September Wrap-Up

Dear Families,

We've officially wrapped up the first month of school, and now the fall season is in full swing. It has been wonderful to welcome all of our students back to school, and a joy to see so many of you at our opening events. We're excited for all that the 2024-2025 school year has in store, and we're looking forward to working with you to make it a great one.

Below, you'll find a few highlights from September, as well as updates on district news and upcoming events. Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership - it means the world to us.

Warmly,

Christina Egan

Our WINN (What I Need Now) program has officially launched at FAS, and is progressing full steam ahead. During this period of the day, middle school students participate in differentiated learning experiences that target specific skills and standards in the areas of Mathematics and ELA. Students are broken into groups based on their proficiency in specific standards, and they're provided with what they need - whether that's a little brush-up on the topic, a deeper dive into pre-requisite skills, or an opportunity for enrichment for those who are ready!

As we shared in our Back-To-School Newsletter, this year our district has adopted the LinkIt! Benchmarks for students in grades 2-8. These benchmarks are aligned with state learning standards, giving us a picture of your child's readiness compared to grade-level expectations. They also provide your child's teachers with valuable, actionable insights which, along with all the other information and observations they gather, help them tailor their instruction to meet your child's needs.

Here are a few important things to keep in mind about these new benchmarks:

• Unlike traditional tests that measure mastery after students have been taught specific skills or concepts, the first benchmark of the year is meant to tell us what your child needs to work on to meet end-of-year expectations.
  
• So, if your child's scores seem lower than what you'd expect from a quiz or unit test, don't be alarmed. This benchmark is meant to give us a starting point, helping us design instruction that supports your child's progress throughout the year.

Curious to learn more? Mrs. Irons will be hosting a virtual pop-in meeting on Tuesday, October 15th at 6:30 PM to help parents understand their children's benchmark scores. No need to register, just click the flyer or the button below to access the Google Meet. We will also send a reminder email with the link, as the date approaches.

This month, we're excited to highlight the successful launch of our new Tools of the Mind curriculum for our youngest learners. This new preschool curriculum is rooted in learning self-regulation and academic skills through play. Studies show that the best educational foundation for young children is to use play as the activity to "spark" curiosity and learning. When parents ask their children what they did in preschool, their answer will most likely be, "I played," and they will be absolutely right!

Each month, preschool students will interact with an engaging theme, which transforms each of the learning centers in the classroom into themed areas with new materials, roles, and pretend games to explore. All of these experiences serve as vehicles to drive rich conversations, exploration of concepts and ideas, and of course, fun. This month, the theme is FAMILY!

Each year, districts are required to notify families about the date ranges of any planned assessments for the school year. Please click below to access this notification, and reach out to Mrs. Irons at jirons@wlbschools.com with any questions.

After months of patient anticipation, our new playground officially opened yesterday! It was a joy to see our BME students at recess enjoying so many more play options, and our preschool and kindergarten students also loved the addition of a new structure sized perfectly for them. Later in the day, it was heartwarming to see families and their children enjoying the new playground during the soccer and field hockey games.

The Board of Education looks forward to formally celebrating this exciting addition to our school grounds with a formal Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony. Stay tuned for details!

This week is the official Week of Respect in New Jersey schools. The activities planned during this week are designed to focus everyone's attention on creating a welcoming and supportive place for everyone to learn. Additionally, New Jersey’s Week of Respect coincides with National Bullying Prevention Month which is annually observed in October.

Check out the Spirit Week theme days below!

Our WLB teachers and staff are world class, and they demonstrate their dedication, commitment, and care every single day. I'm sure that any of our families can think of a time that a teacher or staff member made a big difference for their children or family. If so, I hope you will consider taking the time to nominate that dedicated professional for the honor of being named Teacher of the Year or Education Services Professional of the Year.

Please click the link below to access the materials you need to write a nomination letter. You will also find the scoring criteria that will be used by the committee to evaluate the nominations and make a final selection for the year.

Nominations will be due by Monday, November 6, 2024.

Through the generous volunteerism of our WLBSD families, the PTA and WLB Foundation for Education create amazing opportunities for our students and staff. We are truly grateful for the generosity and involvement of so many amazing family members. If you are interested, please consider joining the PTA via the QR code below, or the WLB Foundation for Education by joining one of their upcoming meetings or emailing wlbfoundation@gmail.com.

Thank you PTA and Foundation!

The FAS News Crew is back at it, bigger and better than ever with many new 5th grade reporters. Click below to check out their first edition of the school year!