CDW Weekly Wrap-Up

As we enter the month of November, it's a good time to pause and think about all that we are thankful for in our lives. This week, I want to highlight the CDW students!

Thank you to the CDW students for:

• showing up each day prepared!
• embracing learning new things that our teachers have planned.
• joining extra-curricular activities to broaden their experience at CDW.
• proudly representing CDW as a Knight!

November

Monday, November 7th and Tuesday, November 8th~ Grade 5 Field Trip

Wednesday, November 9th~ Marking Period 1 Ends

Thursday, November 10th and Friday, November 11th~ School is closed for NJEA Convention.

Monday, November 14th~ The Board of Education Meeting will be in the BOE Conference Room at 8:00 PM.

Wednesday, November 16th~ Marking Period 1 Report Cards are released at 12:00 PM.

Thursday, November 17th~ PTO Special Lunch- order at OTPTO.org

Saturday, November 19th~ Grade 8 Clothing Drive from 9:00 AM-2:00 PM at CDW

Wednesday, November 23rd~ 12:30 Dismissal for Thanksgiving Recess

Thursday, November 24th and Friday, November 25th~ School is closed for Thanksgiving Recess.

Tuesday, November 29th~ School Picture Day Make-Ups

Tuesday, November 29th~ PTO Meeting in the CDW Media Center at 7:30 PM

Go to Crecco's Cafe on Monday, November 14th and 10% of the proceeds will go to the OT PTO.

The CDW Spirit Wear store is now open on OTPTO.org! Items from the Short Term Store are ordered in bulk and will be distributed to students. Orders are due by MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14th in order to receive by the holidays. The Short Term Store will reopen in the spring.

The Long Term Store is open year round and orders are shipped directly to the purchaser.

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

The CDW Class of 2023 is doing a cookie dough fundraiser now through November 21st. PLEASE CLICK HERE to submit your order, and the products will ship directly to your home.

The PTO Grade 8 Committee will be hosting a Clothing Drive on Saturday, November 19th from 9:00 AM-2:00 PM. See below for specific information. Please do not drop off any clothing to the school before November 19th.

Keep cleaning out your closets!

CDW's Production of Getting to Know Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella needs your help! Ms. Osbahr and Ms. Watters are looking for assistance with building/acquiring a rolling wooden staircase that can be used year-to-year. If you are interested in helping out, please contact Ms. Osbahr at osbahre@nvnet.org.

Please enjoy pictures below of the CDW students in their costumes and playing a Halloween Ghost and Zombies vs. Trick-or-Treaters game in PE.

On Friday, October 28th, Ms. Franco brought her students to Stokes Farm to pick pumpkins and take a Hay Ride.

Students in Grade 5 have been busy using math manipulatives and working in groups to learn important skills. See some pictures below!

On the morning of Halloween, the 5th graders were commissioned to solve some urgent mysteries. Ms. Fischer’s 5th grade Language Arts classes learned that books had been stolen from various locations throughout Old Tappan. The students were given information about the heist and a list of possible suspects. Then they worked together and used inferencing skills to determine who could have committed this horrible crime!

Mrs. Park’s 5th grade students tried to solve the mystery of the stolen Halloween candy. Students took on the identities of iconic Halloween characters and attempted to convince the Monster Jury that they were innocent. Jayden the Headless Horseman, Ella the Skeleton, and Kyle the Skeleton were voted best defense by their monster peers.

Ms. Watters pushed into 5th grade Science classes on 11/1 to help students design a mission patch for their missions at the Buehler Challenger Space Center. Each table worked as a design team, and then each class voted on their favorite patch.

As part of their Writing Wednesday lesson, students in 8th grade language arts bid a fond farewell to words they've "retired" from their writing. After reviewing their own weekly writing pieces, students came up with a list of overused words and phrases, such as "I think," "a lot," and "definitely," and sent them off into the sunset of word retirement with heartfelt thanks for their years of use. Students reviewed how to apply their grammar lessons to their writing to create sentence variety, in addition to being conscious of overusing retired (and semi-retired) words!

Thanks to the PTO Clubs, Ms. Escobar has brought her knowledge of Spanish culinary to CDW! The students have been working for weeks on making delicious dishes while learning more about the Spanish Culture. My favorite part about the Spanish Club is when I get to taste test the outcome! Deliciosa!

Thank you to the NVOT Heroes and Cool Kids Club for visiting our Grade 6 students today to discuss themes such as:

Do not give up on your dreams.

Overcome issues in life.

Don't be afraid to ask for help.

Always show up for yourself.

The NVOT students led the 6th graders in a game called, "Ultimate Rock, Paper, Scissors" to provide a lesson on winning and losing. We always appreciate not only the fun that NVOT Heroes and Cool Kids bring to the classroom, but the important lessons that they provide!

Reminders and Updates from CDW's Student Manager

Tryouts for the CDW boys' basketball team will begin on Monday, November 7th after dismissal until 4:30 PM. Please make sure that your child(ren)'s physical has been submitted to Mrs. McCarthy and is up to date.

Tryouts for the CDW girls' basketball team will be on Monday, November 14th and Tuesday, November 15th after dismissal until 4:45 PM. Please make sure that your child(ren)'s physical has been submitted to Mrs. McCarthy and is up to date.

Although the teams lost in the playoffs and their season is over, CDW is proud of the efforts all of the players put forth in each competition throughout the season.

Way to go Knights! We are proud of you!

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.

As you know, safety is always a first priority for our students. Now that the school year is underway, it's a good time to be reminded of the guidance, which can be found in the CDW Student Handbook which states: "Parents are encouraged not to bring forgotten articles to the school. In the event that a student requires a forgotten essential (i.e. medication, eyeglasses, a dietary need etc.), the parent should contact/report to the main office to arrange to have the item(s) delivered to the student. The school will not disrupt the morning or afternoon session to deliver Chromebooks, chargers, or other non-essential items to students during the school day."

Although we want your child(ren) to be successful in school and to have what they need to succeed, we also want your child(ren) to learn independence. We will continually work with your child(ren) on organizational methods if necessary. Just reach out!

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

• Has a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.70 in academic (social studies, language arts, math, science and Spanish) subjects, with no grade below a B- in any subject (including cycle classes) for ALL marking periods of the 2022-2023 school year.

• Demonstrates outstanding scholarship, leadership, service, character, and citizenship.
• Accumulates no more than six unexcused tardies. Tardies will only be considered excused if a doctor's note is submitted to the School Nurse.

• Accumulates no detentions related to behavior in violation of the CDW Code of Conduct.
• Performs eight hours of documented community service from a recognized nonprofit, community, or education organization from 9/1/2022-4/21/2023. Virtual service hours will no longer be accepted. Please note that there will be no extension of this date. Students should provide documentation on the organization’s letterhead when submitting their applications in April.

• Completes at least three marking periods of the 7th grade year at CDW (unless a student moves into district and has been inducted as a member in another district).

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).

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 their 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 ~ 11:27AM-12:01 PM

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

Drop-Off

• Drop-off is on Interschool Drive. As soon as you reach the cones, please have your child(ren) exit the vehicle.
• For the safety of all students, we ask that you stay in your vehicle at drop-off and dismissal.
• Please do not use the upper faculty parking lot for drop-off/pick-up/or exiting of school grounds during school hours. CDW faculty and BOE-approved bus companies are the only vehicles permitted in the upper lot.
• Please do not park in any staff parking spots when dropping off or picking up students.
• Please do not exit your vehicle and leave your vehicle unattended on Interschool Drive.
• There will be adult supervision starting at 8:10 AM, and the doors will open at 8:20 AM. If there is inclement weather, students will be ushered into the school gymnasiums at 8:00 AM.
• The students in Grades 5 & 6 will line up on the blacktop in the back of the school near the basketball courts.
• The students in Grades 7 & 8 will line up on the blacktop by the 7th and 8th Grade Wing Exterior Door.
• Once you pull up to the cones on Interschool Drive, please have your child(ren) exit the vehicle. This allows many students to be dropped off at the same time and allows the line to move quickly.
• Please do not park in any staff parking spots when dropping off or picking up students.
• Please do not block any parking spots along the front side of the building at Pick-Up.

Dismissal

• 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 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).

General Traffic Rules Regarding Parking

• Never park in a "No Parking, Fire Lane." These lanes are designated with yellow paint in diagonal lines on the pavement along with the words, "No Parking Fire Lane."
• Never park along a curb that is painted yellow and leave your vehicle unattended.
• Do not double park (park your vehicle beside another vehicle that is in a designated parking space).

The PTO is looking for volunteers throughout the school year!

Volunteers play a huge part in the PTO and what we are able to offer the students and teachers. Without volunteers, many of the programs that students, teachers, and families enjoy will not be able to happen. Volunteer descriptions can be found at: OTPTO.org under "More Info" and then "Flyers."

If you have interest in joining the PTO Board, joining or running a committee, or just want to learn more- please reach out to the PTO by visiting OTPTO.org and selecting "Contact Old Tappan PTO" under the Help tab.

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