CDW Weekly Wrap-Up

Help your child(ren) make and keep New Year's resolutions that will benefit them in both their academic life and personal life. How can you help out?

According to Lamadacademy.org, examples of resolutions that a middle schooler might make:

• Make a new friend this year
• Join a club or after-school activity before the school year ends
• Stay organized
• Do my school work as soon as I get home
• Pay attention in class every day
• Spend 30 minutes less time on my cell phone
• Do not talk back to my parents

The resolution should be:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Relevant
• Time-based

January

Thursday, January 12th~ Grade 8 Middle School Scheduling Information with NVOT Virtual Meeting, 6:00 PM (More information provided below.)

Monday, January 16th~ Martin Luther King Day: School is closed to students for a staff professional development day.

Wednesday, January 18th~ Winter Concert for 5th grade band and 6th grade band

Thursday, January 19th~ Winter Concert for 7th grade band, 8th grade band, and the CDW Choir

Monday, January 23rd~ There will be a Board of Education meeting at 8:00 PM in the BOE Conference Room.

Thursday, January 26th~ Marking Period 2 ends.

Tuesday, January 31st~ Marking Period 2 Report Cards available in the Genesis Parent Portal at 12:00 PM

As we enter a new calendar year, it's a good time to check the information that you have previously provided in Genesis. Please email Mrs. Rosica-Kirchner with any new contact information. If your address has changed, please provide Ms. Rosica-Kirchner with a new Lease/Deed and 3 utility bills. The school will then change the address in the Genesis system. Any correspondence sent home from CDW will not forward so we do not want you to miss any future mailings!

Please contact Mrs. Rosica-Kirchner at rosica@nvnet.org if assistance is needed.

As we quickly approach the middle of the 2022-2023 school year, the teachers are preparing students for Mid-Year Benchmarks in all academic classes. Mid-Year Benchmarks have a variety of purposes for both the teachers and the students.

• Mid-Year Benchmarks assess students on their progress towards end-year goals.

• Mid-Year Benchmarks allow teachers to collect data on student progress and growth to use to prepare for future lessons.
• Mid-Year Benchmarks allow the students a chance to self-reflect on areas of improvement and create personal goals.
• Mid-Year Benchmarks will offer the teachers an opportunity to see what students have mastered and what will need to be re-taught.

How can your child(ren) prepare for Mid-Year Benchmarks?

• Ask questions in class.
• Review notes and previous assessment content.
• Stay positive!

Your child(ren)'s teachers will provide specific information about the benchmarks given in each class.

Students in Mr. Clark's Pre-Algebra and Algebra I classes and students in Ms. Reiser's Geometry class are scheduled to take mid-year benchmark assessments on Tuesday, January 17th during Periods 6-8. These assessments will offer students an opportunity to show what they have learned in their courses thus far. They also will offer the teachers an opportunity to see what students have mastered and what will need to be re-taught. The Algebra I mid-year assessment results are used to assist with placement decisions in Grade 9 at NVOT. Please be sure your child(ren) gets a good night's rest prior to this assessment.

Grade 7 students will take a Science Assessment on Tuesday, January 23rd during Periods 2-4. This assessment is administered throughout the Northern Valley schools, and it gives the teachers an overview of students' scientific understandings to-date. The results from this mid-year Science Assessment will be used to assist with placement decisions next year, when we course plan for our eighth graders going into NVOT.

This virtual program on Thursday, January 12th is designed for NVOT's incoming students and parents. The program readies NVOT families for the high school scheduling process. They will review the exciting programs and offerings in Northern Valley and provide guidance and support on how to approach the four-year plan. More detailed information about this program was emailed to you by NVOT.

Use this Google Survey Form to RSVP (by January 10th) and to post questions in advance.

Please note this Zoom Meeting Link:

https://nvnet.zoom.us/j/84095406425?pwd=dk1DbDYwL29qU3VpcDZBeE84akF5QT09

(This event will be recorded.)

If your child(ren) enjoys reading, he/she might be interested in Battle of the Books! Battle of the Books is a reading incentive program for students to read books and come together to demonstrate their abilities and test their knowledge. The student competitions are similar to TV Series Family Feud and Whiz Kids. If your child(ren) is interested, he/she must officially sign up with Ms. DiPisa by Tuesday, January 10th.

In order to practice finding equivalent fractions, students played a variation of the fast-paced game "Spoons."

In Ms. Escobar's Spanish Culture class, her Grade 6 students made Muneca quitapenas (worry dolls). As the students explained to Ms. Santa when she visited, they are to tell their doll about their sorrows, fear, and worries, then hide it under their pillow before they go to sleep at night. They can then start the next day feeling refreshed!

Students in Mr. Johnson’s 6th grade science class built freestanding towers out of pipe cleaners, and then tested them out on an earthquake simulator to see if they could withstand earthquakes of magnitudes 3.0, 6.0, and 9.0. The tallest towers that could withstand the shaking were the winners!

Mr. Gagliano and Ms. Osbahr have been teaching the 7th Grade students about the Digestive System. What better way to learn hands-on than to dissect an owl pellet to observe and analyze what the owl feasted on?

The unit began with the introduction of the Barn Owl's features, adaptations, and food web. Then the students were prepped with information about Owl Pellets and dissection procedures. While visiting classes, I learned that the owl usually swallows its prey whole, and during the process of digestion, the soft parts of the prey are dissolved and passed on to the intestine for absorption, and then the non-digestible parts remain!

The students began their dissections by carefully breaking off small pieces of the owl pellet. They then gently rubbed the piece to find any bones in the fur. They put the bones in the cup for a future lesson in which they will try to put the prey back together using their bone charts!

Today, January 6th, the Grade 8 band students attended NVOT for Instrumental Music Day! The event was facilitated by the high school's instrumental music staff. It was a full day of artistic collaboration and exploration. To end the day, the CDW students were able to perform alongside the High School Ensemble. Thank you to NVOT and Mr. Rosolanko for providing this opportunity.

Reminders and Updates from CDW's Student Manager

The girls' basketball team improved its record to 6-1 with a 46-15 road victory at Norwood on Wednesday. Christina D'Andrea led all scorers with 13 points. Lexi Caneudo had 12 and Maiumu Quiros, Lea Savino, and Finley Zimmerman each chipped in 4 points. Congratulations!

The next game for the CDW Girls' Basketball team is Wednesday, January 11th at home against Demarest.

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The boys' basketball team improved their record to 6 and 1 with a 66-53 win over Norwood on Wednesday. Leo Etter led four players in double figures with 20 points. Carmine Porcelli had a double-double with 17 points and 10 assists. Zach Miceli also had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Maximos Demaras poured in 12 points. Thanks to team helpers Sam Bilali, Chris Lanzaro, and Kabir Pamani.

The next game for the CDW Boys' Basketball team is Wednesday, January 11th away vs. Demarest.

2022-2023 CDW Basketball Schedule

Tickets are available at OTPTO.org.

The CDW Spirit Wear store is available on OTPTO.org! The Long Term Store is open year round and orders are shipped directly to the purchaser. The Short Term Store will reopen in the spring.

Both stores offer different merchandise. Links are on OTPTO.org or see below:

SHORT TERM: Charles DeWolf Middle School Old Tappan Spirit Wear 2022

LONG TERM: Charles DeWolf Middle School

Please see the dates below:

Wednesday, January 18th at 7:30 PM: 5th/6th Band

• The concert will include performances from both the 5th and 6th grade bands.
• Students should arrive at 7:15 pm in their concert dress clothes.
  
• The concert will be held in the CDW Lynch Gym.
• The concert will be approximately 30-45 minutes.

Thursday, January 19th at 7:30 PM: 7th/8th Band and Choir

• The concert will include performances from both the 7th and 8th grade bands and the CDW Choir.
• Students should arrive at 7:15 pm in their concert dress clothes.
• The concert will be held in the CDW Lynch Gym.
• The concert will be approximately 45 minutes to an hour.

Please reach out to Mr. Rosolanko with any questions about band at rosolanko@nvnet.org, and please reach out to Ms. Osbahr with any questions about choir at osbahre@nvnet.org.

• Please arrange a meeting area with your child(ren) so that you can locate them efficiently.
• Please do not park and/or exit your vehicle regardless of your child(ren) being at TBD or CDW.
• Please move your car up after the car in front of you exits Interschool Drive to keep the traffic flowing.
• Please do not block designated emergency lanes that connect TBD and CDW.
• Please use BOTH LANES on Interschool Drive for Pick-Up. A staff member will be available to cross your child(ren).

Genesis had to make some updates to the platform; therefore, their link has changed. Please use the following link moving forward to access the Genesis Parent Portal: https://parents.c1.genesisedu.net/oldtappan.

**Please note, the app we have for parents to access the Genesis Parent Portal on a mobile device is no longer supported by the Apple Store. If your app is no longer working, please log in using the link above. We are working to update our app so it is supported by the Apple Store; however, we do not have a projected date when this will be complete.

Below is a flyer for a short story contest that Ms. DiPisa introduced to the students at CDW. Submissions are due by January 15th, 2023. Please contact Ms. DiPisa at dipisag@nvnet.org with any questions or for more information.

We are collecting plastic film in the three containers outside of CDW. Once a month, from October through April, our CDW students in the Environmental Justice classes will retrieve the collection bags, weigh the contents, and track our collections. Our custodians will then bring our recycling to the collection center. In April, we will find out how our school ranked in the collection of recyclable plastic film. If we collect the most in our school size category, we could win another Trex bench for our outdoor classroom! Last year we collected 1,796 lbs of plastic!

Please see the flyer below for more information!

If your child is not going to attend school, please contact Mrs. McCarthy at 201-664-1475 ext. 2103 or McCarthy@nvnet.org.

In an effort to minimize the potential spread of illness at school, please keep your child home if he/she:

• has a fever. Students should be fever-free for 24 hours without medication prior to returning to school.
• is nauseous or is vomiting.
• has diarrhea.

When you deliver the items to the main office, please label them with "Art Room." Thank you in advance for your support and generosity!

If you would like to purchase insurance for your child(ren)'s school issued Chromebook, please refer to the information below, or you may purchase directly from smarttechinsurance.com/old-tappan.

Membership in the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) at Charles DeWolf Middle School is open to any seventh grade student who meets all the membership requirements at the end of the third marking period in 2023.

During the week of April 24, 2023, eligible students will be identified and invited to apply

for admission to the NJHS by email. An email will also be sent to parents of eligible

students. The induction ceremony will be held during the week of May 15, 2023 (subject to

change).

Instagram: cdw_middle

Email: santaj@nvnet.org
Website: https://cdw.oldtappanschools.org/
Location: 275 Old Tappan Road, Old Tappan, NJ, USA
Phone: 201-664-1475
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OldTappanSchoolDistrict/
Twitter: @OldTappanSD