Page 10 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • August 17, 2011 Wyckoff Township woman named superintendent in Moonachie by John Koster Jill Mortimer, a Wyckoff resident who recently served as the regional director of curriculum for the schools in Allendale, Ho-Ho-Kus, Upper Saddle River, and Northern Highlands Regional High School, is now superintendent of schools/principal in Moonachie. She will receive a salary of $135,000 on a four-year contract. “I am very excited about my new position, and I look forward to working with all of the stakeholders,” Mortimer told Villadom TIMES last week. “My entry plan centers on making sustainable, systematic changes that will support increased student achievement. I want to make changes that are transformative, not additive. School improvement does not necessarily arise out of innovations or new programs. I am in the process of examining the school’s testing data to uncover patterns. I will then identify instructional priorities based upon this information. “The district goals that I am planning include the following: develop and implement a proactive, systematic system for assistant students who are struggling with academic achievement, continue the process toward full implementation of the reading and writing workshop model in grades K-8, ensure that our curricula meet the requirements of the common core standards, engage in formative assessment training for staff and increase the frequency of its use, develop a plan to maximize the efficiency of the master schedule and staffing assignments, and improve student, staff, and community access to technology.” The Moonachie school system, which serves 2,700 K8 students at the Robert Craig School, tested below state average in both reading and mathematics. Mortimer is taking measures to try to boost test scores and academic performance. She told Villadom TIMES that she would also implement a school safety team and meet all the requirements in the revised harassment, intimidation, and bullying policy and have the School Discipline Committee review the discipline matrices for students in kindergarten through fourth grade and fifth through eighth grades and make recommendations for improvement, implement the effective use of small group instruction based on students’ individual needs, and infuse the 21st century and technology core curriculum content standards into the curricula. “As superintendent and principal, I plan to continually develop the capacity to create the district’s desired future,” Mortimer said. “Every school, and organization, for that matter, is set up to achieve exactly what it is achieving. The key is to examine those structures and modify them, if necessary.” Mortimer, who has been in education for 19 years, began her career as a high school teacher in Elizabeth. She thanked Dr. Monica Browne, the Upper Saddle River superintendent, for her guidance. Mortimer lives in Wyckoff with her husband Peter and their 11-year-old son. Officers announced The Wyckoff Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary installed its new officers for 2011-2012 at the annual dinner held at the Brick House in Wyckoff. The new officers are: Brenda Hoeffs, president; Cindy Risseeuw, vice president; Lisa LoRusso, recording secretary; Lois Ciampo, corresponding secretary; Suse Bell, treasurer for Company 1; and Sue Graglia, treasurer for Company 2. Pictured: Sue Graglia, Lisa LoRusso, Brenda Hoeffs, Cindy Risseeuw and Lois Ciampo. Not pictured: Suse Bell.