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

We would like to send a warm welcome to Mr. Robert Correggio, who began April 1 as the new Memorial Middle School Principal!

Mr. Correggio comes to Woodland Park from the Guttenberg Public School District, where he served the last eight years. In Guttenberg, he served nearly three years as a social studies teacher, three years as Supervisor of Secondary Education, and a year as Director of Curriculum and Instruction before becoming Vice Principal, where he served nearly five years.

During his term, he also served as HIB coordinator, 504 coordinator, bilingual coordinator, and disciplinarian.

Mr. Correggio managed discipline for grades 5-8, utilizing restorative practices and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) to promote responsibility and respect among students. As the Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying coordinator, he worked to reduce bullying incidents through a combination of data analysis and targeted interventions.

In coordinating Guttenberg's bilingual program, Mr. Correggio managed a student body of over 200 English language learners, and handled budgeting to meet both their academic and linguistic needs. As 504 coordinator, he worked to ensure that students with disabilities received appropriate accommodations and support.

Mr. Correggio also brings significant experience with data analysis and budgeting to Woodland Park. Throughout his career, he has utilized data to inform decision-making and drive instructional improvements. As Director of Curriculum and Instruction for grades 5-8, he oversaw the budget for curricular needs, ensuring that resources were allocated efficiently to support student achievement.

Mr. Correggio received a bachelor of the arts degree in history with a social studies K-12 standard certification in 2006 and his master's degree in educational leadership with his supervisor and principal certification from Montclair State University in 2016.

Students in all our buildings took part in Autism walks last Friday, to raise awareness and show their solidarity for their classmates.

The students in Mrs. Murray and Mrs. Coffey's PreK-4 class at School 1 enjoyed their Autism acceptance bubble walk.

To finish up Autism awareness spirit week, students participated in the District-wide walk at ECC. Students took a walk around the campus and learned about how to be inclusive in play with all students. To finish up the week, students had a special treat where the entire building was able to have gross motor together on the new ECC playground. All students were encouraged to meet a new friend and play.

Woodland Park’s annual Youth Month kicked last Friday with a visit from Mayor Tracy Kallert to Memorial Middle School. She described the program and its similarities to running for real office to all the eighth graders. Students received descriptions of the jobs they could run for to be elected to by their peers. The students will now hold elections in their homerooms. Following elections, students selected will have several opportunities to see their government in action from a tour of the town, to presiding over Municipal Court, a Board of Education meeting, and a Borough Council meeting.

At the assembly, Mayor Kallert reflected on her own experience participating in the program 45 years ago as an elected councilwoman. Sitting in the same gym, Mayor Alfred Baumann explained the significance of Youth Month and the opportunities it presented.

The National Junior Honor Society is the nation’s premier organization established to recognize outstanding middle-level students. More than just an honor roll, NJHS serves to honor those students who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of scholarship, service, leadership, character, and citizenship.

On Tuesday evening, the following Memorial School students were officially inducted into our school’s chapter. Congratulations to the newest inductees: Christopher Atallah, Ryan Barros, Alexander Billson, Mia Branch, Victoria Califano, Raemonia Facey, Sebastian Gomez, Rihanna Kingsley, Josephine Limone, Ayah Madani, Maribel McQuin, Braxton Miller, Rital Nabtiti, Ava Quintero, Nickolas Salazar, Andjela Stevanovic, and Leah Van Riper. The ceremony was led by current members Aubrey Coffey, Layla DeLuca, Eva Fallaha, Destiny Romero, and Adina Shanaa.

Woodland Park Borough issued a proclamation on April 2 recognizing April as World Autism Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness, promoting understanding, celebrating neurodiversity, and recognizing the unique strengths and contributions of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

“Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental condition that affects individuals in diverse ways, impacting communication, social interaction, and behavior,” Mayor Tracy Kallert said. “It is essential to foster a greater understanding and acceptance of autism to break down stigmas, promote inclusion, and create a more equitable world for autistic people.”

Mayor Kallert noted that throughout this month, the Borough will affirm its commitment to promoting understanding, acceptance, and inclusion of autistic individuals in all facets of society. She encouraged all residents to educate themselves about autism and participate in events and activities throughout World Autism Month that promote autism awareness, acceptance, inclusion, and celebrate the beautiful spectrum of human diversity.

At the meeting, Woodland Park School District Superintendent Dr. Michele Pillari, Director of Special Education & Student Support Services Dr. Giovanna Irizarry, and the School District special education team were on hand to accept the World Autism Month proclamation and were recognized for their work with our students.

This year, the special education teachers, paraprofessionals, and behaviorist at Memorial Middle School created a life skills room for the students with autism. The Life Skills Room was created for students to learn and practice daily living and social skills to foster independence and prepare students for the future.

“I had the pleasure of visiting this room, and I can't tell you how impressed I was with it,” Mayor Kallert said. “There is a cute little kitchen area, a bedroom area, a dresser area, and I could envision adults and youngsters in there learning the basic skills, learning how to fold their clothes, wash dishes, make a food shopping list, make their bed. Things that we take for granted, but that will give independence to these children as they grow up and just give them a sense of accomplishment.”

All of our autism classrooms in the Woodland Park School District participate in reverse mainstreaming, where students from general educational classrooms visit the autism classrooms to interact with their peers to include, to increase social interactions and provide communication opportunities, as well as foster empathy and inclusion.

“This team of highly trained professionals are more than just educators,” Mayor Kallert said. “They are empathetic caregivers and a mainstay of support to their students as well as their families. It is our privilege to recognize and honor them today.”

On Wednesday afternoon, the Memorial Middle School House System hosted a 3 on 3 basketball tournament after school. Fourteen student teams battled it out with "Sticks" emerging as the winning team. Congratulations to Braxton, Liam and Jose!

Students in Mr. Krakower’s class have been proudly presenting their Science Expo projects, which they’ve been working on since January. We hope you’ll join us for the Memorial Science Expo on Wednesday, April 16 at 6:30 p.m. to see their hard work on display.

This was a mandatory project for seventh grade students and optional for sixth and eighth graders. Students explored a wide range of topics in physical science, life science, earth and space science, and engineering and technology. We’re excited for you to see the creativity, research, and scientific thinking that went into each project!

In Ms. Omran's class at Memorial Middle School, students have been diving deep into the solar system, exploring each planet in detail - and Saturn quickly became a class favorite! Known for its iconic rings and moons, Saturn gave the class a perfect opportunity to get hands-on with their learning. Students created 3D models using cardboard, craft supplies, and their creativity to bring this gas planet to life. They especially enjoyed understanding the technical structure of Saturn's rings and how its many moons orbit around it AND in it. This project was a fun and memorable way to connect art with science while reinforcing what they have learned.

Students in Ms. Byrnes third grade class at Beatrice Gilmore School conducted a science lab where they had to organize their materials, develop a plan, form a hypothesis, and then analyze their results. The lab was intended to show the way that minerals (the salt) decompose the soft tissue (the sponge) of a fossil.

Students in Ms. Davidson's first grade class at Charles Olbon School were so lucky to have Ms. Dizzia and Ms. Lopata join their health class to teach them about Autism acceptance. The students loved learning and celebrating each other. Even though we all are different, we fit together!

Congratulations to our latest Puppies of the Month at School 1. These students are recognized for upholding our PAWS promise: Play safe. Act kind. Work together. Smile.

To kick off Week of the Young Child, students at School 1 enjoyed Music Monday, where they took part in a variety of activities.

On April 5, we had our Early Childhood Center open house where families were welcome to come in and learn about our preschool program. We had over 25 families attend and they had an opportunity to ask staff members questions, get a tour of the building, and answer any questions about the program from the Director of Early Childhood Education Mrs. Gutierrez and Supervisor of Early Childhood Education Ms. Francisco. Our mascot P.A.W.S. even came to give our hugs and ice pops! We will be having our next preschool open house at School 1 on May 3.

Spring cleaning? The Memorial Middle School Home & School Association is holding a clothing, shoe, and household items collection tomorrow, Saturday, April 12 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. This event is rain or shine!

The Memorial Middle School House System is planning its annual Color Run fundraising event, to raise money to provide fun House activities for all students. Registration is open here for the event, which will be held on Saturday, May 3 at 10 a.m. on Memorial Drive. All are welcome to attend!

The Alfred Baumann Library, 44 Rifle Camp Rd., 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. Register for events here.