Daniel Fishbein, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools addresses Two issues that have caused significant discussion within the Village of Ridgewood
January 12, 2015
Dear Ridgewood Public Schools Community Member:
Two issues have caused significant discussion within the Village of Ridgewood over the past week. I would like to address each of them in this letter.
The first of these issues regards the ongoing investigation into the shooting vandalism at Old Paramus Church over the holiday break, when a person — or persons — fired bullets at the building.
This shooting, especially in the context of the recent, senseless, attacks in France, and the bombings and slayings that are in the headlines and news broadcasts seemingly every day, is the cause of great concern to everyone in our community. I can assure you that the Ridgewood Police Department and Village of Ridgewood administrators keep me properly informed on all such incidents and that all necessary precautions are always in place. I have said it many times over that the safety of our students and staff is the top priority of our Board of Education and our school district administration. These words are not idle.
The unfortunate reality is that there are people all over the world, including the USA, New Jersey and Ridgewood, who do conduct criminal and anti-social acts. Our students are inundated with these stories and pictures as reported by pundits through our news and social media outlets, as well as the discussions that take place in our homes. Even in my own home, just before the holiday break, my son announced one morning that for the first time in a month the lead news story was not some kind of mass murder attack.
It is natural to feel especially vulnerable when senseless acts are committed in our own village and when people in our community exhibit anti-social behavior. But we must remember that we also have many, many more citizens who perform important and wonderful acts of kindness and that we live in one of the safest villages anywhere. We are also fortunate to have highly trained and courageous police, firemen and first responders who risk their lives every day to ensure the health and safety of our community.
It is natural to feel especially vulnerable when senseless acts are committed in our own village and when people in our community exhibit anti-social behavior. But we must remember that we also have many, many more citizens who perform important and wonderful acts of kindness and that we live in one of the safest villages anywhere. We are also fortunate to have highly trained and courageous police, firemen and first responders who risk their lives every day to ensure the health and safety of our community.
We have talented educators, too, who not only teach our children academically but also are practiced in ways to make them feel safe and welcome when the world around them is in crisis. We also have many professionals working in our schools and in our larger community to help identify and provide resources to people in crisis.DUCATION CENTER 49 COTTAGE PLACE RIDGEWOOD NJ 07450 www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us
While certainly secondary to the health and safety of our community, the other issue of recent concern to families of school-age children is the 2015-2016 Ridgewood Public Schools calendar. 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.
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.
Thank you for your time and consideration of the above matters. Please feel free to contact me
if you have any questions.
Sincerely yours,
Daniel Fishbein, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
if you have any questions.
Sincerely yours,
Daniel Fishbein, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
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.
Start in August. You have to start sometime.
Get rid of the ridiculous February break, start spring break a little earlier and eliminate a couple of non-essential days off…problem solved. We can start school in September and got out in early/mid-June. It isn’t rocket science.