ST. JOE'S PASTOR: POPE VISIT "BRINGING GOD'S LOVE"

Maplewood Catholics will have a presence when Pope Francis celebrates mass in Madison Square Garden today as Father Manolo Punzalan of St. Joseph’s Church attends the religious service, according to Rev. James Worth, the St. Joseph’s pastor.

“My associate, Fr. Manolo is blessed to attend the Mass in NYC. He will represent our parish and take our intentions with him. I will be there in Spirit and watching it all on television,” Worth told Maplewoodian.com. “Pope Francis cares very much about all of us and his visit to the United States shows that compassion in a very real way. I am thrilled that he has chosen our area of the world to bring his tremendous spirit of humility and service.”

Asked how his parish is responding to the visit, Worth said, “My people are thrilled that he is coming. They all love him and admire his zeal for the poor and disenfranchised of society.”

Rev. Worth also praised the Pope’s recent support for gay Catholics, climate change response, immigrants and even the new compassion for women who’ve had abortions.

“Pope Francis isn't teaching anything new. He is simply presenting God's love in a simple way,” Worth said. “A way in which everyone can understand. God has created all things. We are the stewards of creation. The Pope is trying to make us more accountable for our actions which is what we all need. My congregation is very diverse. The Holy Father is bringing God's love to everyone unconditionally. That's what Jesus would do if He was here.”

Asked what he would say to Pope Francis if he had a chance to speak with him on his trip, Worth said: “I would thank him for all that he is doing to bring love and service back as a priority in our world.”

CHS MIDNIGHT MADNESS HITS THE WATER; RECRUITS ON CAMPUS

In her regular letter update to parents, Columbia High School Principal Elizabeth Aaron noted that this year's Midnight Madness graduation party will be on the water:

SENIOR PARENTS: Thank you to the many of you who joined us for Senior Parent night on 9/16. The big news for June 22 is that Midnight Madness is a boat cruise this year! Find out more here. http://www.columbiahsa.org/midnight­‐madness/

She also reminded parents that they can opt out of having their student's information given to military recruiters visiting campus to recruit.

As her letter notes:

College and schools are already visiting CHS. Remember that our military service academies and Armed Forces recruiters also visit CHS. Federal and state law requires us to release student names, addresses, and phone numbers to those recruiters. Should you wish to OPT OUT of your students’ information being released, the law allows you to. Please complete the form (on our website) and return it to Ms. Hernandez in guidance.

BIG SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE FORUM TONIGHT

 

 Hilton Neighborhood Association will sponsor a Board of Education Candidates Forum at 7:30 PM on Thursday, September 24, 2015 in  

DeHart Community Center, 120 Burnett Ave. 

The candidates will respond to questions they have received prior to the meeting. 

A Q&A session will follow. 

There are 3 open seats; two incumbents and seven other candidates are 
running.  Everyone is welcome to attend this meeting which is free and open to the  
public. The quality of our schools affects all Maplewoodians whether we  
have children in the schools or not.  Bring your questions; be an informed  
voter. For further information, contact 973-761-4672 or 

IS 'LET'S TALK' THE SCHOOL DISTRICT'S COMMUNICATIONS ANSWER?

Superintendent John Ramos said that 70 people have reached out through the new Let's Talk online communication program since it was launched nearly two weeks ago.

See background on the system, which has been implemented on a free, 90-day pilot basis, HERE. 

Launched on Sept. 11, the pilot program will end in December. The board will then consider whether to enter into a contract with Let's Talk for what is proposed to be a three-year agreement, which could be ended after each year.

If the program is continued after the pilot it would cost $11,083 on a pro-rated basis through the end of the 2015-2016 school year, and $19,000 annually for each full year after that.

Ramos invited the creator of Let's Talk, Suhail Farooqui, to explain the need for the program during Monday night's school board meeting. He demonstrated how the program allows residents to go online and direct their questions or concerns through specific tabs.

More importantly, he showed how data is collected on each inquiry showing how it was received -- email, phone or social media -- who the person making the inquiry is, their rating of service, their area of concern, and how long it took to respond.

"People are quite happy who have engaged in it so far," Ramos said.

Try it yourself HERE.

Board members also offered praise and hope it would help improve the district's poor response performance and communication with parents and residents. Ramos has said he has a goal that all inquiries will be answered within two days.

"I think most people in the district will say, 'thank you, thank you, thank you,'" declared Board Member Elizabeth Baker, later adding she hopes to see the "end of the black hole" that often ends residential inquiries.

SCHOOL BUS ACCIDENT, NO INJURIES BUT TRAFFIC IMPACT

... Scanner reports school bus accident at Jefferson Street and Maplewood Avenue ... 46 children, but no injuries ... best to avoid the area ... Parents now coming to pick up kids ...

IS A MARSHALL-JEFFERSON SCHOOLS SPLIT A GOOD IDEA?

Marshall School, South Orange

In a discussion at the school board meeting on Monday about district goals and budget assessments, Board Member Jeffrey Bennett raised the idea of ending the Marshall and Jefferson joint school system and making each school a kindergarten-5th Grade curriculum. 

Currently, Jefferson and Marshall share students, with Marshall offering a K-2 grade school and Jefferson a 3rd grade to 5th grade curriculum. The unusual pairing dates back to desegregation efforts that prompted the move to integrate the disrict. The plan has stayed in place.

Jefferson School, Maplewood

Students zoned for the schools begin in kindergarten at Marshall, which is in South Orange, and then transfer to Jefferson, in Maplewood, at Third Grade. Such an arrangement has drawn some complaints since many of the students are forced to be bused at least at some point in their grade school career. 

Bennett said at a time when enrollment is growing and other schools are becoming more crowded, a look at a Jefferson-Marshall split might be worthwhile. He also noted the busing costs could be saved.

"I think we have to see what the demographics of Marshall-Jefferson would be like if they were independent K-5 schools," Bennett said. "We could see how much it would cost to retrofit the schools to be K-5 schools...I know the Marshall-Jefferson pairing means a lot to some parents ... but there are different ways to maintain diversity."

Board Member Stephanie Lawson-Muhammad said such a review should be done as part of the planned Education Summit in November "where we get real community engagement."

The board also looked at the issue of out-of-district placements, when students are placed in other districts and the tuition paid for from the district budget. That often includes special needs students. 

THE TOWNSHIP WANTS YOUR MAPLEWOOD VILLAGE VOTE

From the Township:

We've made it into THE FINAL ROUND! ~VOTE TODAY~ Maplewood Village Best Downtown in NJ! Summit, Princeton and Montclair down. We've made it into the FINAL ROUND against Morristown. We need your vote one more time to win! Vote today for Maplewood Village for Best Downtown in NJ! http://njmonthly.com/articles/towns-schools/downtown-showdown/ Tell your family, friends and neighbors to vote! Vote until noon on Monday, September 28th! Winner will be announced on Tuesday, September 29th

BROAD 'EQUAL ACCESS' POLICY INTRODUCED AT SCHOOL BOARD

The Board of Education on Monday night introduced an unusual Access and Equity policy that is aimed at giving students and parents the freedom to choose classes as they wish and be treated equally.

It is unclear how it will affect things specifically, but several board members praised it as a way for all students to get the same opportunities.

See it below. A final vote is set for the board's October meeting.

5755.1  Access and Equity

All elementary, middle school, and high school parents/guardians and children in the South Orange-Maplewood School District shall have access to, and the ability to choose between, different educational programs in all academic subjects, and at all academic levels. In furtherance of this Policy, all students shall be provided with age-appropriate academic supports for access to advanced-level courses, including, by way of example, but not limitation, readiness programs and courses, in-school and after-school tutoring, Saturday readiness sessions, and summer institutes. The District shall also engage in a pre-K through 12^th grade curricular alignment, ensuring that all students develop the knowledge and skills fundamental to successful performance in Advanced Placement and advanced level courses by providing the highest levels of academic rigor in Pre-K, Elementary, Middle and High School courses.