Bergen County Living by Barbara Weismann

Elisabeth Morrow School Orchestra to play at Radio City

How many elementary school orchestras do you know that have played at Radio City? If you are familiar with the Elisabeth Morrow School in Englewood, New Jersey, then you know of one group of talented youngsters who have achieved this honor. On February 29, the Elisabeth Morrow School orchestra will join four other youth orchestras from around the country for a concert at Radio City Music Hall. Thirty schools entered the competition, sponsored by the National Association of Independent Schools. The school has long been known for its excellent Summer String Festival. You can view a clip of the festival orchestra featured on the Today show here. Several years ago, students from this school orchestra were featured in the movie Music of the Heart, starring Meryl Streep. If you remember the scene where the children are playing the fiddle tune “Orange Blossom Special” at Carnegie Hall, then you’ve discovered one ..(read more)

Scholarship opportunities for Bergen County Students

Because we have excellent schools in Bergen County, we have a greater than average number of college bound students. Every dollar helps, and motivated students are often surprised to learn how many opportunities are out there for merit based financial assistance. By now most applicants for financial aid have submitted their FAFSA application, which helps colleges and scholarship groups determine need and eligibility. But it is not too late to look for more opportunities for awards and funding. Cresskill High School has a web page devoted entirely to scholarships, with deadlines, links to websites, and important information. Their guidance department assists students with scholarship applications. Available scholarships can come from many sources – local civic groups, corporations, cultural associations, educational foundations. Cresskill has listed everything from Coca-Cola Scholars, and KFC scholars to the local Junior League and other ..(read more)

Theater, Concerts, and Entertainment in Bergen County New Jersey

Bergen County has the advantage of being just a short hop across the George Washington Bridge from New York City’s attractions, including world class theater. But did you know that there are wonderful shows and concerts here as well? Local theater companies include the professional Garage Theater Group in residence at Fairleigh Dickinson University, and community groups such as Bergen County Players. We even have our own professional opera company, The New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera. We have wonderful venues for concerts and special performances. The Bergen PAC (formerly John Harms Center) in Englewood is where you will hear performances of the New Jersey Symphony. Other upcoming concerts at Bergen PAC include Pink Floyd, Dionne Warwick, the internationally acclaimed Irish group The Chieftains, comedian Wanda Sykes, and Natalie Cole. Dinner at one of the many excellent restaurants in the downtown Englewood area ..(read more)

Happy Valentines day

Happy Valentines Day! Sweets to the sweet - and here are local place where you can find some of the best chocolate around.... Matisse Chocolatier 260 Grand Avenue Englewood NJ 07631 201-568-2288 Godiva Chocolatier, Inc 122 Riverside Square Mall Hackensack, NJ 204-342-3399 Le Chocolat 540 Cedar Lane Teaneck NJ 07666 201-692-7707 Fancy Delight 488 Cedar Lane Teaneck NJ 07666 201-928-4100 And for bakeries and special cakes you cannot go wrong with these: Millers Bakery 5 Washington Ave
Tenafly, NJ 07670 (201) 871-4449 Butterflake 448 Cedar Lane
Teaneck, NJ 07666 201) 836-3516 La Promenade 137 Piermont Road Tenafly, NJ 07670
201-567-2500

Kindergarten Registration in Tenafly - Update

Tenafly's Kindergarten registration for children who will be 5 years old as of October 15, 2008 will take place February 11-15 at the Hegelein Building – Board of Education Office at 500 Tenafly Road. Registration will be from 8:30 am-12:30 pm. The schedule is as follows: Stillman: Monday, February 11 Snow Date: Monday, February 25 Mackay: Tuesday, February 12 Snow Date: Tuesday, February 26 Maugham: Thursday, February 14 Snow Date: Thursday, February 28 Smith: Friday, February 15 Snow Date: Friday, February 29 Parents will be asked to complete an application and a Kindergarten Developmental Information form. Proof of residency is required, along with proof of the child's birthdate and required immunizations. For proof of residency, bring an original deed and tax statement or sighed lease dated for the school year; a current utility bill showing the family name and address; or a parent's photo drivers license or passport showing ..(read more)

Cresskill's Wonderful Computerized Testing

Last fall, the Cresskill school district started a new type of assessment testing for students. Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) is an online assessment tool which measures student’s ability and also tracks their performance. An advantage of this system is that it is more individualized, takes up less class time, and provides detailed information without waiting several months. Teachers can see instant results that are very detailed about an individual student’s strengths and weaknesses. Parents can log on to an interactive portal and learn how their children are doing and follow through with strategies to support their children. Based on last October’s testing, students in grades 1 through 10 are now working on areas that the tests showed were weak, and doing the challenging above grade level projects that the tests indicated they have an aptitude for. For example, students in fourth grade who need to work on problem solving and ..(read more)

LET'S GO GIANTS!!!

We’ll be having a party all across New Jersey on Sunday. We know that our Giants are going to win Sunday’s Superbowl 42. For some reason unknown to Giants fans, the Giants are not favored by the oddsmakers, but that’s ok. After our “underdogs” won the NFC championship in brutally cold temperatures, they will certainly do well in sunny Phoenix, with their all business “Men in Black” attitude. I’m hoping for a repeat of “Broadway Joe” Namath’s upset in Superbowl III, when he led the Jets to a victory over the favored Baltimore Colts. Of course, the Patriots are optimistic too, having had an undefeated season. In fact, Amazon.com is taking pre orders for “19-0: The Historic Championship Season of New England's Unbeatable Patriots”. I’m expecting the Giants to give them reason to do some last minute revisions to that book, which is expected to go on sale ..(read more)

Vote on Super Tuesday!

There is still time to apply to vote by absentee ballot in New Jersey’s presidential primary election, on Super Tuesday, Feb 5. Today is the last day. Tomorrow is the deadline for county clerks to mail ballots to absentee voters. The deadline for voter registration in the primary was January 15. In New Jersey, both the Democrats and the Republicans will be holding elections. Independent voters may vote by declaring a party preference at the polls, after which they will be considered members of that party unless they file formally to change it. One of my teenage neighbors was happy to discover that even though he is 17, he is eligible to vote in the primary because he will be 18 at the time of the general election. So he registered as soon as he found out! There is a lot of excitement in New Jersey about the primary. Voting is one of the best things about being an American citizen. So get in on the action, and vote ..(read more)

New Jersey Diners Just Got Famous on Food Network!

A while ago, I wrote about my love for the old fashioned hearty cooking at New Jersey’s diners. I asked for some suggestions for favorites. New Jersey is home to many classic diners – those places that are built of chrome and look like railroad cars. Among them, the Bendix diner in Hasbrouck Heights is famous. And devotees of White Manna Hamburgers in Hackensack will be happy to know that their favorite restaurant will be featured on the January 28 episode of Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. The show will also feature the Tick Tock Diner in Clifton. Many people who like diner cuisine go to local restaurants that feature the hearty food and 24 hour breakfast menu, but look more like traditional restaurants, or like marble countered palaces. Some started out in the 1940s with classic diner design, and expanded. Among the local diners and diner type restaurants ,readers of this blog have a few ..(read more)

Kindergarten Registration in the Northern Valley

It’s that time of year again! Registration for Kindergarten has begun in many Bergen County School Districts. In the Northern Valley area, some districts have posted their registration schedules as follows: Cresskill: Children who will be five years old by Oct 1 2008 can be registered for Kindergarten. Tenafly: Children who are five or six on or before October 15 of the current school year are eligible for kindergarten and first grade respectively. Dates for registration to be announced Demarest: Children attend Kindergarten at County Road School. Preparation for the 2008 Kindergarten Roundup is underway Montvale: Children born on or before September 30 2003 can be registered January 24 & 25 in the commons area of the kindergarten wing. Ridgewood: Children who are 5 years old on or before October 1, 2008 can register February 5 and February 7. More information will follow as school districts ..(read more)

Football Fever in New Jersey

After last weekend's 21-17 defeat of the Dallas Cowboys, the NY Giants are heading for the NFC Championship game in Green Bay this Sunday, against the Packers. It's a happy day for Giants fans, and some of the most devoted and loyal fans are right here in northern NJ. And despite the distance and the cold and snow, the Giants ought to feel right at home in Green Bay. For one thing, the turf, the "frozen tundra" of Wisconsins Lambeau Field was actually grown in New Jersey! The grass is supplied by Tuckahoe Turf Farms. And the legacy of the Green Bay Packers owes much to Vince Lombardi. The legendary coach who led the Packers to three consecutive NFL championships and victory in Superbowls I and II started his career in 1939 at St Cecilia High School in Englewood. St Cecilia no longer has a high school, but stories of Lombardi's reputation as a tough coach and exacting chemistry teacher still survive in Bergen County ..(read more)

Get Ready for a Beautiful Springtime Backyard!!!

One of the joys of owning a home is being able to plant a garden and enjoy the yard. January may not seem like the time to focus on this, but can be a time of preparing for all the greenery which comes to life in the springtime. I remember a time when people loved to pour over the beautiful catalogs from nurseries for bulbs and spring plants. Today’s homeowners have much more available to them! Many homeowners enjoy the variety of wild birds in our area. You can increase the number of beautiful visitors to your yard, as well as improve the landscaping and conserve soil, by following the guidelines in a free publication from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Site. Here you will find tip sheets on a variety of topics which can be downloaded. If you ever were interested in building a pond, controlling pests, planting trees, or old fashioned composting and soil nutrients, these informative guides will give you a good start for planning ..(read more)

School Report Cards - Great Information for Families!!!

School information is always important in making a decision about buying a home. Schools are such a vital part of community life. When a family looks to buy a house, they know that they are not only making an investment in real estate, but in education as well. The New Jersey Department of Education has published a Report Card for all school districts with comparison data from 2004-2006. This is updated every year. When you consider buying a home in a town, you can look up the information about schools. You can see information about class sizes, teacher/student ratios, test scores, percentage of students who graduate and go to two or four year colleges. You can also view data about per pupil expenditures, sources of funding for school districts, what languages are spoken by students at home, and credentials of the faculty. This is a great tool for deciding what location fits your family, and I highly recommend that you use ..(read more)

According to Bank of America...

Recently, Bank of America surveyed Real Estate Agents about their transaction volume, prices of homes in their market, and their perceptions of their local markets. The results and conclusions are interesting. Based on the national sample, they are optimistic but cautious about new homes as an investment. This is because the December market is usually slower than the spring, and not a reliable indicator of future performance. However, they are seeing signs that nationally, traffic for buying homes is up, and they attribute this to mortgage rates remaining low. However, there are likely to be fewer qualified buyers due to the tighter lending standards and lower appraisals. The increase in foreclosures has pressured prices, and in some markets this may result in buyers waiting to make a purchase. In the New York/Northern NJ area, buyers are still waiting, taking their time to evaluate their decision, but lower prices have resulted in ..(read more)

Happy New Year, 2008 is here!

Happy New Year! There are so many questions about 2008 real estate right now – buyers are waiting to see what happens to prices, sellers are finding new ways to market their homes and get the attention of buyers. The sky is NOT falling. Foreclosures have pressured prices in many parts of the country, but happily, New Jersey is not Florida. Still, buyers are watching and researching prices very carefully at this time of year. Mortgage rates are still low, and mortgage money is still available to qualified buyers. It is very important right now for sellers to get their homes NOTICED by these buyers, who are savvy, and very price conscious. In the next few articles, I will comment on recent reports and statistics to give you a guideline on how things can go in this coming market for 2008.