Home Care In Franklin Lakes, NJ

WYCKOFF AND FRANKLIN LAKES, NJ — Are middle school years really — as one movie has put it — "The worst years of my life"? Not if the schools themselves can help it.

Six New Jersey Middle Schools have received "National Schools To Watch" recognition for 2024 from the National Forum Advancing Excellence in the Middle Grades, the group announced last week — and two are in Bergen County.

Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School in Wyckoff has been redesignated for this year, after being first designated back in 2016.

And Franklin Avenue Middle School in Franklin Lakes has been designated for the first time.

NJ Schools To Watch state leaders select each school based on four categories that are evaluated: Academic Excellence, Developmental Responsiveness, Social Equity and Organizational Structures and Processes.

Find out what's happening in Wyckoffwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Schools that apply must complete a written application which includes a self-rubric to identify strengths and weakness while looking for potential areas for improvement.

Applications are reviewed by the selection committee, and some schools will get a site visit.

The NJ Schools To Watch leadership team met and selected the following schools for recognition:

The group said in a release, "The recognized schools will be acknowledged at theNJAMLE State Conference at Brookdale College on March 13, 2024 and honored nationally at the National Forum’s Schools To Watch Conference in Washington, DC on June 20-22, 2024."

The National Forum is an alliance of educators, researchers, national associations, and education foundations dedicated to improving middle-grades education for young adolescents. Starting in 1999, the Schools to Watch program began as a national program to identify exceptional middle-grades schools across the country.

Schools are recognized for a three-year period and at the end of three years must demonstrate progress on specific goals in order to be re-designated. Schools must also collaborate with other middle-level schools.

The Schools To Watch process is a tool to help middle-level educators evaluate their schools and seek ways to improve. Outstanding middle schools are encouraged to apply.

Find out more about NJ Schools To Watch: https://www.njschoolstowatch.o...Find out about the National Forum Advancing Excellence in the Middle Grades: https://www.middlegradesforum....

Marsha A. Stoltz

FRANKLIN LAKES — There is no poem as lovely as a tree, and the borough's newly-adopted ordinance on their removal and replacement aims to keep it that way.

The ordinance, adopted last week, is intended to reinforce the mayor and council’s commitment to preserving the tree canopy in the borough.

"The process took probably five years," Shade Tree Commission Chairman Michael Tulp said. "We last redid this 12 years ago and found it wasn't working. We were protecting the trees in general but not what individual property owners do."

The goal is "to more effectively deter property owners, developers, contractors and tree contractors from removing more trees than necessary and to better maintain the tree canopy."

"Our general philosophy is that a tree affects everything, even two blocks away," Tulp said. "The trend has been to remove a lot of trees, and we've tried to address that in the ordinance, especially protections for larger trees."

Franklin Lakes tree changes

OPEN SPACE REFERENDUMFranklin Lakes voters will be asked to weigh in on setting up open space fund

Tree replacement policies have been adopted by a number of municipalities in recent years, Tulp said. Ridgewood updated its tree policies to include replacement last May, for example.

Arborists and foresters will be charged with enforcing the borough’s tree removal and replacement ordinances. Tulp said there are exceptions to every rule and that there will be an appeal process by which residents and developers can consult with enforcement.

"We'll listen to a reasonable solution," Tulp said.

For more information regarding the Shade Tree Commission, contact Michael Tulp at [email protected] or 201-280-1183.

Two more school districts have joined the ranks of districts repealing specific policy that grants extra protections for transgender students. The Westwood Regional School District and the Franklin Lakes Elementary School each repealed the policy — technically known as 5756 for the state guidance it comes from — making them a part of a growing number of school districts that are reversing course on LGBTQ rights.

“I don’t know how a rational parent can hear that and think it’s a good idea to keep a parent in the dark about the health and well-being of their child, which the language in this policy allows,” said Michael Piero, a Westwood resident, in defending the decision in his district.

But the latest moves have touched off further debate on an issue that has dominated 2023.

Lauren Albrecht, director of advocacy and organizing at Garden State Equality, said that although so-called parent rights voices are loud, their groups remain in the minority in New Jersey and repealing these policies will leaves educators, school districts and LGBTQ+ students more vulnerable legally.

“The removal of 5756 doesn’t automatically indicate that a school should then implicitly be outing a student,” Albrecht said. “That’s against our law against discrimination, which is really comprehensive in NJ.”

Some advocates also said there could be legal action taken if the attorney general’s office chooses to sue a district because these school boards are only repealing policies that protect transgender students.

“The problem with a district that doesn’t comply is the district gets sued,” said Michael Gottesman, founder of New Jersey Public Education Coalition. “Whether it’s by a private lawsuit by a plaintiff who feels they haven’t been protected, or a lawsuit filed by our Attorney General. . . The basic result is it takes money away from teaching kids.”

Yet one parent rights advocate said she hoped districts and families would start working together to reach the right balance.

“I think it’s a first step to making sure parents are notified about their child’s gender identity and their social and emotional well-being, and kind of restarting the process again that schools are in partnership with parents and educating them for success,” said Shawn Hyland, director of advocacy for New Jersey Family Policy Center.

Well, back then it was called Franklin Lakes Deli. It was on Pulis Avenue in Franklin Lakes, and Corbo had been working there since her teens.

"It had a hometown feel," Corbo, of Mahwah, tells Daily Voice. "The nice part for me was that when I was working there in high school, I had people bringing their kids in, and then those people started bringing their kids in."

Corbo says, "It was a fun little spot in Franklin Lakes that a lot of kids grew up on."

And so, when Country Cafe lost its lease in July 2023, Corbo was heartbroken. Saying goodbye was difficult, but saying goodbye forever simply was not an option.

"The same people have worked for me for a majority of their lives, so 12 people were out of a job as well," the cafe owner said. "But I wasn't quite ready to be done so I just tried to pick up the pieces and find a new home."

This week, Corbo opened Country Cafe's new location in the Wyckoff Shopping Center.

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Corbo found the place in somewhat of a scramble over the summer, and spent fall months renovating it and building out an even bigger menu.

Corbo added a variety of salads, toasts, a whole new selection of eggs Benedict, and bowls to the mix. There are pancakes and sandwiches and wraps and French toast — something for everyone, really.

As for the opening? So far, so good. Really good.

"The town and all the people in Wyckoff have been so wonderful," she said. "Local businesses have come by and a nursery sent us a wreath as a welcome to the neighborhood.

"There's a lot of community in Wyckoff that I've never experienced firsthand. I’m very very excited and pleased with the move that we made."

Country Cafe, 637 Wyckoff Ave., Wyckoff.

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Marsha A. Stoltz

FRANKLIN LAKES — An ordinance to amend the borough's affordable housing plan to add the 89-acre former Cigna/IBM/Express Scripts site will be introduced by Mayor Charles Kahwaty and the Borough Council on May 2.

The ordinance would formalize the council's 4-3 vote on March 29, which approved an amended plan by developer S. Hekemian Group for 305 multi-housing units and 495,000 square feet of warehousing on the site, off Parsons Pond Drive. The project's 250 multi-family units would be 15% to 20% affordable, depending on whether they are rentals or for sale; also included are 55 affordable units to be built by the borough on 3.5 acres of the site donated by the developer.

During the Feb. 1 council meeting, residents were not happy with Hekemian's initial public plan for 640 units, 156 affordable. Kahwaty announced that Hekemian originally proposed 2,500 units for the site, but residents were calling for no development at all.

The revised plan was approved over protests from a smaller group of residents, whose concerns shifted to the impact of warehouse traffic on Old Mill Road and its intersection with the borough's Franklin Avenue main thoroughfare.

In breaking the council's 3-3 tie, Kahwaty cautioned that the property would be "eviscerated" if the council turned down the proposal, and Hekemian would take the borough to court.

"As much damage as may come to the people of Old Mill Road and the surrounding areas, it will be quintuple that," Kahwaty told residents. "The courts are not as concerned about quality of life in Franklin Lakes. They're concerned about adhering to the Mount Laurel doctrine."

REVISED PLAN OK'DWarehouses are now part of the Franklin Lakes affordable housing plan. Here's why

A Jan. 23 public information session provided residents with background on the proposal and the complex restraints of the Mount Laurel court rulings, under which each New Jersey municipality is required to provide a realistic opportunity for the production of affordable housing. An audio recording of the session is available on franklinlakes.org.

According to the borough's April 21 Latest Buzz newsletter on its website, officials completed the next four steps in the process earlier this month:

"The ordinance/settlement would not be legal/effective until after the court approves the settlement agreement following the fairness hearing, even if it were adopted prior to the hearing," the newsletter says.

640 UNITS PROPOSEDFranklin Lakes affordable housing plan calls for 640 total units. Here's what we know

After the ordinance introduction, the newsletter says, the Planning Board will discuss and hold a public hearing on the proposed affordable housing plan amendment, as well as the council's proposed zoning ordinance. A public hearing would be held on the zoning ordinance before its adoption.

After the court's approval of the settlement agreement, Hekemian would file an application and hold hearings with the Planning Board on development of the site. No date was projected when that application would be submitted.