Board of Education's Response
to the Light Rail 

February 17, 2012

Linda A. Mosch, P.E.
Project Director, Northern Branch Corridor EIS NJ TRANSIT Capital Planning & Programs
One Penn Plaza East
Newark, New Jersey 07105

Re: Northern Branch Corridor EIS (Light Rail Project)

Dear Ms. Mosch:

I am writing to you on behalf of the Leonia Board of Education (“Board”) in connection with the above‐referenced project. The Board has a number of serious concerns relating to the introduction of light rail service in the Borough of Leonia, specifically.... Please click here to read the complete letter.

          LEONIA BOE SEEKING CANDIDATES TO FILL VACANCY:

The Leonia Board of Education currently has a vacancy and seeks candidates with an interest in filling the open seat through to the next Board of Education election.

Candidates must be U.S. citizens, Leonia residents for at least one year, and be at least 18 years old.

Please send letter of interest to the Board Secretary no later than March 2, 2012. The address is as follows:

Ms. Julia Perez
Board Secretary/Business Administrator
Leonia Board of Education
570 Grand Avenue
Leonia, NJ 07605

                                      Light Rail

The Leonia Board of Education is soliciting your comments on the impact of the proposed Light Rail System as it pertains to the Leonia School District and in particular, Leonia High School. 

 Currently, we are conducting a traffic, pedestrian and noise study to analyze impact on ingress and egress of students and staff at LHS, the impact on physical education classes and athletic events that utilize the Overpeck fields and the general security and safety of students and staff. A copy of the Draft Environmental Impact Study can be found at http://northernbranchcorridor.com/docs.html 

Please feel free to offer comments, suggestions and concerns either by email or in person. The public portion of the February 7^th Board meeting has been designated for public comments on the Light Rail impact on Leonia Schools and in particular, Leonia High School. No formal presentation will be scheduled for that evening.

If you wish to email your comments, we have opened a designated site. Please email your comments to lightrail@leoniaschools.org before February 10^th. Include your name and address.

The Leonia Board of Education welcomes your comments.

December 2011

Dear Parent/Guardian(s):

It is Pre-K registration time. Pre-K enrollment is limited for this full school day program. Applications may be picked up at the Leonia Board of Education 570 Grand Ave. and the Anna C. Scott School starting January 3, 2012. All registration packets must be completed and returned to the Board of Education by January 31, 2012. Admission will be determined by a lottery process to be held on Wednesday, February 8, 2012 - 3pm in the Anna C. Scott gymnasium.

To be eligible for the Pre-K program your child’s fourth birthday must be by October 1^st. 

The following documents are required to complete the registration process: 

• proof of residency (lease or deed, current utility bill and Driver’s License)
• copy of your child’s birth certificate
• application forms

Please be reminded, in order to have your child officially eligible for the lottery, you must have successfully produced proof of residency and your child’s birth certificate. In addition, all immunization records must be in the Board office before your child may start the program.

Tuition for the 2012-2013 school-year is $5700 ($570 per month) payable by the first of each month (October through May) with two months of tuition payable by June1st. Checks should be mailed directly to the Leonia Board of Education, 570 Grand Ave. Leonia, NJ 07605 – Attn: Business Office.

Should you have any questions regarding Pre-K registration, please do not hesitate to call the Board Office at 201-302-5200 Ext. 1203. We look forward to meeting with you. 

ECC Brochure 2012-2013

Joanne Megargee
Superintendent of Schools

To all:

This weekend we take a moment to give thanks for our family, our friends and all that we hold dear. May the memories of family traditions be the stories that we share at the table. On behalf of the Board of Education, I wish you and your family a bountiful and Happy Thanksgiving.

Joanne Megargee

Joanne T. Megargee
Superintendent
Leonia Public Schools

Letter From the Board President

As you might expect, these past few days have presented a number of problems for our school system. Mrs. Megargee and the entire administration have been working tirelessly to handle the challenges that have resulted from this weekend's storm.

As of this morning, we have full power at ACS and LHS, while the Middle School remains without power (and heat). As the district servers are located at the Middle School, internet and phone service has been disrupted. (Phones are out at ACS and LMS, but are working at LHS. There is no internet service in any of the buildings.) We are relying on cell phones and our functioning alarm systems to deal with any emergencies that may arise at ACS. Also, reverse 911 remains functional and will continue to be the primary source of information to our school community.

The Superintendent and Jack Terhune (the Borough Administrator) have made a number of efforts to expedite the restoration of power to the Middle School. Although power might be restored at anytime, PSEG is projecting that power will be restored by tomorrow or Thursday.

The Superintendent and building Principals met yesterday to devise a plan for keeping the schools up and running while LMS is closed. (I also attended the meeting.) After discussing various options, it was determined that the plan implemented today was the best solution. All district families received recorded calls last night that gave instructions explaining how today's classes would be conducted.

To recap: ACS is conducting its normal day. LHS students reported at their
regular time and will run on a half-day schedule. LMS students will be relocated to the high school and will report for classes on a two-hour start delay and will end the day at their regular time. All bus service has been rescheduled to accommodate the LMS late start and LHS early dismissal.

Staggering starting and ending times for the LMS and LHS students makes this plan manageable. While this plan permits us to conduct all classes (without canceling school in the district), it is not without its challenges. I am confident that the Superintendent and the building principals will meet the challenges presented. Today's plan will be reviewed after school to determine what, if any, modifications will be made for tomorrow should LMS remain closed. We will continue to use reverse 911 to keep the district families informed.

Jeffrey McCartney
President, Leonia Board of Education
201 Oratam Terrace

Olivia Alex Wins
National Writing Achievement Award

Leonia High School senior Olivia Alex has recently been selected as one of ten seniors in the State of New Jersey to win a National Council of Teachers of English Achievement Award in Writing. This year NCTE, the professional association of secondary school English teachers, awarded 520 such awards, recipients of which were chosen from 1649 students nominated as juniors last academic year by their teachers from the fifty states, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, Canada, and American schools abroad.

The Achievement Awards in Writing program was established in 1957 to encourage high school students in their writing and to recognize publicly some of the best students writers in the nation. Assessments of students writing are based on students’ chosen samples of their own best prose or poetry and on an impromptu timed theme written under supervision. A team of English teachers judges the writing, looking especially for writing that demonstrates effective and imaginative use of language to inform and move an audience.

Winning students and their schools receive certificates recognizing their accomplishment, and the names of the students and their schools are posted on the NCTE website. Students also receive cards highlighting their achievement to include with their college applications.

Congratulations, Olivia!