Though we all may come from different neighborhoods, cities, and even countries, there is one place that all of us call “home” – Earth! Now more than ever, citizens from around the world have been paying extra attention to taking care of our planet and reducing their carbon footprint. Here at Tessa, we are proud to have joined the cause. 

Tessa’s Efforts for a Cleaner Earth

The Tessa Team is thrilled to announce that we have implemented a recycling program for our students! This program allows students in each classroom to learn firsthand both the proper way to recycle and how recycling benefits the planet. 

If you take a look into our classrooms, you will now see a few different waste bins for different purposes. Our students are being taught to distribute their waste into these bins according to material (paper, plastic, aluminum, glass, compostable materials).  

But what about waste that is not traditionally recyclable? Thanks to Ms. Ana in Spanish Pre-K 3, Tessa is now participating in TerraCycle, a program that strives to eliminate the idea of waste. This program is funded by brands, manufacturers, and retailers around the world to help people recycle hard-to-recycle waste. As part of TerraCycle, here at Tessa, we’ve started collecting dental products such as toothpaste containers and floss and are working to add more products to the list!

 How You Can Help

We truly hope that the recycling efforts we are making at Tessa inspire our students and their families to continue these efforts outside of the classroom. If you are already doing your part to recycle at home, on behalf of the rest of the planet, thank you. If you are feeling inspired to start recycling, here are a few helpful tips to get you going: 

• Reduce your waste! Use reusable coffee mugs and straws as often as you can. Some coffee shops will even give you a discount for bringing your own cup!
• Be sure to check your refuse provider website. Sometimes things that we might think are recyclable aren’t. Also, often times, certain materials cannot be mixed together. If this happens, the entire collection of recyclables may just end up in a landfill.
• Rinse food and liquid containers and remove any caps prior to recycling
• Try to use glass in place of plastic as much as possible. Glass is almost infinitely recyclable!

Good morning from your Liberty Science Center community partners! During this past week’s activities, we worked with your children to continue our exploration of who we are! We did this through investigating the pieces and parts that make up a robot’s body and comparing them with what we have ourselves. For example, we looked at how while robots have batteries, we have a heart. We looked at pictures of the heart according to age appropriate children’s story books and squeezed heart shaped stress balls to investigate how our heart moves inside our body. 

Our investigations eventually led us to noticing that sometimes we have things that robots do not have. We found that while we have teeth to help us eat nutritious food, robots do not have them! Using an extra large toothbrush, your children brushed the teeth of a model mouth to think about how we take care of these special parts of our bodies and how our teeth might look different amongst the members of our family. 

Here at Liberty Science Center, we are dedicated to inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers through the power, promise, and pure fun of science and technology. As we continue our third year together, we are excited to keep bringing STEM learning opportunities that not only align with the school’s program of inquiry but also encourage your children to see themselves as scientists and engineers. We look forward to seeing them again this week!

As parents, you take all the extra steps necessary to ensure your child is safe and healthy. High standards for classroom safety and cleanliness are reassurance that your child’s well-being is our top priority. Every child will experience the usual bumps, bruises, sniffles and sneezes from time to time. But keeping these to a minimum should be the goal. An important question you may ask is “How does your staff make safety and cleanliness a top priority for your students?” Tessa International School would like to share with you our objectives toward safety and security.

Security Features and Initiatives

• Mr. Dan and Ms. Rotana are now regularly greeting families at the front door.
• A double-entry door is planned behind the front door and architectural drawings are underway.
  • A second door will require parents to buzz in twice and will act as a buffer so that no person may directly enter the school without first being authorized.
• Hoboken Police Officer Lieutenant Melissa Gigante will soon be visiting the school for a safety survey (and visit to Grade 1!).
• The Monroe Center now has an armed guard present in the main space of the Monroe Center.
• Tessa staff members have recently taken a CPR/FA course for certification to ensure we are properly trained in up-to-date emergency procedures.
• Tessa has continued the Safety and Security Committee. Committee Head Alissa Reeves in conjunction with committee members Maria Cintron and Yoa Meikle are reviewing current safety procedures to denote methods of improvement.
  • Child Allergy/Medication Notes
  • First Aid/CPR responses
  • Procedures for teaching children to recognize and develop appropriate responses for emergency situations (e.g.,.- Dial 911, universal sign for choking, stranger danger, safe play with peers, attentiveness to social-emotional learning)
  • Emergency phone numbers posted in each classroom and at front desk.

Preparation and Drills (Continuing)

• Monthly Fire Drills.
  • Fire drills are announced through our Amazon Echo Dots. Teachers gather the children and exit by the side door and congregate at one of three locations: The corner of Panello pizzeria, the front of the park on Jackson and 7^th, or Hoboken Catholic Academy (inside the gym for Indoor Evacuations).
  • Dan Buck, Head of School, times the drill and collects the count of students from the teachers.
• Lockdown Drills.
  • Lockdown drills are practiced at least twice per year.
  • Lockdown drills are communicated to staff by the Head of School. Doors are closed and locked, shades are drawn, quiet activity engaged and emergency escape routes planned.

Tips for Parents

• Don’t forget to check Brightwheel for notices about your child and classroom. Did you know you can update your Contact Information in your child’s profile? Please check your child’s Brightwheel page to verify Emergency Contacts and Approved Pickups.
• Practice safety and emergency procedures with your child at home.
• Inform Alissa Reeves of any changes in your Contacts.
• Make sure that your Universal Health form, allergy information, and flu shots are all up-to-date at the front desk.

Thank you for helping keep Tessa International School a safe and secure space for your child’s education and development.

-Alissa Reeves