Dear SBS Community,

Our students are staying active in classrooms and clubs, but we hope everyone can enjoy the outdoors again soon!

In the meantime, we have many bright spots to look forward to. We are excited for fun class trips, the spring sports season and the spring musical, “Into the Woods.” Show times are 7 p.m. April 17 and 18; and 2 p.m. April 19.

Academics will remain at the forefront as teachers continue focusing on SBS’s innovative and rigorous curriculum. Students also will take state assessments this spring.

At the administrative level, we are preparing for the state’s Quality Single Accountability Continuum (QSAC) review. All New Jersey school districts undergo this process every three years. The QSAC review evaluates a district’s performance across five key areas: Instruction & Program, Fiscal, Governance, Operations and Personnel.

The administration also is working with the Shrewsbury Board of Education to develop the budget for the 2026-27 school year. We are prioritizing the outstanding quality of education for each student while seeking ways to address new financial challenges.

We will continue to provide updates on the budget as more information from the state is available.

Best,

Brent A. MacConnell

Superintendent

School counselors are dedicated to supporting the academic and emotional well-being of their students.

SBS students showed their appreciation for these hardworking professionals, especially SBS School Counselor Darianne Mastricola, through a series of events during National School Counseling Awareness Week. Teachers and staff members reminisced about their own positive school counselor experiences with SBS students, and the school community also celebrated with a week of spirit days.

The spirit days revolved around themes: pajama day, wear a color to match your mood, high school or college spirit wear, workout gear and SBS pride day.

Congratulations to Poppy Livingston, sixth grade, and Evan Matthews, seventh grade, for being honored as February’s Tigers of the Month.

Poppy and Evan were nominated by their peers as part of the SBS Positive Behavior Support in Schools (PBSIS) program, and ultimately selected by a teacher's vote after being vetted for approval. The program was initially modeled after a school district presentation at NJAMLE (NJ Association for Middle Level Education) last year. SBS adopted the program after hearing from and discussing with teachers and administrators from another junior high school.

Both students are outstanding examples of what it means to be a SBS Tiger!

SBS families participated in some football fun while giving back to the community.

During the school’s “Soup-er Bowl” event, students predicted whether the New England Patriots or Seattle Seahawks would win the big game. Students donated a can of soup for the chance to vote.

Just like in the real game, the Seahawks prevailed over the Patriots (by 128-62 cans of soup)!

The activity gave second-grade students an opportunity to practice their tallying skills.

Once the cans were counted, the student council bagged them, and Student Council Advisor Miss Petrone and English Teacher Miss King delivered the donations.

Fifth-grade students got a kick out of a recent challenge in math class – the “Decimal Super Bowl.”

The students received a budget to build a football lineup, selecting a quarterback, running backs, receivers and tight ends while staying within their spending limit. The classmates then researched their team’s stats and calculated points based on passing yards, rushing yards, receptions and touchdowns using decimal operations.

While having fun with the Super Bowl theme, the fifth graders also developed skills such as strategic thinking, careful computation and teamwork.

Author and educator Miriam Dobin made an impactful visit to SBS students, leading a discussion about her family’s life and experiences before World War II, during the Holocaust, and how they rebuilt their lives in the United States.

Mrs. Dobin’s mother, aunt and uncle were imprisoned at Auschwitz and survived. Mrs. Dobin published a memoir about being raised by Holocaust survivors, I Am Because of You.

Mrs. Dobin’s presentation included a slideshow from her visit to Auschwitz and a Q&A session. Seventh-grade student Sasha B. (pictured) was especially moved by the presentation and stayed afterward to talk to to Mrs. Dobin.

Science teacher Mrs. Wiesel shared her own connection to Mrs. Dobin’s family; she knew Mrs. Dobin’s aunt, Ella Reich, and volunteered for years to help the aunt with supermarket trips. Mrs. Wiesel (left in photo on left) even brought an old photo of herself with Mrs. Reich.

As many of us watch the Winter Olympics, SBS students are enjoying their own skiing and snowboarding events.

More than 40 members of the SBS Ski and Snowboard Club had a great day at Shawnee Mountain in the Poconos on Feb. 7. The students, all in sixth through eighth grades, enjoyed the activities with their classmates, teachers and chaperones. They made memories while sharing laughs on bus rides and warming up in the lodge.

The club is excited for its next trip to Mountain Creek in Vernon Township on Feb. 21.

With many animal lovers in this year's fifth-grade class, English Language Arts teacher Miss Cosentino kicked off their nonfiction reading unit by reading and discussing informational texts related to positive stories regarding animals in shelters and how people have helped these animals.

Students incorporated texts on the topic and created posters and announcements for Tiger News.

"Fifth graders successfully collected four boxes and several large garbage bags FULL of food, toys, towels and linens for the animals in need!" Miss Cosentino said. "It was so much that I will be making a second trip to get it all to the shelter. We are very grateful to the SBS community and so happy we could help the animals again this school year!"

Thanks to the generosity of the SPTA, students and staff enjoyed the opportunity to experience a planetarium assembly during school!

A full planetarium set-up transformed SBS into an incredible journey through the stars and planets. All students had the chance to go inside the mobile planetarium, where they listened to engaging presentations and learned all about the solar system and beyond.

The excitement was contagious. One student even exclaimed, “This was the best assembly ever!” Smiles, curiosity and awe filled the room, and it was clear this experience made a lasting impression.

SBS and the SPTA extend gratitude to Mobile Ed Productions for being amazing presenters and bringing their joy and learning to our Tigers.

Members of the Young Entrepreneurs Club enjoy opportunities to hear from local business owners about marketing, product development and more.

During a visit from the owners of Two River Dairy, students heard about the business’ model of prioritizing quality and personalized service while committing to sustainability. Two River Dairy delivers locally sourced meats and cheeses, specialty foods and other pantry staples right to people's doorsteps.

Doug Christensen, who owns the Long Branch-based dairy with Allison Fisher, talked about how he has helped expand the business since purchasing it about two years ago.

Our Tigers enjoyed the presentation and even got to test a few products directly from the business!

The Young Entrepreneurs Club also hosted Mr. MacDonald from Delicious Orchards in Colts Neck. He discussed the history of his family-owned and operated business.

A thrilling day of friendly competition allowed students to put their spelling skills to the test.

Students practiced diligently leading up to the annual Scripps Spelling Bee, taking advantage of study materials and word lists available through an online portal.

On the big day, classmates and teachers cheered on students who competed to claim the coveted title.

Congratulations to all the participants! And please join us in celebrating eighth grader Estella Catarino, who won by spelling "ensemble" correctly!

Estella's win will allow her to move on to the Regional Qualifier Online test.

Shrewsbury Borough Police Officer Colon visited SBS fourth graders to raise awareness of various types of bullying, including cyber, social and physical bullying.

Students learned about and discussed the reasons youths might bully, strategies for responding if they are being bullied and the potential aftereffects of bullying.

We thank the sheriff's office for stopping by and teaching these important lessons to reinforce a safe and supportive learning environment at SBS.

The latest readers' workshop in Mrs. Larsen's class focused on the American Revolution, taking a hands-on approach to study Paul Revere and make his famous midnight ride come to life.

By pairing their academic unit with technology, students created robot shells for their Sphero mini robots and decorated the shells as Paul Revere.

Students then transferred Revere's travel map to develop their coding skills and take their mini robots on a famous ride!

Shrewsbury Borough School Ambassadors and the Student Council collaborated to launch the Blankets of Hope program in our community, joining a movement of kindness that helps students practice empathy by donating blankets and handwritten letters to people experiencing homelessness.

SBS joined schools across the country in this global initiative, preparing 180 blankets for Blankets of Hope and writing letters. The ambassadors, along with their parents, dropped them off at Market Street Mission in Asbury Park to be distributed to those in need.

SBS joined residents across Monmouth County to send heartfelt messages to military members for Valentine’s Day.

Students created colorful cards, notes and letters that were delivered to Earle Naval Base, Joint Base McGuire‐Dix‐Lakehurst Air Force Base and other military facilities in New Jersey. More than 7,000 Valentine’s Day messages were sent to the troops, letting service members know they are loved and appreciated.

The New Jersey Department of Education will release annual school district funding information following Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s State of the State address, which has been postponed to early March.

In the meantime, SBS continues to develop its 2026-27 budget and review district priorities.

The district also will move forward with a construction project that is the final piece of the 2022 referendum. The front entrance was found to be in need of repairs when doors and windows were replaced.

Work is expected to begin in the spring on the front entrance, which will connect the original section of the building with the addition.

The Shrewsbury Board of Education appreciates the community’s valuable perspectives on the superintendent search process.

Over the last few weeks, an online survey, two community input sessions and focus groups provided the opportunity to hear from parents, community members, faculty and staff, students and organizations connected with the school.

The board is now working with a professional search firm to develop a leadership profile, which is a set of qualities that the community and board seek in a superintendent – also referred to as a chief school administrator (CSA).

The profile will be used in advertising and recruitment efforts. The board anticipates interviewing candidates in March and selecting a new CSA by spring break. The district’s new leader will officially start in July, following the retirement of Superintendent Brent A. MacConnell.

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, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m.