Statewide Turnout for to Sgt. Peter Zanin

A statewide turnout of police officers from around New Jersey are in Hoboken, NJ today as they, the Hoboken Police Department,  and the entire City pay their final respects to Sgt. Peter Zanin. 

More pictures from NJ.COM: CLICK HERE 

November 30, 2020
Photo: https://twitter.com/barryjgrossman

November 30, 2020
Photo: https://twitter.com/barryjgrossman

November 30, 2020
Photo: https://twitter.com/barryjgrossman

Peter Zanin, who spent more than 20 years on the Hoboken police force and devoted himself to local charity events, died Saturday. He was 46.

Zanin, a sergeant, lived in Hoboken nearly his entire life and was appreciated by colleagues for devoting time in recent years to local toy drives, coat drives and other community events in the Mile Square City.

He died of medical complications following a two-week illness, said Hoboken police Chief Ken Ferrante, adding that Zanin did not contract the coronavirus.

Hoboken Mourns the Passing of Police Sgt. Peter Zanin- City Flags to be Flown at Half-Staff

Hoboken TapInto reports that tragedy has struck the Hoboken Police Department and the entire City of Hoboken this morning, as Sgt. Peter Zanin has passed away

"It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing of Sergeant Peter Zanin, at 4am this morning at St. Claire's Hospital in Denville. He leaves behind his wife Samantha, 3 young children, his mother Arlene, brother Kevin, & brother-in-law Ryan." -Hoboken Police Chief Ken Ferente

"Today we mourn the loss of our brother, Sgt. Pete 'Peachy' Zanin. We pray for strength and grace for his family, especially his wife and children, as they bear this unimaginable loss. We are grateful to the community for their continued support." -Hoboken Police Superior Officers Association. 

"Pete was a good friend, a loyal and dependable sergeant, and a neighbor, we shared many a laugh. He was a valuable member of a team that worked hard for the people of Hoboken." -Retired Hoboken Police Captain and Current Hudson County Freeholder Anthony Romano

"He was kind human & gentle soul. Sgt. Zanin wore his uniform proudly and served our community with honor. His loss is a tremendous loss for the city. May his soul rest in peace. In honor of Sgt. Zanin, I have ordered all City flags to be flown at half-staff for 1 week as of today." -    Hoboken Mayor Ravinder S. Bhalla

Paper Accepted to AERA 2021- Establishing Statistical Significance at Scale for Pattern-based Items (Stroup and Petrosino, 2021)

The American Educational Research Association (AERA), a national research society, strives to advance knowledge about education, to encourage scholarly inquiry related to education, and to promote the use of research to improve education and serve the public good. The Association was founded in 1916, is concerned with improving the educational process by encouraging scholarly inquiry related to education and evaluation and by promoting the dissemination and practical application of research results. This will be the 29th consecutive year I have presented research findings at the annual conference. Below is the acceptance letter received recently along with an abstract of the accepted paper. -Dr. Petrosino 

Dr. Anthony Petrosino,

We are pleased to inform you that your paper, "Establishing Statistical Significance at Scale for Pattern-based Items" submitted for consideration for the 2021 Virtual AERA Annual Meeting has been accepted. Congratulations on this accomplishment. AERA received more than 10,000 submissions this year. To ensure the highest quality papers presented at the Annual Meeting, your submission was reviewed by highly qualified reviewers serving on a review panel constituted by the Division D - Measurement and Research Methodology/Division D - Section 1: Educational Measurement, Psychometrics, and Assessment. Reviewers' comments are now available on the Online Annual Meeting Program Portal (All Academic) System for your use.

The AERA meeting offers a number of session formats to feature high quality research and scholarly work. Your paper has been placed in a Poster Session session titled, “Psychometrics and Educational Measurement: Poster Session 2”. Each format involves different modes of presentation. The program schedule will be available on January 15, 2021.

Establishing Statistical Significance at Scale for Pattern-based Items (accepted- 2021)

Abstract: Tests of statistical significance often play a decisive role in establishing the empirical warrant of evidence-based research in education. The results from pattern-based assessment items, as introduced in this paper, are categorical and multimodal and do not immediately support the use of measures of central tendency as typically related to interpretations of measures of statistical significance. Using results from the implementation of pattern-based items (PBIs) at scale with more than 400,000 students as part of the statewide Interim Assessment Program (IAP) in Texas, as well from a prior pilot implementations of identical items at schools in central Texas, this paper is meant to address how statistical significance can be established across scale – results from an individual classroom compared to statewide results – and across grade level – a repeat item used in subsequent grades. We illustrate the use of a Fisher’s Exact Test or a Pearson's Chi-squared Test to establish the level of statistical significance for differences in outcomes for pattern-based items. Then, subsequently, projections onto any axis of relative performance – e.g., assigning partial credit -- can be used for comparisons of achievement-related outcomes for groups of students.

24-Hour Chase for Milo Has Happy Ending

Milo is Found and returned 

Best news of 2020 — after a harrowing 24+ hours trying to locate Milo, a Hoboken rescue dog, there is a happy ending. He has been found! Yesterday afternoon, dog walker Will Ferman posted that Milo, a timid rescue dog and client of his, was missing.

Milo slipped his collar while walking with his mom. Quite recently, he had moved to Hoboken —having been saved from the streets in Puerto Rico by the Sato Project, a non-profit that is dedicated to rescuing abused and abandoned dogs in PR.

What transpired after that was nothing short of remarkable. Residents from all areas of Hoboken took to the streets to search for the missing pup, who would repeatedly be spotted but would run quickly away. He was spotted everywhere from the Hoboken 14th Street viaduct to downtown on Bloomfield to the bus depot.

Milo (2020) 

And now that Milo’s truly taken the town by storm, we hope that Hoboken’s newest resident now knows his way through Mile Square better than any other new resident — and can tell us where the best mutz + other local gems are!

Read the Full Story by Jennifer Tripucka of Hoboken Girl

 

Hoboken Fire Department Save a Stranded Deer from the Hudson River

Thank you to the Hoboken Fire Department for helping a deer make it back onto land after trying to navigate in the Hudson River. Well done. 

New Synthetic Surface Installed at Elysian Park in Hoboken

Elysian Park, Hoboken NJ (Nov 2020)
Photo: Friends of Elysian Park

Brand new to Elysian Park in Hoboken - a synthetic turf playground safety surface, to improve the quality of life for the town's children. The surface plus a new drainage system at the park are the latest upgrades made to a number of Hoboken's public spaces. Special thanks to the Friends of Elysian Park for their never ending and often unappreciated efforts! 

Elysian Park is a small park in Hoboken, New Jersey that is the last remnant of the Elysian Fields. Bounded on the west by Hudson Street, and the north and east by Sinatra Drive, Elysian Park has two play areas, a basketball court, a sprinkler, a dog run and rest rooms. The northern end of prestigious Castle Point Terrace ends at the park. Part of the 1954 film On The Waterfront was filmed there. 

RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF HOBOKEN DIRECTING THE TRANSFER OF THE PILOT FUNDS RECEIVED FROM THE MONROE CENTER REDEVELOPMENT AREA TO THE HOBOKEN BOARD OF EDUCATION AND VIDEO OF CITY COUNCIL MEETING NOVEMBER 4, 2020

Two councilmembers (Jabbour & Cohen) introduced a resolution on November 4, 2020 to bypass that process and give all of the PILOT proceeds to only the Hoboken Board of Education, thereby ensuring that public charter schools receive none of this funding. This motion was tabled by the City Council by a vote of 5-4.

Votes were Giattino, De Fusco, Fischer, Ramos, Falco in the majority and Jabbour, Doyle, Russo, and Cohen in the minority. 

 

If the video below is disabled, please watch the video of the November 4, 2020 Hoboken City Council meeting by connecting directly to You Tube: https://youtu.be/FHskgPoEI3k

Hoboken Board of Education Letter to the HOBOKEN CITY Council - October 29, 2020

Hoboken Board of Education
2020-21 

The following is a letter dated October 29, 2020 concerning resolution CL2 by the Hoboken City Council and specifically about the HOBOKEN CITY Council meeting of October 21, 2020. 

Trustees of the Hoboken Public School District Board of Education include: Sharyn Angley (President), Thomas Kluepfel (Vice President), Malani Cademartori (Board Member), Sheila Dallara (Board Member), Alex De La Torre (Board Member), Chetali Khanna (Board Member), Ailene McGuirk (Board Member), Joyce Simons (Board Member, and Melanie Tekirian (Board Member). 

Read Full Letter: https://www.scribd.com/document/482581087/Letter-to-the-City-Council-10-29-2020

Letter to the City Council ... by Anthony Petrosino

An excellent summary of the meeting and the issues surrounding the PILOT payment for 770 Jackson Street was written by Chris Halleron of Taptinto and be be found here. 

Please Get Out the Vote Today Hoboken!

 

NYC October 25, 2020 Supporters of President Trump and Protesters of President Trump Brawl- Disturbing Video (graphic language)

October 25 2020 - MANHATTAN, New York: Fights, brawls, and arrests in a chaotic scene on Sunday in Times Square as Antifacists clashed with Trump Supporters. The fist fights and brawls left some protesters bloodied and others arrested, at least one Trump supporter was seen taken away in handcuffs after unlawful assembly has been declared. Caravans started all over the city since early morning, the Trump rally began at Trump Tower and marched, along with a caravan of vehicles to Times Square. The counter protesters hurled eggs at the caravan and pulled flags from their cars. Rudy Giuliani was seen driving with the caravan and was then approached by a protester and Trump supporters on 5th Avenue. Large brawl began in Times Square when a car driven by a family of Trump supporters blasting music and blocking traffic was splashed with red liquid and had a flag ripped off. The driver of the vehicle accused several protesters of stealing his daughters hat and other offenses and police began making arrests. The counter-protesters responded by challenging him and a large fight on 7th Avenue ensued.

Many more fist fights and confrontations broke out over the next hour or so. One counter-protesters was seen arrested after tugging on the Trump flag with a group of others, he was later carried away in the stretcher. We did not witness how he sustained his injuries. Video by Oliya Scootercaster and @NewYorkCityPeople Available for licensing desk@scootercaster.com www.freedomnews.tv

Elysian and Wallace Schools Impacted by COVID-19: Reach Decision to Go to Full Remote Learning for Time Being

Wallace School

HOBOKEN, NJ — Students at two Hoboken Public Schools will be all remote for the next number of weeks. Specifically, Wallace Elementary School will learn remotely until Nov. 9 after district officials informed parents recently of two positive cases of the coronavirus at the school.

In the letter obtained by Hoboken Patch, Hoboken Public Schools Superintendent Christine Johnson wrote that the two cases involved individuals who were in school, without absence, over the past week. School officials decided to shift to remote learning until Nov. 9 after conducting contact tracing and notifying people who were in close contact with the infected individuals. The district defines close contact as anyone who was within six feet of the two individuals for more than 10 minutes.

Elysian School 

On October Elysian Charter School in Hoboken has switched to entirely remote learning due to a COVID-19 incident. In a released statement: “Elysian Charter School has made the decision to go remote given recent developments and in consultation with the Hoboken Health Department,” said a city spokesman “We are confident their precautions will help keep our children safe.”

Hola Hoboken Designated a “Model Program” by NJ DOE for 4th Consecutive 2 Year Period

Hola Representatives Receiving Award

As many of you know, in addition to being the Assistant Superintendent of the Hoboken Public Schools, I was also a founding Board member for the Hola Charter School. Hola applied for a charter  only after the Hoboken Board of Education rejected the vetted and legal proposal of a Dual Language Program in the school district in 2009 (see Figure 1 below). Since that time, Hola has gone on to be the premier public school in the city of Hoboken as well as one of the most recognized schools in Hudson County, New Jersey, and the region not only for dual language instruction but for education in general. It remains a wonderful success story after 10 years of operation. 

This is the 4th consecutive award of the 2-year designation for HoLa. We were the only charter school in New Jersey to receive the designation in 2020. The application process was completed before the pandemic shutdown, and included a rigorous site visit and interviews with teachers, students and families. -Dr. Petrosino

HOBOKEN NJ (TAPINTO Staff): In the days leading to the pandemic shutdown, HoLa ensured every single student had the devices and connectivity they needed to be able to continue their learning from home. HoLa’s remote offerings continue to follow the immersion model, offering live content in Spanish daily, including not only the core subjects of math and reading but also live specials, such as art, music and dance -- all in Spanish.    In addition, HoLa has teamed up with the City of Hoboken to use bilingual members of the school community to reach out and call Spanish speaking seniors during the COVID crisis, to check-in on seniors who need additional help.  

“This is the most challenging thing our teachers have ever had to do but every day our teachers--who themselves are sometimes juggling remote learning for their own children--keep showing up for our kids so that they continue to learn in both Spanish and English.  We couldn’t be prouder of our entire community.”  -Jennifer Sargent, Founder and Executive Director of Hola. 

It is that passion and innovation that led the New Jersey Department of Education to renew the school’s designation last week as a Model Dual Language Program for another two years. 

It is the 4th consecutive award of the 2-year designation for HoLa. HoLa was the only charter school in New Jersey to receive the designation.

The application process was completed before the shutdown, and included a rigorous site visit and interviews with teachers, students and families. 

“As a long-standing model program district, your program will continue to serve as a resource for other districts in our state and enable educators to witness firsthand exemplary practices in Dual Language Immersion....It will also enable administrators and teachers to dialog about issues of mutual concern and discuss the potential for future collaboration regarding curriculum development projects, or professional development initiatives.” -Linda Eno, Assistant Commissioner of the NJ DOE

HoLa’s immersion program means that students starting in Kindergarten spend almost their entire day learning in Spanish, even though the majority of the school’s students do not have any Spanish-language background. The program transitions slowly to a 50% Spanish/50% English curriculum by middle school. Students graduate 8th grade fully bilingual and biliterate. 

The Hoboken Dual Language Charter School is a free, public charter school serving about 400 students in grades K-8. HoLa is the only Spanish immersion dual language public charter school in the state. It is also the first to receive NJ DOE approval to provide a low-income preference and English language learner preference in its lottery.  As measured by state exams, HoLa is ranked among the top 10% of public schools in New Jersey.

See additional story by Hoboken Girl: CLICK HERE

CLICK TO ENLARGE
Figure 1: NJDOE Approval Letter