Ridgewood school officials say state mandates are a burden
Monday January 20, 2014, 12:02 PM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News
The Ridgewood school district is backing two resolutions in a fight against state mandates that officials say are placing a burden on Ridgewood.
Both resolutions are being sent to various state legislators and New Jersey education groups for review.
The Board of Education (BOE) noted in one of the documents, which were approved last week, that “based on the history of high test scores achieved in Ridgewood Public Schools, these new mandates are unnecessary to the district to provide a thorough and efficient education system, a fact making these unfunded mandates particularly onerous to Ridgewood Public Schools.”
EMERGENCY MINIMUM DAY/EARLY DISMISSAL ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 21
1.20.14 at 11 p.m.:
Dear Parents/Guardians/Staff,
Tomorrow, Tuesday, January 21, weather conditions are expected to deteriorate after school begins. All students will be dismissed at the Emergency Minimum Day schedule as follows:
WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE TUESDAY NIGHT
URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY
527 AM EST MON JAN 20 2014
…WINTER STORM BECOMING MORE LIKELY TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT…
…WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE TUESDAY NIGHT…
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NEW YORK HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WATCH…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE TUESDAY NIGHT.
* LOCATIONS…EASTERN PASSAIC AND WESTERN BERGEN COUNTIES.
* HAZARD TYPES…SNOW.
* ACCUMULATIONS…SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 4 TO 7 INCHES.
* WINDS…NORTH 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH.
* TEMPERATURES…IN THE TEENS TO LOWER 20S DURING THE DAY…AND
SINGLE DIGITS TO TEENS AT NIGHT.
* VISIBILITIES…ONE QUARTER TO ONE HALF MILE AT TIMES.
* TIMING…SNOWFALL WILL BEGIN LATE TUESDAY MORNING AND CONTINUE INTO TUESDAY NIGHT WITH HEAVIEST SNOWFALL EXPECTED TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
* IMPACTS…FALLING BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WILL CA– USE HAZARDOUS TRAVEL AND WALKING CONDITIONS ACROSS THE AREA… POSSIBLY IMPACTING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING COMMUTE. EXTREME COLD AND LOW WIND CHILLS COULD CA– USE FROST BITE. DRESS APPROPRIATELY.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW…SLEET…OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECAS
Mental health risk to children trapped in ‘toxic climate’ of dieting, pornography and school stress IAN JOHNSTON
Monday 20 January 2014
Children are living in an “unprecedented toxic climate” in which they skip meals to stay thin, are bombarded by pornographic images and fear they will be failures amid a “continuous onslaught of stress at school”, according to research published today.
A poll commissioned to coincide with the launch of a national campaign found 40 per cent of 11 to 14-year-olds said they missed meals for weight-loss reasons, while a similar proportion said their relationships with other children had been affected by watching pornography online.
Half of children and young people had been bullied and more than half believed they would end up being a failure if they did not get good exam grades. The charity YoungMinds said the UK was sitting on a “mental health time bomb” and that action is needed by the Government, schools and parents to help young people cope with the pressures of modern life.
Ridgewood High School Teen LEADs club members visit jail
FRIDAY JANUARY 17, 2014, 10:38 AM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
RHS LEADS group members learn through immersion
As they moved into the women’s section of the Bergen County Jail, the Ridgewood High School (RHS) students crossed their arms and fell silent. The sound of women laughing and talking, looking at the students through glass windows, reverberated through the hall as the teenagers hesitantly walked forward.
For students who had never been inside a jail before, this was a potentially unnerving excursion – but it was far from a “scared straight” trip for at-risk youth.
About 20 students were on the Jan. 7 trip, mostly sophomores and juniors who are members of RHS’ new applicant-based extracurricular group called Teen LEADS. On the field trip, they learned about civic engagement, leadership and the workings of the jail.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/240805881_Ridgewood_High_School_Teen_LEADs_club_members_visit_jail.html#sthash.fey2G4IT.dpuf
Questioning outside vendor ban
FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Questioning outside vendor ban
David M. McCarthy
To the editor:
Until recently, Ridgewood has allowed outside vendors to drop off lunches at its schools for Ridgewood students. Most of the deliveries have come from three vendors in and around town. They are serving not only working parents with limited time in the morning, but also students who don’t like the food served by the incumbent food service provider, Village Fresh, as well as others who have dietary restrictions that the in-house vendor cannot meet.
As of Jan. 13, the Ridgewood Board of Education has banned outside vendors from dropping off lunches at the various schools in town. Many reasons have been given for the recent change in policy. From the superintendent’s email announcement on the matter and from what was said at Monday night’s board meeting, here are the reasons I have heard: student safety/limiting access to the building; illegal parking by food delivery people; governmental guidelines concerning the nutritional content of lunch; too much disruption for school staff; outside deliveries may violate an exclusive provision in the Village Fresh’s contract; and due to a minimum profit provision in the Village Fresh contract, the popularity of the outside vendors may end up forcing Ridgewood to pay Village Fresh a make-whole fee if not enough kids buy their lunch at school.
End to school lunch deliveries leaves bad taste in Ridgewood
THURSDAY JANUARY 16, 2014, 3:23 PM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
A non-compete clause in the Ridgewood school district’s contract with its food-service provider took the spotlight at Monday’s Board of Education (BOE) meeting, where several parents and business owners voiced disapproval with the superintendent’s recent decision to discontinue outside vendor lunch deliveries.
Superintendent Daniel Fishbein’s letter to parents about last week’s decision listed concerns about delivery people who are strangers, illegal parking and administrative time spent sorting out the lunches, but the non-compete clause was not mentioned in the letter. Several residents and local business owners brought up the non-compete clause on Monday.
Fishbein said after the meeting that though Pomptonian Food Services had not yet contacted him about the contractual issue, he was personally concerned about the breach of contract.
YWCA Bergen County January Vacation Day Program Includes Trip to FunPlex in East Hanover, NJ Ridgewood, NJ—December 11, 2013 – YWCA Bergen County is offering its Vacation Day program for children in grades K-6 on January 20, 2014. Trip includes transportation, unlimited foam frenzy & bumper cars, 20 game tokens, pizza and soda. The YWCA Vacation Day program provides full day care from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on designated school holidays. Based at the YWCA’s 112 Oak Street, Ridgewood facility, the program is supervised by the YWCA’s trained child care staff. The fee is $55 per child per day for families that are currently participating in YWCA Before or After School programs, and $75 for non-participating families. Advance registration is required. To register call 201-444-5600, ext. 352 or visit www.ywcabergencounty.org for details and registration forms. YWCA Before and After School Programs are offered at schools in seven Bergen County districts: Allendale, Cresskill, Dumont, Old Tappan, Oradell, Ridgewood, and Westwood. An after kindergarten program is available in Oradell. All programs are licensed by the State of New Jersey, Department of Children & Families.
Experts tell Ridgewood parents: Math studies add up
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 15, 2014, 10:06 AM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
The classic advice “the journey is more important than the destination” may conjure up images of laid-back surfers, backpackers and road-trippers. Mathematicians? Not as likely.
Yet this was one of several perspectives on math education that four professionals, each of whom regularly uses math in the workplace, had to offer Ridgewood school administrators.
The professionals, including two Ridgewood High School (RHS) graduates and a parent of former Ridgewood students, engaged in a panel discussion on mathematics in the professional world at a public event hosted by the district last month.
Math is not really about integrals or derivatives or being the first to calculate the answer; it’s about learning how to reason through a problem and think logically in all aspects of life, the speakers emphasized.
The Senate Intelligence Committee releases a comprehensive report on the Benghazi attack determined that the attack was ‘preventable,’ faults State and Defense departments
~Anastasia
The Senate Intelligence Committee releases a comprehensive report on the Benghazi attack. The report determined that the attack was ‘preventable,’ faults State and Defense departments, and cites failure of Obama administration to ‘bring the attackers to justice.’
The Senate Intelligence Committee has released a comprehensive report on the Benghazi attack finding the tragedy was “preventable” and the administration failed to respond to “ample” warnings that security was deteriorating before Sept. 11, 2012.
The report faulted the State and Defense departments. It also cited the failure of the Obama administration to “bring the attackers to justice.”
Specifically, the report said the intelligence community provided “ample strategic warning” that security in eastern Libya was deteriorating and U.S. personnel “were at risk.” The report said multiple “tripwires” were crossed signaling security problems, and the State
Department should have increased its security posture in response.
The report also detailed a possible failed ambush, where attackers tried to lure the CIA into the hospital where Ambassador Chris Stevens’ body was being held.
The CIA did not take the bait.
“The committee worked on a bipartisan basis to investigate the various allegations that have come out since the terrorist attacks in Benghazi in September 2012 and to get to the truth about what happened leading up to, during and after the attacks,” Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said in a statement, adding she hopes the report puts “conspiracy theories” to rest.
Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., top Republican on the panel, also said the report provides “needed and deserved answers.”
“In spite of the deteriorating security situation in Benghazi and ample strategic warnings, the United States Government simply did not do enough to prevent these attacks and ensure the safety of those serving in Benghazi,” he said.
Senate report: Benghazi attackers tied to Al Qaeda groups
Ridgewood boys take total control
TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014
BY PAUL SCHWARTZ
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
NEW YORK – Nearly five hours of competition in the first four divisions of the Big North meet Monday night led to several conclusions:
1. Ridgewood has an outstanding and deep boys team.
2. Zack Bazile of St. Joseph and Chris Estrella of Ridgefield Park are very, very good athletes who not many may have heard of yet, but everyone may be talking about them by the time this season is over.
3. The rest of the divisions have at least two very good teams.
The Ridgewood boys team scored the only runaway win of the night, taking command of the Freedom Division in the meet’s second event and going on to a 178-82 1/2 win over Indian Hills. They were joined by Bergen Catholic (United), Ramsey (Patriot) andRidgefield Park (American) as boys teams winners.
Ridgewood Education Foundation plans new direction
MONDAY JANUARY 13, 2014, 1:06 PM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
The Ridgewood Education Foundation (REF) is thinking bigger.
With a new campaign officially announced at a REF fundraiser last week, the private organization formerly known for its micro-grants for individual classrooms will now focus its energies on “truly innovative” grants and projects that affect more Ridgewood students district-wide.
A first $100,000 grant has already been given to the Board of Education (BOE) to aid the district with implementing Ridgewood High School’s (RHS) 1:1 technology initiative.
The REF will also make a $100,000 commitment to “21st century learning.”
“[Twenty-first century learning] is not limited to technology or STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics),” the organization noted in a press release. “It is about collaboration, creativity, project-based learning, critical thinking skills, civic literacy.”
Reader questions misplaced concern over cigarette smoke vs no opinion over 10years of Valley Hospital Construction next to a school
How can you have no opinion on a 10 year construction site next door to a school with 300 students and faculty and a field used by hundreds more Ridgewood students and adults, but be concerned about the occasional cigarette smoker on the sidewalk adjacent to the school, Dr. Fishbein? I’m not saying that it’s okay to smoke outside our schools, but it’s also NOT ok to subject our schoolchildren to that amount of construction dust and fumes for so many years. Just looking for consistency Dr. Fishbein.
FLOOD WATCH
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY
425 AM EST SAT JAN 11 2014
…HEAVY RAIN EXPECTED LATE THIS MORNING THROUGH THIS EVENING…
…FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM EST THIS MORNING
THROUGH LATE TONIGHT…
* FROM 11 AM EST THIS MORNING THROUGH LATE TONIGHT.
* LOW PRESSURE MOVING INTO EASTERN CANADA WILL DRAG A COLD FRONT
THROUGH THE REGION LATE THIS EVENING. THIS SYSTEM WILL TAP INTO
GULF AND ATLANTIC MOISTURE TO PRODUCE HEAVY RAINFALL THIS
AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING.
* RAINFALL AMOUNTS FROM 1 1/2 TO 2 INCHES…WITH LOCALLY HIGHER
AMOUNTS…ARE LIKELY TO CA– USE SIGNIFICANT URBAN…LOW LYING AND
POOR DRAINAGE FLOODING DURING THE WATCH PERIOD. IN ADDITION TO
URBAN AND POOR DRAINAGE FLOODING…FLASHY SMALL STREAM AND RIVER
FLOODING IS POSSIBLE. CONDITIONS ARE ALSO FAVORABLE FOR ICE JAM
FLOODING. IF ANY OF THE LARGER RIVERS OR STREAMS FLOOD…THIS
COULD LINGER AWHILE AFTER RAIN HAS ENDED.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A FLOOD WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING BASED ON
CURRENT FORECASTS. YOU SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND BE
ALERT FOR POSSIBLE FLOOD WARNINGS. THOSE LIVING IN AREAS PRONE TO
FLOODING SHOULD BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION SHOULD FLOODING
DEVELOP.
Reader says How am I suppose to enroll my kids in Kindergarten when I have a job
How are we supposed to register our kid if we both work? What is this 1955 with Stepford Wives and pa with a 9-5 job?
Time to enter the current century Ridgewood. There will be free preschool in Manhattan while we still have 1/2 day Kindergarten and middle of the week school registration.
Most households now are 2 income families and our schools have to start to respect that fact.
