Bernards Schools Get High Scores on 'New' Report Card

But, like his peers, Bernards Superintendent Nick Markarian said school officials are still trying to analyze state's new format.

Bernards Township schools outranked the state's other schools and also so-called comparable "peer" schools in the state's latest performance report that covers the 2011-12 school year, although Schools Superintendent Nick Markarian on Tuesday said the school officials are still trying to figure out a report completely revamped from previous school years'. Ridge High School was deemed to rank high when compared with "peer" schools and very high when compared against other high schools around the state, according to the online version of the state's school performance report for the 2011-12 school year. The report said Ridge was in the top 71 percentile when compared with peer high schools and in the top 84 percent of high schools in New …

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Delayed Opening at Bernards Schools

Snowy, icy roads result in call for two-hour delayed opening for all Bernards schools.

The predicted snowstorm finally left a covering of icy snow on Friday morning — enough for school officials to decide that all Bernards Township Schools will be on a two-hour delayed opening schedule. Ridge High School and the William Annin Middle School will begin at 10 a.m. on Friday, according to the school website. All four elementary schools will begin at 11 a.m., the website said. There will be no before school care and lunch will only be served at the high school, according to the website.

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Aid to Schools, Other Impacts Unknown as Feds Plan Spending Cutbacks

Bernards school and township officials and Somerset County Freeholder say they will wait before calculating local impact of potential cuts.

As Bernards Township schools prepare to put the finishing touches on the district's 2013-14 school budget during the next few weeks, another big funding question is looming on the horizon — whether federal cuts will go through this Friday that could result in a loss of almost $12 million worth of federal education cuts statewide. "Any loss in aid is serious," Bernards Schools Superintendent Nick Markarian said on Monday. "However, at this time we have not identified anything specific that we would cut should there be a loss in aid," Markarian said. Markarian said it was premature as of Monday to guess how much funding the school district might stand to lose if Congress allows a proposed $85 billion in federal "sequestration" spending cuts …

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Moms Talk Q&A

Moms Talk: Should School Start Earlier Next Fall?

Bernards Twp. school board to discuss changes to school calendars — including possible deletions and additions — for next two years.

The Bernards Board of Education has always planned well in advance — the school calendars for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years already have been approved — but questions that have arisen this year about when students should begin, end and have holidays off from school mean that those calendars will be re-examined — and possibly changed. "Please be advised that changes to the 2013-14 calendar may be coming," Bernards schools superintendent Nick Markarian said in a special "Friday Folder" announcement to parents last Friday. Among one of the potential changes for both upcoming school years: starting school earlier to end school sooner in June. Markarian said he wanted to share with parents why changes to the school calendar are being …

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School Calendar May Be Revised for Next Year

Although already approved, revisions may be made for 2013-14, schools superintendent says.

The Board of Education may already have approved its school calendar for the 2013-14 school year, but concerns about a late final day in June, the need to respond to emergencies such as Hurricane Sandy and other questions about potential school holidays are prompting another look by school officials. "Please be advised that changes to the 2013-14 calendar may be coming," Bernards schools superintendent Nick Markarian said in a special "Friday Folder" announcement to parents last Friday. Markarian said he wanted to share with parents why changes to our school calendar are being considered. "Of particular concern, is the fact that the district’s current practice is creating calendars where the last day of school is very late in June. The …

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Moms Talk: New Year, New World

It seems a long, long time ago that it was fall and we were awaiting Thanksgiving and planning for the December holidays.

It's hard to believe it's been less than three weeks since a enigmatic 20-year-old shot up an elementary school in Newtown, Ct., killing 20 children and six adults. Adam Lanza reportedly had at some point attended the Sandy Hook Elementary School. That news came just as we were all still picking up the pieces after Hurricane Sandy. Those of us who live here can't say we were surprised by another power outage in the Somerset Hills in 2012, following two lengthy outages tipped off by the October snowstorm and Irene in 2011. But were most of us really expecting Sandy to pack the kind of winds we more often see in news clips from storms down South? Did we think we would see giant trees stretched across major roadways for days on end? And then…

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Counseling Available to Bernards Students After CT Shootings

Schools Superintendent said there may also be additional police presence in local schools.

School staff members in Bernards Township schools have been instructed to monitor those students who may be distraught after the shootings that killed 20 children in a Connecticut elementary school last Friday and counselors will be available and ready to assist those students who need it, the schools superintendent said in a message to parents. "Please be assured that Bernards Township schools have clear plans for both school security and for student support," Schools Superintendent Nick Markarian said in the message that was to have gone out in the Friday folder. "Our district maintains a close relationship with local police at all times through our School Resource Officers," the letter said. Markarian said Bernards Township schools …

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Bernards Schools Returning to Regular Day, Rec Returns

School and other recreational programs resuming.

All Bernards Township schools will open with all services on Tuesday at regular times, the school website said. School buses are scheduled to return to regular pickup times, but due to road closures or other obstructions, school buses will not be able to service all stops. A list of roads that school buses cannot service is posted on the Board of Education website. The list may not be comprehensive and parents are asked to drive their child to school if they don't believe a school bus can access the usual stop. Meanwhile, the Bernards Township Department of Parks and Recreation announced that all recreation programs held in Bernards Township schools were resuming on Monday. All recreation programs held at the Community Center will resume …

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All Bernards Schools to Open Monday With 2-hour Delay

Power restored at Oak Street and Cedar Hill schools.

All Bernards Township schools will be open on Monday with a two-hour delayed opening, according to the township website and Board of Education member Robin McKeon. All students will be in their regular schools, McKeon said. She said power had been restored at the Oak Street Elementary School and at the Cedar Hill Elementary School, which had been the two schools left without power as the weekend began. Ridge High School and the William Annin Middle School will be open at 10 a.m., and the four elementary schools will be open at 11 a.m., the township website said. No lunches will be served at any of the schools; students are encouraged to bring a snack. Students are advised to add two hours onto their normal bus pick up times. For example, …

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Bernards Schools to Reopen Monday, Even if Split Sessions Necessary

Oak Street Elementary School and Cedar Hill Elementary School remained without power midday Friday.

Bernards School Superintendent Nick Markarian said township schools will reopen on Monday even if split sessions are necessary, but he would like to avoid that scenario. As of Friday mid-day, the Oak Street and Cedar Hill elementary schools remained without power, Markarian reported at another emergency management meeting held at the police station late Friday morning. Township officials said they will ask JCP&L to give priority to getting those schools online, along with the remaining 2,500 or so other customers who were still without power at that time. Power had been restored at Ridge High School on Friday night. The William Annin Middle School and the Liberty Corner Elementary School were the first two schools to have power restored, …

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