Steen Elementary School
Education is the key to success
Principal
July 2026
ATTN: UPON RECEIPT OF THIS LETTER, PLEASE LOG INTO YOUR REALTIME PARENT PORTAL AND COMPLETE THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION.
Website: www.bogotaboe.com > Parent Portal (top right corner)
Dear Bogota Hawks Students and Families:
I hope you're enjoying a restful START to your summer with both family and friends. As we prepare to kick off a new school year in September, I am excited to begin my 23rd year in education, 12th as an administrator in the district, and fourth as principal of Steen. It’s an honor to be part of the Bogota community, and I look forward to continuing our shared work in moving the district forward.
UPDATING YOUR PARENT PORTAL
Step 1: Log on! All your previous information has been carried over from last year.
Step 2: Verify your contact information. This includes an updated email and all phone numbers.
Step 3: Verify your emergency contacts. Who do we contact if we cannot reach you by telephone, email, or cell phone? We need the name, their relationship to you, friend/relative, etc., and a phone number for that person.
Step 4: Electronically sign off on all standard first-day parent packet documentation when logging into your RealTime.
If you experience any issues logging in or need help with your username or password, please call the main office at 201.342.6446. 3001. All documentation must be signed off on by the first week of school.
Homeroom Teachers
Homeroom Teachers will be available via RealTime at the end of August. Please update your parent portal to ensure receipt.
Outstanding Lunch Balances
As we prepare for the upcoming school year, we kindly request that you please clear any outstanding lunch balance. Ensuring all accounts are settled allows our school nutrition program to begin the new academic year fully prepared. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter and for your ongoing cooperation.
Communication
As we are officially a “green” school, all necessary information and applicable documents will be available online. This means no bulky packets, no more writing your student’s name on 100+ forms, and significantly less paper use!
After talking to parents about the various (many) ways in which communication is received , Steen is limiting the accounts needed for communication this year. It will be as follows:
ParentSquare: ALL communication, notices, updates, etc. will come via ParentSquare. ParentSquare is ALREADY linked to your main contacts in RT. You may download the ParentSquare app for easier access/customization. However, as long as your RT contact information is correct, you will receive all ParentSquare communication going forward. This will be used by all Steen staff.
LiveSchool: At our Back to School Night (September 17) you will receive a LiveSchool account from your homeroom teacher. This is where all discipline will be logged for the 2026-2027 school year. Once created, you will automatically receive weekly discipline updates to your email with regards to your student.
Looking Back and Moving Forward
As we begin a new school year, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for the incredible support and collaboration over the past three years as your principal. It has been a remarkable period of growth, learning, and meaningful connection within our school community. I am confident that Bogota will continue to thrive under the strong leadership of our Superintendent and Board of Education, alongside the unwavering dedication of our staff, the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO), and our wonderful families.
Looking ahead, I am filled with optimism for what this year will bring. Now in our second year as a school proudly serving grades 3–5, our core mission remains unchanged: to foster a safe, inclusive, and engaging learning environment where every single student can thrive.
To further enhance our academic program, we are excitingly moving to a departmentalized model for Math and ELA this year. This means our students will benefit from specialized instruction, having one dedicated teacher for Math and another for ELA. We believe this structure will deeply enrich their learning experience and better prepare them for the future.
We also head into this year incredibly proud to continue our in-house therapy dog program, which launched mid-year last year. As only the second school district in all of New Jersey to implement such a program, we have already seen firsthand the immense comfort, joy, and emotional support it brings to our students daily.
A truly strong school is built on a foundation of family and community, and I am deeply thankful for your ongoing partnership. Together, we are committed to raising the bar this year through high-quality instruction, new student leadership opportunities, and elevated expectations for ourselves, our staff, and our students.
Citizenship Grade
We are excited to kick off Year 3 of our citizenship initiative at Steen School for all grades 3–5. This program is designed to help students, teachers, and families focus on the importance of behavior, social skills, and positive contributions to our school community. As we move into the third year, we are making thoughtful updates to strengthen the program. Starting in September all students will receive their “citizenship” grade. This grade helps teachers and administration share feedback on a student’s conduct, character, and role within the classroom and school, separate from academic performance in subjects like math, reading, and science. Each parent/guardian will receive a Live School account you can use to check students’ discipline write ups and/or their current grade.
A Note on Communication as Students Grow: As our students get older and take on more personal responsibility, we shift our focus toward helping them manage their own behavior. Because of this, you may not always receive communication from us on minor issues. Instead, we highly encourage you to partner with us by logging onto LiveSchool. Once you sign up (login information will be sent at the start of the year), you can check your child's progress, and you will automatically receive recap updates every Friday. Checking LiveSchool regularly is the best way to stay in the loop and support your student's growth!
Social Media
As a staff, Bogota is committed to constant contact and teamwork with our parents and students. We regularly use our district and school Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to showcase our school's significant events and day-to-day activities. Please follow us for all of the up-to-date information.
Code of Conduct: Our Code of Conduct (included when you log into RT) has been written to ensure parents and students know the consequences of unacceptable behavior in school. It provides for parent participation in the discipline process. Repeated acts of defiance will be dealt with according to district policy.
Student Recognition:
We proudly recognize students’ academic excellence and creative achievements throughout the year. This is accomplished during awards programs, announcements, Hawk of the Month, and postings. We are very proud of Bogota's students' hard work and diligence, and love to show them off.
Free and Reduced Lunch Application:
In the upcoming weeks you will receive an email to apply for our free and reduced lunch program. Once received, please visit www.bogotaboe.com. Click Our District>Lunch Resources and follow the instructions provided. Online application results are effective immediately. YOU MUST FILL THIS OUT EVERY SCHOOL YEAR.
Uniforms
Cover Stitches will be the uniform vendor for Bogota Schools. Families can visit the physical store, order online, or visit Cover
Stitches, which has scheduled a week in August to sell uniforms at our local Bogota schools. Details attached.
Summer Assignments
To keep everyone's brains sharp over the break, we have put together some required summer work, which you can find at the link below. This needs to be completed before the start of the 2026-2027 school year and will be turned in to your homeroom teacher the first week of school. Parents, we're asking for your partnership on this—please keep an eye on your student's progress and ensure they cross the finish line before school starts. Thank you for your support!
Stay healthy and safe. We look forward to another successful year (BUT first, enjoy that summer!).
Sincerely,
Kelly Foley DeCongelio
Principal