Wednesday, April 24, 2013
If ratified, deal could end a bitter three-year contract fight.
The Board of Education and the Hopatcong Education Association unit that represents teacher aides, custodians and support staff reached an agreement in principal on a new contract, board member Richard Lavery said Monday. According to Lavery, the potential pact was reached Monday afternoon and could ended a bitter three-year contract fight. In February the board accepted the findings of the state mediator brought in to settle the contract. In December, the negotiations led to public accusations of board disrespect for the aides. Contracts for teachers in the same union took effect in September but a dispute over language regarding new health benefits led to pickets lines at board meetings and student complaints that letters of …
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Jefferson Township Education Association and Municipal Organizations plans to use education to help reduce substance abuse.
Since America declared the "war on drugs" 40 years ago, it's racked up 45 million arrests, packed prisons, and cost the nation more than a trillion dollars. Teachers, parents, and members of community groups in Jefferson Township think they have a better idea. We call them, the JTEAM. "The Jefferson Twp. Education Association and Municipal Organizations (JTEAM) is a newly formed group in the community," said John Williams, NJEA Field Representative. "Which has been formed to help reduce substance abuse in Jefferson through education." Convinced that it's better to educate than incarcerate, the JTEAM has joined with school administrators and municipal organizations and pulled together a program that it hopes will help break the cycle of …
U.S. News & World Report's annual national rankings released; no Sussex County schools make top 50 spots in the state.
Sparta High School students tested either at or above New Jersey averages, while Hopatcong High School students tested below those numbers, and neither were ranked in the top 50 schools in the state, according to U.S. News & World Report. The magazine’s annual high school rankings were released Tuesday morning and showed a changeup in the top 10 spots, and no Sussex County school made the top 54. The top spot went to Biotechnology High School in Freehold, ousting this year’s number two, High Technology High School. Three main factors are calculated for the rankings, including college readiness, math proficiency and language proficiency. U.S. News & World Report ranked Hopatcong and Sparta High Schools as indicated in the chart: Sparta had …
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Administration's plan called for more instruction time, but less elective courses.
The Hopatcong Board of Education rejected an administration plan to alter the middle school class schedule next year to even out the schedules of sixth, seventh and eighth graders. Superintendent Charles Maranzano said the changes would have produced 4,500 more minutes of instruction time in a school year, created a uniform, but longer, 40-minute lunch period, but potentially would have reduced time for classes for electives, like art and music and foreign language from two to one. The loss of electives soured the board on the plan. They preferred the current plan which allows students two elective periods at a time. Board member Richard Lavery said the longer lunch period was “wasted time” and wanted to see a schedule with more class time…
Friday, April 19, 2013
Musical runs through Sunday at Hopatcong High School.
Its a classic story. Boy meets girls, boy loses girl to abusive boyfriend. Boy turns to bloodthirtsy plant for solace. Got your attention yet? (If not, be sure to check out the rave reviews in our comments section!) The Hopatcong High School drama club will have it all on display when they present the science fiction musical classic Little Shop of Horrors running now through April 21 at Hopatcong High School. The shows Friday and Saturday are at 7 p.m. with the Sunday show scheduled as a 2 p.m. closing mattinee. The musical centers on Seymour, an orphan and a nerd, that is taken in and given a job by Mr. Mushnik, the owner of a run down Florists in the seedy part of town. Seymour spends his time doing menial tasks and dreaming of the shop …
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Center for Prevention and Counseling in Newton awards Hopatcong's Jenna Mayer's work.
Hopatcong's Jenna Mayer is a winner of the Center for Prevention and Counseling 2013 Don’t Hurt Your Hippo Alcohol Awareness Month PSA Contest. Her work, entitled Don’t Hurt Your Hippo….Keep Your Mind Free is attached to this post. All of the students who submitted entries to are being invited to a special presentation and award ceremony on April 23 Hopatcong Borough Hall at 7:00 pm. All of the participants will be receiving awards from the agency and the winners will be receiving awards from the Mayor for their creative submissions. There will be a short presentation by the Center for Prevention and Counseling while three Hopatcong youth are presenting a program called Too Smart to Start.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Board plans April 29 meeting to discuss progress.
The search for a new superintendent continues, Hopatcong school board president Clifford Lundin said. Superintendent Charles Maranzano Jr. is leaving at the end of the current school year, and Lundin said previously the board received 32 applications, and interviewed six candidates. One candidate was asked back for a second round of interviews, he said, “but there is no consensus.” The board is considering all options, including hiring a temporary superintendent, Lundin said. He said the board is planning a special meeting on April 29 to continue discussions on the opening. In other business, the board set the agenda for the April 22 meeting when it authorized for a vote several annual appointments, including board secretary. Lundin said …
Center for Prevention and Counseling in Newton awards Hopatcong's Mallory Vicedomini and Bart Yarosz work.
Hopatcong's Mallory Vicedomini and Bart Yarosz are winners of the Center for Prevention and Counseling 2013 Don’t Hurt Your Hippo Alcohol Awareness Month PSA Contest for their work entitled Don’t Drown Your Future in Alcohol. All of the students who submitted entries to are being invited to a special presentation and award ceremony on April 23 Hopatcong Borough Hall at 7:00 pm. All of the participants will be receiving awards from the agency and the winners will be receiving awards from the Mayor for their creative submissions. There will be a short presentation by the Center for Prevention and Counseling while three Hopatcong youth are presenting a program called Too Smart to Start.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Center for Prevention and Counseling in Newton awards Hopatcong's Sara Snook, Mikey Castoro and Kim Hughes for work.
Hopatcong's Sara Snook, Mikey Castoro and Kim Hughes are winners of the Center for Prevention and Counseling 2013 PSA contest with their work Too Smart To Start. All of the students who submitted entries to are being invited to a special presentation and award ceremony on April 23 Hopatcong Borough Hall at 7:00 pm. All of the participants will be receiving awards from the agency and the winners will be receiving awards from the Mayor for their creative submissions. There will be a short presentation by the Center for Prevention and Counseling while three Hopatcong Youth are presenting a program called Too Smart to Start.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Center for Prevention and Counseling in Newton awards Hopatcong's Amanda Corujo work.
Hopatcong's Amanda Corujo is the winner of the Center for Prevention and Counseling 2013 Teen Expression Art Project with her work, entitled Drugs are Treble. All of the students who submitted entries to are being invited to a special presentation and award ceremony on April 23 Hopatcong Borough Hall at 7:00 pm. All of the participants will be receiving awards from the agency and the winners will be receiving awards from the Mayor for their creative submissions. There will be a short presentation by the Center for Prevention and Counseling while three Hopatcong youth are presenting a program called Too Smart to Start.
The "Original" Hopatcong Mom
3:25 pm on Thursday, April 25, 2013
I know AIDS is the actual disease but they way they (the board) says "Aides" it might as well be the same.....it's an outdated term which is why schools advertise for paraprofessionals....it's a rESPect thing, but the board knows nothing about that word! This how article is fabricated to make our board look like angels....the rates are wrong, the potential raise amounts were wrong, their job … more ›