Principal - John Fabbo

Dear Friends,

Welcome to Tenafly Middle School!  I am excited about the 2024-2025 school year.  This is a milestone year for me as this will be my 10th year at TMS and 22nd year in the district!

Our school continues to thrive under our three simple rules: 

• Take care of yourself
• Take care of each other
• Take care of this place

 We also believe in our Gimme 5 Philosophy:

 1. Get in the Game! 

• Participate in school activities 
• Focus during daily lessons 
• Join clubs 
• Provide community service 
• Do your work! 
• Bring your best every day 

2. Every Student, Every Day! 

• Stay connected and talk to each other 
• Start new friendships 
• Remember The Golden Rule 
• Wear your team t-shirt 
• Invite others to sit with you at lunch 
• Say hello and smile in the hallway

3. It’s ‘Gotta’ be Fun! 

• Keep a positive attitude 
• Bring new ideas 
• Get excited about learning 
• Laugh! 
• Attend S.O. nights and other special events 
• Accept challenges and share your spirit and enthusiasm

4. Build your Grit 

• Embrace failure 
• Have a growth mindset 
• Be assertive 
• Earn your independence and be persistent 
• Don’t give up when faced with difficult challenges 
• Stand up for yourself and others 
• Be a leader and stomp out all bullying 
• Never let social media define you 

5. Tell Us When... 

• Good things happen 
• You need help 
• You are worried about a friend 
• You reach your goal 
• You are proud 
• You set new goals and how we can help you reach them 
• You have ideas on how to make our school better! 

We believe that all students should have a growth mindset and can reach their potential through hard work and persistence. We believe in the gift of failure and see all failures as learning experiences that make us stronger. We believe that a successful school needs teachers and parents who work together and trust each other. We believe that our school gets better every year. I wish you all the best this school year and let’s make it a great one together.

 John D. Fabbo, Principal

Live your dreams every day!

Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram- @tenaflymiddle