From the Superintendent of Schools ...

Dear School Community Member:

Hello to all! I hope this note finds you well rested and ready to begin another successful school year. Yesterday our faculty and staff returned to the district. Needless to say, they are looking forward to seeing their students on Tuesday, September 2nd.

It has been a busy summer in the PRSD. The Technology Department prepared over 1,100 new M4 MacBook Air laptops for deployment. All staff members and students (Gr. 3-12) will be working with a brand new device at the start of the school year.

Alongside the laptop refresh, the new fiber optic lines have been connected between East Brook, West Ridge and PRHS. We are no longer dependent on a 3rd party provider for our network connections between schools. The new fiber provides us with enhanced bandwidth which will improve internet and network speed.

The BOE Buildings & Grounds Committee is now focused on renovating the HS Little Theater. After an extensive review of the current space, our architect has provided us with five (5) renovation/addition options. After school opens the BOE B&G Committee will review the options and start to develop a budget for construction. The plan is to start working on the project as soon as school ends in June 2026, with the hope that most, if not all, the work will be completed by September. Much more to come on this!

In February, the PRSD underwent QSAC monitoring by officials from the County Office. Once again, Park Ridge was designated as a High Performing District. This is a direct result of all the support and assistance that is provided to our students and staff by the school community. Special thanks to Dr. Bernardo for once again guiding us through this extensive review of curriculum, policy and mandated paperwork.

As the school year begins, I feel very good about where we are as a district. While there is always work to do, we continue to make significant improvements to the education and learning environment we provide for children. Thank you for your help along the way.

Please enjoy a safe Labor Day weekend.

Owls Together,

Robert M. Gamper, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Welcome back to East Brook School!

... From Principal Stokes

We are less than one week away from the launch of the 2025-26 school year!

Starting with the PTO's Chalk the Walk event on 9/1 from 3-5 pm.

Morning arrival is always exciting on the first day, but I kindly request that you continue to follow our stop, drop, and go procedures. If you'd like to walk up to East Brook with your child, please park on the side street. 1st Grade will line up in the gym and all other students will enter through the main school doors and line up outside their classrooms.

As a reminder, please keep the following in mind during drop-off:

·    Keep speed below 5mph

·    Avoid watching your child walking into school while driving away

·    Be cognizant of items in your hand (s) while driving in the circle (coffee, phone, etc.)

·    Do not walk across the drop-off circle with children (nor parking in teacher's lot)

·    Children should use the passenger side door only

·    Do not pass cars on the left

In addition, please have backpacks easily accessible (not in trunk)

Kindergarten students will arrive at 9am on the first day. We will meet in the multi-purpose room for a quick meet and greet. I also look forward to seeing our incoming Kindergartners at the PTO Summer Social on Thursday, 8/28 at 2:00pm.

The calendar and Parent/Student Handbook are updated on the website. Everything else you need is there. I'll be checking e-mail until Thursday - e-mail me any questions you have. 

PTO Lunch Ordering - please use the following link to the PTO Website for lunch ordering: https://eastbrookpto.membershiptoolkit.com/Open_Forms

Please see notices regarding Free/Reduced Milk Application forms under School Notices

Weekly Five

1. Dismissal Map- Please review the dismissal map under "School Notices." One of the most important things you can do before the 1st day is discuss the Dismissal Plan with your child. Siblings can link up before exiting the building, but it requires communication with teachers.

*Example - Johnny is in 5th Grade. Suzy is in 1st Grade. Suzy can go to Johnny's class at dismissal and they can exit together.

2.Back to School Night- Back to School Night is scheduled for Thursday, September 4th. The schedule is posted under "School Notices." If you have multiple children, don't worry - East Brook provides two opportunities to see teacher presentations.

*Parents in Grades 4&5 - If you have children in younger grades, we recommend attending the K-3 presentations FIRST! Space is limited in the upper-grade classrooms and we are doing combined information sessions.

3.Supply Lists - Mrs. Syring has uploaded all of the supply lists to the website. If you did not order School Kits through Mrs. Rozenbaum and the PTO, please review the list and be sure your child is prepared for the first week of school.

4.Health Opt-Out - *Health Curriculum Information* - Please go to the link below for information on the K-6 health curriculum topics and also for the opt-out form should you choose to use it. There is a link at the top to take you to the grade-by-grade breakdown of topics. This is ONLY if you wish to opt out of topics.

Link to Opt Out



5.Welcome New Staff- Good luck to all of our new employees! Here is a complete list:

• Mrs. Allen - Paraprofessional
• Ms. Amato - Media/Technology
• Mrs. Briscoe - Paraprofessional
• Ms. Brody - Paraprofessional
• Mrs. Cusato - 4th Grade Mathematics
• Mrs. Epifano - School Nurse
• Mrs. Farzad - World Language
• Ms. Gravinese - Student Support Specialist
• Mrs. Kanter - 4th Grade Language Arts
• Mr. Kulogowski - Paraprofessional
• Ms. Palagano - Paraprofessional
• Ms. Perry - Paraprofessional
• Mrs. Prager - 6th Grade Language Arts
• Mrs. Vaccaro - Paraprofessional

Welcome back to West Ridge School!

... From Principal Ballaera

I cannot believe that we are one week away from the beginning of the 2025-26 school year! We hope that you all enjoyed a wonderful summer. It has been a busy and productive summer here at West Ridge as we prepared to welcome our students back for exciting school year.

School opens on September 2nd

Morning Drop-Off

Students may be dropped off beginning at 8:15 a.m. For everyone’s safety, please drive slowly during this time. The front circle is designated for quick drop-offs only. Parents should remain in their cars and continue moving once their child exits. If you need to park or walk your child into school, please use the parking lot on the right side of the building. Stopping in the front circle causes delays and can back up traffic to the corner.

Pre-K students will all enter by the lower entrance (next to the black electronic message board) at your designated times.

Kindergarten students will arrive at 9:00 a.m. on September 2 and September 3. On September 2, parents will bring their child into the Multi-Purpose Room, and students will be walked to their classrooms. On September 3, parents will drop their child off at the doors of the Multi-Purpose Room.

Health Curriculum Information - Please go to the link below for information on the K-6 health curriculum topics and also for the opt-out form should you choose to use it. There is a link at the top to take you to the grade-by-grade breakdown of topics. This is ONLY if you wish to opt out of topics.



Link to Opt Out

Back to School Night is on September 11^th. More information will follow next week. There will be a parent meeting for sixth grade parents prior to the start of the evening.

Office Stallone our SLEO III school officer will again be present during the school day to help with school security and safety.

The calendar and Parent/Student Handbook are updated on the website. The handbook contains any information you may need. If you have any questions, let me know.

 

Welcome back to Park Ridge High School!

... From Principal Lederman

I hope this message finds you all well! Looking forward to having everyone back in the building on Tuesday, September 2nd. Please follow the link below to view my Welcome Back Newsletter!

*2025 WELCOME BACK NEWSLETTER*

Here's to a great year!

2025-26 Park Ridge School Budget

On May 6th, the Park Ridge BOE held its annual Budget Hearing and approved their budget for the 2025-26 school year. Please feel free to review the documents below to gain an understanding of what is included in this year's PRSD budget.

• 2025-26 User Friendly Budget

• 2025-26 Budget Flyer

Laptop Refresh 2025

The Park Ridge School District has invested in the most recent version of MacBook Air laptops for our 1:1 program.

Please remember that when you come to pick up your laptop, every student must have a copy of the Laptop Agreement Form signed by a parent/guardian. 

Laptop Agreement Form

PRHS Online Cashless Payment Options for Lunch

Attention PRHS Parents/Guardians: 

Parents now have the option to prepay for cafeteria meals online, via credit card or ACH Electronic Checking, using Pay Schools Central. For more information click on the link below:

Cashless Payment

PRSD 2025-26 School Calendar

On November 18th, the BOE approved the 2025-26 school calendar. Please be advised that school will open for students after Labor Day. The calendar is available at the link below:

2025-26 School Calendar