Tag: Ridgewood Schools

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Steve Jobs didn’t let his kids use iPads

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Steve Jobs didn’t let his kids use iPads
Posted on Monday, September 15 at 5:03am | By Amy Graff

Steve Jobs was the father of two teenage girls and a son when he passed away in 2011. These kids grew up with a visionary father who co-founded one of the best-known tech companies. Jobs led the world into the digital age with gadgets that transformed the way we listen to music, watch movies, communicate, live our lives.

You would imagine that his children’s rooms would have been filled with iPods, iPhones and iPads.

That’s not the case.In an article in the Sunday New York Times, reporter Nick Bilton says he once asked Jobs “So, your kids must love the iPad?”

Jobs response: “They haven’t used it. We limit how much technology our kids use at home.”

The Times article examines the growing trend among the California Silicon Valley tech set to limit children’s technology use. Many of the people behind the social media platforms, gadgets and games that are consuming our kids’ time and minds aren’t actually allowing their own children to waste an entire Saturday afternoon playing Minecraft on the iPad.

A quote in The Times from Chris Anderson, father of five and chief executive of 3D Robotics, pretty much defines why Anderson and his colleagues are limiting technology at home. “My kids accuse me and my wife of being fascists and overly concerned about tech, and they say that none of their friends have the same rules,” says Anderson, formerly the editor of Wired. “That’s because we have seen the dangers of technology firsthand. I’ve seen it in myself, I don’t want to see that happen to my kids.”

Some of these Silicon Valley engineers and execs are even going to the extreme of sending their kids to computer-free schools. A Times story from 2011 reported that engineers and execs from Apple, eBay, Google, Hewlett-Packard and Yahoo are sending their kids to a Waldorf elementary school in Los Altos, Calif., where you won’t find a single computer or screen of any sort. Also, kids are discouraged from watching television or logging on at home.

https://blog.sfgate.com/sfmoms/2014/09/15/steve-jobs-didnt-let-his-kids-use-ipads/#26764101=0

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Common Core State Standards a Threat to Personal Liberty — Thomas More Law Center Develops Opt-Out Form for Parents

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Common Core State Standards a Threat to Personal Liberty — Thomas More Law Center Develops Opt-Out Form for Parents

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August 27, 2014

Amidst growing concerns from parents and teachers surrounding the Common Core State Standards and the Federal government’s control of classroom curriculum, the Thomas More Law Center (TMLC) has prepared a Student Privacy Protection Request form for use by parents who wish to protect their children by opting-out of Common Core aligned curricula, data mining and the release of information concerning their children’s personal beliefs.

The Thomas More Law Center (TMLC), a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, MI, designed the comprehensive opt-out form for parents concerned about Common Core and who want to protect their children’s privacy from educational data mining. The form allows parents to choose which Common Core State Standards and data driven practices they do not want their children to be a part of, including standardized testing.

The form allows parents to opt-out of sharing their child’s information with the federal government, as well as outside agencies and private contractors. Information which parents can opt-out of sharing ranges from test scores and religious and political beliefs, to biographic, biometric, and psychometric data, such as fingerprints, DNA and information related to children’s personality and aptitude.

Richard Thompson, TMLC President and Chief Counsel, commented, “The opt-out form is based on the constitutionally recognized fundamental right of parents to direct the education of their children and on federal statutes which were designed to protect student privacy.  Our Founding Fathers recognized the dangers to our freedoms posed by centralized control over public education.  However, today, all but a handful of state governments, enticed by millions of dollars in federal grants, are voluntarily inviting the federal government to take control of our public schools, imposing untested educational standards and obtaining personal information on children and their parents which would make any totalitarian government blush with envy.   We must ever keep in mind, ‘The philosophy of the classroom in one generation will become the philosophy of the government in the next.’ Clearly, Common Core is a threat to individual privacy and liberty, and to our Constitutional Republic.”

https://www.thomasmore.org/news/common-core-state-standards-threat-personal-liberty-thomas-law-center-develops-opt-form-parents/

https://www.thomasmore.org/news/common-core-state-standards-threat-personal-liberty-thomas-law-center-develops-opt-form-parents/

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Alibaba’s IPO to end US dominance in technology sector: expert

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Alibaba’s IPO to end US dominance in technology sector: expert

English.news.cn   2014-09-19 04:35:34

LONDON, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) — Alibaba’s IPO could well be the end of U.S. dominance in the world technology sector, a professor from a Britain’s business school told Xinhua on Thursday.

“Alibaba’s annual growth rate of more than 30 percent shows that the gap between the Chinese companies, Alibaba and Tencent, and U.S. companies is getting ever closer,” said Qing Wang, professor from Warwick Business School, one of the most prestigious and highly selective business schools in the world.

“The ability to understand customers intimately and continuously innovate should enable them to expand overseas with US dominance in the world technology sector gradually being broken,” said professor Wang.

The strong performance and fast rise of the Chinese technology companies in the world was helped by an enormous and fast growing domestic market, she said. The competition in that domestic market among the Chinese companies, as well as with multinational corporations that have entered it, was extremely fierce and successful private companies like Alibaba had to be highly entrepreneurial and market-oriented, she added.

Professor Wang didn’t see major risks for Alibaba after IPO, as this was not the first Chinese company who has done this and the earlier ones such as Tencent are doing well after their IPO.

But she warned that what Alibaba might need to watch out for is the short term orientation of the stock market, the expectation and pressure to deliver quick results, which may clash with his business philosophy.

https://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2014-09/19/c_133653948.htm

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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: [email protected]
Treasurer Sharon Walker [email protected]
Communications Jeff Coster [email protected]

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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Ridgewood Schools State Testing Results

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Ridgewood Schools State Testing Results

Individual Student Reports from the Spring 2014 administration of NJASK for grades 3 through 8 have arrived in the district and are currently being processed for distribution. These reports will be mailed home to parents by the end of the week.

BOARD MEETS ON SEPTEMBER 22

The next Regular Public Meeting of the Ridgewood Board of Education will be held on Monday, September 22, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. 
 
The public is invited to attend the meeting at the Ed Center, 49 Cottage Place, Floor 3. The meeting will be aired live on FiOS channel 33 and Optimum channel 77. Or it may be viewed live via the district website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us using the “Link in Live” tab.

Click here to view the agenda for the September 8, 2014 Regular Public Meeting.

Click here to view a partial webcast of the September 8, 2014 Regular Public Meeting. Due to technical problems in which the file was corrupted, this is not a webcast of the entire meeting. The only portion that was able to be salvaged was from part of the second session of Comments from the Public until the meeting adjourned.

8.26.14: The Board of Education took up the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge on August 25. Click here to view the video.

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The Ten Dumbest Common Core Problems

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The Ten Dumbest Common Core Problems
Sample questions guaranteed to make your brain hurt in all the wrong places.
By Alec Torres

The Common Core State Standards Initiative is widely denounced for imposing confusing, unhelpful experimental teaching methods. Following these methods, some have created problems that lack essential information or make no sense whatsoever.

Some 45 states and the District of Columbia have so far adopted Common Core standards, leaving students all around the United States to puzzle over mysterious logic and language devised in accordance with Common Core’s new methods.

Here are eleven Common Core–compliant problems that have caused parents, students, and even teachers to scratch their heads or respond in outrage:

1. Starting with an easily solvable problem, New York takes the simple “7+7″ and complicates it with something called “number bonds.”

https://www.nationalreview.com/article/373840/ten-dumbest-common-core-problems-alec-torres

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Ridgewood teachers union supports Common Core opponents

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Ridgewood teachers union supports Common Core opponents

SEPTEMBER 15, 2014    LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2014, 9:18 AM
BY JODI WEINBERGER
STAFF WRITER

The Ridgewood teachers union gave a boost to parents opposing the Common Core and assessments it is linked to at the kickoff to the new school year last week.

Parents and teachers alike say their questions and concerns about Common Core have largely gone unanswered, with parents worried about the future of their children’s education and teachers worried about the future of their careers.

Superintendent Daniel Fishbein addressed some of the queries at a Board of Education (BOE) meeting on Sept. 8, standing firm on two points: The district does not have the right to ignore the Common Core standards or opt out of the assessment, the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC).

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/education/teachers-union-teams-with-parents-opposition-group-1.1088257#sthash.h3fH8Sl1.dpuf

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Why are we moving to Common Core?

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Why are we moving to Common Core?

September 12, 2014    Last updated: Friday, September 12, 2014, 9:28 AM
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Why are we moving to Common Core?

Marlene Burton
Marlene Burton

Marlene Burton

To the Editor:

I have spent some time looking at the Common Core ELA standards, as well as the math. A couple in particular caught my eye:

The first, and I quote: “With guidance and support from adults, explore a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.”

For what age child is this intended? You might think a 6th grader, but perhaps too ambitious and too grandiose for an 11-year-old – certainly a diversion from more fundamental activities.

But no, it is a kindergarten standard. The proponents of the Common Core want 5-year-olds on computers exploring digital tools to publish their own writings and the writing they have done in collaboration with their peers.

Here is another one: “Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of books by a favorite author and express opinions about them).” Also a kindergarten standard.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/letter-why-are-we-moving-to-common-core-1.1086863#sthash.xIGhCobY.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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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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Remembering 9/11 With Good Works and Good Deeds

 

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Remembering 9/11 With Good Works and Good Deeds 

Join the 9/11 Day Observance today. Visit https://911day.org/ and share your message or good deed tribute. Or share your message on Twitter, #911day.

Our mission is to honor the victims and survivors of 9/11 and those that rose to service in response to the attacks by encouraging all Americans and others throughout the world to pledge to voluntarily perform at least one good deed, or another service activity on 9/11 each year.

9/11 Day is the grassroots movement to observe September 11 every year as a day of charitable service and doing good deeds, and to inspire individuals to continue to help others in need whenever they can. Today more than 35 million Americans and others participate annually by taking time out on 9/11 to help others in need, in their own way! We created this observance soon after 9/11 to provide a positive way to forever remember and pay tribute to the 9/11 victims, honor those that rose in service in response to the attacks, and remind people of the importance of working more closely together to improve our world. In 2009 the U.S. Congress and President Obama joined together to officially establish 9/11 as a National Day of Service and Remembrance under bi-partisan federal law.

Participating in 9/11 Day is easy. Simply dedicate time each September 11 to helping others in any fashion that you choose, like making a donation, performing a good deed, helping a friend, relative or neighbor, or volunteering your time. All we ask is that you remember by doing something positive that helps others. Be sure to share your plans or message on Twitter, using #911day, on Facebook, or by visiting our website, https://911day.org/

A few suggestions on how to help from the Ridgewood News :

Give blood. Donate books to a library or volunteer to read to children. Donate pet food to an animal rescue or shelter or volunteer to foster an animal. Donate food to a food pantry. Give clothes to a homeless shelter.

Companies, groups, municipalities and schools can also band together for special projects such as sponsoring a collection, volunteering time to help nonprofits in the area or just sprucing up public places.

For example, the Rotary Club of Ridgewood A.M. is collecting new and used shoes for donation to the Soles4Souls charity. The non-profit group monetizes used shoes and clothing to create sustainable jobs and fund direct relief efforts, including distribution of new shoes and clothing.

Drop off locations for the shoe drive include all Ridgewood public schools and the Education Center, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Chestnut Deli, Columbia Bank, Emmanuel Baptist Church, Morgan Stanley, Old Paramus Reformed Church, Ponds Reformed Church, Ridgewood Christian Reformed Church, Ridgewood Community Church, St. Elizabeth’s Church, Temple Emmanuel, Ulrich, the Unitarian Society of Ridgewood, Upper Ridgewood Community Church, Village Hall, West Side Presbyterian Church.

For additional information about the shoe drive, contact Betty Wiest at 201-652-0858.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-editorials/a-day-to-make-a-difference-1.1081489#sthash.CddwFVWx.dpuf

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Fitch downgrades NJ’s credit rating once again, citing pension shortfalls

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Fitch downgrades NJ’s credit rating once again, citing pension shortfalls

SEPTEMBER 5, 2014, 5:12 PM    LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2014, 12:16 AM
BY JOHN REITMEYER
STATE HO– USE BUREAU
THE RECORD

New Jersey’s credit rating has been cut in Wall Street’s first official reaction to the move by Governor Christie to scale back legally mandated payments to New Jersey’s pension fund, a move he made to balance the state budget.

Fitch Ratings announced Friday afternoon that it lowered the state’s credit rating one step to A, citing a “repudiation” of the pledged pension payments.

The downgrade announcement also cited “the absence of long-term, fiscally sustainable solutions” to close recent budget gaps, “overly optimistic revenue forecasts” and a state economy that “continues to lag that of the nation.”

The ratings action comes as public employee unions are challenging the pension payment reductions — which total $2.4 billion over two fiscal years — in state Superior Court. It also puts New Jersey’s credit rating in a tie with California’s, and above only Illinois among U.S. states.

The downgrade is the second this year from Fitch, which had already lowered the credit rating to A+ after the Christie administration announced in April that tax collections had fallen $807 million short of projections.

Two other major ratings agencies, Moody’s Investors Service and Standard & Poor’s, also lowered New Jersey’s credit rating around the same time.

The credit rating is an important factor in determining how cheap and easy it is to borrow money for capital projects such as schools and bridges that cannot be funded in one budget year.

The latest downgrade is also a blow for Christie, a Republican who has tried to make the case that his fiscal policies and reforms have rescued the state from years of mismanagement under Democratic leadership. And though the state’s unemployment rate has improved in recent months, the loss of roughly 5,000 jobs from the closure of two Atlantic City casinos earlier this week signals that more bad economic news could be coming.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/fitch-downgrades-nj-s-credit-rating-once-again-citing-pension-shortfalls-1.1082031#sthash.9mSK3Y9w.dpuf

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2014 ASHBY AWARDS, TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE AWARD ANNOUNCED

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2014 ASHBY AWARDS, TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE AWARD ANNOUNCED
Ridgewood Schools
September 5th 2014

Two recently retired veterans of the Ridgewood Public Schools are recipients of the 2014 Ashby Award. Former Hawes School Art Teacher Judy Malholtra and former Willard School Principal Marianne Williams were announced the winners at All-staff Convocation on September 2. A new honor, the Tradition of Excellence Award for Support Staff, was also given to longtime staffer Maryjane Moynihan for her contributions to the district as Benefits Coordinator.

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Ms. Malhotra started with the district in 1981 as a substitute teacher, then taught art at Orchard School since 1996. Known as an accomplished artist and master teacher, she is responsible for the conception, inspiration and development of the Orchard School’s Community Art Garden, as well as the collaboration with Music Teacher Drew Kreismer on the garden’s newest addition, a musical sculpture  inspired by a piece at Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ.

Ms. Williams retired in July after serving with the Ridgewood district since 1981, starting as a Supplemental Instructor and Gifted and Talented Teacher, then teaching for 14 years at Somerville School before serving as Willard’s Acting Principal in 1997 and then Principal. Her legacy at Willard includes the implementation of several innovative educational programs, the day-to-day management of Willard during its first major expansion since it was built, and the year-long observance of the school’s centennial celebration. During her tenure, Willard School was also named a National Blue Ribbon School for academic excellence by the United States Department of Education, a distinction that is earned by very few schools.

The Ashby award was established in 1966 to honor former Superintendent Lloyd W. Ashby and his wife, Lois, for their distinguished service to the community. The recipient is selected annually from nominees submitted by staff members and is someone who, in the opinion of his or her peers, has carried on the fine tradition of service and contribution. The Ashby Award is the highest honor bestowed upon a staff member. In recognition of this honor the names engraved on brass plates are placed on a plaque and is mounted in the lobby of the Education Center.

Photos: Superintendent Dr. Daniel Fishbein congratulates 2014 Tradtion of Excellence Award winner Maryjane Moynihan (L) and Ashby Award winner Judy Malholtra (R). Ashby Award winner Marianne Williams was not present for the photo. Below, the former Willard School Principal was photographed when the school’s media center was named in her honor in 2014.

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