Friday is National ASK Day: Will You?

BY Georgette Gilmore | Wednesday, Jun 19, 2013 12:00pm | COMMENTS (1)

ASK Day

In our poll last month asking if you asked other parents if they have a gun in their home before you dropped your child off for a playdate, only 17 percent of you said you did, either because you just assume they don’t have a gun or you feel uncomfortable asking. The Center to Prevent Youth Violence is making it easier by organizing National ASK Day on Friday, June 21.

Parents ask all sorts of questions to protect their children when they play at the home of a friend, neighbor or relative. But there is one important question that more than half of parents say never even occurred to them to ask: “Is there a gun where my child plays?”

ASK Day takes place on the first day of every summer, a time of year when children play more often in other homes, to remind parents nationwide about the importance of asking if there are guns where their kids play.

Where to Celebrate the Fourth of July

BY Georgette Gilmore | Tuesday, Jun 18, 2013 1:30pm | COMMENTS (0)

Fourth of July

The Fourth of July, aka Independence Day, is just a little over two weeks away! There are many ways to celebrate. Parades, parties, fireworks… The choices of patriotic fun are endless.

Here’s where to celebrate the Fourth of July:

Montclair’s 63rd Annual 4th of July Parade, Picnic and Fireworks
Who: All ages.
What: Montclair’s 63rd annual town parade and picnic to celebrate Independence Day. Enjoy food from local vendors, live music by Jungle Gym Band will perform for the young and young at heart, face painting, bouncy house, train rides and more! That night, take the family to see the fireworks!
Where: The parade route is 1.6 miles traveling west on Bloomfield Avenue to Midland Avenue, continuing to Watchung Avenue, west to Valley Road and ending at Edgemont Park where immediately following will be a family picnic. The Montclair July 4th Fireworks display will take place at Yogi Berra Stadium on Montclair State University campus. Gates open at 7:00 p.m.
When: Thursday, July 4. Parade begins at 11 am (rain or shine) The picnic starts immediately after the parade. (no rain date) Fireworks at 9:15 pm.
Cost: Free

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Giveaway: Family 4-Pack to Dan Zanes & Friends at SOPAC

BY Georgette Gilmore | Tuesday, Jun 18, 2013 9:30am | COMMENTS (2)

We ran a ticket giveaway to the Dan Zanes & Friends concert at SOPAC coming up on June 29 back in April. Since then, DZ decided to make the show a Song Gusto Hour, a chance for families and people of all ages to gather and sing at the top of their lungs with Dan and the band. The Song Gusto Hour atmosphere will be loose, communal, and festive. Songbooks are available online to download and families are invited to bring their own instruments so they can sing and play along!

Dan Zanes and Friends, my personal all time favorite family band, perform exuberant, handmade 21st century social music for enthusiastic crowds of families. These Grammy Award Winners occupy a unique place in American music where sea shanties, English music hall, North American and West Indian folk music, Mexican Son Jarocho, the spirit of early rock-and-roll and soulful originals collide. It is an old-fashioned interactive experience where people of all-ages sing and dance with wild abandon to the sound of drums, upright bass, mandolin, electric guitar, trumpet, fiddle and spoons. A Dan Zanes show is always a big musical party.

Thanks to the generosity of SOPAC, we have two more Family 4-Pack of tickets to give away for the Dan Zanes Song Gusto Hour at SOPAC on Saturday, June 29 at 11 am.

Montclair’s Nishuane School Principal Promoted to Chief Academic Officer

BY Georgette Gilmore | Monday, Jun 17, 2013 8:53pm | COMMENTS (1)

<em>Authors Natalie Pope Boyce and Mary Pope Osborne with Mrs. Clarke, at this year's Pennies For Pages kickoff.

Mrs. Clarke with authors Natalie Pope Boyce and Mary Pope Osborne, at this year’s Pennies For Pages kickoff.

At the beginning of tonight’s Montclair Board of Education meeting, still going on now and streaming live here, Dr. MacCormack announced, among other positions, that Nishuane School principal, Mrs Gail Clarke, will be taking on the position of Chief Academic Officer.

Mrs. Clarke just sent the following letter to Nishuane families:

Montclair Schools Strategic Plan to be Presented at Tonight’s BoE Meeting, Parents Urged to Attend

BY Georgette Gilmore | Monday, Jun 17, 2013 6:36pm | COMMENTS (3)

Last week, Montclair Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Penny MacCormack sent out a message inviting parents to attend the BoE meeting, scheduled for tonight. Just now, she sent another email with more detail of the Strategic Plan and urges parents to attend tonight’s meeting:

A Closer Look at Common Core

BY Georgette Gilmore | Monday, Jun 17, 2013 2:59pm | COMMENTS (3)

This is part of Barista Kids’ ongoing series of education discussions about what’s going on nation-wide, state-wide and district-wide.

Education across the United States, specifically 45 states and 3 territories, is in the middle of a big overhaul. The implementation of the Common Core State Standards will begin in the 2013-2014 school year. As with any type of change, Common Core comes with supporters and is meeting resistance. As part of a series of education discussions, this article will offer a closer look at what exactly the Common Core State Standards are and what it means for our schools.

Background
Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were created by the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), not a federal mandate under the U.S. Department of Education’s Secretary Arne Duncan. The initiative grew out of a grassroots effort to improve our nation’s overall education after seeing inequalities across the country. They were created to raise the bar and establish consistency in education. The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a state-led effort that established a single set of clear educational standards for kindergarten through 12th grade in English language arts and mathematics that states voluntarily adopt. As of this article, 48 states and 3 territories have adopted CCSS.

CCSS build upon established state standards. For example, New Jersey has had Core Curriculum Content since 1996. The standards described what students should know and be able to do upon completion of a thirteen-year public education and were revised every five years. Schools were already supposed to be making sure that curriculum and lesson plans were tied into the Core Curriculum. In 2010, New Jersey agreed to join and adopt the Common Core State Standards, which are broken down into Mathematics and English Language Arts.

The word to focus on is “Common.” The main change is the consistency in education across the board—ensuring that each individual school, district, state in the U.S. is preparing students in the same way.

According to CCSS website, “With students, parents and teachers all on the same page and working together for shared goals, we can ensure that students make progress each year and graduate from school prepared to succeed in college and in a modern workforce.”

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The Human Needs Food Pantry in Montclair Needs New School Supplies

BY Georgette Gilmore | Monday, Jun 17, 2013 10:00am | COMMENTS (0)

The school year is about to end, and school supplies are probably the furthest thing from your mind. But the Human Needs Food Pantry in Montclair is thinking ahead to back-to-school time. They’re collecting NEW school supplies for Essex County kids in need.

Every August, we hand out school supplies; it’s one of our most popular giveaways! Please consider donating NEW notebooks, binders, pens, pencils, backpacks, lunch boxes, etc. (also useful: glue, calculators, book covers, folders).

Dig Into Reading Summer Reading Programs

BY Georgette Gilmore | Monday, Jun 17, 2013 8:00am | COMMENTS (0)

There is no excuse for your kids to stop reading just because school is out. Your local library and bookstores are making it easy and enjoyable with summer reading programs and incentives. Unearth some great children’s books and summer programming ideas for this year’s underground theme, Dig into Reading:

MPL Summer Reading Kickoff
Who: All ages.
What: This year’s theme is “Dig Into Reading” and Montclair Public Library kicks off its’ summer events with the deep down and groovy sounds of The Bossy Frog Band! Kids and their families will be flabbergasted by Bossy Frog Band’s high energy banjo driven show which includes a 6 foot tall dancing frog! Hop and sing along to their silly tunes as these wacky characters get you ready for a summer of reading joy. After the show be sure to enroll in the Summer Reading Club at the 3rd floor Youth Services Department!
Where: Montclair Public Library, 50 South Fullerton Avenue, Montclair, NJ.
When: Friday, June 28 at 11 am and 1 pm.
Cost: Free. No registration required. In the auditorium. Please come to one show only.

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