Dear Parents and Guardians, 

 

 

As a follow-up to our Back-to-School Night program, I wanted to share these important district updates with you. In addition, the links in this document should assist you in accessing information and school resources.

 

 

I’ll start by reviewing some upgrades to the instructional program. Our guidance department and school leadership did a great job creating a master schedule for 2023-24. Average class size in most core areas is 20 or less. We’ve also extended the times when teachers are available to provide extra-help for students. This year, most teachers are being released from one study hall period per week to provide tutoring for their students during the MOD periods. Details on additional extra-help times and locations can be found here. These improvements were put in place to ensure that all students can receive direct assistance from their teacher whenever it is needed. Please take advantage of this support.

 

 

The district is also expanding the use of a number of assessment tools to monitor student progress and provide families and teachers with timely feedback. Starting this year, grade 9 students will be taking the CogAT assessment to measure reasoning abilities and assist us in identifying students for enrollment in advanced coursework and participation in enrichment activities. Please see these links to find more information about the Pre-AP assessments in ELA 9 and 10 and the MAPs benchmarks in Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2. Additional information about assessments can be found on the RBR Assessment Information Website. 

 

 

One of our district goals for this year is to strengthen school/community links and a number of programs have been planned for the fall. A “meet and greet” session will be held at the Red Bank Primary School on October 12. In addition, NFL football player and ESPN analyst Ryan Leaf will kick-off the The SOURCE’s “Raising Awareness-Inspiring Action” series on October 24. Our “Spotlight on Excellence” news briefs will resume in October and I will be sending out an invite to my Saturday/Evening coffee sessions soon. 

 

 

To assist you in finding people and information, we have updated the Family Quick Resource Guide. For families who are new to RBR, here is the presentation shared with freshman parents on Back-to-School Night. As was mentioned, Mr. Clark’s “Community Week at a Glance/C-WAG” is an important source of school information and is usually sent on Fridays.

 

 

As our partners, we greatly appreciate your support and interest in our programs. Success in school can be promoted by encouraging students to attend extra help sessions when needed. Families can support RBR by setting high expectations, maintaining clear behavioral boundaries at home, and encouraging involvement in extracurricular activities. If you have any questions, concerns, or are facing an obstacle, please reach out.  We are here to help. Have a great school year everyone!

We are blessed at Red Bank Regional to be a school with a large population of immigrant students, including those who are undocumented. In addition, we are thankful to the members of the RBR Dreamers Club, who have led efforts to improve understanding, promote inclusiveness, and advocate for needed reform.

 

We are also grateful for the outstanding leadership of their advisor Mrs. Marisol Mondaca, who led efforts to establish the club and volunteered her time for many years before the Dreamers were officially recognized.

 

Recently a controversy has emerged because one of the five members of the Board of Education present for the meeting on August 16 rejected my recommendation that Mrs. Mondaca be reappointed. Because RBR has a nine-member board, five votes are required for any resolution item to pass regardless of how many members are in attendance. On August 16, four BOE members supported my recommendation; one did not and this, unfortunately, was enough to overrule the majority vote.

 

It is inspiring to see the way our students are standing up for themselves and others amidst the current dispute. While I am proud of their efforts, I am not surprised. I have been a long-standing and committed supporter of the Dreamers. My recommendation that they be recognized as an official district club was approved by the Board in September 2021. Even before attaining this status, they actively worked to support immigrant students, RBR families, and participate in valuable service projects that benefitted our entire school community.

In 1855 a depressed Abraham Lincoln wrote to his friend Joshua Speed about the growing popularity of the Know-Nothings, an anti-immigrant political party that was rapidly gaining support. “As a nation, we begin by declaring that ‘all men are created equal.’ ... When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read ‘All men are created equal, except Negroes, and foreigners, and Catholics.’ When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretense of loving liberty--to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure.”

 

Virtually all Americans are immigrants or the children of immigrants but periodically misplaced anger and bigotry have influenced attitudes toward immigrants and distorted understandings of the positive role that immigrants play in American life. Regretfully, The Know Nothing impulse is still with us.

 

I urge my colleagues on the Board of Education to reflect on their roles as community leaders, to set an example for empathy and understanding, and to strike a blow against the dark forces that Lincoln deplored so many years ago. I am hopeful that the Board of Education will approve my recommendation to re-appoint their club advisor, Mrs. Mondaca, so that the Dreamers can carry out their vital role here at RBR. The Dreamers deserve the unanimous support of the Board of Education tonight and at all times.

You are invited for Coffee and Conversation with RBR’s Superintendent, Dr. Louis Moore

Thursday February 9, at 7 pm Red Bank Primary School Cafeteria 222 River Street, Red Bank  

• Come learn what is going on at the high school.
• Bring your questions to this informal event.

Dates for future coffees are set for:
Saturday, April 22, 2023, 9 am, RBR board office

 

 

 

December 2022

 

Dear RBR Parents and Guardians,

 

Recently I have received a number of questions about students having to report to the cafeteria in the event of a teacher's absence.

 

Normally, when a teacher is absent, classwork is posted in Google Classroom and students complete their schoolwork in their assigned classroom while being supervised by a substitute teacher. Classroom coverage is provided by regular substitute teachers or by RBR teachers who are pulled from non-teaching responsibilities.

 

In the event that individual classes cannot be covered by a substitute, students are assigned to the cafeteria where they are supervised by RBR staff and administrators. During this time, it is expected that they complete the assignments posted by their teacher as they would if a substitute teacher were available. 

 

The root cause of this problem is a shortage of qualified substitute teachers facing many school districts. To address this, we have stepped up efforts at recruitment and recently boosted pay 25 percent to $125 per day for substitute teachers. Please be advised that the students are always supervised and attendance is taken whether they report to their regular classroom or to the cafeteria.

 

I hope this helps to clarify any questions you may have. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

 

Thank you,

 

Louis Moore
Superintendent

November 2022

 

Dear RBR Families and Students,

 

Protecting the well-being and safety of our students is a sacred obligation and will always be our highest priority. I am writing to review some of the procedures we have in place at our school to protect our students from harm.

 

Establishing clear expectations and guidelines for reporting concerns is essential for the system to work. Each year, requirements for reporting child abuse, endangerment, and neglect are reviewed with all staff at the start of the school-year. 

 

District policy and the law requires that concerns about the abuse of a child by any adult must be immediately reported to Mr. Clark, our Principal. School personnel may also be obligated to report the incident to the Division of Children and Families (DCF), the Institutional Abuse Unit of the DCF, and law enforcement. The following actions will occur:

 

1. If appropriate, the staff member will be placed on administrative leave until all investigations are completed. 

2. The school district is obligated to cooperate fully with DCF and law enforcement and these agencies will complete their inquiry before the school can begin its investigation. 

3. Regardless of the findings of DCF and law enforcement, the school district may also conduct its own investigation and take disciplinary actions.

 

Parents and students may also bring concerns directly to the school administration or other school personnel, who are obligated to share this information with appropriate authorities. Our administrators and counselors are always available to all students, staff, and families to provide support and serve as a resource.

 

Despite the severity of the situation that was recently reported, I continue to have great confidence in RBR’s administrators, teachers, counselors, and coaches. I say this to you as both the superintendent and as a parent of two RBR students. The outstanding reputation of RBR’s staff is well-deserved and the situation that came to light last week is appalling to all of us. 

 

In all cases involving student safety, our school will always act swiftly to investigate allegations and take appropriate actions. At the same time, we will continue our efforts to strengthen the protections that are in place to keep our children safe.

 

Sincerely,

Louis Moore
Superintendent