Holiday Message

Dear Saddle River and Ramsey Communities,

I feel as though I just wrote the message welcoming everyone to the new school year, and now the winter break is nearly upon us. Time absolutely does fly. With that said, I'd now like to wish everyone within the Ramsey community a peaceful, joyful holiday season and the happiest of New Years. I encourage you to enjoy the time off, reconnect with family and friends, and re-energize -- because I'm certain all of us will be busy once we return in January.

Glancing back, I think all of us in Ramsey should be thrilled with the accomplishments we've already made during the current school year. As a reminder, our District goals include developing a Profile of a Graduate based on our “A Ramsey Student Will” (more on this when we return in January), teaching for understanding, achieving excellence through equity, and enhancing the student experience. These are complex goals that involve innovative and different approaches to education - and yes - they are happening! I cannot thank the staff enough for taking these challenges so seriously and professionally. These goals represent why Ramsey is considered one of the most forward-thinking school districts in the state and represent what Ramsey is all about - achieving excellence one student at a time.

As we move forward into a new calendar year, and deeper into the current school year, I again thank you for your commitment and support, and I encourage you to share with us your input and insight. We have the good fortune to work within one of the finest public education environments anywhere; together, we can make it even better.

Regards,

Matthew J. Murphy, Ed. D., Superintendent of Schools

Parent Academy

Prevention and Action: An Approach to Adolescent

Substance Abuse and Mental Health

Wednesday, January 3, 2018 - RHS Auditorium 7 p.m.

This workshop will explore the implications of Mental Health on teen substance abuse. Rarely do addictions occur without the presence of a mental health related issue. Learn about the signs and symptoms of a mental health disorder and how improved mental health can buffer against substance abuse. We will also discuss the current substance abuse tends among today's youth.

Inclement Weather Calls

It's every student's dream to announce that we have no school. Thanks to the Ramsey Public Education; Teacher's Treasures, Sophia Nemeth will be making this year's call. So the next time you get a call early in the morning or the night before, and you hear a child's voice - don't hang up - it could be Sophia letting you know that school is closed, having an early dismissal or a delayed opening!

Music Department Earns Fall Distinction

by Ken Veit, Supervisor of Fine & Performing Arts

This fall the students and ensembles in the Ramsey Music Department have earned a number of awards to start the 2017-18 school -year. The month began with auditions for the Music Educators of Bergen County’s middle school band and chorus. This was another banner year for our students as 16 middle school students earning seats in the 2017 All-County Middle School Band and Chorus. Eighth-grader Ankit Verghese was the highest scoring student on both general percussion and mallet percussion! The other students accepted for the band include: Matthew Hyland, Andrew Kropas, Matt Kutam, Madison Lee, Maggie O’Hara, Adrian Ramachandran, Sophia Romero, Bernard Sweetman and Temmie Yu - and for the chorus: Gianna Bevacqua, Nitya Chadha, Thomas Gilligan, Joseph Muscarelle, Sarah Patunas, and Abigail Schwartz. Ramsey had more students accepted into the band than any other school in the county. The students are under the direction of choral teacher Mr. Paul Ricigliano and band director Mr. Michael Stephenson.

At Ramsey High School, 5 members of the Ramsey High School Chorus, under the direction of Mrs. Rebecca Saltzman, earned seats to 2018 Bergen County High School Chorus, the most Ramsey students accepted to this group in 10 years! Senior Abigail Greenberg scored the highest audition of all Alto 1 students. Other students accepted include: Bailey Felderman, Allison Los, Alyssa Mathew, and Ashwin Verghese. In addition, 5 members of the Ramsey High School Band were accepted into the 2018 Bergen High School Band: Michael Cseh, Jack Kramer, Joseph LeBert, Marcus Odin, and Emily Peters.

And finally, the 130-member Big Blue Marching Band, under the direction of Mr. Clifford Bialkin, completed yet another outstanding season. For the 13th straight year, the band qualified for the Tournament of Bands Atlantic Coast Championships. The band earned another “Top 10” finish in their group among bands from across the Eastern Seaboard.

Kindergarten and Preschool Registration for 2018-2019

Kindergarten registration applications for the 2018 - 2019 school year are now available. To be eligible for Kindergarten, students must be 5 years old on or before October 1, 2018. Click here for important dates related to the registration process, the pre-registration link and information on the RCS WRAP program.

Registration applications for the tuition based Integrated Preschool Program for the 2018 - 2019 school year are now available. To be eligible for Preschool, general education students must be 4 years old on or before October 1, 2018. All children enrolled in the program will attend for 5 1/2 hours five days a week. Click here for important dates related to the preschool registration process and the pre-registration link.