SCHOOL BOARD MEETING HIGHLIGHTS

From the school board website:

Board of Education Update

News from the August 2013 Meeting

Superintendent Brian G. Osborne updated the Board and the community on progress on District Goals.  Highlights included:

• International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme training for teachers and administrators to prepare to welcome the first IB MYP cohort to sixth grade in September;
• Adoption of curriculum for a new Robotics Course at Columbia High School, and of revised Social Studies curriculum for grades 3-5;
• Professional development opportunities for administrators and teaching staff to prepare for the 2013-2014 school year; and
• Unprecedented kindergarten enrollment.

The board agenda included:

• Adoption of District Goals for 2013-2017 – These goals set the priorities for 2013-2014 and beyond.
• Capital Update– Progress on current construction projects and maintenance, as well as future capital plans.
• Teacher Evaluations for 2013-2014 – Update on the impact of new state regulations on district teacher evaluations practices.
• Consolidated Monitoring Report– Discussion of findings from the New Jersey Department of Education’s Office of Fiscal Accountability and Compliance, including the district’s decision to appeal 11 findings, and the corrective plan created for the other 17 findings.

The full Board meeting is available to view here.

The next meeting of the Board of Education will take place at 7:30pm on Monday, September 16, 2013, at 525 Academy Street in Maplewood. 

Listen to our interview with School Board President Beth Daugherty HERE.

ENGAGE MAPLEWOOD WANTS YOUR VIEWS

Take the survey HERE.

Find out more about Engage Maplewood HERE.

EARLY GETAWAY TRAINS ADDED

From NJ Transit:

NEWARK, NJ — NJ TRANSIT will offer “early getaway” rail and bus service on Friday, August 30, for the benefit of customers leaving work early for the Labor Day holiday weekend.

On Friday, August 30, extra outbound trains will operate on the Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast, Raritan Valley, Morris & Essex and Port Jervis lines starting at approximately 1 p.m.  Extra buses will operate from the Port Authority Bus Terminal on more than a dozen bus routes starting around noon.  Visit njtransit.com for details. 

On Labor Day, Monday, September 2, trains will operate on a weekend/major holiday schedule on all lines.  Hudson-Bergen Light Rail will operate on a weekend schedule. Newark Light Rail will operate on a Saturday schedule.  River Line will operate on a Sunday schedule.  Bus schedules vary by route—customers are advised to check their timetables or visit njtransit.com for schedule information.

FARMER'S MARKET EXTENDED HOURS FOR LABOR DAY

Town Hall will, of course, be closed Monday for Labor Day, but the Farmer's Market will have extended hours.

So says this notice from the township:

The Maplewood Farmers Market will be open on Monday September 2, 2013 (Labor Day) from 11AM to 4PM. Alstede Farms will be the only vendor present. 

Regular market hours and vendors will resume the following Monday September 9, 2013.

DETAILS RELEASED ON EARLIER GUN-RELATED CRIME

Police released details on an incident that occurred Wednesday, and was first reported on Maplewoodian.com HERE, involving two men who tried to force themselves into a home and were later arrested.

The official release states:

On August 28, 2013 a resident of Brown St called 911 and reported that two males 
with a handgun attempted to force their way into the victim’s residence.  
Officer’s responded to the home and the surrounding area in an attempt to locate 
the suspects.  Officer Richard Wright observed two males fitting the description 
of the actors walking approximately a block away on Boyden Ave.  The males were 
stopped by Officer Wright along with backup officers.  During the course of the 
investigatory stop, Brandon Frost age 21 and Erik Winbourne age 19, both of 
Maplewood, were found to be in possession of a large metal pellet gun.  
Subsequently, they were both taken into custody and charged with Robbery, 
Unlawful Possession of a Handgun and Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful 
Purpose.  Bail was set at $250,000 and both were transported to Essex County 
jail.     

MAPLEWOOD YOUTHS ARRESTED FOR FIGHTING IN SOUTH ORANGE

This from South Orange Police this week:

On Tuesday 8-27-13 at approximately 5:15 pm an Officer was on routine patrol in the center of the Village when he observed four juveniles engaging in a fist fight. All four juveniles were apprehended by responding Officers for the offense and transported to police headquarters. Two of the juveniles were from Maplewood and the other two juveniles reside in South Orange.

MAPLEWOOD AN URBAN DICTIONARY ENTRY?

Yes, we are in the Urban Dictionary, 
whatever that is. Does not seem like a nice place.

See HERE and below:

A place where hippies go after their flower  power days to get high-paying jobs and  raise their children. Gays and biracial  families are the norm. The families that  inhabit Maplewood are often transplants  from the Park Slope/Brooklyn area. People  in Maplewood believe strongly in Whole  Foods, eco-friendly products, yoga,  Starbucks and the newest technology.  Practically no one is conservative, and  parents practically feed their children  liberal ideals, by doing things like  sending them to Obama picnics.  In Maplewood, everyone knows each  other. And on a nice sunny day, the  parks are typically crowded with toddlers,  dogs, and pot smoking teenagers. The children  of maplewood are typically grow into very  spoiled individuals. Their student parking  lot is nicer than the teachers, and everyone  has macbooks, and the newest ipods. Weed  and alcohol are consumed at an  alarming rate. Despite this, Maplewood turns  out some of the most sucessful and talented  people. So many that the high school had to  start its own hall of fame. Because of this,  the surrounding towns are jealous and often  resort to calling Maplewood things like  "Maplehood" or "Gay-plewood".

FLASH FLOOD WARNING UNTIL 3:15 P.M.

From the National Weather Service today:

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN UPTON NY HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR... PASSAIC COUNTY IN NORTHEAST NEW JERSEY... UNION COUNTY IN NORTHEAST NEW JERSEY... ESSEX COUNTY IN NORTHEAST NEW JERSEY... RICHMOND (STATEN ISLAND) COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST NEW YORK... HUDSON COUNTY IN NORTHEAST NEW JERSEY...

* UNTIL 315 PM EDT...

* AT 117 PM EDT... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED FLASH FLOODING FROM SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE WARNED AREA.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL CREEKS AND STREAMS... HIGHWAYS AND UNDERPASSES. ADDITIONALLY... COUNTRY ROADS AND FARMLANDS ALONG THE BANKS OF CREEKS... STREAMS AND OTHER LOW LYING AREAS ARE SUBJECT TO FLOODING.

PORTION OF ORCHARD ROAD CLOSED DUE TO FLOODING

Rains have caused flooding on Orchard Road between Woodside and Elmwood, closing that stretch of road.

UPDATE: MEN WITH GUN CAUGHT, DETAINED

....Scanner indicates police looking for two men who had knocked on a private residence door, one person seen with a gun....One seen walking on Boyden Avenue near Jacoby and Tuscan....

UPDATE: Two suspects caught and detained, gun apprehended, both men being booked

CHS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE RELEASED, FIRST PRE-SEASON GAME TODAY

Columbia High School football is launching its pre-season today with an early 9 a.m. game against Scotch Plains-Fanwood at Immaculate High School in Somerville.

They also have another pre-season game this Friday, Aug. 30, at Watchung Hills Regional High School in Warren at 3:30 p.m.

The first game of the year is at Kearny on Sept. 12. First home game is not until Oct. 4 against Bloomfield.

See the entire schedule HERE. Come out and root on the Cougars.

PODCAST - SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENT BETH DAUGHERTY

School Board president Beth Daugherty spoke with Maplewoodian.com, at some length, about numerous issues facing the district as the first day of school looms ahead on Sept. 9.

Daugherty talked about new goals for the district, November school board elections, the teachers union negotiations under a mediator and the future of Superintendent Brian Osborne, who almost left town for a new job, but is committed for one more year at a ridiculously reduced state-ordered salary.

Listen to it all below:

NEW MATTERS MAGAZINE IS HERE

The school issue of Matters Magazine is out and online.

Check it out HERE and the great turn-the-page E edition.

MAPLEWOOD RECEIVES STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION GRANT

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection today announced it would provide a $20,000 historic preservation grant to Maplewood, one of four towns in Essex County to receive such grants.

A press release on the grant stated Maplewood's funding would go toward a project that:

Proposes the fourth phase of intensive-architectural survey (the three previous phases were funded by previous CLG grants). The fourth phase will address approximately 270 historic resources in the College Hill neighborhood.

The other towns receiving funds include Montclair, West Orange and Cape May City.

See the entire announcement HERE.

TAKE THE NJ TRANSIT SURVEY, AND TELL THEM WHAT YOU THINK

NJ Transit wants to know what you think.

So tell them in this survey, and do not hold back.

Welcome to NJ TRANSIT’s Customer Satisfaction Survey. We hope that you have had a chance to go to our website and review the results from the last quarter.

We need your help again, as we strive to improve NJ TRANSIT Bus, Rail, Light Rail and Access Link Services. Please fill out this survey between August 12 and September 3 and rate NJ TRANSIT on the mode of transportation you travel most frequently. Your responses will help us track improvements, and make informed decisions as to where to place our resources.

Please be assured that your responses will be used for research purposes only. To show our appreciation for your help, we will enter your name in a drawing to win ONE OF FIVE prizes of a Free Monthly Pass or $100 American Express Gift Card!

Thank You!

To fill it out go HERE.

PAJAMA STORY TIME TONIGHT

	7:00pm
	PJ Storytime Ages 2-10 Hilton Branch. Hear stories in your pajamas! All children must be accompanied by an adult. Drop in.

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING TONIGHT

Agenda below:

BOARD OF EDUCATION School District of South Orange and Maplewood, NJ 525 Academy Street, Maplewood, NJ 07040                                                                                     Monday, August 26 2013
7:30 PM	REGULAR MEETING
		Call to Order – Announcement of Notice Roll Call Pledge of Allegiance Approve Board Minutes: Executive & Public Session Minutes: July 15, 2013; Special Meeting: July 29, 2013
7:35 PM	SUPERINTENDENT’S MONTHLY PROGRESS REPORT ON DISTRICT GOALS
7:50 PM	HEARING OF INDIVIDUALS AND DELEGATIONS
8:20 PM	DISCUSSION
	·        District Goals 2014-15, 15-16, 16-17 ·        BOE Annual Agenda – Publish ·        Capital Update ·        Teacher Evaluations 2013-2014 ·        Committee Reports ·        Consolidated Monitoring Report
9:30 PM	ACTION
	3049		Personnel Fiscal
	3050		Personnel Substitute
	3051		Out Of District Placements
	3052		Class Field Trip Destinations
	3053		Book Adoptions
	3054		Approve Curriculum: Robotics, Social Studies Grades 3,4,5
	3055		Approve: Affirmation Of Harassment, Intimidation And Bullying (HIB) Incidents For The Month Of July 2013
	3056		Amend School Calendar For 2013-2014 School Year
	3057		Financials
9:45 PM	HEARING OF INDIVIDUALS AND DELEGATIONS
10:00 PM	The Board of Education will meet in Closed Session on Monday, September 16, 2013, at 6:30 pmin the Superintendent’s Office to discuss personnel and legal issues, negotiations and other matters to be announced at a later date. Immediately following the Closed Session, the Board of Education will meet in Public Session at 7:30 pm in the District Meeting Room, 525 Academy Street, Maplewood, NJ. Action will be taken.
	The Board of Education will meet in Closed Session on Monday, October 21, 2013, at 6:30 pm in the Superintendent’s Office to discuss personnel and legal issues, negotiations and other matters to be announced at a later date. Immediately following the Closed Session, the Board of Education will meet in Public Session at 7:30 pm in the District Meeting Room, 525 Academy Street, Maplewood, NJ. Action will be taken.

TEEN ASSAULT AND ROBBERY AND SEVERAL BURGLARIES MARK POLICE WEEK

From Maplewood Police today:

August 20, 2013: Robbery; Around 1030 PM, a fifteen and sixteen year old male report that they were approached by three males in their late teens and robbed of their cell phones on West Parker Ave, near Dunnell Rd.  The actors reportedly requested to use the phones and then began walking away with them.  One of the actors assaulted one of the juveniles by punch him when the juvenile attempted to follow him to get his phone back. The actors then fled.

And in other crime:

August 19, 2013: Auto Theft; Over the weekend a Dodge Caravan parked in the lot of 50 Burnett Ave was stolen.  It was recovered in Newark the day after the

report.

August 19, 2013: Attempt Auto Theft; During the overnight hours a Dodge Caravan parked in the driveway of a Lexington Ave residence sustained damage consistent with an attempted theft.

August 20, 2013: Burglary; At approximately 230 PM a resident of Brookwood Dr returned home and observed a juvenile exiting the rear of their home with the residence belongings.  The resident chased the juvenile and with the help of neighbors caught the fourteen year old juvenile who was found to be a resident of Irvington.  The police responded and took the juvenile into custody and charged him with burglary. 

August 23, 2013: Burglary; Between 10 and 1130 AM, a residence on Revere Ave was entered. Cash and a Nook tablet were reportedly stolen.

August 23, 2013: Burglary; At approximately 1200 PM, a resident of Taranto Court observed two males in their late teens inside their home.  Once observed, the actors fled the home.  Police responded and searched for the actors, but were unsuccessful in locating them.

CHURASSCO MOVE SPARKS TENANT/LANDLORD DISPUTE

Police called in to Churrasco on Springfield Ave, which is moving to a new location and closing today....call seems to be landlord/tenant dispute.....

FARMER'S MARKET TODAY

Farmer's market today and every Monday through October, at Indiana and Springfield Ave.

Come by and try some fresh goodies, and support local shops.

JAZZ NIGHT TONIGHT AT PARK WOOD

	8:00pm
	Monday, August 26, from 7 - 8:30 PM at the Parkwood Diner , The Well Fed Trio (Joel Perry, guest bassist Ron Naspo, and John Straus) plays jazz and good time music to celebrate the end of summer. BYOB , and enjoy the musical surprises that always "lively up" this gig. We eagerly await the return of our regular bassist Jim Buchanan.

REPAVING DRAWS RIBBON-CUTTING? REALLY

Photo: Star-Ledger

Yes, the need to take credit for almost anything had county and township officials from Maplewood and Millburn doing a ribbon cutting to mark the repaving of Wyoming Ave. last week.

This actually happened. Okay, how about a ribbon-cutting for lower taxes?

Wait, that is not happening.

SCHOOL DISTRICT CALENDAR IS OUT, SEE WHAT AFFECTS YOU

The new school year does not begin until Sept. 9, but the schedule, calendar and superintendent's message are online.

See them HERE and HERE.

Once again, students have one week off only twice, in December and April, with a short two-day vacation in February.

And once again, three "snow days" are included, but if they are not used or more are needed, it will affect the current calendar, not the end of the year.

Notice below:

Make-up Days: Should the District use more than the three allotted 
emergency closing days, the first Make up Day will be April 21, 2014 
working forward to April 25, 2014 as needed; or at the end of the 
school year if emergency closings occur after April 25, 2014. *If only 
two emergency school closing days are used, schools will be closed 
on Tuesday, May 27, 2014. 

NINE OPEN HOUSES TODAY

Find your next home or see what the market is offering.

Full list HERE.

REPAVING: A NECESSARY DISRUPTION POORLY HANDLED

We were among several streets in town getting repaved this week. a great improvement, yes, and now the street looks terrific.

However, the communications on this effort were poor to bad, with a flyer sent around juSt a few days before telling residents the street would be closed to all traffic for an entire day yesterday.

This required residents to either keep their cars in the driveway or get up early before 7 a.m. and relocate them, not a great problem.

To its credit, the police allowed cars to be parked on the street overnight last night and avoid a ticket if residents called and gave their license plate number and location. Excellent.

It would have been nice if the flyer alerting residents had also noted this. It did not.

Still, for those who like to plan ahead, some earlier notice would have helped. For folks perhaps moving or otherwise needing to get in and out of their driveways with the car, this completely shut down the plans.

One would think planning is done for such projects at least weeks ahead of time, and residents could have been advised weeks ahead of time.

PROSPECT RUMMAGE SALE TODAY

CRIME IS SUBJECT OF SPECIAL POLICE MEETING

Police Chief Robert Cimino, Mayor Vic De Luca and others met with residents Thursday night at the police building to discuss crime and the recent shooting in Maplecrest Park.

No new info was revealed, but all of the officials urged residents to keep aware and promised more patrols and police response around the park.

PATCH reports HERE:

MAPLEWOOD DELI AND GRILLE TO RE-OPEN MONDAY

This notice on the shop window from the new ownership:

WHERE IN THE 'WOOD? WINNER NAMED

Congrats to David Koenig of Maplewood who won this week's Where in the 'Wood contest.

He correctly guessed the photo below is the Maplewood Middle School.

He wins a free cupcake at Gigi's Cupcakes of Springfield Ave.

Play again on Friday.

SPECIAL POLICE MEETING ON LOCAL CRIME TONIGHT

This from the Township today

Meeting on Local Crime Matters at the Maplewood Court, Thursday August 22nd at 7PM.

Members of the Township Committee and the Chief of Police will address concerns regarding recent firing of gunshots in Maplecrest Park.

There will be a meeting at the Municipal Court in the Maplewood Police Station on Springfield Avenue this Thursday, August 22 at 7 PM. Mayor Vic DeLuca, Committeeman Marlon Brownlee and Chief Robert Cimino of the Maplewood Police will address concerns regarding the recent firing of gunshots in Maplecrest Park and other instances of local criminal activity. Please pass this information on to your neighbors.

Not a lot of notice, but better than nothing.

MAPLEWOOD VILLAGE STREET BLOCKED

This from Maplewood Village this morning, expected to continue until Noon.

IDIOCY PREVAILS NEAR TRAIN STATION

Some idiot thinks this is funny to mess up a public service message for the Farmer's Market.

Well, the hidden police video just caught you.

YALE STREET GETS ITS NEW ROAD

Our streets blocked off part of today and all of Friday, the price of progress.

ST. JAMES' GATE 10TH ANNIVERSARY

Outside The Gate this week:

BANK OF AMERICA TO SHUT DOWN DRIVE-UP WINDOW

A notice inside Bank of America in Maplewood Village reveals the drive-up window there will be shutdown as of Sept. 9, replaced by an ATM.

This comes years after the B of A at Prospect and Springfield ave. closed and has yet to re-open as anything.

NOTICE OF PAVING TO BLOCK STREET USE FOR US RESIDENTS

They could have at least spelled our street's name correctly.

So how do they expect us to get in and out of our homes? Guess you just can't use your car unless you park it elsewhere, and get up before 7 a.m. to do so.

RAHWAY RIVER WALL REPLACEMENT CONTINUES

On the other side of Memorial Park, away from the MTV shoot, DPW is continuing to replace the Rahway River extension walls, as per a long-term project to repair damage form Hurricane Irene.

Background on that HERE.

WYOMING AVE REPAVING IS FINISHED

NJ.com reports on Essex County Executive Joe Divincenzo bragging about doing his job with our tax money:

Maplewood/Millburn – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. announced on Monday, Aug. 19, that Wyoming Ave. in Maplewood, Millburn and South Orange has been repaved. The roadway improvements were done after township officials shared concerns about the road with the County and are part of the DiVincenzo Administration’s ongoing initiative to modernize infrastructure to maximize safety for pedestrians and motorists, and to enhance the quality of life in Essex County.

“Essex residents and motorists rely on our intricate network of roads to get to work, go to school and carry out their daily errands. Our commitment is to make sure our infrastructure is in the most modern condition so that our daily lives are not interrupted,” DiVincenzo said. “We have a great relationship with our partners in municipal government. This is an example of how a need is identified on the local level and the county responds to correct it,” he added.

“I’m always pleased when a community approaches the county with a concern and we are able to respond quickly. Maintaining the infrastructure is an important responsibility and repaving Wyoming Avenue makes a tremendous difference,” Freeholder Vice President Patricia Sebold said.

“Once again, we thank the county for taking care of the infrastructure it has in Millburn – from its bridges, to intersections, to dams. These are excellent projects and contribute to our residents’ quality of life,” Millburn Mayor Sandra Haimoff said.

“Wyoming Avenue is a busy thoroughfare. Not only is there a lot of car traffic, but our residents get a lot of use from the road for biking, walking, pushing strollers. It’s a really great improvement that was done here,” Maplewood Mayor Victor DeLuca said.

The 2.2-mile length of Wyoming Avenue from South Orange Avenue to Glen Avenue was repaved. The project cost about $650,000 and was coordinated by the Essex County Department of Public Works. Tilcon repaving company from Wharton performed the milling and paving, and Denville Line Painting from Parsippany painted the roadway striping. The project was funded through the Essex County Capital Budget.

MTV BACK IN MEMORIAL PARK TODAY

A little bit more than a month after MTV was shooting in Memorial Park, they were back this morning with something called "Wit's End."

The park area near Baker Street and Valley was full of props, equipment and crew putting together what one describe as a "spot for MTV."

MORE ON MAPLECREST SHOOTING - FOOTBALL PLAYERS TARGETED

This just issued from the Maplewood Police Chief:

SHOOTING IN MAPLECREST PARK

From  Maplewood Police Today:

August 18, 2013: Aggravated Assault: At approximately 5 PM, several individuals witnessed a male wearing a hooded sweatshirt enter Maplecrest Park from Oakland Rd carrying what appeared to be a handgun.  The witnesses observed the male fire several shots in the direction of a group that was playing football in the park. No one was reported injured from the incident.  The male then fled the park and was believed to have entered a white vehicle.

In other crime this week:

August 15, 2013: Burglary; Around 1130 AM, a home on Schaefer Rd was observed by officers to have its front door open.  Upon further investigation it was discovered that the home had been burglarized.  Electronics and cash were reported missing by the home owner.

August 15, 2013: Burglary; During the afternoon hours a resident of Boyden Ave had their unlocked home entered while they were in the yard gardening.  Jewelry and a purse were reported to stolen.

August 18, 2013: Auto Theft; During the overnight hours a Dodge Caravan parked in the driveway of a Union Ave residence was stolen.

MAPLEWOOD POOL BREAK-IN, SLIGHT VANDALISM

...Scanner indicates a report of someone breaking into the Maplewood Pool, likely overnight, and throwing some beer cans and other litter around...Police responding....

UPDATE: Further reporting finds it appears some group broke in to the pool after hours and partied a bit, but nothing appears stolen or missing, but beer can debris.

GREAT LIBRARY COMPUTER CLASS

Hilton Make Friends With Your Computer

11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Hilton Branch – This class is designed especially for people who may be just a little bit afraid of computers! 

You’ll learn how to control a computer mouse and how to go on the Internet. 

No registration is needed.

MAPLEWOOD DELI AND GRILLE RE-OPENS TODAY

The new Maplewood Deli and Grille will re-open under new owners today as this notice on the door indicates:

JOB SEARCH HELP TODAY

COLUMBIA HIGH GRADED A 'B' IN STATE RANKINGS

Inside Jersey magazine, the weekly Star-Ledger publication, gave Columbia High School a Grade B in its Best High Schools rankings released today.

It revealed that CHS improved its ranking score by 6.7%

See it all HERE.