Welcome to the 2026-2027 School Year!

Dear JWB Families, 

Welcome back! We hope you enjoyed a great summer, filled with time to rest, recharge, and share with family and friends. We are so excited to welcome you all back for another great school year and to see our hallways full of students again. 

Over the summer, our building underwent numerous renovations that have significantly improved our facilities and learning spaces. While a few projects will continue once the school year begins, we want to assure you that any remaining work will be carefully coordinated to minimize disruption to the school day. The safety of our students and staff remains our highest priority, and we are committed to providing a safe, welcoming, and uninterrupted environment for teaching and learning. 

We also have great news about school transportation. Bus schedules will remain the same as last year, with departures at 2:19 p.m. and 3:35 p.m. This will allow us to continue to offer our Extended Day Program, providing additional academic support, enrichment activities, and after-school extracurricular opportunities. 

Our Activity Periods and Extended Day Clubs will begin on September 21. We encourage all students to take advantage of these opportunities to discover new interests, make friends, and become more active in our school community. 

Important Information Before School Starts 

Arrival in the Morning 

• Students traveling by bus: They will be dropped off in front of the school. 
• Students arriving by car: All students will need to be dropped off at the back of the building. There will be several staff members directing traffic and making sure all students get out of vehicles safely. 

Remember that each morning we receive more than 300 vehicles during student arrival. To help us maintain a safe and efficient process, we ask that you: 

• Follow all traffic patterns and staff directions. 
• Have your student ready to get out of the vehicle when they reach the drop-off area. 
• Avoid using the vehicle line to discuss plans for the day. These conversations should take place before you enter the line. 

Afternoon Departure 

Students who take the 2:19 p.m. bus will be dismissed from the front of the building. 

If your student will be picked up by a parent or guardian, the pickup will be at the rear of the building only. We ask that you do not pick up students in front of the baseball field or in front of Edson Elementary School. 

Again, because more than 300 vehicles arrive during departure, our top priority is safety. We ask that you: 

• Follow all directions from our staff, who have many years of experience handling this procedure. 
• Please remain inside your vehicle at all times. A staff member will take your student to their car. 
• If someone else will be picking up your student, please make sure they know to follow our pick-up procedures. 

The first week of school is usually the busiest, and the process can feel a bit chaotic. However, once new families get familiar with the system, dismissal runs smoothly and is usually completed in about 10 minutes. 

Guidance Counselor Assignments 

We now have three and a half guidance counselors to work with our students and want families to be aware of our guidance counselor assignments for the upcoming school year. Please note that Ms. Colucci will be dividing her time between JWB and Miller. 

• Mrs. Williams: 6th grade, 5th grade A–DO 
• Mrs. Dearing: 7th grade, 5th grade DU–HO 
• Mrs. Volpert: 8th grade, 5th grade HU–Mc 
• Ms. Colucci: 5th grade ME–Z 

Our guidance counselors are an important resource for our students and families, and we encourage you to reach out to them whenever your student needs academic, social, or emotional support. 

Save the Date 

We invite you to mark your calendars for our Back-to-School Night, which will take place on September 24, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. 

During the first week of school, I will send you additional information about this event and other important activities. 

At the end of August, we ask that you continue to check the district's website for bus routes and pick-up times. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or any of our administrators: 

• Debra Fitzgerald, Principal– (845) 943-3571 
• Ms. Heredia, Assistant Principal – (845) 943-3572 
• Mr. Chiarieri, Assistant Principal – (845) 943-3573 
• Main Office – (845) 943-3590 

Enjoy the rest of the summer! We look forward to seeing you very soon for another great school year at JWB. 

Sincerely, 

Debra Fitzgerald 
Principal 
J. Watson Bailey Middle School