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Sustainable Jersey for Schools Certification Report

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This is the Sustainable Jersey for Schools Certification Report of Long Branch Middle School (Monmouth), a Sustainable Jersey for Schools silver certified applicant.

Long Branch Middle School (Monmouth) was certified on August 02, 2022 with 510 points. Listed below is information regarding Long Branch Middle School (Monmouth)’s Sustainable Jersey for Schools efforts and materials associated with the applicant’s certified actions.

Contact Information

The designated Sustainable Jersey for Schools contact for Long Branch Middle School (Monmouth) is:

Name:Vanessa Giammanco
Title:Assistant Principal
Address:350 Indiana Ave
Long Branch, NJ 07740
Phone:732-229-5533

Actions Implemented

Each approved action and supporting documentation for which Long Branch Middle School (Monmouth) was approved for in 2022 appears below. Note: Standards for the actions below may have changed and the documentation listed may no longer satisfy requirements for that action.

  • Board Leadership & Planning

    District Sustainability Policy

    10 Points
    Bronze Priority Silver Priority District

    Program Summary: The board of education recognizes that responsible environmental stewardship is an integral part of its mission in ensuring that schools are well run. The board supports conservation and sustainable planning and operations, and shall endeavor to implement green initiatives in all day-to-day district operations. Sustainability is defined as meeting the needs of the present while not compromising the future. The board recognizes that sustainability through the adoption of green initiatives in all day-to-day district operations will only succeed with the cooperation and support of the board, the students, the parents/guardians and the community. The district shall endeavor to engage all members of the school community in the conservation and green initiatives of the district. The board directs the chief school administrator or his or her designee(s) to oversee the districts programs for conservation and green initiative including but not limited energy efficient practices, recycling, sustainable programs and business practices within the district, environmental assessments, green construction within school facilities, and education and training programs for students, staff and the community.

    Professional Development for Sustainability

    20 Points
    Bronze Priority Silver Priority School District

    Program Summary: The Long Branch Public Schools Summit is an Annual Professional Development event designed to kick-off our Sustainability, Social Emotional Learning, and Future Ready programs. During the 3-hour gathering, close to 100 attendees from our schools and community learn about ways LBPS is fostering sustainability and adopting an innovator's mindset to serve our schools. The event includes opening presentations from various staff members and students, a keynote address, and finally various small group workshop options from outside speakers on related topics. In addition to in-house PD, the district encourages employees to attend outside opportunities like the Monmouth County Master Gardeners’ annual school garden conference. Green Team members from each school also independently attend other sustainability-related training opportunities including the many Sustainable Jersey webinars throughout the year.

    Green Enhancement of District Strategic Plans

    10 Points
    District

    Program Summary: The Long Branch Public Schools strive to promote a culture of Sustainability throughout the entire district. As such, we have updated our strategic plan to reflect the skill set and tools our students will need to become active contributing members in communities where climate change is at the forefront of global problems that must be addresses and solved. These skill sets include • Social & Emotional Learning • Programs, Pathways & Proficiency • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) • Communication • Student Life | Life Skills • Portrait of a Graduate In addition the mission and vision of the district have been updated to reflect our commitment in celebrating diversity and embracing uniqueness, all while the LBPS family strives to educate, develop and support every student to become successful community members in a rapidly changing world. LBPS seeks to empower our students socially, emotionally, and academically for life and career in an inclusive, dynamic and innovative learning environment from PreK thru 12th grade and beyond. Strategic Plan location on the district Website: https://www.longbranch.k12.nj.us/Domain/4 Video Supporting the adoption of the Strategic Plan: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1J4QiOUgc-HhBGtyBo39aWMcPHxBWmElG/view?ts=610150d0

    School Community Asset Mapping

    10 Points
    School District

    Program Summary: The Long Branch Public Schools District with the help of students, teachers, administrators, and community partners have continued to develop a community asset map to identify community places that make our city a great place to live, work and play. The asset map was shared with the community and staff via social media, e-mail and posted on the district website under the district's sustainability tab. Students will continue to grow and develop this map to include additional places of interest in our community. Access our map here: https://www.google.com/maps/search/Long+branch+school+district+community+asset+map/@40.2935587,-74.019636,14z/data=!3m1!4b1

  • Climate Mitigation & Renewable Energy

    Buy Renewable Energy

    10 Points
    School District

    Program Summary: Long Branch Public Schools are returning participants in the ACES consortium of purchasing renewable energy is such a positive action for the school district. First, it is a more efficient way to utilize the public school purchasing power for electricity which for a small up-charge per kWh allows the school to reduce its carbon footprint by not using fossil fuel generated electricity and we are expected to have as much as 40% renewable energy provided to us. This is another example of how the NJ Sustainable for Schools is making a difference.

    Onsite Renewable Generation System - Geothermal

    10 Points
    School

    Program Summary: The Long Branch Middle School was built by the NJ School Construction Corporation (now known as the NJ School Development Authority) in 2005. The Geothermal system is the source of all the HVAC equipment for a building approximately 246,000 sf. The geothermal well field consists of 368 wells located under the Varsity Baseball field located next to the building. GEOTHERMAL INFORMATION Number of Wells 368 Well Depth 500 ft. ea.; (128,000 ft. tot.) Number of Well Circuits - 32 Number of Wells per Circuit 8 Geothermal Pipe Size Well Size (in.) 1-1/4" Branch Size (in.) 3”;2” S & R Main Size (in.) 12" Manifold Size (in.) 12" Geothermal Pipe Material Well Pipe: SDR 11 Polyethylene Branch Pipe: SDR 11 Polyethlyene S & R Main Pipe: SDR 11 Polyethylene Manifold Pipe SDR 17 Polyethylene Insulation (Above Grade&in Pit) ¾” Rubatex R-180-FS Fluid Information Fluid: Environol 2000 (23%) By Wt.) Flow (GPM): 2850 Well Field Press. Drop (ft. HD): Approximately 60 Maximum Entering Water Temp. 100°F Insulation ( Above Grade&in Pit) 3/4" Rubatex R-180-FS Minimum Entering Water Temp. 30°F

    Onsite Renewable Generation System - Solar

    20 Points
    School

    Program Summary: Long Branch has installed a canopy & fix-tilt, roof mounted 772.920 kWDC photovoltaic (solar) energy generation system, operating exclusively as a Net Metering Photovoltaic Solar Electric Facility (SEF). The rooftop Solar Electric Facility is comprised of one hundred and nine (109) strings each with thirteen (13) Motech MTPVp-235-MSC poly-crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules in series with a maximum nominal voltage of 600 VDC. These strings are fed through eleven (11) combiner boxes with 210 amp, 600 volt integrated DC disconnects and to two (2) PVPowered 75kWpme (1) 50 kW and one (1) 100kW PVPowered three-phase 480 VAC inverters. The Canopy Solar Electric Facility is comprised of one hundred and forty-four (144) strings each with thirteen (13) Motech MTPVp-235-MSC poly-crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules in series with a maximum nominal voltage of 600 VDC. These strings are fed through fifteen (15) combiner boxes with 210 amp, 600 volt integrated DC disconnects and to two (2) 35 kW and one (1) 75 kW and one 260 kW PVPOwered three-phase 480 VAC inverters. There are eight (8) PVPowered inverter systems. Each inverter system consists of an Inverter Control Switch, a DC Disconnect, a PVPowered inverter, and an AC Disconnect. The three-phase AC output from each inverter is fed through three-phase 480 VAC isolation transformer within the inverter, and the output is connected to the load side of an existing Customer distribution panel via two (2) 60 amp, one (1) 80 amp, three (3) 125 amp, one (1) 150 amp and one (1) 400 amp, 480 volt AC breakers to one (1) 1200 amp Main breaker and one (1) 1200 amp, 600 volt AC disconnect, fused at 1200 Amps. Power from this new metering system is connected on the Customer side of a JCP&L revenue grade electric meter. The annual percentage of the school building's energy use offset by solar was 29%.

  • Digital Learning Leadership

    Community Engagement

    10 Points
    School District

    Program Summary: The process used to create a district and school communication plan needed to start with being able to communicate with all it’s stakeholders in a medium that they are familiar with, and use. This day and age there seems to be plenty of ways to communicate, but not all use the same platforms to get their information. With digital literacy being fluid, and the ages of the stakeholders varying, there is a need to make sure everyone is considered. This plan starts with the need of digital devices being in everyone’s hands and reaching out in every way possible. Areas like websites, Twitter, Facebook, Genesis, and Crisis Go to name a few make it possible to not only reach many people but also embrace them in a preferred format. This coupled with different languages makes sure that all are equally important and there is less chance of members of the community being left behind.

    District Commitment to Digital Learning

    15 Points
    Bronze Priority Silver Priority District

    Program Summary: Long Branch School District has a very strong commitment to Digital Learning. The district has a diverse team of stakeholders that makes up their Executive Committee that meets monthly. In addition, each school has a team. Other artifacts uploaded for this action include support provided to our children and families with digital learning during remote learning. They include Useful Resources During School Shutdown, a survey to assess technology needs, and a schedule to prepare for remote learning. We live in a digital society, all manner of preparation for the world, work and life is our priority. Long Branch Public Schools is committed to providing all of the tools and opportunities to maximize student and educator success. This includes equitable access for our diverse population to ensure academic student growth through their virtual learning experiences. These digital learning experiences also offer social emotional learning strategies that support students, teachers and parents. Our goal is to ensure that students have access to the digital devices and tools in order to be successful both in school and at home. Flexible learning is possible through technological resources as students, staff and the community engage in authentic and personalized learning experiences

    District Professional Development Plan *Retires 10/31/23*

    10 Points
    District

    Program Summary: The Chief Academic Officer organized a district professional development committee to formulate the 3 year 2019-2022 district professional development plan. The diverse committee met several times to collaborate on this document. The committee created 3 year goals which included activities for implementation based upon research evidence. The areas addressed in the 3 year PDP plan include but are not limited to: school safety, security, and code of student conduct, health, interscholastic athletics, educator evaluation, equity and affirmative action, special education, prevention, reading, preschool, and mentoring. Since 2017, our EdTech specialists have provided district, school-level, department-level, and personalized professional learning opportunities. In order to make this meaningful and reach all stakeholders, they have created a district-wide technology survey to assess each professional’s and student’s needs. Professional learning has been provided through written documents, emails, in-person, video conferencing, and recorded tutorials. Professionals are able to contact the EdTechs through email, chat, helpdesk, and phone. In addition to internally provided professional learning, outside opportunities such as those provided by New Jersey Institute of Technology, Kiker Learning, and Pear Deck are made available to staff.

    Equitable Access to Digital Learning

    15 Points
    Bronze Priority Silver Priority District

    Program Summary: With the recent increase in virtual learning, Long Branch Public Schools became more aware of the differences in access to technology resources. In order to support our learners and our staff, we gathered information about access to technologies including devices and network connections. Going into August of 2020, we learned that 7% of our students did not have Wi-Fi at home and almost 22% of students did not have access to computing devices like a Chromebook, laptop, or desktop computer. Additionally, we assessed our students academic progress in order to identify learning gaps through various systems including i-Ready and LinkIt! Spring benchmark assessments will be given to identify gaps in learning from the 2020-2021 school year. Curriculum teams will be assembled to review student assessment data and progress toward the learning standards at each grade level. Teacher teams will work with the prerequisite skill and concept documents available through the NJDOE to develop a scope and sequence for 2021-2022 that will best meet the needs of the students. The scope and sequence will specifically address learning loss and provide teachers with resources to help students who are continuing to struggle. In order to assist us in addressing the technology gaps, LBPS partnered with T-Mobile to provide wireless access points for families in need. Prior to the pandemic, LBPS maintained the fleet of Chromebooks on campus. In order to meet the computing needs of students, LBPS planned and executed safe and secure technology pick up days. Families in need were able to obtain Chromebooks. Additionally, LBPS partnered with HP to provide seniors with laptops. As new students arrive, their needs are determined and met with technology provided by the district thereby preventing the creation of a digital divide.

  • Digital Learning Practices

    Digital Citizenship

    10 Points
    Bronze Priority Silver Priority District

    Program Summary: As we continue to integrate more technology into our schools, the Long Branch School District recognizes the importance of teaching and instilling good Digital Citizenship. Teachers/Media Specialists use the curriculum from Common Sense Media, as well as Google’s iKeepSafe program. In addition, the ISTE standards for Digital Citizenship is an important guide that is reviewed often by both administrators and educators. These resources combined, allow our educators to guide our students to make sound choices and to develop a positive digital footprint. Virtual PD on Digital Citizenship has been offered to the entire staff, and a more personalized PD on how to become a Common Sense Educator has been provided to all the Media Specialists in our district. Our Media Specialists and our EdTech Specialists work together to reach out to as many students and teachers by providing lessons for grades K-12, updating the Digital Citizenship page on our district’s EdTech site, and through ongoing conversations.

    Professional Growth and Collaboration

    15 Points
    School

    Program Summary: Long Branch Middle Schools professional learning goals when it comes to technology during this difficult time was ambitious. The need for technology during Covid made it necessary for all teachers to use technology that they were not familiar with and the need to train them on it. A lot of the training was individual, but the support of using teacher PLC’s to help our community of teachers by subject matter, and schoolwide was a great asset. Some of the areas of concentration were Nearpod, which was given to all staff this year, with staff giving tutorials to their group of teachers in subject matter. Mosa Mack was purchased by the school for the science curriculum which helped incorporate science with engineering. Another paid curriculum was PLTW. This curriculum for engineering, robotics, and medical embraces technology, stem, and science through hands-on technology like 3D printers, gears and motors, as well as medical investigations. After some of the district paid sites, we found useful sites like Kiddom, Legends of Learning, Quizlet, and Edpuzzle to name a few. These sites helped with other areas like SEL, giving the students multiple avenues to learn content at their own pace and improve their confidence. It also allowed students to hear from a different source to keep their attention and go back to the subject if they needed to follow up on the subject. These were used in individual PDP’s by teachers and helped gauge students growth throughout the year.

  • Digital Technology Access

    Data Safety and Security Policy

    10 Points
    District

    Program Summary: Long Branch Public Schools has created several committees in key areas which include board members, administrators and specifically identified personnel. (Note: In this case, as it pertains to Data Safety and Security, the Technology Team is involved in identifying and explaining pertinent aspects.) To properly address policy, the Governance Committee meets quarterly to write, remove and/or revise the policies for the district. Once a structure has been created and agreed upon, drafts are released to the Leadership Team for further input and review. Once the verbiage is decided upon, the policy is presented to the district's attorneys for approval. Upon completion, the policy is adopted into board policy at a board meeting and presented to the staff. Long Branch Public Schools has several key factors in place to assure our digital information is protected... The district has 2 firewalls in place that assure all internal data is protected from outside sources. The district has 2 Proxy Filters in place that assure all staff and students are filtered while browsing the Internet in accordance with our district policy. The district installs and maintains a full Enterprise Endpoint Solution for Antivirus on all servers and computers. The district maintains extensive network and user policies to assure users only have access to data that they are permitted to see. The district maintains strict password policies that have a set length/strength with a time period for password changes. If LBPS uses a vendor to house data, i.e. a cloud based program for student information, a formal review and questionnaire is provided to assure the company properly protects our data and follows guidelines to keep it private. Additionally, we have provided opportunities for leadership and staff to participate in data safety/security simulations. Attached is a simulation that we modified from https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/ to make relevant to various offices and departments.

    Digital Device Life Cycle Management

    10 Points
    District

    Program Summary: As more and more technology entered into schools, Long Branch Public Schools identified a need for properly managing not only in production technology but end-of-life / end-of-usability technology as well. As such, the Technology Team deployed software to track our equipment and worked closely with the Business Department to develop specific criteria that would trigger disposal of equipment that was no longer is use. Using these criteria as our guiding factor, equipment is evaluated regularly and discussed bi-weekly at Operations Meetings with administration as well as quarterly with the Operations Committee which has board members included. Inventory is of utmost importance. Keeping track of, and being able to manage software, laptops, tablets, Chromebooks, etc. is a huge priority to assure we can properly manage and maintain all of our equipment. Using a suite that PDQ offers, we currently run PDQ Inventory and PDQ Deploy. These 2 pieces of software allow for us to both track our networked computers, laptops etc. as well as deploy software to them through pushes & schedules on an individual and/or mass basis. It also allows us to pull detailed information on any device. Again, thinking progressively and adapting to the rigorous demands of the Technology field, Long Branch Public Schools has created a position for an Inventory Technician. While having a full technical skillset with the ability to perform daily break/fix duties, this technician has been in the field and understands the needs of our department. Pairing him with an office area inside of Tech center has allowed us to use this amazing resource to gather quotes and keep track of inventory such as projector bulbs, solid state drives, network wires, etc. (things that are not connected to the network). We have a full suite which houses most of our employees (the network team has a separate office a few doors down) that has personal space, locked storage, shelving units and filing cabinets. The person in this position keeps the storage areas clean and organized so our techs can quickly and efficiently find anything that is needed. Designated areas are always labeled and stocked appropriately. The resources are reviewed by the inventory technician on a daily basis and he contacts various vendors to supply the Head of Technical Services with the lowest quotes. The quotes are then reviewed and submitted to the Technology Director with written explanations for purchasing.

    Infrastructure

    10 Points
    District

    Program Summary: For FY2022 we will be replacing our 2 district firewalls and our 2 district web gateways. A perfect example of our process is shown by the measures we took before deciding upon the equipment to purchase. A direct call to a manufacturer, which involved a representative and an engineer, allowed us to choose the proper firewalls for our environment. With their recommendation after an extensive conversation being a direct upgrade of our current equipment, it was apparent there was no need to look elsewhere as it is a proven solution without any benefit to changing the product line and/or brand. On the other hand, while we were evaluating our web gateways, we addressed a few of issues and concerns of our current product by involving multiple vendors and demoing their product and/or speaking with Technology Departments of other school districts. After extensive research and conversations, it was decided that a full hardware replacement would best suit our needs while maintaining the same manufacturer of the software but upgrading to a newer version.

    Support for Digital Teaching and Learning

    20 Points
    District

    Program Summary: Long Branch Public Schools (LBPS) has had strong supports for digital teaching and learning in place for many years now. Of course as technology has evolved, so have our teaching practices and supports. The challenge of opening up the use of new and exciting hardware or software is balancing the benefits and potential risks. LBPS has ensured supports are highly available and timely in their response. Whether it is the fundamentals of maintaining functional hardware and software implementations or if it is supporting the use of technology during classroom instruction, LBPS has made supporting staff and students a priority. LBPS remains committed to this goal by providing EdTech specialists who can provide large group, small group, or individualized on-demand technology training. This year, LBPS has invested in providing staff with better control over students' use of technology while also improving the safety by purchasing (after a successful pilot) the GoGuardian monitoring service. Teachers and administrators are grateful to more control and improved data regarding student technology use and online learning. Annually, we survey all stakeholders with regard to their satisfaction with LBPS' technology. With the help of the bilingual department and the newly-founded Department of Equity and Inclusion, we developed a multilingual web app to deliver language-specific versions of the satisfaction survey. Find the web app here: https://surveys.edtechwave.com/ As part of our annual reflection and planning, a district committee reviews the survey data to find areas in need of support. To support all stakeholders with their use of technology, we developed and deployed a custom web site and newsletter: https://edtechwave.com/. Further technology resources can be found here: https://www.longbranch.k12.nj.us/Domain/87

  • Diversity & Equity

    Accessible Communications

    10 Points
    School District

    Program Summary: The Long Branch Public School District is committed to providing on-going communication to both our schools and the local community. It is our priority to provide all communications based on our dynamic demographics by using a variety of methods and ALWAYS in multiple languages (English, Spanish, and Portuguese). Throughout the school year, we invite families and community members to attend a variety of extra-curricular, sports, and academic events. We also use many platforms to communicate important information to our school community. Our district webpage has the option for visitors to view its contents in their native language. We also provide district-level video updates to families in our community, these video updates are posted on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Our YouTube channel has over 1,100 subscribers, this platform allows us to upload a transcript for each video update - - providing parents with Spanish and Portuguese captions. We also have created a short tutorial showing parents how to enable video captions. Emails, flyers, phone calls, invitations (via. US Mail), auto-dial calls through Blackboard connect, and applications such as, Class Dojo or Remind, are also provided in all three languages. The district has several policies helping to ensure effective communication including # 9200 Parent communication and #5420 Reporting of pupil progress. With every student registration packet, we include a guide to help parents navigate the various levels of our school system. Our "School to Home Communication" options menu is a place where we display the various methods of communication available to parents, allowing them to choose which one works for them. Finally, the district is constantly putting additional communication items in place on an ‘as-needed basis.’ An example of this is our District COVID-19 Dashboard which provides transparency about our school community health data, as well, as our Covid-19 Video Updates Playlist, and information about ‘GRAB and GO’ school meals, all which can be found on our District Homepage.

  • Energy Efficiency

    Energy Efficiency for School Facilities

    30 Points
    Bronze Priority Silver Priority School District

    Program Summary: Long Branch Public Schools engaged in an Energy Savings Improvement Plan (ESIP) costing nearly $10 Million dollars. The project completed in June 2019 so we submitted comparison data from 2018-2019 and 2019-2020. Due to change of schedules with COVID we are not submitting data from 2020-2021 since the schools were used less during that time. The project involved lighting and HVAC activities. The first level was to replace every light fixture and upgrade to an LED bulb or fixture across all buildings. The HVAC work was much more involved. At Morris Ave we replaced original unit ventilators, boilers and a 15 year old Chiller and added Building Mgt controls. At, Lenna Conrow we replaced two boilers including one steam boiler and original unit ventilators and added building management controls. At Audrey W Clark School we replaced original boilers and unit ventilators and added building management controls. At JMF we replaced some Roof Top Units (RTU). And finally, the HS saw a 33% decrease in costs by replacing the RTUS at the Gyms, Auditorium, and cafeteria at a cost of nearly $1 MM. The Middle School has experienced a 26% reduction in utility costs. As demonstrated in the EUI spreadsheet, the district as a whole achieved 16.6% energy savings.

    Energy Tracking & Management

    10 Points
    School District

    Program Summary: Energy Tracking & Management: Long Branch Public Schools has been involved with Energy Tracking for over 7 years. The program has matured into a daily routine of checking systems and usage of Energy. Our Energy Mgr. also supervises our Buildings and Grounds Department that directly maintains our system of their peak efficiency of operation. He also actively tracks and monitors utility usage at every building. Part of that program includes tracking With EnergyCAP, you can track any energy or non-energy commodity and any type of bill detail. He enters bills manually using bill entry templates. EnergyCAP provides two different views-finances and facilities-so you can view and report both data types separately. The two data hierarchies are also hyperlinked, which makes it easy to jump between accounts, buildings, and meters. By helping you correlate cost and consumption information, EnergyCAP provides granular and summary level data from both perspectives for powerful analytics that yield actionable insights. EnergyCAP PowerViews and reports provide a clear picture of each account/meter's cost and consumption history for months or years in graphical or tabular format. IN the 7+ years of the program we have been able to save over 5 MM dollars district wide.

  • Food & Nutrition

    Healthy Food Choices Beyond the Cafeteria

    10 Points
    School District

    Program Summary: In order to generate excitement in healthy eating Teachers and students are sharing videos of how they are elevating the take home lunches. This allows students to "Think outside the Bag" and use what they are bringing home to create and explore with different flavors. This is inspiring more students to take home a healthy lunch and provides families with a fun way to look at school lunches. I have included samples of some of the things they came up with, form lunches they took home. In order to promote and support healthy food choices beyond our school cafeteria, at the start of every school year, a letter is sent home, or our school handbook is posted online for our school community to review the guidelines for snacks and food students are allowed to have in school. We have also removed all soda machines from schools in 2010 and only allow healthy choice snacks for fund raisers as well as classroom events like Halloween and Birthdays. We strive to educate students on food nutrition and health, the following efforts promote healthy food choices in our school: *Health nutrition classes *Monthly Newsletters *Taste testing in all schools during lunch *Health Fair Events *School garden

    Promote Locally Grown Foods

    10 Points
    School District

    Program Summary: Our Food service program is committed to providing and promoting locally grown foods. We provide locally grown food samples on a monthly basis to students during lunch time with special recipes. We also promote quarterly chef competitions with healthy recipes and recently, our elementary winner was selected to have her healthy salad recipe shared nationally. Long Branch purchases local foods though the USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program and our efforts to provide the most nutritious foods to our students along with food education and awareness has been recognized at both the national and local level. The Long Branch Schools contracts with Sodexo for our food programs in the schools. The attached invoices show the locally sourced produce purchased by them and delivered to our Middle School, (Sodexo's main location in our district). The produce is then taken to all our schools: LWC, MA, JMF, Gregory, Anastasia, GLC, Middle School, High School and the Alternative Academy (AWC School). As seen in the attached school menus, we have also began to indicate which menu items are sourced locally.

  • Green Cleaning

    Green Cleaning Equipment

    10 Points
    School District

    Program Summary: Long Branch has purchased Green Cleaning machines as we purchase new or replacement machines. Green cleaning equipment is just part of the district’s overall plan of a low environmentally cleaning program that incorporates prevention, product selection, equipment efficiency, and effective procedures. Through the purchase and use of green motorized cleaning equipment, our custodians are able to clean more efficiently and ensure allergy- and asthma-friendly environments by improving indoor air quality and eliminating harmful cleaning products. By utilizing a local purchasing coop, we have been able to replace older less efficient equipment while also controlling costs. The newer equipment is quieter, ergonomically designed, uses HEPA filtration, and optimizes chemical use.

  • Green Purchasing

    Green Purchasing Policy

    10 Points
    Bronze Priority Silver Priority District

    Program Summary: The Long Branch School District is dedicated to decreasing our footprint while increasing our sustainability and community awareness of conservation. A large step for this goal is to include the awareness of sustainability and conservation in all aspects of the district including purchasing. In June of 2015 the board adopted a green initiatives policy that includes green purchasing considerations whenever fiscally responsibility allows. The policy is posted in the board minutes for everyone to read. All District policies are also posted on the school website in a searchable database providing access to all staff and the community. Finally - We are already purchasing sustainable and energy smart appliances and equipment throughout the district! **Updated 1/3/22- The active policy can be found on our website using the link here: https://www.straussesmay.com/seportal/Public/DistrictPolicy.aspx?policyid=7660&id=b50ce4ebbb5f451db593dc1acdca7f47 and at this address in the District Sustainability Policy: https://www.straussesmay.com/seportal/Public/DistrictPolicy.aspx?policyid=7461&id=b50ce4ebbb5f451db593dc1acdca7f47

  • Healthy School Environments

    Access to Healthy Water in Schools

    20 Points
    School

    Program Summary: This year, Long Branch Public Schools continued to implement their Lead Water testing plan per the Department of Education lead testing regulations N.J.A.C. 6A:26-12.4, with additional definitions at 6A:26-1.2. We developed water inventories, filter inventories, plumbing layouts and assessments in our schools. We sent announcement letters regarding the testing to the community, families, staff and students and performed the tests on 450 outlets across the district during the month of April with assistance from an outside agency. 17 outlets were designated above the limits. We sent letters to 6 schools affected within 24 hours of receiving the results. We also hung signs indicating the outlets were not suitable for drinking. Also, we believed those outlets were either shut off or had low usage and not properly flushed the evening prior to the testing. So, we retested in May, there were 4 outlets that failed at first but passed on the second flush which dictates replacement of fixtures as per the guidelines. We followed the regulations by appointing Project Manager which prepared all the paperwork and Project Officers who performed the water inventories and were also present during the water tests. We also posted all of the results and inventories and profiles online on our district website. Finally, we prepared a Quality Assurance Plan which is also posted on our website. http://www.longbranch.k12.nj.us/Page/16156 Additional documentation is available at the above district page including the Sampling plans for all locations. In addition the letters sent home for results are found here https://www.longbranch.k12.nj.us/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=20559&dataid=17201&FileName=AWC%20GLC%20HT%20Hs%20MS%20LWC%20MA%20Result%20LEtters.pdf

    Anti-Idling Education & Enforcement

    10 Points
    School District

    Program Summary: As part of our district sustainability policy, the Long Branch Public Schools has implemented idling regulations at each of our 9 schools and our District Office. The policy has been posted on the website and shared with all district families and staff. In addition to making our school community aware of our anti-idling policy, this year we have installed 10 No Idling Zone Signs in both English and Spanish in front of each building. School busses in-district are regularly monitored for idling and fuel use. Our school bus drivers not only attend regular trainings regarding cutting down idling, but they also use the newest buses for the longest routes. Recently, we have published an Anti-Idling Public Service Announcement starring our students. This video was publicized through social media and our local broadcast channel. Moreover, we have adopted a No-Idling resolution for schools, sent parents no-idling information packets and asked parents and staff members to commit and pledge to be "Idle-Free in LB". PSA Can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5rj1ypuB0Q

    Outdoor Air Quality Awareness Program

    10 Points
    School District

    Program Summary: Understanding the importance of breathing healthy air, the Long Branch Public School district has continued implementing the outdoor air quality program as modeled by www.airnow.gov in each of our 9 schools. At all schools, this program allows for both our students and staff to not only understand the importance of healthy air quality but the appropriate activities that are promoted for a healthy lifestyle in each of these air quality categories. Representative of the outdoor air quality, these flags set the standard for outdoor activity in each building. Administrators, staff, and students have learned about the importance of the program and the significance of each of the flag colors. The program influences each of our students though participation in Physical Education Classes and recess activities, as well as after school and athletic sports programs. Each building has set aside designated indoor areas when necessary to allow for the continuation of gross motor play and practice. Flags are coordinated daily based on the information displayed on the widget provided by airnow.gov displayed on our district webpage (widget is only compatible with Internet Explorer) and daily emails received by administrators, and educators in each building. Staff and students are made aware of these levels as they enter through lobbies in each building or walking by the flag poles. Due to pandemic photos have not been updated. Included is a letter ensuring that every building continues to announce air quality alerts for student sin the building on a on zoom meetings at home. Students are not able to gather for photos at this time. Thank you for your understanding.

    Radon Testing, Education and Mitigation

    10 Points
    School

    Program Summary: Our district continues to test Radon as a condition of providing a healthy environment for our students and staff. We last performed our test in April 2022. No radon remediation was required at Long Branch Middle School. All of our radon testing was completed by a fully licensed and certified company for testing as well as remediation. All floor plans remain the same all results are shared with the community and can be found on the following district website, https://www.longbranch.k12.nj.us/Page/6399.

  • Innovation Projects

    Innovative Project #1

    10 Points
    School District

    Program Summary: This year, the Long Branch Public School District has taken an innovative approach to Professional Development. In order to promote and adopt a culture of innovation and sustainability throughout the district, we have embraced an online based, peer-to-peer green approach to professional teaching and learning for all faculty and staff. Individualized learning has never been so exciting and readily available to our staff. By creating an online platform to house all our peer-to-peer sessions, the district has completed eliminated the need for paper handouts during PD days and we are now able to reach each staff member right in their classroom, office or home without the need for them to travel to another location. Now, nearly 1,000 staff members can learn remotely and have options and flexibility when it comes to their professional growth. The process begins by putting out a call for presenters to our staff. After submissions have been received, a selection committee comprised of teachers and administrators will review the proposed session and our approved presenters will begin creating their video sessions. The final result is a 15-20 min video that is made available to all staff members to watch during our dedicated PD days and of course, they can always revisit the material and explore other sessions at any time from anywhere! On Friday, January 26, 2018, we were able to kick off our Future Ready Virtual PD Summit with over 40 individual sessions to our staff! Our second virtual PD day took place on March 23, 2018 and brought a new round of presenters from every school and exciting all new sessions to explore. As a commitment to our innovative approach to individualized professional development, we are continuing the effort throughout the Summer with a virtual book study discussion held live through Zoom, a live video platform we’ve been using for the past 3 years for meetings and conferences. For more information on how our Virtual Summit PD days work, please review the attached emails, list of session offerings and screenshots.

    Innovative Project #2

    10 Points
    School District

    Program Summary: The participants of Long Branch Middle school have been currently working on reducing our carbon footprint and promote sustainability at school, home, and in the community. LBMS help clean up beaches, and trying to prevent pollution in Long Branch, that’s why we’ve begun a no straw in Long Branch campaign. We no longer use straws in the cafeteria. Our students are working with local businesses to eliminate or use alternative straws. LBMS students educate business owners of the dangers to marine life. Wildlife become entangled in plastic, they eat it or mistake it for food and feed it to their young, and it is found littered in even extremely remote areas of the Earth. In our oceans alone, plastic debris outweighs zooplankton by a ratio of 36-to-1. Over 260 species, including invertebrates, turtles, fish, seabirds and mammals, have been reported to ingest or become entangled in plastic debris, resulting in impaired movement and feeding, reduced reproductive output, lacerations, ulcers and death. The tiny, broken down pieces of plastic are displacing the algae needed to sustain larger sea life who feed on them. This is a long term project. We have done our initial visit and information session. Our next step is to go back to businesses and present our slide show to gain a commitment. If need be we will contact corporate offices with our program.

  • Learning Environment

    All Arts Disciplines Offered

    10 Points
    District

    Program Summary: The Visual and Performing Arts are essential for a thriving community. The overall goal of the Visual and Performing Arts department is to provide a wide variety of experiences. Students are provided the greatest opportunity for success and the developmental level of each child is considered when selecting activities. Creative thinking, problem solving and critical thinking skills are nurtured throughout each course. Our purpose is to enhance the strengths of the students while creating awareness, building self-esteem and fostering leadership skills. The Long Branch Public Schools provide a various opportunities for students to be engrossed in enriching arts programs both during and after school.

    Future Ready Schools - New Jersey Certification

    10 Points
    School

    Program Summary: Perhaps the greatest achievement of our Future Ready Schools journey was that it allowed us to examine our practices and work together to make changes that benefited our students, staff, and families due to the exploratory lens and mindset shift that came with the Future Ready vision. We supported one another and worked collaboratively not only in our school, but as a district - sharing ideas and best practices. We shifted our focus to student centered personalized learning. There were less teacher directed activities and more student led/driven activities. We explored all of the gears, but focused on the use of space and time, community partnerships, collaborative leadership, curriculum instruction & assessment, and personalized professional development. The frameworks helped us think strategically and plan for fine tuning our practices. It also allowed us to celebrate the practices that were already in place. The personalized professional development gear allowed our teachers to take the lead in their learning and focus on areas that they were interested in and that they felt they needed improvement in. The Future Ready Schools movement also allowed us the opportunity to explore more teacher-led professional development sessions, allowing us to utilize the talents and strengths of our staff members to help teach one another.

    Outdoor Classroom

    10 Points
    School

    Program Summary: The Long Branch Middle School has an excellent example of an outdoor classroom. In the middle of the school is a courtyard that has tables and seating for classes to be held outside. The court yard is accessible from various points, that make it easy for all classes to use the space. This is also a place that students can work on our school garden and appreciate all nature can provide for us. All classes are invited to use the outdoor class to teach. Teachers are able to schedule a time to use the courtyard, and there is also room for more then one class to use the space. The outdoor gardens are you there and students and teachers generally maintain the garden beds. Buildings and grounds maintain the grass and anything that needs to be maintained.

    Student Participation in the Arts

    10 Points
    District

    Program Summary: The overall goal of the VPA department is to provide a wide variety of experiences for our children. Courses include visual arts, dance, drama, vocal music, instrumental music, music technology, digital arts, TV & film. Creative thinking, problem solving and critical thinking skills are nurtured throughout each course. Our purpose is to enhance the strengths of the students while creating awareness, building self-esteem and fostering leadership skills. Students are afforded the greatest opportunity for success and the developmental level of each child is considered when selecting activities. Courses throughout the Visual & Performing Art department continue to stress the importance of sustainability and conserving our natural resources. Attached is a list of community activities the district was involved in with regards to the arts, letters from the Superintendent stating the courses and highly qualified teachers in our district, as well as the NJ School Report for the Visual & Performing Arts in our schools.

  • School Culture and Climate

    School Culture and Climate Needs Assessment

    20 Points
    School

    Program Summary: The school safety committee for Long Branch Middle School was assembled at the beginning of the school year. It was comprised of staff members from every department via a sign up sheet, along with administrative team members, facilitators, guidance counselors, nurses and custodians. Throughout the year the members would bring concerns to the committee that were sent to them or brought up. These concerns would eventually help compile the questions used in the survey. In February there was a pre-planning meeting to discuss the steps they were going to take. In early March individual meetings were held via Zoom that included people from groups like BOE members, superintendent, assistant superintendent, union president, DEI director, personal director, and mayor. Once these meetings were completed they went on to perform stakeholder meetings. These were mostly focus group meetings via zoom that lasted about thirty minutes. These groups included PTA leadership, teachers, student council members, business community, principals and vice principals, central office and town leadership. On March 15th they launched the online survey through google forms. The survey for the parents could be found on the school website, and was promoted by robocalls, letters going out and through the students. The student survey was administered through the school with an extended homeroom. The teachers survey was promoted to the staff through email and a discussion during the whole school faculty meeting. On March 30th the survey was closed and April 20th the committee was presented with the data. Throughout April the committee met to come up with a vision and finalize the goals. June 1st the final action plan was due and was presented to the BOE on June 29th.

  • School Grounds

    Biodiversity Project

    10 Points
    School

    Program Summary: Students will be studying an observation beehive in classes. Bees are an important part of our community and they are dwindling. Students will be visiting the community gardens to help plant a pollination garden to support the local bee population. By installing an Observation hive we will be providing the community with a colony of bees to help the growth of local gardens. A local bee keeper has visited our class to discuss the work involved in raising bees and the benefit it has not only to our community but to our society as a whole. Students researched and debated if we should have the beehive in our school. They explained the myths and the benefits to our school administration. Students have also taken place in building man-made bee homes that they can place locally to further support bees and the need for more bee friendly habitat. Students will be working with the parks department this summer to help them plant a bee friendly garden! We are still working on installing our observation hive as we need to find the perfect location as it will be a permanent fixture in our school. The remote hive is located with in our community.

  • Student & Community Outreach

    Green Team

    10 Points
    Bronze Required Silver Required School District

    Program Summary: 03/26/21 WE ARE STILL WORKING ON UPDATING THIS ACTION AND OUR ANNUAL REPORT. The Long Branch Public School District Green Team is committed to environmental and digital education and developing a spirit of environmental stewardship in each of our schools. All schools in the district are represented on the team (see board approved list attached). During the past several years, we have promoted and participated in many sustainable practices and activities including environmental awareness, site clean­ups, energy savings & recycling programs, green cleaning, food & nutrition education, school gardens, and many others! As our school gardens and sustainable efforts expand, we continue to look for volunteers to join our Green Team and provide our current members with numerous professional development opportunities throughout the year.

    Enrichment Programs through Partnership

    10 Points
    School

    Program Summary: Long Branch Middle School Participates in the Power Save Program that teaches Energy Conservation and helps families save energy at home. This is done during the school day when it can be worked in to the curriculum. Students have done energy saving explorations, school competitions on saving energy, they have researched green careers and made videos sharing this information with their peers.

    Green Fair

    10 Points
    School

    Program Summary: The Long Branch Public Schools Annual Green Fair encourages sustainable lifestyle choices for our community, raises awareness regarding environmental issues, and demonstrates how our schools are reducing their impact on the planet. In light of COVID-19, this year the LBPS Green Team has created a virtual Green Fair experience to highlight our sustainability efforts and partnerships. On May 25, 2021, LBPS livestreamed the Virtual Green Fair to the community and the world on YouTube! In addition to highlighting a sustainability partner, each of our 9 schools contributed to the fair by creating short videos displaying sustainability projects and activities. Visit our Green Fair page to view our full green fair videos featuring all 9 of our schools: https://sites.google.com/longbranch.k12.nj.us/gardens/virtual-green-fair-2021

  • Student Learning

    Education for Sustainability Grades 4-12 English Language Arts

    5 Points
    School

    Program Summary: In the ELA classes Long Branch Middle school took the opportunity to use sustainability as a focal point to enhance essay and persuasive writing skills and debate skills. The students wrote a Claim Evidence Reasoning on Climate Change, students were asked to research if Climate Change was Natural or enhanced by human actions. Students evaluated six forms of evidence and decided the quality of the evidence, they then took the evidence collected and wrote a final CER proving their claim. They also Filled out a KWL chart as they worked on this project. This project was done virtually, students debated the evidence and went through what good evidence is and used the evidence they collected to write on their position. Whole group and small group instruction took place during the course of the project.

    Education for Sustainability Grades 4-12 Science

    5 Points
    School

    Program Summary: Students learn about energy principles, conservation, demand, renewable, and green careers, thought the Power Save Program. They learn the difference between light bulbs and easy sleep mode settings to conserve energy and not use energy when they do not need them. They see the difference between wattage and voltage and different non-renewable/renewable sources of energy. As part of the Middle School Curriculum students take part in numerous lessons on the importance of renewable energy. As part of the 6th grade curriculum students take part in lessons understanding the practical use of using renewable resources. Students research the and compare renewable and non renewable resources and discuss this with in their classrooms. By discussing Renewable and Non-Renewable resources students were able to debate the pros and cons of both energy sources. Students were asked to choose one of the energy sources they were most interested about and make a presentation to share digitally. Students researched where in the these energies were used more frequently, this allowed them to realize that globally most countries are utilizing renewable resources and it is something we need to do as a planet. Links to videos, articles and all digital material is avail to the students prior to the lesson if they want to preview the information. It is also available after the lesson , in order to review and make up assignments. Students are engaged in chats in break out rooms, and in google classroom we use written chats to discuss topics. This allows students to question each other and respond showing they understand the content we are discussing.

    Education for Sustainability Grades 4-12 Social Studies

    5 Points
    School

    Program Summary: Mrs. Hanlons Class attended a Census 2020 Summit and students met with the Mayor of Long Branch to learn of the importance of being part of the Census. Long Branch Middle School envisions a community that stands together to eliminate harmful environmental waste. Our students and staff are thriving to engage the public to participate in a future that is sustainable. Students will research and create platforms to deliver the message of the ban on plastic bags, paper bags, polystyrene foam food containers, and straws that will be taking effect in the state of New Jersey. Our goal is to inform and educate as much of the town of Long Branch of the impending ban and importance of a sustainable community. We feel that a cultivation of environmental awareness would lead to a stronger local economy and healthy shore environment. In order to inform our community students will deliver their message to the town of Long Branch, Long Branch Board of Education, senior centers, community centers, and businesses

  • Student and Staff Wellness

    Policies to Promote Physical Activity

    10 Points
    District

    Program Summary: Long Branch's quality Physical Education/wellness program is fundamental for our students. Why do children need a quality PE/wellness program? The simple answer is so that they will remain physically active throughout their lifetime and reap the benefits of doing so. Quality PE/wellness provides students with a multitude of important learning experiences that cannot be duplicated in the classroom. Physical Education/wellness is that phase of education which is concerned with the teaching of skills, improving physical fitness, the reinforcement of other subjects, self-discipline, leadership and cooperation, enhancing self-efficacy, stress reduction, and strengthening peer relationships. Physical activity contributes much to the growth, development, and the general well-being of every individual. We believe that Long Branch Public Schools are; "Where Children Matter Most". With this philosophy in mind, we are certain that our Fitness Program s and Opportunities will teach continuous growth and achievement for all students, without exceptions.

    Staff Wellness Program

    10 Points
    School District

    Program Summary: The Long Branch Schools goes above and beyond to promote staff wellness. As part of our culture of sustainability, our on site health center is more active then ever. The Partnership Health Center, located at the Long Branch High School (https://www.partnershiphealthcenters.com/) provides medical and wellness support for all staff and their family members 7 days a week. The Partnership Health Center Long Branch (PHCLB) addresses all members' basic wellness and medical needs under one roof of over 5000 sq.ft. The health center’s activities are centered around the theme of “Care for the Whole You”. Employees pay no co-pays or deductibles for any services or programs of the health center. It is open 7 days a week for 65 hours, opening weekdays from 7 AM to 6 PM and Saturdays and Sundays from 8:00-1:00 throughout the year. The wellness center is located centrally in the school district on school property, making it a convenient location to all work sites. The center continues to provide monthly newsletters, diagnostic services, as well as nutrition, chiropractic care, physical therapy, yoga, and other programs targeting staff wellness and activities.