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Service Learning

At RBCS, we believe that all children should become responsible citizens exemplifying the values of respect and personal responsibility. Through our comprehensive Service Learning Curriculum in grades K-8, students discover much about themselves and their talents in the context of a community of people.

Children have ample opportunities to complete school-wide and classroom service learning activities. Additionally, students in the upper-grades also have individual internship experiences.

Dressed in our blue and tan uniforms, children are seen around town painting storm drains with the Clean Communities Council, delivering snacks at the Habitat for Humanity site, or making lunches and sharing conversations with the folks at the Senior Center.

We realize the risk we take by expecting young people to engage appropriately in the workplace. The value added to our instructional program is well-documented through our community partners' complimentary comments. They assure us our high expectations and trust in children are well-founded.

2023-24 Service Learning Projects

PreK

Our service learning for our Pre-K class this year is helping the elderly. We have been partnering with the Atrium at Navesink Harbor retirement community. Each month, we connect with Atrium by visiting the retirement community and doing a fun activity or by making something special for the residents. Some of the activities include singing to the community, making cards, delivering gifts and care packages, and doing arts and crafts. The hope is to put smiles not only on the faces of the residents but the staff as well.

Kindergarten

1st

2nd

Our 2nd grade service learning project is about water pollution. We have named ourselves the 2nd Grade Clean Team. We are focusing on making sure water areas stay clean to assist in saving animals and bettering the community. To do so we will be hanging up educational posters in our school and outside businesses in Red Bank, cleaning up areas near water sources, and preventing the spread of pollution.

3rd

4th

In 4th Grade this year we have taken on several different initiatives in our mission to Pay It Forward. In October, the class ran a food drive at RBCS in partnership with St. Anthony's Church in Red Bank, NJ. The class collected food items and then went to drop the donations off at St. Anthony's. During the visit, the class was educated about the St. Crispin Pantry and how it works to help serve the community of Red Bank. In November, the class took the lead on organizing Thanksgiving Baskets to be donated to families in the RBCS community. In December, the 4th graders decided that we should have a Giving Tree for students and families in our school. We set up a tree in the school that had tags for faculty and parents to choose from. Each tag belonged to a student or student's sibling in our school community. We had such a wonderful turnout for the Giving Tree, every single one of the 47 tags was taken and a gift returned!

5th

For the Red Bank Charter School 5th grade Service Learning project, we have decided to promote literacy in the community! Throughout the year we have read to the seniors at the senior center, we read to our buddies in kindergarten, and we even frequent the Red Bank Public Library where we organize books on their appropriate shelves and set up displays for library guests to explore and enjoy. Finally, we are holding a book drive for the kindergarten class service learning project. We have had so much fun throughout the year and we can’t wait to continue our work!

6th

Red Bank Charter School's sixth graders teamed up with the ASPCA to make DIY dog toys. With help from their teacher Mr. Gradl, these students are learning about taking care of pets while having fun making toys at home. This project is teaching them to be kind and helpful to animals in shelters, and it's a cool way for the kids to learn and make a difference in their community.

7th

The 7th grade has decided to research mental health and provide information about ways to improve mental health and where you can receive services for mental health. We decided on this topic due to the importance of mental health in our everyday lives. It is not important to just be physically fit anymore, the world is a crazy place to live with all the different social media platforms and everything else going on around you. You need to be mentally fit to survive. This is our way of helping everyone learn about mental health and how to improve it.

8th

The 8th grade teachers sit down with their students as part of a round table discussion to gauge career readiness. In addition, students take a career interest survey to help match them to their desired career choice. Once this has been established, the teachers look into what local businesses align with student interest. With teacher input, eighth grade students select a local business to partner with. Once accepted, students go to the business site one time weekly to learn about how it is run, developed, and sustained. Students are not just casual observers however. They are encouraged to actively ask questions, while increasingly immersing themselves into the experience. This newfound growth and confidence allows the eighth graders to build good rapport and trust with the business owners, leading to the students being given small, independent jobs and/responsibilities at the site. After six months of service, the Internship Program culminates with a Capstone Project, which encapsulates everything that the students have learned. Overall, the students build communication skills, set goals, reflect, develop good work habits, forge community partnerships, and realize that 'school' goes far beyond the four walls of the classroom.