RIDGEFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOLS
PROGRAM NEWSLETTER
Newsletter
Library/Media Services: Training Students for the 21st Century
Website: http://www.ridgefieldschools.com/domain/112
Location: 555 Chestnut Street, Ridgefield, NJ
Phone: 201-945-7747
Where We've Been: Library as a Related Art
For the past four years, the Ridgefield Public Schools have been staffed in grades K - 12 with one library/media specialist for all grade levels. This staff member has divided her time among all of the schools and programs within the school district.
At the elementary/middle school levels, the library media specialist worked with the classroom teachers on a "Battle of the Books" during the school year. Within this battle, students were asked to form teams and read ten books in order to compete in a quiz bowl on their selections. The winners of the quiz bowl received prizes. The contest lasted for five months in coordination with the classroom teachers schedules. The library/media specialist would also provide support for research and other media related projects at the teachers request.
Within the high school, the district piloted a virtual high school program. Virtual high school provided students with the opportunity to take classes that were not currently offered within our high school. These courses were offered with students throughout the country and internationally. The program was discontinued due to a lack of student enrollment and scheduling conflicts. The library/media specialist also serviced the library/media center during lunch periods to provide students with the opportunity to use the facility and assist them with research and other media based assignments. Support was also provided to the teachers at this level to assist them in creating research based projects.
Business and Finance Focus
The Ridgefield Board of Education advertised a request for proposals (RFP) for the district board attorney services on October 31, 2016. Mr. Stanley Turitz and later the law firm of Winne, Banta, Basralian & Kahn have served as the district's lawyers since 1970.
The bid request asked potential candidates to demonstrate experience in special education, student discipline and student rights, human resources and grievance, and negotiations procedures. The board also asked potential law firms to school districts they have represented for more than three years and spell out a fee structure, including what services would be included in a monthly retainer, and fees for phone calls and other legal procedures.
Six firms responded to the request for proposals. Board members Kathy Payerle, Claudia Narvaez and Andrew Grippa selected three finalists. The law firms of Schwartz, Simon, Edelstein & Celso; Cleary, Giacobbe, Alfieri, Jacobs LLC and Winne, Banta, Basralian & Kahn were invited to an interview on November 29th. After evaluating the proposals in strict accordance with the evaluation criteria set forth in the RFP, board members Kathy Payerle, Ingrid Barbosa, Ralph Morilla, Steve Yang and Andrew Grippa selected the current board attorneys from the firm of Winne, Banta, Basralian & Kahn to continue their service until January 3, 2018.
The Ridgefield Board of Education is very proud to kick-off its promise to conduct a request for proposals for professionals that service the district.
Where we are now: Research Protocol
In an effort to better reach all of our students throughout the school district, a new approach to library/media services was developed. During the summer of 2014, a curriculum for a K - 12 research protocol was written for implementation in the fall. This new program would allow the library/media specialist to provide equal services to all children in all grade levels throughout the school year.
In grades K - 3, the research protocol followed "The Super 3" model. Within this model, students are asked to "plan, do and review". In the planning stage, students determine the question that they would like to answer with their research. During the second stage, students actually research their topics in a database titled Pebblego.com. The information is used to create a tangible product, such as a book, illustration. or powerpoint presentation. In the final stage, students present their work to their peers and perform a self-evaluation on their work, determining if they answered the original question. All stages of the project are facilitated by the library/media specialist in coordination with the classroom teacher and grade level or subject area curriculum.
In grade 4-12 students follow an Inquiry-based learning approach where students are challenged to employ thoughtful reading, analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of information to create answers to those questions, not just locate information and repeat it for the teacher. Inquiry-based learning is a process where students formulate questions (Ask), investigate digital resources to find answers (Investigate), build new understandings, meanings and knowledge (Create), then communicate their findings to others (Communicate). The final step is self-evaluation (Reflect). During the research process, students incorporate Google Classroom and Google Apps for Education into their research. The project culminates with a virtual presentation to peers and teachers.
The research protocol program is directly linked to grade level and subject area content. It provides an opportunity for both students and teachers to become familiar with and use the Google classroom.
Spotlight on our Special Services: Sleep advice from our OT Department
Sleep Tips for Children
For children who have trouble sleeping, sensory techniques designed to calm and organize the body can be helpful. In fact, many of the same techniques and methods we use to calm a newborn or infant can be adapted for use with older kids to help them fall asleep more easily and stay asleep through the night.
- Movement: Row, Row, Row Your Boat; rocking on a rocking chair, rolling on exercise ball.
- Warmth: Warm rice pillow; cozy, plush, warm stuffed animals; warm blankets in dryer before bed.
- White Noise: White noise machine, ceiling or regular fan, white noise app.
- Deep Pressure: Pillow squishes; bear hugs; kiddo burrito; massage; heavy blanket.
- Visual Stimulation: Watching fish in an aquarium/ DVD/ or App; lava lamp or other slow-moving nightlight.
We hope these tips can assist you when your child is having difficulty getting enough rest for school the next day.
where we are going: Expansion of Services
- Maintain the Humanities Chairperson in their current role. The continuation and expansion of this vital staff member to provide expertise to the teachers in all grade levels from k - 12 will strengthen the connection between library/media services and classroom content.
- Provide the funding for curriculum resources to continue to invest and implement in the programs that have begun their implementation over the past two years. Continue to invest in programs such as the research protocol and informational literacy program to bet prepare our students for the skills they require to be college ready and successful in the workplace.
- Expand library media, technology, and information literacy by adding two specialists. Currently, the Ridgefield School District has no operating library media centers. It has only one Library Media Specialist for all students in Grades K-12 who delivers part of a newly developed information literacy program. Additional staffing is needed to expand the information literacy program and provide students with a more comprehensive experience and the much needed and valuable instruction, giving students the tools to compete in the 21st century.
These plans for the future will provide our students with an even more solid foundation in using technology and media to drive their learning.
Program Highlights: The Maker Space Movement in Schools
What is a maker space? The simple answer is students making things. Things that they are curious about. Things that spring from imagination. Things that inspire them. The informal, playful atmosphere allows learning to unfold, rather than conform to a rigid agenda. Making, rather than consuming is the focus. It is craft, engineering, technology and wonder-driven.
In the maker space, learning is disguised as exploration and play. Design process, math, science, technology, crafts and language arts are all a part of the daily work in a Maker Space. Students will reflect, using problem solving and critical thinking as they refine and improve their products. Creativity drives perseverance. Social skills and team work are honed as they seek out appropriate help from peers and adults to overcome obstacles. All the while, using standards from the curriculum on which the problems and spaces were designed.
It is a place for everyone, creative and not creative, to come and explore their passions using raw materials, tools, technology, repurposed items and imagination. Students can work individually or collaboratively, using technology and/or drawing on the collective wisdom of those in the room to help achieve their goal in a Maker Space. In many schools, the maker space is driven by the library/media specialist. The purpose of the adult in the Maker Space is to provide open access to a knowledgeable person who may help students discover ways to solve design challenges. Schools may choose to budget for a full time teacher to be present in the Maker Space at all times. Expert volunteers may act as facilitators for a specific skill set, such as electrical or soldering work, or as coaches who encourage and support learning. Where no such experts are present, students can view a YouTube video on the subject or email an expert.
Our schools are currently examining spaces within our schools where our students can have the opportunity to explore content and their passions while applying that content to problem solving and project based activities.
If you would like more information on the maker space movement, please click on this link: http://www.makerspaceforeducation.com/ .