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

The Memorial Middle School Home & School Association's Eighth Grade Committee hosted a March Madness eighth grade student vs. staff fundraising basketball game on March 13 after school. Everyone had a blast while enjoying a little friendly competition, which was won by the students. The committee donated a portion of proceeds to the family of Nicola Colangelo, a 2024 graduate of Memorial School who was tragically killed in a traffic accident on March 10.

March 14 is known as International Pi Day. Pi (Greek letter “π”) is the symbol used in mathematics to represent a constant, the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, which is approximately 3.14159. The House Leaders at Memorial Middle School organized a special Pi Day House event last Friday where math classes throughout the day traveled to the gym to complete activities.

Memorial Middle School held a Pi Day memorization contest earlier this month. The winners were recognized with certificates at the House event last Friday. The students then completed to see who memorized the most numbers overall. Our first place winner was eighth grade student Alayna. Second place winner was sixth grade student Charly. Third place winner was sixth grade student Thalia.

Congratulations to our latest Mustangs of the Month at Memorial Middle School!

• 6th - Valentina Orellana
  
• 6th - Daneen Mustafa
  
• 7th - Milly Bursac
  
• 7th - Anna Salgado
  
• 8th - Isaiah Filian
  
• 8th - Gia Zummo
  

Happy Pi Day! Students in Ms. Mohamed and Mrs. Reisman's fourth grade class learned all about the significance of Pi. Students created their own Pi City using the ratio to create a graph which they turned into a city skyline.

The students in Mrs. Wilson's fourth grade class at Beatrice Gilmore School enjoyed learning about the elements of drama last week. Students read a variety of plays that teach allusions to mythology and compared the themes of each. Students then self-selected roles, highlighted lines, practiced stage directions, and even made some props to bring the drama to life. They are looking forward to learning about poetry next!

After completing the "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" study, the students in Mrs. Murray, Mrs. Coffey, Mrs. LaSala, and Ms. Dawn's PreK-4 classes at School 1 enjoyed a "wow" moment. They visited each other's class to see the projects made from recycled materials. It's always fun to visit other classes!

Last Friday, we had the pleasure of welcoming a surprise guest reader to School - Mayor Tracy Kallert. She read to both our 3-year-old and 4-year-old students, creating an engaging and enjoyable reading experience. The students enthusiastically participated, making it a memorable time. We are truly grateful for the Mayor’s visit and her time spent with our students.

During social studies, Mrs. Morozowski's little kindergarten leprechauns at Charles Olbon School learned all about St. Patrick’s Day. They shared what makes them feel lucky in a special writing activity and put their listening skills to the test with a directed drawing of a leprechaun. Their creativity and hard work were pure gold!

Students throughout the district enjoyed going green on Monday for St. Patrick's Day. Above, students in Mrs. Murray and Mrs. Coffey's Pre-K 4 class at School 1 enjoyed making leprechaun hats and wearing green for St. Patrick's Day. At right, students in Mrs. Odaman's PreK-3 class at School 1 show off their colors. In addition, families also got into the spirit of the holiday by all wearing their green, as shown at left with one of our School 1 families.

The Alfred Baumann Library hosted an incentive for reading in the months of February and March called "Sweet Reads." This program gave incentives for the students to read at home and go to the public library and read with their families. Ms.DeAngelis, teacher at ECC, went to the end of the program celebration with her son to be a guest reader at the program!

Memorial Middle School Spelling Bee 2025 champion Justin Zummo competed in the Northeast Regional Spelling Bee as a precursor to the Scripps National Spelling Bee. He placed #10 out of 70 participants! Congratulations Justin!

The Memorial Middle School House System and the Student Council are planning a fundraising 3 on 3 basketball tournament. Cost is $15 per team and registration can be done here. Games will be held the week of April 7.

The Memorial Middle School House System is planning its annual Color Run fundraising event, to raise money to provide fun House activities for all students. Registration is open here for the event, which will be held on Saturday, May 3 at 10 a.m. on Memorial Drive. All are welcome to attend!

Join the Woodland Park Education Association for "Engineering Explorers: Build and Learn" with a special film and waffles on Wednesday, April 9 at 6 p.m. at Memorial Middle School. This event is open to ALL District students. Register for the event here.

Get ready to create, explore, and innovate at NJ Makers Day! Join the Alfred Baumann Library on Saturday, March 22, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for a hands-on celebration of making and creativity. From coding to crafts, LEGO building, and more, there will be exciting activities for makers of all ages. Come spark your curiosity and unleash your imagination! Register for the event here.

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. Register for events here.