Category: Ridgewood Schools

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US Department of Education Approves NJ Assessment Plan to Replace the NJ-SLA Standardized Tests

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, the US Department of Education (USED) sent a letter stating that New Jersey’s proposal to replace this spring’s NJ-SLA exams with a series of alternative assessment tools is in compliance with federal requirements under ESSA. Dr. Richard Bozza, executive director of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators, Patricia Wright, executive director of the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association and Marie Blistan, president of the New Jersey Education Association, issued this statement applauding that ruling:

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New IRS Scam Targets College Students

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by Ari Lazarus
Consumer Education Specialist, FTC

If you’re a college student, faculty, or staff member, you’re going to want to pay attention to this one. IRS imposters are sending phishing emails to people with “.edu” email addresses, saying they have information about your “tax refund payment.” What do they really want? Your personal information.

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Benjamin Franklin Middle School Awarded Sustainability Grant and Somerville Elementary School Achieves Sustainability Certification

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ,  Sustainable Jersey for Schools and the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) announced that Benjamin Franklin Middle School  (BFMS) has been awarded a $2,000 Sustainable Jersey for Schools grant. Fourteen $10,000 grants and twenty $2,000 grants were distributed to support a variety of projects including outdoor classrooms, aquaponics food production, water bottle refilling stations, anti-bias training, school wellness programs, waste reduction, student green team capacity building and more.

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Ridgewood High School Invention Teams Advance as Finalists in the 2021 STEAM Tank Challenge

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The Applied Engineering Club at Ridgewood High School submitted eight team entries to the New Jersey STEAM Tank Invention Competition this year, and all of the teams have been designated as regional finalists. The five teams who were named finalists in last year’s regional competition will also be advancing the next round of the competition, as it was canceled last year due to the pandemic. Regional finalists will present their virtual pitch presentation in March, April and May, and the winners will be announced during the NJEA Convention next year.

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The Ridgewood High School InvenTeam is one of only 13 teams nationwide to be awarded a Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam grant

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood High School InvenTeam is one of only 13 teams nationwide to be awarded a Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam grant to create their Solar Aqua Tech (SAT) water bottle, a reusable, self-sanitizing water bottle. In June, InvenTeams will present, showcase, and celebrate working prototypes of their inventions at the Lemelson-MIT EurekaFest.

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NEA, NJEA Join Forces to grow labor-management collaboration

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The National Education Association (NEA) and the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) have agreed to develop a dynamic partnership to grow a New Jersey-based program to introduce states and districts throughout New Jersey and the country to the benefits and processes of labor-management collaboration. NEA is providing NJEA with a $500,000 grant to help expand the New Jersey Public School Labor-Management Collaborative and additional funds to help other interested state and local affiliates to plan and launch partnerships that foster labor-management collaboration practices in districts and worksites. NEA has committed to invest more than $3 million over three years to fund and grow this initiative.

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New Jersey Department of Health Releases Updated COVID-19 School Recommendations

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) today released updated COVID-19 K-12 operational guidance for local health departments (LHDs). The updated guidance, which reflects recent changes to K-12 recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is aligned with the Administration’s goal of opening schools for in-person instruction for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year.

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Despite the Uptick in COVID Cases the Ridgewood School District is Still on Target for April 19 In Person Learning

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, in the Ridgewood Superintendent’s report Dr. Gorman commented on Ridgewood Schools  transition to Phase II for students in grades 2-12 on April 19.  

“Over the prior two weeks, we have seen a 3.5% increase in the number of students returning to in-person instruction. Kindergarten and first-grade students began an expanded in-person instructional model yesterday, March 22, and it was very exciting to see the students from both cohorts together in the classroom. The District will transition to Phase II for students in grades 2-12 on April 19. This date is still tentative, as it is dependent upon the COVID positivity rate not increasing. Families will continue to have the option to choose the fully remote model for the remainder of the school year. Visit the Reopening Our Schools site to view the Phase II communications, the COVID Dashboard, and related resources.”

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New Bill Would Lift Barriers for School Districts Consolidation

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Trenton NJ, Legislation sponsored by Senator Declan O’Scanlon that would lift obstacles interfering with consolidation plans for school districts was approved today by the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.

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Homeschooling Exploded During Pandemic

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, homeschooling is a legal instructional option in all 50 states and national homeschooling rates grew rapidly from 1999 to 2012 but had since remained steady at around 3.3%.

According to the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey the global COVID-19 pandemic has sparked new interest in homeschooling and the appeal of alternative school arrangements has suddenly exploded.

So, how significantly have homeschooling rates increased during the pandemic?

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The Ridgewood Board of Education meets on March 22nd at 7:00 PM for the Regular Public Meeting at the Education Center

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood Board of Education meets on March 22, 2021 at 5:30 PM for an Executive Session and at 7:00 PM for the Regular Public Meeting at the Education Center.

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New CDC guidance for physical distancing in K-12 classrooms, reduces the recommended physical distancing from 6 feet to 3 feet

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, the US CDC published updated guidance for physical distancing in K-12 classrooms, which reduces the recommended physical distancing in some settings from 6 feet to 3 feet. Earlier this week, Chief Medical Advisor to the President Dr. Anthony Fauci and CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky indicated that the CDC was considering the change, based on evolving evidence about transmission risk in school settings and notable challenges facing schools in terms of maintaining 6-foot separation for students and staff. The changes were based in part on the findings from several studies published in today’s MMWR, which provide further evidence regarding SARS-CoV-2 transmission dynamics in school settings. In addition to physical distancing, the new guidance includes updates regarding improved ventilation, physical barriers, and other aspects of COVID-19 mitigation in schools.

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Outdoor Interstate Youth Sports Competitions are Back

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ,, Governor Phil Murphy today signed Executive Order 232, which will rescind the current prohibition on outdoor interstate youth competitions, effective 6:00 a.m. on Friday, March 19.

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BERGEN COUNTY VACCINATES K-12 EDUCATORS AND FACULTY

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Paramus NJ, over 700 school faculty staff received single-dose Johnson & Johnson Janssen Vaccine on Saturday, March 13. The County of Bergen and Bergen New Bridge Medical Center recently hosted a COVID-19 vaccination day for school teachers and faculty at the Bergen County Technical School in Paramus. The one-day clinic took place on Saturday, March 13 and was coordinated in partnership with the Bergen County Education Association, the Executive County Superintendent’s Office, and the Bergen County Superintendent’s Association to provide access to K-12 staff now eligible for the vaccine under new NJ Department of Health guidance.

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Senator Kristin Corrado Urges Murphy Administration to Release Guidance for School Graduations

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Senator Kristin Corrado urged the Murphy Administration to release guidance that would allow school districts to begin planning graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2021.

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