A new state law requires New Jersey’s Department of Education to study the feasibility and potential benefits or consequences of starting school later at middle and high schools. (Adam Clark, NJ.com) https://www.nj.com/education/
RIDGEWOOD SCHOOL BOARD MEETS ON AUGUST 24, 2015
The Ridgewood Board of Education will hold a Regular Public Meeting on Monday, August 24 2015 at 5 p.m.
The public is invited to attend the meeting at the Ed Center, 49 Cottage Place, Floor 3. The meeting will be aired live on FiOS channel 33 and Optimum channel 77. Or it may be viewed live via the district website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us using the “Link in Live” tab.
Click here to view the agenda and addendum for the July 20, 2015 Regular Public Meeting.
AUGUST 8, 2015 LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY HANNAN ADELY
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
New Jersey middle and high schools start their day on average at 8 a.m. — on par with other schools in the nation but too early for students to get a good night’s sleep, according to medical experts.
And that, in turn, can contribute to a host of health problems for adolescents, those experts say.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a state-by-state analysis this week showing that school start times for 2012, the most recently available data, averaged 8:03 a.m.
The report came less than a year after the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that middle and high schools begin their days no earlier than 8:30 a.m. Only 17.7 percent of schools — and 14.9 percent in New Jersey — started at 8:30 a.m. or later.
“Getting enough sleep is important for students’ health, safety, and academic performance,” said Anne Wheaton, lead author and epidemiologist in the CDC’s Division of Population Health. “Early school start times, however, are preventing many adolescents from getting the sleep they need.”
Students should get 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep, according to the CDC. Insufficient sleep is common among high school students and is associated with such health risks as being overweight, drinking alcohol, smoking tobacco, and using drugs — as well as poor grades, the agency said in its report.
In New Jersey, school start times have been debated for years, but the debate intensified after the pediatrics academy released its 2014 policy paper.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/education/is-lack-of-sleep-harming-kids-1.1389120
AUGUST 7, 2015, 7:51 PM LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2015, 11:48 PM
BY HANNAN ADELY
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
The freewheeling summer celebrated in countless songs and poems isn’t so carefree for many students who come home from school in June with hefty homework assignments that span grades and subjects.
Summer homework isn’t a new thing, but it is a big topic year after year, especially when it spills into family vacation and weekend activities. In one high school, students are even petitioning for homework equity, saying it should be given to all students or none at all.
Parents are conflicted, with some pushing back or grudgingly accepting it, while others say the work keeps kids sharp and competitive and makes the school year easier. Yet all parents seem to long for the summers of their youth when they read what they wanted — if they wanted — and didn’t have the stress of schoolwork hanging over their heads.
“What gets lost is the opportunity for a kid to pick up a book and say, ‘I’ve been dying to read this,’” said Randi Asher, a Glen Rock parent and a homework critic. “To have that entire summer to throw yourself into nature and to experience learning in a way that is different from an assignment. It’s not that they don’t have that opportunity. There is the whole summer, but this detracts from that.”
August 6,2015
Ridgewood NJ, Michele Lenhard has resigned from the Ridgewood Board of Education (BOE) effective Aug. 1, stepping down from the elected position she has held since 2007. School officials told The Ridgewood News this week that Lenhard is relocating out of the district. ( https://www.northjersey.com/news/education/ridgewood-school-board-member-resigns-1.1387946 )
The Ridgewood Board of Education is seeking a qualified candidate to fill a mid-term vacancy on the Ridgewood Board of Education. The vacancy became effective on August 1, 2015.
The Board is delegated by law to serve the children of Ridgewood as the policy-making legislative branch of the School District. Responsibilities of the Board are to:
Monitor student achievement. Set district policies and goals. Provide financial oversight. Approve Human Resources recommendations and hire and evaluate the superintendent. Serve as the communications link between the community and the school district.
To fill vacancies on the Board of Education. Board members are required to attend meetings approximately twice a month and serve on committees that require an additional time commitment.
This position will be effective through our Reorganization Meeting in January 2017. This position will be placed on the ballot at the annual election, scheduled in November 2016. The winner will fill a regular three-year term from January 2017 through January 2020.
Legal Requirements: To become a member of a local Board of Education in New Jersey, you must be: A citizen of the United States of America At least 18 years of age Able to read and write A resident of Ridgewood for at least one (1) year preceding the date of the appointment Have no interest in any contract with, or claim, against the Board Registered to vote in the district Not disqualified as a voter pursuant to NJSA 19:4-1
To Apply: Any qualified Ridgewood resident interested in filling the vacancy on the Ridgewood Board of Education should pick up an application at the Education Center or download one from our website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us and then submit a letter of interest, application and resume by 4 p.m. on September 15, 2015 to: Dr. Alfredo Aguilar ([email protected]) Board Secretary 49 Cottage Place Ridgewood, NJ 07451 The Board of Education will review all applications submitted and interview legally qualified candidates at the public meeting on September 21, 2015. Candidates will be advised of the interview schedule. Any questions should be directed to Dr. Aguilar at [email protected] or 201-670-2700 ext. 10503.
AUGUST 5, 2015, 11:45 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2015, 11:49 PM
BY HANNAN ADELY
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
New Jersey won’t increase the weight of state tests on teacher evaluations in the coming school year — to the relief of educators whose reviews are based in part on students’ scores.
Student performance on state tests will count for 10 percent of a teacher’s job review in the coming school year, the same as in the past year, state officials announced Wednesday.
The state could have made test scores account for as much as 20 percent of a teacher’s evaluation under a revised policy adopted last year. But state officials backed down amid an outcry from teachers against use of standardized state tests in their reviews.
“We don’t think this is a proper use |of test score data, but it is a step in |the right direction that they’re freezing it rather than raising it,” said Steve Baker, a spokesman for the New Jersey Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union.
David Hespe, the state education commissioner, said the decision was made because data from the new tests haven’t been received and reviewed yet and because the state was still transitioning from its old tests.
“This is the right move to keep teacher evaluations strong and successful into the future,” Hespe said at a state Board of Education meeting.
Ridgewood NJ, School board incumbent Vince Loncto is running unopposed for another three-year term on the five-member Ridgewood Board of Education. Loncto currently serves as BOE vice president.
In 2013, the Ridgewood school board voted to move its election from April to the general election in November. The move also eliminated the public vote on the school budget, as long as the annual school tax increase remains under 2 percent. Election Day is now Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Posted by Matt Rooney On August 03, 2015 11 Comments
By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog
Governor Chris Christie’s CNN interview continues to elicit strong reactions, Save Jerseyans, and the problem with this controversy, as with similar incidents, is that most folks are focusing on the style points. It’s among the regrettable byproducts of our presidential politics, cultural decline, and hyper-politicization of the education industry. But those are topics for another post…
What about the substance?
Let’s revisit, briefly, what these teachers’ unions are all about and objectively decide whether they deserve to exist (I’m not pulling any punches):
10) The union establishment’s demands are as unrealistic as they’ve been fiscally ruinous. NJEA members will donate $126,000 to pension and health benefits over 30 years but stand to collect $2.4 million in return. Who thought this was a good idea??? Are all of the calculators broken in Trenton? Of course not. It’s all part of an elaborate, decades-old double-whammy of vote buying and problem avoidance. Instead of hating Chris Christie, teachers should direct their ire to the politicians on their own union’s campaign season payroll. They did it.
9) Their chosen tactics are disgusting. Wisconsin’s recent experienceswere horrific, and the physical/verbal violence perpetrated by Big Labor’s storm troopers was 100% one-sided.
8) The system these unions ferociously protect is failing our country’s most vulnerable children, especially those students living in poorer, minority-concentrated school districts. Click here to check out my lengthy run-down of Camden High School’s plight (catalyzed by a give-and-take with my liberal friend of Inky fame Kevin Riordan) for the uncomfortable truth.
7) American Teachers’ unions = Democrat Party affiliates. After self-preservation, the teacher union establishment is primarily concerned with protecting the Democrats whose policies protect their power. A good faith union would avoid colluding with one political party or the other, pursuing and prioritizing the best interests of its membership and their children. Not the teacher’s unions; in this state and most others, and certainly nationally as Chris Christie pointed out, they function as a Democrat Super PAC. The American Federation of Teachers has already endorsed Hillary Clinton before either party held its first debate!
6) Dues tied up in waste and hypocrisy… so teachers lose, too: The NJEA collects a 9-figure annual sum in teachers’ taxpayer paycheck-derived dues; its regular and political arms spend many millions more in lobbying and both direct and indirect campaigning activity to influence public police. What do its members have to show for it???
5) Therefore, these unions have a financial incentive to protect bad dues-paying teachers at the expense of the education system. Much has been written on this topic but John Stossel did a particularly good job of illustrating how difficult it is to purge the suck; it’s a crisis that’s turned even hardened union veterans against the tenure-centric system.
https://savejersey.com/2015/08/chris-christie-teacher-union-punch-video-facts/
AUGUST 3, 2015 LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2015, 11:10 AM
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Al Annunziata, district representative from the New Jersey School Boards Association, presented his findings last month on a self-evaluation that Ridgewood Board of Education members undertook earlier this year.
The evaluation, which takes place once a year, includes categories like superintendent relations and board-staff relationships, with scores ranging from zero to a possible high of four. Any score below a 3.0 warrants extra attention, as that is an area that is clearly struggling, Annunziata said.
A look at Ridgewood’s scores showed that almost all of them were very high, exhibiting the high regard the board members have for the school system, and demonstrating their satisfaction with current arrangements, he said.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/education/board-hears-results-of-self-evaluation-1.1385442
Posted: Jul 29, 2015 4:01 PM EDTUpdated: Jul 30, 2015 7:54 PM EDT
By Beth Galvin, FOX Medical Team Reporter
ATLANTA -As Georgia students get ready to head back to class, a disturbing study.
Researchers found preteens and teens – especially boys – with behavioral issues like ADHD are being prescribed anti-psychotic medications. They’re ending up on drugs typically reserved for people with brain disorders like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Dr. Taz Bhatia, who founded the Atlanta Center for Holistic and Integrative Medicine, read through the study, and found the numbers troubling.
She says, “If you look at the statistics, it’s almost like 1.5 percent of our boys between the ages of 10 and 18 are on an antipsychotic medication.”
And researchers at Columbia and Yale Universities and the New York State Psychiatric Institute warned antipsychotic medications can cause major side effects, like a blunting of emotions and severe weight gain. And, unlike stimulants like Ritalin, antipsychotics are not FDA-approved for use in children with behavioral issues.
Dr. Bhatia, who goes professionally by Dr. Taz, says, “Nobody, whether you’re a mom trying to advocate for your child, or you’re a physician trying to decide what’s best for the child, nobody wants a child on a medication with long-term side effects that may even affect their development. Nobody wants that. We have to create a system that really digs and looks for other options for these kids.”
Dr. Taz acknowledges that some kids need an ADHD medication. But, she thinks it should be used only as part of a broader treatment plan that includes lifestyle and dietary changes and behavioral therapy.
So, what should you do if your child’s doctor is recommending a pill? Dr. Taz says, “My first recommendation would be to make sure you’re on the lowest dose of that medication with the fewest side effects.”
Next, Dr. Taz says ask what else you can do – along with the medication – to help your child succeed.
She says, “That’s where you and your doctor should be talking about sleep and diet, and (about) other things. Like, about school, and are they well-matched to the school they’re about to enter?”
HARDEEP MATHARU Saturday 01 August 2015
Being the “cool kid” might seem ideal at school but it can land you in difficulties later on in life, according to a new study.
The work, “Whatever Happened to the Cool Kids?”, was published in the journal Child Development by researchers at the University of Virginia, and looked at the lives of more than 180 teenagers in America over a decade.
But the results might not be to the liking of those who want to rule the roost at their schools.
According to the study, teenagers who tried to act cool and were popular during their younger years had a higher risk of experiencing problems as adults, including alcohol and drug abuse, and becoming involved in crime.
So ‘cool teens’ – made popular in films by characters such as James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause and Rachel McAdams inMean Girls – may go on to lose out.
JULY 30, 2015 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2015, 11:07 AM
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Ridgewood will have a new maintenance company serving its schools this upcoming year.
Aramark, a food service, facilities and clothing provider, will be taking on the role in 2015-2016, providing services to the district.
“Thank you for allowing us to serve this community,” said Patrick Gallagher, New Jersey district manager for Aramark, at last week’s Board of Education meeting. “We’re very excited about this opportunity.”
“We’re committed to work with problems as they arise, with the goal of service improvement and support for the district, district’s administration and goals,” said Joseph Aidala, general manager of Aramark Education.
The company, founded in 1959, has served schools, sports facilities and healthcare centers.
“Our on-site management team is active throughout the district and is interacting with our employees and the district stakeholders,” Aidala said. “Our sites are currently on a summer cleaning program for the school opening.”
For the summer cleaning, Aramark not only makes sure everything is neat, but also examines everything in the classrooms and offices, ensuring all is in working order, company officials said.
JULY 31, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Despite the start of the school year rapidly approaching, the Board of Education and Ridgewood Education Association (REA) have been unable to agree on a new contract.
The current contract, which began on July 1, 2012, expired at the end of June.
Mike Yannone, president of the REA, confirmed this week that the organization’s members are working without a new contract. The REA represents 550 teachers, secretaries and counselors in the Ridgewood school district.
“When our contract expires, we continue to work under the terms of the old contract,” Yannone said. “We will honor the contract, and the kids will be taught.”
However, the optimal result is for an agreement to be hammered out as quickly as possible.
“I would love to be able to talk to the other side,” Yannone said, adding that he understands that setting up a meeting can be difficult over the summer.
The main sticking point of the negotiations is a dispute over health insurance premium contributions.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/education/sides-hoping-to-iron-out-contract-1.1384018
JULY 28, 2015 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2015, 9:38 AM
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Representatives of architecture firm EI Associates gave estimates on the cost of renovations to Ridgewood school buildings at last Monday’s Board of Education meeting.
“Over the past school year, we have been working with EI on some facility projects,” said Superintendent of Schools Daniel Fishbein. “The focus of tonight is on the facility review of all our schools.”
Mike Wozney, the director of all educational projects at EI Associates, described the way in which the firm travels to schools, inspects buildings, and estimates how much it would cost to spruce them up. However, as Wozney made clear, the numbers are hypothetical, and subject to change.
“These numbers are conceptual in nature,” Wozney said. “Any time we do a project for a district, we first identify the deficiency; put a budgetary number to it. As you move that project along, the next step would be schematic design. The numbers would be more accurate, and obviously with a detailed design, very accurate.”
https://www.northjersey.com/news/education/renovation-costs-reviewed-by-ridgewood-district-1.1381853
