Tuesday, June 18, 2013
The Regional Curriculum Office recently completed its first new curriculum, in social studies, to be used in Hillsdale and other towns.
Teachers and administrators in the Pascack Valley Regional Curriculum Office have completed a new K-8 social studies curriculum which is set to be implemented in Hillsdale, River Vale, Woodcliff Lake and Montvale schools starting next year, Pascack Valley Regional Schools Superintendent P. Erik Gundersen said Monday. The new curriculum incorporates material in the new Common Core standards for social studies, and also connects to the new standards for language arts via nonfiction reading assignments, according to Regional Director of Curriculum Barry Bachenheimer. The curriculum was backwards designed from standardized tests to ensure students know everything they need. It also uses performance assessments to mark students' progress …
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Woodcliff Lake officials are seeking a voter referendum for all four district towns on the issue.
Interim Executive County Superintendent Todd Flora has decided that Woodcliff Lake will not be allowed to withdraw from the Pascack Valley Regional School District. In a 14-page decision sent to municipal and school officials, Flora wrote that Woodcliff Lake and Montvale would see only "minimal" savings while "the increase financial burden imposed upon the taxpayers of Hillsdale and River Vale would be detrimental in comparison." He also wrote "it is not advisable that [the regional district] be disrupted" because it has "consistently demonstrated a high level of student academic performance." But that hasn't stopped Woodcliff Lake officials, who passed a resolution this week to pursue a voter referendum on the issue, NorthJersey.com …
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Petitions are due to Bergen County Clerk by June 4.
Anyone interested in serving on their local school board has until June 4 to submit a petition to the county. Board members are responsible for a variety of duties each year, including setting district goals, overseeing the budget and curriculum and hiring administrators and staff. There are four seats up for election on the Westwood Regional Board of Education this year, including two three-year terms from Westwood, one three-year term from Washington Township and a one-year unexpired term for Washington Township from outgoing member Barbara Gregory. The Hillsdale Board of Education has two of seats up for election this year, including one full three-year term and one unexpired one-year term from former member Debbie Loganchuk. There are …
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Tuesday, May 7, 2013
The authors of a study commissioned by Woodcliff Lake said splitting the regional school district would save their residents money, but cost Hillsdale and River Vale residents.
Hillsdale Mayor Max Arnowitz said Tuesday that the borough and River Vale "have commited 100 percent to fight" a proposed splitting of the Pascack Valley Regional High School District. Arnowitz's comments followed a Woodcliff Lake Council meeting Monday at which a retired CPA recommended Woodcliff Lake attempt to withdraw from the regional district, NorthJersey.com reported. James Kirtland, the CPA who helped prepare a study for Woodcliff Lake examining the possible effects of their proposed withdrawal from the district, said there would be "substantial overall financial and educational benefits" if Woodcliff Lake and Montvale pursued a separate regional district or had a sending-receiving relationship without Hillsdale and River Vale, …
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Taxes could rise by $500 per year for the average Hillsdale homeowner if the district is dissolved.
An attorney and the authors of a study which reported that splitting up the Pascack Valley Regional School District "would succeed" will give a presentation about their findings and take questions from the public during a Woodcliff Lake Council meeting next week, NorthJersey.com reported. A report on the same subject prepared on behalf of Hillsdale and River Vale found that there would be high costs for residents of those towns if the district were split. The meeting is scheduled to take place Monday night at the Tice Senior Center, 411 Chestnut Ridge Rd. Woodcliff Lake and Montvale previously petitioned the Executive County Superintendent to withdraw from the district, citing a higher cost per pupil than that paid by Hillsdale and River …
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Students from Pascack Valley and Pascack Hills High Schools will compete in the event in St. Louis.
The joint robotics team of Pascack Valley and Pascack Hills High Schools will be competing in the "FIRST Robotics Competition" championships in St. Louis this week. The team previously won at a state competition and scored enough points at a regional competition against students from New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Deleware to get them a place in the championships, according to Pascack Valley Regional Board of Education member James Hall. The Pascack Valley Pi-oneers wil be competing against about 2,500 other teams from around the world, Hall said. "They're very excited," he said. Board of Education President Bertram Siegel called the team's success "a wonderful accomplishment." The championships run from Wednesday through Saturday. To get an…
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
The Kim Marshall Evaluation System comes at a "minimal cost" to Pascack Valley Regional Schools.
Pascack Valley Regional Schools are preparing to institute a new teacher evaluation system next year. The Kim Marshall Evaluation System, named after its creator, is "a reflective way of looking at teachers," according to district Director of Curriculum Barry Bachenheimer. A new state law requires all districts to begin using new state-approved principal and teacher evaluation practices by next school year. Other districts have purchased systems that cost $90,000 or more, according to Board of Education Vice President Alfred Murphy. The Kim Marshall system, which Pascack Valley is using in conjunction with several other area school districts, will have only a "minimal cost," according to Bachenheimer. In the system, teachers are observed …
Monday, April 15, 2013
The New Jersey Department of Education released School Performance Reports comparing every school in the state.
More than 90 percent of Pascack Valley High School students passed the HSPA test in math and language arts last year, according to the 2011-2012 School Performance Reports released by the Department of Education last week. The report graded Pascack Valley's academic achievement as "very high" compared to schools across the state and "high" compared to its peer schools. A total of 98 percent of students passed language arts and 94 percent passed math. "I continue to be extremely proud of the academic strength of our district," Superintendent P. Erik Gundersen told Patch. "Every district has room to grow and our district is no exception — as we always strive to improve." The peer schools replace the old District Factor Groups for comparing …
Friday, March 22, 2013
Taxes will increase by varying amounts for Hillsdale, Montvale and River Vale residents.
The Pascack Valley Regional Board of Education approved the district's budget for the 2013-14 year during their meeting Thursday night. The $48,452,517 budget includes a tax levy of $44,292,465, a 2 percent increase from this year, Business Administrator Yas Usami said. Because of the state law determining funding of regional districts, taxes in the four sending towns will be affected differently. The average Hillsdale homeowner, with a property assessed at $549,000 before the revaluation or $469,400 now, will see a tax increase of $129, according to Usami. Average Montvale and River Vale homeowners will see increases of $67 and $41, respectively. The average Woodcliff Lake homeowner will see a decrease of $314. The district will receive …
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Police said Michael Sapuppo acquired and transmitted child porn online.
Police arrested a River Vale resident Friday on charges that he possessed and transmitted child porn online, according to a release from Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli. Michael Sapuppo, 27, was charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a minor for allegedly possessing and transmitting the child porn online. Police also found marijuana during a search of Sapuppo's home and charged him with possession with intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to Molinelli. Sapuppo allegedly acquired and transmitted files online which "contained images and videos of pre-pubescent children engaged in sexual acts." The arrest was made by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Computer Crimes Task Force with…
Common Cents
10:11 pm on Tuesday, May 14, 2013
My friend always said get the petition from the county office so the school does not know you are running until it is too late for them to get somebody in there to carry out thier agenda! I believe the petition gets returned to the county, so they will never know who is running until all petitions are in. I am sure you can find a dozen friends who will keep thier mouths shut for a week or two. more ›