Category: Ridgewood Schools

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Drone to be used at Ridgewood High School

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June 22,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, An item on the Ridgewood BOE’s meeting agenda for June 22, 2015 reads as follows:

“Acceptance of a gift in kind from the RHS HSA of a Go Pro [DJI] Phantom 2 Quadcopter to be used to film activities at Ridgewood High School.”

Say what?Who is going to be flying this drone and will students be present while it is in use?

This is a very big lawsuit waiting to happen.  Even experienced pilots frequently crash these devices.

Remember what happened to Enrique Igleslias!

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3104747/Enrique-Iglesias-recovering-fingers-sliced-concert.html

But what happens when a UAV filming a sporting event or wedding loses control and hits bystanders? Who is at fault, legally speaking? Fast Company reached out to experts in order to find out—and the consensus is, at the very least, the pilot will have a lot of explaining to do.  https://www.fastcompany.com/3028781/what-happens-when-a-drone-crashes
Gerald C. Sterns, a California-based aviation and personal injury lawyer, says that common law offered the best precedents. “My analogy and best estimate would be a common law and a judge would find if you bang someone in the head, [such as with] a non-domesticated animal who caused damage to another,” Sterns said. “The owner claimed he wasn’t negligent, the animal got out. The judge said it didn’t matter. If you keep a wild animal you do so at your peril. A judge might view drones causing damage as no different than the non-domesticated animal causing damage.” https://www.fastcompany.com/3028781/what-happens-when-a-drone-crashes

Negligence was also broached with Florida aviation attorney Timothy Ravich. He said the operator of a small UAV that loses control and accidentally injures an individual could be named as a defendant in a trial. Though the question of liability is up to a judge and jury, the vehicle’s loss of control could lead to charges of negligence—charges that, depending on the specifics of the situation, could also lead to the UAV’s manufacturer and event organizers being named as defendants as well. In addition, intentionally injuring bystanders with a UAV brings up separate issues of criminal law. https://www.fastcompany.com/3028781/what-happens-when-a-drone-crashes

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Ridgewood BOE Regular Public Meeting Tonight

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BOARD MEETS ON JUNE 22, 2015
The  Ridgewood Board of Education will hold a Regular Public Meeting on Monday, June 22, 2015 at 7:30 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 June 22, 2015 Regular Public Meeting.

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Ridgewood Superintendent’s Column: Remarks to the Ridgewood High School Class of 2015

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JUNE 19, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015, 12:30 AM
BY DANIEL FISHBEIN
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

It’s official. The end of the school year is here. We’ve packed up the classrooms, put away the backpacks and officially said goodbye and good luck to the 426 members of the RHS Class of 2015.

In my remarks to the Class of 2015 at graduation, I mentioned the importance of the entire Ridgewood community in helping our students meet with success. I would like to thank all of you for your support and generosity of time, talent and resources. Our mission of excellence could not be accomplished without you.

For this last column of the 2014-2015 school year, I would like to share with you my remarks to the Class of 2015 at graduation on June 18.

“Congratulations to the members of the Class of 2015, and to your parents, families, friends and mentors, as well as the entire Ridgewood Public Schools community. All of these people and many village organizations have been important in your development and success.

“We are here tonight to celebrate the present, but for a moment I would like to turn your thoughts to your future. Whether you are continuing on to attend college or university, entering the work force or enlisting in the military, there is no doubt your journey will be met with a new set of challenges which will be both exciting and daunting. However, I assure you that whatever your plans may be, you are well prepared and ready to embrace the future with enthusiasm and courage.

 

https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-guest-writers/remarks-to-the-rhs-class-of-2015-1.1358795

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Dwight D. Eisenhower Award Winner is Announced

Eisenhower Awardee

Photo: RHS Principal Thomas Gorman congratulates Dwight D. Eisenhower Award recipient Claire Andrews.
June 17,2015

Ridgewood NJ, RHS junior Claire Andrews is the recipient of the West Point Dwight D. Eisenhower Leadership Award. The program was created to recognize high school juniors who exhibit exceptional performance and potential in academics, athletics, community service, and leadership.

“The Dwight D. Eisenhower Leadership Program recognizes high school juniors who exhibit exceptional performance and potential in the areas of academics, athletics, community service, good citizenship, and leadership.  Students selected to receive the award are awarded a copy of Building Leaders the West Point Way by Major General Joseph P. Franklin, U.S. Army (Retired) and a letter of recognition from the West Point Society of the Lehigh Valley, as well as an invitation to participate in a Leadership Awards Recognition Day at West Point.”

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RHS Junior Makes 2015 All-National Honors Concert Band

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RHS Junior Makes 2015 All-National Honors Concert Band
June 17,2015

Ridgewood NJ,  a first for RHS,  junior flutist Stephanie Pizza has been selected for the 2015 All-National Honors Concert Band. The All-National Honors Concert Band is comprised of some of the best music students in the country. The band will perform together in October in Nashville.
Among other honors Stephanie has received, she was the gold winner in the International Virtuoso Competition, and she won the New York Flute Club Young Musician’s Contest twice. She has also represented RHS as a member of the All County High School Band for three years, serving as principal flute and piccolo.

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The Economic Policy Institute a left-leaning think tank says parenting style creates achievement gap

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the report focuses on the different parenting styles found in black and white households and argues that these cultural differences help create an achievement gap not fixable by schools

REPORT: NEGLIGENT PARENTING HURTS BLACK STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE

by JOHN SEXTON15 Jun 2015209

A newly-published report says that some parenting choices and attitudes can hurt the success of black students in school.

The Economic Policy Institute is a left-leaning think tank funded in part by unions. After noting that their report does not describe “all lower-social-class families” the authors look at social factors which depress student performance.

In its first key finding, the report focuses on the different parenting styles found in black and white households and argues that these cultural differences help create an achievement gap not fixable by schools. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ American Time Use Survey EPI produces the following chart:

https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/06/15/report-negligent-parenting-hurts-black-students-performance/

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Scholars Protest New AP U.S. History Standards

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Daniel Lattier | June 12, 2015

This week, an impressive list of scholars across the nation published a letter opposing the new framework for the College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) exam in U.S. History. You can read the full letter here.

As you may know, millions of U.S. high school students take an AP U.S. History course and exam each year in the hopes of earning college credit. The new framework of the exam is designed to shape the course curriculum.

The scholars’ problems with the new framework include the following:

It takes away teachers’ previous freedom with the curriculum and “centralizes control, deemphasizes content, and promotes a particular interpretation of American history.”
The historical view it promotes “downplays American citizenship and American world leadership in favor of a more global and transnational perspective.”
The framework is organized around the theme of “identity-group conflict… while downplaying essential subjects, such as the sources, meaning, and development of America’s ideals and political institutions, notably the Constitution.”
It shifts away from the previous framework’s emphasis on American exceptionalism and national character in favor of an emphasis on “the formation of gender, class, racial and ethnic identities.”

Those with similar concerns are often met with the straw man argument that they wish to turn a blind eye to the past sins committed by Americans. Fortunately, the scholars anticipated this argument in their letter:

“We do not seek to reduce the education of our young to the inculcation of fairy tales, or of a simple, whitewashed, heroic, even hagiographical nationalist narrative. Instead, we support a course that fosters informed and reflective civic awareness, while providing a vivid sense of the grandeur and drama of its subject.”

The concerns raised in the scholars’ letter are not new to me. I brought up similar ones in an article last year on Minnesota’s U.S. history standards, which you can read here. I have provided these standards below:

https://www.better-ed.org/blog/scholars-protest-new-ap-us-history-standards

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Students learn to be leaders at Ridgewood High School summit

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JUNE 10, 2015    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2015, 10:21 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Students were asked to put themselves in unfamiliar shoes as they attempted to help fictional Ridgewood High School (RHS) peers in coping with their issues at the school’s 2015 leadership summit.

After tackling the issue of social media last year, the group of ninth, 10th and 11th grade students were assigned this year with the task of helping their peers with problems they face in everyday life.

Students were split into nine groups, each one receiving a faculty advisor, and given a fictional character with certain demographics, strengths and weaknesses. Each character had a problem to solve and the students had to find a way to help that person deal with his or her troubles.

Teachers and administrators in attendance included Sean McCullough, the district’s director of Fine and Applied Arts, social studies teacher Medha Kirtane, RHS Principal Thomas Gorman and Superintendent Daniel Fishbein.

The obstacles assigned to the characters included divorce, gender issues, social anxiety, insecurity, financial struggles and both learning and physical disabilities.

The exercise taught students to solve a problem through someone else’s eyes, a person who may be very different from them, since a true leader must be able to lead people of all backgrounds and abilities.

“Even if a problem doesn’t necessarily apply to you, you still have to be understanding and be able to cope with it, because that’s what really makes a good leader,” said RHS junior Tyler Porfido.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/education/ridgewood-students-learn-to-be-leaders-1.1352679

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RIDGEWOOD SCHOOLS : BOE MEETS ON JUNE 22, 2015

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The  Ridgewood Board of Education will hold a Regular Public Meeting on Monday, June 22, 2015 at 7:30 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 June 1, 2015 Regular Public Meeting.

Spanish Student Achieve
Forty-eight RHS Spanish students received medals and 100 students received an honorable mention on the National Spanish Exam sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese.

Three Students Place in Poetry Contest
On May 14, 10 Ridgewood High School students accompanied their teachers to William Paterson University for the Annual Orlando Saa Foreign Language Poetry Recitation Contest. Three RHS students placed in the competitions. Thria Bernabe came in third place in Advanced French, Ken Marshall came in third place in Advanced German and Jeff Zachem placed first in Advanced Latin.

Help Fill the Social Services Food Pantry June 8-12
Ridgewood’s elementary and middle schools will be collection sites for non-perishable breakfast food items from Monday, June 8 through Friday, June 12. Click here for details.

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N.J. education chief to unveil plans for review of academic standards

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TRENTON – The state’s top education official said Wednesday that he will unveil plans next month for a sweeping review of academic standards to answer Governor Christie’s call for an overhaul. (Adely/The Record)

https://www.northjersey.com/news/n-j-education-chief-to-unveil-plans-for-review-of-academic-standards-1.1348111

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Benjamin Franklin Middle School custodian charged with endangering the welfare of a child

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June 2,2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood Police report that on May 28, 2015 a School Administrator at Benjamin Franklin Middle School reported a custodian at the school had inappropriate contact with a student during a after school program. The custodian Anthony E Griffiths 52 of Paterson was arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a child. The accused was remanded to the Bergen County Jail unable to post $30,000.00 Bail.

All defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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Ridgewood parents reminded to know laws before hosting parties

RHS_ Graduation_theridgewoodblog

JUNE 2, 2015    LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015, 9:59 AM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Like clockwork, placards marking the homes of new Ridgewood High School graduates are popping up on front lawns throughout the village. It’s a spring tradition embraced by the community, one signifying proud parents and reasons to celebrate.

The end-of-school rituals, namely proms and graduations, are always joyous events. In recent years, however, it’s become custom that those occasions are preceded with sobering advice and warnings about the dangers of over-celebrating, particularly if alcohol and drugs enter the equation.

Members of the Ridgewood Municipal Alliance Committee have taken the lead locally in spreading the word of those dangers, and they’ve initiated a campaign this season that delivers a message supplementing the drunken driving cautions that typically come at this time of year.

The “Parents Who Host, Lose the Most” program is directed primarily to adults who are hoping celebrate a child’s prom and graduation. Its tagline, “Don’t be a party to teenage drinking,” speaks directly to parents and guardians.

“Over the years, we know there have been parents who have hosted parties for their kids. This is a particularly good time to do it – it’s spring and you have graduations and proms,” explained committee chairwoman Sheila Brogan. “What we want to do through this campaign is enlighten parents about the liability and risks that are involved in serving alcohol to underage drinkers, kids in high school and college.”

https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/parents-reminded-of-underage-drinking-laws-1.1347045

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Reader says Common Core brutally dumbing the content down to the lowest common denominator

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The real damage stems from the fact that, subject by subject, the ideologues who designed the Common Core curricula changed what we had by brutally dumbing the content down to the lowest common denominator. They were bent on denuding K-12 instruction of educational content, re populating it with politically-correct claptrap, and refocusing the ‘learning experience’ on process, process, process… This is why you see shining examples of classic literature unaccountably being tossed from high school reading lists and replaced with mundane how-to manuals. Reform math, so reviled locally, is also comfortably piggybacking its way back into the Ridgewood schools by way of the broader push in favor of adoption of Common Core. How the ugly truth of all this can escape the attention or grasp of so many parents of affected students and their well-meaning teachers is itself a mystery. We simply cannot allow re-branded versions of the same curricula to replace the worthless original Common Core versions we are jettisonning. There are simply too many highly-educated and worldly-wise parents, taxpayers and citizens in New Jersey to justify this kind of bureaucratic snow job on our children’s future being pulled off twice in close succession. Wake up, Jersey!!

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Wine Tasting with Kevin Zraly Benefits Ridgewood Crew

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May 29,2015

Ridgewood NJ, Open to the Community! Support the Crew team at “An Evening with Kevin Zraly,” a world-renowned sommelier & author, on Monday, June 1 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at Chakra Restaurant, 144 West Route 4, Paramus. Explore new wines, sample delicious hors d’oeuvres, mingle with supporters of Ridgewood Crew, as well as fellow wine and food enthusiasts. Tickets are $100 per person. Seating is limited and all tickets are sold in advance. Please reserve early.Proceeds support Ridgewood Crew, a team comprised of 67 RHS students. For any questions, comments, or to order tickets personally, contact: Odila Galer-Noel at [email protected] or Liz Lavin at [email protected].

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Ridgewood Schools Concussion Awareness , RHS Athletics Night and BOE Meeting

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RHS Athletics Holds Night for Parents of Incoming Freshmen Athletes

Parents and guardians of incoming freshmen athletes are invited to a meeting on Thursday, June 4. RHS Director of Athletics Keith Cook will give a brief overview of high school athletics and all fall coaches will be on hand to answer any questions. The meeting will take place from 7-8 p.m. in Gym I at RHS. For more information, please contact Keith Cook (201-670-2800, ext. 20510 or [email protected]).

Concussion Awareness Program is June 1

Parents and guardians are invited to a special program on the topic of concussions in youth sports. RHS Head Athletic Trainer Nick Nicholaides and Gerard Gioia, Division Chief of Neuropsychology and Director of the Safe Concussion Outcome, Recovery & Education Program at Children’s National Health System, will be presenting information at Benjamin Franklin Middle School Auditorium on Monday, June 1 at 7 p.m.Click here for more information.

RIDGEWOOD BOE  MEETS ON JUNE 1, 2015

The  Ridgewood Board of Education will hold a Regular Public Meeting on Monday, June 1, 2015 at 7:30 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 for the June 1, 2015 Regular Public Meeting.