Anonymous Grandmother Pays Restaurant Bill

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WOODBRIDGE ? Five Matthew Jago Elementary School special education teachers, their paraprofessionals and speech therapists are feeling extra appreciated this Teacher Appreciation Week.

On Tuesday, the 21 staff members and 25 autistic students from five classes were, much to their surprise and pleasure, anonymously treated to lunch during a school outing to the Jose Tejas Restaurant off Route 1 North by a frequent patron of the Tex-Mex eatery.

?At the end of our meal, the manager came over and told us our entire $485 bill was paid for by a fellow patron, and she chooses to remain anonymous because she told the manager she has a grandchild with special needs. ... She wanted to show her appreciation to us on Teacher Appreciation Day,? said teacher Jeannette Gruskowski, who has worked at the school since 2005.

Gruskowski said she initially was speechless.

?We all were just taken aback. Nobody?s ever done such a generous, anonymous thing like that,? said Gruskowski, who was joined at the lunch by teachers Lisa Manetta, Genna Levy, Leni Preston and Jessica Giannone. ?We?re still just amazed.?

The students, who each brought money to pay for their special lunch, were told someone else had picked up the tab, and they could use their money for a trip at another time.

A letter was sent home to parents explaining what happened.

?I hope she reads the Home News Tribune and knows we?re so grateful,? Gruskowski said. ?We?d like to thank her and give her a hug and let her know how much it meant.?

They also would like the patron to visit and see what they do.

The teachers and students have made a card that Gruskowski will deliver to the restaurant in hopes the patron who paid bill will come back and see it.

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