Bragg School Newsletter

Dear Bragg School Students and Families,

As we gear up for the upcoming school year, I am thrilled to write to you all with great anticipation! The start of a new school year is always an exciting time, and our entire team is eagerly looking forward to welcoming everyone back. A new year brings endless possibilities, and we are deeply committed to making 2026–2027 a year filled with growth, achievement, and strong community connections.

Our doors officially open on Thursday, August 27, 2026, and preparations have been in full swing!

🛠️ Behind the Scenes

• Office & Custodial Staff: Mrs. Angulo and our dedicated office team have been working diligently to ensure everything is set for a seamless opening day.

  
  

• Teaching Staff: Our educators are hard at work engaging in professional development, setting up their classrooms, and preparing materials to create a warm, inspiring learning environment for your children.

👋 Welcoming New Bragg Family Members!

We are excited to introduce four fantastic new members to our staff. They bring fresh energy, talent, and dedication to our school:

• Mrs. Lohrmann - 3rd Grade Teacher (Mrs. Johnson)

• Mrs. Balzano – 4th-Grade Teacher

• Ms. Nangle – 4th-Grade Teacher

• Mr. Lawrence – Music Teacher

• Mrs. Ash – Assistant in the Main Office

Please join us in giving them a warm Bragg School welcome!

🌱 Year 2 of Leader in Me: Growing Student Leaders

Building on the strong foundation we set last year, we are thrilled to enter our second year as a Leader in Me school! This school-wide approach empowers students with essential leadership and life skills by embedding Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People into our everyday culture. This year, we will focus on expanding opportunities for students to take active ownership of their learning, lead classroom and school-wide initiatives, and recognize the leader within themselves. Together with our families, we look forward to nurturing safe, confident, and empathetic young leaders both in and out of the classroom.

📅 Mark Your Calendars

• Class Placements in PowerSchool - August 20, 2026 after 4:00

• Open House: Tuesday, August 25, 2026 | ⏱️ 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

  • Explore the building, locate classrooms, visit key areas, and meet our incredible teachers and staff!

• First Day of School: Thursday, August 27, 2026

  
  

⏰ Arrival & Drop-Off Reminders

To help our mornings run smoothly and safely:

• Arrival Window: Starts at 8:30 a.m.

• Drop-Off Window Ends: 8:40 a.m.

• Late Arrivals: Any student arriving after 8:40 a.m. must be walked into the main office by a parent/guardian and signed in using our Ident-A-Kid system.

We look forward to an amazing year ahead and cannot wait to see our students on the first day of school!

Warm regards,

Peter Mercurio

Principal, Bragg School

• Prior to the first day of school, please log-in and confirm that the Pick-Up Patrol "Default Plan" is accurate. As was the case last school year, your child(ren) must have a default plan in Pick-Up Patrol to ensure they are sent to the correct location at dismissal.
• During the school year please utilize Pick-Up Patrol to report absences and dismissal information.
• Regardless of the pick-up option you have chosen, please include the name of the person picking up your child. If your default option is to pick-up your child but there are different people picking up your child on certain days, please include their names in the appropriate note section. The specific days are not necessary, just permission to dismiss to them.
• Pick-Up Patrol does not accept plan changes after 2:30pm daily. After that time, you must call Bragg School to update your child(ren)'s dismissal plan for the day.

General Arrival Information

• Drop-off begins at 8:30 am. There is no supervision before 8:30 am.

• School begins at 8:40 am. Students who arrive after 8:40 am are considered tardy. You must park and walk your child inside. Students should not sign themselves into school.

Drop-Off Line Logistics

• Safety is our top priority and is everyone's responsibility.

• The Bragg School drop-off is in the lot between Dickerson & Bragg.

• Please wait until you pass the crosswalk to release your child(ren) (unless a staff member provides other directions). Do not block the crosswalk.

• Please wait in line to exit; do not pass other cars, as it poses a danger to anyone walking in the parking lot.

• Students should exit on the CURBSIDE ONLY unless it is unavoidable.

• Drop-off is “kiss and go”; drivers should remain in the vehicle.

• If you would like to walk your child to the door or if drop-off requires the driver to exit the vehicle, please park in the lot.

• Please input your alternate pick-up information into Pick-Up Patrol.
• Upon arrival, please sign your child out via the Ident-A-Kid system found in our vestibule. This system is separate from Pick-Up Patrol and is connected to our formal attendance records.
• If you are picking your child up during the school day, please arrive before 3:15pm. After that time (save for emergency situations) you must wait for dismissal to begin to pick-up your child(ren).

General Dismissal Information

• Dismissal begins at 3:20 PM.

• Please keep your pick-up information accurate in Pick-Up Patrol. We use the information to make sure your child(ren) are dismissed to the appropriate location and the appropriate adult.

End of Day Pick-Up Information

• Parents picking up children at dismissal must park their vehicles and line up outside the Bragg School main entrance. (A map is included below).

• Please form one line to the left of the main entrance. After you tell Mr. Jala your pick-up information, please stand on the right side of the main entrance.

• Students will exit from both of the main entrance doors. The staff members stationed at the doors will ask students to identify the adult picking them up before the student exits the school. If the person present is not on your pick-up list or in PowerSchool as an emergency contact, we will let you know for clarification.

• In the case that the person listed in the default plan is not picking up your child(ren) on a given date, please update the system.

• Available parking locations include: the lot between Bragg & Dickerson schools, the lot in front of Dickerson, and the lower lot to the side of Bragg(closed during the end of day dismissal).
  
• There is NO PARKING in the fire lane at any time of the day.
• Handicapped designation is required to park in the reserved parking space.

ALLERGIES and our NUT-FREE Policy

We have 320+ fabulous children in our school, each of them precious to us. In order to keep them all safe, we ask that you are familiar with and follow the Board Policies about Allergies. You can click below for the Regulation and the Policy.

We will have a time for snacks during the day. Please ensure that the food eaten in the classrooms does not contain peanuts/tree nuts, and refrain from sharing.

Please help us keep everyone safe. Please visit: https://chester.fdmealplanner.com/FOOD-ALLERGIES

https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1720730168/chesternjorg/v4dm2yvzqrtiwbstdpwj/foodallergypolicy23.pdf

https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1720730169/chesternjorg/dwj0zrpkdeec4zqydqdi/regulation23foodallergies.pdf

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The Application for Free and Reduced-Price School Meals is available to families who wish to apply. Please contact Darnell Angulo at 908-879-5324, and an application will be mailed to you.

YOU MUST APPLY AGAIN EVERY YEAR!

La Solicitud de comidas escolares gratuitas y de precio reducido está disponible para las familias que deseen presentar una solicitud.

Comuníquese con Darnell Angulo al 908-879-5324 y se le enviará una solicitud por correo.

¡DEBE APLICAR DE NUEVO CADA AÑO!

Bragg School Open House: Wednesday, 8/25/26, from 2:30 - 3:30.

School Begins: Thursday, 8/27/2026

Labor Day Weekend School Closed: 9/4 & 9/7

Back to School Night: 9/16/2026

Bragg & Dickerson PTO - Ice Cream Social @ Dickerson School: 9/18 at 4:00

Yom Kippur - School Closed - 9/21/2026

Bragg Parent Forum Meeting in the Cafeteria - Hosted by Mr. Mercurio: 9/22/2026 at 9:00

Bragg School Pictures: Thursday, 9/24, 2026

Please go directly to www.chesterpto.com and renew your PTO membership

The Chester PTO is gearing up for another great school year! The Chester PTO is a vital part of our school community that funds many of the programs, clubs, and activities that our children enjoy throughout the school year. Before the year begins, we wanted to remind you that by joining and supporting the PTO, all of the funds that are raised throughout the year go directly back into our schools and your child’s classroom.

The foundation is a New Jersey not-for-profit corporation. Its mission is to enhance the quality and breadth of education in the schools by obtaining funds from a variety of sources to provide opportunities to develop and maintain innovative programs that will enrich the learning experiences of all Chester students.

For more information, visit the website: www.chesteredf.org

I encourage everyone to learn about our school and the Chester School District by visiting http://www.chester-nj.org. Click on Our School and drop down to Bragg to see the up-to-date Google calendar. You can also find the parent handbook and other helpful items.

Mr. Peter Mercurio, Principal

Email: mailto:Peter.Mercurio@Chester-nj.org
Website: https://www.chester-nj.org/bragg
Location: 250 Route 24, Chester, NJ 07930, USA
Phone: (908) 879-5324