Ridgewood School Home School Day 9 ,Due to COVID 19

March 26, 2020

Dear Ridgewood School Community,

We are starting to receive calls and emails concerning RPS families and employees with positive COVID-19 results. From what I hear, these individuals started having symptoms after school was closed. When someone tests positive for the virus, the appropriate public health department is notified and follows up with the individual. These investigations are private, and only the public health department determines who must be contacted. How individuals release personal health information is their decision. COVID-19 is an illness, and there is no shame in being diagnosed. If you are diagnosed and need help, we are here for you and so are your neighbors. People can shop for you and your family and leave packages at your door.

In my updates, I try not to be an alarmist, but from what I am reading and hearing from my family in the medical field, the number of cases will continue to surge before we see a decline. I wish the situation was different, but we all need to respond with intelligence, bravery, and empathy. Calm heads make good decisions even when they don’t have all of the information.

FEEL YOU MAY HAVE SYMPTOMS: If you feel sick with COVID-19 symptoms, you should contact your physician. The physician will be able to assist you and provide the next steps. Additionally, the NJ Department of Health (NJDOH) has set up the following to answer your questions:

• Call: 2-1-1

• Call (24/7): 1-800-962-1253

• Text: NJCOVID to 898-211

• Visit https://covid19.nj.gov/ or nj.gov/health for additional information

• Valley Hospital: 201-447-8000 If you feel you have symptoms, Valley Hospital has set up a system to answer your questions.

REMINDER: Tomorrow, we will be having an instructional day instead of a professional development day. Also, Governor Murphy’s Executive Order 104 is open-ended, and we will only re-open when public health officials deem it safe. This means we will most likely be closed next week (March 30-April 3), if not longer.

SOCIAL DISTANCING: Please start thinking about how you will handle social distancing during the spring break, which is the week of April 6-10.

REMINDER: Use the links below for important information from the Village and the district.

• 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: The Annual School and Municipal Election will be held on Tuesday, May 12. All registered voters will be receiving vote-by-mail ballots, and there will be no polling places in the May 12, 2020 elections. For more information, click here to visit the website of the Bergen County Clerk’s Office. You can still register to vote if you have not already done so. Information can be found here.

CENSUS 2020: It’s time for a friendly competition. Once you complete the census, send your redacted “receipt” to your principal.  Let’s see which school has the highest percentage of completed questionnaires.  If you have multiple children in a school, each one counts. If you have children in multiple schools, send the receipt to each principal.

• Fill out the Census online at https://my2020census.gov/

• Or you can respond by phone at 844-330-2020.

Contest results as of 3.26.2020 (The contest is open until the Census 2020 closes.)

• 1st – GW
• 2nd – RHS
• 3rd – BF
• 4th – Somerville
• 5th – Ridge & Hawes
• 6th – Willard
• 7th – Orchard & Travell

STATE TESTING: Governor Murphy has announced that there will be no state testing, including NJSLA and Access for ELLs. Information about Advanced Placement testing will come from Ridgewood High School.

TODAY’S GAME SUGGESTION: 

• Jenga is a great game for the entire family. If you have 2 x 4’s, you can make a large backyard Jenga. Here’s how:  https://www.diypete.com/how-to-make-a-diy-giant-jenga-game/

Other things you can do:

• Keep moving!  Continue with your cardio. You should be able to do 5 sets of 5 push-ups. Your form is more important than numbers. Now, if knee problems do not exist, you can add 5 sets of 3 squats. Start slow, and remember form is more important than how many squats you do. Some of you may remember Herschel Walker. He got that physique using his own body weight when exercising. We don’t need equipment!

• Here are some really cool NEW Twitter feeds. @OrgPhysics and @UniversalSci. Let me know the coolest tweet you have seen!

• Baked goods: Sour cream bundt cake. https://www.finecooking.com/recipe/vanilla-sour-cream-pound-cake-with-vanilla-glaze

• Last cleansing of the week–photos on your phone. First, backup your photos. Our family uses Google photos. I am sure there are others. Then, go through your photos. You are going to find photos of items you took as reminders, i.e. cross streets of where you parked in NYC or at a stadium, something you liked but never ordered, or projects you had done to your house. Delete them! You will feel better, and your phone will feel lighter. Test it. Weigh your phone before and after.

• Remember the Ridgewood Public Library has online resources. https://www.ridgewoodlibrary.org

• Call someone you have not talked to in a while. They will appreciate it. If you can make a video call, that’s even better for face-to-face connection.

• This is for dads and students only. Moms, look away! Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 10th. If you are like me, you purchase gifts for your wife at the last minute because she sees every credit card transaction. Online banking! So, strategize now about how to pull Mother’s Day off without a florist, restaurant, or last-minute shopping trip. You do not want to mess this up when you have no place to escape!