State education officials this week will launch a series of hearings to discuss whether middle and high school students should start the school day later in the morning. Associated Press Read more
Maybe this is another reason we have so many “PARCC refuseniks” the lengthy tests take to much away from learning time?
Many teachers think PARCC a waste of time and needs to be eliminated. Teachers know better than anyone the progress of their students better than any testing can determine. Education is a local issue ,state and federal mandates are in no way indicative of what children’s specific needs are in a specific school district.
We learned this from “No Child left behind” , when it had more of a negative impact on a high performing district like Ridgewood .
The current PARCC tests seem to be pushing education to the lowest common denominator instead of encouraging individual growth and advancement.
Perhaps it’s time we move on from State mandated testing of any kind and truly get down to the business of educating students. Maybe if we didn’t lose all this time on nonsense like this we could focus on important things like civics, grammar, real math (not common core crap) .
April 30,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, BF has a history of squarely addressing the issue of teen suicide. Six years ago in the wake of the Clementi suicide BF hosted the following presentation (as mentioned on this blog on 10/4/2010). The Ridgewood district should probably host another such event at some point soon:
THIS Wednesday, October 6, [2010] 7:30 p.m., Benjamin Franklin Middle School Auditorium, 335 North Van Dien Avenue.
Parents, staff and adult community members are invited to this important presentation, given by Scott Fritz and Maureen Underwood of the Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide. Scott Fritz is a father who lost a child to suicide, and a founder of the society. Maureen Underwood is a clinical social worker and nationally recognized expert in youth suicide prevention.This presentation is for adults only and will include an opportunity for questions.
For more information contact Dr. Fishbein’s office at (201) 670-2700, ext. 10530. Information about the Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide can be found at https://www.sptsnj.org .
New Jersey’s state colleges and universities have long saddled students with fees that have helped make the colleges among the costliest public schools in the country, and on Wednesday the state singled out three of them for not making it clear how the money was being spent. Patricia Alex, The Record Read more
April 28,2016
the syaff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, The RHS Federal Challenge team took Third place in the final round of the competition that is run by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on behalf of the United States Federal Reserve system. The competition asks groups of high school students to research the domestic/global economy, develop a mathematical model for forecasting the domestic economy, present their research to a panel of high-ranking economists working at the FRBNY, and answer complex questions about both the team’s research and the economy.
file photo
April 28,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood Nj, The Ridgewood Crew team kicked off its season on April 10. The team raced the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. Overall the team took in seven First place victories, five Second place finishes, and two Third place wins.
Ridgewood Crew introduces Ridgewood, NJ high school-aged youth to the traditions, athleticism, sportsmanship, techniques and camaraderie of the sport of rowing. Founded in 2004, the team rows on the Passaic River in northern NJ and competes in the sport’s premier regattas held throughout the Northeast.
On the river, Ridgewood Crew athletes collected the most single-season medals in program history. Several boats added hardware to Ridgewood Crew’s ever-increasing showcase, achieving top three finishes across several divisions at the highly competitive: SRAA Nationals, Stotesbury Cup Regatta, Philadelphia City Championships, Passaic River Northern NJ Championships and Garden State Championships. Additionally, the team’s overall performance continued to attract interest from top rowing colleges and universities including: Bucknell, Boston University, Drexel, Duke, Fordham, Fairfield, Georgetown, George Mason, Harvard, Holy Cross, Lehigh, Syracuse, Marist, Williams and others. The program also celebrated its first female athlete to receive a full, four-year rowing scholarship.
Results from Nation’s Report Card show slight dip from two years earlier
By
LESLIE BRODY
April 27, 2016 12:01 a.m. ET
239 COMMENTS
Only 37% of American 12th-graders were academically prepared for college math and reading in 2015, a slight dip from two years earlier, according to test scores released Wednesday.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the “Nation’s Report Card,” said that share was down from an estimated 39% in math and 38% in reading in 2013.
Educators and policy makers have long lamented that many seniors get diplomas even though they aren’t ready for college, careers or the military. Those who go to college often burn through financial aid or build debt while taking remedial classes that don’t earn credits toward a degree.
Bill Bushaw, executive director of the National Assessment Governing Board, which oversees the test, said the board was pleased that high school graduation rates were rising, but disappointed in the lack of progress in boosting students’ skills and knowledge.
“These numbers aren’t going the way we want,” he said. “We just have to redouble our efforts to prepare our students to close opportunity gaps.”
Subject: Service for Alex Modlin
Comments:
Benjamin Franklin Middle School
Ridgewood Public Schools
335 N. Van Dien Ave.
Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450
“In the light of knowledge shines the key to the future.”
Anthony Orsini
(201) 670-2780
Principal [email protected]
April 26, 2016
Dear BF Community,
I know there have been many questions regarding the services for Alex Modlin tomorrow. In conversation with the family and Rabbi William Kraus they have decided to hold a service specifically for students, staff, and families who were planning on attending the funeral.
The service is as follows:
Wednesday, April 27th at 10 A.M.
Louis Suburban Chapel, 13-01 Broadway (Route 4 West)
Fair Lawn, NJ, 07410
The service will last approximately 40 minutes, and Rabbi Kraus will be addressing the issue of suicide directly during the service. The family has indicated that it would be appropriate to leave a note for Alex or a remembrance such as a toy, but your presence is appreciation enough.
At the middle school age it is essential that a parent is able to accompany students to the services in order to help them process after the funeral. Several faculty members will be present at the services for the students as well.
Staff will be back at school following the service. The internment will be exclusively for family.
Our hearts are with your families.
Sincerely,
Tony Orsini
Principal, BFMS
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, the RHS Advanced Latin Academic Team defeated the Central and Southern Regional champions, Ridge High School and Clearview Regional High School, respectively, in a fiercely contested showdown on April 23, earning them the title the team has worked so hard to achieve: New Jersey State Certamen champions. These RHS students were best in state, or runners-up, in all the academic tests and took first-place ribbons in athletic competitions as well.
Written Tests:
1st place, Mythology: Peter Psathas
1st place, Latin Grammar, Peter Psathas
1st place, Latin Vocabulary and English Derivatives
1st place, Roman Life and Culture, Charlotte Kahan/Anthony Tokarz (tied)
1st place, Latin Oratory (memorize and recite), Anthony Tokarz
2nd place, Latin Vocabulary and English Derivatives, Charlotte Kahan
2nd place, Roman History, Anthony Tokarz
Olympics:
1st place, Softball Throw: Charlotte Kahan
1st place, Boys’ 100 Meter: James Psathas
Catherine Venturini is Latin Club, Latin Honor Society and Latin Academic Team Advisor; Stefanie Giganti is Latin Teacher.
A BF Eighth Grader, Alex Modlin, Has Died (No Further Details Available Yet)
Comments:
Benjamin Franklin Middle School
Ridgewood Public Schools
335 N. Van Dien Ave.
Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450
“In the light of knowledge shines the key to the future.”
Anthony Orsini (201) 670-2780
Principal [email protected]
April 24, 2016
Dear BF Community,
It is with great sadness that I share the news of the tragic loss Saturday night of 8th grader Alex Modlin.
Any time we lose a student we are deeply saddened and the news affects the entire BF Community. Adolescents deal with
tragedy in different ways. We encourage you to speak with your children about this news, and to answer questions according to
your own family beliefs.
We will have our Crisis Response Team available throughout the day and week for our students. In addition, if you have
particular concerns after speaking to your child, please email your child’s guidance counselor. Attached are some talking points
for parents to use when speaking to children about loss.
We will be cancelling the state PARCC testing for tomorrow, and students will report to homeroom to begin the day.
We are deeply saddened by the loss of Alex Modlin. Please join us in keeping Alex’s family in your thoughts and prayers.
Tony Orsini
Principal
Benjamin Franklin Middle School
Following the Democratic majority’s rejection of changes to New Jersey’s school funding formula in the legislature last month, DOE Comissioner David Hespe saidWednesday that he believes lawmakers are better suited for making changes to the formula than the department in addressing the uneven distribution of money to under and over-funded schools. Lawmakers from both parties criticized the department and the administration of Governor Chris Christie for their inability to effect the necessary changes to the formula since Christie issued an executive order on school funding in 2012. JT Aregood, PolitickerNJ Read more
A computer glitch that shut down the PARCC testing system on Wednesdaymorning was still being fixed as of 5 p.m., said the testing company, but state officials said they expected testing to resume Thursday morning. Staff Reports, The RecordRead more
April 21,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood High School ranks #25 in the state, according to the U.S. News and World Report. The rankings were published on April 19. Click here to go to the RHS write-up.
Ridgewood High School is ranked 25th within New Jersey. Students have the opportunity to take Advanced Placement® coursework and exams. The AP® participation rate at Ridgewood High School is 64 percent. The student body makeup is 49 percent male and 51 percent female, and the total minority enrollment is 29 percent. Ridgewood High School is the only high school in the Ridgewood Public Schools.
U.S. News & World Report enlisted the help of social science research firm RTI International to compile its rankings. They measured schools using four key metrics:
Math and reading proficiency for all students
Testing proficiency for disadvantaged students
Graduation rates
College readiness via Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate test data.
Ridgewood boasts a 13:1 student-to-teacher ratio and has 64 percent of its students participate in AP Exams.
Neighbors Tenafly placed 13th and Glen Rock 14th.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, According to the Taxpayer Guide to Education the median teacher salary in Ridgewood was $78,318 this year down from $81,403 down 3,80%. Placing Ridgewood Schools somewhere in the middle of the pack.
Taxpayer Guide to Education says New Jersey school districts range from a high of more than $95,000 to a low of about $41,000 .
The guide ranked Northern Valley Regional, a neighboring regional high school district in Bergen County, has the highest median teacher salary, $95,418 while East Newark Borough, a small district that doesn’t have a high school, has the lowest, $40,922.
The pay data, released as part of the state’s annual Taxpayer’s Guide to Education Spending. The guide lists the median salary in each school district and each charter school.
The guide classifies the median salary is the salary in the middle of the payroll, meaning that half of the teachers in a district make more than that figure and the other half make less. Unlike superintendent pay, New Jersey has no restrictions on teachers’ salaries.
April 19,2016
by Boyd Loving
Ridgewood NJ, The appearance of a cellular base station antenna on the roof of RHS suggests that the “microcell” cellular telephone site owned & operated by Verizon, proposed early last year, is now in place and fully functional.
