Tag: Back to School

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RHS Advanced Placement Scholars are Announced

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RHS Advanced Placement Scholars are Announced
September 22nd 2014

Ridgewood NJ, One hundred forty-two students at Ridgewood High School have been named AP Scholars by the College Board in recognition of their exceptional achievement on the college level Advanced Placement Examinations. About 18 percent of the more than 1.9 million high school students worldwide who took AP Examinations in May 2014 performed at a sufficiently high level to merit such recognition.The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement based on the students’ performance on AP exams. At Ridgewood High School, seven students qualified for the National AP Scholar Award by earning an average grade of 4.0 or higher on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams.

Sixty students qualified for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams.

Thirty-three students qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams.

Forty-nine students qualified for the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP Exams with grades of 3 or higher.

Fifteen award recipients are juniors. These students have at least one more year in which to do college-level work, and possibly earn another Advanced Placement Award.

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RHS Class of 2015 Project Graduation Gets off to a Fast Start

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RHS Class of 2015 Project Graduation Gets off to a Fast Start

Class of 2015 Project Graduation Representatives
Chairpersons Tara Callaghan 201-803-7778 and Rosie McCooe 201-602-8097
Chairpersons email: rhs.project.graduation.2015@gmail.com
Treasurer Sharon Walker sharon_walker@spdji.com
Communications Jeff Coster jcoster@verizon.net

Project Graduation dues are $165 per student and go toward the Project Graduation party, baby pictures, and to offset the cost of the Graduation dinner dance and the Thanksgiving 2015 reunion. Please send your check for $165 payable to “RHS PG Class of 2015” ASAP to Sharon Walker, 94 Sherwood Rd., Ridgewood, NJ 07450. Confidential support is available for any family that needs help with dues or other graduation expenses. Please contact the Class of 2015 Grade Administrator, Meredith Yannone, for more information.

Project Graduation Surplus Funds: Surplus funds may not be donated to charities. Remaining funds will be used to purchase a gift to RHS from the Class or will be gifted back to the school through the HSA.

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For most kids, Enterovirus D68 won’t be tougher than common cold

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For most kids, Enterovirus D68 won’t be tougher than common cold

SEPTEMBER 15, 2014, 6:29 PM    LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2014, 6:36 PM
BY STEVE JANOSKI
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD

Despite the vast amount of attention that’s been focused on the danger Enterovirus D68 poses to children, the reality is that for most kids, the respiratory virus wouldn’t be much tougher than a bout with the common cold.

About a dozen cases of the virus, which is characterized by fever, runny nose, coughing, and general achiness, were confirmed in New York State last week; none have been reported yet in New Jersey. Although it’s described by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention as a “mild-to-severe” illness, it doesn’t attack adults, who have developed the antibodies necessary to ward it off through prolonged exposure to similar diseases.

There is a risk for some kids, especially if they have a history of asthma or wheezing, said Julia A. Piwoz, M.D., chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital at the Hackensack University Medical Center.

“Certain kids are getting sicker than we would ordinarily expect from summer colds, and kids with asthma tend to have more respiratory distress with this than they would with a cold. That could trigger an asthma attack,” she said.

Still, she said, there is no specific treatment or antiviral for EV-D68, and hospitals will likely handle it the same way they handle other cases of the flu.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/for-most-kids-enterovirus-d68-won-t-be-tougher-than-common-cold-1.1088639#sthash.ULcnJIm3.dpuf

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North Jersey schools brace for immigrant influx

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North Jersey schools brace for immigrant influx

SEPTEMBER 14, 2014, 11:54 PM    LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2014, 11:54 PM
BY MONSY ALVARADO
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD

Fourteen-year-old Elizita and her father arrived at the West New York registration offices around 7:15 a.m. Thursday, hoping to enroll her in school.

But it would be a dream deferred. The family, who waited outside in the crisp air, was told to come back. They were sent to get a physical, which included a tuberculosis test, that would clear Elizita to start school.

“If it won’t be tomorrow, then I’ll start Monday,” she said in Spanish after making a doctor’s appointment.

It had been a long journey for Elizita to this point — the dream of an American education — after a grueling two-week trek earlier this summer out of Guatemala and into this county illegally with her 16-year-old cousin to join her father in North Jersey.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/north-jersey-schools-brace-for-immigrant-influx-1.1087949#sthash.tAZZkc9g.dpuf

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The Math Behind Your Property Tax Bill

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The Math Behind Your Property Tax Bill

Sep. 09 

By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog

When more than 50% of New Jersey state aid is dedicated to 5% of our schools, Save Jerseyans, thanks largely to the New Jersey Supreme Court’s interference, then no one should be surprised when New Jersey’s property taxes are the highest in the nation. It’s simple math… something that they’re not doing a particularly good job of teaching in those 5%-districts! Or many of the rest of them, too, if we’re being honest.

School funding is one of our favorite topics at Save Jersey; if you’re a visual learner, here’s a particularly excellent explanatory video dropped by the Assembly GOP on Tuesday. It’s hard to ignore the problem when the numbers are staring right back at you…

– See more at: https://savejersey.com/2014/09/property-tax-bill-new-jersey-school-funding-formula/#sthash.vTHo4wMh.dpuf

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Unidentified Respiratory Virus Likely to Hit Kids Across Country

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Unidentified Respiratory Virus Likely to Hit Kids Across Country

Sep 7, 2014, 5:53 PM ET
By GILLIAN MOHNEY and DEAN SCHABNER
DEAN SCHABNERMore From Dean »
Weekend Manager/Editor
GILLIAN MOHNEYMore From Gillian »
Digital Reporter
 via GOOD MORNING AMERICA

A respiratory illness that has already sickened more than a thousand children in 10 states is likely to become a nationwide problem, doctors say.

The disease hasn’t been officially identified but officials suspect a rare respiratory virus called human enterovirus 68. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention_” target=”_blank”>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the virus is related to the rhinovirus, which causes the common cold.

According to Mark Pallansch, director of the Division of Viral Diseases at the CDC, similar cases to the ones in Colorado have been cropping up across the U.S. At least 10 states — Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Iowa, Colorado, Ohio, Oklahoma, North Carolina, and Georgia — have reported suspected outbreaks of human enterovirus 68 and requested CDC support.

“Viruses don’t tend to respect borders,” ABC News Chief Health and Medical Editor Dr. Richard Besser said. “It is only 10 states now, but it’s going to be across the country. So if your state doesn’t have it now, watch for it, it’s coming.”

Doctors say they are not even sure yet how this particular virus spreads, though the back-to-school season is a normal time for illnesses to spread among children.

“This is a very common time for outbreaks. Kids come back to school, they like to share things, they bring them home to their little brothers and sisters, and enteroviruses tend to occur in the summer,” Besser said. “But this one, this particular Enterovirus 68, is very rare and they have no idea why it showed up this year.”

At Children’s Hospital Colorado in Denver, officials say that between Aug. 18 and Sept. 4, doctors saw more than 900 pediatric patients with symptoms of the respiratory virus in the emergency room. Of those who came in, 86 were admitted into the hospital and a handful ended up in the intensive care unit.

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/unidentified-respiratory-virus-hit-kids-country/story?id=25334106

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Back to School (and Reality) in N.J.

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Back to School (and Reality) in N.J.

Sep. 04 

By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog

Yes, your little ghouls and gobblins were back at school this morning, Save Jersey, ready for another year of ruining new expensive sneakers, learning bad words at recess and, of course, having their sweet little heads packed full of liberal mush courtesy of the Common Core standards.

But in between the endless annual bus stop photo ops and after-school homework grumbling, please don’t lose sight of an all-important fact: you’re paying out the ass for a substandard product. 

Assuming, of course, that you’re paying property taxes like I do.

The number crunchers over at NJ Spotlight recently broke down the latest statistics and what they found is staggering (though not surprising); on average, New Jersey spent $18,891 per pupil for the 2013-2014 school year, buoyed by $9 billion in direct aid from the state, representing a significant 4.8% overall spending increase from the 2011-2012 academic cycle. Since our genius politicians decided to tether property taxes and education funding, your taxes continue to climb (though somewhat less precipitously, on average, thanks to the 2.0 cap), to pay for an indoctrination program which leaves little Bobby and Susie ill-equipped to compete with the kids in China who are kicking your kids’ butts in mathematics. 

Do the math. We’ve talked about it plenty of times before here at Save Jersey. That works out to almost $500,000 per class room. When the average teacher salary in N.J. is $60,000, then even when you take account of things like teacher benefits, electricity, chalk, etc., you still come nowhere close to justifying nearly $19,000 per student. Each of our kids should sport a solid gold laptop, Star Trek-style tricorder and 140 IQ score for that kind of money. But they’re not.

– See more at: https://savejersey.com/2014/09/school-student-cost-new-jersey/#sthash.lz1sai5b.dpuf

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Ridgewood Girls Volleyball reshapes its lineup

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Ridgewood Girls Volleyball reshapes its lineup

September 5, 2014    Last updated: Friday, September 5, 2014, 12:31 AM
By Greg Tartaglia
SPORTS EDITOR

RIDGEWOOD — The consensus remains among Ridgewood High School girls volleyball players.

When asked on Wednesday if there was one match that they most looked forward to playing this year, seniors Elyssa Gould, Erica Schultz and Niki Walker all gave the same answer.

“Paramus,” the Maroon tri-captains responded in unison.

“Paramus is a big one,” Gould said.

Like its next-door neighbor, RHS is one of the oldest programs in the state. The Maroons have compiled 620 wins since the early 1970s, and two annual matches against Paramus (New Jersey’s all-time winningest team with 794 victories) provide a good measuring stick for them.

Ridgewood has been swept by its Big North Freedom Division rival in each of the past two years, including last fall’s 11-12 campaign.

The teams’ first dual match of 2014 is slated for Sept. 16, but with plenty of other strong opponents looming before and after that, the Maroons have kept their focus on the big picture during the preseason.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/sports/high-school-sports/girls-volleyball/ridgewood-girls-reshape-volleyball-lineup-1.1081426#sthash.mFTp1SJp.dpuf

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Ridgewood Girls Tennis poised to make return run at a title

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Ridgewood Girls Tennis poised to make return run at a title

September 5, 2014    Last updated: Friday, September 5, 2014, 12:31 AM
By Matthew Birchenough
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

The Ridgewood High School girls tennis team begins a new season Saturday at the September Slam Tournament in Livingston, but you can’t blame the Maroons if the venue triggers at least a few reminders of last season’s greatest triumph.

RHS usurped perennial powerhouse and playoff rival Livingston as North 1, Group 4 champion last fall, knocking off the Lancers, 3-2, in the sectional final before losing in the state semifinal to Cherry Hill East, 3-2.

“Last year was a super exciting year,” head coach Medha Kirtane said prior to the team’s practice Wednesday. “The girls did such a good job achieving benchmarks and pushing themselves beyond what they even thought was possible. It’s the first time that group had ever experienced anything like that.”

Ridgewood’s 21-5 record and its first sectional championship since 2005 helped it secure the No. 2 spot in The Record Top 15 rankings.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/sports/high-school-sports/girls-tennis/maroon-tennis-squad-seeks-an-encore-1.1081417#sthash.gjixvwXC.dpuf

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Football Preview: Ridgewood welcomes host of new faces

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Football Preview: Ridgewood welcomes host of new faces

September 5, 2014    Last updated: Friday, September 5, 2014, 12:31 AM
By JIM MCCONVILLE
CORRESPONDENT

RIDGEWOOD – What a difference a year makes.

Last season, the Ridgewood High School football team was built for the now, with 31 seniors and expectations of reaching the North 1, Group 5 championship game, which it did.

This season, the Maroons are building toward an uncertain future.

Not only did the bulk of their starters graduate, but four assistant coaches elected not to return, including the offensive and defensive coordinators and the line coach. In their place are a couple of old returning faces in Jim Stroker and Mark Aramburu, plus a group of younger coaches.

“We are green as the grass,” RHS head coach Chuck Johnson said. “There are a lot of unknowns, but it has really been fun so far, and I’m excited to see where this goes.”

The first Maroon victory this season will be the 200th of Johnson’s 31-year career at Ridgewood (he has 35 more wins from his six seasons at Bogota from 1978-83), but milestones are taking a back seat to player development.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/sports/high-school-sports/football/ridgewood-welcomes-host-of-new-faces-1.1081515#sthash.3eycR1G6.dpuf

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Ridgewood educators prepare for changes

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Ridgewood educators prepare for changes

SEPTEMBER 4, 2014    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2014, 3:26 PM
BY JODI WEINBERGER
STAFF WRITER

At the annual all-staff convocation event at Benjamin Franklin Middle School on Tuesday, the theme of “Celebrating Change” was given a bittersweet embrace.

A backdrop on the stage used the metaphor of a caterpillar transitioning to a butterfly to highlight the theme, but those at the event seemed less convinced that the transformation of curriculum to meet the new state standards would end as beautifully.

Each person who spoke had something to say about the three biggest changes in the district: the one-to-one Chromebook initiative, Common Core and standardized tests.

“This year’s convocation theme is ‘Celebrating Change,’ and to be perfectly frank, this is not something that comes naturally to me,” said Michael Yannone, president of the Ridgewood Education Association (REA). “I am a bit of a traditionalist; I am a history teacher after all. If it has worked successfully in the past, why change?”

His speech gave a scathing criticism of the way education reform happens in America.

“The current educational reform movement is not about spending money to address the needs of schools and students, it is about making money,” Yannone said. “Perhaps I am too cynical, but the playbook seems obvious to me. Step one: Make Americans believe that their public schools are bad by bashing teachers and cherry picking faulty data. Politicians then get involved and support costly one-size-fits-all solutions that their donors stand to make a nice profit from.”

Yannone said the REA plans to partner with a new parent-led advocacy group, Ridgewood Cares About Schools, whose members have urged the district not to adopt the Common Core curriculum and oppose the increase in standardized testing for students.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/education/ridgewood-educators-prepare-for-changes-1.1081319#sthash.mulwngrP.dpuf

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Ridgewood college students set sail on a journey to learn

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF DOUG LICITRA
Students from the SEA program on the bow of the Corwith as they enter their first port in France. Pictured (above): Doug Licitra, second from left, and Mo Howard, third from left.

Ridgewood college students set sail on a journey to learn

SEPTEMBER 3, 2014    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2014, 4:19 PM
BY BY LIZ WELLINGHORST
STAFF WRITER

They say once a shipmate, always a shipmate.

That proved true for two Ridgewood college students who spent four weeks at sea on a 134-foot sailboat, SSV Corwith Cramer, working on a tall ship as part of a 23-person crew, learning about life on the sea, themselves and visiting remote, exotic ports of call in Western Europe.

“It’s true. Definitely something different about a shipmate,” said Mo Howard, a junior at the University of Rhode Island.

“You live with them in tight quarters, see them at the worst, at their best and when they’re seasick.” Howard said. “I know my shipmates saw me not feeling so great.”

Howard spent a semester at sea this summer with Doug Licitra, a senior at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, and other college students from across the country. The two didn’t know each other before the program started.

Licitra graduated from Ridgewood High School (2011) and Howard graduated from the Hun School in Princeton (2012). On the sea, the two became fast friends.

The two mariners participated in SEA Semester’s Historic Seaports of Western Europe, a study abroad program that combines academics with a voyage on the sea. The journey, which covered approximately 1,800 nautical miles, had port stops and walking tours in Cork, Ireland; Douarnenez, France; Lisbon, Portugal and Cadiz, Spain.

SEA Semester is affiliated with the Sea Education Association, an undergraduate educational-based group on Cape Cod and located in the oceanographic research community of Woods Hole, Mass. Students earned four academic credits for their course, entitled Maritime History and Culture, offered through Boston University.

“It wasn’t your normal study abroad,” Licitra said. “We worked on the boat, stood watch during the middle of the night, did a boat check every hour, learned the sail lines and nautical language, but we also had academic work to fulfill with deadlines. It was exhausting.”

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/towns/ridgewood-college-students-set-sail-on-a-journey-to-learn-1.1080324#sthash.OvN42FYy.dpuf

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Ridgewood elementary schools using new world language program

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Ridgewood elementary schools using new world language program

SEPTEMBER 3, 2014    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2014, 5:59 PM
BY JODI WEINBERGER
STAFF WRITER

The world language program in the elementary schools will look a bit foreign this year.

Ridgewood educators are piloting what they call an “exploratory immersion” Spanish program for Grades K-5 after being unhappy with the results from language learning software Rosetta Stone.

The software was purchased by the district in 2010 after three world language elementary teachers were eliminated in response to $6 million in budget cuts in 2009.

“[Teachers] felt [Rosetta Stone] was ineffective to teach children the information,” said assistant superintendent Cheryl Best. “They didn’t really feel that students were effectively learning.”

Best called the program “a little glitchy” and said students would work on a section of the program only to return to it and find that their progress had been lost.

“It was very hard for students to make headway in the program,” she said.

As a result, teachers were barely meeting the minimum usage of 30 minutes a week with their classes.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/education/ridgewood-elementary-schools-using-new-world-language-program-1.1080360

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1.4 million New Jersey students return to school this year

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1.4 million New Jersey students return to school this year

SEPTEMBER 3, 2014, 12:24 PM    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2014, 7:58 PM
BY HANNAN ADELY
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD

HACKENSACK — Around 1.4 million New Jersey students returned to school this week in what is expected to be a year of transition for both students and staff.

Schools continue to apply academic standards in the classroom that the state adopted in 2010 and to prepare for new tests based on those standards. They are also using new methods to evaluate teachers.

Photos: First day of school in Bergen, Passaic counties

While schools braced for changes by training teachers, upgrading technology and writing lesson plans, students were making their own choices for the first day: what to wear to school and pack in their bags.

Priyansh Saha, a third grader at the Nellie K. Parker School in Hackensack, chose his clothes and school supplies on his own and had everything ready for school days ago, said his mother, Priyanka Saha.

“We’re very excited,” Priyanka Saha said. “We hope he will learn a lot through the year.”

Saha said she expected this year to be more challenging for her son. “If he works hard he will get better in everything, whatever challenges he faces,” she said.

Maribel Breton said she also expected her son, Adonis, will have to study more in third grade. “He has to learn to read and write perfectly,” she said.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/1-4-million-new-jersey-students-return-to-school-this-year-1.1080056#sthash.kIPbd8b0.dpuf

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School Crossing Guard Positions Available – Contact Ridgewood Police Dept.

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School Crossing Guard Positions Available – Contact Ridgewood Police Dept.

The Ridgewood Police Department is accepting applications for School Crossing Guard Positions. Applications are Available at the Police Desk located at 131 North Maple Avenue Ridgewood NJ. P/T position, 10 hours per week (2 hours per day) starting at $17.49/hr. Send application to Police Chief John Ward, Ridgewood Police Dept, 131 N. Maple Ave., Ridgewood, NJ 07450 or return the application to the Police Records Room. The Village of Ridgewood is an EOE and civil service community. 201/652-3900