The Westfield Leader Newspaper

OUR 111th YEAR – ISSUE NO. 02111 FIFTY CENTS (908) 2324407 Thursday, September 14, 2000 USPS 680020 Periodical – Postage Paid at Westfield, N. J. Published Every Thursday

Since 1890

Ad Populos, Non Aditus, Pervenimus

INDEX

A& E............... Page 22 Business ........ Page 19 Classifieds ..... Page 21

Editorial ........ Page 4 Education ...... Page 10 Obituary ........ Page 12

Political.......... Page 3 Social ............ Page 6 Sports ............ Page 15

Courtesy of Robert Eberle

POSITIVE I. D…. Westfield Police Officer Matt Cassidy fingerprinted the tiny hands and fingers of Billy Cook of Westfield during Tiffany Drug’s Grand ReOpening this week.

Ingrid McKinley for The Westfield Leader SOCCER MANIA... Forget N’SYNC or Britney Spears, children are preoccupied with soccer in the Westfield area. Pictured, above, a budding Mia Hamm takes a rest and listens to her special coach from UK Elite during a practice at Memorial Field in Westfield.

Ingrid McKinley for The Westfield Leader

Dr. Foley Criticizes Structure, Procedures Of Standardized Test

By LAWRENCE HENRY

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader

At the regular Tuesday meeting of the Westfield Board of Education, Superintendent Dr. William J. Foley reported on the results of general education testing of students for the school year 19992000. The tests included the Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment (GEPA); the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS), which covers grades three and five; and the Elementary School Proficiency Assessment (ESPA), which measures students at grade four.

As usual, Westfield’s schools scored high compared to the state as a whole, with most Westfield results coming in at the 8090 percent level while statelevel scores averaged in the 60s and 70s. These scores do not mean that students individually test at a 90 percent level; rather, they mean that 90 percent of students get a passing grade on what are essentially big, long, involved passfail

tests. Dr. Foley is not happy in general with the state’s testing procedures.

“I don’t like to get on a soapbox,” he said after summarizing the various test results. “I think there are some problems.”

He named three: First, the tests’ internal rating systems are “somewhat arbitrary” and “necessarily reflect a distribution of scores being applied inappropriately.”

Second, the tests are so broadbased that, “They really don’t tell us much,” specifically, how to improve instruction in particular areas. Dr.

David B. Corbin for The Westfield Leader CLIMBING THE LADDER… Four Westfield Fire Department personnel received promotions and three new fire fighters were sworn in at the Municipal Building on September 12. Pictured, left to right, are: front row, Lt. Roger Sawicki, Capt. Michael Brennan, Capt. Kenneth Dannevig and Lt. Thomas Dries; back row, new firefighters Thomas Ryan, Matt Peieira and Aldo Tammaro with acting Chief John Castellano.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

RESIDENTS FEAR WEST NILE VIRUS, CRITICIZE LACK OF TOWN RESPONSE

Five Dead Crows Discovered On Tudor Oval, East Broad

PAUL J. PEYTON and LAWRENCE HENRY

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader

A Tudor Oval resident found two dead crows on his property within 24 hours late last week. Fearing that the birds might have died of West Nile Virus (a disease spread by mosquitos), George Bogatku was less than thrilled with the response he received when he called authorities, including Westfield’s health officer and the Union County Health Department.

“Friday my wife calls me up and says, ‘I just saw one (crow) die, ’” said Mr. Bogatku. His wife, Alice Hunnicutt, said she observed the first crow at about 9 a. m. on Friday in her yard, staggering. A little while later, the bird succumbed.

By Monday, the number of dead crows had risen to four in the BogatkuHunnicutt yard. There was an additional dead crow in front of the Westfield Memorial Library on East Broad Street.

Mr. Bogatku made several calls, but believes he is getting the runaround from Union County and local authorities. Ms. Hunnicutt alerted the Westfield Health Department, who (she said) said they would immediately have the bird picked up. The birds, however, were never moved. Ms. Hunnicutt then called the Westfield Police Department who indicated they would contact the Health Department.

Mr. Bogatku has called Union County health officials and even the state health department. Officials,

he said, gave him conflicting answers on how long a bird can be dead and still provide health officials with credible information on whether the

birds carry the West Nile Virus. Mr. Bogatku was told the birds should be put on ice to preserve them long enough for the West Nile test.

One of the crows was bagged and placed at curbside while the others are still in the yard.

“One wonders if this is a serious issue,” Mr. Bogatku told The Westfield Leader. “It kind makes you nervous to know it (West Nile) might be prevalent in the area and we do not know about it,” said Hunnicutt.

There are indeed seemingly contradictory reports about West Nile Virus occurrences in New Jersey in general, and in the local area in particular.

Prof. Holly Gilroy of the Rutgers University Agriculture Department said, “Rutgers is involved in tracking the sentinel chickens,” test bird placed throughout the state to detect the

virus. “We also do mosquito trappings and test blood samples. “There have been no sentinel chickens testing positive in New Jersey,” said Prof. Gilroy.

Dennis McGowan, public information officer for the state Department of Health and Senior Services, has a different story based, to be fair, on a totally different testing procedure.

“We do have our first human case (of West Nile) on September 1, a gentleman in Hudson County,” said Mr. McGowan. “We have about 585 dead crows tested positive in 14 different counties, including Union. We have 59 crows that have tested positive in Union County.”

As for the disparity between the results of the state’s crow testing program and Rutgers’ sentinel chicken monitoring, “That’s a little hard to explain,” Mr. McGowan said. “We don’t know. We do have it in crows. We found seven pools of infected mosquitoes in Bergen, Middlesex, and Monmouth counties.”

As for the Bogatku and Hunnicutt frustrations, Mr. McGowan explained that, “People who find a dead crow should contact their local health department. The local health departments will come out and take a look at the crow and collect it. They determine whether or not it’s a good sample. If it is, they’ll send it to us for testing.”

However, “In some communities that have had five or more crows that have tested positive already, the state lab is not testing any more crows for the time being. We’ve asked the local mosquito control and health officers to consider any crows they find in those towns to be positive and react accordingly.”

The “no more testing after five positive crows” policy, Mr. McGowan said, was established by the national

Union County Gives Westfield Transcript of 1888 Murder Case By LAWRENCE HENRY

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader

The dead man’s body was found on a wooded path near what is now Lawrence Avenue close to Mountain Avenue. The year was 1888. Westfield resident Frederick Baldwin, a farmer, was charged with the murder, and was ultimately acquitted by an allmale jury that did not even leave the jury box, so scarce was the evidence.

The handwritten, 598page transcript of this stillopen murder investigation (no other suspect has ever been identified or charged) turned up in a file storage area of the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth.

Union County Prosecutor Thomas V. Manahan, a Westfield resident,

turned the transcript over to the Westfield Historical Society. Mr. Manahan made a copy for the Union County Bar Association, which celebrates its one 100th anniversary this year.

For the Historical Society, the document provides proven, factual information about the Town of Westfield 120 years ago — highquality information, according to Union County Executive Assistant Prosecutor Robert P. O’Leary.

“The transcript includes accounts of people testifying (under oath)

about conditions at that time. Other historical accounts are people’s memories this is an actual glimpse,” he said.

Historical Society president Don Mokrauer reported, “The document is not in the best of shape right now.” He said the transcript itself would probably be displayed in some kind of climatecontrolled case, with the photocopy available for researchers to read.

Historical Society Curator Stanley Lipson “is going to look into what needs to be done to preserve it.”

Public, Politicians Demand Smaller Classes While Maintaining Quality

By SUSAN M. DYCKMAN

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader

The call to reduce class size rings loud and clear from parents at local board of education meetings and from politicians on the national scene. But class size reduction (CSR) in and of itself is not a cureall for poor student performance in public schools.

Smaller classes make common sense to their proponents. They allow for more personal interaction between student and teacher. There is evidence they reduce discipline problems.

They are, however, one of the costliest forms of education reform

around, as California’s fouryearold CSR program has demonstrated.

California Plunges Billions in Small Classes

In 1996, California introduced a voluntary, statewide, multibillion dollar program to counter poor reading scores and overcrowded classrooms. The cost was projected at $1 billion the first year, $1.5 billion annually thereafter.

California offered public schools $800 per student for every child in a class of 20 or fewer in grades kindergarten through three.

School districts sprang into action. By the end of the 199899 school year, 92 percent of 1.7 million K3 students were part of the program. Schools hired 28,500 new teachers in the first three years (29 percent with under three years of experience). They struggled to find 18,000 new classrooms. After taking over libraries, special education centers, child care facilities and computer labs, schools were forced to purchase portable classrooms.

Students in the California program have showed small improvements in academic achievement that appear to carry over into higher grades. But some educators worry that teachers’ professional qualifications have declined in the rush to hire more and more of them and that this decline persists not at the elementary level, but in middle and high schools as well.

Westfield Digs For Good Teachers

Finding qualified teachers is also a challenge closer to home, said Westfield’s Superintendent of Schools Dr. William J. Foley, who

said the district used to get 1,000 applications for a job. Not any more.

It was only through a “personal connection,” he said, that Westfield was able to find an experienced teacher for a newlycreated thirdgrade section at Franklin Elementary School — this in a district whose starting teacher salary ranks third highest in the state.

When asked how class size factored into raising student performance, the superintendent said there are two keys to achievement: “The preparedness of the students coming into the classroom and the strength of the teacher there to teach them.”

Given a choice, Dr. Foley said he would prefer “a large class with a stronger teacher to a small class with an inexperienced, weaker teacher.”

Westfield Board of Education member Annemarie Puleio advocates smaller classes whenever possible. She pointed to the Franklin School situation, where third grade classes were up to 24 and 25 students, the maximum allowed by board policy.

“The class size policy is a reasonable policy that takes into account the optimal learning situation and the resources we have in the district,” said Ms. Puleio.

“In this instance, we had the resources to try to do better. We had a classroom available. We had to find a teacher. If you can get a good teacher, go ahead and do it.”

“It’s great to keep class sizes down if you can,” said Diane Bakst, a Franklin School parent who appealed to the board to add the teacher. “We were really pleased to get an experienced teacher.”

At Jefferson Elementary School,

CONTINUED ON PAGE 14 CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

Page 14 Thursday, September 14, 2000 The Westfield Leader and THE TIMES of Scotch Plains – Fanwood A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION

CYAN YELLOW MAGENTA BLACK

Cheri Rogowsky for The Westfield Leader THE TRENDY WAY TO TRAVEL… New razor scooters are all the rage for children and adults alike. These two girls from Westfield, who recently moved from Florida, spent the day before school opened testing out their new wheels.

Rec. Commission Moves Ahead on Plan to Share Ball Field Maintenance With Board of Education

By LAWRENCE HENRY

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader

WESTFIELD -The Westfield Recreation Commission, meeting a week later than usual because of the Labor Day holiday, spent about 20 minutes Monday night discussing a possible “shared services” agreement with the school board for the maintenance of Westfield’s ball fields.

Some of these heavilyused fields are controlled and maintained by the Recreation Department, some, on school grounds, by the Board of Education.

Several Commissioners spoke in favor of giving control of ball field maintenance to a combined schoolrecreation entity which would be headed by Recreation Director Glenn S. Burrell.

Michael Kessler, who represents the school board at Commission meetings, spoke for Board of Education Secretary and Business Administrator Robert A. Berman, and said, “I think Bob is committed to (a shared services arrangement).” Mr. Burrell and Mr. Berman have been carrying on a correspondence about the plan.

Mr. Berman has called for regular meetings to address the subject. Recreation board member Dr. William Bonsall said he could attend lunch time meetings, noting that “I’m good friends with Darielle (Walsh) and Bill (Foley, school board president and superintendent of schools, respectively).”

Under such an arrangement, three things would be shared: equipment, people, and money.

Equipment, Mr. Kessler noted, should create no problem.

“We’ve been sharing equipment for years,” he said. “We don’t have to create something new from the ground up.”

In terms of people devoted to maintenance, both the school board and the recreation board consider themselves understaffed.

“We have two people,” Mr. Kessler said.

“We have one,” countered Recreation Commission Chairman Dr. Seymour Koslowski.

The money question, raised by alternate member Debra Judd, remains up in the air. Mr. Kessler noted that it involved the schools’ annual budget.

Dr. Koslowski said that “Glenn (Burrell) and I have been proposing for three years to create a separate (maintenance) department under our control. Right now, we just bump maintenance items to the Department of Public Works.”

“And it goes down on their priority list,” said Mr. Kessler, finishing the thought.

The concept of a maintenance department has never moved beyond the budget discussion stage. Town Council members have been concerned over the proposed annual price ranging from $326,000 to $512,000. A memo from Mr. Burrell last December suggested the impact on the town would be an additional $270,000 in spending in the town budget.

A shared services arrangement, Mr. Kessler said, “would be the best thing for the town as a whole.”

In other business, Recreation Commissioner Thomas Cusimano reported that tennis revenues were down significantly for the second or third

year in a row. Several board members offered the opinion that tennis as a whole was experiencing a decline nationwide in favor of golf.

“It’s Tiger’s (Woods) fault,” one Commissioner laughed.

Mr. Burrell noted that tennis camps for youngsters “sell out every year,” while adult tennis participation on town courts declines. “This one baffles me,” he said.

Mrs. Judd brought up a county referendum on open space spending which, if approved would provide a 20year fund totaling $48.9 million through a tax of 1.5 cents per $100 of assessed value on Union County properties.

This referendum, Mrs. Judd said, will appear on the November ballot, and will make funds available for municipalities who can make a case for receiving them.

“This gives me a great segue,” she said, into discussing the longdebated master plan for recreation development. “Towns that have a master plan in place will be ahead” in the search for county funds, she pointed out.

Mrs. Judd moved to create a subcommittee to study the creation of a master plan. She and recreation board member Peter Echausse, who seconded the motion, will start work on it before the next meeting.

WESTFIELD VOLUNTEER RESCUE SQUAD BLOTTER

Statistics for August 2000 Top 10 Response Categories 1. Falls (22) 6. Diabetic Reaction (4) 2. Respiratory (17) 7. Suspected Fracture (4) 3. General Illness/ Weakness (16) 8. Cardiac Arrest (3) 4. Cardiac Pain (15) 9. Unconscious (3) 5. Motor Vehicle Accident (13) 10. Seizures (3) InTown Emergency Calls: 164

Outof Town Mutual Aid Calls: 9 Non Emergency Calls: 1 Total Calls: 174 Total Hours Out: 473: 54 Total Volunteer Hours: 1,977.5

Please support your local Volunteer Rescue Squad. They support you!

Courtesy of Union County Prosecutor’s Office

TURNING OVER EVIDENCE... The clothbound transcript of the trial from an 1888 murder in Westfield is turned over to the Westfield Historical Society in a presentation featuring, from left to right, Westfield Historical Society President Don Mokrauer, Sergeant Rebecca Weston, Union County Prosecutor Thomas V. Manahan and Curator of the Society Stanley Lipson. Bret Schundler to Speak

Before Mtsd. GOP Club

MOUNTAINSIDE — Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler will be the guest of honor at the Wednesday, September 27 meeting of the Mountainside Republican Club.

The meeting will be held at the Mountainside Borough Hall starting at 7: 30 p. m. Also to be discussed are plans for the club’s October 27 dinner dance in honor of local and state candidates. The event will be held at L’Affaire in Mountainside. For information on the dinner dance, please contact Bill Lane at (908) 7899717.

Centers for Disease Control. “Additional testing would not be a good use of resources,” he said.

Locally, Westfield’s health officer, Robert M. Sherr, denied receiving any call from Mr. Bogatku or Ms. Hunnicutt late Friday about a dead crow.

He explained the local procedure this way:

“If we get a report of a dead crow in viable condition, we refer Associated Humane Society of Newark, then they attempt to pick up the crow. If it’s considered viable for testing, they send it down to the state department of health.”

Associated Humane is overloaded, however, and, according to W. Jubb Corbet, Jr., President of the Westfield Board of Health, the organization is unreliable, too.

“We already know they do a bad job,” he said. “And there is no alternative to them.” Discussions are underway, Mr. Corbet said, to develop a county animal shelter to handle all animal related services.

Mr. Corbet poopooed the public worry about West Nile.

“The bottom line,” he said, “is that this whole crow business is being grossly overplayed (in the media). They (health officials) are not overly concerned about this situation in New Jersey.” The one person who contracted West Nile, he said, probably got the disease outside of New Jersey.

“At this point, there is no health risk from this,” Mr. Corbet asserted.

“The latest report from the state department of health lists positive (West Nile tested) birds from May 30 all the way through August 24, the last date (on the report),” Mr. McGowan said. “And I don’t see anything positive for Westfield.

One crow that tested positive for

Mountainside Plans Plaque to Honor Judge Ruggerio By KIMBERLY A. BROADWELL

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader

MOUNTAINSIDE — A discussion concerning a memorial for longtime Mountainside Municipal Court Judge Robert Ruggerio was held Tuesday evening, during the agenda setting meeting for the Borough of Mountainside.

According to Mayor Robert F. Viglianti, Judge Ruggerio, who died this past summer, had served the borough for approximately 28 years. He had been serving his last unexpired term. Council members said the Judge was thinking of retiring after his current term.

The Mayor said he thought an appropriate memorial would be a 12inch by 18inch brass plaque with an image and an inscription reading, “In Memory of the Honorable Robert Ruggerio, presiding from 19722000.” He also noted that he had spoken to Judge Ruggerio’s wife, Diane, who agreed that she liked that suggestion.

The Mayor then stated that, according to his research, plaques of this kind must be ordered about six weeks in advance. The plaque’s

manufacturers require a sharp black and white headshot of the Judge.

The Mayor suggested that the Borough’s reorganizational meeting would be an appropriate time to present the plaque. He proposed placing the plaque in the municipal courtroom.

During the discussion, Mayor Viglianti noted that some residents had suggested that a building should be named after the Judge. He said that the borough didn’t want to start that type of practice. So many people deserved a building in their names, he said, and there weren’t enough buildings in the Borough to do so.

In other business, it was announced that Robert Farley would serve as Acting Public Works Manager as of September 1, 2000 because of the August retirement of Robert Wyckoff. Mr. Farley had served the Borough in the Public Works department for 21 years, the last 17 as a Foreman.

Finally, it was announced that the Borough would appoint Marc Lemanski as Communications Officer effective September 15, 2000.

where fourth grade numbers are high, it is a different story. There are no classrooms available. “The possibility didn’t exist,” said Ms. Puleio. In accordance with board policy, an instructional aide will assist the Jefferson School teacher whose class size reached 26 students.

Veteran Teacher Says 1535 Classes Can Work

Social studies teacher Ed Leonard, a 29year veteran who taught at the elementary level and now works with middle school students, agrees that smaller classes in the early grades are important.

“When you try to teach the basics to a group of children, the more oneonone you can get, the better,” said Mr. Leonard, who is President of the Scotch PlainsFanwood Education Association.

At the middle and high school level, however, he said, “People almost place too much importance on it (class size). I’ve had 15 to 35 in a class. You do what you always do. You teach to the general group, make enrichment available, and make yourself available before and after school to students who need help.”

“Small classes in the very beginning grades, coupled with experienced teachers, may be extremely helpful with getting kids off to a good start,” said Sandra Stotsky, Deputy Commissioner for Academic Affairs in the Massachusetts Department of Education. “You don’t need small sizes all the way through.” In studying class size research, Commissioner Stotsky found the greatest gains in first grade when experienced teachers focused on reading.

Tennessee Program: Teachers Count

She also noted an important distinction between the CSR program in California and the Student/ Teacher Achievement Ratio (STAR) program in Tennessee, a fiveyear study often touted by champions of class size reduction in primary grades.

While “there were legitimate gains in Tennessee,” Ms. Stotsky noted Tennessee’s highlycontrolled study utilized teachers with an average of 10 years of experience, implemented CSR using less than 10,000 students, and had adequate facilities.

“It’s not just one variable, it’s a combination of things,” agreed Scotch PlainsFanwood Schools Superintendent Dr. Carol B. Choye. “Especially in the primary grades, you want to keep your size down. Primary teachers want to get around to every child.”

The next variable is “the teacher experience and professional development factor,” said Dr. Choye. “I’m pleased with the new teachers we’ve hired, coupled with the experienced teachers already on board.

“We have a very good professional development program,” she added. Part of that program includes teacher training in the 4MAT System, a program designed to help educators meet children’s individual learning styles.

Dr. Choye said facilities, parent involvement and the community are other variables in the “total package” that is a child’s education.

In Mountainside, while class size numbers are not set in stone, Superintendent and Deerfield School Principal Dr. Gerard Schaller said, “At the primary level, we keep (class size) as low as we possibly can.” At press time, he was keeping tabs on Deerfield’s three first grades, which were up to 24 students. Second grades have 18 students apiece; third grades range from 1922 students.

Dorothy Lusk, President of SPF’s ParentTeacher Association Council, said, “As a whole, the district is pretty sensitive to higher numbers in grades K3. As a parent, when you go into the schools, 1819 (per class) is much better than 2324.”

Mrs. Lusk added that it is unfortunate that both of the district’s south side elementary schools, Coles and McGinn, lost their art rooms this year due to high enrollment in first grade. Brunner Elementary, on the north side, may still lose its art class to a cart if first grade numbers continue to rise.

According to Dr. Choye, if teachers do things “the same old way,” there is no need to make changes.

“If you lecture, there’s no advantage to smaller classes,” she said. “If you change the way things are done, (using) small group instruction (and) handson learning, you can’t have that without the other (smaller classes).”

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Five Dead Crows Discovered On Tudor Oval, E. Broad St.

West Nile was found on Boulevard in Wesfield, Mr. McGowan said. “But that hasn’t been issued to us as a formal report by the department of public health.”

Local Businesses to Support Event to Fight Breast Cancer

WESTFIELD — During the Avon Breast Cancer 3Day, to be held Friday through Sunday, October 13 to 15, more than 3,500 participants will walk 60 miles from Bear Mountain to New York City in support of breast cancer programs, cancer research and education nationwide.

The walk is described as the largest event of its kind ever undertaken in the fight against breast cancer.

Since the inaugural event in 1998 through the end of 1999, more than 12,000 walkers have participated in Avon 3Days across the United States, delivering net proceeds of more than $20 million.

Breast Cancer Crew training day will take place this Saturday, September 16, in Prospect Park in Brooklyn. Panera Bread, which has several stores, including one in Westfield, will donate hundreds of bagels and loaves of bread for the event. Trader Joe’s, also of Westfield, will donate cases of water.

The Crew is a group of 500 “behindthescenes” volunteers who help the vast group of walkers get to their three designated stops over the course of three days. It is their job to support the walkers in every way possible. Some facts about the 3Day are as follow:

· The walkers and crew are expected to consume 36,400 gallons

of water and sports drinks during the course of the event, and 25,200 meals will be served to walkers by the crew.

· Thirty Grabngo refreshment stops will help keep the walkers hydrated and nourished.

· Seven, 18wheeler trucks will provide hot showers and 2,500 tents to set up and take down each day.

· There will be 1,700 portable lavatories in use over the 60mile route.

· The crew will load and unload 133,000 pounds of equipment each day.

· The crew’s volunteer staff includes 15 podiatrists, 50 doctors and registered nurses, 40 massage therapists and 15 physical therapists.

· A volunteer crew of 25 motorcycles will travel with the walkers and stop traffic at intersections.

· The typical day for a crew member will start at 4 a. m. and end at 9 p. m.

Individuals wishing to make a donation may make checks payable to Avon Breast Cancer 3Day. They may be sent directly to: Avon Breast Cancer 3Day, care of LaSalle Bank, 135 S. LaSalle, Department 2009, Chicago, Ill. 606742009 (Walker code 3632N).

For further information, please call (888) 3329286, Extension No. 3.

Foley cited the ESPA science test as a particularly flagrant example. In that test, Westfield students uniformly passed i. e., virtually every Westfield school scored 100 percent.

“Statewide,” Dr. Foley protested, “the results are 89 percent, including some school districts that don’t even teach science.”

Finally, “Particularly in fourth grade, these tests create a climate of tension,” Dr. Foley said, remarking that many parents had called to complain that their children were “under stress” over taking the ESPA. He said that asking a fourth grader to sit for a sevenhour test was, in his opinion, overdoing it.

“The state is trying to do too much,” Dr. Foley said. Indeed, Trenton had actually tried to expand testing to include foreign languages. According to Melissa Baumann, who handled the statistical summary of test results for the board, that initiative “has been put on hold.”

The best source of information for any parent about a student’s progress, Dr. Foley emphasized, was that student’s teacher.

“The teacher should be able to show you a portfolio of writing” that shows progress over time, he said. In math, the teacher can display a sequence of problemsolving assignments.

“No one test,” he said, can give that kind of information.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Westfield BOE

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Smaller Classes WESTFIELD

POLICE BLOTTER TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5

· A motor vehicle was discovered engulfed in flames in front of a Benson Place residence. Authorities were still investigating at press time whether the blaze was deliberatelyset or an accident.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6

· Large scratches were left along the entire length of the passenger side of a motor vehicle while it was parked in the driveway of a First Street address.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8

· A color television, valued at approximately $400, was reported stolen from the basement of a Prospect Street apartment complex. There was also evidence that the electrical wiring in the basement had been tampered with.

· The rear window of a motor vehicle was smashed by an unknown individual or suspects while it was parked outside a Canterbury Road address.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9

· Two scooters, valued at a total of $180, were reported stolen during a 20minute time span from a Prospect Street residence.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 10

· A Westfield resident reported the theft of a canvas knapsack from the Westfield Train Station.

· A North Avenue store reported that someone attempted to shoplift $1,500 worth of merchandise in a plastic bag. The suspect dropped the bag while fleeing the scene after being confronted by security personnel.

Last seen behind homes on Prospect Street, the suspect was described as a white Hispanic male, between 25 and 30 years old, with brown hair. He stood about 5 feet and 7 inches tall and had a medium build.

· Two homes were reported burglarized, one on Carleton Road and the other on Ayliffe Avenue. While it is believed that entry to both homes was gained through a rear window, it was unknown at press time whether the two incidents were related.

In the Carleton Road case, $2000 in cash and about $10,000 worth of jewelry was reported missing. Police said $3,000 in jewelry was reported taken from the Ayliffe Avenue home.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 11

· A Summit resident reported the theft of her wallet from her purse at her place of employment on Lenox Avenue, authorities said. The wallet contained the victim’s driver’s license, Social Security card and credit cards.

“Everybody please vote yes on the referendum,” Mrs. Judd said.

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