Welcome!

Welcome to Laurie Goodman's blog. I use this space to share news and opinions about education and schools in Ridgewood, the state of New Jersey and the nation, in addition to other issues I'm personally interested in. I invite you to share your thoughts, feelings, questions or opinions, too, by posting comments on any blog entry. Please observe basic courtesy -- keep your comments focused on issues, no personal attacks or bullying, please. Contact me directly at: lauriegood@mac.com

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

"Delete" Cyberbullying

Remember McGruff the Crime Dog? (Uh-oh, some of you may be too young!). Well he's back and his National Crime Prevention Council has a big campaign to stop cyberbullying, which is defined as teens using the Internet, cell phones, or other devices to send or post text or images intended to hurt or embarrass another person. It's estimated that HALF of all teens have been affected by cyberbullying. You can read more about it, and how to help your teens prevent cyberbullying, at this link.
Here's one of their new online ads in the public service campaign called "Delete Cyberbullying:"






Sunday, September 28, 2008

Measuring Student Potential/Goodbye to SATs?

The New York Times and other media recently reported on a commission report calling for less emphasis on SATs. Read the article by clicking here. What do you think?

I'm sort of mixed on this. I'm all for less focus on the SATs. But the commission's suggestion -- that colleges instead require admissions exams more closely tied to high school curriculum and achievement -- seems to miss the point. It just replaces the one big SAT (which in this day and age is basically a huge moneymaking business) with several subject tests. It doesn't address the problem of relying on standardized tests to make predictions about students' future potential. You can read the letters on both sides by clicking here. I'm curious how Ridgewood parents feel about this...and how do you feel about RHS attempting to more "authentically" assess student achievement. Any thoughts?

Friday, September 26, 2008

Back to School Night!

OK, I've got to come clean...I'm a back-to-school-night junkie. I admit it. I just love back to school night! It's kind of dorky, right? I'd probably go to other schools' back to school nights if I wasn't afraid I'd scare the other parents (and probably the teachers, too). I love the energy. Now that my daughter is in college and my son is at the high school, I'm down to my last few legit back to school nights. I'll be sad when they're all done...but until then, I'll enjoy walking the hallways, marveling at the crowds, sitting in the desks, checking out the artwork on the walls, chitchatting with friends and asking "how do they do this every day?" while fighting through the infamous intersection, and listening to the teachers explain how much they love our kids and how everything should go smoothly as long as we all (kids and parents) understand the "expectations." Honestly, tonight was one of the best night's I've had in a while! (no comments on the dull social life).

Some highlights from RHS tonight: the school looked pretty good overall...there were a lot of helpful student "ambassadors" to give directions...every class seemed full, which meant parent turnout was good...oh, this is a good one: almost every one of my son's teachers said they're using Blackboard regularly this year! I'm so glad! It's probably not the best program out there (the more I check it out, the more I realize it's probably better suited to the college environment), but it's what we've got and I'm glad to see it used as much as possible. I can't wait for the first time my son says "I need you to drive me back to school to get ___" and I'll say, "Well, Mr. Cook said it's on Blackboard so you can just download it now!"

One more thing I noticed tonight: the number of parents who walked out of classrooms and immediately called (or texted) their kids at home: "Did you know you have a test tomorrow? Did you know you have a project next week?" Another example of technology in the school!

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Board Meeting Highlight: Willard Expansion/Renovation

At the Board of Ed meeting on 9/22, Angelo DeSimone gave a presentation of the proposed Willard renovation/expansion on behalf of the Facilities Committee. Basically, the proposal for Willard addresses four main issues:
1) Extremely small existing classrooms in the 1926 portion of the building. (Some of the classrooms are approx. 600 sq. ft (or less!), compared to the 850 sq. ft. recommended by the state). Students at Willard are squeezed into too-small classrooms.
2) The need for small group instruction space, primarily for special education. This is a district-wide issue. In addition to needs for SGI, OT/PT, etc., we would like to find a permanent home for our growing PARRCA program, which services our district’s autistic children. In recent years, PARRCA has moved among different elementary school locations, which is disruptive for everyone concerned.
3) Undersized library – approx. half the size recommended by the state
4) Need for storage, especially for the lunch chairs & tables, which are kept in the auditorium during PE classes. Not the safest solution, but there currently is nowhere else to put them.

The plan presented Monday night adds a second floor above the current 1st and 2nd grade classroom wing. This will hold five new classrooms, a new (larger) media center/library, and computer lab. An elevator would be added for accessibility. The current older/smaller classrooms would be converted for small-group instruction and self-contained classrooms for PARRCA (plus storage space adjacent to the auditorium). The existing library would become two new classrooms.

These plans will be presented again at the Willard HSA meeting on October 20 at 1:30. I hope you will attend if you’d like to get more details or ask questions.

One more note, which Sheila Brogan mentioned at Monday’s meeting: if it seems like the Board is moving quickly, it’s because the state has specific deadlines by which we must submit plans in order to apply for grant money and/or debt service aid. We are carefully working, school by school, to meet those deadlines. Prior to any referendum vote, we will have more detailed plans, with side elevations, etc., to illustrate what any additions, such as Willard’s, will look like. Right now we are focusing on floor layouts, classroom counts, etc.

From today's Record re: new HS standards...

The following op-ed piece appeared in today's Bergen Record. (And yes I did notice that on the website, they spelled 'academics' wrong. Ha!)

What caught my eye was the statement that schools are not simply for job-training. I've said that for years. I believe it applies to college, too, but definitely high school.

With that said, however, while I do generally applaud the desire to educate our kids better, I have serious administrative concerns about some of these mandates which are so blithely handed down by Commissioner Davy. One example: She wants every single child to have some sort of individual academic plan created and, I assume, maintained and updated. Lovely idea. But realize it will take some sort of administration to make that happen...and this in the face of pressure to reduce administrative costs.

Anyway, just wanted to share the below teacher's opinion with you...and ask what you think?

Tougher academcis (sic) will develop better citizens

The purpose of education is not simply to gain employment.

LAST WEEK state Commissioner of Education Lucille Davy outlined a bold new plan for our secondary schools. It would require all New Jersey students to successfully complete a broader and deeper range of subjects in the areas |of science, language (both English and foreign) |and math.

Such an expansion is welcome, although I expect our students may feel differently.

Essentially her plan would give all our students the equivalent of a liberal arts education at the secondary school level. It means that our students will need to work harder to succeed in this enhanced curriculum, but there has never been anything wrong with requiring students to work harder.

Many will view some of these new requirements as impositions; students between the ages of 12 and 18 are not likely to see the value of these courses, although Davy clearly does.

What used to be acceptable requirements for graduation are no longer adequate, and Davy's initiative goes a long way toward rectifying that deficiency. Few would understand the controversy over stem cell research without having taken a course in biology. Similarly the opening of the new Large Hadron Collider in Europe has little significance to anyone lacking even a rudimentary course in chemistry or physics. In short many of the developments we read about cannot be understood without the basic knowledge that these newly required courses will provide.

Too many students have the idea that school's sole purpose is to provide an education that will enable them |to gain employment. I do not minimize that goal. But education should also serve the purpose of providing the tools to make intelligible the science articles in newspapers, those simple communications of basic information that we come across each day.

Such articles are clearly not interesting to everyone. But the ability to read and understand them is essential. There can be no intelligent public debate about stem cell research, for example, if the general population lacks a basic understanding of biology. Without a similar understanding of chemistry the news that North Korea or Iran has acquired more high-speed centrifuges has little significance.

Math is the underpinning of science, and as such mandating Algebra I and II is appropriate. Such courses provide a framework for problem-solving within the sciences. In the absence of mastering basic algebra skills, students find science courses substantially more problematic.

I was disappointed that geometry was not part of Davy's expanded curriculum as that course develops a skill that has applications everywhere: logic. Over the past two decades fewer and fewer students have been exposed to this course, and their education is diminished by its absence.

Nonetheless, I am happy to read of New Jersey's effort to offer a public education that will produce more well-rounded citizens.

Roy Landis, a math teacher, lives in Cresskill.

Detailed Budget Online

There is now a complete "line item" budget posted on the District website. You can find it by going to the District website (click here) and clicking on Board of Ed and then click Budget on the left side. There is also something the state calls a "user friendly" budget (that's their term, not ours!), which is a summary version of the same information.

OK, I'll make it even easier: CLICK HERE for a direct link to the budget page.

Monday, September 22, 2008

NJ's new high school requirements

Did you see the article last week about the new requirements the state of New Jersey is setting for students to graduate from high school? Here's a paste from the article in the Bergen Record 9/17/08:

The state education commissioner today outlined a broad “vision for transforming secondary education” for the next eight to 10 years. Specific plans call for a host of new tests and courses designed to better prepare students for college. The plans also call for districts to develop individual learning plans for all students in grades 6-12 beginning next school year.

New testing requirements were unveiled in April, and today Commissioner Lucille Davy presented some additions that include requirements for high school students to have completed coursework in personal finance and world history.

The state also plans to require high school students take at least five credits each in laboratory science and world language and be tested for proficiency in a language other than English. In addition, the state wants high school students to have completed at least one course online.

In order to graduate high school, students will have to pass tests in a host of individual subject areas, including biology, chemistry, language arts, foreign language and Algebra II by the year 2016. The tests are being phased in over the next eight years – starting with biology last year and Algebra I at the end of this school year.

I'm interested to hear what you think about these new requirements? How do you think this will affect our kids? Does it sound like too much testing? Or do we need to test more to ensure that our kids are actually prepared for their 21st century adult lives?

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Interesting news from the high school

There are quite a few exciting things happening at RHS. A sampling:

Thirty RHS students will be attending the 12th biennial Dodge Poetry Festival at historic Waterloo Village in Stanhope, New Jersey Sept. 25-28. The students will have an amazing opportunity to spend time in workshops and other activities with dozens of accomplished poets and storytellers, including state and U.S. Poets Laureate, Pulitzer Prize winners, and an array of poets from diverse cultures and subcultures here and abroad.

According to Principal Jack Lorenz, RHS has nine National Merit Semifinalists this year. Apparently that’s a lot for a New Jersey high school. New Jersey’s cutoff scores (PSATs) are higher than for most other states. I didn’t know that the cutoffs differ from state to state and from year to year. Interesting. Let’s not forget, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation is a private group that can set the requirements for its awards however it sees fit. And it seems to think that different states should have different levels of achievement. Hmmm…I didn’t intend to go off on a NMSC tangent…I really just wanted to celebrate our nine semifinalists…congratulations!

Over the summer, 56 teachers received laptops so now every teacher at the HS has a laptop and can therefore check and respond to their own email, work on lessons and plans, etc., most efficiently.

Mr, Lorenz also announced that he would soon be sending out a letter to parents regarding academic honesty and ethical behavior in school. I actually got the letter last night…maybe I’ll post it here later. I think a reminder about honesty, doing your own work, etc., is not a bad idea for our high school students.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Hello??????

chirp...chirp...chirp....that's the sound of crickets...as in silence. I was going to find a sound file of crickets chirping and add it to this blog so that when people visit, that's what they hear. But seriously, folks, I know you're visiting. The stat counter shows dozens of you are stopping by every day. Does anyone have a question? A comment? An observation? A joke? I would love to hear it!

I'll be posting some news from the high school tomorrow. I went to both the RHS HSA meeting Tuesday night and the Freshman Parents Meeting last night, so I think I'll share some observations. Too tired now...see you tomorrow!

Sunday, September 14, 2008

BOE Meeting 9/15

The Board of Education is meeting tomorrow (Monday) night at 5:30 p.m. for what has been billed a "special public meeting." What does that mean? Actually, this meeting is the Board's annual "Retreat," the purpose of which is to discuss issues that pertain to how we operate as a Board and also to set the Board's goals for the 2008-2009 school year. Normally, a Retreat would take place over the summer, but we wanted to have our new superintendent in place before we scheduled anything.

I find it pretty funny that we call it a Retreat -- gone are the days when Board members would go off to an out-of-town location (the Hamptons?) and talk about Board operations in a fresh environment, away from the daily stuff that makes it hard to talk and think with any perspective. Not only do the Sunshine Laws require that we meet in public, but we certainly can't go anywhere that would cost money for travel, etc.

So we'll be Retreating to the 3rd floor of the Ed Center. We're not going to discuss any regular Board business. We're just going to work on our own efficiency and effectiveness. I'll keep you posted.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Class of 2008 College Destinations

I love seeing the list of college destinations for the previous year's graduating class from RHS. I'm always struck by the variety of schools...it's very encouraging, and proof that there is a good fit for everyone. There are many highly respected colleges and universities on this list. Best of luck to the Class of 08!

Alfred University 1
Allegheny College 1
American University 7
Amherst College 1
Appalachian State University 1
Arizona State University 1
Auburn University 1
Bard College 3
Barnard College 2
Bates College 2
Bergen Community College 21
Binghamton University 1
Boston College 2
Boston University 3
Bowdoin College 1
Broward Community College 1
Brown University 1
Bryant University 2
Bucknell University 4
California State University, Sacramento 1
Carleton University 1
Carnegie Mellon University 3
Centenary College 1
Champlian College 1
Christopher Newport University 1
Claremont McKenna College 1
Clark University 2
Colby College 1
Colgate University 2
College of the Holy Cross 2
Colorado State University 1
Columbia University 3
Cornell University 7
Curry College 1
Dartmouth College 1
Dean College 1
Dickinson College 1
Drew University 1
Drexel University 2
East Stroudsburg University 2
Elmira College 1
Elon University 2
Emerson College 1
Fairfield University 4
Fairleigh Dickenson University 3
Florida Atlantic University 1
Fordham University 2
Franklin and Marshall College 1
Georgetown University 3
Georgia Institute of Technology 1
Gettysburg College 2
Hartwick College 1
Harvard University 2
Haverford College 1
Hobart and William Smith Colleges 2
Hofstra University 3
Indiana University at Bloomington 4
Iona College 1
Ithaca College 2
Jacksonville University 1
James Madison University 2
John Jay College 1
Johns Hopkins University 2
Johnson &Wales University 1
Kean University 1
Keystone College 1
Laboratory Institute of Merchandising 1
Lafayette College 1
Lehigh University 4
Lock Haven University 1
Long Island University, Brooklyn 1
Loyola College in Maryland 2
Loyola Marymount University 1
Marist College 4
Marymount College 1
Marymount Manhattan College 1
Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1
McDaniel College 1
McGill University 1
Miami University, Oxford 2
Middlebury College 2
Mitchell College 1
Monmouth University 1
Montclair State University 6
Moravian College 1
Mount Ida College 1
Muhlenberg College 5
New Jersey Institute of Technology 3
New York University 6
Northeastern University 5
Nova Southeastern University 1
Oberlin College 1
Ohio Wesleyan University 1
Pace University, New York City 1
Pace University, Pleasanton 2
Penns State University, Altoona 1
Penn State University 5
Pomona College 1
Princeton University 2
Providence College 3
Purchase College 2
Quinnipiac University 6
Ramapo College of New Jersey 2
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 2
Rider University 1
Roger Williams University 1
Rowan University 2
Rutgers 17
Sacred Heart University 1
Saint Joseph’s University 1
Salve Regina University 1
Sarah Lawrence College 1
Savannah College of Art and Design 1
School of Visual Arts 1
Seton Hall University 4
Skidmore College 1
Sophia University 1
Southern Methodisdt University 1
Springfield College 1
St. John’s University 5
Stevens Institute of Technology 1
Stonehill College 2
SUNY College at Cortland 1
Susquehanna University 7
Swarthmore College 1
Syracuse University 5
Temple University 2
The Catholic University 2
The College of New Jersey 3
The Evergreen State College 1
The George Washington University 6
The University of Scranton 1
Towson University 1
Trinity University 1
Tufts University 3
Union College 2
United States Military Academy 1
University of Central Florida 2
University of Colorado at Boulder 3
University of Connecticut 5
University of Delaware 4
University of Florida 1
University of Hartford 1
University of Maryland 4
University of Massachusetts, Amherst 4
University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth 1
University of New Haven 1
University of Notre Dame 2
University of Pennsylvania 1
University of Rhode Island 4
University of Richmond 2
University of South Carolina 1
University of Southern California 3
University of Vermont 2
University of Washington 1
University of Wisconsin, Madison 2
Vanderbilt University 1
Vassar College 1
Villanova University 4
Wagner College 1
Washington University in St. Louis 1
Wellesley College 1
Whitman College 1
William Paterson University 13
Williams College 2
Wittenberg University 1
Yale University 1

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Protest NJ's messed up school funding formula

Following is the latest from Dollar$ and $ense and the call for a new school funding formula that will meet the needs of all students:

RALLY AND PRESS CONFERENCE

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22
9-10 A.M.
RICHARD J. HUGHES JUSTICE COMPLEX
MARKET STREET, TRENTON

Join parents, students, education activists and child advocates at the NJ Supreme Court in support of adequate resources for public school children.

Let the Court, NJ legislators and the statewide press know that the SCHOOL FUNDING REFORM ACT OF 2008 (SFRA) is a threat to educational standards and a “thorough and efficient” education for all children in New Jersey.

What Is the SFRA?
The SFRA is a new law passed by the NJ Legislature in early January 2008 by the slimmest of margins. It determines how much State aid school districts will receive and how that will be calculated.

The SFRA limits the amount of money NJ school districts can spend on their students – in most cases this number is below (sometimes well below!) what many districts spent in 2007-8.

What’s Wrong With It?
The SFRA has many flaws. Here are just a few:
• The SFRA-imposed " adequacy budget" for school expenditures is below the current level of spending for 383 of the state's 595 operating districts.
• The adequacy standard is a dramatic step down from what school districts throughout New Jersey have found to be essential for the provision of the “thorough and efficient” education the NJ Constitution guarantees to every child.
• The level of State aid directed to many districts under the SFRA won’t be enough to cover rising fixed costs or ease the pressure on local property tax payers.
• School districts will be forced to make cuts in academic year 2008-9 and beyond.
• The SFRA, combined with recent legislation, will have the long-term effect of reducing expenditures in high performing districts, regardless of the needs and desires of local schools and communities. The SFRA will also severely limit a district's ability to provide the high quality education currently in place.

What Can Be Done About It?

On September 22, the NJ Supreme Court will hear oral argument in the Abbott v. Burke case regarding the SFRA. While the specific focus of the case is the 31 special needs districts, this provides an excellent opportunity to focus attention on the impact of the SFRA on all NJ schoolchildren, including those in suburban districts.

A rally and press conference have been planned for September 22 to let our legislators and the press know that we are not done fighting the SFRA, and that we want a sensible school funding formula that is balanced with a sensible school spending formula.

Almost a decade ago, the NJ Supreme Court determined that the gold standard for an excellent education was the high-achieving suburban districts. The justices connected funding for the special needs districts with the level of expenditure in suburban districts. Now, the State Legislature has decided that link means that high performing districts must spend less, regardless of the level of success they have achieved.

Dollar$ and Sense, an organization representing the interests of these suburban districts, submitted an Amicus (“friend of the court”) brief in the current case. The brief states:

"SFRA may ultimately reduce the disparity in expenditures between the DFG I and J districts and the Abbott districts, but only at the price of denying all children the constitutionally mandated 'thorough and efficient' education."

Dollar$ and Sense will participate in the rally and press conference on September 22. All New Jersey parents and anyone who cares about education is invited.


Send the message that the SFRA’s leveling down is not acceptable for New Jersey schoolchildren.

JOIN together with representatives from suburban and urban school districts on Monday, September 22, at 9 a.m., at the Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex in Trenton, for a RALLY and PRESS CONFERENCE.

For more information, contact: info@ourchildrenourschools.org

Tips for Back to School Nights

As we're all getting ready for Back-to-School Night time (sorry, I think BF's was already last night, oops), here's a link to a helpful article at GreatSchools.net, for getting the most out of Back to School Night. Rather than a chore, or simply a chance to socialize with other parents, Back to School Night really is a great opportunity for parents to learn important information about the school year to come. You can read the entire article here.

Some of the best tips:
1) Bring a pen and paper (duh, but it's a good reminder!)
2) Don't ask specific questions about your child. Save that for a one-on-one conversation with the teacher
3) Be ready to volunteer (bring your calendar!)
4) Find out how to contact the teacher, for future reference (email address, voicemail, find out what he/she prefers)
5) Find out the teacher's expectations re: homework, make-up work, extra credit, absences, behavior issues.
6) Find out how you can check your child's progress...will there be weekly progress reports, will the teacher send emails, etc.?

If your school has a new principal (Hawes, Orchard, Somerville), Back to School night is a chance to say hello or at the very least see what he/she looks like so you can chat later. Same thing if your family is new to middle school or the high school.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

BOE Meeting 9/8

This is a partial summary -- just some highlights, really -- from last night's Board of Education meeting.

We started by honoring this year's winners of the Ashby Award, music teacher Joel Brickman, and Kerry Huntington, Supervisor of Special Programs. It was nice to hear Dr. Fishbein's descriptions of how respected and appreciated they are by students, teachers, staff and parents.

Dr. Fishbein gave an "opening of school" report, which included enrollment figures by school:
(number in parentheses is the change from Sept 07)
Glen 28 (-12)
Hawes (0)
Orchard (+6)
Ridge 475 (-11)
Somerville 511 (+6)
Travell 418 (-2)
Willard 467 (+16)
Total Elementary 2633 (+3)
BF 690 (+23)
GW 682 (+46)
Total Middle School 1372 (+69)
RHS 1672 (+2)
Grand Total 5677 (+74)

There was some discussion about growing enrollments and how the district is projecting that within a few years, we will be looking at 1500 middle school students and 2000 students at the high school.

We reviewed the Facilities Committee's current proposal for expansion of GW middle school. The net result would be 6 new classrooms, 5 new SGI (small group instruction) rooms, new media center, computer lab and full-size gym. The plans will be available online shortly, and members of the Facilities Committee will be holding a special meeting for GW parents to give feedback or ask questions. I'll post the date/time here after it's been scheduled.

There was a host of approvals of business items including the calendar for 2009-2010, curriculum, field trips, human resources items, finance items. We voted to approve the new agreements with the REA (teachers) and RAES (secretaries).

We had a discussion about Student Activity Fees. Ridgewood's activity fees are $60 for middle school students and $75 for high school students, for anyone who participates in extracurricular activities, such as clubs and sports. We began collecting the Activity Fee in 1995. We bring in about $100,000 in restricted funds, which are used for tax relief. If we were not to collect those fees, we would need to make cuts to replace those funds. There was some discussion as to our enforcement of the fee. We can probably do a better job of ensuring that fees are collected from all students who participate -- $100,000 seems a little low, based on our schools' population and how active our students are. One of the points I made was that Ridgewood's fees are relatively low compared to other districts, some of which have activity fees in the $200-per-student range. In addition, some districts charge per activity, with a "menu" of prices. For example, football has one price, Spanish club has another price, etc. I personally think that system is not a good idea as it can force students to make choices based on price. It would be sad if a student wanted to participate in a club, but felt they could not because it was too expensive. In our system, we want our students to be active and involved as much as they want.

We did not have an Executive Session last night, so the meeting actually ended around 9:30. Our next meeting will be our Board Retreat next Monday night, where we'll discuss how we operate as a Board as well as goals for the 2008-09 school year.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Emailing posts...

Just wanted to point out that I added a feature that enables you to email posts from this blog -- for example if you want to share something that you read here with a friend, just click the little envelope icon and enter your friend's email address.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Proposed GW Expansion Plans

Tomorrow's Board of Ed meeting will include a discussion of the proposed expansion plans for George Washington Middle School. Tune in on Cablevision Channel 77, or on the web for live streaming video (click here). Consider coming down to the Ed Center if you'd like to hear the discussion first hand or ask questions or make comments. The meeting starts at 7:30 -- it's a regular meeting, so there's plenty of other stuff on the agenda, too. (Actually, if you'd like to see the complete agenda, click here.)

Some other highlights of the agenda include recognition of the Ashby Award winners, approval of emergency repairs of the Boys' Locker Room at RHS, and for those of you who like to plan in advance (you know who you are) approval of the 2009-2010 academic calendar.

Fascinating Ridgewood History

Last night I had the pleasure of attending the opening of a very special event at the Ridgewood Historical Society's Schoolhouse Museum. It's called "From Belfast to Brooklawn: A Ridgewood Family Odyssey," and it's a display of some amazing mementos and artifacts from the Boyd/Mastin family, who lived for four generations in a big beautiful house on the corner of Ridgewood Ave. and Brookside. Please plan to bring your kids to visit the museum and see this wonderful collection -- it's a great look at life in our Village over 100 years ago. There are family items, housewares, books and letters, clothing, jewelry, a one-horse open sleigh, paintings...one of my favorite displays was a collection of samplers (embroidery), one of which was from 1786 (I think) and had been brought to America from Ireland. Every time I see antique samplers, which were traditionally produced by young girls, I try to imagine my daughter or her friends as nine year olds, sitting quietly and stitching perfectly for what must have been hours! Unbelievable. You can find out more about the exhibit at the Historical Society's website (click here), including when it's open for visitors.

Friday, September 5, 2008

First day of high school.

I drove my son to school today, his first full day of high school. It’s a short trip, but it was long enough to give me a curious, time-machine-like glimpse into the next four years. He sat there in the passenger seat, probably (hopefully?) mentally reviewing the laundry list of things I had just ticked off for him to remember: bring your notebooks to class, put extra pencils in your locker, find out where your gym locker is, get to the Campus Center early so you can get a seat for lunch, write down your homework, learn the names of your peer counselors…. He stared out the window while I maneuvered the too-big Yukon on the suddenly, post-summer crowded streets and watched his entire high school career flash before my eyes. I saw him playing soccer, making saves and winning games. I saw him sitting in assemblies, taking tests, running around the track in gym, going to semi-formal dances and Sweet Sixteen parties, getting his permit, driving his friends to The Fireplace for a double lunch, asking some girl to the prom, taking the SATs, visiting colleges and walking on the field at graduation. Suddenly we were there at Brookside and Ridgewood Ave. He looked too small…how could he possibly walk into the high school? Wouldn’t the security guard turn him away at the door? But that must have been an optical illusion, a Mom-illusion, because as soon as he got out and joined the students streaming toward the building, he fit right in.

I always feel restless on the first day of school. To me, this is “new year’s day,” more than January 1. It feels like a much more accurate marker for the passage of time, and it's always somewhat melancholy. What in the world I’ll do when my son no longer heads out every morning toward RHS, I can’t imagine. Maybe time will magically stand still. I literally cannot envision it. So I won't. For now, I'll do what I always do this time of year: clean my office.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Village purchase of Schedler Property for Fields?

The Village Council will be discussing the possible purchase of the Schedler property along Rte. 17 at its Work Session this Wednesday 9/3 at 7:30 p.m. in the Village Hall Courtroom. If you believe that the Village should continue with its plans to try and secure grant money to help purchase that property, to add much-needed field space to the Village, I encourage you to attend the meeting and make your feelings known. From what I understand, the "old" Council was moving ahead with plans to try and get the grant and purchase what is absolutely the last possible multi-acre piece of property in the Village, guided in part by the Recreation Master Plan, but now the new Council isn't so sure if they want to go ahead. In fact, some of the Council members have stated that they definitely do not want to proceed. This is an important discussion for our Village and especially anybody who cares about open space and/or recreation. Once that property is gone -- turned into a car dealership, as "word on the street" is one possibility -- it will be gone baby gone.

So if you have an opinion, one way or the other, please let the Village Council know.