CDW Weekly Wrap-Up

Over the last two weeks, there has been an increased number of parents/guardians picking up their child(ren) and crossing Interschool Drive lanes. Walking or running through vehicles is unsafe, and we kindly ask that everyone follow the safety practices of using the crosswalks on either side of Interschool Drive.

Also, please do not park your car and get out to retrieve your child(ren). All cars should pull up on Interschool Drive so that the entire lane is able to be lined with cars. This helps the traffic on Charles Place.

Should you have any questions, please get in touch with Principal Santa or Mr. Lauriello.

The auditions for the musical will be on Thursday, January 4th and Friday, January 5th. The Sign-Up Genius links for each day of auditions will be posted on the CDW Musical website and the OTBN Google Classroom. Students should pick ONE spot on ONE of the two days (Thursday OR Friday). Call-back auditions are on January, 8th. Please refer to the Musical Toolkit website for more information, which includes audition forms, sheet music, scripts, the rehearsal calendar, details on what happens at call-backs, and other useful resources.

There will be an Audition Clinic on Wednesday 12/20/23 after-school from 3-4 PM for any students who have further questions, or just want a refresher on the process. Ms. Osbahr will be going over the audition music during the clinic as well.

All 8th graders need to submit a baby picture and student profile form via the Yearbook Google Classroom. Both are due by Monday, December 18th. Students should check the Yearbook Google Classroom for any questions about the Yearbook.

On Monday, December 11th, the Old Tappan Board of Education recognized students for their hard work and dedication in accomplishing the following:

• Grade 7 and Grade 8 Marking Period 1 High Honor Roll
• The Girls' Volleyball Team winning the championship in the Girls' Volleyball Valley League
• Acceptance into the MEBCI Middle School Honors Band

As always, Mr. Rosolanko and Ms. Osbahr prepared successful shows that brought the community together to celebrate the musical progress of CDW students.

On December 11th, CDW hosted the first competitive School vs. School Brain Busters meet of the season. Two teams from CDW competed: Leila Hilmo, Lyla Murphy, Juwon Jeong, and Gloria Jung, and Danny Chung, Isabella Duan, Posey Ring, and Lana Khan.

Leila, Lyla, Juwon, and Gloria's team advanced to the semi-final round and came in 4th place overall. The next meet will be in January at Demarest Middle School.

8th Grade Information:

Applying to other schools:

All transcripts have been submitted.

Looking ahead to January:

In the beginning of January, an email will be sent out to schedule your child’s high school conference. These meetings will take place at CDW from January 31- February 6, 2024, between the hours of 8:40 AM - 3:00 PM. One counselor from Northern Valley Old Tappan will also be in attendance to answer any questions. You should have received an email from NVOT with important information regarding registering your child(ren) for NVOT, which needs to be completed by January 15th.

Reminders for All Grades:

Wellness Wednesday lunches:

Grades 5 and 6 lunch with Ms. Adamo is in room 414.

Grades 7 and 8 lunch with Dr. Polizotto is in room 308.

Should you have any questions or concerns regarding your child’s academic, social, or emotional needs, please contact me at adamoj@nvnet.org or 201-664-1475 ext. 2203.

The Boys' Basketball team defeated Demarest on Monday 46 -34. Jake Totten led the way with 24 points, including 8 for 8 from the foul line. Matt Kosmark added 8 points, and Markus Etter chipped in 7. It was another strong showing on the defensive end as the team held Demarest to just 8 points in the second half.

On Tuesday, December 12th, the boys' basketball team improved their record to 3 and 0 defeating Haworth by a score of 54 - 32. Kyle Gagliano led all scorers with 11 points. Matt Kosmark and Jake Totten added 7 points each. Konrad Wiklinski and Vincent Cialdella played well off the bench and chipped in 6 points each.

On Wednesday, December 13th, the boys' basketball improved their record to 4 and 0 defeating Northvale 58-35. It was a dominating effort on defense that held Northvale to just 12 points after the first quarter. AJ Badurina came off the bench and led all scorers with 14 points. Jake Totten was stellar playing the point and added 11 points, Matt Kosmark dominated once again off the boards and contributed 11 points, and Kyle Gagliano played a solid all around game and chipped in 8 points.

The CDW Girls' Basketball team won their third game in a row, beating Demarest 41-12. Tina D'Andrea and Lexi Caunedo led the team in points, with 10 each. Sophia DeMarco and Adriana D'Andrea lit the fire with some crucial plays early on. The triple Ava effect was in play last night, all scoring and making some major hustle plays!

Please see the Winter Sports schedule for Girls' Basketball and Boys' Basketball HERE.

Mrs. Henriquez will continue to run Intramurals on Fridays at 3:00 PM. The first sport is volleyball! If your child(ren) is interested, he/she can see Mrs. Henriquez with any questions. Inter-Scholastic Sports and Intramurals Information can be found HERE. If your child(ren) plans on doing intramurals at all throughout the year, please make sure that his/her paperwork has been handed in to Mrs. McCarthy, the school nurse.

The Preparticipation Physical Evaluation (PPE) may ONLY be completed by a licensed physician, advanced practice nurse (APN) or physician assistant (PA), who has completed the Student-Athlete Cardiac Assessment professional development module.

• Physical Examination Form to be filled out by your Physician
• Health History Forms -to be filled out by Parents

Concussion Management Guidelines

Sudden Cardiac Death in Young Athletes

Please use these links to sign up to serve pizza at TBD and CDW from January 2024 to June 2024:

TBD Pizza

CDW Pizza

If you would like to order your own Holiday Cookie Decorating Kit from Florentina's Bakery to support the PTO, please order on OTPTO.org by Saturday, December 16, 2023.

On March 7, 2024, at the White Beeches Country Club, the PTO will be hosting a Denim and Diamonds Parents' Night Out! See the flyer for more information.

The first fundraiser was a success! The 8th Grade PTO Committee needs volunteers to help serve the Chick-fil-A lunches on the following dates:

January 25, 2024

March 14, 2024

Please use this link to sign up.

The CDW Spirit Wear store is available on OTPTO.org! The Long Term Store is open year round and orders are shipped directly to the purchaser. The Short Term Store will reopen in the spring.

Both stores offer different merchandise. Links are on OTPTO.org or see below:

LONG TERM: Charles DeWolf Middle School

If you would like to purchase a 2023-2024 Discount Card, visit the OT PTO website. Each card is $20.

Every first Friday of the month, the Class of 2024 will be selling candy and ice pops at dismissal for an afternoon treat. Students in Grades 5-8 can go to the Lynch Gym to purchase their treat of choice! Treats will be between $1-3 and will include, but will not be limited to: lollipops, M&M's, Twizzlers, Gummy Bears, Sour Patch Kids, etc. See the flyer below for more information.

Dates of Sales: January 5th, February 2nd, March 1st, April 5th, May 3rd, June 7th

ATTENTION: 8th grade parents, please sign up HERE to volunteer for future Candy and Ice Pop Sales!

The PTO is looking for volunteers for the upcoming school year!

Volunteers play a huge part in the PTO and what we are able to offer our students and teachers. Without volunteers, many of the programs that students, teachers, and families enjoy will not be able to happen. Volunteer descriptions can be found at: OTPTO.org under "More Info" and then "Flyers."

If you have interest in joining the PTO Board, joining or running a committee, or just want to learn more- please reach out to the PTO by visiting OTPTO.org and selecting "Contact Old Tappan PTO" under the Help tab.

Safety is always our #1 priority at CDW. Water bottles spilling continuously are making the hallways and classrooms dangerous. We ask that your child has a cover on their water bottle or straw to prevent spills.

The mid-point of Marking Period 2 was Thursday, December 14th. At that time, teachers took the opportunity to start entering comments about your child(ren), and how they are doing with the content in each class. These comments are compiled in a Mid-Marking Period Interim Report.

The Mid-Marking Period Interim Reports will be available for parents to view on the Genesis Parent Portal on Wednesday, December 20th at 12:00 PM.

If you have any questions about any of the comments on the Interim Report and/or grades that you see in the Grading module, please feel free to contact the teacher(s) for more information.

The CDW Student Council, advised by Mrs. DeSciora and Mrs. Reiser, is very busy in December. Each month, the officers decorate the Student Council bulletin board around a theme; in December, the theme is generosity. This month's service project to support generosity is "Snowflakes for Strays," which will be held on December 13th, 14th, and 15th during the lunch periods. For $1.00, students can purchase a snowflake and receive a little treat as a thank you. All money raised will go to Caring About the Strays, an animal rescue organization based in Westwood. Additionally, the Student Council will be sponsoring winter school spirit days at the end of the month (more information below). All information about the student council is always posted on the bulletin board in the 200 Corridor of CDW.

Please see the following information about the traditional December Spirit Days!

Wednesday (12/20): Live in the Present! Wear holiday hats, socks, ribbons, and bows.

Twinkle Thursday (12/21): Wear your best holiday flair!

Friday (12/22): Ugly Sweater Day

The CDW volleyball teams will take on the CDW Staff in this annual CDW tradition. All students in Grades 5-8 will attend the game.

All volleyball players must submit a permission form to play in the game. Please go to the main office if you need another copy.

Class parties will be held on Friday, December 22nd after the Annual CDW Staff/8th Grade Volleyball Game. Your child(ren)'s Class Parent will be emailing you soon to request festive plates and napkins, snacks, and water. The PTO will be collecting $7 per student for 2 slices of pizza, garlic knots and/or mozzarella sticks via OTPTO.org.

Students are not obligated to pay the money for the Pizza Party and may still enjoy the snacks sent in for all to enjoy. Students who do not want pizza may bring in their own lunch that day.

Ms. Melillo and Ms. Watters have brought back the CDW Holiday Cup Design Contest. Students can see them for a cup if they would like to participate. All cups must be returned to the Media Center by December 18th.

Once again, the PBA will be holding its annual Toy Drive. The box for your donations of new, unwrapped toys will be in the CDW Main Lobby.

The link to the online newspaper can be found HERE. If any writers want to join the club, please see Mr. Johnson for more information!

The CDW Homework Club is offered to all students in Grades 5-8 and is FREE! Please sign your child up each week that you are interested!

If you would like to purchase insurance for your child(ren)'s school issued Chromebook, please refer to the information below, or you may purchase directly from smarttechinsurance.com/old-tappan.

New to our insurance policy this year is that all Chromebooks must be in cases or the insurance will not cover any claims.

If your child is not going to attend school, please contact Mrs. McCarthy at 201-664-1475 ext. 2103 or McCarthy@nvnet.org.

In an effort to minimize the potential spread of illness at school, please keep your child home if he/she:

• has a fever. Students should be fever-free for 24 hours without medication prior to returning to school.
• is nauseous or is vomiting.
• has diarrhea.

December

Wednesday, December 20th~ Marking Period 2 Interim Reports will be released via the Parent Portal at 12:00 PM.

Wednesday, December 20th~ Spirit Day: Live in the Present! Wear holiday hats, socks, ribbons, and bows.

Thursday, December 21st~ Twinkle Thursday Spirit Day: Wear your best holiday flair!

Friday, December 22nd~ 12:30 PM Dismissal; Holiday Party; Ugly Sweater Day; Staff vs. Student Volleyball Game

Monday, December 25th-January 1st~ Holiday Recess: School is closed.

January

Monday, January 1st~ New Year's Day: School is closed.

Wednesday, January 3rd~ There is a BOE Meeting at 7:00 PM in the BOE conference room.

Thursday, January 4th and Friday, January 5th~ Auditions for the CDW Musical

Thursday, January 11th~ AMC 8 Competition (for those who are registered only)

Monday, January 15th~ MLK, Jr. Day: PD Day for Staff; No School for Students

Thursday, January 25th~ PTO Chick-fil-A Special Lunch

Friday, January 26th~ Marking Period 2 Ends

Wednesday, January 31st~ Marking Period 2 Reports Cards are released in the Genesis Parent Portal at 12:00 PM.

​​​​​​​OT 2023-2024 Approved School Year Calendar

Instagram: cdw_middle

Email: santaj@nvnet.org
Website: https://cdw.oldtappanschools.org/
Location: 275 Old Tappan Road, Old Tappan, NJ, USA
Phone: 201-664-1475
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OldTappanSchoolDistrict/
Twitter: @OldTappanSD