

Stay tuned!

Dine-Out Day at Campania Pizza & Deli


March 16th

11 am - 8 pm

Join us for a dine-out at Campania Pizza & Deli on March 16th between 11 am - 8 pm and support your PTO! 

10% of sales will be donated to our school. 

Please call (908-782-5999) for reservations or to place your order for take-out. 

(www.campaniapizzaanddeli.com)

All you have to do is present the attached flyer or mention Desmares school at checkout.

334 State Route 31 North, Flemington, NJ 08822 ~ Next to Stop & Shop 

Flyer / En Espanol

School Store (Grades 1 - 4)


March 18th

Your PTO runs school store once a month (with the exception of June) during recess time for 1st - 4th graders.

The School store allows our students to buy fun school supplies like pencils, pens, erasers, and more. Prices range between 50 cents up to $2.00 per item.

Please remember to send in no more than $5.00 with your child! 

We will stop our Dolphins from shopping when they reach $5 in total.


Governor's Teacher of the Year Awards

Each year, our faculty selects one Classroom Teacher and one Educational Services Professional as Governors Teacher of the Year recipients.

This year’s recipients of the Governors Teacher of the Year awards are, Ms. Nina Higgins and Mrs. Jaclyn Accardi. 

On behalf of the entire Desmares teaching community, we celebrated our teachers at the February 28th Board of Education meeting.  Proudly, we present…

 

Ms. Nina Higgins, Third Grade Resource Room, is the recipient of the FAD Teacher of the Year.

Colleagues describe Ms. Higgins as “a positive force among teachers and students.

She is the most collaborative colleague ever!”  

Ms. Higgins is highly regarded amongst her peers as a collaborator, innovator, and above all else, a kind human being. 

She shares valuable resources and instructional strategies that she gains from her pursuit toward improving her craft.  

Ms. Higgins quietly leads by example and frequently meets with grade level teachers to discuss how to accommodate student needs while accomplishing curriculum goals and achieving grade level standards. Over the years, she approached every challenging learning and behavioral need presented by her students with the highest degree of professionalism, care, and compassion. She seeks to attend every teacher workshop and is constantly meeting with grade level and resource room teachers to discuss implementing new ideas. 

Ms. Higgins focuses on the needs of the Whole Child, instilling confidence and the love for learning in every student, every day, through every opportunity.  

Congratulations, Ms. Nina Higgins!

 

Mrs. Jaclyn Accardi, Speech Pathologist, is the FAD recipient of the Educational Services Professional of the Year.  

Mrs. Accardi is a champion for all students and dedicates her time to continuous professional growth. 

Colleagues and administrators describe her as a true example of professionalism in action. This is often seen in Child Study Team meetings, parent meetings, IEP eligibility discussions, and by the rapport she develops with her students. 

Students demonstrate genuine excitement when they come to her room and feel the progress and success from speech sessions. 

Mrs. Accardi is a leader among the Child Study Teams and Speech Language Pathologist Team in our district. She quietly leads by example and her selfless dedication. As a member of the Core CST Team she helped to develop the Special Education Handbook. 

She has also spearheaded the new Summer Supplemental Program. Mrs. Accardi also serves as a mentor to new speech pathologists within our district, serves as a member of the Pandemic Response Team, and is a turn-key teacher leader for our new UDL initiative. Mrs. Accardi is the epitome of service, excellence, and leadership. 

Congratulations Mrs. Jaclyn Accardi! 

2021 - 2022 Yearbook


Now - April 1st

Preorder your 2021 - 2022 yearbook today by clicking the below link: 

2021 - 2022 Yearbook

Don't miss your chance to own this special keepsake, we won't have any extra copies!

Yearbooks will be delivered in June 2022.

Order Form / En Espanol

The Stephen Austin Maszczak Scholarship Award


Ongoing  

The Stephen Austin Maszczak Scholarship Award started after FAD lost one of its dolphins to brain tumor in 2011. 

It is awarded to graduating students of Hunterdon Central Regional High School and is to be used for college or vocational school expenses. Desmares former students are able to apply for this scholarship in early 2022 through the counseling office at HCHRS. Students are asked to name past and present teachers or administration that influenced them in some way, big or small. Please know that your donation is making a meaningful impact on a former student, as well as continuing remembrance of a very special Desmares student, Stephen Maszczak.

You can donate here!

No Cost Fundraisers


Ongoing

An easy way to support the many activities your PTO offer throughout the school year is through No Cost Fundraisers.

Here are a few ways you can help!

Amazon Smile / En Espanol

Box Tops Education Program / En Espanol

Coca-Cola Give / En Espanol

Birthday Visit By Flips


Ongoing

Does your dolphin have a birthday coming up?

 Flips can show up at your door to wish your Dolphin a very Happy Birthday with a special gift from 5 Below!

To book your visit, please go to: 

Birthday Visit By Flips!

FAD Digital Sign


Ongoing

It's time to have a digital sign at Desmares' entrance! Your PTO will be asking for donations towards the digital sign throughout the year.

The digital sign will help your PTO advertise FAD events promptly instead of our amazing parent volunteer changing it manually every month.

It might take us more than one year but together we can make it happen! You can donate to the sign by clicking here.

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