• November 29, 2023

    This is Victor Valeski, Superintendent of Schools.

    Last evening, Tuesday, November 28th, Dr. Vinella, Principal of EBHS, and I presented the challenges of our current aging high school and options for renovation or replacement that could be considered by the East Brunswick community at a future referendum, most likely sometime in later 2025.

    The presentation is posted on the home page of our website, as well as the QR codes we used last night to capture community feedback.  The QR codes will remain active until 4 PM, Monday, December 4th.  

    Even if you were not able to attend last night, your voice is important to the Board of Education and administrative team.  Responding to the questions, through our four distinct QR codes, is the best way to provide your input on the future of East Brunswick High School.

    November 5, 2023

     

    Good Afternoon East Brunswick Community,

    This is Victor Valeski, Superintendent of Schools.

    I have good news to share.  The high school water main repair is complete!  We delivered on the timeline shared at last Monday evening’s Community Forum to address the high school closure due to a water main break under the building.  

    EBHS will be reopened to students and staff for classes and all other facility uses beginning tomorrow morning, Monday, November 6th.

    This water line repair was more complex than most people realize.  I know there was no shortage of speculation this past week about how quickly students and staff could return.

    The success of completing this repair and all mandatory water testing was a culmination of the work and contributions of many, all the way though this weekend…our contractors, environmental professionals, laboratories who expedited testing, EB Township, our talented facilities team and of course our Board of Education for their ongoing support as we dealt with each new problem throughout this lengthy repair.  

    Finally, thank you to our high school students, staff, administration and families who navigated this unexpected disruption with our typical EB focus on excellence.

    Messaging specifically for high school students and staff will be forthcoming later today directly from Dr. Vinella.

    Have a great rest of your weekend and we look forward to seeing our high school students back tomorrow.

     

     

    November 2, 2023

     

    Good Afternoon East Brunswick Community,

    This is Victor Valeski, Superintendent of Schools.

    I am sending this message to the entire East Brunswick community so everyone is informed about our high school repairs.

    I will keep today’s message short.  We are progressing toward reopening the high school on Monday, November 6th.  At this moment we are solely dependent on getting all our required testing results.  Some of those results may come as late as Saturday.

    If anything changes, I will let you know as soon as I know.

    Another reminder:

    The SAT scheduled for Saturday, November 4, 2023 has been relocated to the Churchill Junior High School – 18 Norton Road, East Brunswick, NJ 08816. 

    Room assignments for the Saturday, November 4th, SAT test will be posted outside the building on the windows of the front entrance. On the test day, please make sure you have an official photo ID, admission ticket, calculator and #2 pencils. 

    It is advisable that you leave your cell phone at home to avoid possible cancellation of scores.

    Entrance doors CH 2100 also labeled as Emergency Exit # 8 open at 7:45 AM.  

    Testing begins at 8:00 AM.

     

    November 1, 2023

    Good Afternoon East Brunswick Community,

    This is Victor Valeski, Superintendent of Schools. 

    As promised, this is an update regarding the repairs to EBHS.  We have multiple contractors working at the high school site.  

    Excavation has been completed and the water line has been located.  A fracture in the line has been identified and repaired .  The next step is to pressurize the system to ensure we do not have additional breaks.  After flushing the entire water system, the excavated pit will be refilled and topped with a new concrete slab.  

    We continue to work toward reopening the high school for students and staff next Monday, depending on successful completion of all testing results. 

    Another update will be forthcoming tomorrow.  

    Finally, one critical reminder:

    The SAT scheduled for Saturday, November 4, 2023, has been relocated to the Churchill Junior High School – 18 Norton Road, East Brunswick, NJ 08816. 

    Room assignments for the Saturday, November 4th, SAT test will be posted outside the building on the windows of the front entrance. On the test day, please make sure you have an official photo ID, admission ticket, calculator and #2 pencils.

    It is advisable that you leave your cell phone at home to avoid possible cancellation of scores.

    Entrance doors CH 2100, also labeled as Emergency Exit # 8, open at 7:45 AM. 

    Testing will begin promptly at 8:00 AM.  

     

    October 27, 2023

    Good Evening East Brunswick Community,

    This is Victor Valeski, Superintendent of Schools.

    Thank you to our high school teachers, students and families who have been remote the past two days.  They have been actively engaged in their classes through Canvas, the District’s online learning platform, and Microsoft Teams meetings.

    For the rest of the community, this what happened:

    A water line supplying the high school burst underground beneath one of the corridors. Knowing that the water service to the entire building needed to be shut off while repairs commenced, I needed permission from our Executive County Superintendent and the Middlesex County Department of Health to move the high school students to remote learning and still get credit for those instructional days. 

    The water line repair involves excavating six to eight feet below the floor surface. We took immediate and proactive steps, guided by our contracted environmental consultants, to ensure we maintained an environmentally safe worksite and school. 

    Based on the reports today of the complexity of the work ahead, we will need to continue our remote instruction for East Brunswick High School ONLY through Friday, November 3rd.  For all our high school families, we are trying to limit the messaging you receive today so the following are things you need to know from the high school administration and from our Child Nutrition Department:  

    1. Next week the high school will follow our normal A and B schedules (Monday will be a B Day) but in a single session format and all high school staff will hold virtual office hours from 1:35 PM to 2:45 PM.
    2. The Child Nutrition Department will be offering Grab and Go breakfast and lunch meals for high school students ONLY, beginning Monday, October 30th and continuing though our remote instruction days.  Meals will be distributed at the high school in front of door #9 Monday through Friday at the following times:
    • Morning - 7:00 AM – 7:45 AM
    • Afternoon -12:30 PM – 2:00 PM 

    Each student’s account will be charged as we normally do…based on their meal eligibility status (paid, free or reduced).  We will not be able to accept cash payments or checks.

    Finally, I will be hosting an in-person repair progress and information session for interested high school parents in the JMPAC at Hammarskjold Upper Elementary School this coming Monday, October 30th, from 7-9 PM.

     

     

    October 16, 2023

    Good Afternoon East Brunswick Community,

    This is Victor Valeski, Superintendent of Schools.

    At last Thursday’s school board meeting, I made remarks about the Israel-Hamas War’s impact on our East Brunswick Public School community.  Our school district is a community of many cultures, faiths and backgrounds which prides itself on acceptance, understanding and unity.

    Over the past decade, we have worked tirelessly to enhance physical security for every student, staff member and community member visiting our schools.  We are also committed to maintaining the student experience at EBPS by continuing all after-school events…while maintaining our high level of safety.  We continue to prioritize the emotional safety of our students and staff, as well.

    We have always been stronger together.  I am asking families to immediately contact their child’s school if there are any concerns regarding student physical or emotional safety.  We will utilize every resource at our disposal to ensure a safe and respectful learning environment for every student.  

    Thank you for your partnership with us that is dedicated to maintaining the well being of every member of the East Brunswick Public School Community.  

     

    September 1, 2023

    Good Afternoon East Brunswick Community,

    This is Victor Valeski, Superintendent of Schools.  

    We are EB…and we are Envisioning Big Things this year!   We are ready and anxious to welcome students to the 2023-2024 school year.  We look forward to highlighting student successes throughout the year, supporting our families and sharing a vision for the future of your Blue Ribbon, East Brunswick Public Schools.

    Last night’s Board of Education meeting showcased some of the projects we have been working on:

    • EB student performance on standardized assessments continues to show improvement.  Our curricular change to enVision Math, Grades K-6, last year has already resulted in mathematics gains.
    • We have developed a systematic process for tracking and analyzing students enrollment impacts on individual class capacity.  We have detailed every room capacity, in every school facility, using room square footage, Board of Education Policy, NJ Department of Education facility standards, and federal Special Education class size standards.  We are able to update the information real-time.  This will become a valuable tool for both board decision making and informing the community about how class sizes are trending with new enrollment.
    • Also, we presented the work of the Board of Education’s Ad Hoc Committee for a new high school.  Community members spent last school year looking at the feasibility of replacing East Brunswick High School with a completely new, grades 9-12, facility as compared to moving the 9th grade to the high school and renovating the entire facility in multiple stages.  

    To be clear, a new high school has not been approved by the board.  Any new school or renovations to the existing school would need to be approved by the community in a referendum vote.   We will keep you updated on our high school planning progress and a community forum designed to get your ideas and feedback.   

    Finally, as we prepare for school opening, Transportation has been able to assign buses to those students, eligible for transportation, who have been registered with East Brunswick Public Schools up to and including August 29, 2023. Please check your parent Access under “Documents” for your student’s bus pass.

    We encourage all parents to check their student’s bus passes in case of updated information.

    We are looking forward to the first day of school, next Wednesday, September 6th.

    Until then, have a safe and enjoyable Labor Day weekend.

    August 15, 2023

    Good Afternoon East Brunswick Community,

    This is Victor Valeski, Superintendent of Schools.

    I would like to provide a few updates and school opening guidance as we approach our first day of school which is Wednesday, September 6th.  Student forms that need to be completed annually are now available through Parent Access. 

    All forms need to be submitted no later than Wednesday, August 30th.  If you do not have internet access, please reach out to your child’s school for assistance. 

    On Friday, August 25th at 3 PM, student schedules and teacher assignments will be available through Parent Access. Bus passes will be available on Monday, August 28th after 3 PM through Parent Access. 

    I hope you enjoy the last few weeks of summer.

     

    July 14, 2023

    Good Morning East Brunswick Community, 

    This is Victor Valeski, Superintendent of Schools. 

    I am pleased to share that last evening at the Board of Education Meeting, the Board approved two new elementary principals.

    Mr. Russell Petronko as the new Principal of Hammarskjold Upper Elementary School.  Mr. Petronko has been a teacher in the District, was an Assistant Principal at Hammarskjold Middle School and most recently was an Assistant Principal at East Brunswick High School.

    In addition, I am pleased to share that the Board approved Ms. Tatianna McBride as the new Principal of Chittick Elementary School.  Ms. McBride has been an elementary teacher, instructional coach and Director of Curriculum and will be joining our administrative team in August. 

    Join me in welcoming Mr. Petronko to Hammarskjold and Ms. McBride to Chittick.

    I hope everyone is having a great summer.