Woodland Park School District News
Nov. 6, 2024
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
Halloween Fun
Students in the Early Childhood Center, School 1, Charles Olbon School, and Beatrice Gilmore School enjoyed dressing up for Halloween. Everyone enjoyed a parade outside to show off their costumes for family and friends. At Beatrice Gilmore, the Memorial Middle School band set up outside to perform festive tunes to accompany the parade.
Holiday Spirit
Huge props to our staff District-wide for collectively wanting to match for Halloween this year. PreK staff members chose to be crayons and our Supervisor is the Crayola box that holds them all together! Beatrice Gilmore School and Charles Olbon School grade level teachers also all had theme costumes.
Door Decorating Contest Winners
The Woodland Park Municipal Alliance Against Alcoholism and Drug Abuse sponsored its annual door decorating contest in October in our schools in honor of Red Ribbon Week. Winning classrooms will be treated to a pizza party from the Alliance. The winners were as follows:
ECC winner: Color - Mrs. Woessner
ECC runner-up: Paw Patrol - Mrs. Guariglia
School 1 winner: Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo - Ms. LaSala
School 1 runner-up: Healthiest Pumpkins - Ms. Odaman
Charles Olbon School winner: Can't Find Me - Ms. Tonti
Charles Olbon School runner-up: Pumpkins - Ms. Bouroult
Beatrice Gilmore School winner: Tangled - Ms. Yesenosky
Beatrice Gilmore School runner-up: Do The Math - Ms Samra
Memorial Middle School winner: Scarecrow Bobbidi Boo - Ms. Skibinski
Memorial Middle School runner-up: Twister - Ms. Behnken
House Event
The Memorial Middle School community held a fun House event the last two periods of the day last Friday. Students in the four Houses - Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water - rotated through several stations to work to earn points for their House.
Engineering STEM Challenge
This week Mrs.DiBona's third grade class at Beatrice Gilmore School put their engineering skills to the test with a STEM challenge of building towers of index cards without using any glue or tape! Students were encouraged to use their problem-solving skills to discover principles of force, gravity, balance, and structural stability. They worked in groups to experiment with different configurations, stacking and arranging the cards to test how well their designs could support height without collapsing. In the process, they also practiced collaboration, communication, and resilience skills. It was exciting to watch them build and improve on their designs!
Exploring Bones
The students in Ms. Mohamed and Mrs. Reisman’s fourth grade class explored the bones in their bodies by creating x-ray hands for their Halloween STEAM activity. Students used different materials to show off their art skills. Everyone had a blast!
Spooky Math
Mrs. Herrmann and Mrs. Perry worked with fifth grade students at Beatrice Gilmore School on a "spooky" math project! Students covered rectangular boxes with one-inch grid paper to create rectangular prisms. Students then calculated the volume of the rectangular prisms, and decorated their prisms as haunted mansions in time for Halloween!
Mustangs of the Month
The October Mustangs of the Month have been announced. Following the announcement, students had their photo taken and each student received a certificate. Students were nominated by staff members based on the Six Pillars of Character. As a reminder, the Six Pillars of Character is utilized as the basis for our positive behavior intervention support program, the house system, at Memorial Middle School. Congratulations to:
- 6th - Sophia Ramos
- 6th - Micayla Torres
- 7th - Carlos Lopez Perez
- 7th - Kayla Wojnicz
- 8th - Sebastian Gomez
- 8th - Eva Fallaha
Artists of the Month
The Memorial Middle School September Artist of the Month was Alishba Chowdury. Alishba is a sixth grade artist who continued to develop her craft over the summer. Each month, she would send updated digital artworks to art teacher Ms. Farrell for review and feedback. She began digital illustration while in Beatrice Gilmore School and practices daily to improve her skills. She has an excellent understanding of the human anatomy, the eye being a specialty.
The October Artist of the Month was Bryanna Kaseng. Bryanna is an eight grade art student currently earning a 99 in class. Recently, she completed radial symmetry, the study of symmetry in a circular design. She not only completed the work with the highest level of color and design application, she added her own creativity adding linear details to the project. Her confidence to take risks resulted in a very original and successful artwork. Her table group also completed this technique taking the project to a higher level of comprehension.
Congratulations to both Alishba and Bryanna!
You've Been Boo'ed!
ECC and School 1 had an activity extended by the School Culture and Climate Committee: “You've Been Boo'ed!” It was a great morale booster in our school community during the month of October in preparation for Halloween. Check out some fun photos from staff members who were boo'ed Little treats and goodies were secretly delivered by a spooky individual! Even Dr. Pillari got boo'ed!
Fall Into Reading
At Beatrice Gilmore School, students in Ms. Simpson's fifth grade class fall into reading by taking part in a research project about ancient civilizations.
Community Exploration
The Growing Minds class at Memorial Middle School took its first community-based instruction (CBI) field trip to Dunkin on McBride Avenue. CBI promotes the teaching and use of academic and functional skills in the student’s natural environment. This hands-on learning program, located within the community, is a critical component of the education program for students because, as adults, the community is where they will need to use the skills acquired during their school years.
Teamwork and Creativity
In Mr. Krakower's seventh grade science class at Memorial Middle School, students became engineers to protect a village from flooding. Using the engineering design process, they carefully planned their ideas before building models with materials like aluminum foil, craft sticks, and play dough. Through teamwork and creativity, students designed and tested flood-resistant structures, learning about the impacts of natural disasters and the importance of problem-solving.
A Fun Day
Mrs. Murray and Mrs. Coffey's PreK-4 class at School 1 had a blast on Halloween. In addition to taking part in the school parade, they carved a pumpkin.
Quiz Bowl
Memorial Middle School’s STRIVE students recently hosted a Scholar Quiz Bowl for gifted and talented students across the county. Students from eight different districts competed in this unique competition. Our STRIVE team showcased their knowledge and quick thinking across a variety of trivia subjects, achieving an impressive fourth-place finish! The event was organized by Ms. McGinnis in collaboration with the Passaic County G&T Consortium, an organization committed to enhancing opportunities for G&T students through unique learning experiences. This Scholar Quiz Bowl competition provided an exciting chance for these students to challenge themselves and celebrate their passion for learning!
Listening To Books Together
Students in Ms. Wittig and Ms. Balduzzi’s PreK-4 class at School 1 love to listen to stories together.
Coming up at the Woodland Park Library at Berkeley College
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.
Saturday, Nov. 9, 11 a.m. - Arts & Crafts for grades PreK-4. This month, come create a paper towel roll turkey. Register here.
Monday, Nov. 11 - the Library is closed for Veterans Day
Tuesday, Nov. 12, 3:30 to 5 p.m. - Homework Helpers. There is only one 1.5-hour time slot per day. You may register for multiple days. If you miss two sessions in a row, without notice, you will be removed and your spot will be given to another student. Register here.
Tuesday, Nov. 12, 6:30 p.m. - Crafting Holiday Mocktails. Join us to taste some fun holiday mocktails! Learn from a bartender how to make seasonal drinks to impress your friends this holiday. Register here.
Tuesday, Nov. 12, 6:30 p.m. - Disguise a turkey storytime and craft for grades PreK-2. All turkeys will be displayed in the Children’s Room to be voted on. The turkey with the most votes by the end of the month will win a prize! Register here.
Wednesday, Nov. 13, 4 p.m. - Snails & Tales story time for ages 3 and up. Join in for a new theme each week, with stories, songs, rhymes, and a craft. Register here.
Wednesday, Nov. 13, 6:30 p.m. - Library Advisory Board for grades 5 to 9. Learn how to brainstorm, plan, and execute your own program ideas as well as aiding in collection development. Snacks will be available. Register here.
Wednesday, Nov. 13, 6:30 p.m. - Unwind With Pat. Join Pat to unwind with the craft of your choice. Register here.
Thursday, Nov. 14, 11 a.m. - Unwind With Pat. Join Pat to unwind with the craft of your choice. Register here.
Thursday, Nov. 14, 12 p.m. - Sit & Fit. Have fun exercising from the comfort of your chair. Join this lively exercise group and have some fun! Register here.
Thursday, Nov. 14, 3:30 to 5 p.m. - Homework Helpers. There is only one 1.5-hour time slot per day. You may register for multiple days. If you miss two sessions in a row, without notice, you will be removed and your spot will be given to another student. Register here.
Thursday, Nov. 14, 4 p.m. - Family Movie for all ages. Enjoy free snacks and a movie. Register here.
Thursday, Nov. 14, 6:30 p.m. - Learn to line dance. Interested in learning how to line dance? Learn how to with instructor Karen. Come and join the fun while learning some dances. This is a one-time class. Register here.
Friday, Nov. 15, 10:30 a.m. - Little Movers story time for ages 18 to 36 months. Register here.
Saturday, Nov. 16, 11 a.m. - Lego Mania for all ages. Join in for a fun morning of creativity. We supply the Legos, you supply the imagination! Register here.
