News

This year, our Tinc Road Elementary School is proud to honor Mrs. Alyssa Puleo as our Teacher of the Year, a well-deserved recognition for someone whose dedication, kindness, and passion for teaching truly make a difference in the lives of our students. A true “Marauder for Life” from the start, Mrs. Puleo attended Tinc Road School herself before earning her undergraduate degree from Kutztown University and her master’s degree from Centenary University. She is dual certified in elementary and special education, with Masters in Special Education. 

Mrs. Puleo began her teaching career in 2012 and has brought her talent to a wide range of classrooms. She has taught preschool disabled programs during ESY and has spent years teaching 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade. No matter the grade level, her focus has always been the same—helping each child feel seen, supported, and capable of reaching their full potential.

Her inspiration for becoming a teacher comes from someone very close to her heart—her brother Joey, who has Down syndrome. She shares that Joey has had a life-changing impact on her and her family, sparking her desire to devote her career to helping children learn and grow.

When asked about her favorite part of teaching, Mrs. Puleo immediately said the kids. She says their humor and personalities never fail to bring something new to each day. Seeing them learn, laugh, and gain confidence is what makes her job meaningful. 

Some of her most memorable teaching moments include dogs. One standout memory involved a creative math lesson in which students used fractions to bake homemade dog treats. The treats were then sent to the Dominican Republic, and her class later received photos of dogs enjoying what they had made. Another favorite moment was welcoming a therapy dog into the class after reading The Right Dog for the Job, bringing literature and real-world experiences together beautifully.

Outside the classroom, Mrs. Puleo enjoys spending time with her family. Her husband Christian is a corrections officer and a sergeant in the Army, and together they have two children—Alivia, age five, and Gio, age four. She loves going to the beach, cooking, baking, and trying out new recipes.

We are thrilled to celebrate Mrs. Puleo as our Teacher of the Year and lucky to have her at Tinc Road Elementary School!

This year, we are proud to celebrate Mrs. Baumgartner as the Educational Professional of the Year for Tinc Road Elementary School, a well-deserved honor for someone whose warmth, expertise, and deep commitment to students make her an essential part of our school community. Her journey into education began after graduating from High Point High School and continuing on to Bloomsburg University, where she earned her degree in Elementary Education. She later completed a master’s degree in Literacy and became a certified Reading Specialist—training that shines through daily in her work.

Now in her fourteenth year of teaching, Mrs. Baumgartner has taught a wide range of grade levels and supported hundreds of students. She spent eleven years in West Milford teaching kindergarten and second grade before joining Mount Olive. She taught first grade for one year at Tinc, prior to becoming one of our Reading Specialists, a role she loves and excels in.

Her choice to become a teacher grew naturally from her love of working with children and the powerful influence of the teachers she had growing up. Those role models inspired her to create the same supportive, encouraging environment for her own students.

When asked about her favorite part of teaching, Mrs. Baumgartner immediately thinks of her students—their growth, their laughter, and those unforgettable “lightbulb moments” when everything suddenly makes sense. As a Reading Specialist, she especially cherishes the moment a child realizes they can read independently for the first time. She describes it as truly magical.

She has countless meaningful memories from her years in education, from former students returning to visit her to major reading breakthroughs. One standout memory occurred during a visit from Creature Comfort therapy dogs. A student walked right in, sat beside one of the dogs, and read an entire book independently for the very first time. Seeing that child feel safe, confident, and proud is a moment she will never forget.

Outside of school, she enjoys a busy family life. She lives in Sparta with her husband, Lance, and their children—Carter, Reegan, and Everett. Together, they love watching sports, spending time at the beach in Lavallette, enjoying summer days by the pool, and having family game nights. She also loves reading and making memories with her kids.

We are thrilled to honor Mrs. Baumgartner as the Educational Professional of the Year. Her dedication and genuine love for her students enrich Tinc Road Elementary School each and every day.

Tinc Road students put their creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving skills to the test this month as they participated in the First LEGO League Competition! FIRST LEGO League (FLL) is a global robotics program that introduces children ages 4–14 to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) through guided competition. It offers three divisions—Discover, Explore, and Challenge—with increasing levels of complexity, encouraging teamwork, problem-solving, and creativity. Each season features a new real-world theme, and teams build and program LEGO robots to complete tasks, and also work on a related innovation project. This exciting STEM program challenges students to design, build, and program LEGO robots while exploring real-world science and engineering problems.

Our young engineers met before and after school and spent weeks working together to brainstorm innovative ideas, test different designs, and overcome challenges along the way. From coding their robots to completing mission tasks on the challenge board, students showed impressive focus, collaboration, and perseverance.

On Saturday, November 22nd, Tinc Road’s two teams, Fourth Grade Team AIR and Fifth Grade Team Tech Titans, led by Mrs. Enea-Smith and Ms. Manna, spent the day at Mt. Olive High School competing! The judges were impressed with their innovation project as well as their public speaking skills. Both teams showed excellence in all of the Core values demonstrating Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition. Team AIR, scored a total of 160 points, which is a high score for a first year team. And Team Tech Titans, scored a total of 240 points, a new high for Tinc Road! They also earned the MORT trophy for highest Mount Olive team score!

The energy in the room was electric as teams shared their ideas, cheered each other on, and celebrated every successful run. More importantly, students learned that sometimes the best solutions come after trial, error, and a whole lot of teamwork!

We are incredibly proud of the creativity and determination our students demonstrated. A big thank-you goes out to the staff, coaches, and families who supported our teams throughout the season. Their guidance and encouragement helped make this year’s FIRST Lego League experience unforgettable.

The PTO’s P.A.G.E. (Parents And Guardians Enrichment) Program continues to shine as one of our school’s most exciting enrichment opportunities—and this fall’s 4th and 5th grade theater session was a perfect example of the creativity and talent it inspires. As one of the many six-week after-school classes offered through P.A.G.E., the theater program invites students to explore performance, collaboration, and the joy of storytelling under the guidance of our dedicated staff volunteers.

This year’s young actors brought the house down with their fantastic production of School Daze! In just six short weeks, students worked together after school—learning lines, mastering choreography, building confidence, and discovering the magic of the stage. Their hard work paid off in a fun, light-hearted, and high-energy performance filled with singing, dancing, and plenty of laughs.

We are incredibly proud of our performers for their dedication and teamwork. Taking on a full production in such a short timeframe is no easy task, and our 4th and 5th graders rose to the challenge beautifully. Congratulations to the entire cast on a job exceptionally well done!

A heartfelt thank-you goes to Miss Dworzycki and Mrs. Pomeroy, whose passion and leadership made this session such a success. We also extend our appreciation to the Tinc Road PTO for their continued partnership and support—helping ensure that enriching experiences like School Daze remain possible for our students.

The P.A.G.E. Program thrives because of the staff members who volunteer their time and talents to lead sessions in the arts, STEM, sports, crafts, cooking, reading, and so much more. These six-week classes, offered once per week from 3:30–4:30 PM, not only expand students’ interests and skills but also serve as one of our PTO’s biggest annual fundraisers.

Thank you to everyone who helped bring School Daze to life and for continuing to make the P.A.G.E. Program a vibrant and valuable part of our school community. We can’t wait to see what our next group of young performers—and creators—dream up next!

Well now, partners, gather ‘round the campfire, ‘cause we’ve got a tale to tell about one rootin’-tootin’ Halloween here at Tinc Road! This year’s theme had our halls lookin’ like the Wild West as teachers and staff saddled up in their finest cowboy and cowgirl gear. And let me tell ya—our little buckaroos sure knew how to kick up some dust and have themselves a mighty fine time!

We started this year’s adventures with our Trunk or Treat Roundup, and boy howdy was it a sight! Families rolled in with cars decorated from tailgate to tumbleweed, creatin’ a whole frontier of fun in our parking lot. From spooky scenes to silly setups, each trunk was more creative than a coyote chasin’ tumbleweeds. Kiddos moseyed from wagon to wagon collectin’ goodies faster than a prairie wind, all while enjoyin’ an evening filled with community cheer and sweet treats. We’re mighty grateful to our parents, staff, and teh Tinc PTO for helpin’ bring this event to life and makin’ it such a memorable night for our little cowpokes.

Once the sun set on our Trunk or Treat festivities, the celebration kept right on ridin’ into school with our Halloween Parade. Students strutted, twirled, and tiptoed along the parade path in costumes that’d make any cowboy tip his hat in admiration. Pumpkins, superheroes, fairies, and frontier folk—every costume was a showstopper, and the crowd sure let ‘em know it with hoots, hollers, and big ol’ smiles.

After the parade dust settled, our cowhands headed inside for some classroom hoedowns and harvest parties. Teachers rustled up fun crafts, games, and tasty treats, makin’ each classroom feel like its own mini rodeo. Laughter echoed through the halls as students celebrated with friends in true Tinc Road style.

From start to finish, this Halloween was one for the record books. Thanks to our students, families, and staff, the Tinc Road Rodeo was a boot-stompin’, smile-sharin’, yee-hawin’ success.

Until next year, partners—keep ridin’ tall and smilin’ wide! 🤠🎃