Page 6 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • December 25, 2013 Saddle River Valley Notes Kindergarten orientation set The Upper Saddle River School District has scheduled a Jan. 9 kindergarten orientation and registration for its fall 2014 class. The program will be held in the Travers Multi- purpose Room at Reynolds School, 391 West Saddle River Road in Upper Saddle River, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Parents of children who have (or will have) attained the age of five on or before Oct. 1, 2014 are invited. The program will cover a typical day in kindergarten and the curriculum. RSVP by Jan. 3 to (201) 961-6300 or cfinn@usrschoolsk8.com. Register for baseball & softball The Upper Saddle River Baseball and Softball associa- tions will hold in-person registration for the spring 2014 recreation season on Jan. 4 and 11. Registration will be held from 9 a.m. to noon at borough hall, 376 West Saddle River Road in Upper Saddle River. For more information about the baseball program, con- tact Ed Cenci at ecinc81@optonline.net or visit www. usrbaseball.com. Those interested in softball may contact Natalie Ling at usrsoftball@gmail.com or visit www.usrsoftball.com. Special needs basketball offered The Upper Saddle River Basketball Association and Upper Saddle River Recreation Commission are sponsor- ing a free structured, small group basketball clinic for chil- dren with special needs. Students in kindergarten through grade six are invited to these one-hour clinics, which will be held in the Reynolds School gym at 391 West Saddle River Road in Upper Saddle River. The program will meet at 11 a.m. on the following dates: Jan. 5, 12, and 26; Feb. 2 and 9; and March 2, 9, and 16. Players will warm up, run drills, and play a brief game. Breaks and any other accommodations will be made. Each participant will require a parent shadow for all clinics. Children from the surrounding communities are wel- come. Contact Joe Abbatiello at (917) 744-4415 or e-mail jabbatiello@verizon.net to register or for details. Pet food & toy collection under way During December, the Center for Food Action and Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge, Inc. will receive food to help needy families feed their pets, and for homeless dogs and cats. The community is asked to remember the animals this holiday season and bring donations of pet food and pet toys to one the following drop off locations: Animal Hospi- tal of Saddle River, 171 East Saddle River Road in Saddle River; The Spotted Dog, 347 Ramapo Valley Road in Oak- land; and Woof Gang Bakery, 57 West Allendale Avenue in Allendale. The pet toys will be distributed to RBARI and Teterboro shelters. ESL classes available The Upper Saddle River Library offers an ongoing ESL (English as a Second Language) Program. The free ses- sions provide instruction for area adults. Local residents, who are specially trained tutors, teach foreign-born adults on a one-to-one basis to speak, read, and write English. All groups meet at the library at 245 Lake Street at prearranged times. Applications are available at the library’s circulation desk. To register for lessons or to learn more about becoming a tutor, contact Rosemarie Manganaro at (201) 327-2583. Ski trips planned for local students The Upper Saddle River Recreation Commission will sponsor three all-day ski trips on Saturdays in 2014. The trips include Windham Mountain on Jan. 11, Hunter Moun- tain on Jan. 18, and Mount Snow in Vermont on Jan. 25. This program is open to skiers in grades sixth through 12 who attend Ho-Ho-Kus schools, Brookside School and Northern Highlands High School in Allendale, Cavallini and Bogert schools in Upper Saddle River, and students who reside in Upper Saddle River and attend other schools. The cost of the three trips, including luxury coach trans- portation and lift tickets, is $370. Students may sign up for individual trips, the cost of which is outlined in the regis- tration form. Registration forms will be available on the Upper Saddle River website, www.USRToday.org, at borough hall, and at the schools. Space is limited. Those who register will be accommodated on a “first come” basis. Parents who are interested in becoming chaperones, and those who require additional information may contact Chairman Esau Ali at (201) 934-9075. Marine Corps League meets Saddle River Marine Corps League meets at 7:30 p.m. the second and fourth Wednesday every month at the fire- house located at West Saddle River Road and Allendale Avenue. Former Marines and Navy Corpsmen are invited. For more information call Fred Johnston at (201) 652 7351. Fellowship Group meets The Saddle River Valley Fellowship Group meets the second and fourth Thursdays of the month at 11 a.m. at the Bergen Highlands United Methodist Church in Upper Saddle River. For information, call (201) 327-8969. Agreement (continued from page 5) year. If the individual is in grade one, he or she would go right to the sergeant level of pay. Kratz explained that the grade differential can be as much as $60,000 a year. Promotions are based on a Civil Service list of qualified applicants. “Both sides came out winning. Each side came in with a goal, and we maintained a good relationship throughout,” said Mayor Giordano, who noted this had been his first PBA negotiations experience. He thanked the negotiations teams from both sides for their work.