officer guidelines. I hope you continue to also wish out. Hello everyone, my name is Nicholas. I am 12 years old and I live in diagnosed with autism when I was 2 years
old. I also used I'm grateful I learned a lot. Fortunately, after I was bullied, I did not feel like I could come back. My heart hurt after the bullying
found out about the back. But Mr. I didn't feel any bullying happens everywhere. My mom always says to me that I am also taught me something. I wrote to the governor a lot of times
the governor's office reached out and asked me all of you and the state I am today of all I go to a lot of also
have spoke about gone to many schools. I share with everyone how they can help to I've gone to churches and I was recently invited. I want to put
all of us have big ideas in we cannot forget about kids that bully other kids. Sometimes kids that bully are hurting but that they will think
kids like me. Well, I'm not stupid at all. No kid is stupid. I've heard I'm now in a private Christian. I want you all to know that even though I never got aology,
I still have actually I even last I want to say thank you Mr. Mr. the board of education the police and most of all my mom and
dad [Applause] if we could um if we could please have the board of education come up and maybe we could take a photo with Nicholas. So, I just want to thank Nicholas for coming out and sharing your story with
us. Takes, you know, a brave kid to come out and share what's happened in the past and all the work he's gone into it. So, thank you for sharing tonight. That's we really appreciate it and hearing your story. >> I echo that. Thank you very much, Nicholas. I think it was really great. I always love when people actually raise
above what they actually go through and try to help the community. I think it's it's fantastic to actually see that and I'm very proud to actually say that there is a kid in our town who could actually do that. So, thank you. Yeah, I I like to echo that. And
I don't know it bullying is um is an important topic for me. Um like uh like Nick said, when I was uh growing up in New York, I was bullied a lot to the point where uh my grandmother had to pull me out of school, put me in
Catholic school for it. So, I understand from a personal and a professional level um what that can do to somebody. And um you know, although there are a lot of bullying programs in New Jersey, like the governor said, you still have over
50% of of kids who don't report it. So, they rather suffer in silence than say something. So, I appreciate uh what Nick is doing. I didn't have the courage to do that at his age to stand up and say something. and I just suffered with it.
Um, but what he's doing is setting a role model for other kids and hopefully more people will speak up and say something about it because it is something that goes on all the time, but you probably don't even know because people don't say anything. So, I'm proud of you. Congratulations and keep doing
the good work. >> Okay. I would I would like to thank you also and say how much I'm I'm looking forward to our work together. We need always need allies in regards to combating bullying and to have a leader like you on our side. I I really think
that we're going to go in a positive direction that uh and continue that work. So So thank you. Sincerely thank you for joining us today. Greatly appreciate you being here. Okay. The next um item we have on the agenda is we also we have a presentation
on quantum phys physics and computing for senior high school students. We have Arv Janis who is going to uh who's a high school senior who's going to be doing his presentation next. If you could please join us.
Hello. >> All right. Um, thank you everyone here. I know. Hello. Yes. All right. Uh thank you everyone for this opportunity. Um I know it's kind of hard, you know, I know you guys are all very busy people, so I really appreciate um being able to come
out here and speak about this. Um my presentation is on the future of quantum education, which I think is a very pressing um issue in um America today and that's what I'd like to go over. Very interesting quote that we have over here. If quantum theory hasn't
profoundly shocked you, you haven't understood it yet. It was said by Neils Boore. I think this quote is really important because even the best engineers, the best scientists in the world of quantum science, so they don't fully understand the topic. So even if we're trying to educate kids at a high
school level, at an elementary school level, it's never going to be to make them experts just to sort of expose them to the topic because even at that highest level, these people aren't really at their expert level yet. So obviously to start, we should probably clarify what is quantum for
maybe people who aren't as familiar with it. So the very simple way to put it is quantum is the study of small things. So think about subatomic particles, atoms, electrons, protons. I don't know if we have any Marvel fans here who like Ant-Man, but Ant-Man is based on the
world of the quantum realm. As you can see, he shrinks pretty small and he goes and you can see all the atoms and all those small particles there. So what does that make quantum computing? Well, regular computers use, you know, chips, transistors, zero and ones as their bits, and that's how they do
computation. Quantum computing actually uses these small subatomic particles because at the quantum level, there's a lot of different properties that occur that don't actually occur in the classical world. This ultimately allows for faster computation and incidents that have
occurred over time. You can see large industries like IBM and Google have you know quantum computers which you know obviously they can only run limited algorithms but that's still more progress than that we had before and we've also seen advancements in areas like Microsoft and Google and Google
recently had a willow chip that was able to put it simply have faster computation with a lot more quantum bits. So the main point here is this is like a very real thing that is happening. So I'm not just here to you know lecture about quantum physics on quantum
computing but my passion is is spreading this more so at the high school level because I think this is very important for a lot of students heading into you know the STEM industry the tech industry and it's not just you know um our state our school but states all over the world aren't really emphasizing this as much as they could.
So one of the things I started um with myself and Ruckers University was called the Robbinsville quantum initiative. So we partnered with Ruters I partnered with Rutgers University and the first thing I did is I met with Dr. Fusco and Mr. Bertell and we actually planned an in-person session where professor
Shazedi from Ruckers the quantum computing professor there actually came in and he talked about you know quantum and he gave a lecture on it gave a presentation on it and over the summer I went out by myself and I got a bunch of other organizations to conduct virtual lessons. So we got UIU to come. We had
Dr. Virginia Loren um who's a lead you know, quantum education at a high school level. We got recognized by the Amazon Web House Services, AWS and University of Wisconsin Madison, too. And I think this was really amazing because to have all these leaders in the quantum industry be able to give these virtual
talks, you know, for free to high school students really kind of helps to remove that ignorance that was there. And now working again with the school um school organization, we're planning a larger community event with adults and high school students where the professor from Ruckers could potentially return and you
know talk to people about quantum computing, quantum physics. Another thing that I did myself was I started a quantum ebook series for high schoolers. It's a very simple series. Um very I try to make it very small, try to make it very simple. I had it fact checked by you know a lot of
universities, a lot of organizations and the goal was this again it was It was just to help high school students get exposed to the topic because again we're not trying to create quantum experts. We're just trying to help students you know learn about the topic more be more familiar with it very beginner based and
I'm working with a lot of graduate students um AWS we got recognized by science olympiad IBM and AWS. So it just kind of shows um the level that you know this could potentially get and more importantly the potential it has to help people actually learn it you know at a
younger level. And finally, um, Dr. Virginia Loren, I had briefly mentioned her with UIU. She has her own program where she's actually helping high school teachers learn quantum physics. This is obviously something that's, you know, doesn't have to be done in the next one or two years. Something that could happen in the foreseeable future, but it's called a
masters in teaching physics with a quantum focus. She's already done this in Illinois where UI is located with around 50 high school teachers. She's helping them develop a curriculum in quantum science so they can actually teach at a high school level. The goal is just to strengthen physics preparation, give students early
exposure to quantum information science. So the the main um emphasis on this you know is that quantum science, quantum education is a very important thing today and you know a lot of schools just aren't putting that emphasis in. I'm sure you know a lot of you guys when 20 years ago people were saying AI is the next thing and maybe there was some
doubt like I don't think today you use Chad GPT on any assignment you know people are using it all the time. AI is such a big part of our lives and definitely quantum is going to be that next So, what are our potential end goals? Where we could potentially take this?
Obviously, curriculum changes are very, very hard to do. So, I'm not insisting any big curriculum changes at all if any were to even occur. For example, if we were to add a few quantum science courses to an AP science class after the AP classes were over, after the AP exams had already taken over, that's a
potential. And again, the RQI community session was also something that we had discussed with this. These are all potential paths people kind of help, you know, know bridge this gap of quantum education. That's my presentation. I appreciate all of you guys for listening and thank you for this opportunity.
[Applause] I'd like to see if the board could also uh if we could take a uh a photo with Arnav. Wait, can you come back? We want to ask you questions. >> First of all, thank you very much for
coming out. I think um it's rare uh on a board of ed that we get to kind of flip the script and we get to learn a little bit more about what's happening from a student perspective and and getting to see your projected trajectory into life.
I like I can't wait to watch you grow and I'll be like I knew that kid. He came and talked to me on the board of ed. Um so that's awesome. Secondly, um, another thing I really liked the way
that you were thinking about postapp classes because that time is sometimes unstructured after May. Not saying that we don't do a good job, but like that is a great um flexible time in in where we could introduce it. I would encourage
you also to reach out to maybe like the science olympiad of um the middle school and maybe some other science-based programs in the afterchool programs because I know that they would love to have a speaker come and speak to them and oh man when you talk to little kids
you like a god right like they they'll hold you in such high regard so you know um thank you so much again for coming out and speaking to us but if you can take your message to some of the younger kids too That would be really awesome. >> Thank you. I really appreciate it.
>> So, yeah, thank you for sharing. It's not too many, you know, students your age that want to come out and want to drive an initiative like this. So, you know, the presentation was phenomenal. I'm going to ask you something off the presentation, right? So, what what was your motivation? What was your drive to do this? Right? Because again, kids
don't have that motivation and drive. I'm not I don't want to say that kids want to go outside and play or do whatever it is, but what was your motivation for wanting to, you know, educate other kids and tackle this effort. >> So, uh when I was a freshman, um one of my friends, uh he graduated last year. His name was Vidur. He started a quantum
computing club in our school. And then, you know, I joined the club for fun. You know, he was saying, you know, I need people to join, you know, come to the interest meeting. So, I came. But as I stayed for more meetings, I realized that, you know, this is something really interesting. This something I really enjoy. But a lot of people just saw the club as a joke. They said, you know, this is you're not going to get stuff
done. You know, this is not a realistic club. Like, you know, what even is quantum? Like, they were using their ignorance to kind of justify their reasons for not even, you know, trying to understand it. So, when I kind of looked at that, I realized that, you know, this this is this is not something theoretical anymore. This is not
something that, you know, people should be giving very very little regard to. And I realized that, you know, the only way to remove that ignorance and I know ignorance like it's not always based on, you know, just disliking something. People might just also not be aware of So I said you know like the best way to remove you know said ignorance is to you
know provide quantum education provide those resources high school students so that you know they want to give it a chance at least they have you know an ability to learn it and so that was really kind of my motivation to kind of put those resources out there. >> No it's great. Thank thank you for sharing. I I think it you know I just
want to echo what Amanda said. It's just hearing you it sounds like you have a great trajectory and I look forward to seeing what's to come in the future. Thank you. Uh great great job and I know we'll be speaking soon. >> Yeah. Yeah. [Applause]
>> Okay. Next, I'd like to call one of our educators up who is uh going to do an introduction and an announcement of a competition winner that we have here. So, uh, Miss Renee Cuchinati, if you could please
join us at the microphone. >> Got it. All right. >> So much for welcoming me to the meeting tonight. As an educator, it is always um very important to me to prepare my students for the future. Uh, and
interestingly enough, I don't know if you remember at the beginning of the year last year, Ronnie, we talked about quantum coding where we created pictures from the code and wrote our own code um and had our partners decipher our messages.
We did it anyway. Um one thing that I like to do as an educator, like I said, is prepare my students for the future. And one thing that I always felt was very important was financial literacy. And I thought that it would be a great opportunity for my fourth graders to
engage in the stock market game where they are able to get $100,000 of virtual money and we learn about the stock market. We learn what a company is. We learn what it means to be publicly traded and we learn how to analyze all
of those uh companies on the stock market so that they enter in a not only statewide but countrywide contest. and we see what happens. And over the past few years of doing this, my students have definitely performed. We've had students perform in the top five, in the
top 10. But this past year was very special. For the first time ever, I had a student win first place in a voluntary competition based on what she had learned in class. So through the stock market game, we participate in something
called invest right. And invest right has a different essay topic each year. And this year the students were challenged to take what they had learned and talk about how it would impact them in the future. And out of 73
essays written through all different ages of students, Miss Ronnie Ray took first place. So we'd like to honor her tonight. Your Yes. [Applause]
you know, because of my program, there's a lot of students that would really benefit from it, but because of the the specific components, I am only able to select a few students each year and Ronnie was able to get in for her last
year in fourth grade and she really really took it by the horns and and made it everything that she wanted. So, congratulations, Ronnie. First place out of every single essay they got this year. We're so proud of you. So, I
wanted to honor you tonight. They thank you for your hard work. Thank you for being a fantastic student and just all of your hard work always. [Applause] >> Well, I I definitely think we need to
take a a photo. >> Yeah. So, if we could uh please come up and Ronnie, if you could join us, please join us. Oh, there's the microphone. Okay, our next we're going on to reports and and first uh we have our Robinsville High
School Executive Council. We have with us today Cart Cartekch Dan Debata uh the president and Isabella Canelli uh the vice president. So I turn over the floor to you.
>> Uh hi guys. My name is Caric and I'm your uh executive council president for the high school. >> I'm Isabella and I'm your vice president of executive counsel. Um, and we're going to give a rundown of the district and what's been going on for the start
of the school year. So, to start off with Robinsville High School, before the year started, they held a freshman orientation at the front of the school and in the auditorium. Uh afterwards they held a 20-y year anniversary ceremony uh to celebrate 20 years at
Robinsville High School and the RHS alumni were invited to like an honorary celebration before the homecoming game and the game itself. And then following that we had senior sunrise which was led by the class of 26 council and that was
the kickoff to our homecoming week. The theme this year was Ravens in Rio. And for spirit week, we did pajama day. Tuesday, we were off for Rasha Shana. Wednesday, we had Adam Sandler day. Thursday, we had tiki Thursday. And
Friday, we had class colors with a modified schedule for pep rally. And then Saturday was our homecoming game against Princeton Little Tigers. It was a blackout theme and the homecoming dance was held afterwards at 7:00 p.m. to 10 p.m.
>> Uh during uh the homecoming week, we also held a fundraiser called What's My Name? to promote ride share safety. Um we sold bracelets that uh had what's my name on uh written on them for $2 each. Uh we also had a fundraiser event called
Battle of the Coins where each class had a specific box uh that was put out during the lunches and the grade with the most amount amount of coins in their box uh won points for that class. Uh we also uh sold homecoming shirts during
this week. Um some upcoming events we have uh throughout the next month or two is the week of respect uh which is where RHS will be showing our support to anti-bullying by participating um in theme days that remind us respect for
others for others self school and community. Um, we also have our pinkout game where the executive council will be selling t-shirts in October um, in school and during the pinkout game on October 24th.
>> Moving on to Sharon and Pond Road. They are pleased to share that they've had a very successful opening to the new school year and it was a wonderful welcome for their students and staff back for another exciting year of learning. They want to say a special thank you that goes out to their
facilities team, front office staff and SCSPTA for their efforts in preparing the building and ensuring a smooth start for everyone. This year they launched the their PBSIS initiative with great enthusiasm.
Students are now earning boomer badges for demonstrating their schoolwide expectations which is we are respectful, we are kind, and we are ready to learn. Each Friday they celebrate students over the intercom creating a positive schoolwide moment for recognition and pride.
>> Uh to also further reinforce expectations uh Sharon Elementary School recently held grade level PBSIS assemblies uh where students participated in engaging and interactive game show called Buzzin with Boomer. Uh
this allowed them to review expectations in a fun and memorable way. The level of excitement and engagement from uh the Sharon students was a clear indicator of success of this approach. A very special thank you to the following teachers for bringing this idea to life. Jessica
Bznitzki, Emily Dagel, Sarah Arenburgg, and Sharon Martin. In addition, uh Sharon has also had four very successful back to school nights events so far and they truly appreciated the opportunity to connect with families and share all the wonderful things
happening in the classrooms. Uh they also look forward to welcoming our third and fourth grade families and continuing to strengthen our homeschool partnership. Um, while we didn't get any formal report from the middle school this month, uh, we look forward to sharing
their highlights in the future. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. Great job. Okay, next up, our our next uh report is from our PTSA uh Miss Amy Daly, our Robinsville High
School PTSA president. I am the pond president and I'll be representing all three PTAs. >> Okay, great. Thank you. Sorry. >> Um, uh, Aay, Jen, from Sharon and I have
decided that we'll each attend one per month. Um, so I get September. So, my name is Danielle Legal and I am the Pond PTA president this year. So, I'm going to start off with Sharon. Um, the Sharon PTA is off to a busy start. We started the school year off welcoming our
teachers and staff with breakfast. The next day, we welcomed all the students back to Sharon, which was decorated with balloons and banners for some extra fun for the kids. They had their first PTA meeting of the school year on September 11th and had a great turnout with a lot
of returning familiar faces, but also a lot of new faces. They had their first restaurant social last Thursday at Chipotle and 25% of all of their purchases go back to the Sharon PTA. You for this school year are birthday Grams have a special birthday surprise
waiting on their desk for them with a personal note from you while supporting the PTA at the same time. It's a great way to celebrate your child's birthday. We also have new Sharon Spiritware. Honda and Sharon have the same spiritware company now, which is what
I'm wearing right now. Um this new vendor uh has fun new designs and a little bit of a faster turnaround time. We um they are offering free shipping to the school until tomorrow. Membership is now open for the current school year. Please consider joining and
supporting the Sharon PTA. We are always looking for volunteers. So if you are interested, please reach out. We have so many different volunteer options. Maybe something will catch your eye. We also are continuing our giveathon with our $8,000 goal this year. Your donations
help us to continue what we do for the school and staff. We cannot do it without you. Now, the Pond Middle School update. Um, we also kicked off this school year with a welcome back breakfast for the teachers with bagels, breads, and gluten-free items. We printed out
welcome packets and we sent them home the second week of school highlighting the reflection program, our new spiritware offering, our meeting schedule and membership information. We are excited to push our box tops for education program which is an easy yet
effective method for raising money form. We promoted the PTA during back to school night and completed that busy week with our first meeting. We did both in person and on Zoom meetings are all on Zoom and will be on the third Wednesday of each month. Our fundraising
goal is $5,000 this year to support such programs as the teacher appreciation student of the month the fifth seventh grade social to help support the eighth grade. Our volunteers are helping keep the media center up and running for a few days a week so classes and
individual students come check out books. October is a very exciting month. We're hoping to hold our first ever restaurant week more to come soon. And of course, our trunk or treat is being held in the PRS parking lot on October 22. We're always looking for volunteers
to help us enhance the school experience for both teachers and now for the high school update. We started off the school year with distributing welcome packets of basic school supplies and PTSA information and incoming freshman at their
orientation at the end of August. Our welcome packets were also mailed to all families containing information about our meeting schedule which is on the second Wednesday of every month membership and scholarship donations. We encourage you all to become members of the PTA and consider making donations to
our scholarship fund for graduating seniors. We have also opened up our spiritware store where all members of the community can order Robinsville or Raven clothing items to show their school spirit as well as stadium blankets, hats, and other merchandise. We hosted two restaurant socials in the
first week of school at both MO and pliables. Please keep an eye out for future events where you can help support the PTSA and our local businesses. Upcoming, as you may know from the other PTAs, is the reflections art program. The deadline for interest is the end of
this week on Sunday, October 5th. Just a note for October, our high school postp prom committee needs your help. The postprom overnight event is an all volunteer effort by the PTSA, parents, and the community and ensures a substancefree safe and exciting
continuation of the prom celebration. This event is funded solely through fundraising during the junior and senior school year. However, despite our past efforts, we are in a major shortfall in fundraising for this event. It is in jeopardy of not happening.
We will be pushing a major fundraising campaign to all senior class families where we are looking for monetary donations through a raffle for seats on this field at graduation and also a crowdfunding campaign. So senior students and families keep an eye out for details being posted and email can
find all signups and information on our Facebook page, Instagram feed or high school. Thank you and have a good night. [Applause] Thank you. And and I and I think the work that you do is is so important. Uh
and I'm proud to be a member of all three units. So uh encourage everyone to uh to join and participate in the great work that's done. Next uh our next presentation is we have uh two unit presidents with us. We have
our RSA and Rea presidents uh Mr. Paul Gizo and Mrs. Sharon Martin. If you could please join us. Hi everybody. Um my name is Sharon. I'm president of the Robinsville Education Association. First I want to just welcome everyone to new school year. Um
our members are entering this year with dedication, energy and for our students. Want to offer congratulations to one of our members. was today was one of the first the first social studies hired for the high school in the
hallways of the high school built. She was the first month trial adviser and she was also former president of the on the RA. I just want to offer her congratulations. Um I also want to highlight two teachers at Sharon School for implementing their boomers students program again this
year. We are in our third year as you heard of PBS creating positive and safe learning environment by teaching and reinforcing positive behaviors while proactively addressing problems. Following schoolwide expectations, be kind, respectful, and ready to learn. So
along with this, two of our health and fed teachers Kevin and Melson select one student each month from one of their classes who best demonstrates the qualities that they value in physical education. ship, respect, teamwork, following
directions and being ready. At the end of the month, the students are recognized during the morning announcements certificate and they have taken right outside. This recognition not only celebrates students who are both role models in
health but also models. Lastly, I want to thank the board for your time and leadership and your continued support. This is a negotiation here for us and our hope is that we can have productive conversations finalizing. >> Excuse me, Mr. Giza, before you start.
Sorry. >> Uh if you can bring the mic closer, hold it. Um the the live audience can't hear it very well. We'll try to get a better mic, but uh if you can get it closer. Thank you. >> Thank you, Sarah. I'm sure you I know you will. >> So, um all of the principles got
together and we actually want to give an update about our openings. Um I apologize in advance. Um some of my reporting will double down on what the students just spoke about. Um but we I promise we'll do a better job of not repeating ourselves in the future. Um, so all three schools have been off to a
great start, but I'm going to start with Sharon School. Before the year started, Sharon School students had the opportunity to attend the Sharon Open House and participate in a scavenger hunt to find important locations in Sharon School. Prior to the school year starting, they also hosted preschool and
kindergarten orientation. Students and families came to Sharon to see their classrooms, meet their teachers, and drop off supplies. Our preschool, not mine, boots, fourth grade, preschool through fourth grade students and staff came back to school happy, energized, and eager to re reconnect with friends.
The staff is working hard to build strong classroom relationships and communities. They are already fostering a sense of belonging by establishing classroom communities and building strong positive relationships. Um, now for Pond. This year in the week before school
open, we also had an open house. Our students found their way around pond identifying their classrooms and worked their way through locker combinations. They also were able to grab a comb from Mr. Softy on the way out. We started the first two days of our half days this year talking and explicitly teaching
about PBSIS expectations and students have taken off with the program. They have been utilizing our online reward system to turn in their points for incentives. I never thought that fidget items would be such have such an appeal to seventh grade boys. We also had our club fair so students can peruse our
offerings. We also ho hosted our back to school nights and both were very well attended especially the fifth and sixth grade one. We're looking forward to the conferences at the end of October and we hope that Sharon School's back to school nights will be finished by then. Pond TV is continuing their fine work.
They have already done some hard-hitting interviews and the interview with Dr. Po will be airing tomorrow. Dr. Dr. Po, I promise not to tell anyone about the port rolltailor ham question. RHS is also off to a great start this
year. Molly said that they start off with a great level of enthusiasm with both students and staff. And as already mentioned, the um on the 8th, the RH has celebrated the 20th anniversary of the building opening. Um that really hit hard for me personally because one of the parents, former parents that spoke
um her kids who I remember from middle school are 35 years old. Um, so that hurt me deeply. At the at the at the university event, we announced the establishment of the Robbinsville Alumni Association. They are gathering alumni information from the 18 classes that had graduated from
RHS. More information to follow over the next few months. Back to school night was the 11th. Last week also was a national honor society night. Um, I got the pleasure of actually opening that event and introducing uh Mr. Patel as the keynote speaker. It was very well done. It was
so nice seeing these kids grow up. Um, not before my eyes, but in a jump. Last time I saw them, they were awkward, clumsy middle school kids, and now they are not. They're the future of our society, and we should be darn proud of them. Last week was also, they already mentioned this stuff, but I saw Skip a
little bit. And then Molly talked a little bit about the annual club fair. During lunches, club leaders set up displays for prospective members to learn about all the exciting opportunities to get involved in student life at RHS. I also want to pass my thanks on to the board um for entertaining us um every month with
giving our reports. It's something that we're very prideful about and we want to share. So, thank you for the opportunity. [Applause] Okay, there's one more component to go and now I have u my speech which I would like to share. Uh first off, I did
promise that uh each of our meetings I would give an update on the crematorium. I don't have new information to share, but I will promise uh as always as information becomes available, we will bring it forth. I just wanted to mention that because we did make that commitment
to our community. Uh good evening members of the board, educator, staff, and community members. And thank you to our many district leaders who who will be who have added their voices to our meeting today. I greatly appreciate the hard work and dedication of our REA, our
administrators and um our PTSAs, all of whom were uh were represented today. So, thank you. Okay. Uh let's speak on behalf of the students, families, and educators who are deeply invested in the success of our schools. All decisions
must be guided by data and therefore the outcomes produced for our students. As we begin the 202526 academic year, we're presented with both new opportunities and pressing challenges. From fiscal and political headwinds to
the growing focus on mental health equity and preparing our students for a fastchanging world, our unity plays a critical role in shaping the fa path forward. I'd like to emphasize for parents that the partnership between families and schools is more important
than ever. We will continue fostering transparency, communication, and parent engagement. We want parents who are active participants in their children's education, but we all must be willing to listen to every voice. Every decision has consequences. Please join us on our path to a better
tomorrow. We can only reach our goals together. Educators are working harder than ever to meet the needs of all learners. We need your support and allyship as well. Our investment in you is our best investment in our students futures.
We need our schools to view our students as lifelong learners with varying interest. That means access to mental health services, updated curricula that reflect the world we live in, and teachers who are empowered to inspire. We need to build on our existing success.
Strong schools are the foundation of strong communities. Every decision we make affects not just classrooms, but our neighborhood, businesses, and all of our futures. I urge you to protire prioritize a sustainable fiscal path
forward to serve our mission in meeting the needs of our students. Every student in our district deserves the chance to learn, grow, and thrive. That future is not a matter of chance, but of choice. And you hold the power to make choices that matter.
Thank you for your time, your service, and your commitment to public education. Thank you. And I'm looking forward to uh we also will be having an update coming up in our next section. So, thank you. >> Thank you, Dr. Piso. Assistant
Superintendent, Business Administrator, Board Secretary Port, Mr. McCree. >> Thank you. Good evening. Uh we're going to have a presentation tonight about the uh strategic plan and we're going to be updating it. I'd like to pass it off to Mr. DeFazio, our assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction to begin the presentation.
We're just going to be updating on all these items for you all. >> Okay, good evening everyone. So just a brief introduction about strategic planning. So strategic planning when you participate in the process of it, it's identifying an organization's long-term
goals and it really involves all stakeholders within that process to really map out what that's going to look like. I have to say um we had the most participants um that New Jersey School Boards Association has seen to date as
of 2022 um with over 100 community members some that of which I see in the audience right now as well as administrators. So happy to have you here for this update. Um so again, this was facilitated by New Jersey School Boards Association and really the goal
behind having them facilitate it was to ensure that we had um an equitable process moving forward. And the vision that was determined from the strategic planning process that took place in 2022 was determination, dreams, and destiny.
And again, that came from the stakeholders involved through the survey process as well as the committees. So tonight we're just going to provide you with an update. Um it's been quite some time now. It's now 2025. This plan went into play starting in 2023 and it
is set to um end by 2028. Again, this is something that we are moving forward with um along the way with goals in mind, but also we have to be mindful of restrictions with budgets, staffing, and so on and so forth. Um so just to give
you a little bit of an idea again this was all crafted during the school year of 2022 to 2023 with the plan being finalized um by the end of 2023. Um right now we are currently as what we call the implementation phase of this
and then once again um we're constantly going through it renewing and uh really reflecting on this process. We just really went through an entire process with the admin team uh to ensure that we were providing updates of where we currently stand. So we'll be talking a
bit about that now. So for those of you that have access to this presentation, it's really coded by four key areas so that we can have a just streamlined system for tracking this. So green would stand for a
completed task, blue for in progress, gray for on hold, and red for not started yet. Okay, so one of the buckets, so as we went through this strategic planning process, certain buckets were determined for what we were going to focus on. And
again, this came from community surveys and working within dynamic committees to be able to form these buckets for what we as a community and a school district found to be um the areas we wanted to focus on. So the first area of course
instruction and programs when it comes to a school district. So some of the areas um you'll see key objectives there as well as learning activities and things that we were intended to accomplish by 2028. So our career and technical educationmies was something
that came out of the surveys. Um so those were carefully researched through site visits led by Robbinsville high school administration implementation at this time is currently paused uh moving forward withmies and that's due to a
lack of additional funding. I am very happy to announce that our K8 math programming is now fully established and funded using I Ready classroom mathematics and SAVIS resources. And Mr. Fusco, our assistant director of steam,
has been phenomenal along with the teachers at both Sharon Elementary School and at Pondro Middle School for um making this come to light and we've seen continued success with that as well. In-depth reviews of unified lunch and late bus options at the high school
have been completed, but both remain limited by cost barriers. Student interest surveys are underway to expand clubs and extracurricular offerings and standardized activity fees have been implemented for consistency. What I love
about the updates that we heard tonight, um, a lot of what is happening, you heard through those updates. Um, so it's nice to see the club fairs and everything that's happening within the school. So those are things that are currently in progress. Um, the district did achieve onetoone full device access.
And while the model classroom initiative is delayed and when I say model classroom initiative, that's really basically what do our classrooms look like when it comes from a technological advancement perspective. Um the Prometheium board rollout will ensure every classroom is equipped with modern
instructional technology and again that is delayed due to funding but still in progress as we continue to map out um where we'll have the most impact across grade levels and content areas. The next bucket that we move into are
students and staff supports. I see Miss Georgin Johnson in the audience. Sorry Georgina to call you out but we led this committee so we're excited about the progress on this. And again, as the updates that you've heard um throughout um the executive council, as well as Mr.
Gizo, um you've heard quite a bit of this come to light and is currently in progress and will continue to be in progress. So, we continue to recruit and retain diverse staff through CJ Pride and have strengthened wellness supports districtwide. Extensive work has been done through PBSIS, student support
groups, and the counseling and wellness department in collaboration with student services to enhance the overall well-being of our students. Our counseling department has also hosted multiple college partnership sessions to expand post-secondary opportunities. We
are currently on hold for developing new student pathways. Um this past spring we presented on that at a board meeting for non-olbound learners as well as advancement. Um and again this is due to budget constraints. SEAL instruction remains embedded in our
K12 and MTSS systems and continue to expand to support every learner. And again you'll hear that quite a bit with PBSIS. The next bucket that we're moving into is communication and community. So, we're excited to share that Robinsville
High School now offers its full AP course suite as dual enrollment opportunities through our partners our partnerships with TC&J. And again, that's expanding college access for students. Compu community mentorship and volunteer programs continue to grow,
including expansion through our preschool program to strengthen early learning connections. Lori Ratundo, our director of counseling and wellness, has led the establishment of the Robbinsville High School Alumni Association. Again, you heard that as well in an update, which officially
launched this September. So, very excited about that. Annual job fairs at RHS provide real world and alumni engagement opportunities each winter each winter. Something that we continue to focus on as we lead towards transparency, and
you'll hear that quite a bit, is streamlining our communication systems. Um, they remain a district priority as we tr transition to a new website. Again, the website, please bear with us as we continue to update that. We're we're building that as we go. So, more to come on that. We're excited about
those opportunities. the implementation of board docs for our board meetings and continue the roll out of parent square for communication and to maintain live curriculum documents through our our Atlas platform to enhance transparency
and access for families and I'm now going to pass this over to Mr. Grease >> facilities maintenance and modernization. Uh we had HVAC systems. That's uh so we're currently in progress. We've already completed Sharon
Elementary School. Uh and you saw the big rod grant we had for that and that was a huge project this summer with 54 rooftop units uh being changed out. Uh we're also looking to do the high school most likely in two years, two summers from now. Um those are all rod grant
funded which means 40% of the funds will come back to us. Uh roofing maintenance uh we've repaired one part of the bond roof. Um the rest of the m of the roofs will be most likely be repaired after the public question for the bond when the bond comes off. Uh we're doing a
facility study. You will hear a lot of the items here. We're going to talk about a facility study uh or a feasibility study. Um the architects are complete with their portion. We are now waiting on the engineers to finish their portion. So I hope in the next month we'll have the actual numbers of all the
items that need to be or should be uh repaired on our schools. Uh parking solutions that is a part of it as well. We see our parking lots are pretty beat up. Uh it's a very high cost. We've delayed those on purpose uh to to shift
money to other locations that are more important. Uh athletic facilities. Uh same with these uh LED lighting. Uh we've already finished the exterior. All exterior lights are LEDs. Sharon Elementary has been done under a special program that is partially funded by the
state. Uh we're looking at Pond to be next. Um that program is on delay because they ran out of funds at the state level. And in the high school, we're looking at potentially a loan at 0% from the from the public utility company. Um so we're getting those
numbers together. Next slide please. So uh technology it uh we were talking about uh emergency power systems. This is on hold. We looked at getting uh bigger generators to support the whole school. I will have a convers Lieutenant Kivit reached out
to me as well. We are a shelter and so how do we maintain these facilities and what can we run and so forth? Why is it on hold? The costs have went up a lot more than they used to be. um with COVID and so forth. Now, you're looking at a one to twoyear wait on these generators
and it has not subsided. Um so, we're hoping in a couple of years that uh those costs uh go down and or maybe we can get some FEMA funds or something with the shelter. So, I'll be doing some research on that classroom presentation technology. We spoke about that with the
the model classrooms and so forth. That really means pretty much having the same classroom style in every classroom across the building. Um, obviously the middle school and the high school, they were built about the same time, so kind of the same, but Sharon had, I think, six additions, so it's a little more
complex. In the meantime, we're upgrading the old projectors when they break to Prometheian boards. We seem to like those a great deal. So, we had tried other models. So, right now, we're in testing phase. Which models do we like? Which devices do we like? And over the next year or so, we'll come up with
a master plan of where how we want them. And that'll go into the um uh the bond question, the debt referendum question. Emergency notification systems. These are upgrading our uh safety and security measures. Um we've got uh 16 classrooms
done with preschool funding. Um we're liking those a great deal. So first we did pond, then we did Sharon this summer. Uh and we also received funding uh that we can use from IDA preschool to finish out the two special needs preschool classrooms. So all preschool
classrooms will be are complete will be complete in the next month or so. Um infrastructure audits same thing that's the feasibility study and the facility study. Uh device management uh we went through that that was the onetoone initiative and how do we control and manage all those items. So you see a
theme you know we'll talk about it in one area and it affected another department and another department. So you'll see multiple items at the same time because we all want to work together uh and make sure these things are rolled out for our teachers uh and to instruct our students. Facilities
finance and sustainability revenue generation. This is it's always a big thing. We've got beautiful facilities. How do we increase that? We're about 300,000 a year um in profit in facilities rentals. Um that money gets plugged back into repairing and
maintaining our facilities. Um in pond we did the um audio visual. We're going to finish upgrading that too. We're going to finish this room as well. So you'll see a projector back here and set it up for the students as well. So that's facilities rentals money that is
no impact to the taxpayer. We fixed the um uh stage floor that was a quart about a quarter million. We're doing more projects and so forth. So, as we reinvest these funds, our renters want to be here even more, even more. Now, we
have a supply and demand issue. Um, huge demand, little supply. So, of course, we're increasing the rates and we're still getting people to come and they are fighting to get into our facilities, booking a year out. Um, so it's going very well. Um, that was my second topic with Silly's Reynolds. So, they're all
tying together. We're also looking at doing some electric vehicle charters. I'm trying to get some funding for that. We can sell the electric from that. So hopefully it'll break even. But with the grant funds, we may make something as well, but I know with EVs, everyone's starting to have it more and more
people. Uh, and with all our renters that come on the weekends, that's lost revenue for us. So it's a two for one special. So we're doing some more research on that. Community partnerships could always use more help. Could always use more help. So, if you have community partners that want to
partner with us and do something, of course, it needs to align to our board goals and initiatives, that would be wonderful. We do have some ideas as we expand our facilities uh and we'll go forward with that. So, you hear more about that next year or two uh as well. Energy efficiency going back, solar
systems and so forth. Uh those huge rollouts, you know, we expected to save about 150 grand. It's growing. It's growing. It's growing. Uh I think it's about 400 grand a year now. Uh unfortunately it's growing because the rates are going up. And so me personally, I know most of us are paying
electric bills at home. We're getting punished because we went to this amazing system for most power in our school. I think we only go up about.9% increase a year. Could you imagine if you had that at your home right now? Um so it's amazing
that we did it. And plus everyone likes parking underneath it and keeping their cars cool and uh and dry. Uh early childhood center planning. This was a discussion a while ago um as growing as how's a town growing? Can we expand it? This was before we had preschool funding
and with the reduction in in um students. We got to create the preschool classrooms in our buildings. But this is still on hold because not as a that we're not doing it is it's currently not a necessity. If the town continues to grow, this may be an issue. Um and then
we'll talk about that in the future. shared common spaces. Once again, increasing and and maintaining our auditorium and and multi-purpose rooms. These rooms and these common spaces, we're using as much as we can for facilities, rentals, funds. So, no
taxpayer cost to maintain and upgrade them. Uh township collaboration, always looking to maintain and speak with the township. I know our board president uh and Dr. Piso are are talking to the township, the mayor and the council. very good rapport and we're continuing
to build that for the future. Um they have some great ideas and combine some great ideas and we'll do that better. Thank you. Everything no you can classroom modernization back again on
that. Um we've talked about that already. So I'd like to pass it on to Mr. DeFazio who will has a louder voice than me. So >> I I probably do. Um okay. So where do we go from here now? So with over two years left of this plan um we really want to
ensure that the work that was put into this quite an extensive amount of work um with our our faculty, our staff, our community members, our students involved in that process as well too. We want to continue this plan obviously knowing that we have to work through this on an
annual basis. So this year we're picking up speed again and we are going to go back out to our student population and our community and we really want to work with them to house to host student workshops and community- based surveys
to guide our midcycle update. Um, so we're excited in the month of October, we already scheduled at all three buildings to have student workshops in place. We we'll be bringing in cohorts of students to talk about what their interests are and build off of that to
kind of re-evaluate this plan and move forward with their feedback. Um, the administrative teams will analyze feedback and present a refined action plan um to the board by spring 2026. So, our goal is to ensure the plan evolves uh with community priorities in
mind. So, surveys will be going out to our community as well um and to our staff. So, we're very excited about that piece. And again, this just this plan, we want to ensure that it is an ongoing commitment uh to our staff, our
students, our families, and the community. uh we want to keep everything that we work towards in mind but again moving forward and ensuring that students will always be at the forefront of this plan um as we advance. So we're excited to provide this update um we can
share this presentation as well too on the website uh so that you have access to the updates. Thank you everyone. Just a quick thank you uh Christie and Nick for that was a great presentation and the administrative team. I remember when we did this undertaking a couple
years ago it you know was such a um open-ended and to kind of see how that has come through and coalesed and now to see those action steps and making sure that you're keeping it a living thing. I think that was a great job and I'm excited about what we're doing here.
Ditto Jeff. I sat as a community member on the strategic planning board. And with that said, the trend I was hearing was the word on hold. And that concerns me a lot because the onh hold
portion was directly affecting children. And I understand that we have gotten a lot of services through the state with Rod grants and things. And I feel like Nick's piece didn't have as much on hold, but Christiey's did. And Christiey's curriculum piece directly
affects my kids. It affects your kids. And um it affects our schools. And I'm really concerned that we have so many goals paused. And what kind of frustrates me is that I
sat in our uh strategic planning committee and right at the end we were starting to hear about budgets and we were like this to this totally changes the direction of our strategic plan yet
we did not come back to it and change it. And I think, you know, my push for us is that when we do these surveys of parents that we come back and we reanalyze our goals to say, "Okay, if
this is paused, now what?" Because it can't just be paused indefinitely with mystery money possibly coming to us. So, I think, you know, that's what I want. I want to see a plan of action of okay, if I have six out of 10 of these goals
paused. Now, what I think the best way we could answer that is there's more to come. We we we're going to quantify what the issues are. We're going to look at student voice and we're going to present a a
plan for consideration moving forward. Uh but yes, there is there is work to be done and we're going to be providing a plan uh on how we can achieve that. But again, it's it's going to come down to a uh a partnership with our our community
and and identifying uh what the best best path forward is based on the work that was already done, the information that we're able to obtain and and that adjusted vision going forward. >> I want to thank you the echo the thank you that uh Jeff and Amanda said for
putting this together. very clear. It's it's it's it's good to see a midcycle update for what the strategic plan had laid out, but I I echo the concern of things on hold, right? Um I I would have liked to see more things in progress and
then progressing towards completion. So, how do we get towards starting and putting these initiatives in progress as soon as possible to with trajectory to completion, right? So um the more we can see in the near term would be great. Thank you.
>> And I wanted to add to that end um you know are there ways that we have measure the success of the plan uh thus far like what are some of the measurements that we know that we're making progress towards you know student learning or student achievement as a result of the
plan that we've put in place. And then how can we use that data to then prioritize perhaps what additional goals do we need to start or which one should we start first or you know put our efforts towards. >> Absolutely. Thank you. So um again going
back to metrics behind this uh like I said before one of the goals that we were really excited to accomplish was the K8 math programming. Um it's been absolutely amazing uh the growth that we've seen in both buildings. Sharon Elementary School as well as Pawn Road
Middle School has been tremendous. Uh you have access to that data on a daily basis. If you look at the school performance reports from the New Jersey Department of Education, all you literally have to do is Google school rep performance reports and it'll take you directly to a link. Um we are
exceeding expectations um at Pond and that has been continuously climbing. What I will say is that the curriculum team is coming out in October to share more data on our current performance and trends. So we're excited for that opportunity as well too where where you'll hear us get more in depth about
this. So again really excited about that piece. Um the success with PBSIS has been tremendous as you can hear our executive council was presenting on it. Um it's you can see it in every building, you hear it in every building.
So I I mean that in itself is an accomplishment. Um we can get additional data on that as well too moving forward. Um we are big on data and metrics. So um happy to support that um as we continue with updates. >> A couple of things. Thank you very much
for the presentation. It was really good. Uh one I think we have some technology issue because I don't think that people online are able to see this particular slides. So appreciate if you could actually you know change the layout or make sure that the screen is visible to the online. Number one.
Number two, um there's been a lot of what do you call challenges with the facilities related to facility rental and facility booking and certainly certain community members have brought that to my attention and I know we spoke about that and I know you guys are
working on something related to that. Appreciate if you can actually provide an update to the community on that one. >> So facilities rentals is getting it's getting big which is a good thing. Um, it's getting big enough. It's drawing attention away from our buildings and grounds manager who needs to concentrate
on the building. So, uh, this we've got approval. We have a job description out there. Um, I'm looking to, um, the ad will be out this week. We need and if you can find somebody um any looking for a part-time facilities
rentals manager, someone who can show the buildings, go back and forth with the vendors and the renters and and and do that friendly handshake and promote more and do more events here. So, if you know anybody who would be perfect for that, the ad's coming out soon. Uh if
you don't see it by the end of the week, please email me and I will get you the ad. um if we get a person like that that works perfectly all funded through the facilities rentals money so it'll be self paying um and growing and I I I
foresee that it's going to grow even more with that so thank you thank you Nick and one last question I know you know there were many goals which we are progressing very well and some more on hold anything that you guys think from a speed perspective or a hurdles
perspective which is actually stopping you or you know making you slow in achieving ing you know including all of us are there any any insights that again no need to answer it now but I can actually wait for the answers so it'll be good for us to actually discuss those hurdles which we can work together and
remove so that we can actually work at speed to achieve some of those particular goals or make more progress right we will uh of course be reporting regularly to the board with our updates as we move forward and and as said there will be things that are proposed which
which will uh which will um require you know collaboration and support from from all stakeholders but it's it's our task to make sure that we put those options forward and and we will be and look forward to doing so. Thank you. >> Any additional questions or comments for
Christie or Nick? Okay. Again, thank you both for the presentation. Board committee reports at policy. Miss Leman. There we go. Uh the education policy committee met on the 16th.
Dr. Pizzer reported that policy alert 235 will proceed to a second reading with no revisions. Georgin Johnson presented a proposal for additional BCB BCBA support and introduced policy 5339.01,
the sunscreen policy for the for a first reading. The policy was last reviewed in July while still in development and Georgin will work with the school nurses to create a parent permission slip. Yes, allowing students to apply sunscreen to
themselves during the school day. Um Christy DeFazio shared that updates on the district's strategic plan will be presented which she just did along with Mr. McCree at tonight's meeting and that the curriculum department will provide the annual assessment presentation at
the October Board of Ed meeting which she just me mentioned as well. The next ed policy committee meeting will be uh October 7th. Thank you. >> Thank you M. Leman. Any questions or comments for ed policy? Not seeing anything. Uh, personnel, Mrs.
Banduta. >> Our personnel committee met on September 16th. We present at the meeting were myself, Dr. Barbara Gould, Anthony Ray, and um, Superintendent Patrick Bizo, HR manager Lisa Tremor, and assistant superintendent Nick McCree, as well as
um, assistant superintendent for curriculum um, in instruction Christy DeFazio. During the meeting, HR manager Lisa Tremor reviewed the September personnel spreadsheet. Assistant Superintendent Nick McCree led discussions on the REA sidebars related to clubs and home instruction. Updates
and insights on both topics um were reviewed. The action timeline with calendar dates for REA negotiations was also introduced and the next meeting for our personnel committee is scheduled for October 7th. >> Thank you, Miss Ben. Any questions or
comments for personnel? Okay, not seeing any uh business. Dr. Piro, >> thank you. The business committee met on September 25th. We reviewed a number of facility updates from from the busy summer season at the high school auditorium. Lighting repairs are completed while the projector
replacement is still underway. The large wand project has been delayed slightly with the doors expected to arrive the first week of October. Districtwide exterior LED lighting replacements are complete and playground paving and other summer projects have been finished across our schools. In finance, the committee reviewed bills and discussed
the 2028 bond referendum feasibility study which is awaiting a report. We also continue discussions on a potential health center partnership. Transportation updates noted that subscription busing currently has a wait list that is unlikely to be filled this year. We look forward to launching an improved program from our lessons
learned in the spring for the following school year. On the grants and donation side, the district is again leading the ES ESA consortium for the county, though final state allocations are yet to be have yet to be loaded. We also recognize funding support for the rocketry and
aerospace club and a parent funded advisory for the Latin American Culture Club. Additionally, the district is exploring grant opportunities for electric vehicle charging. Security work continues with panic button phones piloted across the district. Cameras have been added for bus parking areas. Finally, in
technology, we reviewed help help desk ticket data showing significant improvement. Average response time is now under two hours and resolution time is just over a day, a major step forward from last year. The next business committee meeting will be held on October 16th at 5:00 p.m.
>> Thank you, Dr. Piro. Any questions or comments for business? >> Okay. Uh, last but not least, community community relations, Mr. Nandon. >> Thank you. On September 25th, the community relations committee met virtually. Board
members myself, Amanda, D'Angelo, Anthony Ray, joined by Superintendent Dr. Pizu. Uh we discussed the strategic plan. The plan continues to prioritize community engagement and student involvement with a particular focus on integrating student voice into
decision-m processes. As part of this effort, the student voice plan was introduced during the September 12th uh taping of Pawn TV. A follow-up survey is being developed to collect the student input which will be linked to the existing strategic plan to help clarify
the district path forward. Um in an effort to enhance communication with stakeholders, the first episode of the new coffee talk series will be released next week and posted on Dr. Pizo's website page. This series is intended to serve as a platform for open dialogue
between district leadership and broader school community. Can't wait to see the episode one on that one. The traffic patterns around the school buildings have also been under review. Uh there has been substantial improvements in the drop off and pickup at Pond Middle School. Uh although there are concerns
that still exists and we will continue to work on it and that will be addressed. Uh we also received some concerns from the from the community around regarding the amount of time allocated for student lunch which was also discussed extensively. Dr. Pizzer will be meeting with all the
stakeholders regarding their concerns and will report information identified. Looking ahead, the annual assessment presentation will be delivered by assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction um at October 28th meeting. While this is not a discussion item for the current agenda, it is noted
as an important upcoming event. The board will also hear a student presentation on quantum quantum computing which we heard today showcasing the student achievement and innovation. Finally, regular comments and updates from district leadership groups including the Robbinsville education association administrators and
PTA will uh resume at the board meeting starting this month. The next meeting of the community relation committee is scheduled for October 9th. >> Thank you, Mr. Nan. I just want to touch on something real quick that that you brought up which is the the length of the lunch, right? I know many uh parents
have sent in letters and there's a petition regarding the length of the lunch. So, I just want to assure parents that the board has seen and heard those concerns. Um, we know that you're working through uh what that looks like
with datadriven um you know uh effects with the with the administrators at the school and they're they're trying to bring that data together and get a meeting on the calendar so that way both sides can have the conversation and we can come to a solution that benefits the students, right? It's all about benefiting the students. So, I look
forward to hearing about the results of those discussions at future board meetings so that way we can do what's best for the kids. So, I just wanted to bring that up. Any other questions or comments for community relations? Okay. Uh, liaison reports.
>> Yep, I got one. Okay. So, liaison when we um usually it's hosted by the NJBA and they have both community Well, that's distracting. They have both community um local meetings
and then they have online webinars that they sponsor for um schoolboard members. I really liked this meeting. Um they're usually broken down into kind of what's going on in Mercer County. Then they talk about what's happening in the state
and new laws that might be coming out, but they're always talking about what could come and not what has been passed yet because it's in the beginning of their term and then there's usually a speaker and I wanted to speak a little bit about what the speaker said this
past um meeting. So the speaker came and he opened up by saying that there is a greeting that Messiah warriors in Africa give to each other and it is kasarian in Gara and this
exactly translates to how are the children. So they don't say hello to each other. Instead, they turn to each other and they say, "How are the children?" And the other person comes back and they say, "Well, the children are well." And the reason this man
specifically spoke about this greeting is because he wants all people to come into the classroom and think about how are the children from our classroom perspective. He wants that to be at the forefront of our brain.
And this emphasizes the well-being of our next generation. It's a true measure of a community's health to ask about how the children are and the future of the children and it carries a deep significance. It was a great speaker and it was received well amongst the
community of NGSBA members. The things that they are talking about at the state level are just big ideas. One of the things they were talking about is more transparency around school funding.
Uh they also asked that we look at which newspapers we have um when we announce um our announcements for schoolboard information. They said that some of the newspapers in New Jersey are starting to go out of business and go on online. Not
a problem anymore. It's done. >> Oh, it's a problem. Um, so they're, yeah, they're trying to create a law so that it's a sunshine law. So, we have to put out I'm I have a very long conversation today. I usually don't talk to you guys for this long. Um, so for
the sunshine law, we have to put in newspapers, this is where the meeting is going to be and this is where it's going to be held and we're we are required to do that by law. Well, if all of our newspapers are going out of business and they're they
need to be in a printed newspaper and we don't have a printed newspaper, it's a problem. So, they're working on passing a law um so that we can have this go online or on our website, but they don't think they're going to vote on that until after Thanksgiving. And that's it.
>> Thank you, Mr. Angelo. Any other reports? Nope. Public comment. Uh time will be allocated for public comment at this meeting. Members of the board wishing to I'm sorry. Members of the public wishing to address the board of education on
agenda items which are items uh A through J must state their name, municipality, and the group, if any, they represent. A member of the public shall not be permitted to speak until he or she is recognized by the presiding officer. In accordance with district policy 0167, each comment shall be
limited to three minutes. No participant may speak more than once. No dialogue between a speaker and the board and or superintendent shall extend the three-minute time limit provided herein. Live streaming of the meeting shall be for viewing only. The public will not have the ability to participate in public comment session unless they are
physically present at the meeting. Although the board encourages public comment, the presiding officer can interrupt, warn, and or terminate a participant statement, question, or inquiry when it is too lengthy and may also and also interrupt and warn a participant when the statement, question, or inquiry is abusive,
obscene, or may be defamatory. Moreover, the presiding officer can request any person to leave the meeting when that person does not observe reasonable decorum. In adherence to the protocol established by the New Jersey School Board Association, the board will use the public comment period as an opportunity to listen to residents
concerns, but not to debate issues or to enter into a question and answer session. Issues raised by the members of the public may require review and investigation may or may not be responded to by the board or superintendent during the meeting. All comments will be considered and a
response will be forthcoming if and when appropriate. Can I have a motion to open public comment on agenda items only? That's again items A through J on the agenda for 30 minutes. >> Move. >> Second. >> Thank you, Reggu. Thank you, Anthony.
All in favor. Okay. Public session is open for agenda items. >> Just want to clarify one thing. So, uh I want to talk about the insufficient lunch time. So, is it the right moment now afterwards?
Thank you for clarifying. >> I have a couple of questions. My question was how which kind of wrapped it up and you answered. Thank you very much. That was very important. And um did you say something about there's going to be a public question? Um I wanted to know
that is there going to be a public that's I thought I heard that but I wasn't 100% sure. The next thing that I was going to talk about is the surveys. I wanted to know that the surf Um, and then, um, I wanted to ask you
guys about the, um, uh, the relationship goals that you guys have with the public, with the township, with the students, and all of it together. Because right now, um, everything is changing. Um, as you have
seen, there has been a lot of shootings. There has been a lot of pain and suffering and Tonight we may have the government shut down. So I like to know how we are handling talking and dealing with our students. What is our main
plan? How are we talking to them to make sure that they do not problems? And um I'd like to know what is your uh foreseeing the future. Um it is important that as you said and discussed this Amanda that there are rules that
are coming up from the state. There are things that are they are talking about that they are looking into setting up something but while they are putting it together in meanwhile we have to do something about it ourselves because not
deal with us very well. So uh as a person who doesn't have a child in the school but still pays a good amount of money for taxes I like to be involved and I like to know what's going on and what's the conversation because whatever you guys do is going to affect my
and my property. So I know and that was the part that I said it just because people say she doesn't have any school she was good evening this is Manisha Singh here and I'm a parent uh my daughter is a
fourth grader in Sharon Elementary School and my son is a 11th grader uh R And recently there was a incident in West Windsor Plains Boro High School where a senior in high school took his
life and uh there was no information uh provided to the nor uh public which is fine. I don't know the rules. Uh I'm an immigrant in this country. So a lot of things I'm learning as my son is growing and uh as he's progressing in his uh school district. So my question here is
what are the resources available in Robbinsville high school for school uh high school elementary school I know this is um in the middle school when such incident happens uh in a nearby township uh I'm sure the news goes
around kids gets to know from friends of friends that such incident happened so what are the resources available and is there enough information available for the students in especially in Robinsville high school where there is a lot pressure, there is academic pressure, there is athletic pressure,
there is um SAT and they have to apply for uh schools and they are under pressure for sure. Uh I think everybody would agree to that. So my question is how are we dealing with these pressures and as you rightly said that there is a
parent and uh school relationship needs to be formed and they both should work together. And u my last question is is there enough information available to the students about different mental health illnesses which happens and most of
these are uh onset is in the teenager time because I have my personal experience and in my family that uh 15 to 19 is when these uh illnesses onset happens. So is there enough information are the counselors a aware of these
things and just want to know that. Thank you so much. Thank you all. Any other public comment on agenda items? Not seeing any. Can I have a motion to close the public comment on agenda items? >> Mot.
>> Thank you, Regu. Thank you, Anthony. All in favor? >> Any abstensions? Okay. Uh, monthly resolutions. The superintendent recommends that the board of education approve the following personnel education policy and business
action items. Uh, may I have a motion to open uh or to approve the resolution? >> Moved. >> Thank you, Anthony. Thank uh Thank you, Reggu. Thank you, Anthony. Any comment?
Any discussion items? Okay, not seeing any. Roll call, please. Miss Bandukta, >> yes. >> Dr. Gold, >> yes. >> Miss Hill D'Angelo, >> yes. >> Mr. Howard, >> yes. >> Miss Leman, >> yes. >> Mr. Nandon,
>> yes. >> Mr. Ray, >> yes. >> Dr. Pierro, >> yes. >> Mr. Goldberg, >> yes. >> Motion passes unanimously. Thank you, everyone. >> Thank you. Um, old business. Is there any old business from previous board meetings or
items? Any new business? >> Yeah, I just I just want to make sure that the lady who just spoke um I know Dr. Piso has been very good about getting back to people through email. I you brought up some very valid points. I
I just want to make sure that she's heard. >> What um we we do post the uh the full we give you a complete answer. We will post it if you if you uh send me an email. I'll I'll send it to you as soon as we have it complete. But we will send it out to the entire public. The reason why
we do it this way is so we can give you a complete answer, but also share with the full community as I'm sure many others have the same question. That's >> Thank you for clarifying. I just didn't want there to be like silence because I knew you would follow up, but nothing was said right away. So, I I figured he would. Thank you.
>> Thank you. I was going to go see her after the exam. >> Quick follow up on that because I agree with Tanya that's a very sensitive and important topic. Is it possible that's something we can share with parents and parents square as well to make sure they have access to those resources? So just in case a child's in a position where
they don't feel comfortable doing it, we know the parent if they foresee something, they can reach out to the school and utilize these resources as well. >> Yes. And we also have stuff on their I've been told on their ID cards as well. So, if you flip over their ID cards, keeps on turning in and out. Uh,
if you turn over their ID cards, it has resources on there as well. So, it should have it on there. I'll double check the children's ID cards, the students ID cards. >> Okay, I'll check those. Yeah, I think that has by law that has
to have the suicide uh hotline information, but I think we're talking about like what counseling services we offer, right? Wraparound services for people who are experiencing a tragedy. Um, and I think, you know, she brings up a good point when things happen outside your community with the way the internet
is and travel teams like it does affect so many more kids than just our immediate community. Our community is much larger. So, I think that's a very important thing to um bring up and uh I think something we should consider as well. >> Absolutely. There's there's a way to,
you know, post those answers to the to that online piece, but also then share it within, you know, as a reminder to all parents that those services are available so it's made available. I think that'd be a great way to do it if it's possible. >> Yes. I was uh looking over at our public communications person who's been taking notes on this. So, yes, we're getting
something together for uh >> Yep. And then we may not say it at during the public question or comment section. Um but I'd like to address it here. Usually we all of these no all the public questions and comments are always addressed in this manner. So we don't usually answer them during those periods
but I'd like to if we have some discussion that we can have we do it here in the new new business section. >> Okay. >> Just on agenda like Lauren uh Lori Lori Ratundo did a wonderful presentation like a few meetings ago about all the resources available. So, it's already
like a wellbuilt um presentation that I think would be easily accessible to parents and shared out. But um thanks for the question. >> There's also a community member. I'm staring at her right now. She's in a green shirt. Um she has a lot of answers. She's right behind you right
there. Her name's Rebecca. She has a lot of answers, too. Um and she would love to talk to you about it. You should definitely connect and become friends. She's a great resource. So, I just want to stress it again that I know we talked about it during uh the
community relations topic, but we know that the school lunch times as the first public comment was going to be from the other item is is very important to the parents. We do we do recognize that the board has has heard those uh those concerns and I know that there's there's
active effort with the superintendent to have a discussion with the concerned parents so that way we can have a data driven u outcome for that again that's best for students right keeping the students in mind so I know I look forward to those meetings happening if I'm invited I'll try to go I know that the board members that would be
passionate would go as well but I want to allow the superintendent to to do his thing so I look forward to hearing the outcome of that and that would that go into hopefully that would go into that student that that answer that question and answer um section as well for the outcome and at future board meetings. >> Yes. Um yeah, absolutely. And I I am
looking forward to meeting with with all stakeholders in regards to their opinions um um their the the information they want to present. So we are looking to schedule that meeting next week. We haven't finalized it yet, but we'll be in communication throughout.
>> Thank you, Dr. Piso. Okay. Any other new business? Okay. Public comment on all school matters. So that's everything outside of the agenda. So I won't read the long discourse again. Um can I have a motion to open
public comment on uh for school matters? >> Motion. >> Dr. Gould, Dr. Pierro. All in favor? >> I. >> Any naysay or abstensions? Okay. Uh public comment is open for the next 30 minutes. Good evening everyone. Uh can you hear
me? Okay. Okay. Uh hi, my name is Mahesh Cha and I am a Robinsville resident and um I am here tonight to raise a serious concern regarding insufficient lunchtime in Romansville schools. Nearly two years
ago, the school administration reduced the lunch period to 20 minutes. Since then, many parents have voiced concerns, but those have too often been dismissed as isolated and individual issues. I want to emphasize that this is not a
problem affecting just one student, one grade, or one school. It is a district-wide systemic issue and the data supports this. Through a parent survey circulated on social media, more than 300 parents expressed similar
concerns. Their feedback highlighted the negative impact of reduced lunchtime on students health, well-being, and overall school experience. Key points from the survey include this is not a comprehensive list, but some of
the key points. Many students are unable to finish their lunch. Children report health issues such as headaches, stomach aches, indigestion, and even vomiting from rushing to eat. Students feels pressured and as a result sometimes opt
for less healthy fast food options. There is little to no opportunity for meaningful social interaction during lunch. Students frequently return to class feeling irritable or cranky. This data has already been shared via
email with school administration as well as the president and vice president of the board of education. Please recognize this that 300 plus students represent nearly 10% of Provinceville's student population. A figure that cannot be
ignored. And you might not be able to see the charts, but uh this is a breakdown based on the grades and the schools. And this data has already been shared with uh BOA members as well as school administration. It is worth noting that when this change
was made two years ago, no survey was conducted by the school administration. Parents who already balance heavy professional and personal commitments should not have to carry the additional burden of conducting conducting such surveys themselves.
On behalf of those 300 families and their children, I respectfully urge the school administration and members of board of education to increase the lunch period to a minimum of 30 minutes. This adjustment should not require any
budgetary changes. I reiterate this. This adjustment should not require any budgetary adjustments. Only a commitment to prioritizing health, wellness, and development of our students. For two years, our children have endured
the consequences of insufficient lunchtime. We cannot afford delay addressing this issue any longer. I ask you to act swiftly to restore a healthy, balanced lunch period for our students. Thank you so much. Hello, my name is Taylor Bradshaw. I'm a
Robinsville resident. I have a child in Sharon Pond and a little one that will begin prek next fall. I'm here to speak about the shortened lunchtime. Nutrition is extremely important for students learning especially elementary because it provides the essential fuel building
blocks for a healthy brain which directly impacts cognitive function, memory, mood and overall academic performance. My child in pond tells me how they rush to lunch every day so they have enough time to eat. My child in Sharon comes home starving every day with half lunch if that. And since the
shorter lunch time has been implemented, I have had to skew down what I send with them to eat in hopes they can full. To my understanding, lunchtime has been cut down to 20 minutes of sitting time in order to add more time to other areas of curriculum. 20 minutes is not
enough for children. Children are not fast moving as most parents know and to expect them to get seated, eat, clean up, and line up in 20 to 22 minutes is not enough. Children are not eating, not having
enough time to eat and are being rushed, which not only creates smoking hazard for little children, but it creates anxiety as well, especially when the aids give their five minutes. Brushing these children during meals is not healthy for them, physically,
emotionally. Not only do they not only do they not have time to finish their food, they have no time to relax and socialize with their friends. They are leaving lunch hungry. And as we have all experienced, hungry know that is all you can focus on until you satisfy that
hunger. This short lunch is not beneficial for their learning. This is not a healthy environment. It's almost like a prison and even prisoners get more time. Most of you here probably get more time for your own lunches. The situation is leaving very negative
impression on the children and we want their school experience to be happy invoking excitement to want to go to school. This is the beginning of their education journey. If your effort was to improve academics by sacrificing lunch and socializing time, then you need to
reevaluate methods because nutrition and peer interaction is just as important if not more at their age. They have years to learn and the schedule you adopted will hurt them. Thank you for your good evening everyone. My name is
Nirupma Parmar and I am Robinsville resident. I agree with the previous speaker. I am here to speak on behalf of my seventh grader and the student body. A few years ago, we moved into this township for the promise of quality
education, community care, and nurturing environment for our children. I am here today as a concerned parent speaking on behalf of my many families including single parents who share the same
concern. The rust and reduced lunchtime childrens have been facing for the past two years and now into third. This 20 minutes lunchtime window includes walking from the classroom to the locker and then to the cafeteria. By the time
they sit down with the food in the cafe, they are left with barely any time to eat. And even during that they are being reminded to pack up earlier than needed. It is unhealthy and stressful. My
children, my child is eating in a hurry, barely chewing and carrying that rush behavior home. They are under pressure to finish and that stress is affecting their physical health, their mental mental well-being and their ability to
socialize. For 180 days a year, they are forced to choose between eating and socializing. Adults in the workplace are given at least 30 minutes for a lunch. Why are we giving our children less and the recess
removed from the seventh and eighth graders? Lunch is the only chance to recharge. But instead of a break, it becomes another race against the clock. I have raised this concern with school administrators earlier this year, but it
was dismissed as an individual issue. However, as discussed by the previous speaker, it is a widespread issue across all school districts and it is not impossible to fix. So tonight, I
respectfully request the board of education and our school leaders to extend the lunch period for at least 30 minutes separate from the recesses as our kids been going through past two years. Therefore, it must be effective
in this academic year as early as possible by upcoming marking period. This change doesn't require major budget shifts. It simply requires a commitment to our children's health and happiness.
Thank you. Good evening everyone. I would like to thank you all and uh Dr. and Mutier from Sharon School for helping us and standing in the support of crematorium issue. That was I don't know how to thank I'm running short of the words for
it. Thank you a lot. I'm uh sorry my name is Vanel Mi and I'm mother of third grader at Sham Elementary School. I come to you today not only with my own concern but on behalf of many parents
who could not come because of back to school night today. It's about the lunchtime issue. It's been there for past two years and uh I never complained this to Miss Bier or superintendent but my friends have done it and they were dismissed off a lot number of times but
it's concerning when academic priorities still take precedence over our children's fundamental physical and emotional wellbeing. There's a weird issue in her grade in her class. Let's say I give her a very healthy breakfast in the morning at around 8:00. She gets snack at 10:22. This is at 12:36, lunch
at 1:00. When the snack and lunch occur too close to the breakfast, children often feel over and lethargic, impairing their ability to concentrate. Conversely, if snack or lunch is missed is missed or insufficient from 10:20
a.m. till 4:15 p.m., the students experience hunger and frustration later in the day. In the both the scenarios, children's ability to concentrate is compromised which hinders the school's goal of providing quality education. We have to deal with three issues. Firstly,
the time which follows lunch immediately after recess. Is it truly healthy for children to eat immediately after intense physical activity while their hearts are still racing? Secondly, as uh um Nero just explained
that they don't have time. The seating time is just 10 to 15 minutes. They don't get usual 20 or 25 minutes. Um so I don't know what's happening at the school. Thirdly, after school hours, they struggle to focus on reading or homework at home,
affecting their academic performance. And sadly, they no longer have the stamina to enjoy any physical activities or sports once they loved. We are still at the beginning of the school year. Yet, on 14 out of first 18 school days, my child has come home with
her lunchbox half eaten or completely untouched, hungry, and physically drained. She was not showing any participate in travel soccer anymore because as I told you, she's physically drained all the time since the time she started school. We respectfully urged
the board to re-evaluate the timing of lunch and recess and separate physical activity from eating time with a good transition period. Ensure that seated lunch time is 30 minutes at least excluding transition and lineup time. address the cafeteria capacity
limitations and share any plans being considered to extend lunch seating capacity anduling arrangements. Thank you so much. Good evening everyone. Um my name is Rema and I'm a Robinsville resident. I
have a um kindergartener and a middle schooler and I'm here again for the same issue. Um you know it seems to be small but uh you know it has a powerful impact on the children's health behavior and learning. Uh so we uh are here to
request to give the students at least 20 minutes of seated time to eat their lunch at school. For many childrens, especially for the youngest, lunchtime is not just a break. It's a vital opportunity to refill the both body and mind. Yet in Robinville schools, the
students are rushed through lunch with barely 10 to 15 minutes of actual seated time. Once all the transitions are accounted for. Um and uh this limited time is due to some of the factors which are uh being overlooked I guess uh which
is like walking from class, stopping at lockers, waiting in line for food or even a quick restroom break. All these minutes adds up and takes away time from their already short lunch. These delays may seem small but they have serious consequences. Um uh let's
talk about what this means to our kids. Rush lunches are creating unnecessary stress. Imagine being a kindergartener or a first grader. Their body is still developing motor skills and coordination. Uh learning how to open a carton of milk or eating with a spoon or
like peeling a fruit etc. Uh while constantly they are reminded for the time left by the lunch aid, my daughter keeps saying that mama as soon as I start eating the teacher starts saying 10 minutes left to eat and in no time they say it's five minutes and now you have to up. So they cannot eat anymore
and they have to pack up. So this rushed meal time is creating a sense of panic especially in younger kids who are still learning basic time management and motor skills instead of feeling nourished and recharged. They return to the class more anxious uh less focused and hungry.
Since she started school, my daughter has been bringing home more than half of her lunch. She now asked me to pack even less food so that she can uh uh finish the food and not anxious uh or nervous of uh you know bringing food back home.
Uh she eats just a small portion of lunch has a granola bar or a banana which is easier to eat at snack time. So she just eats that and take uh for through the entire day from 9:00 a.m. to 4:15. Um on the other hand, some kids do cope
by eating fast and manage to finish their food. Like my son, he's a middle uh a middle schooler. He says that he gets barely 10 to 15 minutes once he grabs his lunch from the locker, reaches the uh cafeteria and gets seated. Um you
know and but he barely what he does is just shelves everything in his mouth and the uh eats without chewing and then which is not healthy. He's been complaining about gas, undigestion and uh stomach aches because of not uh not
properly chewing the Amanda Gruber, Robinsville resident. Um, I'm a mother of two fourth graders um who've been in this district for forever. My one son is uh inclusion
three. Um, so they've had the experience of having the longer lunch and the shorter lunch. And the one thing I want to be very very clear is that when you're looking at numbers about the data, the data is when I ask my sons, how many
kids in your class finish their meals? The response is none of them. Not a single child in both their classes because they're in separate classes. finish their meals and that's not okay.
Um, as as someone who we had 20-minute meals and lunch when I was growing up, you unlearn eating your lunch in 10 minutes in order to have that social time, the homework
time, just waiting in line time takes a long time to unlearn and necessary for our kids for 10 minutes in math and for 10 minutes in ELA. You're not talking about a long time in both of those
sections. So, while the data might say, "Yes, we've gained a point here, a point there, a point there." Great. But now we have kids that don't eat well of their food in their mouth. And to be honest, as a parent who had
kids had a that got pulled out of class for half the school year. That's the only time he gets to see his friends. That's the only time he gets to be remotely social. So now you're giving them 20 minutes to get there, get in line, get their food, which also we are
blessed to be able to provide food for our kids, but not everyone is. Some people need the school lunches. It's one of their few lunches they get to have. And for them to have to just not eat their lunch, they don't have time.
That's just not I'm asking for you. Is it possible to change it this year? Probably not. Session's already going on. There's no reason why we can't do this next year. We start the process now. We've been
talking about it for two years. Don't know many people that many parents or many kids for that fact that want it to be 20 minutes. Um I also ask you to listen to the students themselves. Um, one of my sons decided to run for
student council because he was so annoyed by this. Does take some stuff from me and I'm really sorry, but they definitely have a lot of opinions when it comes to little things and small things. You're going to have students that are going to ask you to have gumball machines
classrooms obviously no, but you're also going to have a large contingent asking for longer lunches. Sorry, let me interrupt real quick. We have about 10 minutes. Um, is there anybody else with another topic uh from school? Same topic. I just want to give
an opportunity for others with another topic. Okay. All same topic. Okay. No. Would would you please wait and have Miss Nusheen go next and then we'll be back to only lunch
>> topic. Thank you very much. >> Um I just want to go back to what you guys were talking about which they were talking about. You were talking about that you're going to answer our questions and what we are concerned about in a public email and in the email
and all the questions are going to be and all that and you know Dr. that I'm really appreciated because you do send people to answer my questions but I never get the other people's questions I only get the questions that I ask you and answer so the time is changing
everybody is anxious lot of things are happening so how about if because we and we only see you and that's the most important part we only see you once a month for a couple of hours so we would appreciate after you finish the comments and everything and when you're sitting in
here bringing up the couple of comments that we brought up and talk about it and let us hear how you talk about it and what you think about it. I mean I am not saying that you rip it apart and see what's going to happen but at least give us some opportunity to see you guys to
see who has what kind of an idea and how they are going to talk about it and how we are going to solve this because we are sending you the email and we are going to talk about it on the email and we will answer you on the email and we are going to solve the lunch problem on the email. No, please. We are they are
watching us. I am here. I don't have children, but I put my time in here and I'm asking you. You guys are all elected. Please put the time in here and answer our question in person. And I do really appreciate all your emails and
answering and being hot. Thank you. Good evening. My name is Michelle Petri, Robbinsville resident. I'm a mom of four and I am a mental health therapist. I have two kids in Sharon, one in third grade, one in first grade. In my work, I've seen how issues like anxiety,
depression, and eating disorders don't appear overnight. They grow from the culture and experiences that we create in childhood. And while there is lots to say about the nutritional and physical value of longer lunch, I want to speak on the social and emotional piece. But first, I do want to mention something
briefly about the physical piece, which is that you can look up online the data that is there about the difference between a 20 and 30 minute lunchtime for these kids and the amount of nutrients consumed, calories, fiber, protein, healthy foods eaten. It is significant
just that 10 minutes between 20 and 30 minute lunch period. And the other thing I wanted to um briefly mention is that kids at lunchtime consume anywhere this the studies show between 25 to 50% of their daily caloric intake in school lunch. And that's really important. So
anyway, I wanted to focus though on the social and emotional piece of this. Our country is currently facing a well doumented youth mental health crisis. The CDC, American Academy of Pediatrics, and the US Surgeon General have all declared a child and adolescent mental health national emergency in recent
years due to rates of anxiety, depression, and stress rising among students. And schools are on the front line of addressing these challenges. Research shows that rush transitions, hurried meals, and pressure to eat contributes to children's stress, frustration, and emotional
dysregulation. This spills over into the classroom as behavioral issues or trouble focusing. In contrast, giving students enough time to eat and connect provides a natural brain break that lowers stress and resets their capacity to learn. Forcing kids to finish their unfinished
lunches in the classroom or to miss recess to finish it, which is our current solution, is punitive and it adds pressure, not relief. What some may dismiss as just more time to chat is actually essential for our children's well-being and development.
Research confirms those lunchtime conversations build social skills, strengthen community, and serve as protective factors for mental health. So, as you mentioned that, you know, at the start of the year, um, a group of parents in Robinsville created a petition survey calling for longer lunch in just a matter of days. Hundreds of
signatures and detailed comments acrewed on this thing. It's up to over 300 signatures now. And I encourage you to please through each of the 300 plus detailed comments because you will get the feeling of what these kids are experiencing daily. The comments over
and over again about stress, rushing, no time for connection to their to their fullness cues, their body, connection to their peers. Um, and you know, Dr. Po, you mentioned you have this. Um, educators, we they know this is not ideal. Anyone who understands child
development can see that. But we are told there are competing needs in the system that need to be juggled and um we need a 30 30 minute wellness policy. >> Good evening everyone. My name is Vanila Jagana and I'm a Robinsville resident. My daughter goes to Sharon and she is in
the second grade. You all have heard enough about the data and I'm pretty sure you agree with it. I would like to share my personal journey of two years going into the third year of trying to create unique recipes that taste good, can be gulped in 10 minutes, and fit the health requirements of right amounts of
carbs, protein, fruits, and vegetables for fiber. And I have butchered many traditional recipes in order to create fast food alternatives. And I'm not a chef by profession, so I'm not very successful. Jokes apart, I'm just simply here to point out that our kids don't have enough time to eat. and I'm here to
support other parents and we'll be very grateful if you could consider looking into our concerns and find a solution. Thank you so much for your time. I would ask part of the problem. together.
When we do that, I know we said I'd like to do an experiment with the kids as long to While we all want our kids to have that academics
shouldn't come at not just also how do Hello everyone. My name is Praepi and I'm a mom of uh a kindergarter who just started at Sharon. So my kid has been
coming home hungry lately just because uh she doesn't have enough time to eat her lunch and my kid is born with a condition called IA which is low neutrils in her blood and whatever she eats her nourishment helps the uh her
boost the immunity and the neutrfil counts go up and that what keeps her healthy and it kills me to see her come back with a half filled stomach and tired all the time and she comes home and gobbles up all the food like she's a hungry wolf
and she's like mom can you get me something I want to eat something because I'm hungry I couldn't eat finish my lunch. I'm still hungry. I need to go to my activities. Okay, so she goss up and my problem with that is it doesn't leave much gap for her dinner or her
sleep routine and we all can agree on uh rush lunches, they can end up in bloating and digestive issues, right? And with all the skyrocketing mental issues and obesity cases that we see around here and I I truly believe
a rush shouldn't adding to that stress anymore and it should be shouldn't be a contributing factor to that uh stress on kids especially when they are at kindergarten age and and not getting her enough nutrition not
because we are not unable to provide her with uh the good nutrition but she doesn't get get enough time is not uh something acceptable to me as a mom and I hope most of the parents understand that and Yeah, mostly that's what I wanted to
convey it to you guys and honestly speaking I think installing healthy habits, healthy eating habits is all upon us and school is where they get influenced mostly and I would urge everyone of you to consider the
extension of not much but just the 10 minutes so that they have the recommended 20 minute seated time for kids. This is for their futures so they can we can build upon a healthy kids and invest on them just 10 memories. Thank
you. Good evening everybody. This is Manisha Singh here and I have a elementary school go fourth grader Ria Singh uh who is nine turning 10 and she's underweight. I have a 11th grader uh junior in high school who is supposed to
be growing well but he's also underweight and I personally feel that the cause is because out of three meals they my high schooler only gets to eat one meal at home. He comes to school, he brings two protein shakes from him home.
That's all he drinks because he says, "I don't have enough time to get the food." And he also doesn't like the cafeteria quality of food. That's part of the piece. And um um it might seem very minor that it's shorter lunch break and
kids should be able to eat, but over time it can contribute to unhealthy pattern that increase the risk of lifestyle diseases. Currently there are 300,000 plus under 18 kids who are facing these lifestyle diseases and
this also leads to obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes risk. There are digestive issues because when people eat in kids eat in hurry it causes to indigestion, acidity and bloating, GI problems, stress and mental health issues. Anxiety is a new thing
that even the middle schooler and um high schooler complain about in when we were growing up we've never heard that I'm anxious um which is very concerning for me as a parent and there are long-term lifestyle disease hypertension cardiovascular disease metabolic
syndrome all these can be avoided if as a par if as the school district as a board of education we all together work towards the solution and as a parent uh I'm speaking on the behalf of all the parents that we want to be part of the solution and whatever we can do we all
are educated qualified people we are paying high taxes in this township whatever we can do we are willing to work with you and I request you urge you please find the solution thank you and I want solution this year I'm not willing to wait next year we have gone over the time limit how
many people uh just a show of hands how many more people two three in a minute. >> I'm just going to pass you way to pass a motion for 10 minutes. >> Can I pass a motion to extend public comment for 10 minutes? >> Second.
>> All in favor? >> I. >> Thank you. There we go. >> Well, thanks for doing that. Appreciate it. I'm Dr. Kingshu Gang. Can you hear me? This is working. All right. I'm Dr. Kingu Ganguli. I'm a Robinsville resident, father of two children here. So um also I work as an operating room
anesthesiologist and interventional spine specialist. I do minimally invasive spine procedures. So I'm very empathetic to the concerns everybody has. I understand productivity pressure meeting metrics having to meet goals that you get funding working at a
surgery center. I have a my time I know ramble I'm a rambler. Thank you. So I'm very empathetic to productivity pressure metrics needed for funding for here at students for me as patients
how many patients can get taken care of what are the results how are they doing what are the outcomes so I I understand what everybody's feeling from from all standpoints teachers parents and I I do believe that the current time that's
given to students not adequate for them to meet their ratio of carbohydrates, protein, fats for them to be able to function. As somebody who's done over 12 years of postsecary education, four years of college, four years of
medical school, four years of some pretty high tiered institutions, even my own mind and I would consider myself a pretty sharp student. So I I really think that if we have all stakeholders involved, we can find something that's going to meet
everybody's needs. I know the teachers have to teach adequate time so that they can get their curriculum. I know students can find time so that they can have their meals so that they have the nutrition to pay attention listen and also perform extracurricular
activities perform well sport so that they have their their nutrition and I think you as your leaders are facing metrics from the state whatever to make sure that get proper funding and that you're meeting and exceeding standards. So yeah
I'm very empathetic to everybody involved. I don't think that there's anybody at fault, but I do feel that the current time given to the children to even socialize is something that we all come together. And then just because my wife was running out of time, she wanted me to
share an inspirational quote from Dr. Dr. P. He wrote, "Anything is possible if we collectively set and path together. Together we can set the standard for all schools. Thanks for
Venet Kapati Robinsville resident. Um I have a third grade son uh at Sharon. Uh I'll make mine very uh quick. Um thanks for g giving the opportunity to speak here. Uh, every single day my son
comes home around 4:15, 4:20. And every single day I ask him, "How was school? How how was lunch? Did you have enough time to eat?" And every single day he said, "Dad, I don't have to tell you. I don't have time uh to finish my lunch. It's nothing new. It's the same every
day, right?" So that really uh breaks my heart to hear. Uh and then he's he's home comes home starving. So I I respectfully uh request all of you to consider extending the lunch to
at least 30 minutes. Thank you. >> Good evening everyone. My name is Ravikir and Porika. We moved to Robinsville just this summer. We bought a home here and my daughter is in middle school and son is going to high school. Uh I
understand this might sound like a me story but the one of the reasons that we chose Robinsville is what we heard about the school district here and uh the community here and uh we could have gone to any other school districts highly rated school districts around here but
we made a conscious choice not to put our kids into any high stress school districts. Of course I mean lunch time is only one of the concerns. Uh but this shorter lunch time is a bit of concern for us as well. It is and uh it forces
our kids to make nutritionally poorer choice for what they take for lunch, what they have for lunch and the portions that they consume during the lunch time and uh to cover for the any hunger that they might have later by having the shorter lunch. uh they spend
more time during the breakfast and they also right after school they come and have a mini lunch or a heavy snack session again and they lack the energy to participate any after school activities and we believe that that shorter lunch
time also diminish diminishes the chances of socializing during the lunchtime and developing any ski skills of social dining and at that age particularly and finally We believe that sign of a developed
society is to be able to perform regular life activities without being in a rush and not being to perform not being trained to perform like a factory drones. I understand every time everyone's time is valuable. The teacher, the staff, their lunches,
increasing lunch time puts pressure on them, but this is a uh matter of how our children spend their school time as well. So, I request that you consider increasing lunch time to 30 minutes at
least. And thanks for your attention. >> Any additional public comment? Okay, thank you everyone for coming out tonight to um present your uh your comments to us. Can I have a motion to close public
comment and adjourn the meeting? >> Second. >> Thank you, Anthony. Thank you, Reggu. All in favor? >> Any obstensions? Thank you. Have a great evening everyone. >> Mhm. Yeah. And I was like, "Me, too. Why not me?"
>> I was like, "Wait a minute." >> I was like, "I'm gonna do this 15 more times." I think she's done this rodeo a few times. >> That was my whole thing. Like, I started noticing a trend, though. Like, >> yeah. Yeah. >> My kid called me from Alexa the like 10 times.
>> I need I'm like, I need a better seat. >> I I need to go out that way cuz I cannot interact right now. >> Oh, I'm with you. So, uh, >> if you give me a moment, I'll go with you. >> Yeah. I will go right with you. Go like got to go back. >> She unbelievable.
>> Hey, how are you? Thanks for sharing that story too. >> Yes, >> there were two things actually. pay.