Woodland Park School District News
Sept. 24, 2021
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
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One School, One Book Concludes
The 2020-2021 school year was one for the books. Mrs. Castrovinci and a summer reading team wanted to try something new in order to build a community of readers at Memorial Middle School. As a result, the “One School, One Book” summer reading project was adopted. “One School, One Book” is a movement designed to engage an entire school community in reading. This is accomplished by selecting one book that spans various reading levels so both students and staff can come together and share thoughts, ideas, and a passion for reading.
Memorial School administration, Mrs. Castrovinci, Ms. Moore, Mrs. Ficarra, Ms. Glenn, Mr. Walters, and the Alfred Bauman Library collaborated and selected The Playbook by Kwame Alexander. It began with a summer reading kick-off in June, followed by several fun summer reading missions and a Playbook Party hosted by the library this summer. We encouraged all students to participate.
When school reopened, Ms. Calderon and the team planned activities for the homerooms. The students participated in different tasks connected to The Playbook. For one week, Memorial School students worked on various activities based on the book. Each activity provided opportunities for the students to share individual viewpoints on the "rules" outlined in each section of the book. The "rules" serve as basketball metaphors to represent life's lessons.
The last activity reflected Rule 44: “Teammates are like family, celebrating wins, consoling losses, always a net tied together." Each student answered the following two questions: Who makes up your team in your life? and Who do you surround yourself with that are going to lift you higher and support your success?
As an added bonus, NBA star Karl Anthony Towns' father, Mr. Towns, recorded a personal message for our students! Students who submitted responses were eligible for to be entered into a raffle for a signed poster of NBA star Karl Anthony Towns, donated by Memorial teacher, Mr. Walters! The winner was sixth grade student, Sama Elsayed, pictured above with Mr. Walters and Mrs. Ficarra! The bulletin board in the picture was created by Ms. Moore and displays the student work as completed throughout this initiative.
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Outdoor Math
Ms. Healey and Ms. Calabrese’s second grade class at Charles Olbon School took advantage of the beautiful weather and enjoyed an outdoor math lesson. The students used chalk to show addition using number bonds, counters, and cubes.
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Writing Inspiration
Students in Mr. Krakower and Mrs. Greco’s third class at Beatrice Gilmore School personalized writing notebooks with pictures of family, friends, hobbies, and other things they love to help inspire them when writing. Students used the classroom document camera to share their personalizations with one another.
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A Colorful Celebration
Mrs. Murray and Mrs. Lindsay’s class at School 1 recently enjoyed Red Day. The students located red objects around the classroom. The children also painted with red paint and made collages using only red items.
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Taking The Challenge
Students in Mrs. Bouroult's third grade class at Beatrice Gilmore School completed a STEM challenge: who can build the longest paper chain using only one piece of paper? The students had a fun throughout the creation process and the teacher was so impressed with the final projects.
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Trick Word Fun
Mrs. D’Amico and Mrs. Davidson’s amazing first graders at Charles Olbon School are having fun while learning at the same time! The students practiced building Fundations trick words using Play-Doh donated to our class by a parent.
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SNAC Meet & Greet
The Special Needs Advisory Committee (SNAC) met with parents last week on the Charles Olbon playground. This meeting provided parents with the opportunity to discuss transitions from last year to this year and ask questions relative to navigating IEP meetings. The purpose of SNAC is to provide input to the school district regarding issues concerning students with special needs and provide support for parents. The committee works along with our Director of Special Education and Student Support Services, Dr. Giovanna Irizarry.
Our SNAC board members, Maria Billson and Lisa Mistretta, led the meeting. President of Charles Olbon School Home & School Association, Dana Camacho, was also in attendance.
Students in grades PreK through 8 enjoyed a Kona Ice treat while getting to know one another. SNAC raffled off a goodie basket. Find out more about SNAC here.
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Website Redesign
We are proud to announce that our School District recently redesigned the website! The visually pleasing design now allows for smoother transitions and easier navigation for parents.
Please be sure to utilizes the arrows in order to scroll through the home page and each school page. This is especially important under Announcements section in order to be able to view all of the item posted.
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School 1 Back To School Night Features Wealth of Information
School 1 held a virtual Back To School night on Tuesday evening for parents which was led by Director of Early Childhood Education, Mrs. Castrovinci, who presented a slideshow featuring the introduction of staff members, the school's schedule, policies and procedures, and safety precautions.
The School District uses the Creative Curriculum for Preschool Sixth Edition - Distance Learning Cloud. The program is a studies approach and integrates content learning through literacy, the arts, social and emotional learning, in-depth investigations, exploration, and discovery. Students explore a question of the day and there is a great emphasis on read aloud and repeated read aloud. The curriculum is play-based learning one that focuses on interest areas and fosters creativity. It is based on 38 objectives for development and learning that focus on all the areas that are most important for school success.
It was emphasized that numerous safeguards are in place to keep everyone safe including Plexiglas partitions on tables, individual bins for each student, social distancing markers on the floors, frequent hand-washing procedures, and more. Toys used by the students are also washed after each use. Students have outside play daily when weather permits and have access to easily cleaned items such as balls and hula hoops.
The school's master teacher, Ms. Kim Leary, is an instructional coach and resource to all the teachers. She is always available at drop-off and pick-up. Ms. Leary will be launching a monthly parent "lunch and learn" workshop series, with the first to be held on Oct. 13. Watch your email for more information.
A few reminders:
- Absences must be reported to the School Nurse, Ms. Avallone at 973-317-7774 by 8:45 a.m.
- Immunizations must be up to date and a current physical is required.
- The school must be notified of any changes in pick-up. Update the Parent Portal with the contact information of those authorized to pick up your child at dismissal.
See next week's e-news for details on the Charles Olbon, Beatrice Gilmore, and Memorial Back to School Night events.
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School 1 HSA & COHSA Launch Meadow Farms Fundraiser
The School 1 Home & School Association and the Charles Olbon School Home & School Association are both running a Meadow Farms fundraiser. This fundraiser supports many of the enrichment programs provided to children throughout the school year.
Charles Olbon's fundraiser runs until Oct. 6, online only. Orders will ship to your home. Click here to visit the sale site and enter code 3037868.
School 1's fundraiser runs until Oct. 6, online only. Orders will ship to your home. Click here to visit the sale site.
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Memorial Spirit Wear Is On Sale Now
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Stigma Free Task Force Plans Color Run
The Woodland Park Stigma Free Task Force is planning a color run on Saturday, Oct. 2 at Memorial Field at 9 a.m. Kids and adults are welcome to join the fun. Wear white or light-colored old clothing, sunglasses, or goggles to keep the color out of your eyes, and use a bandana or mask to keep it out of your mouth. Stigma Free will provide free sunglasses to participants while supplies last. No pre-registration is necessary.
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Coming up at the Alfred Baumann Library:
The Alfred Baumann Library will host the following children's programs. While the Library building is temporarily closed due to flood damage, please check the website for event locations. Programming may be held outside, in the Municipal Building Community Room, or via Zoom. The Library's website is www.abwplibrary.org. Its phone number is 973-345-8120. Reach the Library via email at library@abwplibrary.org.
Monday, Sept. 27, 1 p.m. - Yoga and chair meditation. Register here.
Monday, Sept. 27, 4 p.m. - Inside Out. Join Miss Sara for a very special story time centered on topics like diversity, inclusivity, teamwork, the environment, and more. Read, play games, do crafts, and discuss topics. Open to grades K-4. Register here.
Tuesday, Sept. 28, 1 p.m. - Sensory Play - a loosely guided playtime that focuses on sensory perceptions and motor skills for babies to kindergarten. This program will be outdoors. Bring your own blanket but we will provide a mat and seating for parents and caregivers. Register here.
Tuesday, Sept. 28, 6:30 p.m. - Pajama Story Time for babies to kindergarten. Register here.
Wednesday, Sept. 29, 10 a.m. - Baby Snails story time for babies and toddlers. Join Miss Bri for early literacy outdoor story time on the lawn. Each week will have a new theme with stories, songs, rhymes, and more. Register here.
Wednesday, Sept. 29, 4 p.m. - Snails & Tales Storytime for children 3 and up. Join Miss Sara for stories, songs, rhymes, and more, with a new theme each week. Register here.
Wednesday, Sept. 29, 6:30 p.m. - Unwind With Pat. Join Pat to unwind with the craft of your choice. Register here.
Wednesday, Sept. 29, 7 p.m. - Adult Book Club. Join Brianne to discuss "If You Leave Me" by Crystal Hana Kim. The eBook and audiobook version of this title is available for instant download with your library card via our Hoopla app. Register here.
Thursday, Sept. 30, 11 a.m. - Unwind With Pat. Join Pat to unwind with the craft of your choice. Register here.
Thursday, Sept. 30, 12 noon - Sit & Fit chair exercises. Join in on the second floor of Borough Hall in the Community Room for low-impact chair exercises for adults. Chairs will be provided. Register here.
Thursday, Sept. 30, 6:30 p.m. - Join in to celebrate the premiere of "Clifford the Big Red Dog" movie opening Sept. 17 in theaters. Enjoy games, activities, crafts, and more. Register here.
Thursday, Sept. 30, 7 p.m. - Spice Club will meet to discuss what you made, what you want to try, and what you thought of the spice given out earlier in the month. Register here.
Saturday, Oct. 1, 11 a.m. - Lego Mania for kids in kindergarten and up. Register here.
Tuesday, Oct. 5, 4:30 p.m. - Halloween Bingo for kids in kindergarten and up. Register here.
Thursday, Oct. 7, 7 p.m. - Adult Craft: Recycled Pumpkins. Adults are invited to join in for a creative, DIY pumpkin craft using recycled Tide Pod containers. Register here.
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Important Upcoming Dates To Note:
- Tuesday, Sept. 28, 6:30 p.m. - Memorial Middle School back to school night
- Friday, Oct. 1 - Memorial School picture day
- Friday, Oct. 1 - School 1 picture day
- Thursday, Oct. 7 - Beatrice Gilmore School picture day
- Thursday, Oct. 7, 7 p.m. - Beatrice Gilmore School HSA meeting
- Monday, Oct. 11 - Columbus Day - District Schools are closed
- Wednesday, Oct. 13, 12 p.m. - School 1 Lunch & Learn