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

Preschool students at the Early Childhood Center, School 1, and Charles Olbon School learned all about community helpers this month. All three schools received a visit from members of our Woodland Park Police Department and West Paterson Volunteer Fire Department, who talked to them about safety and gave them an inside look at their vehicles and equipment.

The Memorial Middle School Home & School Association Eighth Grade Dance Committee held a fundraising Halloween dance last Friday evening. The kids had a great time playing games, dancing, and socializing with friends.

This week during Health & Wellness, Charles Olbon School students in grades K-2 celebrated Global Handwashing Day by learning all about germs and healthy habits. They discovered what germs are, how they spread, and the number one way to fight them: washing your hands!

In the Early Childhood Center PreK classrooms, teachers are on the lookout for a student who is being a paw-some friend! What is a paw-some friend? The child plays nicely, is very kind, works together with friends and teachers, and smiles! Students will be announced during the second week of every month. They will receive a certificate, sticker, and pencil. In October, there were students selected as the Paw of the Month. Here are two of our students receiving their certificates.

Mrs. Donato’s science classes at Memorial Middle School recently studied a unit in science, engineering, and design. Then they designed their own version of a ball launcher, much like a catapult. This is in line with the required STEM curriculum which is now joined with the science classes. The class had different teams which came up with their own design. Cups, tin foil, rubber bands, rulers, clay, and more were used to complete the lab. After their hard work, there was a competition to see whose launcher could catapult a ball farther. The students showed interest and enthusiasm. We had a great learning experience and then they had some fun.

Sophia, a student in Mrs. Reisman and Ms. Mohamed's fourth grade class at Beatrice Gilmore School, made a presentation about her hearing aid, cochlear implant, and Roger mic, explaining how each device supports her learning. Her teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Ms. Polanco, did an awesome job guiding her. This presentation serves as a great reminder of the importance of understanding and supporting our students with hearing impairments.

Ms. Altomare's third grade class at Beatrice Gilmore School enjoyed their force and motion lab. First, students made a few educated guesses (hypotheses) prior to beginning the lab. Next, students used a ball, car, ramp, and a carpet to determine the distances. Lastly, they examined their data.

Ms. LaSala and Ms. Dawn's PreK-4 class at School 1 scooped seeds out from their carved pumpkin. Then they dried the seeds and used them to spell their name. Finally, they made pictures using the seeds.

As a part of the Ball Study, the children in Mrs. Murray and Mrs. Coffey's PreK-4 class at School 1 were excited to find the rhyming words in the ball poem. Shown, two students found the rhyming words in the poem. The class then extended the list of rhymes for ball. The children were so excited about rhyming words that they wanted to name the words they knew that rhyme with cat.

Mrs. Ficarra's and Ms. Lindsay's Growing Minds classes at Charles Olbon School attended the pumpkin patch, where each child had the chance to pick out a pumpkin. After picking out pumpkins, the classes joined together in painting the pumpkins. All the students really seemed to enjoy walking around the pumpkin patch and decorating their pumpkin with their peers while listening to fall themed songs.

In Ms. Gutierrez's third grade class at Beatrice Gilmore School, in social studies, students have been learning about maps, continents, oceans, and our five regions. Students worked in groups to research an assigned region including what states are in the region, what the climate is, any landmarks, etc… Then they shared their findings with the class.

Thank you to Girl Scout Cadet Troop 97702 for tying red ribbons at our District schools for Red Ribbon Week.

Speech Therapists Nicole Espinosa, Sabrina Qannah, Courtney Ramirez, and Deena Matalkah provided training on augmentative and alternative communication and language development to our classroom aides, special education teachers, and CST members. Staff members learned about effective methods of communicating and developing language with students that have limited language skills.

Charles Olbon School staff had training that focused on the implementation of NJTSS in the district, emphasizing its multi-tiered approach to support students across various needs. NJTSS, aligned with IDEA since 2004, aims to address over-classification of students with reading disabilities and has evolved to include social-emotional learning (SEL) and behavioral support. The system includes tiered interventions (Tier 1, 2, 3) and structural components like effective leadership, family engagement, and positive school culture. Key metrics include universal screening data, with 80 percent of students expected to not need tiered interventions, and a focus on data-driven decisions to improve student outcomes.

At a recent Memorial Middle School professional development day, staff members drew with string and a marker to experience a team-building activity that students will try at our November House event. Staff then moved on to spend the rest of the afternoon of professional development time in focused areas of need and interest. For example, some topics explored by staff were: implementing tier-one intervention checklists for students, developing meaningful social=emotional programs, creating curricular connections with grade-level field trips, and learning about augmentative and alternative communication skills. It was an afternoon of learning and collaboration for the Memorial Team!

Our District’s Academic Data Teams and Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Data Teams gathered for training with our Magnolia Consultant and administration. Decisions were collaboratively made based on data to support Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 instruction. Our teams identified skill groups for interventions to be put in place for our students. SEL data teams reviewed data based on the SILAS screener, each team identified grade level and individual student needs. Members of the data team will continue to meet with their grade-level during PLCs to inform teachers of the screening results.

Join the Woodland Park Education Association for its next free family event night: Math Game Night: Fun with Numbers and Strategy! The event will take place on Thursday, Nov. 14 at Beatrice Gilmore School from 6 to 7:30 p.m. As space is limited, registration is required. Register here.

All Memorial Middle School parents are invited to our next Sweets With the Superintendent on Monday, Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. at Memorial Middle School. This event is for Memorial parents only. There will be future events for parents with children at other schools (Dec. 2 for topics relative to Charles Olbon School, and TBD for topics relative to Pre-K).

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. 1, 11 a.m. Pokemon Club for all ages. New and experienced trainers are welcome. Time Warp Comics will be in attendance to give advice on building a deck and playing the game. Register here.

Monday, Nov. 4, 11 a.m. - Yoga & Meditation. Let your problems go for a while and relax. Register here.

Monday, Nov. 4, 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 from the list and your spot will be given to a student on the waitlist. Register here.

Monday, Nov. 4, 4 p.m. - Domino Adventures for grades 1-4. Build and complete fun domino challenges. Expand your problem-solving and balancing skills in a fun, creative environment! Register here.

Monday, Nov. 4, 6:30 p.m. - Dancersize. Join certified instructor Karen as she leads the class doing low-impact dancing. It's a great way to get your exercise in while having fun. Don't forget to bring your water to stay hydrated. Register here.

Monday, Nov. 4, 7 p.m. - Baumann Book Club will meet to discuss the title of the month. Copies can be picked up at the Library or downloaded via Libby or Hoopla. Register here.

Tuesday, Nov. 5 - The Library is closed for Election Day

Wednesday, Nov. 6, 6:30 p.m. - Unwind With Pat. Join Pat to unwind with the craft of your choice. Register here.

Thursday, Nov. 7, 11 a.m. - Unwind With Pat. Join Pat to unwind with the craft of your choice. Register here.

Thursday, Nov. 7, 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. 7, 4 p.m. - Kids Yoga for grades K-3 with the Mindful Next Co. Register here.

Thursday, Nov. 7, 6:30 p.m. - Bingo for adults. Join in for some games of bingo and win some great prizes! Register here.

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, 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.

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.

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Email: mpillari@wpschools.org
Website: www.wpschools.org
Location: 853 McBride Avenue, Woodland Park, NJ 07424, USA
Phone: 973-317-7711