OLD BRIDGE TWP

Old Bridge Township Public Schools is a 42-square mile suburban school district located at the southern end of Middlesex County, in central New Jersey. The district has a total daytime student enrollment of nearly 10,000 pupils. Students are housed in twelve elementary schools grades K-5, two middle schools grades 6-8, and one high school grades 9-12.

On September 15, 2001, in a strong collaborative effort between school personnel and community members, a 66.7 million dollar building referendum to provide additions and renovations to district schools was approved. The district was awarded an 18.9 million dollar state grant for the projects, thus reducing the local share to 47.8 million dollars.

Old Bridge has a single campus high school with a population exceeding three thousand students making it the third largest in the state. In addition to expansions at five elementary schools and HVAC improvements to the All-Purpose Rooms that had not previously been air conditioned, the referendum also upgraded the technology infrastructure district-wide ensuring Internet access for all classrooms in the district and providing wireless capability at the high school level. The 2004 voter approval of a subsequent question provided more than $250,000 for a state of the art digital security system and related personnel for the high school.

Our Instructional Goals focus on the following four key areas: Overall Student Achievement, Student Record Keeping System Upgrades, Elementary Mathematics Program Pilot, and revamping of the Challenge Program. They reflect our district’s mission statement to empower each student to learn to achieve success and to become a confident, productive member of a pluralistic, global society prepared to face the challenges of the 21st century. We realized several areas of success in meeting these goals.

In order to provide the highest quality instruction and address the needs of the whole child, the district is proud of its accomplishments in curriculum and offers a full range of educational, co-curricular, and athletic programs. This year the elementary schools are piloting two Mathematics Programs with the goal of making a recommendation to the Board for adoption of one of them for next year. It is the district’s goal that the new program will assist us in improving overall student performance. The district’s Technology Plan has been submitted and has been approved without corrections. Additionally, Old Bridge is the only public school district in the state to have two fully operational, professional Planetariums, one at Jonas Salk Middle School and the other at the high school’s Grade Nine Center. Both planetariums have undergone an updating. A state-of-the-art digital computer generated projection system is replacing the original light and mirror projection system and each also includes a dynamic surround sound system. The planetariums are used to provide shows and instruction for all of the district’s students, as well as evening and weekend programs for the community.

As early adolescence is a challenging time for students, the middle schools embody a child-centered model focusing on respect and an understanding of diversity. Our comprehensive high school includes a NATEF certified automotive program, a state-approved cosmetology program that leads to a state license, as well as approved courses in Astronomy, which was added this year, Mathematics, and Psychology for which students can receive college credit. The district The high school’s Advanced Placement offerings total 16.  Also, the Mandarin Chinese Program has been expanded to include Chinese III. The district has expanded the World Language program at the middle school level, making all five languages available in the eighth grade: Chinese, French, German, Italian and Spanish, with the goal of eventually being able to offer high school language experience up to the fifth or AP level for all languages. The district, despite the fiscal constraints being felt by all school districts in the state, is proud to announce the implementation of a new Elementary Mathematics Program: Math in Focus.  This program, commonly referred to as the Singapore Method of instruction, is state-of-the-art and is most closely aligned with the state's newly adopted Mathematics Core Content Standards.

The district curriculum is aligned with the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards and is designed to meet the challenges of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Through the New Jersey Character Education Partnership Initiative as well as our partnership with the Municipal Alliance, the district offers a number of programs such as Community of Caring, Peer Leadership, Project Respect, and a Peer to Peer mentoring program designed to meet the needs of middle school students.

As the most significant factor in student learning is effective teaching, Old Bridge Township Public Schools is committed to ongoing and expanded professional development opportunities for all staff members. The district maintains annual membership in the Middlesex County Technology Training Center (ETTC), and offers extensive after school workshop opportunities.

The district is dedicated to providing quality instruction, programs, and services to enable our students to meet the challenges of and achieve success in tomorrow’s emerging world community. Please visit our web site, www.oldbridgeadmin.org. We are committed to a strong home/school partnership that will continue to make the Old Bridge Township Schools the best that they can be for your children.

Dr. Simon M. Bosco
(732) 290-3976