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

On Nov. 15, the students and staff members at Charles Olbon School wore t-shirts that represented their classroom color that align with Six Pillars of Character: Trustworthiness, Responsibility, Caring, Respect, Citizenship, and Fairness. This is a great start to get the students to learn more about the pillars. Throughout the school year, there will be CO Teams-themed days and these t-shirts will be worn. Thank you to the COHSA for purchasing these t-shirts to support our CO Teams initiative.

Thank you to everyone who supported the Memorial Middle School canned food drive for Thanksgiving. Led by the Student Council, Peer Leaders, and class reps, the school community collected 1,050 cans! As an incentive, each can was worth five House points. The House with the most donations will be rewarded with an outdoor team-building activity session. Congratulations to House of Fire for winning the challenge! Representatives from the St. Agnes Church food pantry picked up the donations on Tuesday and they will help families in need throughout the Passaic Valley region. Find out more about the pantry here.

Ms. Tobia and Ms. A's PreK-4 class at School 1 had so much fun with indoor gross motor play. The students loved climbing through the tunnel of the obstacle course and balancing on the beam.

Mrs. DiBona's third grade class at Beatrice Gilmore School was so excited to welcome more mystery readers during the past two weeks. They all really enjoyed listening to the read-alouds and taking part in the fun activities when Christopher's mom and Juliana's grandmother visited the class!

Ms. Wittig and Ms. Balduzzi's PreK-4 class at School 1 began their tree study last week. They went outside to learn the answer to their question of the day, "Are there any trees next to our playground?" Then, after they talked about the parts of trees, the children sketched pictures of the different types of trees that they saw.

Thank you to everyone who supported the Beatrice Gilmore School canned food drive for Thanksgiving. Representatives from the St. Agnes Church food pantry picked up the donations last week and they will help families in need throughout the Passaic Valley region. Thanks also to Mrs. Facciollio and Ms. Roehrich for overseeing the initiative. Find out more about the pantry here.

Chick-fil-A in Wayne, 88 Willowbrook Blvd. will host a Spirit Night fundraising giveback for the Memorial Middle School House System on Wednesday, Dec. 4 from 5 to 8 p.m. Dec. 4 is an early dismissal day and there are Parent/Teacher Conferences that day. Dine out and help the House System raise funds to provide activities for all the students.

Memorial Middle School is introducing its new Music Booster Club. Music students will be given fundraising opportunities to earn credits to pay for their music trip and t-shirts in the spring. Funds earned from the fundraisers go right to that student selling. The Booster Club's first fundraiser this year is 6-inch poinsettia plants. Contact any band or chorus student to place an order.

Santa’s mailbox has arrived at the Alfred Baumann Library, located on the campus of Berkeley College. Children are invited to stop by and drop their letters to Santa. Santa’s elves will be stopping by to collect the letters and deliver them straight to the North Pole. Don’t forget to snap a picture and tag the library. Be sure to drop your letters by Dec. 13 to receive a magical reply from Santa himself.

Kick off the holiday season this Saturday with the 2024 Totowa, West Paterson & Little Falls Fire Department Holiday Parade of Lights, Holiday Festival, and Borough tree lighting, all to be held on Saturday, Nov. 30.

The Holiday Festival will be held in Dowling Gardens and on McBride Avenue from 1 to 5 p.m. and will feature dozens of food trucks and merchandise vendors, a live band, and numerous activities for the kids. There will also be horse and carriage rides from 1 to 4 p.m. At around 4:30 p.m. the Memorial Middle School band will get everyone into the holiday spirit with live music prior to the tree lighting at 5:15 p.m.

Santa and Mrs. Claus will be taking a break from the North Pole to visit the event! They will be in Dowling Gardens to meet and greet kids from 2 to 4 p.m.

The Holiday Parade of Lights will kick off in Little Falls at Passaic Valley High School at 5 p.m. and travel through the three towns. Some 250 brightly decorated vehicles and floats will delight those on hand. The parade will make its way down Main Street in Little Falls before making a right onto Maple Street and finally a right onto Paterson Avenue, sending the parade into Woodland Park.

The parade will continue into Woodland Park heading down McBride Avenue. It will make a right on Dowling Parkway, a right onto Wallace Lane, and proceed down to where it will make a left onto Hromiak Terrace, a left onto Vetrone Drive, and then a left onto Browertown Road, and make its way back onto McBride Avenue, where it will turn left onto Hillery Street entering Totowa and continuing up Totowa Road, turning left on to Union Boulevard where it will conclude at Union Boulevard and Crews Street.

As in past years, elves along the parade route will be collecting toys for Hackensack Meridian Health, Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital. Last year over 2,000 toys were donated! Toys will also be distributed to less fortunate families within our local communities. If you would like to donate, bring an unwrapped, new toy to the parade and one of the elves will collect it along the way.

Please be aware that there will be a significant impact on traffic within the area on Saturday. Roads will begin to shut down one to two hours prior. Detours will be in place for the duration of the event. Please abide by all posted no parking signs placed on the parade route. If your vehicle is parked within the route (and surrounding streets) you will not be able to move your vehicle until the completion of the parade. Plan and use alternate routes. Police, fire, and EMS will have units posted throughout the route to ensure everyone’s safety and provide an emergency response to areas of town affected.

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.

Wednesday, Nov. 27, 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. 27, 6:30 p.m. - Unwind With Pat. Come to the library to unwind and work on your project. There are coloring books, gel pencils, and colored pencils. Register here.

Thursday, Nov. 28 - The Library is closed

Friday, Nov. 29 - The Library is closed

Saturday, Nov. 30 - The Library is closed

Monday, Dec. 2, 10:30 a.m. - Bouncing Babies for ages 0 to 18 months. Enjoy songs, rhymes, stories, and free play. Register here.

Monday, Dec. 2, 11 a.m. - Yoga & Meditation. Let your problems go for a while and relax. Register here.

Monday, Dec. 2, 3 to 5 p.m. - Homework Helpers. There is only one 1.5-hour timeslot 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, Dec. 2, 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, Dec. 2, 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, Dec. 2, 7 p.m. - The Baumann Book Club will meet to discuss the selection of the month. Copies of the title can be picked up at the Library or downloaded from Libby or Hoopla. Register here.

Tuesday, Dec. 3, 1 p.m. - Coffee and... Join in for coffee and speak to our special guest, Joanne Hirkaler, who is a Friend of the Library member and runs its fundraisers. She will answer any of your questions regarding FAB. Register here.

Tuesday, Dec. 3, 3 to 5 p.m. - Homework Helpers. There is only one 1.5-hour timeslot 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.

Wednesday, Dec. 4, 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, Dec. 4, 6:30 p.m. - Unwind With Pat. Join Pat to unwind with the craft of your choice. Register here.

Thursday, Dec. 5, 11 a.m. - Unwind With Pat. Join Pat to unwind with the craft of your choice. Register here.

Thursday, Dec. 5, 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, Dec. 5, 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, Dec. 5, 4 p.m. - Kids yoga for grades K-3. The MindfulNest Co. will lead this fun and engaging class. Register here.

Thursday, Dec. 5, 6:30 p.m. - Bingo for adults. Join in for some games of bingo and win some great prizes. Register here.

Friday, Dec. 6, 10:30 a.m. - Little Movers story time for ages 18 to 36 months. Register here.

Friday, Dec. 6, 11 a.m. - Enjoy a complimentary lunch and showing of "Christmas with the Kranks." Register here.

Friday, Dec. 6, 1 p.m. - Annual Holiday Cookie Exchange. Join in our second annual holiday cookie exchange. Make a batch of your favorite cookies and sample those of others. Everyone will leave with copies of all of the cookie recipes. Register here.

Saturday, Dec. 7, 11 a.m. - Pokemon Club. 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.

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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