NVD Student Matthew Hoberman
Receives Perfect Score on 2012 National Latin Exam
Dr. Bruce Sabatini, Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest Principal, is proud to announce that student Matthew Hoberman achieved a perfect score on the 2012 National Latin Exam. Only 1,111 students out of over 136,000 who participated attained this distinction.
Matt will receive a special certificate from the National Latin Exam Committee in recognition of this outstanding achievement.
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Technology Education Students Recognized In Competitions
Photo – Ben Chazen, Chelsea Allen, Christopher Hsu, and Ms. Nicole Hodgson at the Panasonic Creative Design Challenge
Several Northern Valley students fared well in recent competitions held at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark.
A team of four students from Ms. Suzette Martin's Multimedia Web Design class in Old Tappan placed third in a statewide competition held in the area of web design sponsored by NJIT’s College of Computing Sciences. Twelfth graders Angela Muscariello, Nicole de Quintal, Hanna Carrasco and tenth grader Jayson DeMarchi used Photoshop, Flash, Dreamweaver, iMovie, HTML and CSS to design a multiple page informational web site on the topic of cameras.
Tenth grader Tyler Angert won 2nd place of over seventy entrants in the NJIT College of Architecture & Design Dean's Design Competition. For earning the 2nd place certificate, Tyler won a scholarship to the College of Architecture and Design Summer Architecture/Summer Design Weeklong Program and an iPad. This year's challenge was to design an avant-garde puppet theater for Edgar Allen Poe's short story "Mask of the Red Death.” Eleventh grader Sue Kim received an honorable mention in the same competition. Both students are in Mrs. Nicole Hodgson's Technical & Architectural Design II Class in Old Tappan.
A team of three students from Ms. Hodgson’s Engineering Design Honors class in Demarest won the prize for “Best Documentation” in the 2012 Panasonic Creative Design Challenge. Eleventh graders Chelsea Allen, Ben Chazen, and Christopher Hsu teamed to develop a design for this year's “Mars 3000” Challenge. Over fifty participating teams were required to create and construct a device that would maneuver through an obstacle course and perform several tasks that are associated with Mars exploration and research. The students each received a new digital camera for their performance.
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NVOT Competes at Penn Relays
One week after capturing the Bergen County Relays Championship, the Old Tappan Boys Track and Field Team traveled to compete at the prestigious Penn Relays on April 27 and 28. The team had one of the most successful weekends that any North Jersey team has ever had at this event.
The excitement started on early Friday morning as Junior thrower JongminYoun competed in the Discus Championship and had a throw of 153' 6", which ranks among the top performances in North Jersey this year. About an hour later, the 400 x 100 relay of Won Jae Rho, Benjamin Davis, Brandon Gregory and Devin Fuller won their heat and qualified for the Small School Championships the next day.
On Saturday morning, Senior Brandon Gregory competed in the 400 Hurdles Championship with an outstanding time of 53.58 seconds, which also ranks him at the top at that event in North Jersey and puts him in the top five hurdlers of all time in Bergen County history.
The OT Boys 4 x 400 team of Devin Fuller, Benjamin Davis, Kyle Davidson and Brandon Gregory ran next and won their final heat finishing with a time of 3:21.25 which is the fastest time by a North Jersey school this year. The Relay team was awarded a Penn Relays plaque for their performance.
Later that afternoon, the 400 x 100 team was back on the track competing in the Small School Championship race against top teams from Jamaica and as far away as California. The team finished fifth with a time of 42.64 whick ranks them eighth all time in Bergen County history.
Congratulations to Head Coach Pete Dunn and his entire staff and all the boys!
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Northern Valley Regional Board Members Honored by Bergen County School Boards Association
Pictured From Left to Right - Dr. Christopher J Nagy, Superintedent of Schools, Board of Educaiton Members, Mrs. Marie Petikas, Mr. Raymond Wiss, Mr. Leonard Albanese, President Debra Lent, Mrs. Alice Comer, Vice-President David Chan
Board of Education Member Lenny Albanese was presented with the annual Archie Hay award by the Bergen County School Boards Association on May 1, 2012.~ Dr. Hay was Bergen County Superintendent and was responsible for setting up the Bergen County Special Education regions and the Special Services School District. This award is presented to a Bergen County school board member who best exemplifies Dr. Hay’s leadership in the field of education and his commitment to the children of Bergen County.~ Mr. Albanese has served on the Northern Valley Regional High School District Board of Education for more than 34 years.
Board of Education Vice President David Chan received The Certificated Board Member, part of the NJSBA Board Member Academy certification program. Areas of study are designed to give members a firm foundation in the essential governance skills needed to carry out their responsibilities. David successfully completed the course of study in core topic areas, including: Relationships: board/superintendent, board/community, board/board; policy, curriculum, school finance, school law, labor relations, and board operations.~ This award is given to about fifty board members throughout the state per year. Congratulations to David.
Both Lenny and David are residents and representatives of Closter.
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Autism Awareness Month
April has been designated national Autism Awareness Month and provides the perfect opportunity for individuals and organizations across the nation to educate their communities about autism. Children and adults with autism exhibit atypical, repetitive behaviors and deficits in social and communication skills. Autism is usually diagnosed during the first three years of life and is four to five times more prevalent in boys than in girls. It knows no racial, ethnic or social boundaries.
CDC Releases New Autism Prevalence Information:
1 in 49 NJ children, 1 in 88 nationally
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) releases the report Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders - Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 14 States, United States, 2008. The findings are outlined below:
New Jersey:
- 1 in 49
- Boys: 1 in 29
- Girls: 1 in 172
- Average age of autism diagnosis is 3 years, 2 months old (earlier than in previous studies)
National:
- 1 in 88
- Boys: 1 in 54
- Girls: 1 in 252
- Average age of autism diagnosis is 4 years old (earlier than in previous studies)
- 78% increase in prevalence comparing the 2012 study that looked at the data from children who were 8 years old in 2008 to the 2007 study that looked at the data from children who were 8 years old in 2002 data
Main findings:
- NJ has the 2nd highest prevalence (Utah and Arizona are 1st and 3rd.)
- (While NJ had the highest prevalence rate according to a study published in 2007, NJ was ranked 3rd behind Arizona and Missouri.
The Valley Program, the public school for children with autism run under the auspices of the Northern Valley Board of Education, joined in Autism Awareness month by participating in Bubbles 4 Autism on Thursday, April 26th at 1:15 pm. We are part of a statewide attempt to beat the number of people blowing bubbles at the same time for one minute for the Guiness Book of World Records. The Valley program had approximately 600 participants with the help of our Norwood Public School first and second graders and County Road School kindergarten and second graders ( two of our locations that the Valley program is housed). It was an exciting time for both students and staff!! We are excited to find out if we broke the record!
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Nicole Manfredonia Honored at SNAP Conference
Nicole Manfredonia, 11th grader at Northern Valley -Demarest was selected as the best in her grade level category in the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office’s “Don’t Stand By for Bullying Contest.” Nicole was recognized at the annual educators/law enforcement conference on April 18 for the video she created. Other students who appear in the video are: Angela Buck, Raquel Molina, Keren Bador, Val Koch and Helen Armenta.
We are proud of the initiative and creativity of this student and her cast, but we are most proud of the commitment she made to communicate the message that bullying of any type is not acceptable and will not be tolerated.
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Northern Valley Regional High Schools Recognized
By New Jersey Department of Education
As “Reward Schools”
The New Jersey Department of Education has developed a “new school accountability system to replace certain provisions of No Child Left Behind.” The Department has created a three tier category system for certain schools throughout the state based on a combination of both growth and proficiency or lack thereof: Priority Schools, Focus Schools and Reward Schools.
We have been notified by the State Department this week that both Northern Valley Regional High Schools are among 112 schools in the state to receive “Reward School” recognition based on outstanding student achievement and overall performance in terms of school wide proficiency, subgroup proficiency and graduation rates. The Reward Schools will be eligible for financial recognition as determined by the Department of Education to support and sustain strong performance and achievement.
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Superintendent Makes Presentation on 2012-2013 Budget
At the March 26, 2012 Public Budget Meeting, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Christopher J. Nagy made a presentation on the 2012-2013 budget. Click on the link under District News on the right side of this page to access Dr. Nagy's presentation.
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2011-2012 School Year Calendar Revised
At its meeting on March 26, 2012, the Board of Education approved revisions to the 2011-2012 school year to address the unused emergency closing days and to provide the opportunity to end the regular school year one day earlier. Graduation dates and Project Graduation will remain the same. The revised calendar has been posted on the lower right hand side of this page.
The 2011-2012 Calendar will be adjusted as follows:
Northern Valley Regional High School District
- Underclassmen exams will begin on Wednesday, June 20 and end on Friday, June 22. The last day for students will be Friday, June 22. The last exam day will be the last day for students.
- Memorial Day Weekend and Unused Emergency Days:
As you know, the calendar includes three emergency closing days. Should none of these days be used, then three additional days are added to the Memorial Day Weekend. For the 2011-2012 school year, the days will be used as follows:
Northern Valley Old Tappan – After using one day for electrical power outage and one day to move exams up, the remaining day would be added to the Memorial Day Weekend on Tuesday, May 29.
Northern Valley Demarest – After using two days for electrical power outage and one day to move exams up, Demarest would not have any days added to the Memorial Day Weekend.
Region III Programs
The give back days are building specific given that certain locations were more affected than others during the power outage.
- Region III Program at Norwood Location – Norwood did not use any days for the electrical outages and, to be consistent with the high schools, will use one day to move up the last day of school. The remaining two days will be added to the Memorial Day Weekend on Friday, May 25 and Tuesday, May 29.
- Region III Program at Demarest Elementary School – After using one day for electrical outage and one day to move up the last day of school, one day would be added to the Memorial Day weekend (Friday, May 25) as Demarest Elementary will be closed that day.
- Region III Programs at Tenafly/Harrington Park/OLV/St. Andrews – After using two days for electrical outage and one day to move up the last day of school, no additional days will be added to the Memorial Day Weekend.
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Congratulations to Old Tappan High School Community
50th Anniversary
This week marks a time to reminisce on the past, celebrate the present and continue to usher in the 21st Century Global Education future. In a week long recognition of the high school’s 50th Anniversary, Old Tappan held a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, themed lunches for the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, tours, Alumni luncheon, Prism Concert and cornerstone unveiling. Old Tappan is one of two high schools in the district and was built seven years after Demarest High School.
Pictured from Left to Right: Raymond Jacobus - Asst. Superintendent for Business/Board Secretary, Fred Hessler - Old Tappan Principal, Debra Lent - Northern Valley Regional High School Board President, Dr. Christopher J. Nagy - Superintendent of Schools
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Northern Valley Regional District Character Education Initiative Launched
We are excited to recognize the outstanding efforts of a cadre of dedicated staff and students who are responsible for the launch of the Character Education "Core Four" website which can be found to the right on the district home page. The "Core Four" are comprised of the following key anchor characteristics:
Respect
Integrity
Responsibility
Citizenship
These characteristics are representative of the very fabric of what makes Northern Valley so unique. Staff, students, administration and Board of Education members embrace the initiative and applaud the new path.
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Northern Valley High School District Receives $100,000
Special Education Grant
We have been contacted by Assistant Commissioner Barbara Gantwerk who advised Northern Valley is one of the top 12 school districts in New Jersey for Special Education services. The recognition is for Special Education services based on data, student growth, socioeconomic make-up and focus on servicing the Special Education population. We have been awarded a $100,000 grant which is an IDEA-funded discretionary grant for excellence in Special Education. We will be given the details in the near future about when we will be able to access these funds. We are very excited because these funds will support our Special Education Program and will provide additional support for our new high school autistic program.
We are very proud of High School Director of Special Education Stuart Barudin and his team and the work of Region III Director Kathy Vuoncino.
Please click on the link below for more information.
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Board of Education Approves 1:1 Computing Pilot Program
At the February 27 Board of Education meeting, the board approved a 1:1 computing pilot program to take place during the remainder of the 2011-12 school year. A 1:1 computing concept means that every student would have access to either a school issued electronic learning device or a web-capable device that they would bring of their own. This pilot program will help the district to better plan for future instructional technology implementations and training in the district.
Please click on the link below to read the full proposal.
1to1PilotStudyProposal(FINAL-2012-02-27).pdf
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Strategic Planning Update
During the 2009-10 school year, the district began a five year strategic planning process, which focuses in four goal areas - Student Development, Communication, Global Awareness, and Climate and Culture. At the Board of Education meeting on February 27, 2012, an update was provided to the board members. Below please find the action plans that were referred to during this presentation.
ActionPlan-ClimateAndCulture-STATUS-2012-02-15.pdf
ActionPlan-Communication-STATUS-2012-02-15.pdf
ActionPlan-GlobalAwareness-STATUS-2012-02-15.pdf
ActionPlan-StudentDevelopment-STATUS-2012-02-15.pdf
As this process continues, we are interested in hearing from our community with regard to these goals. Please feel free to forward your comments to Mr. Janosz, who serves as the coordinator for the activities, at janosz@nvnet.org.
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Honeywell Instant Alert
Our new notification and communication system, Honeywell Instant Alert for Schools, is ready for use!
For more information and instructions for registration click here.
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2012-2013 Calendar
The 2012-2013 Calendar was approved by the Board of Education on January 23, 2012. A link to the calendar may be found on the lower right-hand side of the website.
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New Emergency Communication System
January 18, 2012
Dear Northern Valley Parents,
Since the power outage event in October, the Board of Education has been looking for a replacement for our emergency communication system. Our new system will be able to be remotely operated, will include voice, text and e-mail capabilities, and will be able to be personalized by each family.
A communication will go out within a week to all who are on our current Swift Reach contact list with instructions for entering information. Please take advantage of this opportunity to update any and all contact information.
We anticipate that the new emergency communication system will be up and running on February 1, 2012. This new system will give parents, staff and district personnel the flexibility needed to keep all information updated on a timely basis without interruption.
Sincerely,
Dr. Christopher J. Nagy
Superintendent of Schools
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Teens-N-Tots Enrollment Now Open for 2012-13
The Teens-N-Tots program in the Northern Valley Regional High School district is now accepting registrations for the 2012-13 school year. An open house will be held at the Demarest building this Thursday, January 19th from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm and in the evening from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm.
For more details on the program and future open house dates, please call Ms. Riedel at 201-768-8156 (Demarest) or Ms. Postolakis (Old Tappan) at 201-750-6641 or visit the district Teens-N-Tots web page at:
Board of Education Recognizes Sports Teams
On December 19, 2011, the Northern Valley Regional High School District Board of Education recognized the accomplishments of the following teams:
Demarest
Volleyball Group 3 State Champions
Old Tappan
Boys Soccer Bergen County Champions
Boys Cross Country State Sectional Champions
Congratulations to the athletes and their coaches on their very successful seasons!
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 Congratulations to Janice Cooper, Northern Valley Old Tappan's Media Specialist, for being selected for the NJASL Follett Outstanding Media Specialist Award.
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Japan Cultural Exchange
Okayama Hakuryoo Kookoo, Yookoso
(Welcome, Okayama Hakuryoo High School)
This past Wednesday evening, eight students and one teacher from our sister school in Japan arrived safely in the Northern Valley Regional District. They will be with us until Tuesday, November 22, 2011. The students and teacher are being hosted by Old Tappan students and their families. A welcoming dinner was held on Thursday evening. The Japanese students attended classes on Thursday and Friday where they conducted cultural demonstrations for our students. On Monday, our visitors and their hosts will have an opportunity to tour New York City. This is the first time these students have visited our school district. We are proud of the fact that we have over 180 students enrolled in Japanese classes between the two high schools. We extend a warm
Northern Valley welcome!
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Demarest HS
