2-12-12

In This Issue:


School Board Meeting Wednesday

February 15 at 7:30
105 S. Madison Ave. Spring Valley

Poetry Slam at Ramapo HS Friday
February 17 at 6:30 PM
Ramapo High School

Official Announcements
This section reserved for official announcements.  No announcements at this time.

School Board Campaign News
The 2012 campaign has begun. Visit http://poweroften.us/new/2012-campaign/ for more information

Message from the Editor
This Wednesday the school board will publicly begin the process of working on next year’s budget.  In the past several years, the process has been a charade, with endless hours of arguing over minutia in public, followed by an announcement of plans which were clearly prepared in private. However, it has been the public’s involvement in this process which has spurred interest from government investigators and the media, and it is important that we all come for at least part of the meeting to show that the students of East Ramapo are not without advocates.

The Poetry Slam on Friday is just one of the amazing events that our students will be presenting during the Spring Semester.  Many of the performances are as good as anything you will see on stage in NYC.  Whether you like sports, theater, music, dance, or all of the above, you will be amazed and entertained by the displays of talent and the exuberance of youth. To truly appreciate what our young people have achieved through the power of public education, you must come out to see them in action.  The Poetry Slam is a great example of how the core curriculum interacts with and is enhanced by the performing arts curriculum. Language, Music Movement, Performance are all one and inseparable. To quote former Assistant Superintendent Pedro Santana- “Our kids are Amazing!!!” – Steve White, editor

1-8-12

In This Issue:

Next School Board Meeting
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
105 S. Madison Ave, Spring Valley
7:30 p.m.

Martin Luther King Celebration
Monday, January 16, 2012
Ramapo High School Auditorium
4:30 p.m.
Find out more: http://www.martinlutherking-mpc.org/subpage.cfm?tbl=4&ID=71
Event on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/256726381059066/

New Section: Tony Luciano’s YouTube Videos:
Starting with this issue there will be a section reserved just for the latest updates from Tony Luciano and his YouTube videos.  If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much is a 5 minute clip at 29 frames per second worth?

Treasurer’s & Budget Status Reports: Bad news! The question that is not asked is, are we broke? Did financial mismanagement by the board finally catch up?
Watch the video here http://youtu.be/oUsX_I4ppZU
Here are some videos from the last three board meetings to get everyone up to speed about what has been happening in East Ramapo:
Peggy Hatton speaks about unequal treatment http://youtu.be/ncYsxUu0fSU
Hempstead Children and overcrowding http://youtu.be/6l85fT7MfJo
Carolyn Watson asks about Progress reports http://youtu.be/ax2eJgdgh0k
Christine Theodore talks overcrowding http://youtu.be/7Lfg4MPrExI
K. Watson speaks about overcrowding http://youtu.be/UY9KoQbLu_8
Klein cant answer how kids are doing http://youtu.be/Ghw-CRBppEw
Thanks
Antonio Luciano

Former Superintendent Sues East Ramapo

Read about it in the Journal News
http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011312260052

This caused another situation regarding the union contract:

Official Announcements

This section reserved for official announcements.  No announcements at this time.

School Board Campaign News
The 2012 campaign has begun. Visit http://poweroften.us/new/2012-campaign/ for more information

Message from the Editor
2011 was a year of many exciting moments.  Some exhilarating successes, some heartbreaking losses.  The readers of this email list know the focus will always be on building an informed, active and involved community.  The right to education has been at the heart of the fight for justice and equality.  Last year we made a special point to celebrate Thurgood Marshall who began his history-making work in desegregating education right here in Rockland County.  This year I ask everyone to re-examine the dream that Dr. King shared with us.  Every American today is living a better life thanks to Dr. King.  And yet how far we have to go.  For those who saw the movie “The Help”, remember how disturbing it was that the racists wanted to build separate bathrooms for the maids, to “protect our children”.  The parents imagination of terrible things that their children would catch from ‘the other’ seems tragically comic, almost quaint, today. Or does it?  – Steve White, editor