Dear Red Bank Families,

Yesterday, we enjoyed an amazing (and hot!!!) opening day of the 2023-24 school year! On behalf of our 240 educators and support staff, I think I can say it was a joy for us to welcome our children back and see so many smiling faces.

As I mention each year, we appreciate your patience with any inconsistencies the first couple of days (or weeks). Although it may not seem like a big lift, with so many moving parts, opening a school year is never a simple task. While we do it really well here in Red Bank, some things are just out of our control no matter how much we prepare. Your cooperation with arrivals and dismissals is especially appreciated. As you know, the first few days of school bring with them many parents and extra vehicles, so drop-off and pick-up can be what we might call “organized chaos”. I ask that you remain patient and follow all procedures during arrival and dismissal to ensure the safety of our children. Yes, that may mean an extra few minutes in line; however, safety must be our number one priority. Additionally, the new school year also brings new bus drivers with new bus routes. In many cases, it may take 7-10 school days for the bus companies to work out unexpected challenges and navigate local road construction projects so that our pick-ups and drop-offs can consistently fall into the designated time range. Your understanding here is appreciated as well. Safety is our top priority and having students and family members walking through our parking areas is an unnecessary risk.  If you are driving your child to school, we ask that you follow procedures and remain in the drop-off line to let your child off near the designated areas and/or school personnel.

We love to see our parents walking their children to and from school at the Primary School as it helps to alleviate congestion at arrivals and dismissal. We realize parents may want to park the first few days and walk their child(ren) to the door but this will not be permitted effective Monday, September 11. Of course, this excludes a parent that has an appointment or needs to speak with a staff member.

A special thank you to our Maintenance and Custodial staff for making sure our buildings and grounds looked spectacular for our students! It was a long, hot summer of preparation that required our custodians and maintenance technicians to dance around several major construction projects, but as usual they came through for our students and staff in a big way.

On another note, Maura Harrington has served our community as the Vice Principal at Red Bank Middle School for nearly 5 years. Recently, she accepted a new position in her hometown school district. Ms. Harrington will remain with us through Friday, October 6. While we are saddened to lose such a strong school leader, we are grateful for the work Ms. Harrington has done to support our students and families. Her contributions to our school district were many and will resonate within our school community for years to come. We have engaged in a detailed process to find a dynamic leader to fill this void and hope to announce that leader once the process is complete.

Please mark your calendars! We will be having COVID and Flu Vaccination Clinics for any students and families in the District who wish to attend. The Clinics will be held at the Primary School on Wednesday, October 4th from 4:00-6:00 PM and Saturday, October 7th from 8:00-10:00 AM.

Additionally, the Indie Street Film Festival is offering FREE tickets for “Dear Thirteen” on Sunday, September 17, 2023 at 1:15 PM at Basie Center Cinemas (36 White Street). All Parents, Staff, and Students are welcome! Reserve FREE Tickets here with the code RBMS. Space is limited! Here is a brief synopsis of the movie.

Monday begins our first full week of school. It will begin with Red, White, and Blue Day on Monday, September 11 and conclude with a Minimum School Day for students on Friday, September 15. Dismissal times for Minimum School Days in Preschool through Grade 3 begin at 1:15 and for the Middle School 1:00 PM.

We look forward to a year of supporting the BIG Dreams of our children and collaborating with our families to best serve our community. Enjoy the weekend and stay well!

Summer is coming to an end, which means our empty buildings will once again become schools! We are excited to welcome our nearly 1200 students for our first day of school on Thursday, September 7th! It has been a busy summer for the Red Bank Borough Schools. We have made multiple facility upgrades, including HVAC replacement, magnetic door holders and fire panel replacement at the Middle School and new hallway flooring, ceilings and lighting at the Primary School plus fresh paint in almost 20 Primary School classrooms, playground upgrades and bathroom conversions! We are already working on our next projects which include Middle School boiler replacements and exterior projects for both buildings which include redesigned parking at the Primary School and outdoor playing space/field upgrades at the Middle School.

This summer we saw a significant change to our Board of Education. On May 9, 2023, Board of Education member (and former Board President), Mr. Ben Forest was elected to the Red Bank Borough Council effective July 1, 2023. Mr. Forest’s new responsibilities as a Councilperson prohibit him from continuing to serve our school community as a Board of Education member. We are grateful for his many years of service to our staff, students and families and wish him the best of luck as he continues to serve our community in this new role! Unfortunately, Ms. Laura Camargo also resigned as a member of our Board of Education. Ms. Camargo was a valuable member of our Board and brought great perspective as a public school educator and also a Red Bank parent. While both Ben and Laura will be missed, we are excited to announce the addition of two new members to our Board of Education - Ms. Christina Bruno and Mr. Paul Savoia. Both started in their new positions this summer and are excited to kick off their first school year serving our school community.

We continue to focus on student attendance from Preschool to Grade 8. Research shows that student attendance is a huge factor in student performance. Unless ill, we need students to attend school daily, on time and for the duration of the day, ready to learn! We will do our best to create an engaging learning environment so our students run in just as fast as they run out! If your child must miss school due to illness or other reason, contact 732.758.1500 to leave a message for the Primary or Middle School, and for Preschool, contact your site directly. Remember, if your child misses school, then your child misses out!

As per NJDOH guidelines, we will continue to exclude student positive COVID cases from school for 5 days. Assuming all symptoms have subsided, the student may return on Day 6 but must wear a mask through Day 10. Please continue to monitor your child for illness and as always, keep them home if they are sick. We will make adjustments to these protocols as needed during the school year. Please reach out to your child’s school nurse if you have any questions.

As High School approaches for our recent graduating Class of 2023, I wish them all the best one last time. I know you will make us all proud as you write your own story, chase your BIG Dreams, and strive to be your #BestSelf! And a reminder for all former Rockets, Ms. Jamie Herman is coordinating an effort to highlight our former students through the #AlwaysARocket initiative. If you are a graduate of #RocketNation, complete this survey so we can share the great things you are accomplishing, contributing, and experiencing as you continue on your #BestSelf journey. Do you know a former ROCKET? Please share this information on our behalf. We look forward to cultivating strong connections with our former students - Once a Rocket, Always A Rocket!

IMPORTANT REMINDERS

• If you have not already done so, visit Genesis Parent Portal and complete your September Notices Verification and your Free or Reduced Meal Application. If you are not interested in applying, please indicate this on the initial application screen.
• Families are responsible for any damage caused to your child’s district-provided Chromebook and will be responsible for paying for repairs as per our 1:1 Technology Device Agreement.
• If you know anyone that has a child eligible for Preschool or is interested in attending our schools in Kindergarten-Grade 8, please share the link to our Central Registration.
• If you have recently moved in or out of Red Bank or changed your phone number, please alert us immediately. This is important for communication, emergencies and transportation. If you have renewed a lease or moved within Red Bank, contact Ms. Grable at 732-758-1510 immediately to update your paperwork.
• We have completed our annual residency re-verification for all Kindergarten and Grade 4 students. In the fall, we will be reaching out to specific families regarding expired leases.
• Please review our 23-24 Family Handbook prior to the start of school and as a first point of reference throughout the school year.
• Please review our Breakfast After the Bell program for Red Bank Primary and Middle School.

Important Dates:

• First Day of School: September 7, 2023
• Minimum School Day: September 15, 2023
• District Closed: September 25, 2023 (Yom Kippur)
• Red Bank Middle School Rocketfest: October 6, 2023
• Red Bank Primary School Harvest Fest: October 20, 2023

Back to School Nights:

• Preschool (UMC, FBC & MDCC ): October 4, 2023 @ 6:00 PM
• Preschool/Kindergarten/Grade 1/Vazquez/Rigby: September 27, 2023 @ 6:00 PM
• Grades 2 & 3/McGann/Clayton: September 28, 2023 @ 6:00 PM
• Grade 4: September 13, 2023 @ 5:00 PM
• Grade 5: September 13, 2023 @ 5:30 PM
• Grades 6 & 7: September 14, 2023 @ 5:00 PM
• Grades 8: September 14, 2023 @ 6:00 PM

Our District Website lists all upcoming events including our BOE approved 2023-2024 District Calendar.

Looking forward to a great year. See you on the 7th!