Blood Pressure Screenings will be held second and fourth Tuesdays of the month. If you need copies of your child's immunizations, please call the clinic at (903)-859-7407 on the second or fourth Tuesday of the month.

The Club is open to everyone living in Bergen County who are 55 or older. The membership meetings are held every second and fourth Tuesdays of the month. The membership cost is $10.00 per year.

For more information, call the club on Thursdays at 973-472-6994.

Story compliments of NorthJersey.com
by Kim Lueddeke

Lodi’s Hilltop Elementary School – which has consistently met its state educational benchmarks – has been recognized by state and national officials for educators’ efforts there.

School district officials recently learned that the prekindergarten-through-fifth-grade school has been named a 2011 National Title I Distinguished School for Exceptional Student Performance for Two or More Years, a mouthful of an honor that comes with a welcome prize: $10,000.

Winning schools are selected by their states. The award itself is bestowed by the National Title I Association, a non-profit dedicating to improving and implementing the Title I program, which provides funding to schools and districts to aid economically disadvantaged students.

The award is given to schools that have a poverty rate of at least 35 percent, and that have either met or exceeded their state’s standards for adequate yearly progress (AYP) two years in a row or more, or have “significantly” closed the achievement gap between student groups.

Fifty-three percent of Hilltop Elementary’s students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches, a measure of family income, said the school’s principal, Glenn Focarino.  He added that the school had always met the state’s AYP goals, which are primarily based on students’ scores on state standardized tests.

Focarino credited the school’s achievements on several factors: his team of teachers, weekend educational challenges, an emphasis on technology and high expectations for students.

Educators often use the Web-based program Study Island, which helps students prepare for standardized test-taking, to issue academic challenges. If students successfully complete the challenges, they are awarded special prizes, such as Chipwiches served by teachers, Focarino said. (Prizes are often paid for by the school’s Parent Teacher Association, Focarino said.)

The school has also made technology a priority. Besides the school’s physical computer lab, Focarino said the school has two computer carts with laptops for student use.

“The kids are really into technology,” Focarino said. Capitalizing on that interest helps foster students’ interest in education, the principal believes.

“We are big believers in making learning fun…I think that’s half the battle,” Focarino said.

For their efforts, school officials will be awarded $10,000, which educators hope to use to enhance the school’s technology, Focarino said.

Officials will also be honored this March at the annual New Jersey Effective Practices Conference, where they are expected to make a presentation. A “Collaborative Assessment for Planning and Achievement” visit will also be conducted to study the school’s practices, according to an email from the state Department of Education’s Title I office.

This is not the first time a Lodi school has received such an honor. In 2009, Thomas Jefferson Middle School was also named a Title I Distinguished School.

All recycling and garbage must be placed curbside after 6:00 PM on the night before scheduled pick up regardless of the weather. All garbage must be placed in garbage cans or  heavy duty plastic bags only.

The Lodi Senior Citizens Club, located on Walnut Street, Lodi, New Jersey, has announced that the Club will be open every Thursday to anyone  55 or older who lives in Bergen County.  Included are all neighboring towns.

The Club has many recreational choices  on Thursdays which everyone will enjoy, including senior yoga from 11:00 to 12:00 Noon, followed by Bingo at 1:00.  If you prefer not to play Bingo, line dancing starts at 1:00 also.  If you prefer to play games, ping pong, billiards, cards, or bocce in season, these are also available.  Or, you can just sit and chit chat for the afternoon.  For members, the charge for a Thursday visit is .50 cents  The membership fee is only $10.00 per year.

Refreshments are served during the course of the afternoon with coffee or tea available.  The cost for the day is $2.00 per person, and you do not have to be a member.   For more information call the club on Thursdays at 973-472-6994.

The Lodi Fire Department is the gracious recipient of a donation of pet oxygen masks from the Companion Animal Advocates on behalf of an anonymous donor from the Borough of Lodi.

The goal of the Companion Animal Advocates is to make sure that every town in Bergen County is equipped with a kit so that pets are protected in case of an emergency. So far this year, the organization has been able to donate more than 17 pet oxygen masks throughout Bergen County.
 
Chief Anthony Maiolo was on hand to accept the award along with Bergen County Fire Marshal Brian Henning, Mayor Bruce Maspust, Deputy Mayor Marc Schrieks and Councilwoman Patricia Licata, as well as members of Lodi Fire Department's Truck Company. Chief Maiolo said "on behalf of the Lodi Fire Department, I would like to thank the Companion Animal Advocates and the anonymous donor. It is our hope that we never have to use the masks, but if that need ever does arise, we will be ready."
 
Special thank you to Frank Licata who brought his dogs, Klara and Lucy, to the event.