December 14, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 27 Saddle River Valley Notes Club seeks donors, sponsors The Saddle River Valley Junior Woman’s Club is seeking donations and sponsors for its Wine Pairing Dinner and special auction fundraiser, which is set for Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. at Seasons in Washington Township. Proceeds will benefit The Center for Food Action. The high-profile event will feature Dan Amatuzzi, wine director of Eataly in New York City and private wine consultant, who will offer tips on unique wine and food pairings. The evening will include a cocktail hour, premium open bar, a four-course dinner with paired wines, and a special auction. In addition to sponsorships, advertising opportunities are available. Contact Julie at (201) 962-7138. Tickets are $125. Visit www.srvjwc.org or mail a check payable to SRVJWC to: P.O. Box 101, Saddle River, NJ 07458. Special needs basketball offered The Upper Saddle River Basketball Association and USR Recreation Commission are sponsoring a structured, small group basketball clinic for children in grades two through six with special needs. One hour clinics will be held on Sundays at noon in Reynolds School gym, located at 391 West Saddle River Road. The players will warm up, run drills, and scrimmage. Built-in breaks and accommodations will be made. Each participant will require a parent shadow for all clinics. All players will receive a T-shirt. Contact Joe Abbatiello at jabbatiello@verizon.net or call (917) 744-4415. Kindergarten orientation set The Upper Saddle River School District will hold a Kindergarten Orientation for parents of children who will be five years of age on or before Oct. 1, 2012. The orientation will be held Wednesday, Jan. 18 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the multipurpose room at Reynolds School, 391 West Saddle River Road. Registration procedures, a typical day, and the curriculum will be discussed.RSVP by Jan. 13 to (201) 9616300 or e-mail cfinn@usrschoolsk8.com. Local resident studies abroad Upper Saddle River resident Alyson Rose Tucci is attending The London School of Economics and Political Science in England. Tucci, a graduate of Immaculate Heart Academy in Washington Township, is studying for her master’s in accounting, organizations, and institutions. While abroad, she is also playing soccer for her university. A recent honors graduate of Villanova University, Tucci majored in economics and international business. She attended Stanford University’s Graduate Summer Business Institute and received the Dean’s Award for Most Outstanding Student. Cultural center offers children’s events The Saddle River Cultural Center will offer “A Christmas Carol” on Dec. 18 at 3 p.m. This one-hour production of Charles Dickens’ famous tale of Ebenezer Scrooge is geared toward children eight and older. Advance tickets are $12. The center will offer School’s Out Camps for all ages during the school break. Magic, Circus Fun, and Broadway Kids will be offered on Dec. 28. On Dec. 29, programs on Lego Star Wars, Motorized Things, and Girl’s Club will be available. The cost to attend a half-day session (9 a.m. to 1 p.m.) is $45; a full-day session (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.) is $80. Visit www.SRVCC.org to order tickets, register for camps, and view a complete listing of upcoming programs. For more information, e-mail office@srvcc.org or call (201) 825-3366. The Saddle River Valley Cultural Center is located at 305 West Saddle River Road in Upper Saddle River. Book groups announce meetings Coffee Talk Book Group will discuss “The Human Stain” by Philip Roth on Thursday, Dec. 15 at 10:30 a.m. Copies of the books are available at the circulation desk. On Dec. 7, Novels at Night will meet at 7:30 p.m. The group will discuss Dave King’s “The Ha Ha.” Preschool program announces openings The Upper Saddle River School District has six general educational openings available in its Integrated Preschool Program. Applications for the September 2012 program are available at www.usrschoolsk8.com or call (201) 961-6300 to request an application by mail. The Integrated Preschool Program is a nursery school program that incorporates special education children with general education preschoolers. The program is held at Reynolds School. Special education youngsters are placed in the program through an evaluation process administered by the Special Services Department. Children attend five half-days a week from 8:30 to 11 a.m. The first 15 applicants will be screened in early December. Other applicants will be placed on a waiting list. The six openings will be offered by Dec. 21. Current tuition is $3,750; 2012-13 tuition will be determined by June. To be eligible, a general education student must be four years old on or before Oct. 1, 2012. A birth certificate, copy of immunizations, and four proofs of residency will be required. The closing for applications is Nov. 30, 2011. Rescue conference (continued from page 4) provisioning. “We could take this meeting forward in implementing better planning and response on a community level.” Council members, police officers or public officials from Dumont, Fair Lawn, Fort Lee, and Tenafly and also attended, along with Bergen County Executive Kathleen Donovan and a number of state and county officials. Allendale recently broke ground on the borough’s second cluster of special-needs housing, paid for almost entirely by outside funds. The borough already has one functional cluster of special-needs units on a quadrant of Orchard Commons, which is otherwise a park on Franklin Turnpike that was also dedicated with state, county, and donated funds with no demands on taxpayers. Wilczynski, who was elected to her second term in November, has long been interested in the needs of the handicapped and in environmental issues. Raia honored (continued from page 5) member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, a former trustee of the Dwight Englewood School, and has served on various philanthropic, civic, and religious organizations. He received the NCE Outstanding Alumnus Award in 2001 and was inducted into Tau Beta Pi in 2009. Lawrence and Elaine just celebrated their 46th wedding anniversary and have three children and eight grandchildren. His spare time is spent golfing, sailing, reading about history, and enjoying time with his family. The honoree is the brother of Samuel Raia, mayor of Saddle River.