March 16, 2020
Dear Ridgewood School Community,
The response to this public health emergency changes daily, as the number of cases of COVID-19 continues to rise. Today, the Governor announced his Executive Order mandating the closure of all New Jersey schools with no end date provided, along with numerous other measures that will be implemented statewide. On March 15, 2020, the Village of Ridgewood signed a Proclamation of Local Emergency, which states that all public and Board of Education recreational fields, all school grounds, all tennis, pickleball, and basketball courts, and playgrounds within the Village of Ridgewood are closed.
This is no longer guidance. If you see people congregating on district or Village fields, playgrounds, tennis and basketball courts, please contact the police. At this point, no one will get in trouble, but they will be told to leave the premises. We must continue to monitor our children and remind them that this is not the time to congregate in person, even in small numbers. Parents, please don’t plan trips during this time, as we do not know if there will be quarantine requirements upon return.
REMINDER: It is critical that everyone in the community sign up for the Village of Ridgewood E-Notice System at https://www.ridgewoodnj.net/village-info/enotices-and-alerts-registration. Please do this immediately so that you can get vital information about the Village as it pertains to this public health crisis. If you have not already done so, I also ask that you also follow the district on twitter @RwdPub Schools and @RWDSupt, and please follow your schools. We send a lot of important information through our twitter accounts, as well as the district Facebook page @RidgewoodPublicSchools.
The Google sites being utilized for home instruction have all been updated today to include mental health support information and resources. To view these sites, please visit the homepage of the district website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us. There are links on the K-5, 6-8 and 9-12 home instruction websites for student support services, which include guidance counselors and school-based mental health. 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.
INSTRUCTION: Overall, the first day went well. We had our glitches, but we are working to resolve those issues and make adjustments. Our success is due to the hard work of our administrators and staff, all of which was done in a short amount of time and while regular school days were still in session. If your child is experiencing tech issues, please utilize the Chromebook Help Form. Our excellent IT staff is working hard to address any issues promptly. I thank everyone for their contributions.
TODAY’S GAME SUGGESTIONS:
- Younger kids – Boggle; My First Bananagrams
- Older kids – Classic Bananagrams; Card Games: Spit and War.
Other things you can do (not my original ideas):
- Exercise for your mental and physical health.
- Try a new recipe.
- Bake some chocolate chip cookies. I tend to like crunchy chocolate chip cookies. No one, and I mean no one, bakes better chocolate cookies than my sister-in-law Leslie. No soft chocolate cookies for me. Someday real soon, I hope someone can prove me wrong. (Hint)
- I bet there is a closet or two that needs to be cleaned out and organized.
- Check out electronic scrapbooking.
- Do some yard work. I did my spring clean-up yesterday.
- Ridgewood Public Library, while closed for walk-in traffic, is up and running electronically for e-books, movies, music, and magazines.
Continue to visit your family and friends through FaceTime or some other “face to face” application. Get into a routine, and stay in touch electronically with your family and friends.
Please visit Ridgewood.k12.nj.us for all the information. I wish you good health!
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
