Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District

Serving the Communities of Bridgewater Township and Raritan Borough

Greetings, and welcome to the latest edition of our district newsletter

The month of May is a time when we like to pause and recognize the achievements and growth of our students throughout the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District. It marks the final full month of school, and we begin to prepare for end-of-year celebrations and the annual rites of passage.

Last night, the Board of Education approved the budget for the 2024/25 school year. This budget supports our district initiatives, including the opening of Kindergarten, the waving of student activities fees, and the creation of a robotics program at the high school. You can find additional details about the school budget in the article below or by visiting this link for the 2024/25 user-friendly budget. 2025 User-Friendly Budget

Construction has already started on the referendum and capital projects, which will accelerate rapidly when we break for the summer. Progress will be visible at every school as we enter phase one of our referendum project.

Let's celebrate the accomplishments of the music department as the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District was a recipient of the Best Communities for Music Education award. We were among 122 schools throughout the country that received this prestigious honor. This is the sixth year in a row that the district has received this award.

Please remember that the School District will be closed on Monday, May 27th for the Memorial Day holiday. On Tuesday, May 28th, students will have a two-hour delayed opening so that our staff can participate in staff development activities.

Enjoy the beautiful Spring weather!

Robert Beers

Superintendent of Schools

Authors Visit BRRSD Schools

Three highly acclaimed children’s book authors—Candace Fleming, Tara Lazar, and Lisa Caprelli—shared their writings with attentive audiences during their visits to schools in the BRRSD this year.

Their presence accomplished the mission that the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District sought to achieve. This initiative was the culminating efforts of the school media specialists and Candy Mulligan, the Supervisor of Language Arts, Grades 1-4.

Inviting authors into our schools can have an incredible impact on our students. As we teach our young students to read and interact with the written word, they often do not understand that the book they are reading started with a real person whose real experiences could come to life through the pages of a book.

When an author stands in front of an audience of children, they talk about their dogs, their baseball card collections, their favorite places, their struggles, their triumphs, and their most embarrassing moments. They help our students see that their best stories begin with both simple and significant memories and moments. Our students, who once thought they had nothing to write about, walk away from an author’s visit empowered and excited to turn their own memories into stories that can be shared with others.

Our visiting authors also share an important secret with our students when they share the reality that writing is a messy process for everyone - even the people who do it for a living. They celebrate the fact that some of their best writing started out with their worst drafts. This helps our students to better understand that revising and editing are not just assignments. The students learn to see feedback as a gift, not a criticism. When teachers and students sit together and listen to an author talk about their own writing process, they can return to these powerful messages again and again when they work to improve their own writing in the classroom.

There is no doubt that getting the chance to witness a real person talk about their own writing is inspirational to everyone. These visits help our students to tap into their own creativity, and it reminds them they can bring their own stories to life.

BRRSD 2024-25 Budget Hearing

The Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education approved the 2024/25 budget at a public hearing on Tuesday, April 30. The school budget aims to support our district goals, objectives, and operations for the next school year and beyond.

The 2024/25 school budget is $183,090,908, representing a 2.59% increase vs. 2023/24. The local tax levy for Bridgewater and Raritan was increased by 2% in this budget.

Budget highlights include:

The elimination of fees for athletics and extracurricular activities.
Funding for additional guidance counselors and student support.
The addition of a Robotics program at the High School.
Preservation and expansion of our academic and co-curricular programs.
Funding for capital projects, including the grandstands at Basilone Field.

Referendum and Construction Updates

The Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District is moving ahead on several projects as we head into the summer months, with the renovation of the Basilone Memorial Field being the most visible part of the construction. As depicted in the photo, the replacement of the grandstands is underway, with fieldhouse renovations ready to commence.

Progress on Referendum 2023 will be visible in multiple areas throughout the summer and will continue for the next few years.

Notable projects are as follows:

Phase one of the window replacement project
Phase one of the HVAC project
Security Vestibules at each school
Middle School Restrooms

We will continue to post photos on the school website as the improvements take shape. This is an exciting time as we rebrand and update our facilities for the current and future generations of learners. The major focus for the next two years will be on ensuring the opening of full-day kindergarten in September of 2026.

Visual Art Exhibit Capped Successful Festival of the Arts

Eye-catching proof that artists can first develop and then blossom into splendid painters and sculptors was on full display for everyone to admire when the Visual Art Exhibit closed the curtain on a highly successful 2024 Festival of the Arts in the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District.

An abundant crowd from the community swarmed to the Bridgewater-Raritan High School cafeteria and old gymnasium on the evening of Wednesday, April 17, when an estimated 1,000 works that were crafted by students from Grades K-12 in the School District were displayed during the Visual Art Exhibit. Included in that astounding count of works were the 400 pieces that the younger artists from Grades K-8 constructed.

Those once young artists who grew up in the school district and matured into a high school maestro of fine arts is an experience that Matt McCarthy, the BRRSD Supervisor of Arts Education, relishes.

"One thing that makes the Festival so special is the opportunity it provides for teachers to reconnect with former students and celebrate their latest creations. The impact of our program was clear as students reminisced about the experiences they had that shaped their artistic journeys," Mr. McCarthy revealed.

He also applauded the people behind the canvas.

"The night would have not been possible if not for the extra efforts of our teachers, especially the High School Art team, who have been working behind the scenes for weeks in advance of the big nights."

The Visual Art Exhibit was the fourth and final performance. of the 2024 Festival of the Arts. The Chorus, Orchestra, and Band Concerts were all presented in March at the high school gymnasium before large and enthusiastic crowds.

BR CAREs Expands To All Primary And Intermediate Schools In BRRSD

BR CAREs, the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District’s Community After/Before School Recreation & Enrichment program, will now be available for all of the primary and intermediate schools in the district starting in the 2024-2025 school year.

Registration for BR CAREs will open on May 15 for all currently enrolled students who will enter grades K-6 in 2024-25. The program will operate in all primary and intermediate schools in 2024-25.

Registration for new-to-the-district students will open over the summer. Registration is done on My School Bucks or it can be found at this link: BR CAREs page on the district website.

Registration and information can also be found in PowerSchool, located on the district’s website.

Children in BR CAREs are able to engage in a variety of active and passive play activities and are provided the opportunity to complete homework during BR CAREs. BR CAREs also provides a number of special programs at no extra cost ranging from music and dance programs to science activities.

Please reach out to Kevin Stianchi, BR CAREs Coordinator at kstianchi@brrsd.k12.nj.us with any questions.