A look at what's ahead.
Also on the agenda: appointments to boards and committees, and a proclamation honoring the 125th Anniversary of Our Lady of Sorrows Church. Looking ahead to next week: South Orange will hold its traditional Memorial Day Service next Monday at 10:30 a.m. at Memorial Rock near the Duck Pond. The public is invited to attend.
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Odor led to brief evacuation of Marshall School, says SOMSD Superintendent.
South Orange - Maplewood School District Superintendent Brian Osborne sent the following email Thurday morning: SOMSD Community, As you know, the safety of our students and staff is always our top priority. We noticed an odor of gas at some of our schools and contacted PSE&G to ensure that this was not an indication of hazardous conditions. PSE&G informed us that they are engaged in a routine maintenance process in Livingston, which involves releasing small quantities of gas into the air. The related odor is currently detectable in some areas of South Orange and Maplewood. The maintenance is scheduled to finish in approximately one hour, and the odor should dissipate soon thereafter. In the meantime, PSE&G assures us that the odor …
Update at Monday night's BOE meeting reveals that after less than a month of discussions, the Board and teachers' union are at a standstill.
With the current teachers' contract set to expire on June 30, negotiations between the South Orange - Maplewood Board of Education and the South Orange Maplewood Education Association (SOMEA) teachers' union -- which only began in April -- appear to be at a stalemate. Sandra Karriem, chairperson of the BOE negotiating task force, said Monday night that SOMEA's representative told the board last month that the union did not agree with any of the board's proposals and therefore saw "no reason to move forward or to continue meeting." Karriem said SOMEA has officially filed a declaration of impasse with the State of New Jersey's Public Employment Relations Committee (PERC), which means "that SOMEA is unwilling to negotiate further without …
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From South Orange to Savannah, Hawaii to the UK, and many places in between, Columbia High School grads are moving on to exciting academic opportunities.
Columbia High School seniors are headed to hundreds of different colleges and universities in the fall. Here is a complete list, courtesy of the Guidance Dept. (Numbers listed after a school indicate how many CHS students have been accepted there; no number means one CHS student has been accepted.)
The South Orange - Maplewood Board of Education met Monday. A throng of educators addressed pointed questions to the board.
More than 60 South Orange-Maplewood teachers and members of the public turned up to Monday night’s Board of Education meeting to ask questions of the board and voice concerns over the state-implemented Focus program and International Baccalaureate program. Melissa Butler, sixth grade teacher at South Orange Middle School and head SOMEA representative, spoke first on behalf of her association. Butler said she was concerned that the Focus program, designed to improve schools with a low performance and graduation rates from special education students, was being managed too much by the state and not enough by the SOMA teachers and families. “I attribute a lot of the success in my life to my education,” said Joe Malespina, a lifelong South …
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10:09 am on Wednesday, May 8, 2013
How long were you employed by IBO, Marina Budhos? :-) more ›
Student implores board members not to cut counseling services
A Columbia High School senior put a human face on the proposed South Orange-Maplewood school budget cuts, telling the school board Monday night cutting the position of Student Assistance Counselor (SAC) would be detrimental to students. An emotional Ellie Williams spoke during the meeting, imploring committee members to take into account teens, like herself, whose lives have been impacted by an SAC. "There was highly self-destructive behavior," Williams said, referring to emotional problems and a suicide attempt. "Please, think of me, or think of the girl who is cutting herself. You have eliminated the only person in their lives that helped." "This isn't just about money. It's about people's lives," she added. The district will face a …
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5:52 pm on Thursday, March 21, 2013
Perhaps somebody on here misunderstands the difference between property taxes and sales taxes. That misunderstanding renders input fairly inconsequential. more ›
District is designated one of best in US for music education.
The South Orange - Maplewood School District (SOMSD) has been recognized by a national foundation for having an exceptional music education program, according to a release from the district. SOMSD is one of 307 districts nationwide to receive this honor this year. The NAMM Foundation honored the district with a Best Communities for Music Education (BCME) designation. In its 14th year, BCME affirms school districts that have demonstrated exceptional efforts toward maintaining music education as part of the schools’ core curriculum, according to a NAMM release. This is the second time SOMSD has received the honor; the first was in 2009. "I am so proud to work and live in a district that does not take arts education for granted," said …
9:58 am on Tuesday, March 19, 2013
This is so impressive! Congratulations to Tony and the SOMSD! more ›
Several important meetings are scheduled this week.
The South Orange - Maplewood Board of Education will host a regular meeting on Monday, March 18 at 7:30 p.m. at 525 Academy Street. On the agenda: the school budget, on which the BOE will cast a final vote on Thursday, March 21. To get up to date on the school budget, see Patch articles here, here and here. The Maplewood Township Committee will meet on Tuesday, March 19 at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall. On the agenda: South Orange Village will host a special public meeting with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Tuesday, March 19 at 7:30 p.m. in Village Hall. The purpose of the meeting is to help provide residents with accurate information regarding the safety of water in South Orange and answer any other questions residents …
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5:14 pm on Monday, March 18, 2013
Daniel: the TC meets first in closed session, then the open session (public) part of the meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. more ›
At Monday's BOE meeting, the administration announced awards and honors.
Monday's Board of Education meeting kicked off with a rousing performance by the Columbia High School acapella group The Unaccompanied Minors. (Check out a video of the group performing earlier this year at CHS; attached to this article.) BOE member Lynne Crawford announced the following board recognitions of students and teachers: Columbia High School Student, Michael Ferranti, a freshman member of the CHS honors wind ensemble, was selected as a member of the 2012-2013 North Jersey Junior Region Band for his audition on the trumpet. Three members of the CHS Honors Wind Ensemble were selected as members of the 2012-2013 North Jersey Area Symphonic Band. Junior Ryan Morey will be joining the Area Symphonic Band for the second year in a row …
South Orange - Maplewood District is open on Feb. 14.
Because of a calendar change made to compensate for a day lost to Superstorm Sandy, South Orange - Maplewood schools are in session on Thursday, Feb. 14. The South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education voted on the change in late November, to ensure that the district would meet the state-mandated requirement for 180 days of school. Schools are closed on Friday, Feb. 15 and Monday, Feb. 18 for Winter Recess and the President's Day holiday. Any further school days lost this year will be taken from April recess.
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Sally Chew
6:24 pm on Sunday, May 5, 2013
For additional data, go to the Facebook page 'CHS Class of 2013 Decisions' more ›