The Fashion Show is April 19. The Committee is now securing donations for the auction. Click here for more information and the donation form. Items may be dropped off at Gail Mandell’s office, Life Opportunities Unlimited, 75 North Maple Ave. Suite 104 Monday – Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Fashion Show chairpersons are ShariHellman (201-310-6286 [email protected] and Gail Mandeli (201- 248-2575 or [email protected]).
PG-15 upcoming monthly meetings: April 9 and May 14 at 7:30 p.m. in the RHS Library.
Dues are due. Make $165 check payable to “RHS Class of 2015” and mail to Sharon Walker, 94 Sherwood Road, Ridgewood, NJ 07450.
Class of 2015 Project Graduation Representatives
Chairpersons Tara Callaghan 201-803-7778 and Rosie McCooe 201-602-8097
Chairpersons email: [email protected]
Treasurer Sharon Walker [email protected]
Communications Jeff Coster [email protected]
APRIL 3, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Addressing PARCC and Common Core
To the editor:
Over the course of the last eight months, there have been some letters to the editor demonizing the Common Core State Standards and PARCC tests. One such letter appeared last week.
Unfortunately, it contained some misinformation, and also expressed some opinions which, in our view, are unfounded. So let’s be clear about the facts.
The implementation of Common Core State Standards and PARCC testing resulted in little if any incremental spending in the district. Curriculum upgrades and revisions take place routinely and systematically over a five-year cycle. Since New Jersey adopted the Common Core State Standards in 2010, alignment to the Common Core was taken, in stride, as part of that cycle.
No technology upgrades were necessary to implement the PARCC assessment. Technology improvements were already imbedded in the district’s technology plan, and were not undertaken to support PARCC.
Technology’s purpose in education is to take advantage of the best tools and software designed to augment instruction. The introduction of Chromebooks and Google-docs software has been enthusiastically welcomed by both teachers and students. They are recognized for their value in providing for collaborative study and student-teacher interaction and many other innovations.
The Board of Education, administrators, and teachers have a solemn duty to provide our students with the best opportunity to succeed in college and careers. College students constantly use their computers in their residences, the student union, and almost everywhere else. This applies to students of the liberal arts as well as the sciences.
Computer use is not incompatible to fostering a love of learning and development of critical thinking skills. It is a tool that enhances those qualities. We cannot be satisfied with preparing our students to live in some “technology-lite” society that no longer exists. If we want our students to compete globally, we need to prepare them for that reality.
Our media centers have not been converted to “test prep centers.” We have not diminished our excellent social studies, science or arts curriculum to focus on these assessments. Our students are not “watching lots of movies” because “their teachers are too busy to teach as much as they used to.” Movies are used for educational purposes and yes, at times, for rewards, but never because teachers are too busy to teach.
We have not devoted “endless hours” practicing for the PARCC tests. We did expose students to the assessment experience they were going to encounter just as some parents choose to expose their children to SAT, AP and ACT assessment.
Regarding “corporate greed,” we have textbooks and equipment with company logos throughout our schools. We use competitive pricing for all our purchases. Is a private sector company making a profit by serving the district somehow unethical? In our free enterprise system, which we teach to our students, opportunity to profit stimulates entrepreneurship, innovation, product development and efficiency. Success breeds job creation, prosperity and economic growth. This is a virtuous circle, not a “stench.”
These views are ours individually, not on behalf of the Board of Education.
MARCH 31, 2015 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2015, 8:44 AM
BY MALCOLM HERBERT
FOR THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Building bridges – when it boils down to it, that’s a big part of what education is really all about.
The Kakehashi Project, operating with the slogan “The Bridge for Tomorrow,” extended that bridge to Ridgewood when 23 Japanese students visited the village as part of the cultural and educational exchange program.
The Kakehashi Project is the United States-focused portion of an effort by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan to “enhance bilateral youth exchange and mutual understanding” between the U.S. and Japan, according to the Ministry.
Ridgewood families hosted the Japanese students from Takamatsu High School from March 23 to 26. While in the village, the students “shadowed” fellow students at Ridgewood High School (RHS) by attending and participating in classes with them. The students will also visit San Francisco before returning to Japan.
The 23 Takmatsu students’ arrival in Ridgewood represents the second and final phase of the project. Last summer, 23 Ridgewood students took a 10-day trip to Japan, where they toured various parts of the country. They traveled through Tokyo and the mountainous Nagano Prefecture, exploring the cultures and educational foundations that have shaped that country.
Tokyo’s Fuchie High School served as the host school for the Ridgewood students. RHS was selected as one of just 47 American high schools to participate in the Kakehashi Project.
APRIL 1, 2015 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015, 10:19 AM
BY MALCOLM HERBERT
FOR THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
The Ridgewood school district saved about $70,000 last year by installing solar panels at eight schools, and could be looking to increase those revenues by adding more solar energy units at the two middle schools.
Jim Wavle, president of Verterra Renewable Energy Group and a village resident, oversaw the installation of solar panels at all but two of Ridgewood’s public schools nearly three years ago. He was brought back by the Ridgewood Board of Education (BOE) to discuss possibly adding some more.
The potential new units would be set up at George Washington (GW) Middle School, which currently does not have any solar panels, and Benjamin Franklin (BF) Middle School, Wavle said at a BOE meeting last month.
Superintendent of Schools Daniel Fishbein reported that the district is exploring this possibility at this time because “the pricing point for us to expand our solar has come to a better point now.”
The district is considering a small solar project at GW and a larger, carport-based system at BF.
MARCH 27, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2015, 8:24 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Cambodia Club has new project
To the Editor:
Many would say that the Ridgewood Cambodia Club has been one of the most effective clubs in all of Ridgewood, and we would have to agree. The goal for Ridgewood’s Cambodia Club has been to build and enhance a school in a rural Cambodian village. Ridgewood students have been raising money and awareness to support this effort since 2007.
Our sister school, the Ridgewood Village School, was built through World Assistance for Cambodia, an independent nonprofit organization that is dedicated to improving opportunities for the youth and rural poor in Cambodia. The mission is to galvanize support for the people in Cambodia, where genocide occurred in the 1970’s. We are helping to rebuild the country through education.
With support from the Ridgewood community, the Ridgewood Village School was built in Cambodia and the dedication took place in February 2009. Since then, we have enhanced our sister school by providing the students with an English and computer teacher, an Internet connection, and a vegetable garden and outdoor kitchen. The garden and kitchen help to ensure that the students enjoy healthy lunches at school.
Our annual goal is to raise $5,500 to fund these enhancements. We have been successful in previous years and now the Ridgewood High School Cambodia Club is introducing our 55 Families Initiative to broaden the opportunity for more Ridgewood residents to get involved in our village-to-village effort. On top of the Ridgewood High School Cambodia Club, there are also active Cambodia Clubs at the George Washington and Benjamin Franklin Middle Schools. The Cambodia Club is not limited to just those schools though. All schools in Ridgewood are welcome to join us in our mission to help support the Ridgewood Village School in Cambodia.
Fifty-five Families is a way for caring members of the Ridgewood Community to be a part of the Ridgewood Cambodia Club. The 55 Families Initiative invites families to pledge $100 each to our club. Through this initiative, simply by engaging 55 families in a pledge, we can reach our annual fundraising goal. Any tax-deductible donation would be greatly appreciated and the students of the Ridgewood Village School in Cambodia would be on their way to a brighter future.
Checks can be made out to World Assistance for Cambodia with School #422 written on the memo line. Please send checks to: Liz Louizides, c/o Ridgewood Cambodia Club, 554 Linwood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ, 07450.
We thank you all for your kind consideration and generous contributions.
Phase II Solar Proposal is Presented at the March 23 BOE Meeting
Click here to view the Verterra Phase II Solar Presentation presented at the March 23, 2015 Regular Public Meeting.
• Eight Ridgewood schools have been receiving a portion of their electricity from solar power since late 2012/early 2013 • Ridgewood High • BF Middle • Glen • Hawes • Orchard • Ridge • Somerville • Travell • Total installed solar capacity of 841 kW • 2014 solar energy production of ~875,000 kWh • 2014 savings from using solar energy ~$70,000
Additional Solar Potential :
GW Middle School • 34.77 kW Rooftop Mounted System • $0.117/kWh year 1 PPA Price with a 3% Escalator • Year 1 Savings ~$3,500 • 15-Year Savings Potential >$50,000 BF Middle School • 329.4 kW Carport Mounted System • $0.125/kWh year 1 PPA Price with a 3% Escalator • Year 1 Savings ~$18,000 • 15-Year Savings Potential >$275,000
Click here to view pictures of BFMS with the proposed solar panels
Readers challenge idea of a private corporation abridging students first amendment rights
“The Ridgewood Public Schools guards our data and only shares with state and federal officials the information that is required by law. We make every effort to teach our students about good digital citizenship and with the beginning next school year, we will teach it more formally through a Digital Citizenship Curriculum, from kindergarten through Grade 12.”DANIEL FISHBEIN
Students in New Jersey were told repeatedly that they had no choice about taking a test(PARCC) which then resulted in their private information being given to Pearson and also restricted their first amendment rights.
I love how all the NJ DOE apologists are glossing right over the fact that our schools were being asked by a private corporation to discipline a student. What’s next? If a kid tweets that the school lunch is disgusting, will the school punish him on behalf of Aramark??
Study by Niche Places Ridgewood High School as one of the 100 Best Public High Schools in New Jersey
March 26 ,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, In a new ranking , Ridgewood High School came in at number 34 for its A grade in academics, A- in health and safety and A+ in teachers. The high school also received an A+ for extracurriculars and activities, an A for sports and fitness, a B+ for resources and facilities and a B- for student culture and diversity. https://k12.niche.com/rankings/public-high-schools/best-overall/s/new-jersey/
Niche Best Public High Schools ranks 14,431 high schools based on dozens of key statistics and 4.6 million opinions from 280,000 students and parents. A high ranking indicates that the school is an exceptional academic institution with a diverse set of high-achieving students who rate their experience very highly.
An additional 834 schools received a grade but were not eligible for ranking. The list includes magnet, charter, and online schools. https://k12.niche.com/rankings/public-high-schools/best-overall/methodology/
Tenafly High schools came in 8th , Nothern Highlands came in 21 , Pascack Hills came in 23 , Cresskill came in 24 , Nothern Valley 48 and Glen Rock 53 .
Ridgewood Nj, On Tuesday, March 17, Latin academic teams from 30 New Jersey schools traveled to Princeton to compete in Latin language, Roman life, Roman history and Greco-Roman mythology.
The Novice team fought hard and scored well in its first competition. The Advanced team finished in first place and will advance to play for the State championship on April 25 against Ridge High School and PACTA, the second and third place teams.
Advanced Team members were Poyani Bavishi, Ben Bechtold, Charlotte Kahan, Elizabeth O’Keefe, James Psathas, Peter Psathas, Sophie Simpson,Anthony Tokarz and Chelsea Trattner. Novice team members with media permission to be named were Desiree Bottigliero, Joe O’Keefe and Tommy Carver. The Latin Club advisor is Catherine Venturini.
Ridgewood NJ, The Stevens Institute of Technology awarded National Science Foundation certificates to students in Dr. Lillian Labowsky’s Chemistry Honors class for the students’ efforts to create a three-dimensionally printed periodic table of elements.
Dr. Labowsky’s class created the chart on a 3D printed model over three months and individually printed all 118 interlocking element pieces. The height of each piece corresponds to the element’s electronegativity and the radioactive element pieces were printed with glow-in-the-dark material.
A 3D printer uses an additive process to lay down successive layers of material in order to create a computer printed object.
MARCH 24, 2015 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015, 11:28 AM
BY LINDSAY IRELAND
CORRESPONDENT |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Margaret “Peg” Loonam thought long and hard about how to break the news to her students.After more than two decades with Ridgewood Public Schools, Loonam, principal of Orchard School, will retire this August to spend more time with family.
“I am not sure what notions children ages 5 to 10 have about retirement, but I want them to know that I am not leaving because I am in any way unhappy,” Loonam said. “I am retiring because I want to spend more time with my four grandchildren and fulfill some of my own personal ‘bucket list’ items.”
Loonam said she also looks forward to having more time to enjoy the simple things in life after retirement.
“I am looking forward to cooking, visiting friends and family, exercising and watching an entire movie with my husband without falling asleep,” she said.
Ridgewood Schools Continues Curriculum Series on March 26 with Program on Exercise and the Brain
New Date: Curriculum Series Continues on March 26 with Program on Exercise and the Brain
Parents and guardians are invited to join district Physical Education teachers Susan Kameno and Craig Mahler, along with Hawes School Principal Dr. Paul Semendinger for an informative session on the impact of exercise on the development of the brain. The program will take place on Thursday, March 26, at the Education Center, 49 Cottage Place, floor 3, from 7-9 p.m.
Click here to read the press release for more information.
Click here for the flyer.
NEW: The district has added a program, “All About Google Apps for Education,” a series of three stand-alone workshops designed to introduce parents and guardians to the world of technology in the classroom. These workshops will be offered on April 15 (elementary school level); April 20 (middle school level): and April 22 (high school level). Each workshop is limited to 25 participants and pre-registration is required.
Reader asks can someone explain to me how Project Graduation is raffling off a parking space on Heermance Place to a student for the next school year???
can someone explain to me how Project Graduation is raffling off a parking space on Heermance Place to a student for the next school year??? I am crazy or is that a public street?? I know that the public was booted in favor of “teacher only parking” but now they are raffling off a spot to a student to raise money for a party when I, a taxpayer, cannot park there??? HUH??? Something just smells here.
We have not been able to confirm or deny the “parking space ” raffle , here are other events and information we have confirmed on the BOE website for Project Graduation .
Project Graduation 2015 Updates
The Fashion Show is April 19. The Committee is now securing donations for the auction. Click here for more information and the donation form. Items may be dropped off at Gail Mandell’s office, Life Opportunities Unlimited, 75 North Maple Ave. Suite 104 Monday – Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Fashion Show chairpersons are ShariHellman (201-310-6286 [email protected] and Gail Mandeli (201- 248-2575 or [email protected]).
PG-15 upcoming monthly meetings: April 9 and May 14 at 7:30 p.m. in the RHS Library.
Dues are due. Make $165 check payable to “RHS Class of 2015” and mail to Sharon Walker, 94 Sherwood Road, Ridgewood, NJ 07450.
Class of 2015 Project Graduation Representatives
Chairpersons Tara Callaghan 201-803-7778 and Rosie McCooe 201-602-8097
Chairpersons email: [email protected]
Treasurer Sharon Walker [email protected]
Communications Jeff Coster [email protected]
Tyler Welence, a 2011 Ridgewood High School graduate, has made a seamless transition on the diamond at McGill University in Montreal, helping the school to the Canadian Collegiate Baseball Association tournament title last fall.
Former Ridgewood Baseball star excels north of the border
March 20, 2015 Last updated: Friday, March 20, 2015, 12:31 AM
By Matthew Birchenough
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR |
The Ridgewood News
The past four years have taken Ridgewood native Tyler Welence throughout the western hemisphere, but no matter where he’s gone, he has always been playing baseball.
The 2011 Ridgewood High School graduate made his latest mark on the diamond last fall playing shortstop for McGill University in Montreal, which won the Canadian Collegiate Baseball Association National Championship.
“This was the first time I was ever part of a team that ended up winning the highest honor possible, and the feeling was so foreign to me after we won, the sense of accomplishment didn’t set in for a few hours,” Welence said earlier this week.
For his performance during the Redmen’s run, Welence earned the tournament MVP.
“Honestly, I always just try my best to help the team win, whatever that means doing,” he said. “I was very happy I was able to play a role in getting our team the title, but it was truly a full team effort.”
Welence exhibited the same sort of team-first attitude in his years at RHS.
N.J. to review student privacy concerns about test monitoring
March 19, 2015, 12:53 PM Last updated: Friday, March 20, 2015, 12:29 AM
By HANNAN ADELY
STAFF WRITER |
The Record
New Jersey’s education commissioner will review alleged cases of test-question leaks on the Internet to see if the state’s contractors violated student privacy when monitoring exam discussions online, officials said Thursday at an Assembly hearing.
The announcement follows days of public outrage over reports that the Pearson testing company scanned students’ comments and reported question leaks to the state Department of Education in what some people believe was a violation of student privacy.
At the hearing, legislators grilled education officials about the monitoring.
“I just find this to be unacceptable, to say we should monitor the social media of every student in New Jersey and to delegate it to a third party we don’t control,” said Assemblyman Patrick Diegnan Jr., D-Middlesex, chairman of the education committee.
He added, “I think the response is disproportionate to find two or three questions.”
But education officials continued to defend the actions Thursday at a hearing before the Assembly Education Committee.
