Superintendent's Message

Dear Families,

We are excited to welcome our nearly 1200 students on Thursday, September 5th! It was a productive summer on multiple fronts as we prepared to kick-off the 24-25 school year. Our September Packet Pickup sessions are scheduled for this week at Red Bank Primary School as follows:

• Thursday, August 22 - 12:30 to 3:00 PM and 4:30 to 7:00 PM
• Friday, August 23 - 9:00 to 11:30 AM

We are looking forward to seeing you next week and to a year of inspiring and supporting the BIG Dreams of every child who walks through our doors!

FACILITIES UPDATE

• Primary School facility upgrades include the design of a new School Health Office for Nurse Reardon, renovations to the main playground, and fresh paint in many areas. Looking towards next summer we are on schedule for a major improvement to the Primary School exterior that will increase outdoor activity space for recess, gym and other outdoor experiences, support better traffic flow, and improve parking.
• At the Middle School the entire gymnasium was treated to a much-needed makeover from head to toe including fresh paint and a refurbished floor. Our biggest project, the outdoor playing space and field upgrades at the Middle School, is our most exciting and also complex enhancement. The project is moving along; however, due to several factors out of our control, the project will not be ready for the first day of school. While we are disappointed the outdoor improvements will not be ready for our students immediately, once completed, we know the project will be an outstanding addition aesthetically and offer many new outdoor experiences for our school community for years to come. The minor adjustments that we will need to make in the early fall will long be forgotten once the new track, sports surface, pavilion and amphitheater are open for business!
• Additionally, we are always evaluating our safety and security measures as the safety of our students, staff and guests is our number one priority. We have updated and reviewed these plans for all sites and are in the process of fortifying specific security structures to enhance overall safety. Of course, we are excited for the return of Officers Joey Fields, Juan Sardo and Errico Vescio who have truly become a part of the Red Bank Borough Public Schools family.

STRATEGIC PLAN UPDATE

• A special thank you to those community members who participated in our strategic planning process this spring. Together, you collaborated to identify five specific goal areas along with corresponding objectives to support our efforts to be BIA - Best In America! Our Leadership Team was charged with the responsibility of designing a general action plan to pursue these goals and objectives as we embark on this five-year journey. If you would like to learn more about the plan (and other happenings as we enter the new school year) please join us for one of three sessions during September Packet Pickup (register here). Additionally, the plan will be available for review on our website beginning Wednesday, August 28.

CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION UPDATES

Below is a broad overview of the many exciting curricular enhancements we have been working on this past summer. More details about these topics and additional enhancements being made will be shared throughout the year at Back to School Nights, Parent Education Sessions, PTO Meetings, Newsletters and on our District Website.

• LITERACY
  • We are thrilled to announce the introduction of new and innovative curricula, designed to enhance the educational experience for all our students. After extensive review, we have adopted Expeditionary Learning (Grades 4-8) and Wit & Wisdom (Grade 3) as our primary materials for English Language Arts. These programs align with the 2023 ELA NJ Student Learning Standards and are rooted in the latest research on the Science of Reading.
  • Expeditionary Learning emphasizes project-based learning, where students engage in hands-on projects that connect academic content to real-world experiences. As students develop background knowledge through a variety of text and multimedia, they also cultivate critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving skills. Wit & Wisdom is designed to build students' reading, writing, and speaking skills through rich, diverse texts and purposeful instruction. Both programs integrate Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) into their frameworks, promoting skills such as self-awareness, empathy, and relationship-building. The new curricula also include strategies and resources to support multilingual learners, ensuring that all students have equitable access to high-quality education.
     
• ASSESSMENT
  • To enhance our understanding of each student’s reading progress and provide more targeted support, we will be using two new assessment systems. DIBELS-8 (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills, 8th Edition) is a proven tool for assessing early literacy skills. It helps us monitor and support student progress in reading by evaluating key areas such as phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and comprehension. mCLASS Lectura is a comprehensive literacy assessment tool designed specifically for Spanish-speaking students.
  • Starting this school year, we will be implementing LinkIt!, a comprehensive assessment and data analysis platform designed to provide actionable insights into student learning and performance. LinkIt! empowers educators with powerful tools to collect, analyze, and utilize data more effectively.
     
• STEM (SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATH)
  • Next Wave Gen STEM Robotics for Grades 1-2: We are introducing Next Wave Gen STEM Robotics units to our early elementary grades. These engaging robotics kits are designed to introduce our youngest students to foundational concepts in robotics and programming.
  • Expanded Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Opportunities for Grades 4-8: We are enhancing our existing Project Lead the Way curriculum to strengthen existing engineering/design thinking experiences to include a more comprehensive focus on Computer Science standards.
     
• ENRICHMENT
  • In addition to our existing Enrichment programs for students in Grades K-8 and the Accelerated Math program for Grades 6-8, we are introducing new opportunities to enhance the learning experiences of our students through project-based learning in all content areas and personalized workshop settings for those students identified. We will provide more detailed information about the revised identification process and how recently developed programming will meet the needs of students identified as Gifted & Talented.
     
• PHYSICAL EDUCATION
  • For students in Grades K-3, an additional Physical Education class has been added to the Specials rotation. Over a six day period, students will now have Art, Music, World Language, Health and two Physical Education classes.
     
• PARENT EDUCATION SESSIONS
  • This year's Special Education Parent Advisory Group will meet on November 14 and February 6. All families are welcome to attend! The mission of the SEPAG is to facilitate communication between students, parents, staff, the Board of Education, and the community, with regard to the districts’ special education programs, for the purpose of advising the administration on matters pertaining to improving the quality of special education district wide.
  • Our Healthy Families Series will be held on October 24, January 8 and May 15 covering various topics including bullying prevention, digital citizenship and more!  Look for specific information to be shared prior to all events.

ATTENDANCE MATTERS!

• Research shows 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! 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. Also, we are excited to announce a new convenient feature that will enable you to upload medical notes through the parent portal - stay tuned for more details!

IMPORTANT REMINDERS

• You may now visit Parent Portal and complete your September Notices Verification and your Meal Application. If you are not interested in applying, please indicate this on the initial application screen.
• Review our Virtual Backpack prior to the start of school for important and informative notices.
• Our website lists all upcoming events including our District Calendar.
• Families are responsible for any damage caused to your child’s Chromebook and will be responsible for paying for repairs as per our 1:1 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 within Red Bank or changed your phone number, please contact us. 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 to update your paperwork.
• We have completed our annual residency re-verification. In the fall, we will be reaching out to specific families regarding expired leases.
• For all former Rockets, Ms. 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. Do you know a former ROCKET? Please share this info on our behalf.

IMPORTANT DATES

• Packet Pick Up @ Red Bank Primary School:
  • Thursday, August 22 | 12:30 to 3:00 PM or 4:30 to 7:00 PM
  • Friday, August 23 | 9:00 to 11:30 AM
• First Day of School: September 5, 2024
  • Students will follow a Minimum School Day schedule on September 5 & 6 and be released two hours earlier.
• District Closed: October 3, 2024 (Rosh Hashanah)
• RBPS Harvest Fest: October 18, 2024 (Rain Date - October 25, 2024)

BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHTS

• Preschool (UMC/FBC/MDCC/RBPS - Matera & Murphy): September 16, 2024 ⧫ 6:30 PM
• Grades K-1 & Daddazio/Vazquez/Smith/Rigby: September 24, 2024 ⧫ 6:00 PM
• Grades 2-3 & McGann: September 25, 2024 ⧫ 6:00 PM
• Grade 4 & Arauz/Merritt/Meyers: September 11, 2024 ⧫ 5:00 PM
• Grade 5: September 11, 2024 ⧫ 6:00 PM
• Grades 6-7 & Popick/Santos/Velastegui: September 12, 2024 ⧫ 5:00 PM
• Grade 8: September 12, 2024 ⧫ 6:00 PM    

Looking forward to a great year!