Paterson Public Schools District HiLites

Click this link for pictures and the full update from the district website:  http://www.paterson.k12.nj.us/highlites/hilites-2012-13/10-04-12.html

Upcoming District Events

October 4: Board of Education Retreat

6:30 p.m. at 90 Delaware Ave. Details

October 6: Girls Leadership Summit

8:15 a.m. registration begins at International HS. Details: English  Español

October 8: Columbus Day

District Closed

October 9: District-wide Information Sessions

6 p.m. The College of New Jersey at the PCCC Theater/Auditorium

October 10: District-wide Information Sessions

4 p.m. TBD, 5 p.m.Caldwell College, 6 p.m. TBD, 7 p.m. Princeton University at the PCCC Theater/Auditorium

October 12: Staff Professional Development

No school for students on this day

Calling all 8th graders! – The 2012 High School Choice Fair will be taking place at the John F. Kennedy Educational Complex on Thursday, November 1st beginning at 6 PM. All of our high schools are now “Choice” schools offering students opportunities to choose a career-oriented thematic course of study. The Choice Fair gives eighth-graders and their parents an excellent opportunity to review the various themes and course tracks offered by the district’s academies and high schools. Click here for a short video commercial message highlighting the 2012 High School Choice Fair.  

University organization visits GOPA - The American Democracy Group, a student- run organization at William Paterson University (WPU) came to speak to about 100 students from the School of Government and Administration (GOPA).  Among the topics discussed were civic duties and responsibilities, including: paying taxes, registering for military service, serving on a jury and perhaps most importantly, voting. Students learned how the youth vote impacted the 2008 election; that through the large turn-out of young voters they were able to affect the outcome.

Meeting the professionals - When the Three Doctors Foundation, Inc. held its annual Mentor Day; once again School 12 guidance counselor, Mrs. Bandeli and language arts teacher, Mr. Ocasio, along with 26 students were in attendance. While at this inspiring event they met many business, civic and education professionals. The “Three Doctors” themselves were on hand as well and encouraged all the students to work hard and do their best to succeed.  Students spent quality time speaking to a police officer, a technology specialist, an ad executive, an administrator from a private school, and even an Editor from NBC Universal Studios!

Doctors Sampson Davis, Rameck Hunt and George Jenkins, known as “The Three Doctors,” collectively serve as an extraordinary model of leadership for anyone who’s been through any kind of life challenge or major hardship.

New ELC opens its doors - The Department of Early Childhood Education opened the doors of St. Mary’s Early Learning Center in September.  Although the facility is still undergoing some renovations, it has not prevented the school from fully participating in daily routines. A strong faculty and staff is now in place and are committed to implementing the state approved and developmentally appropriate “Creative Curriculum,”  which provides strategies that support the teachers in bringing the curriculum to life in their classrooms.  The St. Mary’s facility is moving ahead with high expectations and the staff is amazed everyday as they work with and watch the 3 and 4 year old students develop and acquire the social competence and foundational skills they need to succeed as lifelong learners.  St. Mary’s would like to extend an invitation for all to come by and see the astounding activities taking place in the classrooms!

Listening to the Gov’ - Student Government representatives from   International High School and Garret Morgan Academy attended Governor Christie’s Town hall meeting which took place in Elmwood Park on September 18th. Nah-Dira Artis, Linnette Martinez, Xavier Ridick, along with their advisor Kathy Esquiche, heard the Governor’s “middle class reform” agenda as well as the remarks of many citizens who voiced their concerns to the governor.

Getting out the vote - SOIT Student Government Association (SGA) members held a voter registration drive during the Eastside Back to School Night. The SOIT students set up a table in the cafeteria where they greeted parents as they entered. EHS seniors were also addressed during their first meeting of the school year and many completed their voter registration forms. 

The SGA voter registration table was operated by SOIT Student Government Association members Melissa Pasichana, Jonathan Chavez, Tiffany Lopez, and Alex Lopez. Each student received community service credits toward their SOIT graduation requirement of 30 credits. While they are still counting the applications collected, between the EHS seniors and the parents who registered, it is estimated that 75 people were registered.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T – Respect is not just a theme from a popular song by Aretha Franklin.  Respect is most importantly a way of behaving with civility in our daily interactions with others. As this issue of District HiLites reaches you, we are well into the State of New Jersey's official “Week of Respect.” Our school district has always taken the notion of respect very seriously and this is specifically advocated for under the“Safe, caring and orderly schools” priority in the district’s Strategic Plan. In recent months there has been considerable national and statwide focus with respect to harassment, intimidation and bullying (HIB). Last year, New Jersey instituted one of the strongest laws dealing with this issue: the “Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights.” The new “HIB” law requires schools to adhere to numerous guidelines and institute policies and practices aimed at creating a healthy and positive school culture for students and staff.

Our new interim Anti-Bullying Coordinator, Mr. Theodore “T.J.” Best, Jr. asks us all to ponder this question; “How much do you reallyknow about bullying?” Click here to review the district’s official HIB policy and to test your knowledge on this topic.

NSW goes Hollywood - The Norman S. Weir School produced a video trailer for their 2012 Back to School Night. This video was shown to parents and introduces the viewer to the school’s teaching and administrative family in a fun and entertaining way. You too can enjoy the NSW Back to School Night video feature by clicking here. 

Slam Dunk the Junk - Girl Scouts, JROTC members, students, church groups and other concerned environmentalists raked, shoveled, and picked up all sorts of trash along the banks of the Great Falls and elsewhere in Paterson. More than 100 volunteers, including Eastside High School's J ROTC gathered in Paterson for the cleanup activity. The effort was part of a statewide “Slam Dunk the Junk” campaign, sponsored locally by the New Jersey Clean Communities Council, as part of the Ocean Conservancy’s annual International Coastal Cleanup event.

Overall, more than 250 volunteers picked up debris, removed graffiti, and shoveled garbage. In total, more than 300 bags of junk were collected.  “I asked for 35 JROTC volunteers and 50 showed up,” said 1st Sgt. Abelito Solis, a JROTC instructor.

Community partners for education - School 15 students were welcomed on their first day of school by Pastor Ken Hwang and 9 members of the Arcola Methodist Church of Paramus, NJ.  What was the reason for their visit?  To provide each and every student with a personalized backpack filled with grade appropriate school supplies.

This amazing initiative was brought into fruition through the generous donations, dedication and outstanding efforts of over 100 Arcola Methodist Church members.  They ordered 1,000 custom printed backpacks that read; “Paterson Public School # 15 - Shine Like Stars!” The congregants also purchased grade appropriate school supplies and hand-packed each and every bag for students in grades K-5.

Thank you for your service - In honor of the September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance, School 18's counseling department sponsored a coupon collection activity for U.S. military families who are stationed overseas. Since coupons are not readily available to them, military families stationed in other countries can use these coupons for up to six months beyond their expiration dates. The website www.couponstotroops.com    provided mailing information for two military families currently stationed in Germany and Guam. Collecting coupons for these families proved to be a great way to thank them for their service to our country!  

Elected Officials: What We Should Be Here For

A well stated opinion piece from Paterson Public Schools Board of Education Commissioner, Corey L. Teague:

I think it does a major disservice to the community each time any elected official gets so bogged down with politics that they begin to forget about people. If you walk the streets of Paterson as I do - you will hear the lamentations of the public. There are so many disheartened folks in our neighborhoods today. People who have lived in Paterson all of their lives, but are now too scared to sit in front of their own property. We have scores of the homeless, who are trying to survive but can't seem to find the help they need to make survival possible. We have our young people, getting gunned down in the streets like animals because of senseless violence.

 

We have teachers who are reluctant to enter school settings for fear they might come under verbal attack by their students. Likewise, we have students who are afraid to go to school for the same reasons. If it appears that the masses have become sort of cold or callous, its probably because they witness their leaders behave in like manner. The constant in-fighting, bickering and trying to prove something must end today. If we cannot operate as ONE CITY united with ONE CAUSE and ONE AIM then collectively we will forever be locked in a virtual prison unable to connect with the rest of the world.

http://thealternativepress.com/towns/paterson/categories/letters-to-the-editor/articles/elected-officials-what-we-should-be-here-for#.UGNZGnzF7bA.facebook

September Quality of Life Newsletter

Quality of Life August E-Newsletter

Quality of Life Initiative Downtown Clean-Up Kick-Off

Saturday, August 25th from 12-2PM, Quality of Life Initiative will kick off the Citywide Adopt-A-Block Program with a Downtown Clean Up of the area on Main between Broadway and Ward streets. Information will be provided about the program and how to sign up going forward. School Based Youth Services and the Youth Services Bureau will be conducting the clean-up. Please contact me for any more details regarding the kick off clean up or the Adopt-A-Block program.

The Paterson Plan

After having watched and read about a weekend involving 3 murders, one taking the life of a 17 year old kid, I was very distraught and angry over the senseless loss of life.  I was fortunately lifted back up with some happiness as I read the stories and saw all the pictures on Facebook of everyone that came out in support of National Night Out.  (Wish I could have been there, about to be on my way back from Boston now.  YouthBuild Conference)  

As well, I learned from a student that the young people will also be organizing a peace rally next Tuesday in order to continue protesting the violence and to proclaim the senseless killing as unacceptable under all circumstances..

These events have inspired me to release this draft of The Paterson Plan.  The Paterson Plan is a framework of the core strategy that I will be proposing to the Quality of Life Initiative later this afternoon.  This plan will then hopefully be used at the Town Hall Meeting that I intend to set a date for soon.  If it appears to be a very broad plan, that is intentional.  The five core components of the plan are specific enough to stress the priority of the main problems that must be corrected yet broad enough that every symptom of the main problems can be categorized under the umbrella of each component.  There are many other drafted details under each core component however I would like to wait before releasing those details as we refine them a bit within the committee.

Please provide me with any feedback, criticism, praise, and ways to improve so that I can best present this to the committee.

Paterson Youth Council Accepting Applications for the Fall

Click the link to print/download the full application.  Disregard the due date, just get it handed in to Manny Martinez at the NJCDC.  973.413.1627

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwRABVpct-aQRlhiQzAyelNQSU0/edit

What is the Paterson Youth Council?

What does the Paterson Youth Council do?
The Paterson Youth Council (PYC) is the premier voice for the emerging leaders ages 15 to 18 in the city of Paterson. The PYC serves as a venue for which motivated, young people of Paterson meet to discuss issues that concern and affect them most.  Members of the Paterson Youth Council attend and participate in a year long aggressive leadership development program which includes: bi-monthly Saturday youth council meetings, quarterly over night retreats, monthly weekday planning sessions, and lobby days in Trenton and Washington, DC. In addition, youth council members are expected to coordinate and host their own service learning activities and projects including city-wide youth forums, political debates, and the city’s only youth driven youth recognition awards ceremony held annually on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service. Upon the successful completion of the program all students will receive a $500 scholarship.  Members also regularly attend City Council and Board of Education meetings.  Ultimately, these members discuss, create and present proposals for legislation intended to make a difference in issues important to them.

Mission Statement

We, the Paterson Youth Council, represent and engage the youth of Paterson to create opportunities that better themselves and their community.  We strive to develop positive community change and influence young leaders to remember their past, improve their present, and affect their future.

PYC Member Minimum Requirements & Responsibilities

• Members will coordinate and participate in at least one community service project annually
• Members must attend all Youth Council meetings and special events
• Members may be required to attend certain City Council and Board of Education meetings
• Members will participate in creating and preparing at least one piece of youth sponsored legislation to a local governing agency or body
• Members will participate in and complete youth leadership and financial education seminars

Application Overview

Please take note of the following sections included in this application.  Be sure to complete this application in its entirety and include all necessary attachments (i.e. essays, references, etc.)

ü  Applicant Information

ü  Short Essays

ü  Reference Forms

ü  Statement of Commitment

APPLICATIONS DUE NO LATER THEN FRIDAY JUNE 29, 2012 BY 4:30PM!

Applications can be mailed or hand-delivered to:

Manny Martinez, Advisor

Paterson Youth Council

32 Spruce Street, Third Floor Paterson, NJ 07501

New Jersey Community Development Corporation

Please direct any questions or information requests by phone to Manny Martinez at 973.413.1627 or by email at

mmartinez@njcdc.org

Victor Cruz’s Out of the Blue: Required Reading for Everyone, Young and Old, in Paterson and Beyond

The Ultimate Triumph: The Result of Chasing Your Dreams and Never Giving Up

I had not read a full book in one day in long time but as I picked up Victor Cruz’s new book on my kindle Friday morning, I simply could not put it down.

Having grown up in a fairly affluent suburb in Essex County, I never experienced the struggles of growing up in an inner city like Paterson.  Despite that, being a fellow peer of Victor’s, I find that my own path in life that led me to Paterson and all of you wonderful people, was not unlike Victor’s path in terms of the struggles, the ups and downs, and near fatal mistakes, but finishing ultimately with triumph.  My path goes to show that no matter what advantages one might be born with, it all can be thrown away with just a few strings of poor decision making.  Victor’s path, along with what my path showed, shows that no matter how few advantages one might be blessed with, hard work, commitment, perseverance, and a desire to follow one’s dreams can make the disadvantages almost irrelevant to the final results.  Most importantly, what I learned from Victor after finishing Out of the Blue is that, “Everyone’s path is unique.”

But this is not about me.  This is about Victor and how his unique path to his dream of playing in the NFL can be followed by anyone who wishes to put in the time, effort, and commitment.  This is about how Victor showed every single youth and every single Patersonian in general, and really, any American in general, that one can achieve their dreams by following a recipe that focuses on two main things, working hard and never giving up.  As Victor’s path shows, it will not be easy.  There will be countless roadblocks, bumps in the road, and you will get knocked off your desired path at some point.  That is a guarantee.  But that cannot stop your chase.  Like his father always told him, “Nothing is ever going to be handed to you, son.”  Truer words were never spoken and thankfully for Victor and over a hundred 145,000 now inspired Patersonians, Victor never forgot those words.

Nothing in life is ever handed to you.  Sure, some people may be blessed with more advantages than others.  But advantages do not guarantee success.  Victor had the advantage of being blessed with superb athletic ability.  That ability would have meant nothing had he not learned valuable lessons along the way that allowed him to maximize the potential of that ability.  And it almost did mean nothing.  On multiple occasions. 

For Victor’s friend and teammate, Jordan Cleaves, his abilities on the field were not enough to prevent a car from flipping over, taking his life, and ending his dreams of playing in the NFL next to Victor.  That is just one more reason to follow one’s dreams.  For Victor’s father, an incredibly admirable life of dedication to public service as a firefighter was not enough to guarantee lifelong success.  When his career was taken from him, so too was his life.  Life is fragile.  We all know that harsh reality.  We all know someone who was taken from us before they got to follow their dreams.  We all owe it to those people to follow our own dreams and never give up.  And if one does not know someone who was taken away too soon, then one need look no further than this past week at a movie theater in Colorado, to know that life is beyond fragile and can be taken away from any one of us at any moment.  Victor could have thrown in the towel too many times to count.  He did not.  He continued to follow his dream.  He never gave up.  And it paid off.

So let us all today learn from Victor’s unique path to stardom and I urge everyone to follow their own unique path.  To do that, go out and pick up Out of the Blue and read it immediately.  Listen to the lessons, the mistakes, the hardships, and listen to the feeling of ultimate triumph in the end that Victor experiences.  Apply it to your own life and do not let anything stop you from chasing your own dream just as Victor showed us all that you can do just that if you really want it.

Victor’s story is required reading for every single Patersonian, young and old, successful and unsuccessful, and in my opinion, it is required reading for any American trying to live the American dream.  It is a reminder to all of us to never give up in the pursuit of our dream.  It reminds us that while our dream may sometimes change, as Victor’s changed from playing basketball to playing in the NFL, that chasing our desire and stopping at no cost, will be the ultimate triumph and we will be a success if we give it our best shot.

After you finish the book, give it to someone else who has not yet read the whole story.  If you can get just one other person to read Victor’s story other than yourself, you will have made a positive difference in that person’s life.

And that is exactly what Victor has done for every single one of us who reads his story.

“Everyone’s path is unique.”  Lastly, I urge everyone to carve out their own unique path and do so by following your dreams, by working hard at it, and never giving up, just as Victor did.  He’s shown you it is possible, you just have to make it a reality.

All the best to everyone and take care.

Neighborhood Watch Resources

If you missed the first series of Neighborhood Watch training on Monday and Tuesday in the 1st and 4th wards, here are 3 PowerPoint Presentations from the National Crime Prevention Council.

The Paterson PD presentations are based off of these 3 resources and have been enhanced by the PPD in order to apply the information to Paterson itself.  As such, I do not recommend missing the next training sessions just because these have been made available.  Officer Dalton Price, Sgt. Sharon Easton, and their colleagues have provided city information that goes way beyond the scope of these presentations and that information is invaluable for helping to begin and practice neighborhood watch groups on your block so it is recommended that you take this information here and use it in addition to the information you gain from the PPD representatives at these training sessions.

Quality of Life Initiative E-Newsletter For July

Great Falls National Park Update

The Great Falls National Park and the vision that has enabled its designation to be realized, is beginning to take shape as we roll through the summer.


Yesterday, Park Superintendent Darren Boch, announced that we have hired the park's first Ranger, Ilyse Goldman, effectively doubling the National Park Staff in Paterson at this point in time.


Other things of note that were discussed at yesterday's Park Advisory Commission Meeting:

An August “art in the park” event in which artists will use the foundation of the steam plant as the canvas for a 3-D chalk drawing.

A program in conjunction with the Paterson Education Fund that will train city middle school teachers to use the national park as a classroom.

A July 25 event that will allow about 60 Paterson children to explore the river on rowboats. That program is being conducted with the help of the Bronx-based nonprofit group called Rocking The Boat.

(Recorded by patersonpress.com)

Taken from njcdc.org 

In addition to these happenings, the New Jersey Community Development Corporation has deployed its Great Falls Youth Corps to begin distributing information and providing free walking tours to visitors at Overlook Park as we attract hundreds of visitors to see the Great Falls every day.  The Great Falls Youth Corps is made up of 15 highly motivated youth from the surrounding areas that are working to service the National Park by way of tours, public outreach, community service and maintenance, and public awareness and education.  They are led by School Board Commissioner and NJCDC youth program leader, Manny Martinez.

In addition to the GFYC, Mr. Martinez is also leading the newly developed Urban Youth Corps in a beautification project for the next six weeks.  The Urban Youth Corps is made up of 8 young members of the community and they will be servicing the areas of the Jersey Gardens across from the Route 19 ramp leading onto Grand St., the Upper Raceways, walking trails behind Mary Ellen Kramer Park and the trail leading up Lou Costello Pool, as well as various other areas in the Historic District that require their service.

Yesterday, members of both youth groups addressed the National Park Advisory Commission in order to inform the commission of the details of their projects, their reasons for wanting to join these projects, and simply to express their gratitude for having a chance to be a part of such a historic enterprise as preparing Paterson for the development of America's newest National Park.  

As a former leader of the Great Falls Youth Corps and other NJCDC programs, I would like to extend my thanks to these young people for their passion and dedication to Paterson and its rich history.  Many folks still are unaware of the vitally significant role that Paterson has played in American and World history but with these young people advocating and educating others on that exact history through the power of technology, social media, and their own relationships with their peers, we are beginning to see momentum take shape at the site of the National Park.  Keep up the good work GFYC and UYC and continue to follow Manny's lead.  It has been a pleasure watching you all take the things we have taught you and use them to empower yourselves and your fellow citizens with the knowledge of Paterson's significant history.

There is little doubt that you are all playing a vital role in ensuring Paterson's future becomes even more prosperous than its storied past.

Listen To What Children Say; Watch What Adults Do.

Listen To What Children Say; Watch What Adults Do.

I first want to apologize in advance here.  My proverbial gloves have come off thanks to a close friend inspiring me recently.  I have come to the conclusion that I must no longer hold anything back regardless of the other factors in motion.  If I hold back due to my usually diplomatic nature, then I am just sitting back and allowing the wrong things to be taking place despite the fact that I know in my heart that I can help make things right if people listen to me. 

I do not wish to choose sides.  I do not wish to make enemies.  I do not wish to talk to my elders and with anything resembling disrespect.  I do not wish to talk down to the very youth population that I serve.  I do not wish to politically harm anyone nor do I wish to appear morally superior to anyone.  I am a very flawed individual and I will be the first one to tell you that I have many things to work on in order to live up to my own high standards of what I aspire to be in life. 

But by writing and publishing this article today, I can hold my head high knowing that I at least tried my hardest to get things done the right way and provide this city, this country, and this world with as much value as I possibly can.  I only hope that people do not resent me for it but rather, that people will respect my perspective as fair and see me as an example to follow due to my honest and sincere effort.

Listen To What Children Say; Watch What Adults Do.

This was a statement made to me by the smartest and wisest man that I have ever met in my entire life.  (Different person than the friend that inspired this article)  This man is also probably the biggest reason why I became a history major and my life’s trajectory led me directly to the city of Paterson where I have dedicated myself to serving the entire population of Patersonians.  He has taught me so many valuable life lessons and he has helped guide me through many confusing times that it is totally unbelievable to think about.  And the craziest part of all of that above information is that I have met this man only once in person.

            So how has he played such a large role in my life having only met me once?  It is because he is a friend that I interact with fairly regularly on a New York Giants Internet message board.  (Yes, I am a disturbingly obsessed Giants and football fan, even more fitting that I ended up in Victor Cruz’s hometown.)

            And what does any of that have to do with Paterson?  The quote will be the main topic to be explained, but I also wanted to point out that it is the Internet that led me to Paterson because I believe that same Internet will play a direct role in Paterson if this city develops the way I envision it will in the coming years. 

So enough of my longwinded intro:

            Recently patersonpress.com put out an article discussing chronic absenteeism in the school district amongst our student population.  There have also been reports of people being robbed, shot, beat up, and whatever else on a daily basis in the news with our youth playing a large part in these crimes. 

Prior to the absenteeism news, the City Council dished out punishments to some members of Mayor Jones’ administration after conducting an investigation into Administration overtime payments.  Then a vote of ‘no confidence’ was passed against Mayor Jones.  Then Mayor Jones came out and put forth allegations concerning Councilman Kenneth Morris and his relationship with a city employee.  The Council obviously defended the Councilman and criticized the Mayor in return.  Yesterday, a long time Court Director was terminated and Mayor Jones told the Council they have to follow certain procedures when contacting Department Directors. 

See where I’m going with this yet?  Listen to what children are saying; watch what adults are doing.

            While accountability is certainly something I seek daily and support in every way, I am unsure of what the proper courses of action were when each of these proverbial jabs were thrown at each other between the council and the Mayor’s office.  I am certain however, that there’s got to be a better way for the greater good. 

Please hear me out members and former members of the City Council, and Mayor Jones and your administration; you all know I have the utmost respect for all of you and I just want a better Paterson.

The decisions by the Council put the Mayor in a precarious situation.  His job as Mayor is to choose a staff to execute his executive direction.  Mayors and really any executive in any field, both politics and business, are going to make mistakes in choosing their staff.  That is the nature of being human.  But as the elected Mayor, it is still his obligation to decide the fate of the staff that works for him.  It is difficult to see from his perspective but think about it, it can be quite undermining to take the matters of the executive’s own staff and put it into the legislative branch’s hands.  And I need not delve too far into the ‘no confidence’ vote.  I do not know the correct course of action there at all but I am certain there has to be some other way to enable the executive and legislative branches to work together rather than against each other. 

We have two years left.  I realize many want to somehow enable a recall to occur but that is no seamless venture and presents its own problems.  Point being, given how Mayor Jones has two years left, it is counterproductive to put forth such a condemning piece of legislation to the executive leader of the city.

            Now Mayor Jones, please realize right now in this moment that despite you telling folks not to believe everything they read, let me tell you personally, many people do not have confidence in you and that is the reason why the Council took the vote in the first place.  There is no witch-hunt here, no personal agendas, no revenge factor, etc…  The Council is indeed taking these actions with their constituents in mind.  (Seriously, there was literally a 100+ post hypercritical Facebook discussion taking place as I was writing this article; sorry to beat a dead horse again but you need to communicate better with your constituents and then you could start to gain their trust back.  Until you interact more effectively than you have, they will continue condemn you.)  As I said above, whether the council actions are the correct actions or not, I do not know.  But having interacted with as many people as I have in the past 6 months, people are not confident in you nor were they pleased with the overtime findings; that does explain why the Council took the action. 

The people cannot see what you are doing behind the scenes; they only see the controversies that have resulted from this overtime issue and the way you have responded to it.  As I have been trying to tell you, you need to open up a better line of communication with all Patersonians and that line of communication is through the internet and many other cost free avenues along the lines of the Giants message board I mentioned earlier that helped lead me to Paterson.  I know you are doing much behind the scenes but you need to tell people about it in more detail; they need to see and hear real progress.  Hopefully I will be able help you and the administration show the people that now as a part of the Quality Of Life Initiative Steering Committee.

            I would be remiss not to mention the school district.  It is no secret that I hold Dr. Evans and his job performance in the highest of esteem.  We are in fact making much progress within the school district regarding student performance and I am certain that it is a direct result of the comprehensive strategies, proven school models, and methods to improve teaching and administrative performance.  Unfortunately, like the Council and Mayor’s Office, there is much more major work to be done in terms of communication with all Patersonians throughout the school district.  (Sorry Commissioners and Dr. Evans, you know I’ve been on your case about this since I arrived almost two years ago now)  This is all to say that no one has done their best for the constituents amongst the city government and school district.  No one has served Patersonians as well as they could have.  I know for a fact everyone can do better.  I mean, if we can’t do better then that’s really bad, no?

            Now while the city government bickers amongst itself, and the school district struggles to reach the people it serves effectively, and we still cannot figure out how to manage overtime procedures properly for the thankless job that the police and fire department members do serving the city.  (Watch what adults do)  Now there are some good things happening in both sectors but unfortunately, those good things continue to be overshadowed by the fact that our youth and portions of our adult population are doing and selling drugs, fighting, stealing, and killing people every day.  (Listen to what children say)  How can we expect our youth to stop fighting when we cannot do that very same thing ourselves?  As well, we are still not yet out of the woods in terms of improving the education of our children, nor are we anywhere close to solving our social, political, and economic woes.  The longer all the fighting goes on, the threat to derail any progress made within the school district or the city, grows.  More importantly, people keep dying.  Young people.  Older people.  Middle aged people.  Innocent people.  Everyone is being directly affected by the violence.  Bullets do not bicker.  They take down anyone in their path.  And that means anyone. 

            Fortunately to keep with my positive attitude outlook, and vision, despite all our troubles and negative headlines, I cannot stop repeating that regular citizens have been mobilizing to take action on issues that have been neglected for years and are doing so with impressive and effective results.  I do not have to report on these stories, there are too many out there to list.  If you wish to read those stories, check my site, check the other sites I listed in my last article, and of course check PatersonPress.com too.  (I forgot to mention the Ivanhoe Art Group last time.  They’re also doing great work providing art and cultural services to our youth and adult populations while communicating effectively via Facebook.)  And spread the word about all of them.

            I am here to ask…  No beg…  No…  I am demanding.  I demand you politicians throw away the infighting and begin setting a better example for our youth and the rest of our adult population.  When I arrived here nearly two years ago now, part of the rationale that I gave to my family for wanting to stay and be a part of this city, was because I saw people within the ranks of school and city government who all wanted the same thing.  I saw leaders who envisioned a flourishing Paterson, with a people proud of its innovative and legendary history, a community beaming with pride about its natural resources and beauty, a peaceful and vibrant city.  I thought you were all prepared to propel us into the 21^st century just as this same city propelled the entire Nation and world into the 19^th century and beyond.  I challenge you now to prove to the citizens that you all are up to that task.

There are lives at stake every day here.  Children could die; it is going to happen eventually.  Some young child is going to get hit with a bullet not meant for them and we are going to mourn and wonder how we could allow something like that to happen.  Innocent adults already have suffered such fate.

            How about this for our first compromise from our elected officials so we can put the past behind us set a good example?  Mayor Jones, you accept the City Council punishments for your administrative staff by instituting the penalties yourself; there have been fairly legitimate complaints, investigations, etc…  and people were demanding to see accountability.  You should be the one handing out those penalties out.  City Councilmembers, you repeal the no-confidence vote.  You all have to work together for two years and that legislation makes working together and effectively for the duration of this current term.  And Mr. Mayor, please get behind Congressman Pascrell, he’s clearly got the support to win here and we need both offices to work together.  The constituents cannot afford such drastic risk of government stagnation.  We can have a nice press conference up by the Falls to announce it all together.

            Then let’s put it all behind us, get to work, and show the rest of New Jersey and the Nation that we are ready to lead the way into the future again.

The citizens elected all of you.  The solution starts with everyone.  Citizens included.  Parents included.  Teachers included.  Politicians.  Business owners.  Etc…  We want our youth to stop fighting with each other and failing?

            Then it is time that we all put aside the past transgressions.  Each and everyone one of us must look in our own mirror.  And we must all figure out how, as an individuals we can be better, so that we can create the best possible future by working together and achieving excellence.

All the best and take care everyone.

            

Paterson Quality of Life E-Newsletter for June

Below you will find the new E-Newsletter that resulted from the Quality of Life meetings that took place a few months ago.  To download the file, click into the full screen and download it from my google docs.

I am now working alongside Mrs. Donna Ivy and the rest of the Quality of Life Steering Committee within the Department of Health and Human Services to further improve the communications process.  We will be working strenuously to ensure that everything taking place to improve the quality of life here is communicated effectively with Patersonians citywide.

Please continue spreading the word about positive things taking place in Paterson and as well, please do your best to phone in or report any complaints of public misconduct to the respective department.

If you do not know which department to report to, please contact me and I will direct you to where you need to go or handle the complaint for you with the department myself.