Due to the severity of food allergies among our students, we are no longer allowing birthday treats or snacks at celebrations/parties.  We ask that parents consider instead being a guest reader, or providing a book to be read for birthday celebrations.

Parents, please remember to turn off your cells phones upon entering the school; they can be quite disruptive.

For the safety of your child, if there is a change in the way your child will go home after school, it is required that a note be brought to school with the child in the morning. A parent can also call the main office during the day with any updates regarding dismissal.  If we do not have a note, the child will go home the way he/she normally does. More information regarding arrival and dismissal doors will be in the Welcome Packet which parents receive in the beginning of each year.

If your home or cell phone, or emergency contacts have changed, please contact the Main Office so that corrections can be made.

Homework is used as a tool for reinforcement of the lessons that took place during the school day. In the event of a short absence, a decision will be made if it is relevant to send homework home. It is the Brunner School policy not to give homework in advance for prolonged absences (such as vacation or traveling). We suggest that the student keep a daily journal during their absence that can be shared with
the class upon return to school

Hours: Office hours are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Thank you for keeping your children home when there are symptoms of illness. Please keep your child home until an elevated temperature has returned to normal for at least 24 hours WITHOUT the need for fever-reducing medication. Students should be free from diarrhea or vomiting for 24 hours before they return to school.  Children returning too soon often appear in the Nurse's Office as they are unable to function in the classroom, and have exposed others to illness.

Lost and found articles are collected in the main office and stored in IN THE MPR, with the exception of jewelry, eye glasses, and keys. It is suggested that parents mark their their child's clothing and personal possessions with their child's name to help prevent items from becoming "lost."  Items that have not been claimed will be donated to local charity.

Moving Out of District...
Please notify the main office at least one week in advance if you plan to move out of town. A transfer card will be mailed directly to your child's new school on the day after your child's last day at Brunner School. Your child's permanent records will be forwarded when the new school sends a written request.

In order to complete a Student Transfer Card for your child, you will need to provide us with some specific information; i.e., your forwarding address, the name and address of your child's new school, the school's telephone number, the name of the school district, and your child's last day at Brunner School.

Families leaving Brunner School are asked to complete a Student Transfer Verification Form and return it to the Main Office.

There is no curbside drop off area at Brunner School. If there is a parking space available in the front of the building you may use it, however, if no spot is available you must not stop in the parking lot to drop off your child(ren). With buses, parents and children walking, teachers arriving, stopped cars pose a safety hazard for child(ren) as well as others. 

When the LOT FULL sign is in the driveway, you must find parking on the streets near Brunner School.

Parents should obey all NO PARKING and DO NOT ENTER signs on and around school property, including those on Redwood Road, Homestead Terrace, and Westfield Road. With the exception of the parking spaces in front of the school, there is no parking allowed on school property. The parking spaces to the right and left of the school are for staff only.

The school phone number is (908) 889-2148. Press 1 to report an absence on the Attendance Line; 2 for the Main Office; 3 for the School Nurse.

Please be aware that the playground, blacktop, etc., is closed during school hours.  Following PK dismissal at 11:20 am, please promptly exit school property.

Parents are asked to call the school attendance line (again...(908) 889-2148, Press Option 1) before 8:30 a.m. whenever their child is absent from school or will be more than 15 minutes late. Calls to this number may be made at any time during the day or night. Please remember to provide a detailed reason as to your child's absence.

SINGLE SESSION/EARLY DISMISSAL
What is a Single Session Day? 

A Single Session Day is when the students dismiss early from school.  Below is the dismissal schedule on Single Session Days:

Grades K-4 students:  8:25 am (arrival) – 12:40 pm (dismissal/no lunch)

PK AM students:  8:25 am (arrival) – 10:35 am (dismissal)

PK PM students:  10:35 am (arrival) – 12:40 pm (dismissal) 

Mrs. Steinberg’s class/Ms. Graham's class:  8:30 am (arrival) – 12:40 pm (dismissal)
 

The elementary school day begins at 8:25 a.m. for students in morning Pre-k and Grades K through 4. It is important for our students' safety that they do not arrive on school grounds earlier than 8:20 a.m. when direct supervision by our staff begins. The elementary session for afternoon pre-k students begins at 12:20 p.m. Likewise, it is important for their safety that they arrive on school grounds no earlier than 12:15 p.m., and that a parent (or designated adult) remain with the child until all students are brought into the building and escorted to their classroom. On days when the weather is inclement, students may enter the building at 8:20 a.m. Please plan your child's arrival at school accordingly.

Parents are requested NOT to ask that their child be excused early except when a true emergency makes early dismissal unavoidable. Please do your best to schedule student appointments outside the school day. Early dismissal should be arranged in writing through the Main Office and the teacher. Students will be called to the office AFTER the parent/guardian arrives and signs their child out of school.

Students in Grades K through 4 and morning Pre-k are considered tardy if they are not in their classrooms ready to begin at 8:35 a.m. Afternoon Pre-k students are considered tardy after 12:20 p.m. All students that arrive late for school must report to the Main Office to obtain a late pass. When a student arrives at school 30 minutes after the instructional period begins, parents are requested to escort their child to the Main Office in order to indicate the reason for their child being late.

Visitors need to make an appointment in order to enter the building. Parents and visitors may enter the building after 8:40 am.  Please enter our building through the front doors located on the right (as you face the building) of the main entrance on Westfield Road. Ring the doorbell. (We respectfully ask you to please be patient. The office can be quite busy at times and there may be a short delay before we can respond to the bell.) When asked, state your name, your child's name and teacher and the reason for your visit. Upon entering the building, please report IMMEDIATELY to the Main Office. Sign the visitor's logbook and take a visitor's badge, which will be in a basket on the counter. When leaving the building, return to the Main Office and enter the time you are exiting the building. The school office reserves the right to request identification for those visitors who are not familiar to us.

I need to contact my child:  Classroom instruction cannot be interrupted to deliver routine telephone messages to a teacher or a student.  These matters can be handled more effectively before or after the school session.  Emergency messages will be delivered immediately.  Duing school hours, students are NOT permitted to make telephone calls except in an emergency.  Please note:  forgotten homework, snack, library books, roller blades, etc., are NOT considered an emergency.

My child needs medication at school:  The school nurse is to be notified of any medication being taken by a student attending school, particularly those that might cause a change of behavior.  It is the policy of the Board of Education that the school staff may NOT provide students with aspirin or any other type of medication.  The administration of any medication received from home to a pupil shall be done only in exceptional circumstances, wherein the child's health may be jeopardized without it, or as in the case of medication being given to modify behavior. Pupils requiring medication during school hours must have a written statement from the family physician which identifies the diagnosis, the type of medication, the time(s) for administration, and the number of days that medication is to be administered (Click here for form:  Request for Administration of Medication).  A written statement from the parents giving permission to the nurse to administer the medication as prescribed by the family physician is also required.  This statement will also remain on file with the school nurse.  Each prescription must be in a correctly labeled prescription bottle.  It is District policy that the parent/guardian or a responsible adult bring the medication to school.  Children must NOT handle any medication and there can be NO exception to this provision. The nurse must always be notified in writing of any change or adjustment of any medication being given to a child by both the attending physician and the parents.
I need to speak to my child's teacher:  Leave a message on the voice mailbox of your child's teacher. 

My child has a problem in school:  Always contact your child's teacher as the initial step to gain information and develop strategies to resolve the situation.  If resolutions are not satisfactory, contact the principal. 

I cannot pick up my child after school:  Contact your emergency card friends or relatives to make arrangements, and notify the school office so your child is informed.  However, we ask that parents make the necessary arrangements for their child's dismissal from school in the morning BEFORE their child leaves for school.  We do realize that occasionally a true emergency arises and you must get a message to your child during the school day, but we ask that you keep these interruptions to a MINIMUM (especially at the end of the day when we cannot guarantee that the message will be received on time).