Readers think School Activities fees though well publicized are “ridiculous”
Where did your children go go middle school? Are you new to the Village (or as I call it, the “Billage)?
With all due respect, I cannot cannot fathom that you did not know about the activity fee. I don’t know a single middle school or high school parent who is unaware of the activity fee as they send home notices about it at the beginning of every single school year and bombard you throughout the year. There were many, many e-mails and Skyward messages sent. You couldn’t access Skyward without going through the messages. My son, who is graduating tomorrow, received the e-mails through his own mail accounts and checked on Skyward, and with me to ensure, that our fees were paid. If a teenage boy can read and follow up on these e-mails, parents should be able to as well. Do you typically receive e-mails from your children’s schools? If so, you likely received the activity fee e-mails and didn’t pay attention to them.
And, a simple search on Google (“Ridgewood” “High School” “Activity fee”) would have provided you with answers. Are you unaware that RHS has a website? Take a look at it . . there is a big tab to the left that says “Clubs and Activities” and when you click on it, the first thing that pops up is “For general information about paying your fees, click here”. It’s not buried in the RHS website (which can be cumbersome).
The District likely assumes that you, as a parent, have read their extensive e-mails, Skyward messages and mailed information concerning activity fees and advised your children as to whether or not they can join clubs. They assume that your child has your approval to join the club since you have been notified of the fees repeatedly. Kids know if they join a club, there’s going to be a fee. I really don’t think it’s fair to blame this on Mr. Fishbein.
Personally, I think the activity fee is ridiculous. IF you even breath in RHS, the fee applies. I’d like to see a pay-as-you-play structure because I don’t think a kid who attends one Latin club meeting during the year should pay as much as a kid who plays 3 varsity sports (with multiple coaches, trainers, equipment, buses).
Ridgewood students will help teach local preschoolers
Tuesday June 25, 2013, 1:21 PM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News
Revamping its course on child development, Ridgewood High School (RHS) is partnering with the nursery school at First Presbyterian Church next year.
After several weeks of classroom learning, RHS students taking the course will go to the church, located on East Ridgewood Avenue close to the high school, for some practical experience.
In the current RHS Child Development program, a one-semester course open to all grade levels, students learn about the development of children while planning and teaching lessons to 3- to 5-year-olds in a current weekly “preschool” program.
Did Mayor Paul Aronsohn pressure the Ridgewood News to withdraw a letter to the editor ?
June 26, 2013
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ , The question is did Mayor Paul Aronsohn pressure the Ridgewood News to with draw a letter to the editor?
A Ridgewood blog investigation suggests that Mayor Aronsohn intervened and looked to squelch a recent letter to the editor critical of his public handling the “Tom Richie issue , Extel Communication issue.
The letter writer claims that after she received the usual phone call to confirm from the Ridgewood News , and she forwarded a copy to all the members of the Village council . At the June 12th she was approached by Mayor Aronsohn and asked to retract the letter because it contained some “mis-information” . The letter writer kindly declined . On June 14th she was contacted by the Ridgewood News assistant editor and told the letter “needed some fact check verification” and was being held up. Then she received an email from the editor who had been out of town and he basically said he would print it and that he was sorry for any inconvenience. at this point she told him not to bother because of the time lag.
This all begs the question Did someone call the News on Thursday,June 13th and asked that the letter be withheld ? If so then it brings up two issues first is that some one pressured the Ridgewood News to retract the letter and the second is that the paper succumbed to the pressure.
Like the letter writer we dont believe that being approached by the mayor to withdraw a letter and the fact that it was withdrawn is a coincidence.
Village looking for Advertisers for Ridgewood Train Station Starting September 1st
Bid Notice – Poster (Sign) Displays for Advertising at Village Train Station Complex Bid Open July 9
Sealed bid proposals will be received by the Village of Ridgewood, in the Level Three Conference Room at the Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07451 on Tuesday, July 9, 2013 at 10:30 a.m. prevailing time, and then publicly opened and read aloud for following project:
“Poster Displays for Advertising at the Village Train Station Complex, Specific Locations,
September 1, 2013 through August 30, 2016”
The work of the contract shall consist of providing and installing: Mount Frames for the Display of Advertising Posters at the Village Train Station Complex in the Pedestrian Underpass and the Station Building interior. There are a total of 34 locations for posters, of which 32 locations are for commercial advertising and 2 locations are to be for community advertising use. The successful vendor shall maintain and service the various advertising posters during the duration of the contract in accordance with the standards determined by the Village. The work of the contract also requires the selected vendor to be able to supply any necessary replacement parts and timely service as needed. Upon mutual agreement of all parties, the Village will consider extending this contract for an additional two years beyond the term stated.
Specifications and bid forms may be obtained by mail from the office of the Engineering Division, Department of Public Works, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07451, telephone (201) 670-5500, extension 238, for a non-refundable fee of $10.00, per set of bid documents. Documents may be examined or picked up in person between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the Engineering Division, Department of Public Works, Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07451, Monday through Friday. Prospective bidders requesting bid documents be mailed to them shall be responsible for providing their own postage/delivery service remuneration. No Specifications and/or Proposal forms shall be given out after 4:30 p.m. on Friday, July 5, 2013.
Prices quoted must be net and exclusive of all federal, state and local sales and excise taxes. Bids may be submitted in person or by mail. Mailed bids shall be addressed to the Office of the Village Clerk. The Village assumes no responsibility for loss or non-delivery of any bid to the bid opening location sent to it prior to the Bid opening.
The contractual obligation of the Village of Ridgewood under this Contract for these Items is contingent upon the availability of appropriate funds from which payment for this Contract can be made.
Each bid must be enclosed in a sealed envelope with the name of the bidder thereon and endorsed, “Poster Displays for Advertising at the Village Train Station Complex, Specific Locations, September 1, 2013 through August 30, 2016 ” and must be accompanied by the following: either a certified check, cashier’s check, or Bid Bond (Schedule B), drawn to the order of the Village of Ridgewood for $5,000; a Consent of Surety (Schedule A); a Corporation or Partnership Statement (Schedule C); a Non-Collusion Affidavit (Schedule D); and a Statement of Responsibility (Schedule E). Any award or awards may be made at a later or subsequent time or meeting of the Village Council. All required schedules, that is Schedule A, B, C, D, and E, are required to be submitted on the forms enclosed in the bid documents. No other forms will be accepted.
All contractors, their subcontractors, and material suppliers shall comply with all applicable provisions of the Contractor Business Registration Program, pursuant to Public Law 2004 Chapter 57. Evidence of satisfactory registration(s) shall be submitted at the time of the bid. All bids submitted shall contain a copy of the bidder’s New Jersey Business Registration Certificate.
The successful bidder shall furnish and deliver to the Village of Ridgewood a performance and payment bond in the amount of $10,000.00 as security for the faithful performance of the Contract. Additionally, the successful bidder shall furnish policies or Certificates of Insurance required by the Contract. In default thereof, said checks and/or bid bond and the amount represented thereby shall be forfeited to the Village of Ridgewood as liquidated damages, not as a penalty.
Proposals submitted by Bidders and/or Bidder’s Insurance Company(ies) not chartered in the State of New Jersey, must be accompanied by proper certificate(s) from the Secretary of State, indicating that such Bidders, Bidder’s Insurance Company(ies), and/or Surety Company(ies)’s is (are) authorized to do business in the State of New Jersey. The Village of Ridgewood reserves the right to reject any or all bids, to waive any informalities or to accept a bid which, in its judgment best serves the interest of the Village. No bids may be withdrawn for a period of sixty (60) days after the date and time set for the opening of bids.
“BIDDERS ARE REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF N.J.S.A. 10:5-31 et seq. and N.J.A.C. 17:27. A complete statement as to these requirements is included in the specifications.”
U.S. Civil Charges Against Corzine Are Seen as Near
By BEN PROTESS
Federal regulators are poised to sue Jon S. Corzine over the collapse of MF Global and the brokerage firm’s misuse of customer money during its final days, a blowup that rattled Wall Street and cast a spotlight on Mr. Corzine, the former New Jersey governor who ran the firm until its bankruptcy in 2011.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the federal agency that regulated MF Global, plans to approve the lawsuit as soon as this week, according to law enforcement officials with knowledge of the case. In a rare move against a Wall Street executive, the agency has informed Mr. Corzine’s lawyers that it aims to file the civil case without offering him the opportunity to settle, setting up a legal battle that could drag on for years.
IRS ‘Lookout List’ Not Much Broader Than Originally Thought, Contrary to Reports
Acting IRS commissioner Danny Werfel on Monday told reporters that the now-infamous “Be On The Lookout” list was far broader than was originally disclosed in the Treasury Department inspector general’s report. Reports from outlets including the Associated Press, which I cited in my original report, and now Bloomberg News, confirmed Werfel’s account, indicating that various versions of the list not only included terms like “tea party” but also “progressive,” “occupy,” and “Israel.”
A November 2010 version of the list obtained by National Review Online, however, suggests that while the list did contain the word “progressive,” screeners were in fact instructed to treat “progressive” groups differently from “tea party” groups. Whereas screeners were merely alerted that a designation of 501(c)(3) status “may not be appropriate” for applications containing the word ”progressive” – 501(c)(3) groups are prohibited from conducting any political activities – they were told to send those of tea-party groups off ”to Group 7822″ for further scrutiny.
That means the applications of progressive groups could be approved on the spot by line agents, while those of tea-party groups could not. Furthermore, the November 2010 list noted that tea-party cases were “currently being coordinated with EOT,” which stands for Exempt Organizations Technical, a group of tax lawyers in Washington, D.C. Those of progressive groups were not.
New Jersey Assembly Passes Bill To Combine Elections
The Democratic-controlled New Jersey state Assembly on Monday passed legislation to move all state elections this year to Oct. 16, the day Gov. Chris Christie (R) picked for a special U.S. Senate election.
The move is another step toward a showdown with the governor. Democrats have objected to Christie’s decision to hold the special election to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D) just 20 days before the general election on Nov. 5. The special election and its Aug. 13 primary will each cost the state at least $12 million. (Celock/Huffington Post)
Islamists Using Twitter to Recruit
by William Bigelow
Islamists are taking advantage of Twitter to spread their violent propaganda. Writing in the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point’s journal, independent academic investigators Nico Prucha and Ali Fisher state:
Twitter has become the main hub for the active dissemination of links guiding users to digital content. These jihadists decided to engage in physical violence after being active within the virtual dominions of al-Qa’ida where exposure to the media had an impact on their personal lives and understanding of religious conduct.
LAST BOE MEETING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR IS TONIGHT, TUESDAY, JUNE 25
The Board of Ed meets at the Ed Center, 49 Cottage Place, at 7:30 p.m. You’re welcome to come, or wathc from home via the district website or on FiOS channel 33 or Optimum channel 77. Click below to view the agenda.
Bill making medical marijuana program more accessible to sick kids wins final passage
As the mothers of two chronically sick children cried tears of relief, the Assembly approved a bill today that would remove some of the legal barriers that have prevented kids from benefiting from New Jersey’s medicinal marijuana program.
The 55-13 vote with nine abstentions in the Assembly was the bill’s last stop before going to Gov. Chris Christie, who has reluctantly implemented the medical marijuana law and has said he is “not inclined to allow” children to participate in the program, even though state law allows it. (Livio/Star-Ledger)
Readers says on the eve of Graduation , Seniors held hostage phantom fines, fees and overly inflated activity fees
Meanwhile at Ridgewood High School members of the Class of 2013, senior students, on the eve of their high school graduation are being held hostage to phantom fines, fees and overly inflated activity fees.
Less than five years ago the yearly activity fee was $75 now that same activity fee is $150. Disregarding district policy requiring collection of fees on a yearly basis or prohibit the student from participating in extracurricular activities, fees are cleverly hidden and withheld until a few weeks prior to graduation. Parents and students are threatened with being barred from participating in graduation, withholding of graduation tickets, withholding of final transcripts to colleges, barred from project graduation activities and more. During the past month anywhere between $150-$600 or more, is being demanded from parents without so much as an invoice.
In addition, 17 and 18 year old students are being asked to fork over cash, before getting tuxedo tickets and graduation tickets, for newly alleged damages to books and school equipment, added fees for art, science lab classes and more.
Shouldn’t the district be required to collect fees and fines on a timely basis? And what recourse does a student have if they are first learning now about a missing library book from four years ago? The student believes he returned the book and four years later should not be held accountable for a failure of the district or school librarian.
This is shameful, and while it has been going on for years, it must end now! District administrators and our BOE should be responsible for timely accounting practices and appropriate implementing of district policy.
Holding kids hostage to hidden fees and fines on the eve of their graduation is a disgrace and speaks poorly of the Ridgewood Public School District.
Gun groups say voting irregularity makes gun control measures null and void
A coalition of gun groups today charged the Democratic controlled Assembly of vote-rigging and said a host of gun control measures, some of which have already been approved by the legislature, are invalid due to improper procedure.
In a letter to Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver from law firm Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith and Davis, the groups allege that by halting a June 6 committee roll call vote on A4182 before the vote was complete, it rendered that bill and every bill passed through the committee after the halted vote ineligible for consideration by the Assembly. (Isherwood/PolitickerNJ)
Annual Membership Meeting is this Thursday, June 27th at 8:00pm. At 12 E Glen Ave Ridgewood, NJ 07450 , phone (201) 652-9615
Please join us for the meeting followed by a portrait demonstration by Janet Cunniffe-Chieffo.
Yearly membership is from September through August. New students may join a class at any time during the year. A membership must be taken out to attend classes.
As a non-profit organization, our main source of income depends upon this system of membership dues. Every September you will be asked to renew your membership.
To enroll in a class, call the Institute at (201) 652-9615 while the class in which you wish to enroll is in session. All classes are ongoing throughout the year, from September through June, unless otherwise noted.
You may enroll at any time during the year.
All students pay a yearly membership fee in addition to the class tuition and fees.
Member Benefits
Throughout the year, exhibits, demonstrations and lectures are presented on topics related to the fine arts. In addition, our instructors host painting trips and seminars; contact individual instructors for more information.
Photo credit: Boyd A. Loving Charter Bus Driver Assaulted at BF Middle School, Ridgewood
June 25,2013
Boyd A. Loving
11:27 AM
Ridgewood NJ, A charter bus driver from DeCamp Bus Lines was allegedly assaulted on Tuesday morning by the owner of a silver pickup truck being blocked into a parking space by a bus. The incident took place at the Benjamin Franklin Middle School parking lot on North Van Dien Avenue in Ridgewood.
Having no information as to the involvement of weapons at time of dispatch, and because the location was a school with children present, several Ridgewood Police Department officers, including Police Chief John Ward and Captain Jacqueline Luthke, responded immediately to the incident.
Tempers cooled quickly as uniformed and plainclothes police arrived on the scene and no arrests were made. It is reported that the pickup truck driver who was blocked in also claimed he was assaulted.
No injuries were visibly apparent on either individual and no ambulances were called to the scene.
