Main Library – Explore thought-provoking fiction from around the
globe. Our new book group meets once a month to discuss titles from
foreign locales. All titles are available from Maplewood Library or
through the BCCLS consortium. This month’s selection is Lies by Enrique de Heriz. Isabel
Garcia Luna, a mother of three and a world-traveling anthropologist
specializing in “rituals of grief,” discovers that she is mistakenly
believed to have drowned in a Guatemala motorboat mishap, and that her
grown children have positively identified her remains back home in
Barcelona. Isabel, unfazed, hides out at a remote inn and takes stock of
her life.
The Township Committee meets tonight with plans to approve changes in some Maplewood Village parking times, online payments for Township services and lawn maintenance registration.
And, of course, you can show up, ask a question, make a comment or just give them a pat on the back.
See the agenda HERE. This meeting is at Maplewood Police Headquarters, 1618 Springfield Ave.
The number of Columbia High School students who took the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) tests this year dropped significantly from 2015, according to Superintendent John Ramos.
Ramos revealed the dismal turnout data at Monday night's school board meeting, reporting that just 47% of CHS students took the PARCC English/language arts test and 49% took the math test. That is down from 2015 when 63% of students took the English/language arts test and 66% took the math exam.
"A significant number of Columbia High School students refused to participate," Ramos said. "This is a significant decrease from last year."
The PARCC exam, which is optional, has come under scrutiny by those opposed to standardized tests who contend they take away from learning time and offer an unfair picture of performance. The federal government has set a policy that schools failing to meet a 95% participation rate can lose funding, but it is unclear how that is being enforced.
"This may have been prompted in part by the technical difficulties which Pearson experienced this year," Ramos added.
Ramos also noted that, district-wide, the participation rate was 78% in English/language arts and 79% in mathematics.
He added that elementary school participation was 92% or better across those schools, while Maplewood Middle School had a 90% participation rate and South Orange Middle School's participation rate was 87%.
"We do not know what
consequences, if any, there will be for the two schools that did not
meet the 95% participation requirement," Ramos said.
The Columbia High School senior prom, held Monday night at the Westmount Country Club in Woodland Park, has a great tradition of red carpet-like gatherings and photo shoots.
Among the most fun is at the Springfield Avenue gazebo, where we stopped by to see the fun.
It got busy with some traffic jams as students mobbed Tuscan
Road a bit, but no major problems. Mayor Vic Deluca was on hand to wish the kids well, and even work a little traffic control. Other groups gathered at homes with formal attire and limousines.
Please be advised that there will be construction truck traffic in the
area of 160 Maplewood Avenue starting at 0730 hrs for removal of
construction debris. There will be (2) MPD Officers on scene to assist
with traffic. Please follow all signs and officer's directions and
remember to use caution while in the area. Please see Maplewood Township
website for further details.
A proposal to assign a police officer to Columbia High School has been rejected, according to Superintendent John Ramos, who informed the school board of the decision on Monday night.
Ramos said the decision was made following a security forum on May 17, as well as meetings he held with students at the high school.
You may recall at the security forum, several African-American students objected to the idea of a police officer on campus, saying they did not trust the person to treat all students fairly.
See Ramos' comments on the decision below:
The school resource officer would have been jointly funded by the school district and Maplewood and South Orange.
Maplewood Middle School principal Jerrill Adams, who has been at the helm for less than two years, has apparently resigned.
An updated list of resignations at tonight's school board meeting indicated Adams would leave as of Aug. 31, but with no other explanation on his replacement.
Superintendent John Ramos in a lengthy report to the board, did not mention Adams' departure and it has yet to be noted during the board meeting.
The man who was killed in a hit and run incident at Wyoming Avenue and Hickory Drive on Memorial Day has been identified as Samuel Smith Jr., 60, of Newark, according to The Essex County Prosecutor's Office.
"Smith sustained fatal injuries when he was struck by a hit and run driver," investigators said in a press release Monday. "Smith was living alone in Newark and notification of next of kin did not occur until Friday, June 17. The investigation is active and ongoing."
There was no further word on a suspect or why Smith was in that area at the time.
