Dear SBS Community,

During a month when we are especially focused on gratitude, I want to share a few reasons I am thankful for Shrewsbury Borough School. I am sure some of you share these reasons – and have a few of your own.

Generosity: Students learn the importance of caring for others through supply drives for veterans, holiday food collections and other charitable projects at SBS. We model the spirit of giving and provide opportunities for students to participate.

Community connections: Shrewsbury Borough School is a hub of the community and a vital part of the town’s identity. SBS takes pride in hosting events such as the Shrewsbury 5K Classic and will play a role in Shrewsbury’s centennial next year.

Blend of tradition and innovation: SBS loves its traditions, especially the original school bell that heralds the start of the school year and a graduation rite of passage. Our school also embraces technology and engineering through a robust science program and events such as NJ Makers Day. Plus, SBS has begun exploring the newest frontier in education: the responsible yet strategic use of AI.

Unique experience of PreK-8 school: Relatively few NJ public school students go to the same school from kindergarten (or PreK) through 8th grade. Our SBS Tigers grow up and attend school under one roof, becoming a family in the process. The range of grade levels offers the benefits of leadership and mentorship, as our youngest students learn from students in the upper grades.

Serving generations of students: I’ve had the privilege of working at SBS for 25 years – long enough to meet two generations of Tigers. There is no greater honor than learning former SBS students have moved back to the area so their children can attend our school.

SBS hosted its annual Salute to Veterans ceremony – an event that makes Veterans Day especially meaningful to students by celebrating their loved ones who served.

The patriotic program featured a slideshow presentation to honor SBS family veterans, both living and deceased. The ceremony also included the SBS chorus performing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” remarks by Superintendent Brent MacConnell, Mayor Kim Eulner and other honored guest speakers, and pre-K and kindergarten classes singing “Grand Old Flag.” First and second grade classes sang "America the Beautiful" while third and fourth grade classes sang "My Country Tis of Thee."

Three students - Quinn Overcash, eighth grade; Jeter McNee, seventh grade; and Jack Takacs, seventh grade (pictured above with Ms. Salway) - read essays with the theme “What a Veteran Means to Me.”

Veteran parents and grandparents of SBS students attended the event and took family photos on stage after the presentation.

Staff, students and families all pitched in to donate much-needed items to local community groups.

In honor of Veterans Day, SBS organized and collected generous donations (cleaning supplies, paper towels, disinfecting wipes, laundry detergent pods, toilet paper, tissues) for the veterans who live at Soldier On, a housing community in Tinton Falls.

"They were so happy," said Mrs. Crespo, who delivered the donations to the community. "I was given a tour of the facilities and introduced to many of the people who work there as well as some of the veterans. All were very thankful for the donations. They split those donations up into bags for everyone living there."

SBS recently was named as a top elementary and middle school in New Jersey by U.S. News & World Report.

Shrewsbury Borough School placed #157 among elementary schools and ranked #81 among middle schools in the media company’s list of 2026 Best Elementary and Best Middle schools.

These rankings places SBS among the top 40% of elementary and middle schools in the state. Schools are ranked on their performance on state-required tests, graduation, and how well they prepare their students for high school. The new rankings along with related data and descriptions can be found on the U.S. News & World Report website.

The SBS Week of Respect was a success!

Students and staff embraced the spirit themes each day, showing creativity and enthusiasm throughout the week. The highlight was our collaborative assembly with Miss Mastricola, Mayor Kim Eulner and the Shrewsbury Borough Police Department.

It was inspiring to see the community come together at the event to support our students!

Mr. Tillett, supervisor of buildings and grounds, shared his race car driving expertise to discuss science with Mrs. Wiesel’s eighth grade class.

How does it intersect?

His lesson explored topics like Newton's first law, inertia, balanced and unbalanced forces, friction, and speed. Mr. Tillett also brought in racing pictures, magazines, his racing helmet and tires for students to roll.

Eighth graders tested their skills during a hands-on science project to build parachutes.

The project asked students to imagine themselves as engineers for the United Nations World Food Program. They were challenged to design a solution that would safely deliver supplies to a remote area by using their knowledge of gravity and air resistance.

Students built their parachutes out of materials such as string, wax paper, plastic bags, paper, coffee filters, tinfoil, metal washers, and tape and eventually tested them with a goal to land within the target at the slowest possible rate of descent.

Seventh graders in Mrs. Wiesel's class discovered the differences between plant and animal cells by making a model of an animal cell.

Using materials from their maker spaces to make the model animal cell, the students identified key parts including the nucleus, nucleolus, cell membrane, cytoplasm, and more.

The young scientists also explored the function of the identified parts of the animal cell, and learned that animal cells have lysosomes while plant cells have a cell wall and chloroplasts.

The SBS Garden Club had a bountiful season, growing vegetables, herbs and flowers to make delicious salads and beautiful bouquets.

This year, Garden Club advisors Mrs. Tardiff and Ms. Schlosser and the students grew zinnias, tomatoes, kale, cucumbers, zucchini, peppers, eggplant, and many different herbs. The club members are looking forward to working in the garden next spring and seeing what will grow.

Mrs. Larsen’s fourth-grade class is enjoying its First Friday series!

First Fridays are an opportunity for parents and community members to come into the classrooms, read to students, and participate in an activity.

The First Friday initiative is centered on Six Pillars of Character, and November's theme is "trustworthiness." The class warmly welcomed Mrs. Nicole Howard, Dylan's mom, who read “The Hundred Dresses” by Eleanor Estes.

“We followed up with a discussion about trust and how our classroom should be built upon the idea,” said Mrs. Larsen. “We then worked independently on Blackout Poetry to represent the idea of trust. The students had a wonderful time listening, discussing and creating.”

Fourth graders dressed up as rock stars as they participated in the nationwide professional development organization Get Your Teach On’s “Rock Your School” event.

The students celebrated the day with a variety of music-related activities, including analyzing song lyrics to find story elements that reflects their readers workshop unit, and playing math games to review two-digit multiplication - every correct answer was awarded a music note. The rock stars then transferred the notes to a giant piano to play Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.

The classes also whittled soap to model the experience of the protagonist in the book they were reading, Tiger Rising. In addition, the students created SBS “rocks” to place around the neighborhood.

Whether carpooling, biking, or walking to and from school, our Tigers have a safe arrival and dismissal every day with help from the dedicated SBS Safety Patrol Club members.

Under the guidance of Mrs. Birzin, advisor of the Safety Patrol Club, these students demonstrate responsibility, teamwork, and set a positive example for others by promoting safety, leadership, and community service.

This year, club members were excited to welcome Tracey Noble from the AAA Safety Alliance Program to lead an official Safety Patrol Induction Ceremony. During the event, new patrol members proudly took the Safety Patrol pledge, received their badges, and were welcomed into their leadership roles. It was a proud and memorable moment as families gathered to celebrate the students’ commitment to creating a safe environment for everyone.

SBS is thankful to the Safety Patrol members for stepping up every day. Their leadership has a positive impact on the school community.

Community connections are integral to SBS, including the chance to bridge learning opportunities with local partners.

In honor of Fire Safety and Prevention Month this past October, preschool classes visited the Shrewsbury Hose Company No. 1 and heard directly from Firefighters Fetter and Pedalino.

The volunteer firefighters gave our youngest Tigers a special tour of the firehouse and demonstrated how the trucks and specialty tools are used to help keep the community safe from various fire-related dangers.

This year's fire prevention was "Charge into Fire Safety" to educate the community on safe use, charging, and disposal of lithium-ion battery operated items. These items include e-bikes, ride-on toys, handheld video games, drones, remote controlled cars, etc. The three classes enjoyed learning about fire uniforms, memorable moments in the department's rich history, and communication devices.

Planning the holidays? The firefighters also shared that they are preparing for the Annual Shrewsbury Hose Company Ladies Auxiliary Breakfast with Santa on December 7 and have invited the community to join in the festivities!

All proceeds support the Shrewsbury Volunteer Fire Company and its community programs.

Ms. King and Mrs. Potter’s eighth-grade English Language Arts classes have been diving deep into the art of characterization through engaging lessons focused on connotation, denotation, and several other literary devices across classic texts.

Students brought these literary concepts to life through hands-on activities that turned analysis into an adventure! A “write-around-the-room” activity encouraged collaboration. The escape room challenge tested their critical thinking skills.

The classes even glowed with blacklight annotations, where students highlighted textual evidence under ultraviolet light to distinguish combined literary elements.

The 31st annual Shrewsbury 5K Classic enjoyed another year of astounding success and support!

The day, spearheaded by the Foundation for Shrewsbury Education, involved the local community and highlighted the collective commitment toward advancing education and technological advancements at SBS.

Ahead of the event, staff and students showed their support with a bit of friendly competition. A lively pep rally added to the excitement as our Tigers took part in their own fan chants and mini games to build anticipation.

Your voice matters! Attending board meetings can be a crucial component toward the foundational growth of a community's future. The responsibility of the SBS board relies on feedback to continue representing the concerns of our community, keeping a check on the educational needs of our students, and creating policies to ensure SBS runs smoothly.

Every board meeting allows time for public comment and participation, and we encourage you to make your voice heard at any upcoming meeting to learn and be an active member of the Shrewsbury community.

Join us during this month's meeting: Wednesday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m.