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Cancellation of 2021 NJSLA
The United States Department of Education (USED) recently informed the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) that the administration of Start Strong assessments in fall 2021 will satisfy the federal statewide assessment requirement for the 2020-21 school year. Therefore, there will be no spring 2021 administration of the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments (NJSLA). The Start Strong assessments will be administered in fall 2021 to all students in English Language Arts (ELA) grades 4-10, Mathematics grades 4-8, Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II, and in Science grades 6, 9, and 12. These assessments will be administered in person from September 13, 2021 through October 22, 2021. I will provide more detailed information as it is available about the schedule and duration of these assessments.
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Stepping Stones 2021
Despite the difficulties that these past 14 months have thrown at us, the Ramsey School District is dedicated to providing enriching experiences for our learners, and we would like to continue this in the Summer of 2021. As we have said many times throughout this past year, in Ramsey “our vision is not canceled.” We would like to provide an additional opportunity for students to accelerate their learning by continuing to build upon their skills and knowledge. As such, we would like to offer a two-week, in-person educational program called Stepping Stones for incoming students in Grades 1-8 that will provide further opportunities for extension and growth. Click headline for more information.
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Achieving Excellence One Student at a Time
Brandon Hwang (Class of 2022) has been accepted to two very prestigious programs for rising seniors: the Henry Clay High School Student Congress and the New Jersey Scholars Program. Congratulations to Brandon on these amazing accomplishments! We are so proud of you and know that you will represent Ramsey well. Click headline for more information.
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New Jersey Youth Art Month
March is designated as New Jersey Youth Art Month (#NJYAM) and there is a lot of good news to share about the Visual and Performing Arts at Ramsey High School. This Winter, 35 Ramsey music students participated in the inaugural NJ State Solo and Ensemble Festival, sponsored by Arts Ed NJ, one of the state’s most prominent advocacy groups for arts education in NJ Schools. The Solo and Ensemble festival was launched to recognize student achievement in music education, and it has provided an alternate way for many of the state’s best musicians to gain recognition which otherwise would have come through acceptance to region and state honor ensembles, which had to be cancelled this year because of the pandemic. Click headline for more information.
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Updated Travel Guidance
New Jersey strongly discourages all non-essential interstate travel at this time. However, click headline for additional important information.
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Our Vision is Not Canceled (DECA & Art)
As we like to say, "Our Vision is Not Cancelled" due to the difficulties of hybrid and remote learning. Our teachers and students continue to do amazing work in and out of the classroom. As evidence of this, just recently we had many students excel in DECA competitions while other students had their art selected for display at upcoming county and state exhibitions. Please click headline to read about these achievements.
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Dater School - Science Instruction Presentation
Tuesday night's presentation was about science Instruction at Dater School. Mrs. Falcone, Supervisor of Science, opened the presentation with an overview of the science standards including an emphasis on the use of real-world phenomenon as opportunities for students to make sense of the world through science. Grade 4 teachers Mrs. Davidson and Ms. Calendrillo then highlighted the use of interactive notebooks as an instructional tool in science class. This was followed by a presentation on Data Talks in Grade 5 Science. Teachers Mrs. Gesualdo and Ms. Thomson explained how Data Talks give students the opportunity to grow in their data literacy skills as they are asked to read, interpret, and analyze various data which might come in the form of graphs, pictures, videos, or numerical data sets. Finally, Dr. Dinning, Mrs. Khoury (Enrichment teacher), and Mr. Quinlan (Special Education teacher) gave an overview of the two new extracurricular offerings focused on science: the Lego Engineering Club and the STEM Wow! Fair. Click headline for more information.
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Wellness Presentation to Board of Education
At the February 23, 2021 BOE meeting, there was a Wellness Presentation. Discussed was 1) New Wellness Approaches at Ramsey High School and 2) Universal Depression Screening at both Smith School and Ramsey High School. Click headline for more information.
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National Eating Disorder Awareness Week
Thank you to Ramsey High School student, Sarah Rizzi for creating this public service announcement about eating disorders. Her goal is to educate reduce the stigma to make the world a more comfortable place to ask for help. Click headline for more information.
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Ramsey's Board of Education Earns Certification
Ramsey School District has reached an uncommon pinnacle of achievement, not by students this time but by the people elected to serve them and the community. Ramsey’s Board of Education has achieved board certification from the New Jersey School Boards Association. The complex process can be considered in-depth training for volunteers, taking what the state already mandates for school board members and pushing it to a higher level. “Certification is not an easy or required path, but we approached it strategically because of its many benefits,” said Laura Behrmann, who was elected to a fifth term as board president on Jan. 5. “It has made us a more informed Board of Education, which will make us a more effective Board of Education.” Click headline for more information.
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New Business Exploratory Course at Smith School
Tuesday night's Board of Education presentation highlighted the new exploratory courses at the middle school and demonstrated how this new course fits into our district goals and our vision of what a middle school should be. The video features Smith School Principal, Mr. Herre, K-8 Supervisor Christine Davis, new Supervisor of Mathematics and Business Education Melissa Cruz, and new Business Teacher Adam Baiera. They will present on the new Business exploratory at the middle school with each grade level having a unique course. In Grade 6 the course is called Introduction to Money, Grade 7 is Saving and Investing, and Grade 8 is Personal Finance. Click headline for more information and video.
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School Calendar Information, Date Changes for All-Virtual Wednesdays & Next Window for Switching Instructional Model
Click headline for information pertaining to the 2021-22 & 2022-23 School Calendars, Changes to Dates for All-Virtual Wednesdays, Next Window for Switching Instructional Model, and Update on the 20-21 School Calendar.
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Know the Facts - Legalization of Marijuana Presentation
Legalization of Marijuana: Know the Facts Wednesday, February 24th, 2021 Via Zoom 7:30 PM Registration is required at: RamseyMunicipalAlliance@gmail.com. Click headline for more information.
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School Calendar Information
Click headline for information on the 2020-2021 school calendar, as well as drafts of the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school year calendars. The intent is to approve the future calendars at the January 26 Board of Education meeting. If you would like to give input, please feel free to email the Board of Education (boe@ramsey.k12.nj.us) by January 22.
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Message from Board of Education President - Laura Behrmann
I never thought my role as Board of Education president would require so much knowledge about public health, but here we are. Big thanks goes to our staff, our students and their parents. We’re counting on all of them to make the next six months something special. As a mom, I’ve had to lower my expectations this school year. Dinner isn’t always timely, nutritious, or harmonious. Sometimes I fall short of adequate sleep; sometimes I snap when I shouldn’t. Everyone is making concessions to COVID, by intention or not. Thankfully, in Ramsey, our grounding comes from the competencies outlined in the Profile of a Ramsey Graduate and infused in everything we do. In this unusual year, I believe those goals and achievements are even more important. Adaptability, Empathy, Self-Direction, Creativity … It’s as if we drew up a list of universally applicable traits and aimed for them (and that’s exactly what we did!) as a way to help our students navigate whatever their future holds..Click headline for more information.
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Performing Arts in the Time of COVID
At the December Board of Education meeting, Mr. Ken Veit gave a presentation on the state of the Performing Arts in the Ramsey School District (see video below). Traditionally, December in the Ramsey School District means that it is time for concerts, school sings, and other musical celebrations. Unfortunately, this year these annual events are not possible due to safety concerns regarding COVID-19. That does not mean, however, that the performing arts are not alive and well in our schools. This year the performing arts staff has worked hard to deliver safe, quality, and creative instruction to our students throughout the district. More than ever, our Ramsey students and staff have demonstrated great ADAPTABILITY throughout this pandemic. Click headline for more information.
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Kindergarten Registration for 2021-2022 is open now
Pre-registration applications for Kindergarten for the 2021 - 2022 school year are now available. To be eligible for Kindergarten, students must be 5 years old on or before October 1, 2021. Applicants register online for their home school of attendance, either Mary A. Hubbard School or Wesley D. Tisdale School. Click headline for more information.
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Preschool Registration for 2021-2022 is open now
Registration applications for the tuition based Integrated Preschool Program for the 2021-2022 school year are now available. To be eligible for Preschool, general education students must be 4 years old on or before October 1, 2021. All children enrolled in the program will attend for 5 1/2 hours five days a week. Click above for important dates related to the preschool registration process and the pre-registration link. Click here for more information.
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Celebrate What's Right - A Look Back at 2020
I thought it appropriate to use the December newsletter to look back at previous newsletters to highlight the great things that have happened this year despite our challenges. I chose one picture from each month that I thought showed the spirit of the Ramsey School District and also highlighted how much this year has been unprecedented. Here is a quick preview of this "year in review": Click headline for more information.
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Support Services
Our School Counseling and Child Study teams understand how stressful everyone’s life has become throughout the COVID19 pandemic--both for our students and our families. The unique stressors this experience has put on us undoubtedly has challenged many of us to be able to maintain a sense of well-being and normalcy. We get it. Whether you have chosen to educate your child through our hybrid or remote learning, this experience is hard. We want to emphasize that our goal remains to support, in any way we can, both your children and you throughout this experience, regardless of the learning plan we are implementing as a school or district. As a team, we want every Ramsey family to remember to: 1) keep in touch with your school counselor. Let us know if your student is having any challenges that can’t be answered by your student’s teacher, and we will do our best to help you find solutions for them 2)hold family discussions often, in a comfortable place, and convey to your children that they are safe 3)encourage family members to ask questions and consider having a separate discussion with young children in order to address specific fears or misconceptions they may have. Please remember we have Mental Health Counselors available for both parents and students. Click headline for more.
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National Merit Scholars
Congratulations to Seoyon Kim, Robert Taylor, Sophie Cunningham, Abraham Song, and Abigail Lim on their recognition as Commended Students in the 2020 Merit Scholarship Program for Outstanding Performance on the 2019 PSAT/NMSQT! Click headline for pictures!
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Crucial Dates to Notify School of Request to Change your Child's Learning Instruction
16 days with the students are in the books, Back to School Nights are complete, picture days are happening, and soon Fall sports will start up. While at least 32 Bergen County school districts didn’t open with live instruction, and many aren’t scheduled to begin until October/November, Ramsey opened! While we had some bumps in the road, overall it has been a smooth opening. Thank you to everyone who helped make this happen. There is no doubt that we will continually adjust and improve our practices and schedules as we are able. We have already made tweaks in the lower grades, where virtual learning is especially challenging. Before rushing into a schedule change (remember only 16 days of school have passed), it is important that we learn from these experiences and get input from surrounding districts and our stakeholders. What is working well? What is not? This assessment will better inform our decision-making. Click headline for more information.
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Ballot Bowl Champions!
To encourage civic engagement, the State of New Jersey holds an annual Statewide non-partisan voter registration competition for colleges and high schools known as the NJ Ballot Bowl. The qualification for winning is the most amount of new registered voters. Despite the challenges presented this year, Social Studies teacher Mrs. Ann Alcaide with the support of Mr. Brennan Heffernan, Social Studies Supervisor, entered Ramsey High School in this year’s competition for high schools across the state of New Jersey. Mrs. Alcaide reached out to two seniors, Emily Peters and Liam Nelson, who have a passion for politics and led the efforts at RHS. After identifying all students who would turn 18 by the registration deadline (October 13), Emily and Liam sent these eligible students an email which contained a Google Form which assisted them in the process of registering to vote and finding their local polling places. Once students complete the registration form, Liam reported the weekly numbers to Rutgers University which tabulated the results across the state. While participating in such a worthy event would have been rewarding enough, we are pleased to announce that Ramsey High School was recently declared the winners of the High School Ballot Bowl for the entire state of New Jersey! On Thursday, October 29th, Mrs. Alcaide, Emily Peters, and Liam Nelson attended the virtual Awards Ceremony where the State formally recognized Ramsey’s accomplishment. In reflecting upon the work Mrs. Alcaide said, "It was an honor and a privilege to have our students participate in such an important event and to expand civil engagement in our community." Click headline for more.
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Schoology Parent Accounts Are Coming!
As you probably know by now, our entire district uses a common Learning Management System (LMS) called Schoology. Having a common LMS enables our students, parents, and teachers to engage with learning materials and their school community from the classroom and beyond. We use Schoology in our classrooms during hybrid and remote learning to enhance connectivity and communication across our district as students can digitally submit assignments, participate in interactive discussions, receive announcements and feedback, take assessments, and more. Student progress and activity is monitored by faculty to ensure a safe, secure, and controlled environment. As we announced over the summer, parent Schoology accounts are coming. We put in the request with the company to have these accounts enabled back in spring and we are excited to announce that the anticipated release date for Ramsey is Friday, October 9. The Technology Department will be in communication with you over the next few weeks on how to access and use your account. For now, please view the short video below that explains the difference between student and parent accounts. Click headline for more information.
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Equity is Not a New Goal for Ramsey School District
I’m glad to hear the community discussions that have sprung up since we made a semantics change to our district goals and backed that up with some action steps. Conversations are great first steps. The goal changed with the addition of key words: Achieving Excellence through Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. As conversations develop into the exchange of ideas, it is helpful to use common language so everyone works from the same definitions. Diversity, equity, and inclusion may seem like reactionary “buzzwords” that can be easily politicized in the current climate, but they are not new in education. This isn’t a left issue or a right issue or any kind of political issue for the school district. Click headline for more information.
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A Consistent PreK-12 Platform
Our entire district, PreK-12, is now using Schoology , an integrated learning management solution (LMS) that provides course management, mobile learning, and support for system-wide communication. Schoology enables our students, parents and teachers to engage with learning materials and their school community from the classroom and beyond. We look forward to using Schoology in our classrooms during hybrid and remote learning to enhance connectivity and communication across our district. With Schoology, students can digitally submit assignments, participate in interactive discussions, receive announcements and feedback, take assessments, and more. Student progress and activity will be monitored by faculty to ensure a safe, secure, and controlled environment. We value your participation in your child’s education, and we encourage you to read Schoology’s Privacy Policy & Terms of Use. More information about Schoology Parent Accounts will be coming shortly.
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Building Empathy
For the third year in a row Mykee Fowlin performed at the Ramsey High School student orientation with the goal of creating an inclusive and welcoming school community. According to his website, Fowlin's "mission is to create an atmosphere of worldwide inclusion, not just tolerance, towards all people." Discussion questions included: 1)Using the concepts of mirrors and windows, what character(s) provided you with a mirror reflection of feelings you've experienced? What character(s) provided you with a window to see into someone else's feelings and experiences that are difference from your own? 2)Reflecting upon the performance, what is one small thing that you can do to improve the way you treat those who are different from you?
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Always Getting Better
To prepare for the 2020-2021 school year we focused our summer professional development on curriculum revisions and building our technology toolkits. This included: 1)Revising the opening unit of every course K-12 to include instructional technology components that can be implemented during either blended or remote learning. These components include, but are not limited to: Digital assessments, Screencast videos, and Hyperdoc Assignments. 2) 150 teachers participating in 36 sessions on blended and remote teaching across two weeks at the end of July. The first week was led by Ramsey staff and the second week was led by Greg Kulowiec of Edtech Teacher, our longtime technology consultant. 3) 100 staff members, including all of the newly hired teachers, completed the Catlin Tucker online course to prepare for online and blended learning.
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Summer Virtual Academic Courses now offered for Grades K - 6
The Ramsey Community School, along with teachers from the Ramsey School District, is offering "Stepping Stones" - virtual academic classes in Literacy and Mathematics for Grades Kindergarten through 6th. Click headline for registration form and additional information.
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Referendum Project
With phase one complete, we have now started construction on phase two. Work has begun at RHS (Electrical and Fire Alarm Upgrades), Smith (Performing Arts Addition and Science Lab Renovations) and the kindergarten additions at both Hubbard and Tisdale. The Fitness Center, Cadlab and Woodshop renovations at RHS will start later this Fall. Click on the Headline to see the latest pictures of the current projects.
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RHS Preschool On-line Applications Available
As part of the experiences for Ramsey High School students enrolled in the Child Development Class, Ramsey and Saddle River preschool age children are invited to participate in a preschool program that is supervised by Ramsey High School students and the Child Development teaching staff. Registration forms for the October 2020 preschool class are available on-line in both English and Spanish versions. Click headline for more information.
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Dater PTO - Ramsey Strong, Supporting True Heros
Ramsey is joining other communities that are coming together to support both local restaurants and also feed front line health care workers. We are asking for donations that will allow us to order meals from the local restaurants and deliver them to the staff working the front lines in the area hospitals. We are currently working with Valley Hospital and Hackensack University Medical Center. In addition, we will also support the foundations that support the hospitals. Click headline for more information:
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Bond Referendum Update
Our first phase of the referendum construction project is complete! The facilities upgrades look great and are already having a positive impact on our educational programs, security, and efficiency. We have been busy planning the next phase which will start this Spring, including the new full-day kindergarten additions. Each school will communicate on an individual basis any information concerning the impact of construction at each site. Please click the headline to view completed and upcoming referendum projects.
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RHS Child Development Program Seeking Preschool Aged Children - registration begins March 6th!
As part of the experiences for Ramsey High School students enrolled in the Child Development Class, Ramsey and Saddle River preschool age children are invited to participate in a preschool program that is supervised by the Child Development teaching staff and the RHS students. This experience allows the high school students to gain hands on experience working with young children. Registration forms for the October 2020 preschool class will be available at the High School General Office and will also be available on the preschool website, https://sites.google.com/ramsey.k12.nj.us/rhspreschool starting March 6th . The class for preschoolers meets three mornings a week, usually Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for approximately 2½ hours each day. Click headline for more information.
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Board of Education Recognition Month
The Ramsey Board of Education called on citizens to continue working together to advance the education of all students, as it recognized the contributions of colleagues throughout the state during School Board Recognition Month in New Jersey. “The Ramsey Board of Education embraces the goal of high-quality education for all New Jersey public school students,” read a resolution adopted by the board. “New Jersey and especially the Ramsey School District can take pride in its schools, which ranks among the nation’s best.” In Ramsey, we are particularly proud of our Profile of a Ramsey Graduate initiative, which aims to prepare all students for success in the 21st century by focusing on key competencies. Click headline for more information.
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Seal of Biliteracy Results by Andrew Matteo & Karen Vander Leest
We are proud to share that 34 Ramsey High School students have satisfied the requirement to earn the New Jersey Seal of Biliteracy. The New Jersey State Seal of Biliteracy recognizes graduating high school seniors who have attained a high level of proficiency in one or more world languages in addition to English. In addition to honoring the multiple cultures and languages of our community, the Seal provides evidence of linguistic skills that are attractive to future employers and college admissions offices. Click headline for more information.
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Ramsey Parent Academy - 2/5/20 - Supporting Our LGBTQ Community
We hope you can attend our #RamseyParentAcademy on Wednesday, Feb. 5, which will focus on talking about LGBTQ+ issues and ways to support that community. ALL parents and friends are welcome: those who are involved in the LGBTQ+ community, those who want to show support, and those who want to be better informed as these issues become part of their social or professional spheres. Click headline for more information.
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Rams S.T.E.P. for Success: Student Transition Education Program
On Tuesday, December 17th, 2019, Miss Diakos and her students made a presentation to the Ramsey Board of Education regarding the Student Transition Education Program (S.T.E.P) at Ramsey High School. As part of their presentation they showed a video that gave everyone insight into their daily experience at Ramsey High School. As a district, we are beyond proud of these students and this program. I encourage you to take the 10 minutes to watch the video. It will be sure to put a smile on your face! Click headline for video.
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Happy Holidays from BOE President Laura Behrmann
There is a lot to be proud of this past year – our students and staff have achieved noteworthy milestones in academics, athletics and community building. For example, the community overwhelmingly supported both the facilities referendum AND the kindergarten budget question; a faculty member garnered a national accolade with the Milken Educator Award; our middle and high school band and chorus earned unparalleled success in regional and state competitions; over 80% of high school students participated in sports - we captured 5 league, 2 county, and 1 state sectional championships; over 100 RHS students participated in the World Challenge; our Stigma-Free and focus on mental health continues to make a positive difference in the community. Click headline for more.
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One Book One Community: Enough as She Is
The next Parent Academy will be held on Wednesday, January 8, 2020 at Smith School Cafeteria at 7:30 PM. From the New York Times bestselling author of Odd Girl Out, a deeply urgent book that gives adults the tools to help girls in high school and college reject "supergirl" pressure, overcome a toxic stress culture, and become resilient adults with healthy, happy, and fulfilling lives.
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Kindergarten Registration for 2020-2021
Kindergarten registration applications for the 2020 - 2021 school year are now available. To be eligible for Kindergarten, students must be 5 years old on or before October 1, 2020. Click above for important dates related to the registration process and the pre-registration link.
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Preschool Registration for 2020 - 2021
Registration applications for the tuition based Integrated Preschool Program for the 2020 - 2021 school year are now available. To be eligible for Preschool, general education students must be 4 years old on or before October 1, 2020. All children enrolled in the program will attend for 5 1/2 hours five days a week. Click above for important dates related to the preschool registration process and the pre-registration link.
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It's Official! Thank You, Ramsey
The certified results are in: 2,794 in favor and 1,661 opposed to the proposal. We had close to 63% approval! Thank you! Your support at the polls means we can meet a long-standing goal to expand to All-Day, Everyday Kindergarten, and we are committed to doing that in Fall 2020. The supportive result of the vote is yet another outside validation of the great things we are doing inside our schools. Ramsey Schools continue to shine in our academic classrooms, on the athletic fields, on the big stages, and even 15,000 feet high in the Andes Mountains! This is why #RamseySchools are the pride of our community.
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Dec. 4 - Ramsey Parent Academy: Suicide The Ripple Effect
To help continue our focus on mental health and to draw attention to the issue of suicide, we are hosting a special screening of the new inspirational documentary Suicide The Ripple Effect, which will be followed by an engaging discussion on the topic. This event is scheduled for December 4, 2019, Ramsey High School, starting at 7:30 PM. The film carries a message of hope and healing. We strongly encourage you to bring your children ages 10+. There is no cost.
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Why Full Day Kindergarten?
You may be asking yourself, "If our kindergarten teachers cover all of the required standards already in the half-day program, then why do we need all-day kindergarten?" Click to learn more.
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All-Day Kindergarten
With continued voter support, Ramsey School District could begin All-Day Kindergarten in the Fall 2020. The plan for All-Day Kindergarten started several years ago as a citizen-driven discussion of Ramsey School District goals. Some of those goals were addressed with the 2018 bond proposal that won strong voter approval: updated science facilities, dedicated space for the arts, long-term maintenance and security measures. That bond proposal included building the added space that would accommodate an All-Day Kindergarten expansion, but operating funds are needed to cover program staffing and other costs. Voter approval on Nov. 5, 2019 of the proposed operating budget would give us the green light to move forward with All-Day Kindergarten.
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NJSLA
Individual Score Reports with the results of the 2019 state standardized tests were mailed to parents of current 4th-11th grade students recently. These reports included results of the New Jersey Learning Assessment (NJSLA) for English Language Arts and Mathematics. The NJSLA takes the place of PARCC, which had been administered in New Jersey from 2014-2018. These Individual Score Reports include charts and graphics that show you how well your student is performing in relation to the New Jersey Student Learning Standards, and how your student’s performance compares to other students in his or her school, district and state. Click headline for more information.
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#RamseyParentAcademies
Sports Injuries & Pain: Facts About Opioids and Alternative Pain Management Solutions Wednesday, October 2, 2019, RHS Auditorium, 7:30 PM A panel of subject matter experts will discuss trends in the opioid crisis and alternative ways to manage pain through positive mental health, physical therapy, and other modalities that limit the use of prescription medications. ***Sponsored by the Ramsey Municipal Alliance***
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Rising Rams
We launched our Rising Rams initiative to reach and engage families of children ages 0 to 4 who are looking forward to the day they’ll step into our schools as students. If you’re a parent of an infant or preschooler – a Rising Ram - please help us connect with you, and tailor information to meet your needs by answering a 3-minute survey. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter, and look for us at Ramsey Day! If you have more than one Rising Ram, please fill out a separate survey! Click headline for survey.
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#Ramsey Rocks 2019
If you travel, take an item (t-shirt, sign, hat, etc.) with you that showcases Ramsey or your school’s name and snap a picture of it. Send it to us via email, and we will post it or tweet it using the hashtag #RamseyRocks2019. Be sure to include the names you would like used, location, etc.
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#Ramsey Reads 2019
What will you be reading this summer? 3 Great Books to consider: 1) Enough as She is-How To Help Girls Move Beyond impossible Standards of Success to Live Healthy, Happy and Fulfilling Lives; 2) The Second Mountain-The Quest for a Moral Life 3) The Teenage Brain - A Neuroscientist's Survival Guide To Raising Adolescents And Young Adults.
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Grade 12 Profile Projects
Over the past few months, the school presentations at each BOE meeting has focused on our district's main initiative - Developing a Ramsey Graduate. Each presentation highlighted how all five schools in the district are intentionally teaching towards and assessing the competencies we have prioritized in our Profile of a Ramsey Graduate. Three of these presentations focused specifically on the Profile Projects that Ramsey students complete in Grades 3, 5, and 8. At Tuesday night's final BOE meeting of the 2018-2019 school year, Ramsey High School presented on the Grade 12 Profile Projects. Click headline for more information.
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Grade 3 Profile Projects
At the May 7th BOE meeting, Tisdale School presented the Grade 3 Profile Project. This project provides an opportunity to synthesize a year long study of global citizenship through the completion of a passion project. The Grade 3 Profile Project is the culmination of an interdisciplinary social studies and literacy unit. Students combine their content knowledge of social studies, reading and writing to conduct research and present their findings on a selected global issue. Student projects and presentations must be supported by research and elicit a desire by audience members to create a change in our global community. The process and product for this collaborative project supports the competencies outlined in the Profile of a Ramsey Graduate as students demonstrate the 4C’s in action. With an academic mindset, Grade 3 students use content-specific knowledge to develop empathy and appreciation for cultures in our global community. As a result, their presentations hope to educate and inspire individuals to continue the process of addressing global issues.
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DECA - A Student's Perspective by Megan Becconsall
As an International DECA Finalist, I have witnessed first-hand how the DECA Club offers Ramsey High School students the opportunity to embody the Profile of a Ramsey Graduate. Starting on the ground level, DECA provides Ramsey students with a platform for us to capitalize on our thorough understanding of content relevant to the real world, and presents us with real-world situations and obstacles that allow us to manifest our learned skills and knowledge. Moving forward, as Ramsey students compete in our respective events, we are given the opportunity to harness and refine our problem-solving skills by executing the practices taught to us at Ramsey, such as critical thinking, effective and adaptable communicating, and working as an constructive team-member. And as we subsequently rise through the ranks at DECA— competing on a regional, state, and eventually international scale— we have the chance to better ourselves both on a personal level and as a member of society, as we indicate accountability, thoughtful decision-making, a positive attitude, and self-reliance. Click headline for more.
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Ramsey Music Students Continue to Excel
Ramsey music student at all levels continued to excel in earning many more seats to Region and State - level honor ensembles during the Winter and Spring of 2019. In February, 13 Smith School students earned spots in Region I Middle School Band, Orchestra, and Chorus. These students audition against the best music students from across Northern New Jersey, and they performed in a concert in March. More recently, 9 6th grade students at Smith School were selected to be in the Region I Elementary Honors Band, which will perform in May. And finally, 6 RHS students just earned acceptance to the 2019-2020 NJ All-State Chorus, the most choral students to gain all-state acceptance in more than 25 years! In total, Ramsey students have earned OVER 70 seats to 2018-19 Honor Ensembles, which is quite an accomplishments. Here is a complete listing of the student most recently accepted. Click headline for more information.
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The Seal of Biliteracy - Profile of a Ramsey Graduate in Action
We are proud to share that 23 Ramsey High School Seniors who self-nominated to take a language assessment in February will earn the New Jersey Seal of Biliteracy. The New Jersey State Seal of Biliteracy recognizes graduating high school seniors who have attained a high level of proficiency in one or more world languages in addition to English. The Seal of Biliteracy includes a certificate prepared by the New Jersey Department of Education, as well as an image on the official transcript. In addition to honoring the multiple cultures and languages of our community, the Seal provides evidence of linguistic skills that are attractive to future employers and college admissions offices. As the world increasingly becomes more global, the need for employees with bilingual, multilingual, and cross-cultural skills also increases. Click headline for more information.
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Career-Focused Learners
On March 12, the Boards of Education of Ramsey, River Dell, Ridgewood, and Saddle River gathered to learn more about improving educational opportunities for students who plan to enter the workforce immediately after high school graduation. The presentation, “Preparing Students for Their Future,” was given by a representative from New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA) and focused on the findings and recommendations of NJSBA’s Task Force on Educational Opportunities for the Non-College-Bound Learner, released in October 2018. According to the report, to effectively prepare students for the jobs of the future, schools must fundamentally change the way they prepare students for their future careers. That is exactly what we are doing in Ramsey. Click headline for more information.
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Release of 2017-2018 NJ School Performance Reports
On March 12 the New Jersey Department of Education released the School Performance Reports for the 2017-2018 school year. These reports, which are available on the NJ School Performance Reports webpage at www.njschooldata.org, provide families, educators and the public one picture of school performance. The performance reports offer valuable information across many elements, including schoolwide academic achievement and progress, demographics, school climate, chronic absenteeism, and college and career readiness. Along with the full reports, one-page Summary Reports that provide a high-level summary are available for each school. Click headline for more information.
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8th Grade Profile Project
At the February 26, 2019 Board of Education Meeting, Principal Herre and four 8th grade teachers (Kaylin Bessler, Brittany Perrotti, Lori Militello, and Kristin Fullam) made a presentation about a unique learning experience for all 8th graders that we are calling Be the Change: Grade 8 Profile Project. Using all of the skills highlighted in the Profile of a Ramsey Graduate, the 8th grade class will be given the opportunity to devise a solution for real-world problems, through a local, national, or world lens, that is of interest to them. Students will choose from the following broad topics: wellness, community building, innovation, social justice, and sustainability. Click headline for more information.
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RHS Child Development Program Seeking Preschool Aged Children
As part of the experiences for Ramsey High School students enrolled in the Child Development Class, Ramsey and Saddle River preschool age children are invited to participate in a preschool program that is supervised by Ramsey High School students and the Child Development teaching staff. Registration forms for the October 2019 preschool class will be available at the High School General Office on March 16, 2019 beginning at 9:00am and will also be available on the preschool website, https://sites.google.com/ramsey.k12.nj.us/rhspreschool. The class for preschoolers meets three mornings a week, usually Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, for approximately 2½ hours each day. Click headline for more information.
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RHS has 2 National Merit Finalists!
The National Merit Scholarship Program recently named Jack Kramer and Kaitlyn Pierpont, members of the Class of 2019, as Merit Finalists. Less than 1% of US high school graduating seniors are eligible for this prestigious recognition.
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Choral Collage Concert
Monday night was the district's 3rd Choral Collage Concert, in which over 400 students performed from 3 schools. In many ways, this concert showcases everything that is right about music education in Ramsey, and it is truly "Enhancing the Student Experience." If you have not been to one of these performances yet, we encourage you to come next year - there is nothing quite like seeing 400+ Ramsey students performing together in the joint finale! We have completely transformed the vocal music program here in Ramsey over the last 6 years. We’re so fortunate to live in Ramsey; a town that encourages and embraces the Performing Arts. There’s nothing more moving than hearing children sing songs about love and hope.
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Ramsey High School Students Perform in Region Band
Four RHS students were recently accepted into, and performed with, the North Jersey Regional Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band. These ensembles, sponsored by the North Jersey School Music Association, represent the best instrumental music students from across seven North Jersey counties, and students must go through a rigorous audition to earn their seat. Pictured after their recent concert are Ankit Verghese, Joseph LeBert, Jordan Paik, and Abigail Lim. Congratulations to all!
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Martin Luther King Events
The Ramsey School District identifies Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a day of utmost importance to our nation, so significant attention was paid to talking to students about injustice, the importance of the Civil Rights movement, and ways in which they could honor the legacy of Dr. King. As part of Martin Luther King Day, and as a way to foster the ideals supported by the national “Day of Service," Ramsey High School scheduled a special advisory period during which community volunteers from over 15 organizations spoke with RHS students about why they serve and their experience with community service.
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Six Ramsey High School students accepted to Region Chorus
We are thrilled to announce that 6 Ramsey High School Chorus students have been accepted to the NJSMA (North Jersey School Music Association) Region One Chorus. These students are: Nasim Warren, Alyssa Mathew, Thomas Gilligan, Joseph Muscarelle, Bailey Felderman, Allison Los. Allison Los has also been ranked #1 soprano one!
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January is School Board Recognition Month
Ramsey's Board of Education plays an essential role in our students’ lives. They oversee our five public schools and provide educational services to nearly 2,800 children. They set the policies for our schools and make important decisions affecting curriculum, financing and staffing. Ramsey School Board members devote countless hours – with no compensation – to the oversight and advancement of our children’s education. January 2019 is the 15th annual School Board Recognition Month in New Jersey, a time to raise public awareness of the role and responsibilities of local boards of education and to thank our community’s school board members for their efforts.
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Bond Passes
Thank you, Ramsey! I am honored and humbled to announce that voters said YES to the borrowing plan that will improve our schools’ educational, arts, and athletic facilities. Unofficial results from Tuesday’s bond referendum show 1,985 in favor versus 1,230 opposed to the proposal, which gave the district permission to borrow $42.9 million. Official results could be certified by the end of the week.
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Preschool Registration for 2019 - 2020
Registration applications for the tuition based Integrated Preschool Program for the 2019 - 2020 school year are now available. To be eligible for Preschool, general education students must be 4 years old on or before October 1, 2019. All children enrolled in the program will attend for 5 1/2 hours five days a week. Click headline above for important dates related to the preschool registration process and the pre-registration link.
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Kindergarten Registration for 2019 - 2020
Kindergarten registration applications for the 2019 - 2020 school year are now available. To be eligible for Kindergarten, students must be 5 years old on or before October 1, 2019. Click headline above for important dates related to the registration process, the pre-registration link and information on the RCS WRAP program.
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A Busy But Exciting Fall
You’ve heard by now that Ramsey School District will hold a bond referendum Tuesday, Dec. 11 to seek voter permission for a range of improvements. Between now and then, there are other important dates that will help voters learn about the projects that would improve our schools with safety, modernization and efficiency. Click headline for more detail.
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8th Grade World Challenge - American Southwest Experience
The Eric S. Smith Middle School trip to the American Southwest was a success! A group of ten students, along with staff member Fran Kahn and myself, piloted the first World Challenge trip for graduated 8th graders. For ten days, the group hiked and camped in National Parks in southern Utah and northern Arizona. Challengers held leadership roles and were responsible for implementing the plan for the day. Click headline for more detail.
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K-5 Literacy Parent Academy
On Thursday, October 25 the district hosted its latest Parent Academy on ways to support K-5 literacy at home with literacy consultant and author Dr. Gravity Goldberg. Dr. Goldberg and her team have been working with the Ramsey School District over the past five years to foster a love of reading, writing, and thinking deeply about the world in our students. Her team has had a huge impact on how our educators view reading and writing instruction, and this night served as a great way to reinforce the importance of making reading and writing a part of our daily lives. Click headline for more detail.
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State OKs referendum with more than $10M in state aid
At long last, we have documentation from the state’s Department of Education that verifies the school district’s plan to pursue bond funding to make building and safety improvements. Following the state approval, the Ramsey Board of Education voted on October 16 to put the proposal on the Dec. 11 ballot for voter consideration. Click headline for more detail.
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Youth Mental Health First Aid Training Course - January 12, 2019
In cooperation with the Ramsey Municipal Alliance we are proud to present another unique opportunity to Ramsey. “Youth Mental Health First Aid is designed to teach parents, family members, caregivers, teachers, school staff, peers, neighbors, health and human services workers, and other caring citizens how to help an adolescent (age 12-18) who is experiencing a mental health or addictions challenge or is in crisis. Click headline for more detail.
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Curriculum Related Parent Academies
This year the District is offering two Parent Academies focused on curriculum. The first was held on Thursday, October 11 at Smith School. The focus of this night was the Connected Mathematics program, which is being implemented in Grade 6 and 7 this year. Click headline for more detail.
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More Funding for Schools, But Only Some of Them
The news has been flooded with feel-good reports about the State of New Jersey’s supposed boost in funding for schools. On the whole, it sounds like great news. Dig into the details, though, and the truth comes out: More money isn’t as much a reality as more money for some. And the boost for some was made possible by a ding for others. The short version is: Ramsey was awarded a slight increase in state funding in early spring, but saw no additional benefit when new Governor Phil Murphy kicked off summer with a much-touted announcement about even more school funding. Click headline for more detail.
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Stomping Out the Stigma - A Teacher's Perspective
The effects of mental illness are felt by so many adults and children, no matter where they may live or what they may do. As a teacher, there have been times when the effects of mental illness march right into the classroom. Over the years, some of my students have been able to articulate their thoughts about how this disease affects them, while other students have not been able to express their feelings with the same exactness. In any of those cases, the need for encouragement, love, and support have always been necessary. Click headline for more detail.
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Referendum Update - #InvestInRamsey
Bond Proposal Shifts Second Question to 2019 In addition to hiring staff, deep-cleaning buildings, and planning curriculum, the leadership of the Ramsey School District spent summer months fine-tuning the bond proposal that voters will consider on December 11. Click headline for more detail.
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Profile of a Ramsey Graduate
At the June 26th Board of Education meeting, I made a presentation to the Board of Education about the Profile of a Ramsey Graduate. Later in the meeting they officially adopted the Profile of a Ramsey Graduate through a formal resolution. You can see the Profile of a Ramsey Graduate below and here is a link to a PDF version with definitions of each competency. Click headline for more detail.
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A Student's Perspective on World Challenge Trip to Bolivia
Please enjoy Abby Greenberg, a Ramsey High School student's perspective on her World Challenge trip to Bolivia this past summer. Click headline for more detail.
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Standardized Testing
As required by the New Jersey Department of Education, the results of the statewide standardized assessments were reported to the Board of Education at the meeting held on Monday, September 24. Individual Student Reports for the Spring 2018 PARCC are being mailed home from each district school on Friday, September 28. Click headline for more detail.
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Safety and Security Update
The safety and security of our students and staff continues to be one of our top priorities. While we can’t disclose all the details for security reasons, there are significant safety and security upgrades that we would like to share with you. Click headline for more detail.
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The Ramsey School District is a Common Sense District
The Ramsey School District has just been approved as a Common Sense District, an honor that recognizes our efforts in teaching digital citizenship to young people and engaging the entire community in this important discussion and supporting educators using technology for learning. The recognition acknowledges our district's’ commitment creating a culture of digital learning and citizenship...Click headline for more detail.
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