Robert Hunter Report

Mrs. Jessica Braynor, Principal

Mrs. Lindsay Shirvanian, Vice Principal

Website: https://www.frsd.k12.nj.us/Domain/381
Location: 8 Dayton Road Flemington, NJ 08822
Phone: (908) 284-7620

Absence Form

Dismissal Change Form

Robert Hunter Website

Lunch Menus

District Technology Website

Transportation Manual

Thursday, Sept. 5th, Day 1

• First Day of School!

Friday, Sept. 6th, Day 2

• Spirit Day - Wear RH Spiritwear or school colors, blue and white
  

Save the Date:

Sept. 13 - Back to School Social 6:00-8:00 (Rain date Sept. 20)

Sept. 19- Back to School Night and Early Dismissal (1:20)

Sept. 24 - PTO Meeting 6:00

Sept. 28- Clothing Drive 9:00-1:00

All bus information has been mailed to families and can be found on the Genesis Parent Portal. If families have any questions regarding transportation, please contact the transportation office as referenced in the letter sent home. The transportation department requests that students are at the assigned bus stop a few minutes earlier than the time noted on the bus schedule and to expect a few delays as drivers adjust to their routes during the first week of school.

Student arrival will begin at 8:45. Staff will be outside greeting students and guiding them to their classes. Kindergarten and preschool students should wear their bus tags on the first day of school with their bus number written clearly on the tag. All students can purchase breakfast when they arrive at school. On the first day of school, staff will ask students if they would like breakfast and will guide them to the cafeteria.

Walkers will enter from the back door, near the playground. Staff will be at the back doors by the playground to greet children who are walkers.

Students arriving for before-care must use the entrance near the gym and cafeteria. A parent must escort and sign them in.

If you are dropping off your child, you may enter the drop-off line between 8:45-8:55. The school day begins at 8:55, and students are marked tardy if they arrive after 8:55. Enter through the driveway exit opposite Municipal Dr. Enter the parking lot, and make an immediate right. The cars will line up through the lot in a double lane as a staging area and then loop into the main driveway and be able to link onto the pick up/ drop off lane closest to the building (See the picture below).

Please ensure children are ready with their book bags in the back seat on the passenger side of the car. Students should exit the vehicle independently from the passenger side. For families with younger students, please practice having children get into and out of the car independently. Parents may not exit the vehicle to assist their children. We understand that everyone is excited to see the children on their first day of school; however, you may not exit the car in the drop-off line to take pictures. This is to ensure a safe and timely arrival.

There are multiple staff members on duty to make sure your child gets into school. If you are asked to have your child exit the car, please respect the directions given by staff on duty. We need to keep the line of traffic moving smoothly, so that entrances are not blocked and students are in their classes ready to learn on time. Please do not go around another car in the line, even if your child has already exited. Follow the cars ahead of you.

Preschool families should follow the arrival procedures here for dropping off students.

The dismissal process begins at 3:30. If you are picking up your child, you will enter through the driveway exit opposite Municipal Dr. Enter the parking lot, and make an immediate right. The cars will line up through the lot in a double lane as a staging area and then loop into the main driveway and be able to link onto the single pick up lane. You will pull up to the front driveway, following directions from staff.

Please have a large sign in your front window clearly labeled with your child’s name and homeroom teacher. Have this sign out and visible on your vehicle every day. Parents can not

exit the car while in the pick-up line.

For walkers - staff will escort walkers along the path adjacent to the playground and meet parents at the end of the path.

Preschool families should follow the dismissal procedures here for picking up students.

Please anticipate some dismissal delays for the first few days of school. Routines and bus routes need time to be established. Thank you in advance for your patience.

If you are making a change to your child’s dismissal procedure, you must fill out our online Dismissal Change Form found here. This form must be used to indicate parent pick up at dismissal, early office pick up, as well as changes regarding aftercare or bus schedule. The form must be filled out for each child who will have a change in the dismissal procedure. The form is located directly on the homepage of the Robert Hunter website.

You must complete the Dismissal Change Form if you are picking up your child from school. If you would like to complete a bus waiver form and decline bussing, please alert the main office. Otherwise, if we do not have a parent pick-up notification through the Dismissal Change Form, your child will be sent home on the bus. If your child is a designated walker, but you would like to pick up your child by car, you will need to complete the Dismissal Change Form.

If someone other than the parent/guardian is taking their child home at the end of the day, please note this on the Dismissal Change Form. Please remember that you may not take a child other than your own unless written permission from that child’s parent has been given to the school.

If you are requesting that a bus stop is changed due to a childcare request, please alert the main office. Otherwise, bus stop changes can not be accommodated. Please note that bus stop changes take a few days to process.

Please note that at 3:00 pm the main office begins preparations for dismissal. The Dismissal Change Form will not be acknowledged after this time. Also, after 3:00 pm, students can not be dismissed early from the main office. Families needing to pick up students from school early may do so prior to 3:00 pm. If you would like to pick up your child after 3:00, you will need to use the pick-up line.

We thank you in advance for your cooperation with our dismissal procedures to ensure the safe dismissal of all students.

Before and After Care will be housed at Robert Hunter and is arranged through the YMCA. You can find information about registering on the YMCA website HERE. Our school has a list of all children participating in the YMCA program, and we will ensure that your child is not sent home on the bus. If there is a change in your after-care schedule, and you will be picking up your child or they will be taking the bus, you will need to complete the Dismissal Change Form. You will use the entrance near the gym and cafeteria on the blacktop for drop-off and pick-up.

Breakfast and lunch will be available for purchase. Lunch menus are available on the website. Snacks will be available for purchase for Grades 1-4. Please discuss with your child whether or not they can have snacks with their lunch. See the flyer here for information regarding how to add money to your child’s lunch account. See the flyer here for price information for breakfast, lunch, and snacks. Please note, ice cream will only be available on Fridays, and students will be able to purchase snacks beginning the week of Sept. 9th.

If your child is bringing lunch, please have him or her practice opening any containers and start with foods that you know your child enjoys. Lunch is 20 minutes and we want to make sure children have adequate time to eat and enjoy their lunch. Students are permitted to bring a snack, which they will eat in the classroom. If there are allergy restrictions for snack items, you will receive a letter with more information.

Please see the information here regarding the free and reduced lunch forms. NJ expanded its program so that more families can qualify for free school meals. Even families who have not qualified in the past may now qualify under this new program. These forms should be filled out as soon as possible to avoid incurring charges.

Please see our updated family handbook HERE. This handbook is posted on the parent tab on our school website.

If your child will be absent or arrive late to school, please notify the school using the form found on our homepage HERE. You can find the form on our school homepage and under the quick links tab on the left side of the school homepage.

Please join us in welcoming some new staff members to the Robert Hunter community!

Hanan Attiyah, Coding and Robotics Teacher

Mrs. Attiyah is thrilled to be teaching Coding and Robotics to all kindergarteners in the district, and is especially excited to be joining Robert Hunter! Mrs. Attiyah loves learning about new STEM technology that she can bring to her students. She believes even our youngest learners can learn to code, use technology responsibly, and innovate our future. She is the 2024 New Jersey finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Mathematics (PAEMST) and the 2023 Grand Prize Winner of the CIA's Advanced Technology Award Grant.

Alexandra Bokach, 1st Grade Teacher

Ms. Bokach is a First Grade teacher this year at Robert Hunter! She recently graduated from West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education this past May. Ms. Bokach grew up in Delaware Township and attended Hunterdon Central high school here in Flemington! She enjoys spending time with her friends and family and visiting the beach. Ms. Bokach is super excited to be a part of the Robert Hunter staff and she cannot wait for the start of the school year!

Brianna Coates, School Counselor

Ms. Coates is thrilled to be joining both the Robert Hunter and Barley Sheaf school communities as a school counselor. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and her Master’s degree in School Counseling from Centenary University. With fifteen years of experience working with children of various ages, Ms. Coates brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to her role.

Outside of school, Ms. Coates enjoys spending time with her two Australian Labradoodles, Franki and Banks. She is also an avid reader, shopper, and loves spending time with her family. In addition, she takes great pride in her ongoing home projects.

Ms. Coates is eagerly anticipating the opportunity to support all the students at Robert Hunter this year and looks forward to a successful and fulfilling year ahead!

Nicole Del Duca, School Counselor

Miss Del Duca will be a School Counselor at Robert Hunter. She has earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Clinical Counseling with a School Counseling Certification from Centenary University. She is also a Licensed Associate Counselor and an Advanced Nurtured Heart Approach Trainer. Miss Del

Duca is currently an outpatient children’s therapist, specializing in play therapy and she has spent the past six years working within the New Jersey Children’s System of Care and as an adjunct psychology and counseling professor. Miss Del Duca also has

extensive experience working with children and adults with developmental disabilities. Miss Del Duca is enjoys trips to the beach, watching football and spending time with her

nieces and nephews. Over the past year, Miss Del Duca had the opportunity to work with staff at Robert Hunter through a state-wide initiative called DREAMS, and Miss Del Duca is happy to say that DREAMS led her to her dream job. Miss Del Duca is so

excited to officially be part of the Robert Hunter team!

Elizabeth Muller, School Psychologist

Ms. Muller is thrilled to be joining the Robert Hunter school community as a school psychologist. Ms. Muller graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Monmouth University and graduated with distinction as an Educational Specialist in School Psychology from Rider University. Previously, Ms. Muller served students at the Franklin Township and Union Township school districts in Hunterdon County. In her free time, Ms. Muller enjoys baking, crocheting, and spending time with her dog, Madeline Rose. She is very excited about getting to know her students!

Catherine Owens, 4th Grade Teacher

Miss Owens is thrilled to be joining the Robert Hunter team as a 4th Grade In-Class Resource Teacher this fall. She graduated from James Madison University with a Bachelor's in Elementary Education and a minor in Teaching English Secondary to Other Languages. She is also taking Special Education graduate classes. Miss Owens grew up in Flemington, New Jersey and is so excited to be back here as a teacher. She enjoys spending time outside, reading, and painting in her free time. At home, she has an older brother, younger sister, and an Australian Cattle Dog. Miss Owens is counting down the days until she gets to meet her wonderful students!

Greg Slomczewski, Media Specialist

Mr. Slomczewski ("slum-chess-key") is thrilled to be joining the Robert Hunter family this school year! For the past 22 years, Mr. Slomczewski has been the library media specialist at Barley Sheaf school, and will now split his time between there and Robert Hunter libraries. Since he just can’t seem to stay away from libraries, he has also worked part time for the Hunterdon County Library system for the last 17 years as a children’s librarian. Besides his fondness for a good story--spooky tales are his favorites!--Mr. Slomczewski enjoys biking in the wee hours before work with a hot cup of black coffee to follow.

Louise Youberg, ESL Teacher

Miss Youberg is excited to be joining Robert Hunter as an ESL teacher. She will also be teaching Literacy Lessons to our ESL students, as well. Literacy Lessons is Reading Recovery lessons specifically designed for ESL students 2nd-4th grade. She previously taught at Desmares for 9 years. This will be her tenth year in our district. She has a masters in ESL in addition to her supervisor certification (both from Rutgers). She has been teaching Literacy Lessons since 2020. Louise is excited to bring her knowledge, experience and expertise to the Robert Hunter community.

Raccoon Families, Robert Hunter PTO is excited to begin a new school year with many new members!

Special thanks to the 46 individuals who showed interest in becoming homeroom parents. Mrs. Cross and Mrs. Terhune could use some classroom support. Please reach out to Sarika Wahi at rh.pto.hrparentcoordinator@ gmail.com if you can help.

1st Day of School Supply Kits will be delivered directly to classrooms before the first day of school for families who ordered kits in the spring. Please contact Allison Pelletier at atdpelletier@gmail.com with any questions.

Save the dates!

PTO Back to School Social is on Friday, September 13th, 6-8pm (Raindate September 20th).

Clothing Drive & Swap is on Saturday, September 28th, 9am-1pm outside the school entrance. The PTO will accept donations of shoes, clothing, belts, hats, scarves, handbags, gloves, small toys (2 ft. or less), stuffed animals, towels, sheets, pillowcases, bikes and strollers. We can NOT accept quilts, comforters, pillows, blankets, sport equipment, board games, books, puzzles, pots, car seats, electrical devices, glass, large toys, highchairs, baby cribs, scooters, VCR tapes, furniture, outdoor play sets, picture frames, school supplies, phone cases, candles, cosmetics, or holiday decorations. Families are encouraged to peruse the items donated and take any items that your family can use. All items that are not taken by a community member will be picked up by AE clothing for resale.

Halloween Family Fun Night is scheduled for Friday, October 11th, 6pm - 8pm (Rain Date October 18th), Please reach out to Sherri Biniaros (sbiniaros@gmail.com) or Madison Rosa (mmiller0509@icloud.com) if you are interested in helping with the trunk or treat and/or other festive activities.

PTO executive board members (Megan Pacyna, Madison Rosa, Sherri Biniaros, Michele Mozingo, Sarika Wahi, Allison Pelletier and Stacey Yalenti) are here to help!! Please reach out to roberthunterpto@gmail.com with any questions.

PTO Welcome Letter:

Please see the PTO Welcome Letter here.

Robert Hunter Spiritwear:

Please see the flyer to order spiritwear here.