Dear SBS Community,

Halloween will be a treat for SBS students and school families!

Our annual Halloween parade is a holiday highlight for many, and the SPTA is preparing special classroom activities. We want to help make Halloween a fun and safe occasion for everyone.

We encourage all students to wear their costumes to school on Friday, Oct. 31. Please ensure that the costumes are safe, comfortable, and appropriate for our learning environment. Costume masks, weapons, and accessories that could be dangerous are not permitted in school.

Parents are invited to the school-wide outdoor Halloween parade on Oct. 31 at 2 p.m. After the parade, students will celebrate with activities in their classrooms. No food will be served at the classroom parties. More guidance will be shared soon.

There were no screens, just squares, as sixth graders used hands-on objects known as manipulatives in their pre-algebra class.

Students investigated the properties of squares and created working definitions of "perfect squares." They tested their definitions and hypotheses by trying to create the largest perfect square from a given number of manipulatives.

Hands-on learning helps students absorb new concepts in pre-algebra, says math teacher Mrs. Scully.

Eighth-grade students designed a slide for their new classmate - a marble named “Speedy Sam” - to learn more about the concept of speed.

Mrs. Wiesel and co-teacher Mrs. Tardiff set out some simple rules for the engineering challenge. Students were permitted to use cardboard, wax paper, tinfoil, sticks, pipe cleaners, tape, scissors, glue and a ruler. The slide had to be at least 30 centimeters tall, 50 to 99 centimeters long, and no more than 6 centimeters wide.

The slide also had to have at least one dip, turn and curve, and it needed to be supported by a staircase. Speedy Sam also had to be able to stop after taking a trip down the slide.

Once the slides were completed, the students performed five trials to identify the speed and calculate average speed.

Help SBS salute your family members and friends

At SBS, we look forward to honoring those who served during our annual “Salute to Veterans” event.

The entire school community is invited to the special ceremony at 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 11 at the Fern Ross Gymnasium. Students will take the stage to be photographed with loved ones who are veterans.

This year, we are asking school families to share the names and photos of all veterans – living and deceased – for inclusion in a slideshow. Please submit a photo of your veteran, preferably in uniform, in jpeg or png format to Ms. Salway at salwayc@sbs-nj.org. Please include the name of the veteran, location and approximate date of when the photo was taken.

To sign up your veteran to attend the SBS “Salute to Veterans” event, please fill out this Google Form by Oct. 24.

To request that a deceased veteran is honored during the program, please fill out this Google Form.

Thank you for helping us acknowledge our veterans and create an impactful program for our students.

Seeking donations for those who served

SBS Tigers are encouraged to bring in items to donate to local veterans group Soldier On.

Donations can be placed in the box next to the main office through Nov. 11. The tenants at Solider On need the following items:

Cleaning supplies: Clorox/Lysol wipes, bathroom cleaners, glass/all-purpose cleaners, laundry detergent pods (HE, or high efficiency)

Paper goods: toilet paper, paper towels, tissues

We look forward to seeing overflowing boxes of donations that will help us salute our veterans!

Fourth-grade students are anything but quiet about their love for the local library.

Throughout October, each class is getting the chance to walk to the Shrewsbury Library and meet the head librarian.

During the visits, the young bookworms are learning how to use the library catalog, touring the building, receiving library cards and checking out books that interest them. Mrs. Larsen’s class checked out books in The Secret Life of Origami Yoda series and the Fourth Grade Rats series. They read books aloud from both series in class.

Now the students are looking forward to more library visits – and more stories!

When fifth-grade ELA teacher Ms. Cosentino heard about a contest for young writers, she thought back to a standout poem from a former student.

Ms. Cosentino entered the work from Evelyn Michel -- now in eighth grade at Shrewsbury Borough School -- into the contest run by YoungWritersUSA.

Evelyn’s poem was accepted and will be published in a book called Young Writers' Annual Showcase 2025 - US Voices. She also received a "Talent for Writing" certificate. Pieces were selected for publication based on creativity, imagination, expression, originality, and use of language.

Congratulations, Evelyn!

Students will get pumped for the Shrewsbury 5K Classic at an Oct. 17 pep rally.

The 5K, taking place on Oct.19, is a community tradition and a key fundraiser for the Foundation for Shrewsbury Education (FSE).

Shrewsbury Borough School is the starting point for the race, with events that include:

One Mile: 8:30 a.m.
5K Classic: 9 a.m.
Kiddie Dash: 9:45 a.m. (Tentative)

Find registration and sponsorship details and more race information at fse-sbs.org/5k

All SBS students who have registered for the race will receive a commemorative Tiger Shoe outside their classroom. The class with the most sign-ups will receive a prize from FSE.

Kelly Fiorentini

My family and I have loved calling Shrewsbury home for six years. I’m an active parent of 3 SBS Tigers, serving as PTA Technology & Communications Lead and volunteering wherever I can. I want my kids — and all Shrewsbury students — to have the best opportunities possible. I’m running because I believe this school is the heart of our community, and I want to help admin and families work together to make it even stronger.

My top priority is supporting teacher retention, because great teachers change children’s lives. I want to help create an environment where educators feel valued, supported, and excited to continue growing in Shrewsbury. To do that, we need to understand why teachers are leaving — by listening directly to teachers themselves. With that insight, the board can help to develop a clear, actionable plan to strengthen support systems, address concerns, and ensure Shrewsbury remains a district where teachers choose to stay.

An effective board listens to families, works hand-in-hand with educators and administration, and makes decisions that always put students first. As a board member, I’d bring openness, collaboration, and a willingness to dig into the hard problems, while keeping our children at the center of every decision.

Kristin Gaul-Spitale

Hi neighbors! My name is Kristin Gaul-Spitale and I am running for the Shrewsbury Board of Education. I’ve been a Shrewsbury resident for 50 years (my parents moved here from Little Silver when I was a year old). My husband and I have two children who attend SBS. Mia is a 7th grader, LJ is a 5th grader, and we live in my childhood home with our two dogs, Sage and Cookie.

For many years I have volunteered for the PTA in various roles, such as Class Liaison, Field Day and Pizza Day (volunteer), and last year led the annual Holiday Cookie Swap for teachers and staff. This past spring, I was a chaperone for Mia’s 6th grade trip to PEEC, which is a three-day trip to the Poconos. The students (and chaperones) learned everything there is to know about the outdoors. We hiked, a lot. We touched slimy things. We learned to work as teams. We learned about ecosystems and sustainability, and how to use our senses to find our way through the forest in the dark.

One of my favorite aspects of this trip was getting to know the teachers and seeing how much they care for the well-being and education of their students. Like many others, I am deeply concerned with staff turnover, and I hope to be a part of a board that can turn that around through new policies and/or amending current policies.

Another concern is mental health, not only for the students but also for the staff. Assemblywomen Margie Donlon and Luanne Peterpaul recently secured $100,000 for Shrewsbury Borough School for mental health services. I’d like to see these funds put to good use. I’d also like to see our valued teachers thriving and making SBS their home for many years to come, because if they thrive, it is likely our students will too. Another area I would like to examine is district spending.

As a candidate, my motivation is simple: I want the children of our wonderful town to have the best educational experience we can provide. If you come to meetings to voice your opinion, I can promise I will listen with intent.

Jen Jafolla

Hi, my name is Jen Jafolla, and my family and I have been Shrewsbury residents for 16 years, and I have a 7th grader and 4th grader currently at SBS. After years of getting more involved with the school, I’m excited to see how I can influence and help our community in a new way.

My experience as co-chair for the Shrewsbury Alliance, and parent representative for the School Safety and Climate Committee has been eye-opening and reassuring that we all share the same goal, we want the best for the kids. Knowing how to partner with the school and work as a team makes me confident in how I will transition into the role of a board member. I enjoy working as a group, and I am confident in my abilities to advocate on behalf of our students, parents, teachers, and community, and won’t shy away from a respectful disagreement or debate. I genuinely care, as I think we all do, and as long as we treat each with respect and decency, I think it’s okay to have disagreements and work out differences of opinion. I’m committed to being open-minded and excited to continually educate myself and work to understand for the benefit of the school and community.

My top priority is to help rebuild trust in the Board of Ed. This past year we’ve seen how a lack of trust toward the board from the community can affect the overall climate of the school and town. I would work to remedy this by providing more clarity and information about the roles and responsibilities of the Board of Ed and its members, along with looking for more opportunities to highlight the work board members do within the various committees and how that work benefits our students and school. This clarity will build trust by making expectations clear and more understandable.

I think the most important characteristic of an effective school board is its commitment to putting the children first. I believe this is done by setting clear goals for the year, both academically and for overall school climate, along with supporting resources for professional development opportunities for our teachers. As for the important characteristics of an effective school board member: clear communication, creativity, and the ability to cooperate.

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, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m.