MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Middle school students in the South Orange-Maplewood School District looking for an engaging activity that doesn’t require leaving town need look no further than the Middle School Dance, a new event open exclusively to residents of Maplewood and South Orange on Saturday, June 10, at The Woodland, 60 Woodland Road in Maplewood, […]
Superintendent retires three years before contract expires to spend more time with his family
SOUTH ORANGE / MAPLEWOOD, NJ — After just two years, Superintendent of Schools John Ramos Sr. is retiring from the South Orange-Maplewood School District, effective Aug. 24. The retirement, which was announced in a May 22 letter to the SOMSD community, comes as a surprise since Ramos only joined the district about two years ago. […]
Town hall forum breaks into small, focused sessions
SOUTH ORANGE / MAPLEWOOD, NJ — At a second town hall meeting on equity and inclusion on May 3, roughly one month after community members stressed that the South Orange-Maplewood School District’s curriculum should be changed to prevent racially insensitive incidents from occurring, the district’s assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction informed parents that teachers […]
Community members highlight continuing insensitivity
SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Prompted by recent controversies within the school district, a community healing event featuring the free showing of the Academy Award-nominated documentary “I Am Not Your Negro” and an open panel discussion were held Saturday, May 6, at Bow Tie Cinemas in South Orange in an effort to encourage open dialogue and […]
MAPLEWOOD, NJ — South Orange-Maplewood Superintendent of Schools John Ramos Sr. will speak at the Hilton Neighborhood Association meeting on Thursday, May 18, at 7:30 p.m. at DeHart Community Center, 120 Burnett Ave. in Maplewood. Ramos will lead a question-and-answer session about the issues facing the Maplewood and South Orange schools. Residents from both towns […]
District saves grammar school Spanish to much applause
SOUTH ORANGE / MAPLEWOOD, NJ — The South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education adopted the 2017-18 school year budget and tax levy in an 8-1 vote at its April 24 meeting. This leaves a more than $500,000 shortfall for the school district to make up, despite the fact that taxes will increase by 3.56 percent and […]
SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — South Orange’s River Day, the annual community gathering for cleanup of the Rahway River and increasing community awareness about environmental issues, is set for Sunday, May 7, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the duck pond off Mead Street, near the intersection of N. Ridgewood Road and Meadowbrook Lane, in […]
EWING, NJ — At an April 25 event, Sustainable Jersey for Schools announced the 34 New Jersey schools selected to receive a Sustainable Jersey for Schools grant funded by the PSEG Foundation. Four $10,000 grants and 30 $2,000 grants were distributed to fund a variety of projects including an outdoor science lab, sustainability curriculum, school […]
SOUTH ORANGE / MAPLEWOOD, NJ — At the April 24 South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education meeting, the board approved some adjustments to the district calendar, prompted by the discovery that an extra day had mistakenly been scheduled for June. Therefore, unless the district uses an emergency closing day in the meantime, the district will be […]
SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The Academy Award nominated documentary “I Am Not Your Negro,” written by James Baldwin, will be screened for free on Saturday, May 6, from 10 a.m. to noon at Bow Tie Cinemas, 1 SOPAC Way in South Orange. Only 80 seats are available, so RSVP at www.RespectfulDiscussion.eventbrite.com. First priority will be […]