Superintendent Newsletter

Greetings!

I hope this message finds you and your family well.

Upon review of the newsletter, if you have any questions or would like clarification on any item, please feel free to contact me at fsantora@roxbury.org.

Regards,

Frank Santora, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

In early February the district was notified that Roxbury Public Schools was named a State of NJ District of Character. This is an incredible honor and accomplishment for our district. As many of you know, this process began a number of years ago at the individual school building level. Over that time, many staff members dedicated a substantial amount of time and effort in submitting the applications. At the present time, the district is being considered for the National School of Character distinction. This process will unfold throughout the month of March.

On Friday, February 14, 2025 the district hosted an entire day of professional learning and development. Staff were provided with opportunities to receive training on how to use LinkIT to analyze assessment data. The day consisted of a number of breakout sessions that addressed various aspects of the LinkIT platform and how staff can use the data to provide individualized instruction for students. Staff were also given the opportunity to engage in vertical articulation across the grade levels and meet in their grade level or subject area PLC.

Throughout February, I hosted faculty/staff member work sessions. The focus of these sessions was to solicit feedback from staff on how we can further revise our Portrait of a Graduate (POG). The staff who attended these sessions provided a great deal of input on how the district can improve its efforts to highlight the connections between students’ experiences in school and the POG. Later on in March, I will be hosting a similar session for high school level students.

Over the past few months, the district was fortunate to have been provided with numerous presentations at our Board of Education Meetings. These included presentations by:

1. ⏩ "Roxbury’s Month of Respect" - Mr. Chris Argenziano, Dr. Chris Zegar, Ms. Stefani DelRusso, Ms. Tara Urban
   
   
2. ⏩Sustainable Jersey for Schools - Ms. Ann Rhodes
   
   
3. Celebration of the VFW Patriot’s Pen & Voice of Democracy Winners from Roxbury Schools - Mr. Bob Mederos
   
   
4. ⏩Jefferson Elementary School ~ TREP$ Entrepreneurs - Mrs. Joanne Saul
   
   
5. ⏩Celebration of RHS’ Marching Gaels - Mr. William Crispino & Mr. Stuart Mason
   
   
6. ⏩Roxbury High School Bell Schedule Proposal - Mr. William Crispino
   
   
7. ⏩Rox-THON’s Fundraising Efforts & Community Impact - Dr. Michael Gottfried, Mrs. Margery Richman, Ms. Victoria Gonzalez, Rox-THON Student President Mr. Anuj Vyas, Rox-THON Student Vice President Mr. Yuriy Hrytsay
   
   
8. ⏩Nixon Elementary School Spotlight ~ Inclusive Practices - Ms. Lauren Agresta, Ms. Jennifer Babus, Ms. Stephanie Echevarria, Ms. Danielle Evans, Mrs. Danielle Lynch, Ms. Christine O’Connor, Ms. Jean Rex; with Students: Sade Barrett, Phoebe Dempski, Briella Frade, Zoey Marcano, Brenda Quiceno Valencia, Kendall Skomial ⏩Group Photo
   
   
9. ⏩New Jersey Seal of Biliteracy (RHS progress) - Mr. Matthew Trokan
   
   
10. ⏩Kennedy Elementary School Spotlight ~ Kindness Committee and the Great Kindness Challenge - Mrs. Nicole Acevedo, Ms. Jennifer Buckler; with Students: James Frattolill, Claudia Kocher, Zoe Rotella, Elizabeth Shoudy, Sophia Tolerico
    
    
11. ⏩Franklin Elementary School Spotlight ~ Read Across America & SEL Week Celebrations - Mr. Brian Hamer, Ms. Sarah DiLorenzo; with Students: Miles & Aubrey Cosme, Gianni & Dominic Malpica, Maya & Ciara Tsegai
    
    
12. ⏩2024-2025 Winter Athletic Accomplishments ~ RHS’ Ice Hockey Team and RHS’ Individual Indoor Track & Field Athletes - Mr. Stuart Mason & Mr. William Crispino
    
    
13. ⏩Peer 2 Peer Art at RHS - Mr. Matthew Mawn, Mrs. Izzy Speronza, Mr. Thomas Lenox, Mrs. Kristin Mongelli

On January 17, 2025 RHS Senior Mr. James Stewart presented his research findings from his AP Seminar Course to the Morris County Association of Special Education Administrators (MCASE). The subject of Mr. Stewart’s research “Avoiding the SLD Trap” measured general education teachers' knowledge of Specific Learning Disabilities as well as explored how IEPs could be structured differently to provide more information to assist teachers. It was a phenomenal presentation that I was lucky enough to attend along with Proud RHS Principal, Mr. Bill Crispino. I would also like to acknowledge the efforts of James' teacher, Ms. Aristea Theodoropoulos, for her advocacy and leadership.

Congratulations to RHS Senior Mr. Anuj Vyas who was selected by the Bergen Record as their Student of the Week for the week of January 24, 2025! Below is the special write-up that appeared on NorthJersey.com to celebrate Anuj's achievements:

"Anuj is the president of Rox-THON & Peer-to-Peer, vice president of NHS (National Honor Society) and Class of 2025. He is the recording secretary for ERA (Equal Rights Advocacy Club). Anuj has exceptional time management (Top 10 in his class) and embodies the term “leader.” He demonstrates an unparalleled work ethic, a positive attitude and compassion for others. Anuj is selfless, and holds himself and others to an impressive standard. His ability to remain calm and effective under pressure is a testament to his true leadership qualities. If he’s unsure how to do something, he’ll ask. When he sees someone else who needs help, he advocates for them."

I was lucky enough to attend our RHS bowling team’s last match of the season in February against Morris Hills, Knolls. While our team didn’t prevail, our students performed quite well and with such a strong sense of sportsmanship. Congratulations to the entire team including Coach Cantwell.

The RHS Peer to Peer art show took place in late February 2025. This was a celebration of the wonderful and inclusive practices that take place in the peer to peer art program. Congratulations to all of our students as well the teachers of the program, Mr. Thomas Lenox and Ms. Izzy Speronza.

For Thursday, April 10th at 7:00 PM - click here

For Friday, April 11th at 7:00 PM - click here

For Saturday, April 12th at 2:00 PM - click here

The RHS Spring Musical, Little Shop of Horrors, ran from Thursday, February 27 through Saturday March 1st. Seated in the audience on opening night, it was an amazing experience to witness the immense talents of our student performers both on stage as well as those who worked behind the scenes. I would like to congratulate and thank all of the students, staff and volunteers who worked tirelessly to create such a wonderful show!

On Tuesday, February 18th, I was able to attend the Rox-THON Junior event at RHS. This event was designed to increase community awareness and participation in Rox-THON. Rox-THON Jr. was incredibly successful, raising over $6,000 in its first year. A number of individuals worked very hard to create this exciting event for our younger students. In addition to Dr. Gottfried, Ms. Richman and the Rox-THON student leadership, I would also like to credit the Elementary, LRS and EMS Principals for their efforts in making this event such a success.

For more about Rox-THON Junior and the activities students participated in during the event, click here for a detailed report by Tapinto Roxbury.

This year's Rox-thon event was a tremendous success! Through the efforts of an awe inspiring group of students, faculty advisors Dr. Gottfried and Ms. Richman, as well as a host of numerous volunteers, a total of $143,0000 was raised! These funds will be used to assist in the fight against pediatric cancer. Congratulations to all who worked to make ROX-thon such a success. This article by Tapinto Roxbury helps to spotlight the months of planning that went into this year's fundraising efforts, and the profoundly positive impact those efforts will have on our entire community.

As February concluded & March got underway, Nixon Elementary School’s PTA made it possible for its students & staff to have an exciting assembly with the Sussex County Miners Baseball team on the importance of reading. The Miners’ staff brought a great deal of energy to kick off Read Across America month and Nixon’s Read-A-Thon. Plus the team revealed that Nixon students & their parents/guardians are being encouraged this Spring to log their student’s minutes read with the Miners. If certain goals are met, that student & his/her family will receive two free tickets to a special Miners' baseball game this summer where our Nixon Elementary families will be highlighted! Students & staff left the assembly eager to participate in the program. Thank you to everyone who helped to make this assembly and special opportunity possible.

On January 21, 2025 the district convened an information/ education session for parents of multilingual learners. The event included a presentation on FDU’s Latino Promise program as well as on how families can access and complete the FAFSA. While I was unable to attend the event due to another district event, I was informed that the event was well attended and provided valuable information to families.

On February 20, 2025 the Global High Five took place in the cafeteria at RHS. The event is a wonderful celebration of difficult cultures and customs from around the world. Ms. Marcia Cordeiro, World Language teacher at EMS, puts forth a tremendous effort in making this event a reality. In addition to the wonderful food choices, attendees were treated to various demonstrations of the various cultural practices. My family and I had a wonderful time. I am so grateful to all of the staff, especially Ms. Cordeiro, for their advocacy and hard work in hosting this event.

On Wednesday February 19, 2025 I was fortunate enough to attend a Roxbury Chamber of Commerce meeting. I was accompanied by two RHS staff members, Ms. Melissa Mainero and Ms. Theresa Fernandes, who presented on the work-based learning programs that are offered to students at RHS. Both staff members did a phenomenal job highlighting the strengths of their programs. The meeting also allowed the members of the chamber to share their feedback on how the district can work to improve the collaboration between the two groups. It was an informative meeting for all involved and a tremendous opportunity for me to get to know an increased number of stakeholders in our community.

On March 4, 2025 at 6pm at RHS our district's Supervisor for Student Support Services, Ms. Colleen Huguenin, hosted a parent focus group discussion that was designed to address the following topics:

1. The Genesis Scheduling (Recommendation and Requests) Process
2. The SCOIR College and Career Planning Tool (with parent access)

The session was very informative as it provided participants with an opportunity to review the new platform as well as ask questions and share their experiences as parents working with their children.

On the evening of February 19, 2025, Ms. Crystal Nzegwu, PK - 6 Supervisor of Math/Science, hosted a training session for parents titled “Building Math Confidence Together”. The event was well attended and provided parents with the opportunity to learn about a number of different activities that they could use in order to work with their children at home on building their math competency. Participants were also provided with packets of materials that they could take home with them to work on with their children.

On March 11, 2025, Ms. Jennifer Mauer, PK - 6 Supervisor of Humanities, hosted a parent education session designed to increase parents’ capacity to support their children in building literacy skills at home. Ms. Mauer prepared and delivered a comprehensive presentation that included practical activities parents can engage in with their children in order to build their literacy skills.

On January 23, 2025, I hosted a Superintendent Coffee. The session included a presentation on the progress the district has made thus far in terms of attainment of the district goals. The evening also included a question and answer session with members of the community where a number of items were discussed.

At the Superintendent Coffee that I held on February 26, 2025, RHS Principal Mr. Bill Crispino joined me and offered a presentation on the proposed scheduling changes at the high school for the 26-27 school year. Mr. Crispino did an outstanding job presenting the various aspects of the planned adjustments that would increase instructional time and make additional opportunities available to students that are built into the school day. The meeting, which was well attended, also provided participants with an opportunity to share any questions or concerns with Mr. Crispino and myself.

My next Superintendent Coffee for all Parents & Guardians will be held in April 2025 in the Nixon Elementary School Media Center. As April gets underway, a message will be sent out announcing the date & time.

I would also like to thank this opportunity to thank the many BOE members who have attended our Superintendent Coffees, and spent extra time connecting with the many members of our school community!

The Roxbury Education Foundation (REF) is a non-profit organization established by a team of dedicated Roxbury parents that seeks to provide resources and opportunities to help our learning community thrive and empower educators.

Over the past few months, the district has received notification that the Roxbury Education Foundation will sponsor a number of grant projects. These projects all include initiatives that are aimed at enhancing the learning environment for our students. The continued generosity of the REF is greatly appreciated by the district. The list of grant topics includes:

• Rox Buddies at NES

• Best Buddies Program at EMS

• Decodable Texts at the Elementary Level

• Secret Stories Multisensory reading materials at the JES

The Roxbury Education Foundation Gala will take place on April 5, 2025, at the Mansion at Mountain Lakes. The event will start at 7 p.m. with a cocktail hour and an open bar throughout the evening. Guests will enjoy a surf-and-turf dinner featuring chateaubriand, stuffed shrimp, and a vegan option. Superintendent Dr. Santora will provide updates on the plans for the Roxbury School District. The evening will also include a silent auction, a 50/50 raffle, and music by DJ Earl. All proceeds will go towards funding grants to support teachers and administrators within Roxbury Public Schools.

For more information on the REF’s Gala taking place on Saturday, April 5, 2025 and to purchase tickets, please click here.

Website: roxbury.org
Location: 42 North Hillside Avenue, Succasunna, NJ, USA
Phone: 973-584-6099

"Preparing the children of today for tomorrow" is an elaborate venture. Through our district's "Schoolhouse ROX: A POGcast", members of our learning community will tell you all about a wide variety of programs, opportunities, and much much more. As a comprehensive public school district, we are committed to ensuring that each and every student is afforded learning experiences that will afford them a wide array of experiences that support their journey toward a fulfilling adult life. Click on the logo shown to hear our most recent POGcast and view our library of previous recordings.