Ramsey Review Municipal pool registration begins The Ramsey Pool Commission’s annual brochure will not be mailed this year, but is available online at www. ramseynj.com. The brochure can be accessed through the Municipal Pool tab on the left side of the home page. Copies of the brochure and the registration forms will be available at the municipal building, 33 North Central Avenue. For further information, contact Joe Collins, pool manager, at (201) 825-8317, or Karen Dey at (201) 825-2518. Cleanup Day set The Ramsey Environmental Commission’s annual Cleanup Day is scheduled for Saturday, April 18, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with a rain date of Sunday, April 19. Residents may sign up at the Ramsey Rescue building across from Ramsey High School on the day of the event. For details, contact Angela Strollo at astrollo2@verizon.net. Adult sports programs offered Registration is underway for the three adult sports programs sponsored by the Ramsey Recreation Commission: Men’s Over 50 Softball, Women’s Over 25 Softball, and Adult Soccer. Registration forms are available online at www.ramseynj.com. League play begins this month. For information, contact John Solarino at (201) 825-8299. Senior news The bocce courts are ready for another season and play will begin this week. Men over the age of 60 are invited to the Ramsey Pool courts every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The women’s schedule will be announced shortly. The new activity room has added a ping-pong table, thanks to Artie’s handiwork. A pool table, game table, and shuffleboard are available at the center every Tuesday and Thursday at 1 p.m. Anyone who would like to donate an unused keyboard may call (201) 327-4637. On Monday, April 6 at 1 p.m. Susan Breithaupt of Valley Hospital will discuss “Improving Your Brain. Breithaupt will give tips on keeping the mind active. This program is open to the public. Anyone who needs a ride to the polls on April 21 may call (201) 825-1975 and leave a name and phone number. The “Over 60” Activity Group is available to all Ramsey residents who are interested in joining their contemporaries in new experiences. For a calendar of events, stop by the center at Finch Park or call (201) 825-3400 for a mailing. Leisure Club plans trip The Leisure Club is planning a bus trip to the Woodlock Pines in Hawley, Pennsylvania on Thursday, April 23. Entertainment, a buffet lunch, and boat ride are included. Call Connie at (201) 327-4170 for pricing and information. Summer camps available Ramsey Adult School offers three affordable summer camp programs for children. The camps cater to children entering kindergarten through ninth grade. Ramsey residency is not required. Summer Sensations is a morning enrichment camp taught by district teachers. The camp runs Monday to Friday, July 6 through 24, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This program is open to children entering kindergarten to fifth grade next fall, and costs $165 for one week, $295 for two weeks, or $405 for three weeks. Summer Vibrations is a music camp taught by professional music teachers. This camp runs for three weeks, Monday to Friday, July 6 through 24, from 9:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. This program is for children who will be entering grades five through nine in the fall, and costs $405. Children have the opportunity to participate in an overall music experience as they take part in small group lessons, electives, ensembles, and master forums. Summer Exploration: CSI Kids is a theme based camp for middle school aged children. This year’s theme is CSI Kids: Law & Order/Criminal Intent. It runs for two weeks, Monday to Friday, July 6 through 17, from 8:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. This program is open to children entering grades six through eight in the fall, and costs $295. Campers will investigate “crime scenes” set up by the teachers, analyze evidence in a variety of labs, and participate in mock trials. A trip to the Bergen County Bureau of Criminal Investigation to tour a real crime lab is also included. Sibling discounts apply to all camps if registering more than one child. Call (201) 785-2300 extension 20401 for brochures and general information, or visit www.ramseyadultschool.com. Haircuts benefit foundation The Ramsey Public Education Foundation will host a hair cutting fundraiser on Sunday, April 5 between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. The Magic Mirror, located at 49 West Allendale Avenue in Allendale, will donate 20 percent of all business that day to the Ramsey Public Education Foundation. Call (201) 962-7552 for an appointment, or just stop in. Saint John’s sets Spring Boutique Saint John’s Memorial Episcopal Church, located on the corner of Main Street and Franklin Turnpike in Ramsey, April 1, 2009 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 27 will host its annual Spring Boutique on Saturday, April 4 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be handcrafted and one-ofa-kind Easter and spring items, such as Easter cards, note cards, specialty baked items, jewelry, novelty items for Easter baskets, quilts and quilted table toppers made by the Saint John’s Quilters Guild, hand-knitted items, egg trees, floral wreaths, hand-dipped Easter chocolates, unique home and garden decorations, and other ornamental items. Lunch and dessert will be available. For more information on this event and other church activities, contact the church office at (201) 327-0703, stjohns-ramsey@verizon.net or visit at http://www.stjohns-ramsey.dioceseofnewark.org/. Strike Out Hunger on opening day Saint John’s Memorial Episcopal Church and the Ramsey Baseball/Softball Association have teamed up to Strike Out Hunger. League participants are encouraged to bring nonperishable food items to the Finch Park snack stand on April 4, opening day for the Ramsey softball/baseball season. All food items will be donated to local food pantries. The Northwest Center for Food Action in Mahwah has suggested kid friendly food items for this food drive: hot and cold cereals, juice boxes, canned fruits, pasta, pasta sauce, boxed macaroni and cheese, and healthy individual snack items for lunch boxes. The church has pledged to do its part to strike out hunger locally by donating 8,000 cans of goods in 2009. For information about Saint John’s, this food drive, and the church’s other many outreach activities, call (201) 327-0703 or email Saint John’s at stjohns-ramsey@verizon.net. Municipal pool (continued from page 9) early for $110 per person. The reduced membership rates will be in effect until April 30, but after that date, large families will have to pay $360, individuals will have to pay $150, and small families will be charged $150 per person, all the same as last year. The pool facility offers a 25 meter pool with diving well, a wading pool for babies, a 40 foot intermediate pool for children, volleyball and playground areas, picnic tables and grills, extensive lawns, a clubhouse with lockers and showers, and a patio with food services. There are also swings and a slide play area for children. The pool offers group swimming lessons, a swim and diving team and lifeguard training courses each summer. Registration for those programs takes place on site after the pool opens on the Saturday of Memorial day weekend. The pool will be closed after Labor Day. Budget (continued from page 3) The school board was also forced to reduce staff positions last year in order to reduce its budget. Those reductions included two physical education teaching positions and 17 custodial staff positions. The reduction of the full time paraprofessional positions to part-time positions has been controversial with members of the Mahwah Education Association, the union that represents the district’s teachers. Association members have attended recent school board meetings in support of the paraprofessionals. They claim the reduction of those positions to part-time will affect the continuity the paraprofessionals provide to district students. The district’s 70 paraprofessionals work as special education tutors, teachers’ aides, and lunchtime aides. Deptula advised that 39 of paraprofessionals are currently employed full-time. At a recent board meeting, a citizen asked if the trustees would consider giving the paraprofessionals the option to keep full-time employment, but give up their health benefits. Deptula and Montesano explained that the administration cannot waive their health benefits because it would not be binding based on the district’s current agreement with the teacher’s union. “The issue is they (the paraprofessionals) can turn health benefits down, but they always have the right to ask for them back,” Deptula said. Montesano explained further that the board would not be able to terminate any person who gave up his or her health benefits and then asked to have them restored.