Woodland Park School District News

Welcome to the Woodland Park School District e-Newsletter which is sent out weekly when school is in session. It serves as a glimpse of some of the wonderful things going on in our schools, as well as a point of reference for upcoming events.

Your Partner in Education,
Michele R. Pillari, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools

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Check out the newly upgraded Memorial School Gym! The floor, paint, and logo are all brand new. The wooden bleachers were replaced with custom-designed plastic bleachers with the new logo. In addition, a new exercise room was created in the gym annex!

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This week is National School Counseling Week! This week is sponsored by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) and highlights the tremendous impact school counselors have in assisting students to achieve school success and career planning. Please join us as we salute our fantastic guidance counselors - Miss Indri, Ms. Farraye, and Ms. Mc Glame - who embody this year’s event theme: "All In for All Students".

Our counselors took some pictures to celebrate the week. Miss Indri also made some videos to teach the students more about her as a person and the position of school counselor. CO ended this week with an activity whereby students navigated the "Counselor Toolbox" on her webpage. Through this exercise, students learned how the guidance counselor can help each and every student achieve their very best.

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Students in Ms. Khalil's PreK-3 class at School 1 recently completed an activity during the clothing study. After reading Llama Llama Red Pajama, students made a craft to design their own quilts for Baby Llama.

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Our School District hosted a "Fundations At Home" series for parents of K-3 students. District Supervisor of Language Arts, Elba Castrovinci, and a team of elementary teachers presented information about the researched-based, multi-sensory Fundations program that is used in Charles Olbon and Beatrice Gilmore Schools This program addresses foundational reading, spelling, and language skills.

Ms. Webb and Ms. Davidson presented to kindergarten and first grade families. Ms. Skrbic presented to second grade families and Ms. Hermann presented to third grade families. There were over 70 participants over the course of the different three presentations. The purpose of the series was to share program information and provide strategies which the parents/guardians can support students' early literacy skills development. Presentations and resources will be shared on the District website.

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First grade students in Mrs. D’Amico's and Ms. Gutierrez's classes are learning about sound energy in science. Students created “sound boxes” (aka guitars) to explore and observe different ranges of sound. By making the rubber band vibrate, these young rock star scientists listened to both high and low sounds. Of course, they played some amazing “music” too! Here is a collage of some of the students who submitted photos to their teacher.

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Students in Ms. Krasnomowitz's Pre-K 4 class at School 1 made 3-D art projects using straws and tube-shaped pasta to end their "Tubes and Tunnels" study. Some of the students worked on their own and others worked with their families.

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In January, Ms. Wilson's fourth grade students discussed goal setting and resolutions for the new year. The class discusssed the importance of ensuring goals are visible and to remind themselves of these goals each and every day. Vision boards for the new year were created using Google Jamboard. Some students chose to represent goals through images that were later presented to the class while others illustrated a combination of words and pictures to set the tone for the new year. Shown above are a few samples of student boards.

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Students in Ms. Svorec's Language Arts class are learning about historical fiction. They started to read Under the Red Blood Sun, which is a story about a Japanese family living in Hawaii when Pearl Harbor was attacked.

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Students enjoyed the snow day on Monday with a number of different activities. Students used engineering and building skills in order to create snowmen and snow forts.

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First Children Services is offering a free virtual webinar for parents "Helping Kids Stay Connected: One Year Into COVID" on Thursday, Feb. 25 from 5 to 6 p.m. presented by Jeff Selman, PsyD, BCBA-D, vice president of clinical services, First Children Services.

This presentation will give parents and guardians useful tips to help their children stay engaged in school, how to identify potential barriers and when to get help. An invite link will be sent to participants two days prior to the event.

Dr. Selman is a licensed psychologist and board-certified behavior analyst at the doctoral level (BCBA-D). He holds current and previous certifications as a school psychologist in New York, New Jersey, and South Carolina. Dr. Selman specializes in the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with a range of psychological and behavioral health concerns, including autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, anxiety, and other developmental, social-emotional, and more.

Contact Susan Goldman at sgoldman@firstchildrenservices.com for more information. To register for the webinar, click here.

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The Alfred Baumann Library will host the following children's programs. All programs are VIRTUAL unless noted. To view virtual programs, click here.

Tuesday, Feb. 9, 6 p.m. - Join Miss Sara as we make a DIY Hot Chocolate Bomb, just in time for Valentine's Day! Limited space is available; the Zoom link will be provided after registration. Kits will be available for pick up at the library. Register here.

Wednesday, Feb. 10, 4:30 p.m. - Virtual storytime with Miss Phil and Miss Sara. Register here.

Thursday, Feb. 11, 5 p.m. - Books & Barks - Read in a private 10-minute session to Delilah, Ms. Parker's therapy dog. Register here.

Friday, Feb. 12, 6:30 p.m. - Join Miss Dana and Miss Sara for a Valentine's Day craft. Supply kits will be available for pick up at the library; call 973-345-8210 when you get here and a staff member will bring a kit to your car. The Zoom meeting link will be provided after registration. Register here.

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Email: mpillari@wpschools.org
Website: www.wpschools.org
Location: 853 McBride Avenue, Woodland Park, NJ 07424, USA
Phone: 973-317-7711