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

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

What is Learnia and why are students taking more tests?

As you may know, I’m not a big fan of standardized tests as the be-all, end-all of determining success in education or learning. (Visit FairTest.org for more info on why.) So you may wonder why I support the use of Learnia in our schools, which at first glance looks like more testing.

First, all testing is a form of “assessment.” We assess what students have learned. Of course we do. Learnia is a type of “formative assessment.” What is that?

Two definitions, according to FairTest.org:

Summative assessment is the attempt to summarize student learning at some point in time, say the end of a course. Most standardized tests are summative. They are not designed to provide the immediate, contextualized feedback useful for helping teacher and student during the learning process. High quality summative information can, of course, shape how teachers organize their courses or what schools offer their students.

By contrast, formative assessment occurs when teachers feed information back to students in ways that enable the student to learn better, or when students can engage in a similar, self-reflective process. If the primary purpose of assessment is to support high-quality learning, then formative assessment ought to be understood as the most important assessment practice.”

In simpler terms, Learnia allows teachers to see how students are doing during teaching/learning. It gives feedback on specific areas within subjects – showing what needs more attention and what is being mastered. And it shows this on an individual student basis, collecting learning data over time. So instead of just getting a score of 000 or “Proficient” on a test, the teacher can see that Johnny is doing better with decimals but not with fractions. (That’s a super-oversimplication -- in reality the results are much more precise and detailed.)

NJASK or those other summative assessments may be great for drawing lines in the sand and evaluating districts or schools from 30,000 feet, in order to assign funding or populate magazine rankings, but formative assessments such as Learnia are much more useful in terms of teaching and learning…which is what we’re here for, right?
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Tuesday, September 29, 2009

"Don't you know there's a recession going on?"

Perhaps you asked that question when you read the letter to parents from the Board of Ed last week. (A similar letter will be going out to non-parent community members shortly.) I would like to answer with my own personal opinion:

Do we know there's a recession going on?
Yes, so it's a good thing we held the list of projects in the referendum at $48 million and not more.

You see, the Board of Education has an obligation to our students, the education of whom must be our #1 priority. While we all live within local and national economic conditions, and I am respectful of (and share in) the struggles of many in the community, the students are whom we must do right by.

Our students deserve to be educated in the best facilities possible. They deserve their 43-93 year old buildings to last another 43-93 years. They deserve to not have water dripping through the ceiling, loose bricks and mortar, inadequate plumbing, and asbestos beneath their feet. They deserve to have us spend less money on heating and electricity, year after year. They deserve to have fields on which they are allowed to safely play sports, on campus. They deserve to have the outdoor wellness education required by the state. They deserve to be taught in proper classrooms, not in the hallway or in a divided room or in a borrowed administrator's office. And they deserve to not be moved from school to school, wherever they can be squeezed-in for the specialized education they require (and we are required to provide).

As a member of the Facilities Committee that worked for over a year to create it, I can tell you the list of projects was not created lightly. Believe me, the complete list of "total" needs is far longer than this. The high school alone had $20 million in facilities needs revealed by a detailed engineering study. The Ed Center building -- constructed in 1895 -- needs a whole lot of work, but we took it off the referendum list, instead focusing entirely on projects that will benefit student learning on a day to day basis. We got rid of everything cosmetic, everything simply convenient. There is no painting for painting's sake, no beautifying. And no trendy solar panels. (Calm down, I'm as "green" as the next person, but we studied them and spoke to energy experts, and solar panels have too a high cost and too low a return on investment -- it would take decades for them to pay for themselves. Putting in relatively low-cost devices to conserve electricity and control temperatures, and in some cases enhancing ventilation systems, will save us a lot of money year after year.)

Our facilities are big, they are old, and they cannot be made adequate on the $1 million to $2 million per year we have been able to budget in recent years. If we wanted to incorporate these renovations and expansions into our yearly budget, at $2 million/year how does 24 years sound?

(Time out -- just need to remind you that this is all my personal opinion. I have my own perspective. Of course, the other Board members did vote to approve the referendum projects, but I am not speaking for them as to their motivations or priorities.)

The analogy I think of is this: anyone who owns a home -- especially an old home -- has repairs come up from time to time. A broken window. A leaky faucet. A squeaky floorboard. We do the repairs as soon as we can. But eventually, if we occupy our house long enough, the roof needs to be replaced. We can do some patches here and there, but guaranteed, at some point a roof replacement is necessary to protect and shelter our lives and belongings and all that we do in our homes. I don't know anyone who can just write a check for that roof replacement, and absorb the cost in the weekly home budget. Most people I know will take out a home improvement loan and put on the new roof.

Are there things that could/should have been done differently in the past, so as not to allow our buildings to reach their current state? Perhaps. But I believe that every administration and every board of ed makes decisions based on the reality of their situations, the conditions at the time, and their best judgment. Whatever choices made in the past were made. They're done and gone. We can't change that. Right now, I am dealing with our reality. Trying to do what I feel is best for our students. This referendum will allow us to repair our buildings, accommodate growth and make the most of all our space going forward.

I hope people will continue to ask questions and get the facts before making snap "I'm voting no" decisions right now. The referendum is December 8 -- there's time for you to learn the facts. Please, email the district at referendum09@ridgewood.k12.nj.us, or email Dr. Fishbein, or email the Board, or email me, or post a comment right here. Come to a meeting or coffee. Go to the district website and read the detailed plans. Attend a community presentation on 10/27 or 11/30. Take a tour of a school (date TBA). Learn as much as you can and then make a decision.
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You're invited: Renowned educator Alan November speaks to the community on 10/22

If you have a little time on Thursday, October 22, at 7:30 p.m., come on down to the BF Auditorium. Alan November will be speaking on “Preparing 21st Century Learners: How and Why Their Schooling is Different from Ours." Mr. November is a great speaker and his thoughts on this subject are really fascinating.

From the press release:
Mr. November is known as a dynamic speaker on the topic of the relationship between technology and learning. Named one of the nation’s 15 most influential thinkers of the decade by Classroom Computer Learning Magazine, he was also selected by the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse as one of eight educators to provide leadership into the future. In 2007 Mr. November was selected to speak at the Cisco Public Services Summit as part of the Nobel Prize festivities in Stockholm. His writing includes numerous articles and a best-selling book, Empowering Students with Technology. He is co-founder of the Stanford Institute for Educational Leadership Through Technology.

A short video by Alan November (http://novemberlearning.com/) can be viewed by clicking here.

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Monday, September 28, 2009

National Banned Books Week 9/26-10/3

This is a good time to reflect on our First Amendment rights and the power of literature, and recognize the danger of restricting unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints in a free society. At the Banned Books Week website, you can see a map of recent book challenges around the country. Like me, you may not realize how often books are banned or attempted to be banned in our country in this day and age.

Here's some info from the event's website:

Banned Books Week is the only national celebration of the freedom to read. It was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. More than a thousand books have been challenged since 1982. The challenges have occurred in every state and in hundreds of communities. Click here to see a map of book bans and challenges in the US from 2007 to 2009. People challenge books that they say are too sexual or too violent. They object to profanity and slang, and protest against offensive portrayals of racial or religious groups--or positive portrayals of homosexuals. Their targets range from books that explore the latest problems to classic and beloved works of American literature.

Banned Books Week is sponsored by the American Library Association, the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, the Association of American Publishers, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and the National Association of College Stores. Banned Books Week is also endorsed by the Center for the Book of the Library of Congress.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Where's our "Obama stimulus money?"

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) was designed to stimulate the economy in the short term and invest in education and other essential public services to ensure the long-term economic health of our nation. The Act appropriated new funding for programs under Parts B and C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Ridgewood Public Schools were awarded $1,195,766 under ARRA/IDEA. There were many rules and stipulations that accompanied the funds (you can read all the fine print here), with the main point being the funds were to be used primarily for Special Ed. Our district administration put together a distribution plan, which Dr. Fishbein presented (and the Board of Education approved) at the BOE meeting on 9/14/09. Here's how it breaks down:

Preschool - Curriculum & Supplies (RED Program) ($41,768)
SAIL Program –Start-up ($48,579)
Differentiated Curriculum (Development and RTI Training ($12,206)
Renovations at Somerville ($30,720)
Additional LLD Classroom ($10,000)
Student Information System SE ($31,972)
Evaluation Materials CST ($40,000)
Augmentative Devices ($29,240)
Assistive Technology ($148,760)
Multi-Sensory Reading – Training and Supplies ($50,000)
Middle School RISE/ADL Equip. Purchase ans Installation ($20,000)
Storage of SE Files ($53,043)
Autism Class – Start-Up Costs ($93,885)
Instructional Supplies/Non-public ($1,302)
Tuition ($580,292)
Total - $1,195,766

Because we were allowed to use a portion of the funds for tuitions (which we pay for out of district special ed placements), we were able to free up additional funds for allowable (non-special ed) items not included in the ARRA requirement:

3 Busses (2/24seats &1/16 seats) – ($150,000)
Student Management System Skyward ($235,404)
Virtual Learning Communities ($29,600)
Textbooks ($165,288)
Total - $580,292

Back to school Night!

As I've mentioned before, I love Back to School Night! Tonight is Ridgewood High School's...another chance to meet the teachers (somehow Pete has managed to have almost NONE of the teachers his sister had), get lost in the maze-like building, get crushed at "the intersection," find out what the teachers' expectations are, debunk some of the myths that sophomores and others try to perpetuate, and see some friends.

See you there!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Letter to Parents about the December Referendum

Following is the text of a letter that was mailed this week to parents in the school district. The purpose was to lay out all the facts on the upcoming referendum, so parents can make an informed vote. The letter was accompanied by a Fact Sheet with a school-by-school breakdown. Click here to read the Fact Sheet.

The facts about Referendum 2009

Dear Parents,
On December 8, 2009 Ridgewood voters will be asked to vote on a bond referendum. Before going to the polls we want voters to have the facts in order to make an informed decision. Our school buildings, built between 1919 and 1966, are in need of capital improvements. We also need additional instructional space to keep pace with enrollment increases for our general education and special education programs.

The cost of the bond referendum is $48 million and will allow us to complete needed repairs and capital projects at all of our schools and to add classrooms to GW Middle School, Hawes, Ridge, and Willard. It also includes building a 400-meter track at BF Middle School and installing synthetic turf on Stevens and the RHS Stadium fields.

New Jersey approves our construction needs & offers money to help offset costs.

For over a year, the Board of Education’s Facilities Committee performed an in-depth review of every building. The committee consulted principals, reviewed the District’s five-year facilities plan and RHS engineering study, studied energy conservation opportunities and worked with our architects to prioritize needs. Last winter, we applied to the state for construction grant money, and the state approved our request, validating our needs assessment and awarding Ridgewood $9.8 million in direct grant aid towards the building projects and $2.1 million in debt service aid for the track at BF and for improvements on Stevens and RHS stadium fields. This state aid will lessen the burden on taxpayers and reduce the amount the district will have to borrow. With this state aid commitment, the total bond amount will be $38 million, and the tax impact on the average Ridgewood home valued at $802,107 would be $300.55 a year on a 25-year bond assuming a 4.75% borrowing rate.

Our continued growth: 50 new students every year…for 10 years.

The enclosed Fact Sheet outlines the carefully considered repair/capital improvement and energy conservation projects included in the bond referendum. In addition, proposed additions at GW, Hawes, Ridge and Willard address our need for more instructional space. With enrollment having grown by 500 students over the last 10 years, space limitations have resulted in instruction currently happening in school hallways, in subdivided classrooms and in principals’ offices.

It’s imperative that our facilities meet the educational needs of our students.

In recent years, our number of special education students has increased to 14.3% or a little over 800 students. Our special education students who require individualized programs have moved from school to school, as space is available. As we build new classrooms at Ridge, Willard, and Hawes, we will be able to minimize the moving of our special education classes and allow these students to remain in the same school for all of their elementary years. At the same time, classroom space will be freed-up at Somerville, Travell, and Orchard, eliminating the need to redistrict. New instructional space will also include new library/media centers at Willard and GW and a new full-size gymnasium at GW with enough bleacher seating for the entire student body.

Improving our wellness & athletic facilities.

Currently the Ridgewood High School fields are not appropriately sized nor resilient enough to allow use by multiple athletic teams. In addition, the RHS track is too small for our track team to hold competitive meets. For these reasons, the Stadium field often sits empty, contributing to the District-wide and Village-wide field shortage as identified in the Village’s Recreation Master Plan. It is time to address these deficiencies.

Our plan allows for construction of a regulation 400-meter natural grass-center track at BF and installation of a synthetic surface on the RHS Stadium and Stevens fields. At the Stadium, a smaller track will remain for PE classes and community use. These improved fields will enable girls and boys to play soccer and lacrosse, in addition to football, on site at the high school, and will add needed outside teaching stations for physical education and Project Adventure. Detailed plans for these synthetic fields have been submitted to the NJ DEP for review and approval.

As the community has seen the merits of the synthetic field at Maple Park, the addition of synthetic fields at RHS will further reduce the wear and tear on our grass fields, will bring high school sports back to the high school campus, and will provide our student athletes and youth rec sports players with additional quality playing surfaces.

Know the facts. Get your questions answered.

Please familiarize yourself with information about our proposed projects. All of the school and field plans are posted on the district web site at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us under the Board of Education link. Soon, information sessions will be held at each school and in homes throughout the Village, providing opportunities to hear more and ask questions. Guided tours of our schools will be scheduled and open to the public.

On December 8th make an informed decision about the Ridgewood Public Schools’ bond referendum.

Sincerely,

Joseph Vallerini
Robert Hutton
Sheila Brogan
Michele Lenhard
Laurie Goodman

P.S. Questions are welcome! We want you to have the facts in order to make an informed decision on Election Day. Please email referendum09@ridgewood.k12.nj.us or call 201-670-2700 ext. 10530 with any questions.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Parental Guidance program tonight at GW

Wondering what teens in Ridgewood are up to these days? Looking for advice on how to talk to your teens about living a healthy, drug-free life? The Ridgewood Municipal Alliance Committee is offering Ridgewood parents and community members a 1-hour presentation called "PG: Parental Guidance for Teens" tonight at 7:00 p.m. at George Washington Middle School.

Information to be covered includes current drug trends being seen here in Ridgewood & Bergen County, symptoms and availability, and suggestions for how parents can answer tough questions teens might ask. This is an interactive presentation, facilitated by Dee Debernardis of The Center for Alcohol and Drug Resources. The program is being offered by the Ridgewood Municipal Alliance Committee with funding from the New Jersey Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse and the Ridgewood Municipal Alliance grant.

Questions or for more information call Ridgewood Parks and Recreation 201-670-5560.

What a dilemma: Board of Education meeting, Parental Guidance program or Monday Night Football...

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Family fun at the 1st Ridgewood Dog Show...Oct. 18!

The First Annual Community Dog Show, presented by the Ridgewood Education Foundation and the Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce, is set for Sunday, October 18th from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Graydon Pool Parking Lot. This is a fun-filled family event! Contests include: Best Costume (on a dog); Dog-Owner Look-A-Like; Best Dog Trick; Smallest Dog; and Biggest (lap?) Dog. Proceeds will benefit REF's classroom grants and Arts Fund programs. Pre-registration is required. Click here to fetch your entry form.

A little clarity #1: GW student population

Let's clear-up part of the story in Friday's Ridgewood News about the upcoming school bond referendum: The reason the proposed addition to GW middle school does not qualify for state aid is because the district doesn't show any "unhoused" middle school students, not because GW doesn't have unhoused students. (Unhoused students are calculated by subtracting projected enrollment from the buildings' functional capacity.) When awarding aid for expansion, the state evaluates population by district, not by school. Our total number of middle school students is 1,362, split roughly evenly between BF and GW. But GW is a much smaller building than BF. At GW, students are packed. Teaching is taking place in hallways and in the principal's office. Space is needed for regular education, special education and health/wellness classes.

The important thing to remember is that quite a lot of the proposed projects DID qualify for state aid, and the state has awarded (what I think is a remarkable) $9.8 million in grants and $2.1 million in debt service aid. This will be a big help and who knows when the state will be in a position to offer this type of aid again?

Watch your mailbox in the next few days for a letter from the district, outlining all the projects included in the referendum. There will also be many meetings where Dr. Fishbein, Mr. DeSimone or Board members will answer your questions.

The American way? Or the Ridgewood way?

Did anyone else notice the strange juxtaposition of stories in the Ridgewood News last Friday? On the one hand, we have been reading for weeks about the many Ridgewood commuters who are unhappy with parking at the train station. Specifically, the fact that it now takes 24 quarters every day to park your car and take the train to the city. The story in Friday's paper said that the Village Council was having a "change of heart" and was considering parking permits instead of quarters, as well as a reduction to $1,400/year for a permit (By the way, Summit, NJ, ranked one of the most expensive towns in America, charges its residents $420/year.) The parking problem has been going on for months, if not years. Residents have expressed their frustration, begged for a solution and otherwise communicated their feelings through letters. emails, blog posts and comments at Council meetings. All the progress we've made is raising meter rates (to pay the interest on the bond we took out to spend $3 million on studies for a parking garage) and generously lowering the commuter parking rate from $1,500 to $1,400 per year?

In the same issue of the newspaper was the article on the proposed cell tower on Lakeview Drive. Approximately 30 residents showed up at the Council meeting to protest the tower, which would generate about $100,000/year for the Village. So the Village Council rejected the cell tower. Three-quarters of the article was Council members patting themselves on the back for listening and responding to the neighbors' concerns. Mayor Pfund said, "Believe it or not, we do actually listen to people, and we try to make things right." My favorite was Pat Mancuso's comment: "For your planning, for your calls...for coming here tonight, this is the American way. Thank you."

All I can say is, really? This is the American way? 30 people can show up to a meeting, protest something that might be in the best interest of the village, and get their way? Why doesn't this "American way" work for the parking problems, for Graydon, for Valley? I realize these are more complex issues, but I just thought it was curious to see these two aspects of the "Ridgewood Way" side by side.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Proof that our Field usage issues started long ago...

I love this editorial from the November 1921 issue of The Arrow, the student magazine of Ridgewood High School. (You may recall that I found this magazine on eBay a few months ago.)

Let's Skate

Some years ago, Ridgewood was the proud possessor of a fine skating pond. This pond was artificially made by the combined efforts of a few public-spirited citizens, and money which was contributed to support the cause. However, the joy was short-lived, for the field used for the pond was bought by a corporation of men who purchased it with the view of filling it in and building upon it. Since then any person who cares about skating has had to tramp a couple of miles, or else bother with catching a trolley.

Why is it necessary to do this? If we had one skating pond, why can't we have another? Right in back of the athletic field house, across the brook, is the finest kind of field for skating. It not only is very near the High School, but it belongs to the Board of Education. Yes, you would hardly believe it, but it does. Mr. Frank M. Stevens presented this field to the school about two years ago, and so far nothing has been done about it.

The site for a skating pond is not only convenient, but practical. The field could be flooded by the brook's being dammed up. Of course this would take up money, but there are enough people in Ridgewood who are skating enthusiasts to furnish this means. Or, as the High School pupils are keenly interested, why not let them furnish the money? If a skating rink could be realized, a part of it could be roped off for the use of a hockey team which ought to please Coach Cowell and a certain number of boys.

Some suggestion has been made of turning the athletic field into a rink by flooding it. This plan does not seem so very practical, for when the field and track have once been worked intlo good condition, it is not advisable to spoil it.

Therefore, what could be better than the field owned by the Board? Nothing could be better, and it's up to Ridgewood High to make it go.

J.M. '23

"Relaxing" news from the BF HSA meeting

I attended the HSA meeting at BF yesterday and enjoyed a visit to my middle school parent days...I remember when middle school kids made me nervous. All that drama and emotion and hormones and rebellion and attitude and straddling the line between kids and teens. I survived and, now in the high school and college years, I miss those middle school days! I now think middle school kids are so funny and all-around great.

One of the topics that generated the most discussion yesterday involved the Ready, Set, Relax event, interest and participation in which has declined over the past couple of years. The question was whether the HSA would be willing to help support the event financially with a small donation, presumably to help fund advertising or publicity (signs, flyers)...there can't be too many expenses for a night of relaxation with family, can there? The consensus was, "no." There seems to be a lot of ambivalence on this event, starting with the same old argument that something's just not right when you have to plan to relax. Other parents were concerned that if the teachers agreed to participate and teachers did not give homework on that night, would the children then have extra homework on the days preceding or following the event, in order to catch up? Others questioned whether all town groups would agree -- meaning no sports practices, no music lessons, no tutoring...doesn't seem likely anymore.

Remember that first year, when the national media came to Ridgewood to marvel at our night of relaxation? My family went to the movies that night and we were interviewed on the sidewalk by Channel 12. Another friend had TV cameras filming from the sidewalk in through her front door, to catch her family playing a board game! And I think Katie Couric or Diane Sawyer or someone like that was at the Ridgewood Library for an interview.

It appears the time for Ready, Set, Relax -- which was meant to be a symbolic event to promote family time and taking a break from over-scheduled childhood -- may have passed (even if the need for relaxation has not).

Summer facilities projects completed

At last night's BOE meeting, Dr. Fishbein's Opening of School Report listed various facilities projects which were completed throughout the district over the summer. (Board members toured buildings last week to see the results -- the renovated gyms are so light and bright!) A few projects are still to be done and are currently or soon to be out for bid.

Ridgewood High School
Renovation of Guidance Suite and Grade Advisor area; Rooms 207, 211 & 112. (Note, the Guidance area had water damage, crumbling plaster, dingy paint...now it's a great showcase for visiting college admissions folks and parents.)
Renovation of North Stair Tower (the one I used to say looked like a ghetto movie set)
Repair of Lockers in Boys' Locker Room
Installed flooring in ancillary weight room
Installed 600+ new lockers
Locker room showers, more roof replacement and bathroom renovations going out to bid

Hawes:
New fencing
New lighting in gym

Orchard
Fencing
New lighting in gym
Sidewalk (donated by HSA)

Willard
Renovation of art room
Outside lighting improvements -- coming this Fall

Travell
Gym renovation -- tile & lighting
Outside lighting improvement -- coming this Fall

GW
Replaced 4 classroom crpets with tile floors
REfinished Gym and Band Room floors
Roof
Fencing
Bathroom renovations -- going to bid

Glen
Gym window wall replacement -- going to bid
Exterior door and electrical upgrades -- going to bid

BF
Roof
Improved electrical in library and computer labs
Fencing
Roofing & door projects to be bid

Ridge
Renovated gym (floor and lighting)
Drainage in front of building
Door project -- going to bid

Somerville
Renovated cafeteria
Removed wall between 2 classrooms; replace with foldable wall
Fencing

Ridgewood mentioned in NY Times story about Rosetta Stone language software

Here's a link to a story in the NY Times about school districts switching to software or other technology for teaching foreign languages in the elementary grades.

The article headline/intro:
Foreign Languages Fall as Schools Look for Cuts
By WINNIE HU
Published: September 13, 2009
Suburban districts struggling to balance their budgets are reducing the language instruction they had expanded into the elementary grades.

So....we are not alone.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Our growing school district: 2009-10 enrollment

As Dr. Fishbein reported at last night's meeting, here's a snapshot of enrollment school by school in Ridgewood, as of 9/9/09 and compared to one year ago (9/15/08):

2009 # (2008 #) Change +/-

Glen 36 (28) +8

Hawes 408 (406) +2

Orchard 323 (329) -6

Ridge 478 (474) +4

Somerville 533 (507) +26 (wow!)

Travell 410 (416) -6

Willard 456 (466) -10

Total Elementary: 2,644 (2,626) +18

BFMS 687 (690) -3

GWMS 675 (666) +9

Total Middle School: 1,362 (1,356) +6

RHS 1,666 (1,664) +2

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Board of Ed meeting Sept. 14

The first Board of Education meeting of the 2009-10 school year takes place tonight (Monday) at 7:30 p.m. You can read the full agenda by clicking here. A few highlights include:
-- School opening report from Dr. Fishbein
-- Recognition of this year's Ashby Award Winner, Karen Rispoli, who is a Technology Teacher at Benjamin Franklin Middle School;
-- The Board will vote to approve the Referendum question and proposed project list to be put before voters on December 8;
-- Various retirements, appointments, leaves of absence, etc.
-- Approval of the district's application for an acceptance of funds from IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) and ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act)
-- Public comments -- come on down!

Come join us on the 3rd floor of the Ed Center or tune in to Channel 77 (Cablevision) or watch live online (click here).

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Visit the High Line in NYC



Just a little side note -- I can't say enough about how great the new High Line park is in Manhattan. Go visit while the weather is still nice! There's a story in today's Record (not posted online for some reason) or visit the website here for maps and info. We went on Sunday -- the High Line is the old abandoned elevated railway that used to carry goods and supplies among the factories of the Meatpacking District and Chelsea.(I used to work with one of the guys who had the idea for the park and made it happen after 9+ years of work, fundraising, etc.) The High Line is three stories up -- covered with plants and trees and a beautiful walkway, benches, great views of the Hudson River and the surrounding old buildings. It's very well designed, incorporating the old tracks (some of them still run "into" the former factories). My favorite part is the "sundeck" with teak lounge chairs mounted to the old train rails. It's a great public space -- on Sunday it was packed with people strolling...we even saw a small wedding being performed down at the lower end of the promenade. There is elevator access, restrooms and drinking fountains. And at about 14th street head down to Chelsea Market and pick up a picnic lunch to enjoy up amongst the gardens.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Link to President Obama's live speech to students


Here's a link to the live feed of President Obama's speech on Tuesday @ 12:00. Click here.

If you don't want to watch it live, you can read the text of the speech by clicking here.

Fix Graydon Now: Wednesday's pre-march meeting place moved

The meet-up location for those who wish to march to the Village Council meeting this Wednesday night to show support for changes at Graydon will be meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the patio area between Village Hall and the Ridgewood Library. Click here for my previous post about this site. Whichever "side" you're on, it's good to see people willing to stand up to make their points.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Ridgewood schools will not show Mr. Obama's speech live

The following is posted on the District website:

PRESIDENT OBAMA'S SCHEDULED ADDRESS TO SCHOOL CHILDREN
On Tuesday, September 8, President Obama will deliver a national address intended for the students of America. The address will not be viewed live in the Ridgewood Public Schools. Parents and guardians will be notified by their child's principal if the address will be presented at a later point, and they will be given the opportunity to decline their child's participation. Those children whose parents decline will be given an alternate educational activity during the time that the address is presented. Information on President Obama's address can be found on the United States Department of Education Web site at http://www.ed.gov/index.jhtml

Really makes you think...

Check out this video -- the statistics are remarkable when presented together like this. You know I'm a big believer in classic liberal arts education as the way to teach students how to think...but the technological reality must be factored in to everything we now do. (This is an updated version of a video from last year...the numbers keep changing!)

Friday night football comes to RHS!

I'm excited that we're having a nighttime football game next Friday Sept. 11. (You may recall that last year when we tried this, a huge storm rained it out.) Next week the Ridgewood Maroons will take on Hackensack at 7:00 p.m. Halftime will feature a remembrance of 9/11 as well as a salute to all the athletes on Fall sports teams. See you in the bleachers!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

President Obama to speak to U.S. students

President Obama will deliver a national address to the students of America next Tuesday 9/8 at noon EST. According to the Dept of Education website, during this special address, the president will speak directly to the nation’s children and youth about persisting and succeeding in school. He will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning.

Oooh, how sneaky and manipulative of him! Those are terrible things to talk to kids about!

It's disappointing (to put it mildly) that some people are using their alleged concern for our students to thinly disguise their political agendas. Actually it's disgusting. Go have your political arguments someplace else. If the political, economic and social events of the past few years have not convinced you that we have some serious work to do in this country, and that we need to work together to move this country forward, then I don't know what to say, except wake up and be a part of the solution. As the future of our nation, our schoolchildren are already part of the solution. Encouraging them to embrace their role, to do their best and to know they are respected, worthy contributors to our country and our society -- this is not a bad thing. It's not about "us" or "them," it's not about winning or losing, and it's not about "socialism." (I'm already so tired of that word getting trotted out as the devil's own philosophy every time someone mentions working together....to borrow from Freud...sometimes "working together" is just "working together.")

For anyone who thinks I support this speech to students simply because it's Obama, I truly thought about this. I asked myself if I would support the speech if it were a few years ago and George W. Bush wanted to speak to students. First, I can't even imagine it happening, but I truly think I would support my child listening to such a speech. And then I would talk about with him at the dinner table and explain/translate as necessary. That's what we do with current events anyway. If George W. Bush respectfully told my child to "work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for his learning," I certainly wouldn't argue with that!

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

First day of school...

Well, for our family the first day of school (10th grade) was pretty smooth. I had to go the Fields Committee meeting at 7:00 AM so I missed Pete's send-off (and obligatory photo on the porch). That was kinda sad but oh well. (Love those 7 AM Fields meetings!) Pete said the well-intentioned but oh, so silly three police officers were back, posted at the intersection of Brookside and Ridgewood Ave. across from the high school (blocking traffic, I might add). I realize I'm going out on a limb here to criticize a "safety" initiative, but I still think this very visible but ineffective plan is making things worse. Someday I'll write more on why that is...

At school, it looks like quite a few of Pete's teachers have made their classroom pages on the new school/district website. That's encouraging! (It took us a while to find them...they're listed under "Staff and Classroom Pages" and not under "Departments.") I hope everyone is checking out the new website. Don't be thrown-off by the "log in" or "registration" boxes -- I'm told that the log-in/personal pages is a feature that will be activated sometime this year. And the calendars will hopefully be updated more fully soon.

School was over at around noon -- don't want to overwhelm them (or the teachers?) on the first day! I loved seeing the parade of students walking toward downtown...this Fall's Day 1 "uniforms" appeared to be flow-y, floral tops and jean shorts for girls and loose t-shirts and long shorts for boys. Did they all coordinate their outfits on Facebook?

I wish hope everyone has a great year!

Fix Graydon Now: Big "march" next Wednesday 9/9

Organizers of a group calling itself "Fix Graydon NOW!" say it was formed to represent the 1600+ Ridgewood families who have pledged their support for a new pool facility and to communicate to Village Council the necessity to make a decision with that in mind.

According to the group, "Unfortunately, we are up against a growing group of residents who do not even want a compromise - they just want to follow the same course that's been already been tried at Graydon for more than ten years without success, which is more and more water treatment techniques. However, we all know that this isn't about trying one more time to spruce up the existing outdated concept of a bathing beach – this is about once and for all providing residents with the same filtered, clear bottom swimming facility that other towns enjoy."

The Fix Graydon Now! group has organized a "march" to the next Village Council meeting on Wednesday, September 9 at 6:30 pm. At that meeting, the Preserve Graydon Coalition will make a formal case to Village Council to stop the search that's already underway for design services, and to continue "the rather expensive, and futile attempts to treat the existing pond water." Fix Graydon Now invites residents to gather at 6:30pm on 9/9 at Vets Field North (corner of Linwood and Maple) for a "bold, unified march" to the Village Council meeting. The goal is to "pack the Courtroom to reassure the Council that they are on the right track and shouldn’t let (the Preserve Graydon Coalition) hurt the progress that’s already been made."

All interested residents, young and old, are invited to bring friends and neighbors. They also ask if possible for attendees to wear blue shirts and carry "creative" signs.

Darn, wish I could go but I'm booked for a class that night...it should make for an "interesting" meeting at Village Hall! If you go, let me know what happens! I'm excited to see people getting riled up and taking action instead of just letting things "happen" in the Village.

Any questions, contact Fix Graydon Now at fixgraydonnow@gmail.com.

Free program offers Parental Guidance (PG) for Teens

Wondering what teens in Ridgewood are up to these days? Looking for advice on how to talk to your teens about living a healthy, drug-free life? The Ridgewood Municipal Alliance Committee is offering Ridgewood parents and community members a 1-hour presentation called "PG: Parental Guidance for Teens" on September 21 at 7:00 p.m. at George Washington Middle School.

Information to be covered includes drug trends being seen here in Bergen County, symptoms and availability, and suggestions for how parents can answer tough questions teens might ask will be discussed in an interactive presentation, facilitated by Dee Debernardis of The Center for Alcohol and Drug Resources. The program is being offered by the Ridgewood Municipal Alliance Committee with funding from the New Jersey Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse and the Ridgewood Municipal Alliance grant.

Questions or for more information call Ridgewood Parks and Recreation 201-670-5560.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Goodbye summer, hello school!

Last day of summer 09...bright and early tomorrow morning I'll be attending the Convocation, where all the teachers in the district gather in the BF Auditorium to kick-off the new school year. Looking forward to it. Will report more on it tomorrow night.

Drag out those backpacks...sneakers (no more flip flops!)...number 2 pencils...