Ridgewood Public Schools
Encyclopedia
The Ridgewood Public Schools is a comprehensive community public school district
serving students in Kindergarten through twelfth grade from suburban Ridgewood
, in Bergen County
, New Jersey
, United States.
As of the 2008-09 school year, the district's 10 schools had an enrollment of 5,647 students and 402.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE
basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 14.0.
As determined by the New Jersey Department of Education
, Ridgewood is a socioeconomic J district, the highest level of the eight District Factor Group categories.
Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education
, the highest award an American school can receive, during the 1998-99 school year.
For the 1993-94 school year, George Washington Middle School was named a "Star School" by the New Jersey Department of Education
, the highest honor that a New Jersey school can achieve. For the 1995-96 school year, Benjamin Franklin Middle School was named a "Star School".
) are:
Pre-School
Elementary Schools (Grades K-5)
Middle Schools (Grades 6-8)
High School (9-12)
and Passaic
Counties that are members of the Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League
.
On July 8, 2008, Dr. Daniel Fishbein, a Ridgewood parent and previous superintendent of the Glen Ridge, New Jersey
school district, agreed to take the position as superintendent.
s and lead were found in soil
on the school property at levels exceeding New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
standards. Affected areas were fenced off until further notice. The soil has been disturbed over the years due to building an addition on the school and regrading the sports field. The area had been designated as a state superfund
site since 1998.
Ridgewood Public Schools began the fundraising effort in the summer of 2007, in collaboration with parents, to participate in the Rural School Project. The Rural School Project is funded through a nonprofit organization, The American Assistance for Cambodia/Japan Relief for Cambodia (AAfC). The project was initiated by two Ridgewood parents, Lisa Summers and Liz Louizedes. Students, parents, teachers, and administrators convened regularly to provide support for students and articulating the effort across the entire district. The goal of the program was to initially raise $21,500 for the school construction. Nominal fundraising efforts would take place after the school's inception to sustain its progress. Ridgewood Schools is raising funds in collaboration with American Assistance for Cambodia/Japan Relief for Cambodia (AAfC). AAfC is a nonprofit organization and has established a proven program. It has led the effort to construct over 300 Cambodian schools with matching funds from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.
The Ridgewood Village School will create a structure for Ridgewood students to communicate with Cambodian students via email and participate in global citizenship and distance learning. Ongoing fundraising efforts will allow the Ridgewood Village School to build a water well, create a vegetable garden, and hire a full-time cook for the school to provide a nutritious breakfast and lunch for Cambodian students.
The fundraising supported the construction cost of a rural school (includes the building, desks, chairs), a full-time trained English/computer teacher for 2 years, 3 solar panels to provide basic electric for lighting and computers, and books.
In February 2009, several representatives from Ridgewood, including students, parents, teachers, and administrators, visited the Ridgewood Village School in Cambodia for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The representatives brought gifts for students and contributed to the improvement of the village. The following link provides access to photos and blog entries of the visit:
http://web.me.com/marylouhandy/Cambodia_Rural_School_Visit_2009/Welcome.html
School district
School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...
serving students in Kindergarten through twelfth grade from suburban Ridgewood
Ridgewood, New Jersey
Ridgewood is a village in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the village population was 24,958. Ridgewood is an affluent suburban bedroom community of New York City, located approximately northwest of Midtown Manhattan.The Village of Ridgewood was...
, in Bergen County
Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 905,116. The county is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, United States.
As of the 2008-09 school year, the district's 10 schools had an enrollment of 5,647 students and 402.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE
Full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent , is a unit to measure employed persons or students in a way that makes them comparable although they may work or study a different number of hours per week. FTE is often used to measure a worker's involvement in a project, or to track cost reductions in an organization...
basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 14.0.
As determined by the New Jersey Department of Education
New Jersey Department of Education
The New Jersey Department of Education administers state and federal aid programs affecting more than 1.4 million public and non-public elementary and secondary school children in the state of New Jersey. The department is headquartered in Trenton.The Department is responsible for ensuring that...
, Ridgewood is a socioeconomic J district, the highest level of the eight District Factor Group categories.
Awards and recognition
Benjamin Franklin Middle School was awarded the Blue Ribbon SchoolBlue Ribbon Schools Program
The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States government program created in 1981 to honor schools which have achieved high levels of performance or significant improvements with emphasis on schools serving disadvantaged students. The program centers around a self-assessment conducted by the...
Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
, the highest award an American school can receive, during the 1998-99 school year.
For the 1993-94 school year, George Washington Middle School was named a "Star School" by the New Jersey Department of Education
New Jersey Department of Education
The New Jersey Department of Education administers state and federal aid programs affecting more than 1.4 million public and non-public elementary and secondary school children in the state of New Jersey. The department is headquartered in Trenton.The Department is responsible for ensuring that...
, the highest honor that a New Jersey school can achieve. For the 1995-96 school year, Benjamin Franklin Middle School was named a "Star School".
Schools
The district consists of nine public schools and one additional school facility, which houses a BOE-run pre-school program and a private day care center. Schools in the district (with 2008-09 enrollment data from the National Center for Education StatisticsNational Center for Education Statistics
The National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...
) are:
Pre-School
- Glen School (Pre-School and Private Day Care Center, 28 students)
Elementary Schools (Grades K-5)
- Henrietta Hawes Elementary School (406)
- Orchard Elementary School (333)
- Ridge Elementary School (474)
- Irwin B. Somerville Elementary School (509)
- Ira W. Travell Elementary School (417)
- Willard Elementary School (466)
Middle Schools (Grades 6-8)
High School (9-12)
- Ridgewood High SchoolRidgewood High School (New Jersey)Ridgewood High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students from Ridgewood, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Ridgewood Public Schools....
(1,661 students).
Athletics
Ridgewood High School's sports teams are nicknamed the Maroons. Ridgewood High School is one of twenty public and private high schools from Bergen, EssexEssex County, New Jersey
Essex County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the United States 2010 Census, the population was 783,969, ranking it third in the state after Bergen County and Middlesex County; Essex County's population has declined from 786,147 as of the bureau's...
and Passaic
Passaic County, New Jersey
Passaic County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 501,226. Its county seat is Paterson...
Counties that are members of the Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League
Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League
The Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League, abbreviated NNJIL, was a former athletic conference located in Bergen County, Passaic County and Essex County, New Jersey...
.
Administration
Core members of the school district's administration include:- Dr. Daniel Fishbein, Superintendent
- Angelo DeSimone, Business Administrator / Board Secretary
Superintendent search
The Ridgewood Board of Education had been searching for a new superintendent since July 1, 2006, with Dr. Paul Arilotta, previously Principal of Travell School, serving as an interim replacement during the year-long search. The Board hired Martin Brooks as Superintendent, effective July 1, 2007. However, in mid-June, Brooks declined the invitation for what the Board described as personal reasons, though there was community opposition to Brooks' appointment that was said to have made him "feel unwelcome". This has the led to the beginning of another search, and another year of the district hiring an interim superintendent, until a permanent replacement is hired and assumes the position. The New York Times reported that this is the result of a dispute over the district's reform math program.On July 8, 2008, Dr. Daniel Fishbein, a Ridgewood parent and previous superintendent of the Glen Ridge, New Jersey
Glen Ridge, New Jersey
Glen Ridge is a borough in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 7,527. In 2010, Glen Ridge was ranked as the 38th Best Place to live by New Jersey Monthly magazine....
school district, agreed to take the position as superintendent.
Superfund site
The area surrounding Orchard School (K-5) was utilized as a dump for coal ash (used for heating homes) from the late 19th century until the mid 1940s. In September 2007, the school district notified parents of children in this school that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbonPolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons , also known as poly-aromatic hydrocarbons or polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, are potent atmospheric pollutants that consist of fused aromatic rings and do not contain heteroatoms or carry substituents. Naphthalene is the simplest example of a PAH...
s and lead were found in soil
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
on the school property at levels exceeding New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is a government agency in the U.S. state of New Jersey that is responsible for managing the state's natural resources and addressing issues related to pollution...
standards. Affected areas were fenced off until further notice. The soil has been disturbed over the years due to building an addition on the school and regrading the sports field. The area had been designated as a state superfund
Superfund
Superfund is the common name for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 , a United States federal law designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances...
site since 1998.
Global Learning
Ridgewood Public Schools participated in the "Rural School Project". The goal of the project is to build a school for children in Cambodia to overcome the challenges their people have faced from the genocide at the hands of the Khmer Rouge, the communist political party, in the 1970s. George Washington Middle School, Benjamin Franklin Middle School, Orchard Elementary School, and Travell Elementary School participated in the student-centered fundraising effort. Ridgewood focused on having students tap into their strengths and talents to make a difference on a global level.Ridgewood Public Schools began the fundraising effort in the summer of 2007, in collaboration with parents, to participate in the Rural School Project. The Rural School Project is funded through a nonprofit organization, The American Assistance for Cambodia/Japan Relief for Cambodia (AAfC). The project was initiated by two Ridgewood parents, Lisa Summers and Liz Louizedes. Students, parents, teachers, and administrators convened regularly to provide support for students and articulating the effort across the entire district. The goal of the program was to initially raise $21,500 for the school construction. Nominal fundraising efforts would take place after the school's inception to sustain its progress. Ridgewood Schools is raising funds in collaboration with American Assistance for Cambodia/Japan Relief for Cambodia (AAfC). AAfC is a nonprofit organization and has established a proven program. It has led the effort to construct over 300 Cambodian schools with matching funds from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.
The Ridgewood Village School will create a structure for Ridgewood students to communicate with Cambodian students via email and participate in global citizenship and distance learning. Ongoing fundraising efforts will allow the Ridgewood Village School to build a water well, create a vegetable garden, and hire a full-time cook for the school to provide a nutritious breakfast and lunch for Cambodian students.
The fundraising supported the construction cost of a rural school (includes the building, desks, chairs), a full-time trained English/computer teacher for 2 years, 3 solar panels to provide basic electric for lighting and computers, and books.
In February 2009, several representatives from Ridgewood, including students, parents, teachers, and administrators, visited the Ridgewood Village School in Cambodia for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The representatives brought gifts for students and contributed to the improvement of the village. The following link provides access to photos and blog entries of the visit:
http://web.me.com/marylouhandy/Cambodia_Rural_School_Visit_2009/Welcome.html
External links
- Ridgewood Public Schools official website
- Data for the Ridgewood Public Schools, National Center for Education StatisticsNational Center for Education StatisticsThe National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...
- Village of Ridgewood Math -- concerned parent group