Category: Village of Ridgewood

https://www.facebook.com/RidgewoodPublicSchools?ref=ts&fref=ts
Matthew Aguilar, Amanda Schnure, Emma Bellomo, Samantha Seidman pack up their goodies for the troops.

Travell School first graders participated in a writing/service project for the benefit of US troops deployed in Afghanistan
Ridgewood NJ, All Travell School first graders participated in a writing/service project for the benefit of US troops deployed in Afghanistan.  The students wrote notes of encouragement and assembled goody bags.

Fishbein: The bottom line on the budget
Friday, March 29, 2013
By DANIEL FISHBEIN
COLUMNIST

Each year when I start the process of developing the next year’s school district budget, I have the opportunity to reflect on my role as superintendent of schools. As complex and involved as the superintendent’s job may be, in reality my role is quite simply defined. I am here to support the important work of educating each and every child who attends Ridgewood Public Schools.

School board elections will be held from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16.

That role is at the forefront when I present a fiscally responsible budget to the Board of Education, and ultimately the voting public, for approval every April. First and foremost, the budget must support the primary mission of educating all students by providing a rigorous, current and appropriate curriculum and programs. By law, we must meet what are called Common Core State Standards. But to achieve the excellence for which our district is known requires a budget that has built in opportunities for students to go above and beyond the core fundamentals.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/education/200552651_Fishbein__The_bottom_line_on_the_budget.html

RHS senior Jason Linker was awarded First Runner Up for the Good Citizen’s Award
February 27,2013

Ridgewood NJ , RHS senior Jason Linker was awarded First Runner Up for the Good Citizen’s Award sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution. This is a very prestigious award and only given to students who exhibit extraordinary civic contributions and outstanding character. He will be honored at a luncheon in May.

The DAR Good Citizens Award and Scholarship Contest, created in 1934, is intended to encourage and reward the qualities of good citizenship.

This award recognizes and rewards individuals who possess the qualities of dependability, service, leadership, and patriotism in their homes, schools, and communities. These students are selected by their teachers and peers because they demonstrate these qualities to an outstanding degree.

This program is only open to high-school seniors whose schools are accredited by their state board of education.
Only one student per year may be honored as a school’s DAR Good Citizen.
United States citizenship is not required.
Additional rules and guidelines can be acquired by contacting your local DAR chapter.

Once a student is chosen as the DAR Good Citizen the student is invited to participate in the scholarship portion of the program. This consists of a personal statement and an essay. Student participation in the scholarship portion of the program is optional.

https://www.dar.org/natsociety/programs.cfm

Reader Takes on the Fly ….

I am only going to reply to this implication by “The Fly” this one time, because I don’t want to be sucked into this, indeed given that “The Fly” (an anonymous pen name?) has really not read my comment accurately. The quote you have made (italics below) appeared in a series of numbered bullets, in which I said that the developments, if built, should not be approved by a blanket Master Plan Amendment, which could have permanent, potentially damaging effects on the town in many ways. The series of bullets (if you read the previous wording accurately) were all points that do not seem credible to me, and vitally need to be tested before a Master Plan were to be approved. The word prior to these bullets is “If” appears above them, and I had expected my sincere skepticism was the whole point of my post to the Patch.

In other words, taken in context, my bullet was:

“IF there are improvements to stoplights, signage, sidewalks and curbs that can actually improve traffic, it would seem obvious that our village should pursue them — starting with those promising the most significant impact (the oft-mentioned one being traffic lights), but one intersection at a time — not via a master plan amendment and overall village policy to concurrently allow four large housing/retail complexes and 330 new apartments in our downtown.

“I encourage the Village to re-direct its approach to allow one of these developments first, via a variance to current zoning, with same type of public-private partnership now offered by the developers, to see if: IF:….
….5) the odd-sounding predictions by their developments and village traffic consultants are accurate — that the four unprecedented apartment complexes would improve traffic (not in fact clog traffic or hurt our town).

The bullets 1-4 had also enumerated other great concerns many of us have about possible affects of the developments — that must be critically vetted in reality before a Master Plan Amendment were made to allow these developments to all happen, carte blanche, and included the affects of the developments on schools, and their visual impact on town — and to see if in fact a development would bring about vibrancy of downtown and tax ratables that are touted as reasons to approve them all.

I take umbrage that The Fly would focus on family relationships when in fact they have had nothing to do with my views on the hospital (which continue to be voiced in various forums and are unchanged, as you wil likely see in my statements in the press as a new proposal may proceed from the hospital,). ….Also because I believe my views have hopefully always been carefully worded and balanced. Above all, despite any potential varying views anyone may have on public policy, dialogue is is important, and family friendship and relationships and love in the village are something to be supported and safeguarded no matter what.

Note, my comment in the Patch regarding the developments,, goes on to say,” We should not rush to make such a permanent and massive change to the character of Ridgewood, but improve the intersections and approve the developments one at a time. I was quick to make this comment to the Patch the day the related article came out because I think this is very important”. As I have suggested to our Planning Board and Village Planner in public comment at Planning Board meetings (which I have encouraged other residents to participate in — have you?) — I feel that IF there are traffic improvements to be made, by all means they should be made, and if private/public partnerships are touted as they only way to fund them, then this should be pursued prudently, and not across the board.

Aside from being quoted out of context, and with an accusatory tone, It also bothers me that “The Fly” would see fit to make such allegations (on private matters of family friendship) cloaked in a veil of anonymity. Despite was I hope would be appreciated as potential discomfort stating my persona views, I have never posted anonymously, because I feel that every person should feel comfortable stated their views on important topics without being anonymous.

We all care about our town, and should be candid in engaging in discussions, even when it may be uncomfortable. It has been my hope to consistently reflected that spirit. I believe deeply that everyone is entitled to their opinion, and is to congratulated if they offer to run for an office, including my sister, who works hard in her volunteer position.

Again, this is the last time I will respond to this thread, dear Anonymous Fly, even if you lay out more accusations, because I think your divisive message and tone is detrimental to the tow and any good faith effort toward constructive dialogue.

I apologize for this lengthy post, but I only respond to set the record straight and implore that no one try to cause division, in our town or our families. We all care about each other, and hopefully try to build good public policy via positive and constructive engagement.

Signing off on this thread, which I hope will be read carefully — if at all.

Readers Ridicule and Mock high-density housing complexes could alleviate traffic congestion study

This finding is about as believable as the guy that claims that he drives better when he’s drunk – It’s an insult to our collective intelligence.

Our village government now has no credibility whatsoever. This is a shame because one or two of our “public servants” may actually have some decent ideas of what might be good for Ridgewood. After this finding, however, any idea that anyone on the Village Council puts forward has to be looked at with skepticism. What is in it for this individual personally? What special interest has influenced this individual? What back room meetings have we missed this time?

Welcome to Ridgewood – Aronsohn, Pucciarelli and Hauck have brought this style of government home.

The traffic guys conceded at the recent meeting that the town was over-built and had too much traffic. All they were saying was that the developers were willing to contribute to fixes around the new construction that would ease the flow of traffic in and out of the facility. The traffic would then be pushed to other areas of town.

East and West Ridgewood Ave, Prospect, Glen etc — all these would get another 1,000 cars leaving the projects in the morning and returning to the projects at night. The traffic people admitted that something might have to give elsewhere in the Village. Presumably, as noted elsewhere in the article referenced in the post, this means increased traffic in more residential areas and near our schools at peak times when we would like our children out walking.

Reader says Common sense dictates significant impact on the Village from 4 new developments in the CBD

It’s beyond odd. How can we weigh 4 projects individually when their collective impact has not been considered? Common sense dictates that parking will be more difficult, schools will get more crowded, traffic will be worse and infrastructure will have to be upgraded.

Yet the Mayor and his running mates seem fine with the developers’ assertions that there will be no negative impact brought on by any one of these projects. How can that be? Something smells funny.

Super Science Saturday March 9th

Super Science Saturday Hosts its 25th Science and Technology Event

Ridgewood NJ Super Science Saturday presents its 25th celebration of science and technology
on Saturday, March 9. This fascinating and entertaining event will be from 9 a.m. to 1:30
p.m. at Ridgewood High School, 627 East Ridgewood Avenue. Admission is free.

Started by a Ridgewood science teacher and a handful of parents and students in 1987,
Super Science Saturday has become Northern New Jersey’s largest science show for
both students and professional scientists.

To celebrate its 25th year, Super Science Saturday invites attendees to participate in a
25-foot egg drop contest. Participants will be supplied with kits, which they can use to
protect their eggs from breaking on impact. Village and school district officials will be
invited to compete with students in the egg drop contest.

Other highlights include a Franklin Institute show on “Life in Space,” hundreds of exhibits
and demonstrations, the “Great Paper Airplane Contest,” and model rocket launches on
the high school football field.

Students from any school system, as well as adult hobbyists and professional scientists,
are invited to share their love of science with the community. Super
Science Saturday is a non-competitive event designed for fun, understanding and
appreciation of science and technology in our daily lives.

Two long-standing village institutions, The Valley Hospital, Ridgewood’s not-for-profit
hospital, and Ridgewood Education Foundation, which provides grants to enhance and
support the quality of education in Ridgewood public schools, again are fully funding
Super Science Saturday.

For more information, including ideas for science presentations or to sign up to exhibit,
www.supersciencesaturday.org.

Study: Many N.J. teachers wary of new evaluations
Tuesday, February 5, 2013    Last updated: Tuesday February 5, 2013, 5:15 PM
Associated Press

TRENTON  — School administrators in New Jersey districts that tested a new ways to evaluate teachers are bullish on the changes, but teachers remain skeptical, according to a report from Rutgers University.

The state Education Department released the results Tuesday from a study it commissioned on the changes. It also released a second study of the same districts from an advisory committee.

In a statement, Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf said there are good signs and lessons from the reports, particularly that participating schools developed a culture where teachers and administrators wanted to improve.

“While we never expected the first year of the pilot to be perfect, we are motivated by the finding that educators are having more meaningful conversations than ever before about effective teaching, which of course is the first step to helping continuously improve student outcomes,” he said.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/Study_Many_NJ_teachers_wary_of_new_evaluations.html

Soda, candy out under USDA’s proposed school snack rules
By Elise Viebeck – 02/01/13 01:45 PM ET

The Obama administration proposed regulations Friday that would prohibit U.S. schools from selling unhealthy snacks.

The 160-page regulation from the Department of Agriculture (USDA) would enact nutrition standards for “competitive” foods not included in the official school meal.

In practice, the proposed rules would replace traditional potato chips with baked versions and candy with granola. Regular soda is out, though high-schoolers may have access to diet versions.

“Although nutrition standards for foods sold at school alone may not be a determining factor in children’s overall diets, they are critical to providing children with healthy food options throughout the entire school day,” the proposed rule states.

“Thus, these standards will help to ensure that the school nutrition environment does all that it can to promote healthy choice, and help to prevent diet-related health problems.”

The rules are a product of the 2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which also overhauled the nutritional make-up of regular school meals. They would apply to any school, public or private, that participates in the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program.

Read more: https://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/nutrition/280613-soda-candy-out-under-proposed-school-snack-rules#ixzz2JpSJmz7Q

Anti-Bullying Report Recommends Greater Autonomy for School Officials

A task force charged with looking at the benefits and challenges of New Jersey’s new anti-bullying law has published its first report, recommending that schools be allowed more discretion in identifying and investigating possible acts of bullying.

The unit was formed last spring on the heels of the 2011 passage of the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights (ABR), which imposed tough new requirements on schools to not just act on accusations of bullying but to resolve the issue within a set timeframe. (Mooney/NJSpotlight)

https://www.njspotlight.com/stories/13/01/30/anti-bullying-report-recommends-greater-autonomy-for-school-officials/

Laptops, smartphones, iPads, minis. Gone are the days of black and white composition notebooks and three-ring binders

The Ridgewood News Superintendent’s Corner January 2013 by Daniel Fishbein, Ed.D.
BYO…Device!

The following column appeared in The Ridgewood News on January 25, 2013.

Laptops, smartphones, iPads, minis. Gone are the days of black and white composition notebooks and three-ring binders. Say hello to a new world where kids routinely read, write and do arithmetic with the aid of their computers both at home and at school, where on any given day talk about the galaxy in science class might refer as much to a new electronic device as to the stars.

A survey last fall revealed that nearly 99 percent of our high school students and almost 97 percent of our middle school students use a home computer for school projects or homework. The survey also showed that nearly 54 percent of our high school students and almost 44 percent of our middle school students routinely bring a smartphone or other Personal Electronic Device (PED) to school. To address this new reality, that our children are permitted to be plugged in at home but were unplugged at school, late last fall the administration asked the Board of Education to approve a policy making the district’s wireless Internet access available to students when in our buildings. This policy, dubbed BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), enables students to now use their PEDs as accessory tools in their academic studies. BYOD was implemented at our high school in November and will soon be introduced at the middle schools.

With BYOD, kids used to having the electronic world at their fingertips for research and report-writing at home now can have it available to them at school, too, and not just in the computer lab. BYOD turns the whole school building into an all-learning environment, allowing students to do online research, reading, writing, and even getting a jump start on homework virtually anywhere — while eating lunch in the cafeteria, for example, or during a free period or study hall.

Understandably, there have been some questions about BYOD. The following points attempt to clarify concerns and answer questions.

How does BYOD work? BYOD allows students to access the district’s wireless Internet guest network, so that they can use their PEDs throughout the school building as accessory tools for note-taking, report-writing or Internet research. In the future, teachers will have the potential
to develop lesson plans incorporating the further use of technology in their classes.

Does BYOD become a disruption in the classroom? Teachers are responsible for supervising and monitoring the use of PEDs in the classroom. They reserve the right to have students shut down or close their devices for any reason at any time.

Who’s monitoring the kids on the Internet? Student Internet access is fully monitored by the district’s filtering software so that only approved sites can be entered. Students are only permitted on the guest network, so that social media sites are not accessible, nor are school systems and records. Students are also subject to the district’s pre-existing acceptable use policy governing the use of district technology. If a parent or guardian has not approved the annual consent to this policy, the child is not permitted to use the district’s Internet access.

Are students at a disadvantage if they don’t own a PED or bring one to school? There is no impact on students who choose not to participate. If a teacher requires the Internet for any assignment, the school and public library computers are available to students who do not have
a computer or Internet access.

Won’t BYOD lead to numerous lost or stolen devices? The BYOD policy was developed with the knowledge that the majority of middle school and high school students routinely bring cellphones and other handheld “smart” devices to school. While that number may increase
because of the new BYOD policy, any additional risk factor is most likely minimal, if any.

Does the district recommend a specific PED brand? The district does not require that students own a PED, nor does it make any recommendations. Any electronic device with Internet access capability can be used. In the future, the district plans to set up a virtual desktop environment, which will provide students and staff the capability of remotely accessing their personalized district desktops on demand. Their icons, folders, toolbars, even their wallpapers will be available to them from any place at any time. Virtual desktops will help students more efficiently manage their work between home and school. This enhancement will also help reduce the support and provisioning costs of maintaining the district’s computer equipment, as
well as extending the useful life of the equipment.

Will the BYOD policy lead to the phase-out of printed textbooks? The BYOD policy opens up the Internet so students may download readings or assignments. It does not replace textbooks but it does position the district to respond to the future of the textbook publishing industry, which will be largely electronic.

As always, please feel free to contact me with any further questions or concerns. Daniel Fishbein. Ed.D., is Superintendent of the Ridgewood Public Schools. Dr. Fishbein can be reached at 201-670-2700, ext. 10530, or via e-mail at [email protected]. For more information on the Ridgewood Public Schools visit the district website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us or visit the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/RidgewoodPublicSchools.