Woodland Park School District News
Nov, 4, 2022
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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Celebrating Halloween
Students in School 1, Charles Olbon School, and Beatrice Gilmore School enjoyed dressing up for Halloween. Everyone enjoyed a parade outside to show off their costumes for family and friends.
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Door Decorating Winners
The Woodland Park Municipal Alliance Against Alcoholism and Drug Abuse sponsored its annual door decorating contest this month in our schools for Red Ribbon Week. Winning classrooms at Charles Olbon School, Beatrice Gilmore School, and Memorial Middle School will be treated to a pizza party from the Alliance. The winners were as follows:
Charles Olbon School winner: Brooms - Ms. Hope
Charles Olbon School honorable mention: Piano Keys - Ms. Gutierrez
Beatrice Gilmore School winner: Monopoly - Ms. Facciollio
Beatrice Gilmore School honorable mention: Owls - Ms. Yesenosky
Memorial Middle School winner: Life - Ms. Tolley
Memorial Middle School honorable mention: Spun Up - Ms. Parker
Preschool and kindergarten classes took part in a pumpkin decorating contest (see below).
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Class Creations
Our preschool and kindergarten classes took part in a pumpkin decorating contest sponsored by the Home & School Associations. Winners received an Amazon gift card to get supplies for their classroom. Shown are the winning creations.
First Place: Mrs. Murray/Mrs. Coffey - the pigeon
Second Place: Ms. Tobia/Ms. Bonnie - octopus
School 1 Pre-K 3
First Place: Mrs. Guariglia/Mrs. Nadia - Spot
Second Place: Mrs. Wittig/Ms. Pam - Turtle
Charles Olbon PreK-D
First Place tie - Mrs. Samra - pig
First Place tie - Mrs. Flores - Forkie
Charles Olbon PreK-4
First Place - Mrs. Munro - Chick-a-Boom
Charles Olbon kindergarten
First Place tie: Mrs. Tundo - mouse
First Place tie: Ms. Amerise - Rainbow Fish
Second Place: Ms. Candusso - Arthur
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Fun Night Out
Memorial Middle School Home & School Association's Eighth Grade Dance Committee hosted a Halloween Dance last Friday evening. The students enjoyed time dancing, socializing with friends, and food. A pumpkin decorating contest was also held at the event. Shown above are the entries and the winner with his pumpkin.
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Red Ribbon Week
Last week was Red Ribbon Week, which is sponsored by the WP Municipal Alliance Against Alcoholism & Drug Abuse. Red Ribbon Week is aimed at promoting a commitment to be a drug-free, alcohol-free, violence-free, and smoke-free community. During the week, the schools held different theme days, such as wearing red, bright shirts, superhero shirts, and team jerseys.
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Future Engineers At Work
Ms. O’Donnell’s fifth grade STEM classes at Beatrice Gilmore School created prototypes using at least one simple machine. They created blinds, clocks, wagons, trains, blinds, pulleys, slides, and more. Their creations were very impressive!
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Leaf Experiment
Ms. Tonti’s first grade students at Charles Olbon School pledged to "Leave Drugs Alone." The children showed their commitment through art by decorating unique leaves. To conclude, the class collected leaves to conduct a leaf-rubbing experiment. The students were amazed by the results.
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Science Scavengers
Pictured above is Ms. DiGiacomo's kindergarten class taking part in a fall scavenger hunt. The students have been studying the seasons and weather changes during science class. This was a great experience for the students to practice being real life explorers and scientists!
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Fun Friday
Ms. Miranda and Ms. Byrnes took their third grade class at Beatrice Gilmore School outside for a "Fun Friday" activity. The class read The Leaf Thief by Alice Hemming and Nicola Slater. After the read-aloud, the students collected leaves and completed a leaf-rubbing activity. Students practiced observational skills in order to make accurate descriptions. This activity also allowed students to make text-to-self and text-to-world connections.
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Giving Thanks
The Memorial Middle School Culture & Climate Team initiated a school-wide project of writing thank you cards for our veterans for Veterans Day as a gesture of thanks and recognition for their sacrifice.
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Pumpkin Investigators
Mrs. D'Amico and Mrs. Davidson's first grade class at Charles Olbon School conducted a pumpkin investigation. These pumpkin detectives made predictions about their class pumpkin. They predicted how many seeds were inside, what the pumpkin smelled like, and what the pumpkin felt like on the inside. After the students made the predictions, they recorded their answers. As a class, they decided that the fastest way to count the seeds was to make groups of 10. Students worked together to make groups and count the seeds. Then, students took turns drawing a set of eyes, nose, and mouth. Mrs. Davidson carefully carved the pumpkin. They made a list of names for their pumpkin too!
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Campfire Friday
First graders in Ms. Tonti’s class at Charles Olbon School held a campfire-themed day. The students celebrated with their favorite books and writings while enjoying special camping snacks like s'mores and hot chocolate at the same time. While snuggling with blankets and stuffed buddies, the class listened to camping read-alouds and concluded with a special guest reader: Principal Mrs. Nussbaum! These types of events inspire early learners to continue their reading and writing journey.
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Character Creations
Ms. Healey’s second grade class at Charles Olbon School did a wonderful job on their book character pumpkin projects! Students decorated a pumpkin as a character from a book they read and presented the final projects to the class by describing various character traits and events in the story.
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See-Saw Reading
Students in Ms. Amerise's Kindergarten class at Charles Olbon School practiced see-saw reading during Reader's Workshop. Students are working on reading non-fiction and using pictures to think about what the author is trying to convey while recognizing sight words at the same time.
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Super Grandparents
Red Ribbon Week was honored at Memorial Middle School during Red Ribbon Week with each day of the week being dedicated to a different theme in support of staying drug free. Thursday was wear a superhero shirt for "We Have The Power To Be Drug Free." Staff members who are grandparents wore "Super Grandparent" shirts!
The attention, interaction, and unconditional love from a grandparent help a child feel safe and secure, which is needed for healthy brain development. Grandparents also support parents with advice. More than occasional help, many families rely on grandparents for regular childcare. And some grandparents are primary caregivers helping raise their grandchildren.
It’s hard to quantify the impact of the special connection between young children and their grandparents. Studies have shown that having actively-involved grandparents can help children grow confidence, cope with stress, and have fewer behavioral issues as they get older.
Pictured from left are Lynne Donato - Super Nana, Tom Havrilla - Super Grandpa, Michele Behnken, Karen Criscione - Super Gigi, and Rosemary Ficarra - Super Grandma Ro-Ro. Not pictured is Terry Carbonelli - Super Grandma.
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Lost & Found At All Schools
Please be sure to ask your children and/or check the lost and found regularly as there are many clothing items which are continuing to pile up very quickly at all of our schools. Moving forward, these items will be removed from school grounds every Friday.
It would be helpful if parents could label their child's belongings (i.e. jackets, hoodies, lunch bags, etc.) to help cut down on the number of items making it to the lost and found.
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BGHSA November Snack Sales
The Beatrice Gilmore School Home & School Association is running November 1/2 day snack sales. Snacks can be ordered online only. Sales end on Nov. 11. No late orders will be accepted. Snacks will be delivered on the day listed in the title, not the date that the Square gives you. If you have more than one student, please place two separate orders to ensure orders are delivered to the correct student. Please include homeroom child on each item order. Any questions, email bghsa1075@gmail.com. To view the food choices and place an order, click here.
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Yearbook Photos Needed
Photos are needed for the Beatrice Gilmore School yearbook. Do you have photos for the yearbook? Starts with Hello, Unity Day, Halloween party, Red Ribbon Week, or the Halloween parade? Please upload your October 2022 photos for the yearbook here. BG students only! Group shots with students from other schools will not be used.
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Fleece Pants Fundraiser Extended
The Memorial Middle School 8th Grade Dance Committee is holding a WP fleece pants fundraiser. Deadline to order was extended to Nov. 30. This is not approved spirit wear. It cannot be worn to school. Cost is $30. Show your pride in your school by wearing these pants while also supporting the committee in their goal to make the class of 2023’s formal a success! To place an order, contact Trish at wpmemorialclassof2023@gmail.com or 201-452-9212.
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Coming up at the Alfred Baumann Library:
The Alfred Baumann Library 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.
Monday, Nov. 7, 10 a.m. - Weigh To Go no judgment weight loss sharing group. Share stories, tips, and struggles, or just listen. Register here.
Monday, Nov. 7, 11 a.m. - Yoga & Meditation. Let your problems go and relax with us in the Community Room in Borough Hall. Register here.
Monday, Nov. 7, 6 p.m. - Dungeons & Dragons for sixth to 12th grade. New and experienced players are welcome. Register here.
Monday, Nov. 7, 7 p.m. - Baumann Book Club. Join in to discuss "The Day the World Came to Town" by Jim DeFede. Copies are available at the library. The club will meet in person however there will be a Zoom link available. Register here.
Wednesday, Nov. 9, 6:30 p.m. - Unwind With Pat. Join in to work on a craft of your choice. Register here.
Thursday, Nov. 10, 11 a.m. - Unwind With Pat. Join in to work on a craft of your choice. Register here.
Thursday, Nov. 10, 11:30 a.m. - The Silk Road. Join the William Paterson University Galleries for a unique arts education activity for ages 4 and up. Register here.
Thursday, Nov. 10, 12 p.m. - Sit & Fit Exercise Class. Wear comfortable clothing and bring water to hydrate. A health waiver needs to be completed prior to the program. Register here.
Monday, Nov. 14, 10 a.m. - Bouncing Babies story time program for ages one to 23 months and a caregiver. Register here.
Tuesday, Nov. 15, 1 p.m. - Crafternoon for adults. Supplies will be provided. Register here.
Tuesday, Nov. 15, 4 p.m. - The Silk Road. Join the William Paterson University Galleries for a unique arts education activity for ages 8 and up. Register here.
Tuesday, Nov. 15, 6:30 p.m. - Pajama Storytime. Join Miss Sara for bedtime stories. Pajamas encouraged! Register here.