Remember this number: 165 . . .
For those of you who still believe that luxury apartments in Ridgewood’s Central Business District would not attract families with school aged children, this word from Board of Education officials in Edgewater regarding the number of school aged children living in the fire scorched Avalon apartment complex.
From nj.com:
“Of those displaced, school officials said Friday approximately 165 students in pre-kindergarten through grade 12 resided in the Avalon complex.”
90 RHS Students qualify for the next round of competition at NJ DECA State Conference held in Cherry Hill in February
On January 7, 196 RHS students competed in the NJ DECA Regional Competition at Ramapo College; about 90 of these students qualified for the next round of competition by placing in the top 18 of all students competing in their event.
Some outstanding First Place overall performances included Abigail McKenna, for Apparel & Accessories Marketing Series; Elisabeth O’Neill, for Buying and Merchandising Management Team Decision Making; Rebecca Tomilchik andSamantha Constant, for Financial Services Team Decision Making; Madeleine Phillips and Shea Darienzo, for Marketing Communications Team Decision Making; and Grace McCormick, for Principles of Marketing. These students, along with the others who placed, will move on to the State Conference held in Cherry Hill in February.
David Madden, a 19-time champion on the TV quiz show “Jeopardy!” and alumnus of Ridgewood High
NJ State Championships for the National History Bee and Bowl hosted by Ridgewood High School
JANUARY 18, 2015 LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, JANUARY 18, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY NICHOLAS PUGLIESE
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
About 300 students representing more than 30 schools from New Jersey and New York competed in the NJ State Championships for the National History Bee and Bowl at Ridgewood High School on Saturday.
The event included both team buzzer-style competitions and written quizzes in history and geography that pushed students to think critically not just about dates and battles and treaties but also about the history of art, music, entertainment and much more.
David Madden, a 19-time champion on the TV quiz show “Jeopardy!” and alumnus of Ridgewood High, started the National History Bee and Bowl in 2010 and has since expanded the competition to more than 20 countries.
“It’s really just so much fun that you don’t realize you’re studying so hard when you’re doing it,” Madden said.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/nj-state-news/history-students-put-skills-to-test-1.1215239
Leave your mark, and make a lasting contribution to Ridge! Reserve your personalized paver today.
The Ridge Beautification Project is a Ridge HSA fundraiser to enhance the front of Ridge Elementary school. This project will beautify Ridge by making it more attractive and accessible. The plan includes a seating area and a new paver walkway. The new walkway will provide access for students as well as wheelchairs, carts, strollers, to the exterior west wing of the building.
Funds raised will cover the cost of the project, with excess funds to be used for technology enhancements at Ridge.
This is a unique opportunity for parents to memorialize their children, family members, a special teacher, or alumni, by purchasing a personalized paver, bench or table.
If you love sports, you can add a personal touch and customize your paver with a sports symbol. Many to choose from: basketball, soccer, football, LAX, hockey and more. See order form for available options.
The Ridge Beautification Project is the main fundraiser at Ridge school this year, and we need your support to make this project a reality. Special thanks to the families who have already submitted orders. Your support is greatly appreciated.
The fundraiser will run from December 16. 2014 through March 31st, 2015.
If you have questions please email Martha Goldberg at [email protected] or Jennifer Blodgett at [email protected].
Website https://www.friendsofridge.com/
R.H.S. Sports: Ridgewood bids farewell to Director Nick Scerbo and administrative assistant Maureen Grieco
JANUARY 16, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY GREG TARTAGLIA
SPORTS EDITOR |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
RIDGEWOOD — At the end of last year, the New York Yankees said goodbye to a captain that wore No. 2. Meanwhile, the Ridgewood High School Athletic Department bid farewell to two captains.
Director Nick Scerbo and administrative assistant Maureen Grieco announced their retirement at the end of 2014 and were formally honored by their RHS peers Monday night with a dinner at the Ridgewood Elks Lodge.
Scerbo, who was hired to the newly-created position of Athletic and Wellness Director in 2010, will remain at that post until the end of the month. Starting Feb. 1, Ridgewood swimming coach and social studies teacher Keith Cook begins his term as interim AD, while RHS Principal Dr. Tom Gorman will oversee the Wellness Department until a permanent replacement is hired.
“Originally, I was going to go at the end of the [calendar] year,” Scerbo said. “This way will make the transition smoother, since Keith still has swimming going on and is still teaching.
In February, “the semester will end, the dual-meet season will be over, so it’ll make things easier.”
Building a Better School Day
A new report focuses on how schools are using federal incentives to add more learning time.
Emily Richmond Jan 17 2015, 9:00 AM
In a union vote Wednesday, Boston teachers approved the school district’s plan to add 40 minutes to each instructional day for kids in grades kindergarten through eight at more than 50 campuses. It’s a move experts say could help improve the quality of classroom teaching, boost student learning, and yield long-term benefits to the wider community.
But the plan, which goes next to the Boston school board for approval, isn’t without controversy. Earlier in the week The Boston Globe published its own review of a pilot program in the city that expanded learning time at about 40 campuses, finding mixed results. From the Globe’s story:
For many schools, a longer day has failed to dramatically boost academic achievement or did so only temporarily. The uneven results prompted school district officials to scrap the extra minutes at some schools and the state to pull funding or pursue receiverships at others.
But other schools have successfully used an extended day to boost MCAS scores or expand offerings in the arts and other electives. “I think there are lessons to be learned,” said John McDonough, interim superintendent. “We know time matters, but it only matters if it is used well.”
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/01/building-a-better-school-day/384607/
Ridgewood BOE to Discuss New School Calendar at Meeting Monday, January 26 at 7:30 p.m
Ridgewood NJ , According to Superintendent of Schools Daniel Fishbein, Ed.D. “Developing a school calendar is a delicate balancing act that requires much thought and input.
The process involved my submission of five different calendar options to a committee of
parents, students, teachers and administrators. This committee then makes a final
recommendation to the Ridgewood Board of Education, which can endorse it, select another of the drafts, or choose to develop its own calendar.
What I have heard is people want to start the school year after Labor Day, have the customary federal day holidays off, and include full breaks for December, February and April while ending the school year as early in June as possible. Such a calendar is certainly ideal but it an almost an impossible mission to accomplish. Therefore, the committee is tasked with proposing a calendar that is based on a compromise of all stakeholders’ priorities and needs. It is important to remember that the goals of the school calendar are to meet academic and state requirements while addressing our students’ need for family time.”
The Ridgewood Board of Education will be discussing – and hopefully approving — the 2015- 2016 calendar at its meeting on Monday, January 26 at 7:30 p.m. Soon thereafter, the committee will begin working on the 2016-2017 calendar. I encourage you to come to the Board meeting at the Education Center, 49 Cottage Place, or to watch the meeting from home via the district website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us, FiOS channel 33 or Optimum channel 77.
Readers Comment ,”Graduation last year was on June 26th….a ridiculous date. Almost July for godsakes.
Start in August and finish up early.
Next question….”
“Why not cut back on the various breaks?”
“Many colleges start orientation programs in June. Our kids are still having exams and senior events.”
<br
Daniel Fishbein, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools addresses Two issues that have caused significant discussion within the Village of Ridgewood
January 12, 2015
BOE members Brogan and Lenhard oppose certain cell sites, but not at RHS?
Sheila Brogan opposed the placement of cellphone antennas near the Ridgewood Historical Society’s building and Michele Lenhard is fighting the installation of cell antennas in her neighborhood. So how can it be that the BOE would allow the placement of cell antennas on the top of Ridgewood High School?
Shades of The Valley Hospital – Did Verizon Wireless make a huge donation to the school district and/or Ridgewood Education Foundation?
https://www.northjersey.com/
Ridgewood News editorial: Lasting impact
December 12, 2014 Last updated: Friday, December 12, 2014, 12:31 AM
The Ridgewood News
Jack Lorenz
As flags flew at half-staff last week, the community remembered the side-by-side relationship it shared with Jack Lorenz, who for years was entrusted with the education of perhaps Ridgewood’s most impressionable citizens.
Written and spoken tributes to Lorenz, 69, who served as Ridgewood High School principal from 2006 to 2011, quickly emerged soon after the brief details of his passing surfaced during the latter half of this past Thanksgiving weekend.
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https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-editorials/lasting-impact-1.1151969
Ridgewood News editorial: Back to school means back to routine
AUGUST 29, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2014, 12:31 AM
Print
In the world of education, it’s appropriate to wish all students, parents, faculty and staff a happy new year. We’re hopeful that everyone will.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-editorials/back-to-the-daily-routine-1.1077797
Ridgewood residents opposed to PARCC testing changes form group
AUGUST 22, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014, 12:31 AM
BY JODI WEINBERGER
STAFF WRITER
A group of parents is growing the opposition to “Common Core driven changes in curriculum and the upcoming PARCC assessments” in the district through fact-finding committees and social media.
– See more at:https://www.northjersey.com/news/education/opponentsof-changes-to-testing-form-group-1.1071309
Newspapers rip Michelle O’s ‘cupcake cops’
August 18, 2014
Kyle Olson
PITTSBURGH – There’s been little support for Michelle Obama’s regulations targeting school snacks, except from bobble-headed bureaucrats. Now the media is turning against them, too.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review opines in an editorial titled ‘Cupcake cops’:
Arrogant federal overreach dips to a new low with rules that threaten a time-honored tradition — school bake sales that provide sweet treats for students and ease taxpayer burdens by helping to pay for sports, cheerleading, band and other activities.
“Such micromanagement of community life is in keeping with the ‘government knows best’ agenda behind federal diktats on toilets’ water consumption and what light bulbs can and can’t be sold. Hopefully, bake sales are where Americans will draw a line — by telling government ‘hands off!’ when it comes to cookies and cupcakes that both sweeten and enrich the educational experience,” the paper concludes.
https://eagnews.org/newspapers-rip-michelle-os-cupcake-cops/
photo by Boyd Loving
Readers say Time to Reexamine Turf Fields ?
6 storms in 4 short years…so much for the 100-year storm hooey.
Do you have the repairs costs as well…?
Mother Nature keeps mastering the Master Plan.
Thee field was put in during summer 2010. We’ve had floods worth remembering on:
– October 1, 2010 (there was wrinkling of the carpet then and in all the other events below)
– March 8, 2011
– April 17, 2011
– Jun 23, 2011 (graduation)
– August 29, 2011 (Irene)
-August 1, 2014
Sandy didn’t cause a lot of flooding. It was more of a wind event
We’ve had minor flooding many other times, but not to the scale above
photo by Boyd Loving
Reader says Predictable, predicted, horrendous
This will be the LAST storm ever, though…right?
Another $119,865 to repair 2 turfed fields + $48,000 for turf on Maple Field (no longer Park, so let’s admit it and change the name). Plus who-knows-what in change orders.
Deductible is $25,000! That must have been somebody’s great idea to save money on the insurance.
We are going to go broke over this fiasco. It even failed a referendum but it happened anyway. Sickening waste. Meanwhile people are literally starving all over the world.
The turf MUST GO. It’s either now or later. Now is better. But nobody can admit to making a mistake. Well, this was a huge one.
Bubbles pop up on the Ridgewood High School field after a quick but powerful rainstorm led to flash flooding throughout the village last Friday.
Last Friday’s flash flood is costing the school district and municipality hundreds of thousands of dollars in cleanup costs.
The Board of Education (BOE) received authorization from the Bergen County Department of Education this week to award a bid to LandTek for $119,865 for “emergency repair” of two district-owned artificial turf fields.
Business Administrator Michael Falkowski said there was “extensive” damage at Ridgewood High School and Stevens fields following the Aug. 1 storm and that the playing grounds are “not useable” in their current state.
The money will come out of the 2015 district budget and possibly an emergency reserve fund, he said.
“This is just for the fields,” Falkowski said. “There’s other work that needs to be done,” including general cleanup of the area.
