RHS Boys’ and Girls Soccer Teams are 2014-15 NSCAA High School Team Academic Award Recipients
October 28,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, The RHS Boys’ and Girls’ varsity soccer teams were recognized by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) with the 2014-15 High School Team Academic Award.
To qualify for this award, the team must have a minimum grade point average of 3.25 for the entire academic year. The team GPA is determined by adding every player’s GPA, then dividing by the number of players.
The Maroons soccer teams were among 398 teams nationwide to be recognized for exemplary performance in the classroom as a team during the 2014-15 academic year. RHS is among 51 schools receiving honors for both their boys’ and girls’ teams. The RHS girl’s soccer team has been recognized 16 times for this achievement.
Ridgewood NJ, The RHS Marching Band has placed 1st at a competition for the 3rd straight weekend. At Ridge High School the band was awarded best music, best percussion, best color guard, best visual performance, and best overall effect. The band will compete at NJ State Championships on Saturday, October 31 at Rutgers University.
The band also won first place and captured awards for Best Music, Best Percussion, Best Visual Performance, and Best Overall Effect at the USBands competition at Pequannock High School on October 10.
Indoctrinated: Some can recall a time when our campuses of higher education were zones where free speech thrived. That was another era, though. Today’s students want speech restricted. How did it come to this?
The results of a poll that should be shocking, but sadly aren’t, show that 51% of students favor their “college or university having speech codes to regulate speech for students and faculty.”
Oddly, 95% say that “the issue of free speech” is important at their college or university, while 73% believe that the First Amendment is “an important amendment that still needs to be followed and respected in today’s society.” Only 21% told the Buckley Free Speech Survey that it is “outdated” and “can no longer be applied in today’s society and should be changed.”
Maybe these findings are not so odd, after all. In today’s America, “free speech” and “First Amendment rights” tend not to include any expression that doesn’t conform to left-wing ideology.
Seven years ago, almost two entire college generations in the past, the Acton Institute observed, “Students at colleges and universities who articulate conservative and traditional views are at particular risk of bullying and indoctrination by campus administrators and faculty who are zealous ideologues.”
Read More At Investor’s Business Daily: https://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/102715-777695-politically-correct-conditioning-starts-when-kids-are-young.htm#ixzz3psV4RWsp
RHS Bands Hold Annual Poinsettia and Amaryllis Sale November 1-18
Ridgewood NJ, RHS Students will be selling door to door Sunday, November 1 from 12:30-4:30 p.m.
Sizes and prices as follows:
6″ Red or white – $10
10″ Red or white – $25
Amaryllis – $15
Orders accepted until 11/18/15.
Orders/ checks should be made out to RHS Band Assoc. and mailed c/o Lorissa Lightman, 659 Spring Ave., Ridgewood, NJ 07450
Delivery dates are December 5 and 6.
Please contact Lorissa Lightman: [email protected] for more information.
For more information on the band program and a list of events, visitwww.rhsbands.org.
Ridgewood Police conduct a “security walk through” at Ridgewood Schools
October 27,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Selected Ridgewood Police Department uniformed patrol officers visited all public schools within the Village beginning at approximately 12:45 PM on Tuesday in response to a “disturbing” comment made by an unidentified student.
Each officer assigned to the special detail was responsible for conducting a “security walk through” of his/her assigned school building(s). No further information has yet been made public about what precipitated this unusual police department response. In the attached photos, Ridgewood Police Department Patrol Officer Salvatore D’Amico arrives at and enters the Somerville Elementary School on South Pleasant Avenue.
Jamboree 2016 Auditions are Here
All auditions are held at Ridgewood High School Campus Center.
Dates/Times (just need to attend one) are:
October 21, 7 p.m.
October 27, 7 p.m.
Fill out the registration form here to save some time on audition night, and get the latest news and updates: https://rhsjamboree.org/wp/
A NOTE FROM THE JAMBOREE COMMITTEE: All RHS parents and guardians invited to participate in the 70th Annual Jamboree . Since 1947, Jamboree has presented an original musical revue raising funds for need-based college scholarships for graduating RHS seniors” and how, over $1.2million raised and distributed to hundreds of worthy applicants. (All students , not just with Parents/Guardians on or back stage, with a FAFSA, may apply)
LAST NIGHT TO Show up is October 27, 7 p.m. at Ridgewood High School Campus Center to learn more and show your enthusiasm for higher education for all.
Producers for this Feb 2016 run are the amazing duo of Rachel and Paul Ainasworth , Leigh Warren and Fred Jubitz , and RHS grad. The stellar Director is Rosie Gunther McCooe. We are a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization and Trustees include Dotti Fucito, President.
“Rewind” the years in song , dance on stage as we honor our Village in a show to delight the 2500 who fill our Village Theatre at BFMS every year.
OCTOBER 23, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Print
Is technology helping or hurting in the classroom?
To the Editor:
As a district, we have enthusiastically embraced technology in our schools. And it is certainly understandable why. With technology came the promise of improved educational outcomes for our children, and a greater chance for success competing in the 21st century global economy.
But parents are beginning to question the validity of this promise: Are children really learning more? Is their reading comprehension improving? What about their math ability?
Now, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has published a 200-page study, concluding that investing heavily in classroom technology does not improve student performance, and, in fact, frequent use of computers is more likely to be associated with lower results. For math, the study found that almost any time spent on the computer leads to poorer performance.
Internationally, the best-performing education systems, such as those in East Asia, have been very cautious about using technology in the classroom. Countries with the highest level of Internet use in schools either experienced significant declines in reading performance or stagnated.
Because of my earlier career developing software for IBM, I am acutely aware of the limitations of technology and certainly not bedazzled by it. Now I tutor math for the SAT, so I get to hear unfiltered reports of students’ experiences with technology.
Some teachers, apparently, require students take notes on their Chromebooks, even though some prefer to take notes by hand, because they believe they learn better that way. Research supports these students’ preferences; taking notes by hand results in deeper learning.
Chromebooks in the classroom frequently cause distractions because some students play games during class.
Textbooks are increasingly online, even though many students would prefer to have good paper textbooks, because they are easier to read.
There also appears to be a tendency on the part of some teachers to delegate to the computer the task of teaching, so there’s less interaction between student and teacher. Students do best in close human-to-human contact. The research supports this.
It’s interesting: the students who complain most about technology in the schools are strong students, those most interested in learning.
I think we might want to consider why the executives and employees of the top Silicon Valley firms send their kids to schools that have no technology in the early grades, absolutely none, and when it is introduced in eighth grade, it is used sparingly. It should give us pause to hear that the innovators developing these products refuse to expose their own children’s minds to them. Their thinking is that technology interferes with creativity, and young minds learn best through movement, hands-on tasks and human-to-human interaction.
The OECD report now gives us solid data linking frequent computer use in school to declining academic performance. In September, we learned that – nationally – students in the high school class of 2015 turned in the lowest critical reading score on the SAT in more than 40 years. The average score on the math portion of the SAT was the lowest since 1999.
I am troubled by the exchange between Ridgewood teachers and the Board of Education in recent letters to the editor of this newspaper.
As I understand it, Chapter 78, a state law that phased in greater employee contributions to healthcare, is now fully implemented. The law says, “After full implementation, those contribution levels will become part of the parties’ collective negotiations and will then be subject to collective negotiations in a manner similar to other negotiable items between the parties.” I believe this means that, under current law, our board is expected to look at both salaries and healthcare in order to reach a satisfying agreement with the Ridgewood Education Association.
Yet, it seems as if teachers are appealing to the board to negotiate healthcare as well as salaries. In a letter to the editor, Pat Rosenfeld asks the board to “step up and negotiate alternate cost sharing arrangements.” Donna Pedersen echoes this request in her letter and says, “All that I am requesting of our Board of Education is to have respect for us as educators, professionals, and community members and to sit down with the REA to talk about the cost of our healthcare benefits.” In both letters, teachers seem to be pleading for a negotiation process that I believe is currently expected under state law. So I ask, If negotiation is stipulated in Chapter 78, why is this appeal necessary?
My last point is an observation. Based on the board’s information, 413 of the 520 teachers earn less than $100,000 per year. Most teachers do not enter the field of education in order to get rich. From my experience, most Ridgewood teachers work hard and care deeply about their students and education. In return, they expect a reasonable standard of living in an outrageously expensive area. Equally important, they want a Board of Education that negotiates both healthcare arrangements and salaries, which, as I understand it, is stipulated in Chapter 78, a state law.
OCTOBER 23, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
As has become a pattern over the past few weeks, Monday’s Board of Education (BOE) meeting featured a bevy of speakers, most of whom were demanding a resolution to the contract negotiations between the BOE and the Ridgewood Education Association (REA).
Although this week’s meeting featured debate from the public, there was some potentially favorable news given by trustee Sheila Brogan.
“Jim (Morgan) and I did sit down on Friday with (REA chief negotiators) Laura (Grasso) and Mike (Yannone) and had a really positive conversation,” Brogran said, adding that they were set to meet again Oct. 21.
“We are working at it,” Brogan told the public at the meeting. “I know it’s not at the pace that you are wishing for.”
Yannone, president of the REA, confirmed the meeting via e-mail, and said he “thought it was productive in that it was the first time the REA felt we were able to talk one-on-one with the board members on their negotiating team. We left that meeting believing we articulated our position regarding our health contributions and we listened to their concerns regarding their budget.”
A new report from a Wall Street rating agency warns that Gov. Chris Christie’s seemingly dormant plan to overhaul government worker pension and health benefits to save the state billions of dollars could come at a risk to school districts if Christie’s proposed reforms don’t play out as envisioned. Samantha Marcus, NJ.com Read more
OCTOBER 20, 2015, 3:47 PM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015, 9:46 PM
BY HANNAN ADELY
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
WEST TRENTON – Most New Jersey students failed to meet grade-level expectations in math and English language arts on new state tests, according to results released Tuesday, seven months after tests were given amid controversy and a test boycott.
But officials urged caution in looking at scores because the tests, they said, are based on new and tougher standards compared to those of previous years. While the scores cannot be used to measure growth, officials said, they could provide a wake-up call for schools to see where instruction is failing and where students need the most help.
“This is from spring of 2015,” said Education Commissioner David Hespe. “We need to consider that is not a lot of time. So our expectation is not that we’re going to have every child on track for career and college. That is not going to happen in a short amount of time. Our goal is to remain committed to a continuum of improvement over time.”
Increasingly, many school referenda are based on the need to buy iPads or other tech devices for students. These devices, it is implied, will diminish achievement gaps and bring learning to new heights.
However, research has shown such “needs” to be misguided, particularly as “there is little solid evidence that greater computer use among students leads to better scores in mathematics and reading.” And as reading expert Nancie Atwell recently noted in The Washington Post, the tactic most likely to set students on the path to success is the good old-fashioned technology of a book.
“As reading researcher Richard Allington put it, ‘If I were working in a high-poverty school and had to choose between spending $15,000 each year on more books for classrooms and libraries, or on one more [teaching assistant], I would opt for the books … Children from lower-income homes especially need rich and extensive collections of books in their school …’
And they need actual books, not electronic devices that store books. Real books don’t require electricity or batteries. They survive rapid changes in technology and digital storage. While my students did experiment with e-readers and Kindles, all of them reverted to paper books. They said they missed the sense of geography they enjoy with a real book, where they’re aware of how many pages the author has left to resolve the plot, and when they can flip back with ease to clear up a confusion.”
BOSSY FROG MUSICAL SHOW – Thursday, November 5th, 11 a.m. at the Anne Zusy Youth Center, Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood. PreK/Early elementary. Young ones are sure to enjoy this fun and interactive musical show. Tickets are $5 for all attending (under 2 free).
“HIBERNATE, MIGRATE OR ACCLIMATE”, presented by NJ Audubon – Friday, November 6th, 11 a.m., at the Anne Zusy Youth Center, Village Hall, 131 N. Maple Avenue, Ridgewood. Grades 1 – 5. Learn how plants, birds, insects and animals of New Jersey survive the winter months. Tickets are $5 for all attending.
KNEX ROBOTICS WITH EXPLORE SCIENCE – Thursday, November 5th, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., at The Stable, 259 N. Maple Avenue, Ridgewood. Grades K – 5. Participants will build and bring home the ROBOT SMASH motorized robot that hops along like a primate. This interactive enrichment program encourages skill building in critical thinking; including communication, collaboration, persistence and problem solving. $40 participant fee ($50 non-residents if space allows). All materials will be included.
INCREDIFLIX ANIMATION WORKSHOP – Thursday and Friday, November 5 and 6, 1:30 to 4 p.m. each day, at The Stable, 259 N. Maple Avenue, Ridgewood. Grades 2 – 6. IncrediFlix Animation Flix Workshop focus on expanding imagination and creativity with hands-on activities. Participants will learn different styles of stop-motion animation, direct, film and do voice-overs in this ultimate arts and craft camp. A new style of animation each day! Their flix production will be edited and available for download soon after camp. Participant fee is $95 which includes all materials ($105 non-residents if space allows).
Purchase of tickets for the shows or registration for the program offerings may be made either online at Community Pass, www.ridgewoodnj.net/communitypass or in person at The Stable, 259 N. Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
For additional information, or if special accommodations are needed, kindly contact the Recreation office at 201-670-5560.
The Ridgewood Board of Education will hold a Regular Public Meeting on Monday, October 19, 2015, at 7:30 p.m.
The public is invited to attend the meeting at the Ed Center, 49 Cottage Place, Floor 3. The meeting may also be viewed on FiOS channel 33, Optimum channel 77 or from computers via the “Live BOE Meeting” tab on the district website.
Click here to view the agenda for the October 19, 2015 Regular Public Meeting.
Click here to view the minutes of the September 21, 2015 Regular Public Meeting.
Community and Strategic Plan Approved by the Board
At its October 5 meeting, the Board of Education approved the Community & Strategic Plans for the 2015-2016 school year. Click here to view this document.
Access Ridgewood 2015 is October 16-18
Events are taking place Friday, October 16 through Sunday, October 18 in the schools and Village. Event information can be found at [email protected].
Click here for more details.
LSHSA Holds Two Social Events
Welcome Brunch: October 26 from 9-11 a.m.
Evening Social November 18 at 7:30 p.m.
No RSVP required
Click here for details.
RHS DECA Sells Maroons Apparel through October 23
Proceeds support RHS DECA and Operation Shoebox. Orders are due by October 23. Click here for details and the order form.
Ridge School Holds Tag Sale on October 17
The multi-family sale will run from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Ridge School. Questions should be directed to [email protected]. Click here for the flyer.
RHS New Players Hold Trunk or Treat on October 30
Children are invited to come to the RHS Little Theatre in costume to hear Halloween tales, followed by trunk or treating in the parking lot. $10; children under 3 Free. Rsvp. Click here for details.
Junior NP Weekend is November 13-15
Click here for Junior New Players registration information. RHS Gymnastics Clinics Continue for Grades K-8
The RHS Varsity Gymnastics team continues its annual October gymnastics clinics on Saturdays, October 17 and 24 from 8-9 a.m. Individuals in Kindergarten through Grade 8 are welcome to participate in the clinics, which will be held in RHS Gym 3. Children should be dressed in proper attire (t-shirt and shorts/leggings or a leotard and spandex if they have them). Guardians are required to sign a permission slip the first they attend clinic. Clinics are provided free of charge, but donations are welcome. If you have questions please email Coach Karen Mendez at [email protected]. No need to RSVP. Click here for the flyer.
