March 20, 2020
Dear Ridgewood School Community,
Right out of the gate–dinner plans for tonight! If you typically shave, this is the day to do it. Get out of the sweats and into regular clothes. Comb your hair…no bun or Alfalfa hair (aging myself). For those who feel comfortable, order out. For those who don’t, cook a family favorite. Nothing like a fancy dinner (and I mean clothes and no sweats) to make people feel a little normal.
SOCIAL DISTANCING: This weekend will be our first real challenge. We need to keep at it. April break is just around the corner, and while I don’t have any inside information, I am keeping informed. I anticipate as testing for COVID-19 becomes more widely available, we will see a spike in confirmed cases.
SCHOOL REPORTING REQUIREMENTS: I am in constant contact with the Village Health Officer. She is doing a great job! If a teacher or student is confirmed to have COVID-19, the Health Officer will contact me. We will work to determine the educational setting the person was in, and the public health officials will conduct their investigation. Only those people who need to know will be contacted and informed by the Village Health Officer. This process is not instantaneous. In the event of such a case, any message from me will be general. Therefore, if you hear about a confirmed case and don’t receive a message from me, it means that the person is not from our schools, or it is just a rumor. This process is subject to change after the 14-day rule.
I am sure that people you know are starting to be impacted by this medical emergency of COVID-19. Families are also dealing with other health emergencies at this time. I know my family has been impacted by a dear friend who is intensively ill with this horrible virus. While it is hard on us, I cannot imagine how difficult it is for the family members who cannot visit their loved one in the hospital. We need to listen and support them as best we can. Reach out via phone, text message, email, or chats.
TEACHING PARTNERSHIP: If there is one thing that I have heard is that helping your kids with their homework is hard. All I can say is thank goodness my five kids are all adults. Many families have multiple children, and you have to balance home, work, and your own sanity. To be honest, my wife and I found we were pretty much useless helping our kids with homework, except for proofreading during middle school. Please….Please….Please don’t get stressed out about crossing every T and dotting every I. The teachers are doing a phenomenal job, and so are their partners–you! As we get better at this, we will make adjustments in recognition of the mental health balance we all need during these times.
REMINDER: Please sign up for the Village E-Notice System if you have not yet done so and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
Sign up for Village E-Notice System – https://www.ridgewoodnj.net/village-info/enotices-and-alerts-registration.
Twitter Accounts – @RwdPub Schools and @RWDSupt
District Facebook Page – @RidgewoodPublicSchools.
ANNUAL SCHOOL ELECTION: Update from March 19, 2020, Governor Murphy announced that Annual School Elections scheduled for Tuesday, April 21 will be postponed until Tuesday, May 12. This will be the Annual School and Municipal Election. Additionally, these elections will be conducted solely via vote-by-mail ballots.
As per Executive Order No. 105, the requirements of N.J.S.A. 19:14-25 that sample ballots be sent shall be suspended. All registered voters will be receiving vote-by-mail ballots and there will be no polling places in the May 12, 2020 elections. To view the complete document, click here to visit the website of the Bergen County Clerk’s Office.
DISTRICT COMMUNICATION SURVEY: The District Communication Survey is open through March 23. If you have not yet completed the survey, please take a few minutes to do so. Click here to access the survey. The average completion time is only 4 minutes! We appreciate your input!
CENSUS 2020: The census is now live, and you can stay safe and fill it out from home today! Hundreds of billions of dollars are on the line for schools, hospitals, senior centers, housing, after school programs, and so much more. If we are not fully counted in the census, we’ll miss out on the funding and representation we need.
Fill out the Census online at: https://my2020census.gov/
Or you can respond by phone at 844-330-2020.
In less than 10 minutes, you can answer 10 questions that will help determine funding for the next 10 years in our community.
A few important reminders about the census:
There are no questions related to immigration or citizenship on the 2020 Census.
The census only has 10 questions and does not ask about your employment, income, or Social Security number.
The information you provide to the census is safe. The U.S. Census Bureau is prohibited by law from sharing your information with anyone, and doing so is a crime punishable by up to five years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
By law, census information can only be used for statistical purposes, and cannot be used against an individual or family in any way. The Census Bureau cannot share any personal information with any government agencies, private individuals, or companies. This includes immigration enforcement, law enforcement, any other federal, state, or city agencies, and landlords.
TODAY’S GAME SUGGESTIONS: Chess and checkers: I heard there is a delay in getting jigsaw puzzles. While I don’t have inside information, you should still order the jigsaw puzzles. We may be in this situation for a while.
Other things you can do:
Keep moving! Ridgewood Public School families will have the most active families in NJ when this is all over. When was the last time you did a push-up? Start with a few. For those just beginning, do 5 sets of 3. If that is too challenging, use your knees instead of your feet. Rest in between sets. For those who can do more, do more. If it hurts when you lift your hand to brush your teeth, you are doing it right. If you are sore the next day…just do cardio, but do more pushups on day three.
For the weekend: How about a classic movie series from the ’70s? For parents and older adolescents, I recommend The Godfather and Star Wars for the kids. There is no way kids can or should complete all of the Star Wars movies in a weekend. April break is just around the corner.
Baked goods: A friend who is a Ridgewood teacher contacted me and wanted to know why I have not suggested Chocolate Chip Pie. She makes an excellent chocolate chip pie. I am concerned that with the chocolate chip theme, there will be a run on chocolate chips like toilet paper. I don’t want to be the cause of a chocolate chip shortage.
Weekends are for yard work.
Remember, the Ridgewood Public Library has online resources.
Check-in with someone you have not talked to in a while. They will appreciate the phone call. Keep making phone calls and connecting with friends and family. Google Hangout is excellent.
Please remember to support our local businesses, as they have always generously contributed to student and parent fundraising efforts. They need our help!
Be well!
Sincerely,
Daniel Fishbein, Ed.D
Superintendent of Schools
C: Ridgewood Board of Education
Dr. Wayne Yankus, District Physician
Ms. Dawn Cetrulo, Village of Ridgewood Health Officer/Director