Ridgewood School Home School Due to COVID 19

March 17, 2020

Dear Ridgewood School Community,

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! First, I would like to thank everyone for the overwhelming expressions of gratitude towards our teachers and administrators for the planning and execution of the home instruction plan. This was truly a team effort, and everyone has exemplified what it means to be part of the Ridgewood Public Schools community. Our entire staff has displayed critical thinking, resilience, empathy, and creativity, setting a fine example of the qualities we strive to foster in our students. I would be remiss if I did not also recognize our families for accepting this new challenge with such grace, patience, and understanding.

SCHOOL PROPERTY:  As a reminder, if you see people congregating on district or Village fields, playgrounds, tennis and basketball courts, please contact the police. The non-emergency phone number is 201-652-3900. Please remind your children that closures and social distancing measures are in place to protect everyone, and it is vital that everyone adhere to the restrictions issued.

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.

The best way to access the Google sites for home instruction (K-5, 6-8, and 9-12) is to visit the district homepage at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us. If any students in your household are experiencing distress, please reach out as soon as possible. We have implemented alternative means to provide essential student support services so that our students come out of this closure mentally strong.

TODAY’S GAME SUGGESTIONS:

• Younger kids – Yahtzee
• Older kids – Backgammon and Chess

Other things you can do (not my original ideas):

• Keep moving! Yard games are a great way to keep kids active!
• Did you know that Disney pushed up the streaming arrival of Frozen 2 in response to the current crisis? Are you a Star Wars fan? The Rise of Skywalker was also released early. Check them out on your favorite streaming service.
• Bake a chocolate chip pound cake. No one baked a better chocolate chip pound cake than my mom. Many have tried…many have failed. One secret she did not pass along is how she got the chips equally distributed through the cake.
• Closets cleaned? Organizations are still picking up donations. Just call for an appointment, and leave it out front. I dare you to take on your everything drawer….the one in the kitchen. Save the other everything drawers for another day.
• Have a birthday coming up for someone in your house? Develop an alternative birthday celebration.
• Ridgewood Public Library, while closed for walk-in traffic, is up and running electronically for e-books, movies, music, and magazines.

Remember to stay in touch via technology. While we may not be able to visit each other and engage in face-to-face interactions, it is important that we connect in other ways. Relationships are at the core of humanity, and if there was ever a time when we needed them, it is now.

Please visit Ridgewood.k12.nj.us for all the information. I wish you good health!

Sincerely,

Daniel Fishbein, Ed.D
Superintendent of Schools