Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Parents, teachers, and students at Pines Lake Elementary School walk in the schools' annual Relay for Life.
Some students held signs. Some wore T-shirts with encouraging messages across the front. Others had their hair dyed pink. Regardless of what form it took, students at Pines Lake Elementary School got their message across: we’re standing up to cancer. The school hosted its sixth annual Relay for Life fundraiser last week. Students held signs as they walked around the hallways. Others donated their allowances to play carnival games and get their hair dyed. Inclement weather forced the event to be held inside. But the event was not just an opportunity for kids to have fun. It is an opportunity for cancer survivors to encourage one another and give each other hope. “When I first heard I had cancer, I said to myself ‘I’m going to beat this’,” …
Monday, June 17, 2013
Jose Blankely-Celis will replace Pamela Longo beginning Aug. 13.
A new principal of Pines Lake Elementary School has been appointed for the 2013-14 school year. The Board of Education appointed Jose Blankely-Celis at its June 6 meeting. He will replace Pamela Longo. Blankely-Cela has a master’s degree from Northeastern University. He will earn more than $131,000 for the year. Longo earned more than $152,000 annually. Blankely-Celis will begin working Aug. 13. The Board approved Longo’s retirement in April. Longo is not ending her 42-year career on a high note. Residents have criticized the way she responded to incidents of abuse by a substitute teacher to two young Pines Lake students. The abuse reportedly occurred in March but was not made public until a few weeks ago. Three other Wayne principals are …
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Superintendent, Source4Teachers each claim to have initiated termination of working relationship.
Source4Teachers, the firm that provides substitute teachers to the district, will not work with the Wayne School District next year. In an e-mail obtained by Wayne Patch, Jeff Belz, the firm's in-house counsel, notified district Superintendent Ray Gonzalez of the firm's intention to not renew its contract with the district via an e-mail sent at 11:34 a.m. Tuesday. "We are respectfully declining the opportunity to renew the Source4Teacher contract for the Wayne school district for the 2013-14 school year," Belz stated in the e-mail. "We thank you for allowing our company to serve the school district in the 2012-13 school year. We wish you continued success going forward." Gonzalez issued a statement at 1:42 p.m. stating that it was the …
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Substitute teacher will not work in the district again, a spokesperson said.
Source4Teachers, the firm that provided the substitute teacher who allegedly hit two kindergartners on their heads in March, did not “find any validity to the charges,” a spokesperson representing the firm said. A substitute teacher at Pines Lake Elementary School allegedly hit Karen Veale’s son and another child on their heads March 8. Parents and teachers spoke to the Board of Education and administrators at a meeting Thursday about the decision to outsource the hiring of substitutes to Source4Teachers. The move is saving the district $250,000. “Source4Teachers followed its practices and investigated the accusations [in] March when the allegations were first made and did not find validity to the charges,” said Pam Boyd, a spokesperson …
Friday, June 7, 2013
More than 50 people packed a Board of Education meeting Thursday to let officials know they've had enough of the district outsourcing its substitutes to Source4Teachers.
Parents blasted district administrators Thursday for failing to respond to abuse by a substitute at Pines Lake Elementary School in a timely manner. It was standing room only as more than 50 people packed a Board of Education meeting Thursday at the district office to express their displeasure with substitute teachers. A substitute teacher struck Karen Veale’s son and another child on their heads March 8 because she wanted the boys to sit back down. The boys were sharpening their pencils. The teacher is employed by Source4Teachers, an independent agency that the district has contracted with to provide substitute teachers for the district. Veal said she attempted to contact Superintendent Ray Gonzalez and Assistant Superintendent Marysol …
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Special community group formed after allegations made that a substitute teacher hit students on the head.
A special community group will be convened to review the use of substitute teachers in the Wayne Public School District, Superintendent Ray Gonzalez announced Monday. Gonzalez issued a statement regarding a report last week that a substitute teacher abused two students at Pines Lake Elementary School. According to the report, the teacher allegedly hit two boys on their heads while they waited in line to sharpen their pencils because she wanted them to return to their seats. “I’m confident that, working together, we can continue to enhance our district’s environment related to substitute teachers,” Gonzalez said in the statement. The group will review the "utilization of substitute teachers and, if appropriate, make specific …
Friday, May 31, 2013
Parents are expected to speak out about substitute teachers at the next Board of Education meeting.
Parents are expected to pack a Board of Education meeting June 6 to express their frustration with substitute teachers after accusations that children were yelled at and smacked at Pines Lake Elementary School, NorthJersey.com reported Friday. According to the article, a parent of a 6-year-old student accused a substitute teacher of hitting her child in the head on March 8. The parent's name was withheld. The report also references an e-mail, obtained by Wayne Today, that was allegedly sent to a school board trustee by another parent, accusing a substitute teacher of arriving 90 minutes late to a two-and-a-half-hour session. The substitute teacher was allegedly in a “nasty” mood and was “constantly yelling at the students," according to …
Monday, April 15, 2013
Pamela Longo, principal of Pines Lake Elementary School, retiring after 42-year career.
For Pamela Longo, school is more than just learning how to read and write. For her school is about being a part of something that is bigger than the sum of its parts. It's about becoming a family. Longo, a Wayne resident who has been principal of Pines Lake for nine years, is retiring in August. "It's very bittersweet for me," Longo said. "Right now, it's sad as kids and parents come by the office and say goodbye." Longo has a 42-year career in education. She knew she wanted to be a teacher when she was in the fourth grade. She started her career as a kindergarten teacher and taught every elementary school grade. She went on to become a language arts coordinator and assistant principal before taking the reins at Pines Lake. "I've tried to …
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Here's a sample of what we're working on this week for Wayne Patch.
Here is a sample of what we're working on this week for Wayne Patch. — Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Daniel Hubbard at Daniel.Hubbard@patch.com or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Pamela Longo, principal of Pines Lake Elementary School, is scheduled to retire Aug. 16. The Board of Education is expected to approve Longo's retirement at a meeting Thursday.
Another principal of a Wayne school is retiring. Pamela Longo, the long-time principal of Pines Lake Elementary School, is scheduled to retire from the position Aug. 16. The Board of Education is scheduled to approve Longo’s retirement at a meeting Thursday. Longo could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Parents and teachers have said Longo has worked tirelessly to teach students the importance of helping others and giving back. Longo founded the Pines Lake chapter of the Kids Care Club in 2003. The community service group works to inspire and equip students to make a positive impact on their world. Seventy students joined the group last year. The group picks a different community service project to do each month. It has donated piles of …
Susan Napolitano
1:58 pm on Wednesday, June 19, 2013
We, the staff at Pines Lake School, would like to respond to the comments made about our principal, Mrs. Pamela Longo. After forty-two years of service, with nine of those years at our school, Mrs. Longo is ending her career on a HIGH note. There is no principal that is more competent, caring, and compassionate as Mrs. Longo. She has done a stellar job as our building principal for nine years. … more ›