Welcome To the Northern Valley
Regional High School District
MESSAGE FROM
DR. JAN A. FURMAN, SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
Dear Parents/Guardians of Northern Valley Students,
In an effort to enrich the Senior Service program at Northern Valley by providing career exploration that is rewarding and diverse, a committee of parents, teachers and administrators has been established to recruit volunteers from the community. We are looking for professionals in several areas, including but not limited to:
Accounting
Business
Law and Medicine
Social Services
Education
Technology and Communications
Engineering, Construction and Architecture
Visual and Performing Arts
Arts and Entertainment
Trades – Plumbing, Electricians
Landscaping and Landscape Architecture
If you or someone you know is interested in introducing a career to our high school students, please inform us by completing the survey (page 2) and returning it to me at 162 Knickerbocker Road, Demarest, NJ 07627 or via e-mail at furman@nvnet.org.
We are looking for volunteers to introduce career opportunities to our students in several ways:
Career Exploration Days (two per year).
Professionals would present their specialty in the form of a display as well as give a presentation to
introduce their profession to interested students. The time frame set aside for this day would be
approximately two hours.
Brown bag lunch sessions.
Professionals would come in at lunch time and meet a group of students interested in learning about their
profession.
Senior Service:
Shadowing a professional from mid May to mid June for students who have met the Northern Valley
Regional High School criteria for participation the program.
Summer internships or visits to the professional’s work site to gain first-hand experience of the profession.
Expansion of the Senior Service program will increase students’ knowledge of career choices and assist with college decision making while providing a meaningful experience.
All questions and or comments may be directed to me at 201-768-2200, ext. 12160, or furman@nvnet.org. We look forward to the Northern Valley community providing unique opportunities for discovery and exploration for all of our students.
Sincerely,
Jan A. Furman
Superintendent of Schools
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Senior Service Program Interest Survey
Name: _______________________________________________
Address: ______________________________________________
Phone Number: ________________________________________
Profession you are interested in sharing with high school students:
_______________________________________________________
Location of your work:
_______________________________________________________
Please indicate the following formats in which you are interested.
_____ Career Exploration Days (two per year).
Professionals would present their specialty in the form of a display as well as give a presentation to introduce their profession to interested students. The time frame set aside for this day would be approximately two hours.
______ Brown bag lunch sessions.
Professionals will meet with a group of students during lunch time.
_____ Senior Service:
A senior would shadow a professional during the one month period set aside from mid May to mid June.
_____ Summer internships and/or visits to the professional’s worksite to gain first-hand
knowledge of the profession.
________________________________________________________________________________________
October 15, 2009
Dear Parents and Guardians,
As you can see from the banner above, the Northern Valley Regional High School District is continuing its efforts to “go green”. Reports on student progress are now available 24/7 by accessing Power School. Beginning with the third marking period of the 2009-2010 school year, marking period grades will also be available through Power School, and report cards will no longer be mailed home.
Power School will shut down on the last day of the marking period and reopen to parents/students to review marking period grades after teachers have completed grade entries. The close of marking period 3 is April 5, 2010 with Power School becoming available for marking period grade review on April 13, 2010. The close of marking period 4 is June 16, 2010 with Power School becoming available for marking period grade review on June 25, 2010.
The high school district is excited about this initiative. Not only will it save environmental resources, but this initiative will also save the district $25,000 annually in the cost of postage and pre-printed forms. For a preview of the new format, click here reportcard.pdf
Should you have any technical questions about accessing your student’s marking period grades, please call Mrs. Patricia DeRiso at 201-768-2200 ext. 12322. If you have any other questions or concerns about the marking period grades, please speak with your child’s guidance counselor.
We look forward to continuing to provide high quality educational services to your children.
Sincerely,
Jan A. Furman
Superintendent of Schools
____________________________________________________________________________
October 2, 2009
To: Parents and Guardians of Northern Valley Regional Students
On September 16, 2009 a letter was posted on the Northern Valley Regional High School website explaining the student activity fee established by the Board of Education as part of the budgeting process last spring. The purpose of the $35.00 fee is to allow for continued support of the extensive co-curricular and interscholastic sports activities offered to our students. In addition, during the month of September, morning announcements were made on the public address system reminding students about the newly enacted activity fee and September 30, 2009 due date. The $35.00 fee is per student per academic year; regardless of the number of teams and/or co-curricular activities in which a student participates. The September 16 letter as well as the announcement reminders stated the due date
for payment of the activity fee was September 30, 2009.
At this time we certainly do not want to remove a student from participating on a Northern Valley team. However, if payment has not been made, a student will be required to turn in all sports equipment on Thursday, October 8, 2009 ending his/her participation on the team. This does not apply to students who have made alternative payment arrangements with their building principal, or are exempt from the fee due to their eligibility for free or reduced lunch.
If there is an economic hardship, we encourage you to contact your building principal to make alternative payment arrangements. As this new activity fee is implemented, we want to work with you so that your child’s participation in Northern Valley extracurricular activities remains an integral part of the high school experience.
Sincerely,
Jan A. Furman
Superintendent of Schools
____________________________________________________________________________
September 16, 2009
Dear Parents and Guardians of Northern Valley Regional Students,
As you may recall, extensive budget deliberations by the Northern Valley Regional High School Board of Education last spring resulted in the establishment of an annual student activity fee. The agreed upon amount is $35 per student, per year. The fee is due from any student who participates in an athletic or co-curricular activity. One fee covers all activities a student participates in during the school year. The Board’s decision enabled the district to maintain most of the co-curricular activities and interscholastic sports teams that were available last year at Northern Valley Regional. The establishment of this activity fee was covered on April 13 in the Northern Valley Press, May 7 in The Suburbanite and in a Letter to the Editor on May 15 also in The
Suburbanite.
In an effort to make the payment and receipt process as convenient as possible for parents, students, and staff, the Business Office of the district implemented an online payment processing system called “Pay Schools.” The information about Pay Schools was included in the Principals’ mailings to parents in August. In addition, the information was communicated to Demarest students and parents on pages 48 and 58 of the Student and Parent Handbooks; for Old Tappan it was communicated on pages 48 and 62 of the Student and Parent Handbooks.
Since information about this new initiative was sent to you in the summer, parents and students may not be familiar with the plan. Therefore, coaches were directed to inform student athletes, when practices began in August, that the activity fee was due by September 15. Students will be reminded about co-curricular activities as they join clubs during the month of September.
Since this is the initial implementation of collecting activity fees, the Board of Education has extended the deadline for athletes to pay to September 30, 2009. This is also the due date for students who participate in clubs or other co-curricular activities. The September 30 deadline is after the school club fairs in each building when students learn more about the clubs offered and which ones they would like to join.
The Board of Education’s budget, restricted by state mandates, has made it necessary for the district to collect this fee to maintain all of our current activities. As mentioned in the mailing and in the handbooks, this fee can be paid online through Pay School or by cash or a check made payable to NVBOE at the high school main office. Students who have qualified for free or reduced lunch based on state guidelines for limited income, are exempt from this activity fee. If your child does not qualify for free or reduced lunch, but meeting the activity fee deadline is a hardship for other reasons, please contact your child’s building principal to share your concern.
Coaches will be directed to collect sports equipment from student athletes who do not make the payment by September 30, or do not qualify for free or reduced lunch and have not made payment arrangements through their building principals, ending that student’s participation on the team. Club advisers will be directed to notify the building principal of those students who have not paid the fee and therefore will not be allowed to participate.
The Board of Education understands this is a new process for Northern Valley. However, they did consider the success of this program in similar communities such as Ridgewood and Glen Ridge. Collection of activity fees in these districts has allowed for continued support of the extensive student co-curricular and interscholastic sports opportunities for their students.
Sincerely,
Jan A. Furman
Superintendent of Schools
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Superintendent's Message
Dear Parents/Guardians:
During the current school year, as in previous years, Northern Valley Regional High School continues to upgrade the different forms of electronic communication available to our students. Our students increasingly have access to more sophisticated means of electronic communication via laptops, Blackberries, cell phones, etc. and are very skilled in using these technologies. They often send pictures, videos and voice as well as text messages.
The district has recently been advised by local law enforcement officials of the need to caution our students about this use. Specifically, certain photos or videos which may be taken by cell phone and transmitted that way, or over the Internet, can be considered trafficking in pornography, which is a very serious criminal offense. I am conveying this information to you at the request of our local law enforcement officials, suggesting you discuss this issue with your children so that a “teenage prank” does not turn into something much more difficult for both our students and their families to handle. The majority of cell phones used by students are owned by the parents. Any inappropriate action, may also implicate the owner of the phone.
In the coming weeks, additional communication about this matter will be sent to you directly from our building principals.
Sincerely,
Jan A. Furman
Superintendent of Schools
School Emergency Closing Information
If inclement weather or another emergency causes a delayed opening or an all-day closing, radio station WOR and WCBS will announce school closings. Cablevision Channel 12 will also announce school closing information. An automated message service, Swift Reach, will be implemented in which a recorded phone call message will be placed to your home.
It is important that that guidance office have your accurate phone number on file. Please follow the prompts as directed by the Swift Reach message so that the message may be delivered to you. The school district is currently considering the option to have parents provide the high school with a secondary phone number for another contact. In addition, parents may call 201-768-3200 or 201-784-1600 and press 9 for NVOT or 4 for NVD to hear emergency school announcements and information. You may also refer to the school district website, www.nvnet.org.
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for STUDENTS
Demarest HS
