Bogert Bulletin
September 2024
Welcome Back!
On behalf of the faculty of Bogert School, let me welcome you to the 2024-2025 school year! Whether you are new to Upper Saddle River, new to Bogert School, or you are a returning family, I hope you are as excited and energized as I am for what lies ahead. Your children have been sorely missed and it's with much enthusiasm that we eagerly await their return. This newsletter contains important information you'll need for a smooth start. Please take a few minutes to carefully read its contents. (It'll be worth it!)
Please join me in welcoming Mrs. Rosemarie Malloy, Bogert's new Dean of Students. She will bring leadership and support when working with students, parents, and staff, and I'm thrilled to have her as a partner at Bogert School.
As parents, it is your responsibility to keep up-to-date with school happenings, however it is my hope that we can make things a bit easier for you. There are several easy ways to keep electronically informed and in touch with the school. All staff members have email accounts and each Bogert teacher maintains a classroom website on which you can find useful information. School notices are emailed home to parents, and each month a newsletter and calendar will be emailed, posted in Bogert's "virtual backpack," and posted on Bogert's Facebook page. In an attempt to reduce the number of emails parents receive, the newsletter will be a key source of information for you, and I'll be heavily relying on it as a stream-lined source of information, whenever possible. This will be the primary means of communication about school happenings.
School will begin on Wednesday, September 4th. Please see the following information about drop-off:
- Students can be dropped off as early as 7:30, but not prior.
- Parents are most welcomed to take their annual first-day-of-school photos in front of the school, but students will enter the building without their parents.
- Students will line up behind Bogert, where staff will be stationed to guide them to their class's line-up spot (weather permitting).
- At 7:55 the bell will ring and the teachers will pick up their students from the blacktop and take them to the classroom.
- There will be plenty of staff in, and around, Bogert, so children will have all the support they need.
The first day of school is a minimum day, meaning dismissal is at 12:20. The rest of the week consists of a regular 2:30 dismissal time. Be sure to leave extra time for pick-up and drop-off during the first week (or so) of school. As families begin to figure out routines, I assure you traffic will lessen.
The 2024-2025 Bogert Family Handbook will be sent home on the first day of school via backpacks. This is an important resource for all families as it outlines a variety of procedures, policies, and other important information for students and parents. Please take some time to review this booklet, which can also be found here on the Bogert website.
Lastly, please do not hesitate to contact me at any point regarding your child’s education. It is my goal to work with you to ensure that your child receives an enriching, stimulating, and enjoyable education, and it's always my pleasure to help, no matter what the issue. Remember: it's better to reach out even if you're unsure you should, as opposed to not reaching out and wishing you had.
Have a great year!
Mr. Kaplan
Principal
From the Dean of Students
My name is Rosemarie Malloy and I am honored to serve as the Dean of Students at Bogert and Reynolds Schools. I am excited to serve this community and to work alongside such dedicated families, students and teachers.
I bring a great deal of experience to this position. Prior to this role, I served the Upper Saddle River School District as the Supervisor of Personnel and Staff Development and as an enrichment teacher. Prior to that, I was a curriculum supervisor and math teacher for many years.
As the Dean of Students, my primary focus is to support students' educational experience in grades PreK-5. My role includes fostering a positive and safe environment, addressing student needs and working collaboratively with students, teachers and parents to ensure that each student thrives academically, socially and behaviorally. I am excited to get to know each student, and I look forward to working together to create a supportive and enriching experience for all our students.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Malloy
Dean of Students
Important Forms
You will notice on Genesis that you are going to be prompted to electronically complete various forms. These forms are essential and must be completed at your earliest convenience. Not completing the forms before the first day of school, particularly the dismissal form, will result in us calling you to follow up and could delay the pick-up of your child.
This information must be entered into Genesis no later than Sunday, September 1.
Principal's Advisory Committee
The purpose of the Principal's Advisory Committee is to provide parents with an opportunity to offer input, be included in the educational process, and to collaborate with the principal - with the ultimate goal of creating a passionate school community that nurtures student development. This advisory group will make recommendations, foster relationships between school and home, discuss educational issues that impact students, objectively discuss matters without inserting personal agendas, and will do so with a mutual respect for various perspectives. Agendas for each meeting will be determined in advance, and all committee members will have the opportunity to recommend topics for discussion. Please click here and complete the following information if you are interested in participating. In order to include a wide variety of perspectives while keeping the size of the group productive, it's possible not all volunteers will be selected this year.
Thank you to all who are interested.
Bogert Student Code of Conduct
This Summer, the Student Code of Conduct for each of the Upper Saddle River schools was assessed and adjusted to reflect the needs of our current environment. This year, more than in the past, students and parents will be educated on behavioral expectations and processes the schools will use to teach students about accountability. Please look for a subsequent correspondence with more detailed information, as well as a scheduled presentation at Back-to-School night. The Code of Conduct aims to set norms of acceptability that will result in a safe and respectful learning environment.
We work with parents as our partners to help students navigate the ups and downs of growing up in a socially complex world, through a varied approach that proactively and reactively teaches students about respect, tolerance, manners, accountability, and appreciation of differences.
The Upper Saddle River Schools pride themselves on valuing diversity and promoting an anti-hate environment. This includes an intolerance for racial slurs or any hurtful language motivated by race, religion or ethnicity.
Back-To-School Night
The teachers, Mrs. Malloy, and I are excited to have you, our partners in education, join us for Back-To-School Night on Thursday, September 12. This will be an opportunity learn about our school programs, expectations, and curricula, and most importantly, meet our outstanding faculty and staff.
Please note: All sign-ups for conferences, class parties, and field trips will occur electronically after Back-To-School Night so there is no need to hurry to the classrooms earlier than the presentation start times.
Below you will find the agenda for the evening, as well as a list of all staff who will be present, including where they will be stationed.
School Supplies
Those families who ordered school supplies through the PTO likely have already received them at home and should bring those items, not the boxes, to school. If you did not order a PTO toolkit you can still find the list of supplies for each grade level on the front of the Bogert website. Students will record their homework in either a planner or Chromebook that we provide. Please review the homework with your child every evening in order to be familiar with your child’s responsibilities, and to learn more about what is happening in the classroom each day.
Did your child forget something?
It happens! You're rushing out the door to try to avoid the morning drop-off traffic and something gets left on the kitchen counter. Forgotten lunches and school supplies will now be placed in a bin outside the Main Entrance doors when you bring them to Bogert. Once you place the item in the bin, ring the buzzer, let the greeter know what's in there, and we will get it where it needs to go. It's imperative that you label everything! (Principal's note: it's ok to let your children forget something! Sometimes the lesson learned from the experience is better than bailing them out.)
Like us on Facebook!
If you'd like a sense of what's happening during the day at Bogert, this is where we post photo highlights. Please like/follow our page, which can be found here.
Student Attendance
It is essential that you notify the school when your child will be absent. We expect children every day and it is concerning when we can't account for their presence - just because you know they're not in school, we can't possibly know that unless you tell us!
- Log on to the Genesis Parent Portal (https://genesisparents.usrschoolsk8.com)
- Click the "Notify Attendance Office" found directly under the "THIS WEEK" attendance and assignments summary on the Summary page
- Enter an attendance note (reason) describing why the student will be absent
- Click the "Submit to Office" button to finish
If you can't access your computer or a device, you may call 201-961-6376, but the primary way for notifying the school is on-line.
Consistent attendance at school, both in terms of arriving on time and being present throughout the year, is obviously an essential component of a high quality education. Repeated absences, whether excused or unexcused, deprive students from essential learning opportunities and may result in corrective actions, including retention. I encourage you to read BOE policy #5200 for complete details. Remember: schools can have the best teachers and the greatest resources available, but a child cannot benefit from them if s/he is not in school. As a reminder, our day begins promptly at 8:05 every day.
Lunch
Students are expected to bring their lunch to school on a daily basis, if/when not ordering through the PTO. While we understand the occasional forgotten lunch will need to be delivered, at this age, students should know they need to pack their lunch every day, and parents should help them make that a consistent part of the morning routine. In addition, please know that we will not allow deliveries from Grub Hub, Door Dash, etc., nor will we deliver fountain drinks to students.
The PTO Lunch Program will begin on Monday, September 16. Therefore, you will need to provide your child(ren) with a lunch and drink from September 5 through September 13.
Visiting Bogert Before School Starts
Home Connection: Readying your child for a new school year
The New Jersey Department of Education has developed the following set of recommended back-to-school activities for parents and children. What follows are a few helpful suggestions for beginning the school year on a positive and productive note:
- Support and encourage your child, and also emphasize the importance of high goals and sticking with those goals throughout the year.
- Discuss your expectations with your child. If there are consequences for poor academic performance and/or behavior, they should be made clear at the outset.
- Create a school schedule that includes getting enough sleep, what time to get up, catching the bus, time for homework, how long it takes to walk to school, after-school activities and sports, and eating healthy foods. Make the schedule a fun activity and display it in a prominent place.
- Make “back-to-school” a celebration with a fun dinner to emphasize that returning to school is an important and positive experience.
- Update the contact information on file in the Main Office so that we have the most current correct information (email, medical, cell phones, emergency contacts, etc.)
- Label things such as jackets, backpacks, notebooks, and eyeglasses.