Red Bank Charter School

Recent News

Fourth Grade Students View of History in the Remaking

This month, fourth grade students from the Red Bank Charter School had the wonderful opportunity to visit the site of the new World Trade Centers and experience first hand the construction site and learn about the plans for the Freedom Tower and other buildings. The trip was arranged by Dara McQuillan, vice president of communications and marketing for Silverstein Properties, as well as a parent of two students from the school. Each month, one grade from the Red Bank Charter School visits 7 World Trade Center, tours the site, learns about architecture, building design and what has been designated the city's first "green" building for its environmentally friendly features. It has been an exciting and enriching experience for all of the students. Several of the fourth grade students were interviewed by the Asbury Park Press and talked about their experiences and what they learned from the visit. For more information, and to view interviews with the students visit The Asbury Park Press. Note: Video clip is on right side of screen.

International Day October 23rd 2008

For weeks, students at the Red Bank Charter School in grades k-8 have been researching countries from around the world in preparation for our International Day Celebration. International day is one of many ways in which the Red Bank Charter School prepares our students for the rich, complex, expansive world in which they live. International day was celebrated on October 23rd, United Nations Day. Each grade selected a country to study, learned about the rich cultural customs and traditions, foods, language, politics, education, and religions. Each classroom was transformed into the country of study and ultimately the school was a microcosm of our global community.

Rally In Trenton

On Monday May 19th, 130 students, faculty and parents assembled on the footsteps of the state�s capitol in Trenton to voice their opinion for inequitable distribution of funding for Charter Schools. Charter schools are closing the achievement gap and helping students reach their potential, but without equitable funding, the future of charter schools may be uncertain. Our goal was to have a large RBCS presence and voice at this event. RBCS voices were heard loud and clear as Peg Worster, 8th Gr. Teacher and Dylan Fogerty, 5th Gr. Student, addressed the crowd. Peg explained that, "Charter schools allow teachers to create and instruct without the bureatucractic barriers of local school boards." Dylan spoke about how our school is known as a dependable source of community helpers. "You, the governement of New Jersey should support charter schools because in my charter school we help organizations like ALS. The Red Bank Charter School enocurages us to get involved in many community projects."

Family Fun Night and Fashion Show

On April 4th, RBCS held its annual Family Fun Night and Fashion Show. The event is a cooperative effort by RBCS faculty, students, parents and local businesses. It�s a fun evening with food, games, prizes and silent auction items donated by many RBCS families and Red Bank businesses. The eight grade students accompanied by their first and third grade buddies modeled casual wear provided by Funk & Standard, ,Stoka Boka, Brave New World - Point Pleasant, and Faire Tales. Eight grade students also modeled formal attire from Cara Lynn Bridal Salon, Tuxedo Park, and Love Lane Tuxedos, and Face FX provided the make-up for thegirls. The night was a great success.

Our Newest Four-Legged Student, Turk

Red Bank Charter School is excited about the arrival of our newest student. He is not required to wear a uniform or participate in class. He arrives to school later than the other children and he leaves much earlier. What makes him so unique is that he is a dog. Not just any dog but one with a special talent. You see, Turk is a therapy dog. He works as a learning tool for children with reading, social, and disciplinary issues. A child can sit quietly and confidently while reading to Turk alone or take turns reading to him in a whole classroom setting. Small reading groups can also utilize his services. Our librarian, Ellen Herman, has been very receptive to sharing our wonderful library during these times. RBCS has had the privilege of working with Turk last year with great success and we have found that using a therapy dog is both calming and nurturing to a child while providing a comfortable and safe environment.

RBCS "Iditaread" Reading Race

Saturday, March 1st, was the start of this year�s Alaskan dog sled race known as the Iditarod. This race was started to commemorate the mushers and dogs who brought a much needed serum to a remote Alaskan village in 1925, saving the lives of many children. At the same time, the Red Bank Charter School engages in its own competition, known as the Iditaread, with the intent of enriching children�s lives through reading.

The Iditaread brings the school community together to reach a variety of reading goals during the time the mushers compete in Alaska. Every student in grades K to 8 keeps a reading log that records the time spent reading, being read to, or reading to someone else. Goals are set for a school-wide accomplishment, a class-wide accomplishment, and an individual accomplishment. These goals are based on the amount of time spent reading, as opposed to the number of books read. This levels the field of competition for all readers.

This program, sponsored by the RBCS library, enlists the cooperation of all staff members, as well as an auxiliary team. Every day there will be one 15 minutes period of silent reading school-wide during the course of the race. There is also a selective program for reading during school recess, while reading time at home is unlimited.

The Red Bank Charter School has a strong commitment to helping children become life-long learners through fostering a love of reading. A large bulletin board outside the library will not only track the race in Alaska, but it will reflect the progress of the students and the entire school. It will also highlight the students in each grade who spend the most time reading. These students will be known as the "lead dogs." In each grade, all students must attain a certain level of reading time in order for their class to be recognized as completing the Iditaread.

RBCS Students Participate in AT&T High Technology Day

On February 21st 7th and 8th grade students participated in the Hispanic Association of Communications Employees (HACEMOS) of AT&T High Technology Career Day located at the AT&T Lab in Middletown. The event exposes students from groups underrepresented in technology and science fields, to job opportunities in these areas. The program included a tour of the AT&T lab facilities, hands-on experience with technology and short presentations from AT&T employees in technology, science and other key company positions. The goal is to encourage students to continue their education, particularly in technology and related fields. Students had the opportunity to hear motivational speakers stressing the importance of pursuing higher education and how they themselves had overcome financial and personal challenges as they pursed their goals. They also participated in a nation wide video conference simulcast in four states and fourteen cities. For more information, visit Asbury Park Press. Please note an error by the Asbury Park Press reporter, the article refers to us as the Red Bank Middle School.

Red Bank Charter School Hosts Senator Karcher

In an ongoing effort to educate public officials, the Red Bank Charter School has been extending invitations for tours of its facility. Previous guests include assembly members Jennifer Beck and Michael Panter, and Mayor Menna and the Red Bank Council attended a dinner hosted at RBCS. On the morning of Thursday, September 27, Senator Ellen Karcher, of the 12th District, and her assistant Neil Eicher were greeted by five middle school student ambassadors, as well as four members of the board of trustees, Principal Meredith Pennotti, and Jessani Gordon, Executive Director of the Charter Public Schools Association. Red Bank Councilman Art Murphy and Democratic Assembly candidate Ed Zipprich also attended.

The kindergarten class assembled to sing a welcoming song, which was followed by a student-lead tour of the entire school. Highlights included Senator Karcher answering student questions in each classroom, learning about the RBCS student/family tile installation, and viewing an exhibit detailing last year�s fourth grade trip to ground zero in NYC.

The morning concluded with discussions about the students, community partnerships, recruitment and the lottery, funding issues, and school programs. This personal visit provided Senator Karcher with a first-hand view of the Red Bank Charter School and its community.

RBCS Students To Participate In STEM Research Grant

RBCS 7th and 8th grade students have been selected to participate in a prestigious engineering education and research program at Stevens Institute of Technology. The BUILD IT project is sponsored by the National Science Foundation and Stevens Institute of Technology. The goal of the program is to increase opportunities for students to learn about, experience, and use information technologies within the context of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), including IT courses. Students will be challenged to create an autonomous underwater vehicle that is capable of submerging and resurfacing, and moving through an underwater design obstacle course (employing six degrees of motion) using remote control devices. For more information, visit Stevens Institute of Technology or Engineering our Future NJ.

Benchmark School Awards Recipient

April 27th 2007, the Business Coalition for Educational Excellence at the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce announced the winners of the Benchmark School Awards for 2006. Sixty-nine public schools met the “benchmarks” to qualify for this recognition. We are proud to announce that Red Bank Charter School is a recipient of this prestigious award. The Benchmark Award is based on student performance on the state assessments. Essentially, winning the award means that the students from RBCS outperformed other schools with similar student populations on the NJASK and GEPA. The correspondence from the Business Coalition for Educational Excellence states, “We can only imagine how hard you�ve worked to get the students to this level of performance. We hope you will accept this acknowledgement of the work you have undertaken in preparing your students to be the best they can be.” For more information on the Benchmark Awards visit, www.bcee.org.

School Bell Award Recipient

News 12 New Jersey selected three schools to receive the School Bell Award; one high school, one middle school and one elementary school. The School Bell Award recognizes schools that aspire to achieve excellence in education. RBCS won the School Bell Award for the outstanding Elementary School.

Schomburg Junior Scholars Program

Several eight grade students participated in the New York Life Schomburg Center Junior Scholars Program. The primary goal of the Junior Scholars Program is to provide cultural enrichment to African American students about the histories and cultures of people throughout the African Diaspora. Participants in the program have access to extensive resources at the Schomburg Center for research in Black Culture. The program recruits students between the ages of 11 and 17 for an intensive 26 week series of Saturday sessions designed to prepare them for intellectual and entrepreneurial careers. Prospective participants must be nominated by educators or youth organizations, and must complete a written essay and an interview. For more information on the Schomburg Junior Scholars Program visit, www.thejuniorscholars.org.