Welcome Back

Dear Parents, Guardians and members of the Ocean Gate community:

“Small but Mighty”

“Small but Mighty” is the way I like to describe the Ocean Gate School and this is a distinction that is well deserved as we continue to demonstrate excellence that can only be provided in a small school-district. The intimate environment of school, community, faculty, staff, administration and parents working together to nurture the whole child, works to not only enhance a child’s educational experience but to provide for an elementary experience that is second to none. Just ask any parent or child and they know just how special our school is to them.

The 2009-2010 school-year brings with it exciting opportunities to take our high-achieving school district even closer to greatness. The last several years can be defined as banner years for the Ocean Gate School District. Our special little school received acclaim in the Asbury Park press for high student achievement as a record number of our students have passed the NJASK examination.  We were ranked in the highest echelon in the state of New Jersey among students in our District Group Factor (DFG), Group B. Once again our students made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and of particular significance is the extraordinary number of our students who passed the NJASK Science portion, with 100% passing and 75% in the Advanced Proficient range. We are also proud of our sixth grade graduates who perform extremely well in middle school and high school as compared with their peers from other constituent districts. This year we are implementing a process known as RTI, (Response to Intervention) which is designed to increase student success. This process involves monitoring student progress more closely and formalizes intervention strategies that our teachers and personnel are already doing with regard to differentiating instruction.

For the past year, we have been preparing for the states new monitoring process known as QSAC.  This process will be occurring this school year and will involve monitoring administrative practices, the Board of Education, the faculty and student performance. This is an extremely detailed audit of our Curriculum and Instruction, Governance, Fiscal Accountability, Operations and Personnel practices. We can continue to be proud of our little school district as these practices have never been as advanced as they are today.

Pride in our school and in our community has been a mainstay that permeates throughout our town while we continue to raise the bar on our instructional and administrative practices and on student performance; we also have focused on improving our facilities.  For example, this past summer we invested in an electronic classroom including a state of the art, multi-media, computer lab with the latest computers and monitors, a large video presentation screen and high quality audio and video technologies.  Our media center capitalized on being awarded the Ocean First Library Grant by installing a new computerized cataloguing system and new books. Our entire curriculum has been updated and aligned to the NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards and is now available on CD Rom. This school year we are expanding one of our grade levels by adding a second, first-grade class due to enrollment.

The facilities improvements that we completed this past summer were numerous. On the interior of the buildings, tables and seating were replaced in the cafeteria and new flooring was installed in several classrooms and in the front foyer. Many classrooms were repainted and all of the school corridors received a facelift with a new paint scheme. The Kindergarten building had the walls covered in new sheet rock, a fresh coat of paint, along with a chimney repair. On the exterior of the facilities new curbs and sidewalks were laid in various locations. A retaining wall was constructed on the East Barnegat side of the campus and an irrigation system has been installed that will be fed by well water. New sod has been laid in the soccer field area and the playground area has new mulch with an extended perimeter.

Communication and collaboration has become a hallmark of our community as we are closely associated with the Ocean Gate Borough Council, administration, Police and other service organizations.  I am also a member of The Ocean Gate Municipal Alliance whom I have worked with all year.  They continue to provide funding for our character education program and other programs for our children and community. Keeping our stakeholders informed about all aspects of our District’s operation is a responsibility we take very seriously. Our mayor and council have supported our school field and playground improvements and show interest by being involved in many of our events. In addition, our district has an interesting, interactive website that is filled with important information for parents, students and staff. Board of Education business is posted and soon our curriculum will be available for parents to view.  Parents can also explore classroom websites to view their students work.  Our Emergency Management Plan has been refined - with increased security and additional cameras that have been installed at critical locations. We also have a Pandemic Flu plan in case of a health emergency situation. Parents, please take the time to review the parent handbook for important information on school closings and other details.

This year, we will resume our challenging work of providing a quality education for ALL children in our unique district.  You have often heard me say that “It’s about the kids”.  I believe we build successful futures one child at a time.  You may wonder how this is done . . . We start by discovering each child’s unique strengths and talents and developing programs of support and of course what we always do here in the Ocean Gate family, we care.  Our staff members are provided with professional development opportunities to ensure that they have the requisite knowledge and resources to provide an exemplary education and they do so in a most admirable fashion.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our supportive families and the talented and dedicated members of our staff, administration, Board of Education and parents for your unwavering support. I would also like to give you another reminder that all the research proves that small schools provide a better education to children.  Year after year, we demonstrate the quality education that the tiny Borough of Ocean Gate has to offer its families and children. We may be small, but we are mighty! 

I look forward to another successful school year!

Frank B. Vanalesti

Superintendent