About Navesink Elementary School

The central theme of Navesink Elementary School is to be a "Concerned Community of Learners." The school is characterized by active, hands-on learning. There is a commitment to social concern and awareness. Monthly whole assemblies are designed to foster a sense of self-worth, mutual respect, acceptance and social concern. The school is well respected for its sense of openness, friendliness and mutual support.

In the heart of the historic section of Navesink, the school is a true "Neighborhood School." Activities of the school are supported to an extraordinary degree by the parents and the whole community. Adopted by the Navesink Garden Club and the U.S. Coast Guard Station at Sandy Hook, Navesink School has been able to emphasize a "hands-on" approach to learning through various "backyard science" projects. The school boasts a wooded area dedicated to nature learning, several exceptional butterfly gardens and its own tree farm and several gardens dedicated to specific growing environments. Thanks to the support of the Navesink-Duryea Library Board and parent volunteers, the school is in the midst of a major restructuring of the grounds and play area.

Navesink's "It's OK to be Different" program, a program designed to teach tolerance and enable children to have the strength to confront bias and prejudice, has been recognized by the State of New Jersey. The School has also been designated a Holocaust Demonstration Site by the Department of Education's Holocaust Commission. Planning and implementation of the presentations of these programs are a collaboration between parents and teachers. The awareness generated helps students arrive at a greater understanding of disabilities in grade two, and of different cultures and religions in grade three. In grade five, the program is known as "Courage to Care" and seeks to enable children to develop the courage to understand and resist prejudice. Once component of this program is an ongoing relationship between fifth graders and their friends, residents of King James Nursing Home. As pen pals, the residents have been guests of the school, receive at least one letter per week, exchange gifts with their fifth grade friends, and are visited by the students on a regular basis.

Finally, the Navesink School community has maintained a long-standing emphasis on literacy. The children are exposed to the power of books through participation in various reading initiatives, primarily under the direction of parents. Examples of this emphasis are the school's eight-year participation in the "African-American Read-In Chain" during February, and participation in the National "Read Across America" program celebrating Dr. Suess. The total community involvement is indicated by the school's four-year participation in the Federal Government's reading initiative, "Read*Write*Now!"

To see the State Report Card provided by the State of New Jersey Department of Education, click here to connect to the NJDepartment of Education web page.  Then click on "njparents".  They click on "How does your school measure up?"