CDW Weekly Wrap-Up

Students will be dismissed at 12:30 PM on Monday, March 24th. The Northern Valley will be hosting an Inter-District Articulation Meeting in the afternoon for all Northern Valley teachers.

If you would like to sign up your child(ren) for the writing workshop with Disney's author, Jen Calonita, on Tuesday, March 11th during 6th period, please email Mrs. Melillo on or before Monday, March 10th at Melillog@nvnet.org.

Here is a book trailer for Jen Calonita's new book, "Isle of Ever," which she is donating to each of the Language Arts classroom libraries.

BOX OFFICE: The box office is open! Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. The $10 ticket price will close at 6:30 PM on Friday, April 4th. Here is a link to the box office to purchase tickets: cdms.booktix.com, or you may use the QR Code below.

BOOSTERS/ADS FOR PLAYBILL: Here is the information for submitting ads/boosters for our Playbill. Here is the Google Form for submission. We rely on income from ticket sales, the playbill, and our apparel sale to fund our program each year. Please reach out to Mrs. Melillo if you have any questions about ads/boosters.

APPAREL: The apparel shopping cart will close at midnight on Monday, March 10th. All cast and crew are expected to get at least one item as we will be performing in our show apparel at the school preview. CREW members need at least one item in black that they will wear backstage for the shows. https://www.imagemarket.com/CDWDramaProgram

As preparations are being made for this year's production of Guys and Dolls, the CDW Musical staff is asking for donations to help with costumes for the show. Please view the Amazon Wishlist HERE to purchase items up until March 30th. Any donations are appreciated!

Also, if you can donate any men's ties, please drop them off at the CDW Main Office at your earliest convenience.

On Tuesday, Jason Patterson visited CDW to share with the students his journey of becoming a published author. Mr. Patterson talked to the 5th and 6th graders about using structure when writing, and he spoke to the 7th and 8th graders about the process of writing a story. In the afternoon, Mr. Patterson hosted a writing workshop for about 30 CDW students of all grade levels.

Thank you to Mrs. Melillo for setting up the visit, and thank you to the PTO for sponsoring it for the CDW students.

As we prepare for the NJSLA Testing, please make sure that your child(ren) has wired earbuds or headphones to use for the assessment. Please see the dates below:

NJSLA- Science: Grades 5 & 8--> April 29th to May 2nd

NJSLA-ELA and Math: Grades 5 through 8--> May 8th through 14th

If your child(ren) is absent on a testing day, he/she will make-up the test before the end of the month.

Fifth grade math lab practiced metric conversions and unit rates to decide “would you rather?”

CDW Debate had its final tournament on Wednesday, March 5th at Cresskill. Teammates Katie Jung and Sophie Bergelson, Liam Rampersad and Joseph Jin, and Ella Mor and Ariana Rampersad all ended the season with a win!

Congratulations to all of the Debate Team members who competed all year long! We are extremely proud of your hard work and dedication!

Ms. Santa will be visiting all of the Grade 5 through Grade 8 classrooms in the next few weeks to discuss techniques to beat stress and boost performance in school.

Did you know?

• Over 80% of students express feeling stressed often. (Source: Research.com)
• Only 1 in 5 students get the recommended amount of sleep. (Source: CDC)
• Too much social media use can contribute to stress, but social media can also reduce stress when it helps us feel connected. (Source: Everyday Health)
• Stress, if in small doses, can be a motivating factor and help students stay alert. (Source: TeensHealth)
• Getting enough sleep, eating healthy foods, exercising regularly, and using breathing techniques are all good ways to reduce stress and handle school work better! (Source: Verywell Mind)

During the week of March 17, the Cognitive Abilities Test™ (CogAT®) will be administered to all Grade 5 students. CogAT® measures students’ learned reasoning abilities in the three areas most closely related to success in school:

• The Verbal Battery measures students’ abilities to reason with words and concepts. These reasoning abilities play an important role in reading comprehension, critical thinking, writing, and virtually all verbal learning tasks.
  
  

• The Quantitative Battery measures students’ abilities to reason with quantitative symbols and concepts. These reasoning skills are significantly related to problem solving in mathematics and other disciplines.
  
  

• The Nonverbal Battery measures students’ abilities to reason with geometric shapes and figures. To perform successfully, students must accurately implement strategies for solving novel problems.

It is a measure of a student’s potential to succeed in school-related tasks. It is not a measure of general intelligence or IQ.

Students are given a specific amount of time to work though each subtest independently. The entire CogAT® Full Battery will be administered over multiple days. The results help to identify students who qualify for LEAP, our gifted and talented program, while also providing teachers with additional data points regarding student ability and performance.

No special preparation is necessary for this assessment. We simply encourage students to do their best.

If you would like to opt your child out of the CogAT® assessment, please email Mrs. Hwang at hwangg@nvnet.org no later than March 13, 2025.

Score reports will be mailed home by June 1, 2025. If you have questions after you receive your child's score report, please do not hesitate to reach out to Ms. Hwang or me via email.

There have been updates from the Knightly Chronicles writers! The link to the online newspaper can be found HERE.

8th Grade Information:

All Grades:

Should you have any questions or concerns regarding your child’s academic, social or emotional needs, please contact me at adamoj@nvnet.org or 201-664-1475 ext. 2203.

If your child(ren) is trying out for baseball, softball, or track, parents must complete these 5 forms by logging into the Genesis Parent Portal and going to the "Forms Library" by Monday, March 10th (extended deadline). (See picture below.)

• Health History Update Form
• CDW Sports Participation Form- Spring Season (Choose Baseball, Softball, or Track)
• Sports-Related Concussion Acknowledgement
• Sudden Cardiac Death Pamphlet and Sign Off
• Opioid Use and Misuse Educational Fact Sheet

Please also know that your child's physical form and PPE form (linked below) need to be handed into the school nurse and be up to date. If your child(ren) received a physical examination more than 90 days prior to the first day of tryouts, you must complete a Health History Update Questionnaire (in the Genesis Parent Portal).

Please be aware that these required forms must be received, reviewed, and processed by the school nurse before the athlete can try out or practice. Incomplete forms will cause a delay for tryouts.

Click HERE for the Northern Valley schedules and game locations on the CDW Website.

All games begin at 3:45 PM.

Home baseball and softball games are at Stone Point Park.

Track meet dates and locations have not been set yet. Stay tuned.

Mr. Ferrara will continue to run Intramurals on Fridays at 3:00 PM. The current sport is Badminton! If your child(ren) is interested, he/she can see Mr. Ferrara in Room 208 with any questions. If your child(ren) plans to do intramurals at all throughout the year, please make sure that his/her paperwork has been handed in to Mrs. McCarthy, the school nurse.

Please see the information above for the necessary paperwork.

If your child(ren) is interested in participating in high school sports at NVOT, please take a moment to fill out the following 8th Grade Sports Interest Form.

If you would like to purchase a K-Shop Discount Card for $20, visit the OT PTO website by Sunday, March 9th.

If you would like to purchase a 2024-2025 Discount Card and Dicks Sporting Goods Coupon Book, visit the OT PTO website.

The discount card is $20.

The Dicks Sporting Goods Coupon Book is $15.

The schools truly value the partnership we have with the Old Tappan PTO! Please join the PTO and support their organization. Visit OTPTO.org, click "For Sale," and then "Membership."

The PTO Meetings for the 2024-2025 school year are listed below. Babysitting is offered at the night meetings.

Tuesday, March 25, 2025 at 7:30 PM in the CDW Media Center

Thursday, April 24, 2024 at 9:00 AM in the BOE Conference Room

Tuesday, May 27, 2025 at 7:30 PM in the CDW Media Center

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 2025.

During the final days of April, 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 on May 20, 2025 (subject to change).

If you or your child(ren) needs a refresher on how to use Google Classroom, he/she can access a variety of videos on Dr. Sullivan's Google Classroom under, "Tools for Organizing Assignments."

Here is a video on How to Use Google Classroom for you to review.

Have you purchased Chromebook Insurance for your child(ren)'s school-issued device yet?

We highly suggest that you purchase insurance! We have already had to submit many claims! Please refer to the information below, or you may purchase directly from smartechins.com/oldtappan.

Homework Club began on Wednesday, October 2nd. Please see the flyer below to sign up!

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.

Students should either bring their lunch from home each day, or parents may order through one of the approved vendors for delivery to CDW. If you order lunch from an approved vendor for delivery, please make sure the vendor knows your child's first and last name and grade level. This will help to ensure your child receives his/her lunch on time. At times, we understand that a parent/guardian may need to drop off lunch at school. All lunches need to be placed on the table with the green tablecloth in the vestibule.

5th/6th Grade Lunch ~ 11:27 AM-12:01 PM

7th/8th Grade Lunch ~ 12:10 PM-12:44 PM

You can find the Lunch Vendors on the Old Tappan School District Website.

Linked below, please find the 2025-2026 school year calendar for the PK-8 Old Tappan Public Schools. For your convenience, this calendar also will be posted on our District website.

​​​​​​​OT 2025-2026 Approved School Year Calendar

March

Monday, March 10th~ BOE Meeting at 7:30 PM in the BOE Conference Room

Tuesday, March 11th~ Jen Calonita Author Visit for Grades 5-8

Wednesday, March 12th~ Marking Period 3 Interim Reports will be available in the Genesis Parent Portal at 12:00 PM.

Monday, March 24th~ 12:30 PM Dismissal for students due to a Northern Valley Inter-District Articulation Meeting

Tuesday, March 25th~ PTO Meeting at 7:30 PM in the CDW Media Center

April

Friday, April 4th~ CDW Musical, Guys and Dolls, at 7:00 PM

Saturday, April 5th~ CDW Musical, Guys and Dolls, at 1:00 PM and 7:00 PM

Monday, April 7th~ BOE Meeting at 7:30 PM in the BOE Conference Room

Tuesday, April 8th~ Tommy Greenwald Author Visit for Grades 5-8

Wednesday, April 9th~ Marking Period 3 ends

Monday, April 14th-Friday, April 18th~ Spring Break: School is closed for Staff and Students.

Tuesday, April 22nd~ Marking Period 3 Report Cards available on the Genesis Parent Portal at 12:00 PM

Monday, April 28th~ BOE Meeting at 7:30 PM in the BOE Conference Room

Tuesday, April 29th~ NJSLA Science for Grades 5 & 8

Wednesday, April 30th~ NJSLA Science for Grades 5 & 8

2024-2025 Approved School Year Calendar

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