'Super Student' Assembly, Other Activities Announced By Ridgewood Elementary School

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — A super student does not need superpowers, only the will to make super choices — this is one of the lessons that Orchard Elementary School in Ridgewood is teaching students in observance of the "Week of Respect" in New Jersey schools.

Orchard School students announced some of the week's theme days in the first-ever elementary student representative report to the Ridgewood Board of Education during its Monday meeting.

And the community-building "Super Student" assembly is only one of the activities this week that aims to help encourage respect among students and prevent future incidents of harassment, intimidation and bullying, Guidance Counselor Lindsay Rubin said at the meeting.

Rubin, Orchard Principal Mary Ferreri and a select group of the school's fifth-graders discussed some of the "exciting things" planned for the week, including a day reserved for wearing bright colors in order to, as one student put it, "let respect shine."

But, the students emphasized, even though this week is the "Week of Respect," Orchard is respectful all year long.

In fact, at the start of the school year, all Orchard students took the "Choose to Be Nice" pledge, and, throughout the year, participate in a social and emotional learning program called Open Circle to help students feel "safe, cared for and engaged in learning."

"By practicing these lessons together," one student noted, "we will learn more about our own and others' emotions."

Further highlighting the importance of respect and acceptance at Orchard, another student said, this month students are reading "I Talk Like a River," a book by Jordan Scott about a boy who stutters feeling isolated, alone and incapable of communicating in the way he'd like.

"It takes a kindly father and a walk by the river to help him find his voice," the student said, quoting a book summary. "I highly recommend this book for children everywhere to enjoy."