Our Montville

Students celebrate Dr. Seuss Day

On March 2, Juliana Eoga and Suzanna Ludwig, both of Boonton, and Christina Kurtz, of Lincoln Park, celebrated the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel -- better known as Dr. Seuss -- with their kindergarten class at St. Pius X School in Montville.  The students wore their pajamas to school and enjoyed a breakfast of "Green Eggs and Ham" before sharing their favorite rhyming stories.

Montville looking at layoffs, furloughs with state aid cuts coming

The township is mulling possible furloughs and layoffs of municipal employees this year as officials prepare for an expected drop off in state aid.
Mayor Jim Sandham said the township committee plans to weigh each department for that possibility, as well as other spending cuts, but the decision hinges on the amount of state aid Montville receives. Preliminary budget figures gave a 3 percent tax levy increase--but only under the presumption state aid stayed flat.

"We plan to review each, but won't know the extent of the need until we know the level of funding from the state," Sandham said. "For now, not much is off the table."

In the past two years, Montville has lost more than half a million dollars in state aid, and received a little over $2.7 million from the state in 2009, said township administrator Frank Bastone. The township's current budget is about $28 million.

Continue Reading Daily Record.

Study ‘walks’ the Board through a busing quagmire

The long-awaited Transportation Efficiency Study has been completed but a final decision about the future of busing in the Montville School District is still a long way down the road.

After efficiency expert Ross Haber outlined his 40-plus page study during the Board of Education meeting last week, members recommended sending the discussion back to committee. Board member Paul Przetak suggested, "taking it back to committee and really mulling it over."

Board member Karen Cortellino took it one step further. "I agree it should go back to committee," she said, "but not just a committee made up of Board members but also administrators, principals, teachers and parents.

Continue Reading NorthJersey.com.

Fried to take the helm

The Board of Education announced last week that it would appoint Dr. Paul R. Fried as superintendent of the Montville Township K-12 School District. Fried will be officially hired at a special Board meeting on Feb. 18; however, his scheduled start date is July 1.

"We are very excited to have Dr. Fried join us as our new superintendent and are confident that his track record for establishing collaborative relationships with a variety of stakeholders will help move our district forward," said Montville Board President Jon Alin.

The hiring of Fried, who is the superintendent of the Mamaroneck Public Schools in Westchester County, NY, ends an extended search for a new district leader. It began last June when former Superintendent Gary Bowen notified the Board of his intention to retire at the end of 2009, with one year left on his contract.

The board utilized the expertise of Leadership Advantage, a company based at Seton Hall University, which has conducted about 80 superintendent searches in New Jersey.
Continue Reading NorthJersey.com.

Woodmont PTA will present its Wine, Dine and Dance Basket Fundraiser on March 19th

Woodmont PTA will present its Wine, Dine and Dance Basket Bonanza fundraiser on March 19, at The Brownstone, 351 West Broadway in Paterson, from 7 to 11 p.m. Tickets cost $50 each and include a wine tasting sponsored by Wine Country in Boonton, Seaboard Brokers and Jersey National/Capital Wine and Liquor Co.; a full buffet; and a DJ.

For an additional cost, there will be a cash bar, a raffle of baskets valued at $100 to $300 or higher, and a Super 50/50 raffle. Advanced ticket sale is at a $10 discount. Three sheets of 26 tickets and 10 grand prize tickets cost $50.

On the night of the event, ticket prices will be: one sheet of 26 tickets, $20; two sheets, $40; and best deal three sheets, $50. Grand prize tickets, three for $5 and a best deal 10 for $10; Super 50/50, $5 each.

If interested in reserving a seat or a table, call Sarina DePeri at 973-575-1210, visit Woodmont’s Web site www.montville.net/woodmont/pta/ or mail it by March 1 to Woodmont School, 39 Woodmont Rd., Pine Brook, NJ 07058. Mark the envelope "Wine, Dine & Dance."

John Morella and Carmela Novi, Esq. running for Montville Board of Education, vow to put “Montville Students First”

John Morella and Carmela Novi, Esq., announce their intention to run for the Montville Township Board   of Education.  They vow to put “Montville Students First” by focusing on the four cornerstones of their platform -- fiscal responsibility; student safety and security; reduction in high turnover and voids in key administrative positions; and opening the lines of communication between the Board of Education and the community. 

Mr. Morella is a Sergeant with the West Orange Police Department who has been assigned to the schools as a School Resource Officer Supervisor for 11 years.  He has been actively involved in volunteer activities including those focusing on the safety and wellbeing of children.  He has also been instrumental in procuring grant funding for many of the in school programs he has administered and implemented.  Mr. Morella has received several national and state awards for his work from several professional organizations.

Ms. Novi is a family law and real estate attorney with the firm of Casha & Casha, L.L.C.  She has served on various community and non-profit boards, including Montville’s Residents With Disabilities Advisory Committee; Montville Kiwanis; and the Towaco Civic Association.  She has received numerous professional accolades and citations for her volunteerism, including being named a “Rising Star” in the area of family law in New Jersey Monthly magazine and recognition from Volunteer Lawyers for Justice and Partners for Women & Justice for her pro bono work.  

The election will take place on April 20, 2010.  To learn more about John and Carmela and how you can support their campaign, go to www.montvillestudentsfirst.com

Nominations are being sought

Montville Township High School Hall of Fame Committee is seeking candidates for possible induction in the high school’s Hall of Fame.

Since 2001, over 50 outstanding individuals or teams have been recognized for their significant achievements and contributions.

The committee would appreciate being informed of Montville Twp. High School graduates and retired staff member who should be considered for induction.

Students testing their math skills while raising funds for hospital

On Tuesday, Jan. 12, the Valley View School held its eighth annual kick-off school-wide assembly to help raise money for the St. Jude’s Children's Hospital. Over the past eight years, the school has surpassed a combined fundraising total of $60,000, which qualifies Valley View as an "elite" donor school — one of the top 20 elementary schools in the entire United States in terms of Math-A-Thon contributions to St. Jude's.

Today, more than 4,900 children are living at the hospital and surrounding facilities due to the donations and help of schools like Valley View. More than 30 years old and considered America’s largest education-based fundraiser, Math-A-Thon is also a supplemental math education program for grades K-eight that serves as the primary fundraiser for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Nashville, TN.

St. Jude’s has treated children from all 50 states and from around the world. The facility is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatments that are not covered by insurance.  Continue Reading NorthJersey.com.

State issues report on schools’ progress

The New Jersey Department of Education recently announced that almost 64 percent of the 2,222 New Jersey schools in which tests were administered in the spring of 2009 met the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) standards mandated under the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).

State officials said that the decline in the number of New Jersey schools making AYP – 1,554 in 2008 versus 1,420 in 2009 – was essentially due to two factors: first, an increase in the percent of questions that must be answered correctly to achieve proficiency, and second, increases over the last two years in the percentages of students in every subgroup who are required to achieve proficiency on the tests in order for the school to make AYP.

Assistant Commissioner for Student Services Barbara Gantwerk noted that New Jersey students consistently are among the nation’s scoring leaders on the NAEP (National Assessment for Educational Progress) tests, the only assessments for which state-by-state comparisons can be made.

Continue Reading NorthJersey.com.

Little Learner Academy Sugar and Spice Gazette

Little Learner Academy welcomes each and every family to Little Learner.   Attached is the second issue of the Montville 2009-2010 Newsletter. 

Our location at 330 Changebridge Road in Pine Brook is now open and the school year is officially off and running!  We Welcome Visitors!  

Download Sugar & Spice Gazette Volume 1, No. II