Dear Ramsey and Saddle River Communitie
I considered skipping the weekly update that has become a standard communications tool during this spring of our discontent, but the need to share information isn’t taking a break. This week we heard two exciting announcements for Ramsey School District:
- Graduation ceremonies got a yellow light from the Governor! If it were a green light, I could happily share our plans for celebrating Ramsey High School graduates. The guidelines that followed that announcement hinge on an array of limitations including the current cap of 25 people gathering for an event (including staff, parents and graduates, that would feel more like a photo op than a graduation). This conflicting information has thwarted our intent on getting going with a graduation ceremony as we know it. However, we are still committed to giving our grads an outside ceremony, but we need some more time to explore what we can realistically plan.
- We were recognized for having top-notch communications – in fact, the very best in New Jersey! The NJ School Public Relations Association presented me with its first-ever Communicator of the Year Award, but it’s an honor I share with the school district staff and the entire community. We demonstrated how we built a strong foundation for sharing information with all district stakeholders, and using multiple means to reach them. Our mailed News & Views newsletter, frequent emails to parents and other community members, and prolific use of social media are all valuable tools for us.
Surely you’ve heard that communication is a two-way street. It’s actually more than that; it’s a heavily traveled superhighway with cloverleafs, jughandles and switchbacks. In Ramsey, we use our communication tools to do much more than transmit information in a one-way direction. We also understand the need to have more than one way to reach our very broad audience, and we truly rely on your thoughtful and respectful feedback.
On May 19 we sent a survey to parents, teachers, and middle and high school students to seek input to help the district make decisions about how to approach remote learning going forward. We were happily overwhelmed with 1,264 completed surveys! Respondents expressed a wide range of opinions. A common feeling was that while the district, and teachers in particular, has done a nice job with remote learning, this type of learning cannot replace face-to-face teaching. Almost all respondents were eager to have schools reopen, and we completely agree.
An overwhelming majority did not believe that there should be any significant changes made to the remote learning plan during the last month of this school year, but people were more open to changes being made if remote learning continues into the fall. Of course, our approach is highly dependent on the state’s parameters for reopening schools. Please know that we are already preparing for multiple scenarios of what school in Ramsey could like look in the fall. Survey feedback has been helpful in this challenge-filled planning process.
When times get tough, communication becomes even more important. Ramsey School District had strong communication methods before the coronavirus pandemic, and I believe it has helped us get through some very uncertain times. We didn’t just disseminate news, we shared positivity and camaraderie … even whimsy, for people who needed a laugh. I hope you found some humor in my tales of childhood vacations and adult RVing. I certainly enjoyed reading the memories people sent me in response.
Without open and honest exchanges, we would not have excelled at the challenge of remote learning. Without a willing audience, our messages about Ramsey Responds would have stalled in cyberspace. Without over 3,000 people following our 160+ social media channels, we couldn’t have saluted students on their birthdays or provided Stigma Free encouragement. I am just one of the people who help make those ideas happen, and together they turn our school district from being a partner in the community to being a driving force for the community’s culture.
I am so proud of that caring Ramsey culture. I love being the Superintendent here, I love what we are doing to educate and enrich students, and I love public education!
Matthew J. Murphy, Ed. D.
Superintendent of Schools
Ramsey Public Schools
Twitter: @drmatthewmurphy
Facebook: @RamseyNJschools
Instagram: @ramseyschooldistrictSee some of the ways we communicate here.
