Testing Taken to Task, Robbers Sought and Arctic Travels

The Problems with High Stakes Testing in our Public Schools

Bloomfield BOE member Dan Anderson blogged this week about the increased emphasis on high stakes testing in public schools, saying the tests are unreliable indicators of quality and do not necessarily reflect higher quality teaching and learning. He said the exams do not and cannot evaluate and reveal real learning and give the wrong idea to our students that by filling in the correct bubbles one must be learning and achieving.

Sheriff Offers Reward for Armed Robber

The Essex County Sheriff's Office posted a $5,000 cash reward on Thursday for information leading to the arrest of two men wanted in connection with eleven armed robberies of convenience stores, liquor stores and gas stations in towns, including a Bloomfield conveniene store, said Sheriff Armando Fontoura.

Bloomfield Resident Travels to North Pole Sea

Bloomfield's Amanda Thackray recently won a slot in the Arctic Circle Residency, where she and other artists and scientists will sail around the Arctic Circle for two weeks on a Barkantine tallship. The June expedition starts from the Svalbard Archipelago and will bring the ship within ten degrees of the North Pole.

Salon Raising Funds for Suicide Awareness and Prevention

With the help of her co-workers and family, Chloe Malfitano is looking to help raise money and awareness for suicide prevention by taking part in this year’s Out of the Darkness Overnight Walk in Washington, DC and she’s looking for the community’s support. The June 1 walk, sponsored by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, funds research, education, survivor and awareness programs for people in danger of committing suicide and to assist people affected by suicides of loved ones. The walk stretches out for 18 miles and lasts from dusk til dawn.