Progress Report GBCS Receives $2000 Gift form NJCC 9-Year Renewal Visit by NJ DOE Hot Lunches are Here! GBCS Receives Year 2 of Dissemination Grant GBCS Receives Three New Grants Building Dedication Celebrated GBCS Completes Building Purchase, Moves In GBCS Closes Deal for Building Approval for Facility Financing $500,000 Facility Grant Fundraising Record Charter Renewal GBCS Receives $2000 Gift from New Jersey Community Capital New Jersey Community Capital, a non-profit loan fund based in Trenton, NJ, presented GBCS with a check for $2000 on January 23 to support the school's gardening and landscaping initiative. The gift will be memorialized by a garden element such as a bench, tree, plaque, or other feature. The GBCS garden initiative began in the fall with the installation of a large planting bed beside the main entrance to the school; an additional bed was partially constructed before the ground froze last week. A stone patio, raised vegetable beds, a fence, and other features are also in the planning stages. The gift will enable GBCS to purchase materials, plants, and tools to complete this work. 9-Year Renewal Visit by the NJ DOE The New Jersey Department of Education paid a visit on October 31 as part of the 9-year renewal process. (All charter schools must be renewed by the State in years 5, 9, 13, etc.). Our visitors interviewed administrators, teachers, students, and parents, and had very positive feedback to share with us. They indicated that they could clearly see our mission, goals, and objectives in action. [UPDATE: Renewal granted! Five more years!] Hot Lunches are Here! After much discussion, and many requests, we began serving hot lunches on September 20. We will start with hot lunches twice a week and see how it goes. Please come by to help us out--contact Susan McKenzie (732.448.1052) if you can assist between 11:30 am and 1:00 pm. Our first meal was pasta shells with meatballs, peas, bread, and fruit. It was delicious! GBCS Receives Year 2 of Dissemination Grant GBCS has been notified by the NJ DOE that it will receive year 2 of a New Jersey Charter School Dissemination Grant ($132,000) to continue its partnership, called Gaining Ground, with the Real Estate Advisory Development Services (READS), and the New Jersey Charter Public School Association to provide training and support for charter school facility development projects and charter school strategic planning. Learn about this project at the Gaining Ground web site. GBCS Receives Three New Grants GBCS has received three prestigious grants in the past two months: The New Jersey Charter School Dissemination Grant ($152,000) will create a partnership, called Gaining Ground, between GBCS, the Real Estate Advisory Development Services (READS), and the New Jersey Charter Public School Association to provide training and support for charter school facility development projects. Learn about this project at the Gaining Ground web site. A $10,000 grant from the Toshiba Corporation will support our middle school science program as they learn sailing and celestial navigation as part of their physics curriculum. The sailing instruction will be supported by New Brunswick Sea Scouts Ship 132, a group of Sea Scouts sponsored by GBCS. A $12,000 Smarter Charter Grant received through the New Jersey Charter Public School Association, and originating with the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, will support the school's development of a new Strategic Plan by enabling GBCS to retain expert consulting services. Building Dedication Celebrated After six months of residency, GBCS officially celebrated the dedication of its new facility on Saturday, February 26. Distinguished guests included Mayor Jim Cahill of New Brunswick, Dr. Gloria Bonilla Santiago of Rutgers University and the Center for Strategic Urban Community Leadership, and representatives from New Jersey Community Capital, Prudential Social Investments, and the New Jersey Department of Education. Board Chair Carla Haynes-Siglam and Executive Director Rick Pressler recognized and thanked those who made possible the establishment of our new home. GBCS Completes Building Purchase, Moves In The Greater Brunswick Charter School completed the purchase of its new building at 429 Joyce Kilmer Avenue on August 19, 2004. Over the following week, furniture and materials were moved into the new space and staff began the process of setting up their new home. The building, which carried a price of $3 million, was purchased from the development firm of J.G. Petrucci and Co., Inc. as a "turnkey" property. Petrucci completed renovations of over 20,000 square feet of space in about four months. The deal represents an innovative combination of Federal grant funding, financing through non-profit loan funds (New Jersey Community Capital), and engagement by a developer committed to providing New Jersey charter schools with outstanding facilities. The new building will ensure GBCS of a stable foundation on which to continue to build its educational program. The space has been designed specifically to support the student-directed, constructivist educational philosophy of the school. Teachers and parents collaborated actively with the building's architects throughout the design process. GBCS Closes Deal for New Building The GBCS Board of Trustees has approved a contract with J.G. Petrucci, Inc., a New Jersey-based developer, for the purchase of a newly renovated facility at 429 Joyce Kilmer Avenue in New Brunswick. The 40,000 s.f. building will provide the charter school with the permanent home it has been seeking. The new school will be completed by August 1, 2004, and ready for occupancy by September. GBCS Approved for Facility Financing On June 18, 2003, GBCS received a commitment from the New Jersey Community Loan Fund, a non-profit loan fund that supports non-profit community-based enterprises, for up to $2.5 million in loans to enable the school to purchase a newly renovated building. GBCS Receives Facility Grant On May 22, 2003, GBCS received a contract from the Department of Education for a $500,000 grant to assist in the purchase of a newly renovated building for the charter school. The grant has made possible the financing of the $3,000,000 purchase of a 40,000 square-foot building in New Brunswick. GBCS has long believed that the only way to prosper as a school was to own its own building and to tailor it to the school's unique educational program. The building purchase will enable the school to stabilize its facilities costs while providing space for the expansion of the program to serve up to 250 students. New Fundraising Record Set The Greater Brunswick Charter School, thanks to its sister organization, The Friends of the Greater Brunswick Charter School, has broken all records for fundraising during the 2002 - 2003 school year. The charter school recently received a check for $13,000 from the Friends organization, an independent non-profit established to assist the charter school with fundraising and outreach. This money, in addition to over $3,000 provided by the group over the course of the year, enabled GBCS to raise over $32,000--more than tripling the highest total from any previous year. Five More Years... In December, 2001, the New Jersey Department of Education renewed the Greater Brunswick Charter School's charter for another five years. The commissioner cited the school's success in fulfilling its mission and its progress toward creating an excellent academic program. Our successful renewal was the result of a lot of hard work and determination by our teachers, staff, trustees, parents, and students. Month by month our school has grown stronger. We still have a lot to learn--and a lot to do--but we are well on our way toward seeing our vision of a dynamic, engaging, and democratic public school become a reality. * * *