Super Science Saturday 2016, the celebration of science and technology in our daily lives, returns for its twenty-seventh year on Saturday, February 27, from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Ridgewood High School, 627 East Ridgewood Avenue. Admission is free. Students are invited to sign up and exhibit at www.supersciencesaturday.org.
Admission is Free
The three-session presenters’ workshop begins on Thursday, February 4 and continues on February 11 and 25, from 3:30-5:30 p.m. at Benjamin Franklin Middle School. The cost is $20. Click here for workshop details and registration information.
Full details of the day, including registration forms, can be found on the Super Science Saturday website atwww.supersciencesaturday.org.
Click here for the latest Super Science Saturday flyer.
Ridgewood NJ, The National Federation of High School Athletics recently announced that it has selected Ridgewood High School’s own Brian Quirk as the 2015 New Jersey Girls Golf Coach of the Year. Under Quirk’s direction, the RHS girls golf team has been ranked among the top team in New Jersey over the past six years. Last year the team won several major tournaments. Brian Quirk is also a physical education teacher at Ridgewood High School.
Ridgewood NJ, On Wednesday, January 6, 192 RHS students attended the NJ DECA Regional Competition at Ramapo College. The students either completed one or two impromptu role plays or presented a prepared presentation.
RHS DECA had another successful year bringing home a “truck of trophies and medals.” This includes 27 team event trophies, 33 individual event trophies, 91 medals, and 30 overall trophies (including individual and teams). All awards are presented to the top 3 in each competition. Karen Mendez and Sean Kase are extremely proud of their students’ hard work. 106 will be moving onto the state level DECA competition that will be held this year in Cherry Hill, between February 21 and February 23
Dr. Fishbein comments on multiple swatting incidents that recently occurred in Bergen County schools, and the protocols in place for future incidents.
A Letter from Dr. Fishbein Click here to read a letter from Dr. Fishbein regarding the multiple swatting incidents that recently occurred in Bergen County schools, and the protocols in place for future incidents.
Jack, a student at George Washington Middle School, has been playing piano since he was 7. He practices for 45 minutes every day after school.
As a result, he was a first-place finisher in the Crescendo International Competition, earning a chance to play Jan. 31 in Carnegie Hall. It will be Jack’s second performance at a New York City concert hall this month.
Jack played the Merkin Concert Hall on Jan. 10, a recital for winners of the Vivo International Music Competition, in which Jack placed third.
REGISTRATION FOR 2016 KINDERGARTEN ENTRANCE IS FEBRUARY 2, 4
Registration for Fall 2016 Kindergarten Entrance is February 2, 4
Registration takes place at the elementary schools from 3:30-4:30 on Tuesday, February 2 and Thursday, February 4
Click here for the letter and list of registration information. Click here for required registration forms.
Check your test center, and learn about makeup tests.
RegisterNext Tests:1/23 , 3/5
SAT Test Center Closings
Information about SAT test center closings for the January SAT administration date will be posted to this page as it becomes available. If a makeup date or alternate test center information has been confirmed, that information will also be included.
SAT Test Center Supervisors are instructed to notify local media outlets when their centers are unable to open due to inclement weather, natural disaster, power failure, or other problems. Please check your local media for test center closings in your area.
If your center is listed as closed:
A new center may appear in the listing. In this case, access your online account and print a new, updated ticket with the new center information noted on it. You must bring your updated ticket with you on test day to the reassigned center.
If no new center appears, please be patient while we work to arrange a makeup date — you will be contacted as soon as a makeup is scheduled. Remember: don’t try to test elsewhere on test day — supervisors cannot admit standbys or walk-ins.
Please note: If you had a Waitlist Ticket for a closed center, your original Waitlist request was canceled, and you are not eligible for makeup testing. Please register for the next available date as soon as possible.
Paramus NJ, The Valley Hospital Department of Community Health and Community Benefit recently donated 10 DeskCycles to Parkway Elementary School as part of its health education partnership with the Borough of Paramus. “This school year, Parkway’s theme was healthy bodies and that works right into our departmental goals so we partnered up to support them,” said Valley health educator Danielle Cinnante. “Our department has brought in nutrition and health education to the students and parents of Parkway and is so excited to help support the health of our young community!” In addition to supporting fitness, the cycles also help learning by enabling the students to focus on their classroom tasks without fidgeting or becoming restless.
Shown here with Parkway students are Parminder Savalia, Health Education Supervisor, The Valley Hospital; Elaine Palombit, school nurse, Parkway Elementary; Jean Mulholland, physical education teacher, Parkway Elementary; and Danielle Cinnante, health educator, The Valley Hospital.
Community Outreach Series Focuses on Well-being: Program on Adolescent Boys is January 19
January 14,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Schools present the next up in the Well-being series is “He’s Not Just Lazy:Helping Under-challenged and Unmotivated Boys” by Dr. Adam Price. This program will take place on Tuesday, January 19, 2016 from 7-9 p.m. at Benjamin Franklin Middle School Auditorium, 335. N. Van Dien Avenue.
The 2015-2016 parent/peers series consists of eight engaging presentations throughout the school year. Co-sponsored by The Valley Hospital, with support from The Foundation, adults are invited to attend these programs on creating balance in children’s lives.
Textbook sales leader says national Common Core education standards are ‘all about the money’ as teacher insists bureaucrats created a ‘new f**king system that f**king sucks to sell more books’
Conservative muckraker group Project Veritas caught a textbook sales executive and a New York teacher talking about Common Core standards ‘I hate kids,’ confessed the textbook sales leader. ‘I’m in it to sell books. Don’t even kid yourself for a heartbeat’ Hidden camera video shows teacher hammering the program as a ‘bulls**t’ system designed ‘to sell more books’ ‘Oh my god, it’s all a money game. It’s all a money game,’ she said Houghton Mifflin Harcourt fired the sales executive Tuesday morning after DailyMail.com told the company about the video
The guerrilla video crew that exposed Obamaphone cheaters and shut down the left-wing advocacy group ACORN is at it again, this time hammering the ‘Common Core’ education standards as a scheme for publishers to sell more textbooks.
The West Coast sales manager from one of the nation’s biggest school book sellers, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, told an undercover muckraker with Project Veritas that ‘I hate kids.’
‘I’m in it to sell books,’ Dianne Barrow said of her advocacy for Common Core. ‘Don’t even kid yourself for a heartbeat.’
She added that ‘it’s all about the money. What are you, crazy? It’s all about the money.’
‘You don’t think that the educational publishing companies are in it for education, do you? No, they’re in it for the money.’
JANUARY 11, 2016 LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 2016, 2:27 PM
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Sheila Brogan was reelected as president and Vincent Loncto as vice president during last week’s Ridgewood Board of Education reorganization meeting.
“I just want to thank the board for your support, and I’m so pleased to continue to work with Vincent and all of you,” Brogan said. “It is a real honor to serve this community in this capacity and to be on the board, so I thank you for that and I look forward to the challenges that we have.”
Loncto, who ran unopposed in the November election, also thanked the board for its confidence in him.
“I’d like to echo Sheila’s comments and express my gratitude for the opportunity to serve in this capacity,” Loncto said, adding that he is “honored by the opportunity.”
Loncto was sworn in Monday night to a three-year term.
Schools audited
Mike Andriola, an auditor for accounting and consulting firm Wiss & Company, presented the results of a recent district audit at Monday’s meeting.
Andriola noted that a few mistakes had been made, such as purchasing small amounts of supplies and asking for approval afterward. He said the district also racked up travel expenditures that exceeded the approved maximum.
“They weren’t big dollar amounts; there really weren’t many of them,” he said. “I don’t think it’s anything to be overly concerned with.”
Based on his findings, Andriola suggested that the district “strengthen its internal controls,” in order to ensure that nothing is purchased without consent and that over-expenditures are not made.
He also suggested that the district ensure that monetary transfers are made on a monthly basis, so that “any budgetary account lines that are in a deficit balance” are covered.
“I am confident that (the school district is) going to address these and fix them going forward,” he said.
JANUARY 8, 2016 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2016, 12:31 AM
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
The school district is currently surveying residents for their opinions on the possibility of implementing full-day kindergarten.
The survey, which runs through Jan. 21, is available at surveymonkey.com/r/Full-DayK. The data will be presented to the school board in February.
Those without computers can take the survey from 4-6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 12 at Benjamin Franklin Middle School, 335 North Van Dien Ave., Room 102; or Wednesday, Jan. 13 at George Washington Middle School, 155 Washington Place, Room 248.
“The community survey will be used to gather information on the perceptions about our current kindergarten program and to assist us with determining the feasibility of transforming it to a full-day program,” said Cheryl Best, the district’s assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction and support. “We hope that everyone will participate.”
The district hired a demographer, Ross Haber, to determine the feasibility of switching from half-day to full-day kindergarten. That report was presented to the Board of Education this past fall.
Aaaand Another Study Says Preschool Hurts, Not Helps
Annie Holmquist | October 1, 2015
All of the good arguments for Pre-K education seem to be dropping like flies.
One of principal arguments of Pre-K advocates is that it will ensure future academic success for students. But a recent study from the Peabody Research Institute at Vanderbilt University shows that any benefits of Pre-K soon disappear.
Peabody studied Tennessee’s state-funded Voluntary Prekindergarten program, which began in 2009 and particularly caters to children from low-income families. The study discovered the following:
In both the behavioral and academic arenas, preschool attendees were better prepared to enter kindergarten than their non-preschool classmates.
By the end of kindergarten, the non-preschool students caught up to their preschool attending peers, leaving no differencebetween the two groups in terms of academic achievement.
By the end of 1st grade, preschool attendees were found to be behind their peers in a number of non-cognitive/behavioral measurements.
During 2nd and 3rd grade, students who had not attended preschool were actually performing better academically than preschool attendees, particularly in math.
Universal preschool has long been touted as the silver bullet which will close achievement gaps and set children on the path to success. But studies are increasingly beginning to show that preschool has minimal, if any, benefits for children. Is it time to hit the pause button before more states charge ahead to fund preschool for all?
Survey to Gather Opinions on Full-Day K
Ridgewood NJ , The Full-day Kindergarten Exploratory Committee will seek residents’ input via an online community survey, opening January 4. All residents are invited and encouraged to participate. Click here for more information and to view the postcard that will be mailed to all residents.
The Full-day Kindergarten Exploratory Committee now has a folder on the Curriculum web page. Click here to go directly to the folder, which contains reports done by demographer Ross Haber.
The teachers union (NEA) recognizes that full-day kindergarten programs close achievement gaps between young children from minority and low-income families and their peers. By providing a solid foundation of learning to children from all backgrounds, full-day kindergarten programs ensure all students’ academic, social, and emotional success.( https://www.nea.org/home/11541.htm )
Be wary of mandating full-day kindergarten
A petition circulating throughout many school districts asks residents to support the extension of the kindergarten program from a half-day program to a full-day one. While no one disputes the advantages and positive impact of early childhood education, those supporting this endeavor are trying to pull the wool over the taxpayers’ eyes by minimizing the cost of their new program.
Efforts to make full-day kindergarten a state mandate by state law stalled because Gov. Christie understands that whatever the state mandates, the state must then pay for. Recently, he vetoed a bill that would create a task force to study issues related to the establishment of full-day kindergarten.
In his veto message, Gov. Christie stated, “Further, while the Department of Education is ready, willing, and able to assist districts in implementing a full-day program, the decision of whether to offer a full-day program should reside with local boards of education and their constituents.”
Since the decision on the extension of full-day kindergarten was not “solved” in one fell swoop, each district remains free to decide for itself what it would like to do. In this respect, a district-wide vote on a referendum of this nature represents the purest form of democracy.
DECEMBER 28, 2015, 5:38 PM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2015, 6:44 AM
BY GREGORY SCHUTTA
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
Years of debate. Months of meetings. Weeks of hand-wringing.
And in the end, athletes, coaches and officials of New Jersey high school sports find themselves right back where they started.
In a momentous announcement Monday, state Commissioner of Education David Hespe reversed controversial votes this month by state athletics’ governing body to separate public and non-public schools in football and on the road to the state wrestling tournament.
Related: Landmark vote splits N.J. H.S. football along public/non-public lines
The decision forces the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association and school officials to yet again seek a lasting solution to the longest-running issue plaguing high school sports in the state: the competitive imbalance between public and non-public school teams.
“I’m disappointed,” said River Dell Athletic Director Denis Nelson, a strong proponent of the separation proposal in football. “The strategic and competitive advantage non-public schools have is going to continue. I don’t think it’s fair. I don’t think it’s right. But it is in existence.”
“We’re back to where we were,” said Bergen Catholic Athletic Director Jack McGovern. “I don’t know that that’s a great place. But now we know the parameters we have to work with, and we will continue to try to make it better.”
