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

March 14 is known as International Pi Day. Pi (Greek letter “π”) is the symbol used in mathematics to represent a constant, the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, which is approximately 3.14159.

The House Leaders at Memorial Middle School organized a special Pi Day fundraiser where students were able to purchase shaving cream pies which would be used to "smash" in the face of a teacher at this after-school event. Proceeds will be allocated to funding future House events. Students from the house which purchased the most pies were given the opportunity to pie Principal Scholtz and Assistant Principal Reilly, and Activities Coordinator Ms. Mastropaolo. It was a very messy but very fun event!

Congratulations to the cast and crew members of Memorial Middle School's 2023 play, Into The Woods, on their four amazing performances last weekend. We are very proud of all of you! Special thanks to Mrs. Yesonosky, Ms. Brickner, and Mr. Schaefer for their direction and dedication, and all of the parent volunteers who helped make the productions happen. Following the final show, the cast and crew celebrated with a fun party at the WP Boys & Girls Club.

School 1 held an open house last Saturday where prospective pre-K families could tour the building and meet some of the staff members, director, and principal. In addition, families could visit tables and meet representatives from the Woodland Park Education Foundation, the Alfred Baumann Library, the before and after-care program, the Home & School Association, and the Passaic County Department of Health.

The students in Ms. Petrullo's PreK-3 class at Charles Olbon School completed a shape skyline project. As the class continues learning about the different types of buildings and their features, they created their own buildings and skylines using various shapes.

Memorial Middle School's Health Club has been very busy the last few months. In January, they taught hand washing to the sixth graders as a means to fight the flu. In February, club members did morning announcements relating to heart health and sold Valentine bracelets to raise $200 that was donated to the American Heart Association. This month, the club has been focusing on the importance of sleep by creating bulletin boards and doing morning announcements on the importance of getting enough sleep.

Mrs. D’Amico and Ms. Omran’s first grade class at Charles Olbon School is getting super smart with non-fiction books. They have learned that non-fiction books are meant to teach us more! As non-fiction readers, they have begun to learn that they take sneak peeks, study each page, and think about their reading before, during, and after. They learned a new super fancy word… schema! Students were each given a new reader’s notebook to record their schema and facts they learned about their books. They are on their way to becoming non-fiction experts!

Ms. Tonti’s first grade students at Charles Olbon School wrote a "How-To Catch a Leprechaun" piece independently and then met with their editor to perfect their masterpieces. The students shared their ideas aloud. The children created groups where they collaborated on their ideas to build one trap. Each group successfully designed some intriguing traps that the leprechaun may not be able to escape!

Students in Mrs. Tobia and Ms. Bonnie's PreK-4 class at School 1 had so much fun making art out of recycled materials. We are learning about the 3 R's: reduce, reuse, and recycle.

To enhance the reduce, reuse, and recycle study, custodians Mr. Damien and Mr. Alessio spoke to the PreK-4 students at School 1. They told the children about how they pick up the trash and when to use the garbage bin and when to use the recycle bins. They then told the students about what they do throughout the day to keep the school clean and safe.

Beatrice Gilmore School students Micayla and Alex helped to load the truck after the BG Home & School Association's clothing drive on Sunday. The BGHSA is hoping this collection drive brings in enough money to help cover the cost of a DJ for Field Day. Another clothing drive is being scheduled for September.

Memorial Middle School eighth grade students are completing their project on African masks. Students learned about the ship La Amistad and how the people from West Africa were kidnapped from their homes to be sold into slavery. The people revolted and took control of the ship but were tricked and brought to Connecticut instead of back to Sierra Leone. After a two-year court battle, the U.S. ruled in favor of the Sierra Leone people, known as the Mende people, and the surviving 34 people went back. The inspiration for the designs for our masks is from the Mende people. Students first created the design on paper and then transferred that design onto the paper mache masks they sculpted with molds.

This week in Art Club, students began applying the house colors to the mural outside the cafeteria. A big thank you to Ms. Mastropaolo and Mr. Amato for getting the supplies needed.

The Beatrice Gilmore School Home & School Association is running a half-day pretzel sale for the April 6 early dismissal day. To purchase pretzels, click here.

Congratulations to the Woodland Park Panthers 7th/8th grade girls' basketball Team Amanullah, which won their championship game on Sunday. The team consists of Madison Amanullah, Jhyanna Beato, Vanessa Hackett, Tori Hackett, Bianca Maldonado, Joanie Mupo, and Deylani Salcedo.

Congratulations to the Woodland Park Panthers 7th/8th grade boys' basketball Team Snyder, which won their championship game on Wednesday night. The team consists of Mohamed Abdalla, Oshmar Cancel Moya, Luis Contes, Xavier Diaz, Lorenzo Flumenbaum, Talal Mansour Tallon Napoli, Emir Safarini, and Jason Snyder.

The Alfred Baumann Library will host the following programs. Visit the Library's website here or Facebook page here. Its phone is 973-345-8120. Email is library@abwplibrary.org.

Saturday, March 25, 11 a.m. - New Jersey Makers Day for all ages. Lego challenges, create with clay, make a giant mural, see how buttons are made, and more! Stay for the whole time or just drop in, but registration is required. Register here.

Monday, March 27, 10 a.m. - Bouncing Babies. This program for babies age 1 to 23 months includes stories, rhymes, songs, and free play. Register here.

Monday, March 27, 10 a.m. - Weigh To Go weight loss support group. Register here.

Monday, March 27, 11 a.m. - Chair Yoga. Come and find inner peace through chair yoga and meditation. Register here.

Monday, March 27, 3 to 4 p.m. - Homework Helpers. AP students will assist with test review and homework. Register here.

Monday, March 27, 4 to 5 p.m. - Homework Helpers. AP students will assist with test review and homework. Register here.

Monday, March 27, 6 p.m. - Dungeons & Dragons club for teens in grades 6-12. New and experienced players are welcome anytime. Register here.

Monday, March 27, 6:30 p.m. - ESL Conversation Club. Register here.

Tuesday, March 28, 3 to 4 p.m. - Homework Helpers. AP students will assist with test review and homework. Register here.

Tuesday, March 28, 4 to 5 p.m. - Homework Helpers. AP students will assist with test review and homework. Register here.

Tuesday, March 28, 6:30 p.m. - Pajama Story Time. Register here.

Wednesday, March 29, 4 p.m. - Picture Bingo for grades K-4. Prizes will be available. Register here.

Wednesday, March 29, 6:30 p.m. - Unwind With Pat. Join in to work on a craft of your choice. Register here.

Thursday, March 30, 11 a.m. - Unwind With Pat. Join Pat to unwind with the craft of your choice. Register here.

Thursday, March 30, 12 p.m. Sit & Fit. Have fun exercising from the comfort of a chair. Register here.

Thursday, March 30, 3 to 4 p.m. - Homework Helpers. AP students will assist with test review and homework. Register here.

Thursday, March 30, 4 to 5 p.m. - Homework Helpers. AP students will students with test review and homework. Register here.

Thursday, March 30, 6:30 p.m. - Spice of the Month Club will meet to discuss the findings of this month's spice. Stop by to pick up a spice packet, recipe, and history of the spice. Register here.

Monday, April 3, 7 p.m. - Baumann Book Club will meet to discuss "Dear Edward" by Ann Napolitano. Copies of the book are available at the Library and are also on Hoopla and Libby for easy download. Register here.

Saturday, April 8, 11 a.m. - Join in for a very special story time to celebrate the spring holidays. Enjoy stories about Ramadan, Easter, and Passover! 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