Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Administrators in Mahwah say the district is in an ongoing process to prepare students for the PARCC exam, which will be administered during the 2014-15 school year.
Starting in the 2014-15 school year, Mahwah students will kiss the current state exam system goodbye. New Jersey is rolling out the new “Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers,” or PARCC exam, in the fall of 2014. Administrators in Mahwah say they are in the midst of a three-year plan designed to prepare students for the exam. The test calls for some big changes. The entire exam will be 100% web-based, so students will be expected to read prompts and questions in a digital format, and type their responses. The PARCC will also be rigorous, district officials say. All in all, it will take up about nine-and-a-half hours of testing time spread across the school year. Mahwah English Supervisor Dennis Fare says the new …
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Over one million students enter the prestigious scholarship contest each year by taking the PSATs.
A Mahwah High School senior has joined an elite club that includes Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernake, and Twilight series author Stephenie Meyer. According to an announcement from Mahwah High School this week, senior Peter Xiong was recently named a National Merit Scholarship winner, a recognition all three received when they were in high school. The National Merit Scholarship is a prestigious award that is given out to students across the country based on their PSAT scores. According to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation website, about 1.5 million high school students enter the competition by taking the PSATs each year, and about 8,300 are awarded one of three types of scholarships. …
Saturday, May 11, 2013
The district's updated policy also prohibits the sale of products made with 2% or whole milk, officials say.
Mahwah kids are getting used to diet changes in township schools, thanks to a new school nutrition policy passed at a recent Board of Education meeting. The new policy is an update to the school nutrition policy originally adopted in 2006, and is in line with mandates from the federal Department of Agriculture, school board officials said last month. The biggest change – a switch from 2% milk to 1% and skim milk only. As of April 24, Mahwah schools can no longer serve 2% or whole milk, or any products made with 2% or whole milk. So, ice creams and other dairy products that do not use 1% or skim milk are out. The policy refers to foods sold in the cafeteria. Foods served at special events are exempt. The school nutrition policy previously …
Over 100 people attended the annual fundraiser, which raises grant money for things like technology and special programming in Mahwah schools.
According to organizers, the Mahwah Schools Foundation Annual Ladies Luncheon was a big success. The MSF released the following information about the event: “For all those that attended the Mahwah School’s Foundation Ladies Lunch on Tuesday May 7, thank you for your support in helping to raise over $12,000 for our schools and your children’s education! With over 100 guest and 75 baskets and prizes to win, this event has helped raise money so we can continue to provide Mahwah school’s better equipment so our children will keep on succeeding. The MSF greatly appreciates all the wonderful women who spent an afternoon with us. Thank you to all who helped make this a perfect day!” Scroll through the photos above, and if you dined with the …
Friday, May 10, 2013
A group of parents asked the board of education to reconsider a rule that has about 765 Mahwah students walking or being driven to school everyday.
For a group of parents in Mahwah, the old adage of walking several miles to school, uphill both ways, in any kind of weather, isn’t cutting it anymore. Current Mahwah School District policy provides busing to all elementary school students, any middle school child who lives over two miles away from school, and any high schooler who lives 2.5 miles away, or more. The policy, district officials say, is based on a state law that requires districts to provide transportation to students living beyond the two and 2.5-mile areas. A trio of parents living in West Mahwah, about 1.8 miles from Ramapo Ridge Middle School, spoke at a Board of Education meeting Wednesday asking board members to consider either making an exception to the rule for their …
Monday, May 6, 2013
MHS was in the first half of Newsweek’s annual list of the top 2,000 high schools in the nation
Mahwah High School was named one of the country’s best high schools in the Newsweek and Daily Beast’s annual ‘America’s Best High Schools’ list, released Monday. The list ranked what it called the 2,000 best high schools across the country. Mahwah High School was ranked No. 615. According to an explanation in Newsweek, schools across the nation were ranked based on six criteria – graduation rate, college acceptance rate, advanced exams (AP, IB and AICE tests) taken per student, average SAT or ACT score, average advanced placement score, and percentage of students enrolled in at least one advanced placement class. Newsweek asked more than 5,000 high schools across the country to report their data from the 2010-11 school year. About 2,500 …
Thursday, May 2, 2013
A bill being considered at the state level will likely help the school district decide, officials said
Though Mahwah school district officials say the Board of Education has discussed offering full-day Kindergarten classes at some point in the future, interim Superintendent Karen Lake said Wednesday that it will not happen next year. According to Lake, the Mahwah school district will continue to offer only morning and afternoon half-day Kindergarten classes during the 2013-14 school year. “We will be looking at the feasibility of running full-day Kindergarten,” Lake said. “We will not be offering it next year, but I cannot speak to the future beyond that.” According to Mahwah district officials, the board’s conversation was prompted by bills currently pending in the state legislature. Assembly Bill 2927, co-sponsored by Assemblywoman Connie…
Thursday, April 25, 2013
The game this Saturday will help fund a trip to a "substance free" gala for graduating seniors this June, organizers say
Tickets are still available for an annual fundraiser that pits a group of Mahwah teachers and parents against trickster hoops players who are sure to entertain. This year’s Harlem Wizards vs. Mahwah Thunder basketball game is scheduled for this Saturday at the Ramapo Ridge Middle School at 7 p.m. Tickets purchased in advance are $12, and those bought at the door are $15. Proceeds from the event will help benefit the Mahwah Class of 2013 Senior Safe Night Gala, which provides graduating seniors with a substance-free place to go after graduation. Tickets can also be ordered online at www.harlemwizards.com. Once a ticket is purchased, it will be available at the will call window the night of the game. For more information about the Wizards vs…
The board of education voted to put unused snow days back in the calendar
During a school year when Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc on the calendar, a lack of snow days will pay off for township students. Mahwah’s board of education voted Wednesday night to elongate this year’s Memorial Day weekend break using two unused snow days that were built into the post-Sandy calendar. Mahwah students will now be off Friday through Tuesday, May 24, 27 and 28. Previously, students only had the Monday off. This year’s school calendar has already been significantly modified – the February President’s Day break originally scheduled to be five days long, was knocked down to two, and students were in classes on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The calendar had allowed for three snow days. Submit your questions or news tips to jessica…
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Registration is now open for the annual event, which includes food, wine, raffles and more
Each year, the Mahwah Schools Foundation raises funds to give to the township’s school system. In the 13-year history of the organization, which is run by parent volunteers, the MSF have raised over $1.3 million to help support Mahwah schools. Teachers each year apply for grant money from the MSF, and so far the grants have helped purchase items like interactive whiteboards, wireless computer labs, nature centers, a rock-climbing wall, and other curricular programs and specials in all six Mahwah schools. To raise money for their grants, the MSF holds events throughout the year, and one is coming up. The annual Ladies Luncheon is happening at the Indian Trail Club in Franklin Lakes on Tuesday, May 7, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. MSF members…
Andy Schmidt
9:05 am on Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Kim - I apologize that me being so fact-based is causing you distress. The article refers to PARCC. Here are the names/titles of the PARCC Governing Board: http://www.parcconline.org/governing-board ("The PARCC Governing Board is comprised of the K-12 chief state school officer or his or her designee from each Governing State") The Common Core standard is an effort of THE Natl Governors Assoc (of… more ›