Dr. Michael Valenti
Principal

Mrs. Diane Schilling
Secretary

Mrs. Julie Tantillo
Part-Time Secretary

Mrs. Liz West
Guidance
Anti-Bullying Specialist

Ms. Jennifer Walsh
Nurse, X5317

School Hours: 8:35 am - 3:00 pm

1 Jefferson Drive
Lake Hopatcong, NJ 07849
(973) 663-0900
Fax (973) 663-7853

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Welcome to the Ellen T. Briggs School’s Home Page!

We will be busy all summer preparing the building and classrooms to welcome back our Briggs students in September.  A lot will be going on over the summer to make our school a place where students feel happy, comfortable and ready to learn. 

Summer reading and math assignments may be found under “Quick Links” for all grade levels.

We have scheduled a Visitation Day on Tuesday, September 4^th when all students and their parents are invited to Briggs to visit their child’s classroom and tour the building.  Visitation hours are between 1:00-3:00 pm.

All the information you will need for the beginning of the school year will be found on the Realtime Parent Portal on or about August 15^th.  You should get into the habit of checking the portal frequently for updates and information.  Also make sure that your contact information is up-to-date.

The first day of school is Thursday, September 6^th and Back to School Night is scheduled for Wednesday, September 12^th.

Enjoy the summer break and keep reading!

Dr. Michael Valenti

This section will be used to showcase student accomplishments and work as the school year progresses.  Please visit frequently for more information!

The Briggs Drama Club presented the play, "A Bad Case of Stripes" under the direction of Mrs. Lindsay, Miss Meade, and Mrs. Sell.  

The Briggs School Guidance Counselor, Mrs. West, coordinated her annual Career Day event. We were very fortunate to have a variety of careers presented to our students.  Students were invited to dress up to depict what career they would like to be when they grow up.  Thank you to all the presenters!  

Field Day was a smashing success! Everyone exhibited great sportsmanship and had fun while testing their physical capabilities. Good job Briggs students!!

Briggs kindergarten classes took a field trip to Turtle Back Zoo. Some of the students' favorite animals were:  sea lion, otter, prairie dogs, and the big cats!  

Mrs. Uvino's class celebrated Red Nose Day - a fundraising campaign dedicated to ending childhood poverty.  The red noses were donated by one of Mrs. Uvino's students.  

Second-grade students participated in the annual Second Grade Wax Museum.  Students chose a character or person they wanted to be, read a book about that person or character, filled out a graphic organizer, wrote a report, and finally dressed up as that person or character.  Kindergarten, first grade, and parents were invited to visit the wax museum and listen to the reports.  Great job second graders!

Dr. Harte came to Briggs School to teach the students about the importance of dental health.  

First graders welcomed their families to their Earth Day-themed concert.  A special thank you to Mrs. Thomson for putting together such a great show!

Briggs School held their Second Annual Student-Staff Basketball Game.  The second-grade students participated as players, cheerleaders, and scorekeepers, and a special group of first-graders and kindergarteners participated in activities between quarters.  A special thank you to everyone that made the game a success, it was a great time for the students and staff!

During Read Across America week, Briggs school celebrated reading and Dr. Suess in many different ways.  Each day a specific book was honored with an activity for example for the Cat in the Hat students wore hats to school.  Teachers also volunteered to read their favorite Dr. Suess books during lunch.  The week concluded with our reading train, where the whole school meets in the hallway to read, and a special visit from the Cat in the Hat.

Briggs School had a wonderful turn out for the second-grade science fair.  Not only did the majority of the second graders participate by creating, displaying, and sharing their projects, but a lot of parents showed up to support their children as well.  Great job second graders!

Briggs School celebrated the 100th day in style!  Both first-grade teachers and students dressed as themselves at 100 years old, kindergarten participated in their annual 100th day parade, and second graders celebrated with special activities.

To kick off Wellness Week, Briggs School welcomed in Slim Goodbody.  He taught the students about the amazing things their body does and how to keep it healthy.  

Briggs School had some very interesting visitors lately!  A special thank you to Rizzo's Reptiles for their presentation and the animal friends they brought with them, and to Jenkinson's Aquarium for making first grade's Penguin Day extra special!

Mock trials have begun in Second Grade!  Mrs. Uvino's class was the first to try the Civil case of  The Missing Dog ~ The Greens vs. Amanda.  Throughout the week the students learned about the court system and wrapped up the week with a mock trial.  

Ms. Tomo's class learned about schools from the past.  The class made their own ink from berries and vinegar and wrote with sticks and feathers.

Tickets Please!  First-grade students participated in Polar Express Day.  A special thank you to the first-grade teachers for putting together such a fun day!

First grade students participated in a writing celebration!  Students gathered together to share their realistic fiction stories.  Great job first graders on your hard work!

Second grade performed their annual winter concert for the families and did a great job!  A special thank you to Mrs. Fisher for all her hard work to make the concert a success. 

The second grade students welcomed in parents and other family members to build and decorate gingerbread houses.  

During Friday recess, students participate in recess enrichment.  Classes rotate through different activities and enjoy some educational fun.  The stations include golf, virtual field trips, arts & crafts, and many more!

A select number of lucky second-grade students were chosen to attend the STEAM/STEM NJGCTP trip.  Here the students participated in different STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) activities and moved through different stations.  The kids had a lot of fun and learned a lot while they were there! 

The Briggs second graders welcomed in some very special visitors on the day before Thanksgiving.  Each year second grade celebrates Grandparent's Day with a skit about the first Thanksgiving and about the different winter holidays celebrated around the world.  The grandparents then got to enjoy a snack with their grandchild, it was a wonderful day for all!

Briggs School celebrated Halloween in style!  Students and staff dressed up for the occasion, participated in a parade, and then attended class parties.  A special shout out to the Best Teacher Costume Winner, Mrs. Brennan!

A special thank you to the Jefferson Police Department for coming in to discuss Halloween safety procedures.  The students learned about Halloween safety by participating in a game show like contest with questions about staying safe during Trick-or-Treating.  Briggs School wishes everyone a safe and happy Halloween and is grateful to the police department for their assistance with such an important matter!

Briggs students had a special visit from Biscuit the dog to learn about proper hand washing procedures.  Students watched video clips of students not washing their hands and talked about how easily germs are spread.  They then learned the importance of proper hand washing to kill germs and talked about when during the day we should be washing our hands.  Who knew that talking about hand washing could be fun! Thanks, Biscuit! 

Mrs. West is running a special Mock Trial Program this year and each class will have a turn to participate.  Mrs. Grisi's class was the first to take part in the case of Goldilocks vs. The Three Bears.  After a week of learning about the court system and consequences for our choices Goldilocks was found guilty and had to fix baby bears chair, make the 3 bears breakfast, and write an apology letter for going into their house when they were not home.  More cases to come! 

To kick off Red Ribbon Week, Briggs School had special police officer visitors visit each classroom to talk about the importance of drug safety.  

During Fire Safty Week the fire department presented a special program to the kindergarten classes.  During the program, the students not only learned about fire safety but were able to learn about and see a real fire truck!  A special thank you to the fire department for their time.

PTA held a movie night for kindergarten students and their parents and it was an overwhelming success.  Big thank you to Mrs. Maffei for organizing this event. 

Briggs School had special visitors from the fire department during Fire Prevention Week.  The students learned about fire safety and the importance of having an escape plan at home in case of an emergency.  

During the first week of October, Briggs School celebrated the week of RESPECT.  The students all participated in age-appropriate respect activities and spoke about what respect looks like.  A select number of respectful students were also chosen to be highlighted on a special bulletin board in the main hallway.  Great job being respectful Briggs School!

A special thank you to our PTA and maintenance staff for the new funnel ball equipment on the playground!

 Every fall Briggs first-graders and teachers hold a butterfly release.  

Briggs students and teachers kicked off the 2017-2018 school year with smiles, enthusiasm, and excitement! 

The students and staff at Briggs School celebrated Patriot's Day, on Sept. 11th, by wearing red white and blue, a school-wide Pledge of Allegiance and the singing of patriotic songs outside around the flag.