Curriculum Insights

Welcome to our latest newsletter! As spring breathes new life into the world around us, it's the perfect time to embrace fresh starts and new beginnings in our learning journeys. Just like the budding flowers, our community is constantly growing and exploring new ideas. Get ready to discover exciting opportunities and connect with fellow learners!

Cheryl Cuddihy, Ed.D.

Director of Curriculum & Instruction

As our nation approaches its 250th anniversary in 2026, the New Jersey Department of Education and RevolutionNJ have launched the Revolutionary Schools initiative. This program recognizes schools that go above and beyond in teaching social studies, local history, and civic engagement.

What it Means to be "Revolutionary"

New Jersey is often called the "Crossroads of the American Revolution," and this initiative turns our state into a living classroom. As a participating partner, our curriculum now emphasizes:

• Diverse Stories: Moving beyond the textbooks to highlight the voices of all Americans—including women, indigenous people, and enslaved persons—who shaped our history.

• Civic Engagement: Transitioning from "learning history" to "making history" through community-based projects and student-led civics initiatives.

• Local Research: Utilizing the "History Happened Here" framework to help students discover the revolutionary events that occurred right in our own backyards.

Building a "More Perfect Union"

By participating in this statewide movement, our students aren't just memorizing dates; they are exploring the fundamental ideals of liberty, equality, and justice. This initiative ensures that the spirit of the revolution remains a living, breathing part of our students’ education as we look toward 2026 and beyond.

What does it take to save a river? This month, our students stepped into the shoes of civil engineers to find out. In a week-long deep dive into sustainability, classes took on the challenge of stormwater runoff, a critical issue facing our local ecosystems.

The Mission: RBMS Goes Green

Using the Navesink River as a case study, students researched the impact of human development on our local waterways. Their goal was to design a solution that aligns with the NGSS MS-ESS3-3 standard: Designing a method to minimize human impact on the environment.

From Blueprint to Solution

Students didn’t just talk about the environment—they engineered it. By exploring "Green Architecture" and the science of permeable pavement for Red Bank Middle School, students followed the same design process used by professionals:

• Research & Insight: Analyzing how sustainable materials can naturally filter water back into the earth.

• Creative Design: Drafting "Before and After" blueprints to visualize how green infrastructure transforms a campus.

• Critical Thinking: Justifying every material choice and planning for long-term monitoring through daily reflection logs.

Collaboration and Communication

The project culminated in a professional-style presentation gallery. Using a detailed presentation rubric, students pitched their solutions to their peers. This wasn't just a one-way street—the "engineering board" (their classmates) acted as active listeners, providing constructive feedback to each group to help refine their concepts.

RBMS Science teacher Joi Stepney commented, "Watching students transition from 'learners' to 'problem-solvers' is the ultimate goal. By applying engineering principles to our own school, students aren't just reading about sustainability—they are actively designing a cleaner future for the Red Bank Middle School community."

Building a Sustainable Future

By asking tough questions and justifying their designs with scientific data, our students aren't just learning about the world—they are learning how to protect it. We are incredibly proud of their dedication to making RBMS a "Greener" place to learn!

It was a day of high-energy exploration and technical discovery on February 27th as Red Bank Regional High School (RBR) hosted a premier engineering competition for local school districts. The event challenged young innovators to put their creativity and ingenuity to the ultimate test, and our RBMS students rose to the occasion with spectacular results!

We are incredibly proud to celebrate our students who demonstrated exceptional skill and problem-solving under pressure:

• 1st Place: Gia Laureano and Evelyn Castro (7th Grade)

• 2nd Place: Rhys Doremus and Santiago Alba-Ramos (8th Grade)

A massive congratulations goes out to our winners and every student who participated, representing our school with pride and professional focus.

Bridging the Gap to High School Success

This competition provided a unique window into RBR’s specialized academies, allowing our students to work in high-level labs and engage with advanced engineering concepts. For many, it was a first look at the "Buc" family and the competitive world of STEM.

Project Lead the Way (PLTW) teacher Eric Schwarz shared his enthusiasm for the students' performance, "As an educator, it's the greatest source of happiness and pride to see my students achieve success as well as gain valuable real-world experience in engineering!"

Building a Community of Innovators

Events like these are more than just contests; they are mentorship opportunities. By working alongside RBR faculty and students, our middle schoolers are seeing firsthand how their current classroom projects—like our recent work on stormwater runoff—translate into high school excellence and future careers.

Welcome to "The Harlem Remix," a digital zine showcase created by the students of RBMS. This website is the culmination of the Harlem Renaissance Legacy Digital Zine Project, where students explored the profound and lasting impact of this historical era on our modern world.

After studying a diverse array of 1920s literature, music, and the arts, students took on the roles of historians, critics, and "Musical Genealogists" to create original contributions that bridge the gap between then and now. We invite you to explore these pages to see how our students have "remixed" the past to better understand the present.

The Count Basie Center for the Arts transformed Red Bank Middle School into a world of "Pure Imagination" recently as our talented 4th, 5th, and 6th graders took the stage for a high-energy musical theater workshop. Performing Willy Wonka KIDS, these young stars proved that with enough creativity and hard work, anything is possible!

A Masterclass in "The Show Must Go On"

The most impressive feat wasn’t just the performance, but the pace. Students faced a professional-level challenge: a lightning-fast turnaround of only eight rehearsals. In just a few short weeks, these performers mastered complex choreography, memorized lines, and coordinated a complete musical production.

Innovation Meets the Stage

This wasn't your average school play. The production embraced modern theater technology with a stunning digital set design, allowing the Chocolate Factory to come to life with vibrant, shifting backdrops. Despite the quick schedule, the students handled multiple costume changes with the poise of seasoned Broadway veterans, ensuring every Golden Ticket winner looked the part.

A Family Affair

The magic even extended to the staff! In a delightful surprise for the audience, several of our own staff members served as "Honorary Oompa Loompas," donning the iconic green hair to support our students on stage. It was a wonderful reminder of the strong community bond that makes these performances so special.

Dr. Rumage, Superintendent, commented, "Watching these students evolve from their first read-through to a polished, tech-integrated performance in just eight sessions was nothing short of 'scrumdiddlyumptious!'"

Congratulations to our cast, crew, and "Oompa-staff" for a truly sweet success!

The Red Bank Middle School AVID Elective students recently traded their desks for the colorful classrooms of the Red Bank Preschool at UMC, gaining hands-on experience in community leadership and early childhood education. This volunteer initiative was more than just a field trip; it was a bridge between the district’s oldest and youngest learners.

Professional Preparation

To ensure the visit was impactful, the students underwent "professional development" before stepping foot on the preschool campus. Red Bank Preschool Teachers visited RBMS to speak directly with the Grade 8 AVID class. During this session, the teachers shared:

• Developmental Insights: What to expect from three- and four-year-olds and how to engage them effectively.

• Active Learning Strategies: Techniques for guiding play and supporting the preschool’s Tools of the Mind philosophy.

• Mentorship Goals: How the middle schoolers could serve as positive role models for their younger peers.

Community Impact

Equipped with these expert tips, the AVID students spent their visit facilitating activities, reading stories, and engaging dramatic play scenarios. This collaboration not only provided valuable support to the preschool staff but also allowed the middle schoolers to practice their college and career readiness goals - a hallmark of the AVID program.

Each Tuesday, Lisa Hartsgrove, PWN Program Coordinator & Program Director of PWN Teen, meets with AVID Elective students to immerse them in creative writing experiences. Through her connection with Women & Girls Education (WAGE) International, students have been invited to participate in the Pen Pals for Peace initiative. Throughout the school year, students correspond with students in Uganda to make connections and to give one another strength. According to their website, "Pen Pals for Peace is a place for people to come together for the greater good. It's a place where hope lives and the fun of learning will blossom."

Professional Storyteller and President of WAGE Interntational, Heather Mistretta, facilitates the exchange of letters between the students. Mistretta explained, "Seeing the students at Red Bank Middle School so engaged and enthusiastic about this project was so encouraging and gave me hope. Their thoughtful letters reflect a willingness to learn more about a culture unlike theirs and make a new friend. We're just getting started, but our hope is that the children will discover that their similarities far outweigh their differences and that they improve their communication and writing skills while building empathy for others!"

According to Hartsgrove, Red Bank Middle School (RBMS) students have received over 20 letters from their peers in Uganda so far. In an effort to ensure every letter is answered, both a 7th and 8th grader typically respond to each one. "We loved seeing how excited our students were," Hartsgrove said. "They were impressed by the beautiful handwriting and fascinated by a new culture, but they also found common ground in sports, animals, and—in one case—a birthday just three days apart. We’re eager to send our replies and keep this connection growing."

Happy Pi Day! Celebrated every year on March 14 (3.14), this day is a global tribute to the infinite, irrational, and essential constant "pi." It’s the one day where math, puns, and pastry collide in a perfect circle of celebration.

This year, our hallways were buzzing with creativity as we celebrated the "magic" behind the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter.

Grade 6 Math Teacher Gabby Coco shared, "Pi Day is more than just a date on the calendar; it is a day where math comes to life!" Students spent the day discovering that pi is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, learning fun facts about pi, and marveling at the creative flair in our pi-themed t-shirt contest.

Our annual Pi Day T-Shirt Contest has officially crowned its winners! Students were challenged to blend mathematical concepts with artistic flair. This year’s top designs featured:

Grade 6: Keila Covos & Christopher Lemus Molina

Grade 7: Jonathan Jimenez

Grade 8: Bryan Johnson

Coco added, "We are showing students that math is more than just a set of rules, but an integral part of the world around them. When we celebrate Pi Day, we intertwine curiosity, art, and the endless possibilities of mathematics into one fun-filled day!"

Our Grade 8 students have taken a deep dive into the world of geometry and history with their Pi Day Trifold Projects. Pi Day trifold projects aim to make abstract mathematics tangible, engaging students through hands-on research, artistic visualization, and real-world application of the mathematical constant

Grade 8 Math Teacher Kathy Kansky commented, "It is so important to provide a space where students can experience the joy of mathematics. Pi Day is the perfect day for this since pi is interlaced in so many of our formulas in Grades 6-8. Students learn to correlate circles with π, and also have discussions about why pi is an irrational number."

Fun Fact: Did you know that March 14 is also Albert Einstein’s birthday? It’s truly the ultimate day for science and math enthusiasts!

Atlas serves as the online vehicle for the Red Bank Borough Public School’s curriculum mapping. Curriculum mapping, also known as a pacing guide, is a calendar-based method of organizing and planning what is happening in district courses at specific points in the school year. Curricula are developed chronologically so teachers can plan interdisciplinary units with their colleagues.

When visiting the website, click All Curriculum in the upper left-hand corner and then All Courses. That link leads to a page where you can filter all curriculum guides in all content areas from Kindergarten through Grade 8. The foundation of all curricula are the NJ Student Learning Standards. These guides are “living documents” that evolve throughout the year.