Dear Woodbrook Families,

The science invention fair brought hundreds of students and families together over the course of three nights and over half of the school participated in the classroom videos! The children had to research, experiment, learn from their mistakes and speak clearly and articulately during their presentations whether in person or virtual. These are all extremely valuable life experiences which will support them in their path towards college and/or careers! Thanks to parents and staff members for supporting this endeavor!

Great job to morning club parents and to kindergarten parents who drive at 11:30 or drop off at 12:55! You are doing a great job not pulling up in the circle! Thank you! This is a fire lane and a bus lane only.

We do need to ask for your support in another way...the effects of the lockdown and having students sit in front of screens for hours at a time due to COVID have clearly had a negative impact on socialization.

First, social media, tik tok and youtube have had a very negative impact on our students. We have seen the types of videos they are watching and emulating. They are often filled with inappropriate words/insults and slurs, and sexual images and sexual language. If your children have access to these via a phone or device, it is imperative that they are either supervised while watching or that you have some sort of parental lock. I am very sorry to say that students as young as in the second grade have been repeating these songs and words. Please also know that elementary students should not have a smart watch or phone in school. If you need to contact your child, always call the main office. If you feel they must have the item, it must be OFF and AWAY throughout the day and on the bus.

Next, there has also been a shift in some of the philosophies regarding behavior since the lockdown. Please remind students that two wrongs do not make a right. In other words, when students say something inappropriate to someone, please teach your child that they can ignore it, or they can say, "That is inappropriate and you will not speak to me that way." If necessary, report it to the adult in charge (this would be the lunch aide, the teacher, etc.).

The same holds true for anyone who uses their hands to push or hit anyone. Two wrongs do not make a right. No one should be pushing or hitting. If and when students push and hit back, there are consequences for both students for the violence. Often the pushing is accidental on line, or during a recess game when students are all chasing the same ball and children do not realize that the push was an accident. If they are being directed to resort to violence, we are not teaching our children to stop and think before they react. That is dangerous for everyone. We have been trying to teach the children to use their words and to give people the benefit of the doubt. "Do you realize you're bumping into me?" "Do you realize you are playing too rough, please throw it easier." When you are even tempered enough to walk away from a situation and not react, you are showing that you understand how to exhibit self control (i.e. Chris Rock on the Oscars).

Finally, we have also had conversations with many students who have complained about other students' teasing them, but when we investigate, it seems that both children were teasing one another. We are encouraging all students to take responsibility for their own actions as opposed to telling only a part of the story.

Let us all be kind and patient with one another. Often the same children who are arguing and fighting today are friends again tomorrow. Ideally, we are asking you to repeat your high expectations to your children everyday so they understand how important good behavior is at school and in the world.

As always, thank you for your kind support. I am looking forward to seeing you and your children at all of the upcoming events.

Mrs. Cirillo

We are thrilled that we have started to book our class trips for the late spring.

We will need vaccinated PTO members to join us for the class trips as many of the venues require ADULTS to be vaccinated.

Medical Forms & Permission Slips will be emailed to you as they are prepared.

They will also be available when ready on the Woodbrook Announcements Page.

Dates

Kindergarten - Tuesday, May 17 Von Thuns Farm

1st Grade - Friday, April 29 Turtle Back Zoo

2nd Grade - Tuesday, May 24 Turtle Back Zoo

3rd Grade - Thursday, May 19 Liberty Science Center

4th Grade - Wednesday, June 8 Bronx Zoo
5th Grade - Thursday, June 2 Historical Philadelphia

Payments for school trips will only be accepted on our school Community Pass - not the township recreation department's community pass.

Many families of students in grades 3, 4 & 5 (or older) should have received their community pass letter and code earlier this year if you ordered 5th grade Camp Bernie shirts or paid for math club.

Please complete the form below if you did NOT login and set up your community pass account earlier this year. Open form HERE if form below does not work.

All NJ students in grades 3, 4 & 5 will take the following standardized tests.

REVISED DATES.

Monday,-Wednesday May 9, 10 & 11 ELA

Thursday-Monday, May 12, 13 & 16 MATH

GRADE 5 ONLY Tuesday & Wednesday, May 17 & 18 SCIENCE

You may use the following items from previous tests with your children:

https://nj.digitalitemlibrary.com/home

Children must bring their own earbuds or headphones for the test on all days.

Children should bring their own pencils for scrap paper on all days.

No Phones or Smart Watches are Permitted in the Testing Area.

Do not send sick children to school to take the test. They can take a make up test.

If a child is sick, he/she will not do as well as he/she can..

In addition, if they need to stop in the middle of the test, the test is voided.

Keep sick children home.

Please join Mrs. Cirillo for a NJSLA (Standardized Test)

VIRTUAL Parent Information Meeting for Parents of Students in Grades 3,4 & 5

There is a limit of 500 guests, so please only one login per family. I will share the power point via email to all.

Google Meet joining info

Video call link: https://meet.google.com/yrk-vtjg-zvm

Or dial: ‪(US) +1 929-299-3956‬ PIN: ‪743 254 960‬#

More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/yrk-vtjg-zvm?pin=3898036125380

Click for the District Calendar

April

• Early Dismissal - Wednesday, April 6
• Mary Poppins - Friday, April 8 7pm Everyone welcome ($5 per person ages 3 and up)

School Closed

• Friday, April 15 - Friday, April 22 (Spring Break)

School Closed

• Tuesday, May 3 (Eid)
• Monday, May 30 (Memorial Day)

• 4th & 5th Grade band, strings, chorus

• Band/Strings Parent Information Night in Gym for grades 3 & 4

• Family Picnic Lunch BRING YOUR OWN FOOD & PICNIC BLANKET

• 12:20-1:-05 PM Parents Meet their Children in the Back of the School for their picnic

• 1:12 - 1:55 pm Parents Meet their Children in the Back of the School for their picnic

• Kindergarten

• Morning Kindergarten Picnic 11:30 -12 Parents Meet their Children under the canopy & walk to the Back of the School for their picnic

• Afternoon Kindergarten Picnic 12:20-12:55 Parents bring their children to the back of the school and then come to the front of the school for regular arrival.

Fifth Grade Party Thursday, June 9 (pending approval)

Fifth Grade Promotion Ceremony Tuesday, June 14, 2022 10:00 – 11:30am

Yearbook Payment Due on Monday, April 4

1. Go to the PTO website/App - https://mobilearq.com/schooldirectory/index.php
2. Click on “Online Store”, select “Yearbook” and select the item “Fifth Grade Yearbook 2022”

If prompted to register on the PTO website because you do not yet have an account, the PTO website code is woodbrook, all lowercase letters.

Please recycle your batteries by sending them to school with your child.

Batteries should be placed in the battery bin

located in front of our library.

recyclemybattery.org

This organization was founded by former student Nihal Tammana here at Woodbrook

and our current students are working hard to keep it going!

Dismissal

• Please do not park in spots around the circle, park in the stop & drop lot or on Robin Road.
• Please do not leave your engines running. Turn the cars off while waiting.

Morning Club Arrival

• Thank you to almost everyone for parking in the stop & drop lot for morning clubs.
• No one is permitted to drive around the circle for club drop off.

Morning arrival 8:40 a.m.

• Pull all the way up to the next available spot in line before letting your child out of the car.
• Do NOT let your child out by the woods, near the garbage or where there is snow, mud and grass.
• ONLY let your child out on the PASSENGER side of the car and only on the sidewalk where our Woodbrook staff stands each morning. This is for the safety of the children.
• NO U turns by the flag pole circle...no parking in the visitor spots by the flag pole circle.

Lateness

• When students are late to school and no staff members are outside to greet them, ALL parents must park in a legal spot and sign their children into the school.
• No one may drop off children and drive away.

Thank goodness the numbers have been trending in a positive manner!

MASKS

• Optional as of March 7, 2022

SYMPTOMS

• If your child has symptoms, please have them tested and remain home while awaiting the test results.
• Keep siblings home if someone is symptomatic in the house until the symptomatic person has a negative test.

COVID POSITIVE

• Students and staff who have COVID must stay home as follows: day 0 first day of symptoms or if no symptoms, the day you test positive. Quarantine for the NEXT 5 DAYS, return on day 6 & must wear a well fitting mask for the week you return.

CLOSE CONTACTS

• If your child is two weeks beyond the 2nd of the vaccine, your child does NOT need to quarantine IF there are no symptoms.

The days of just "monitoring" your child for a day or two and then sending them back to school are gone for the time being.

If your child is showing symptoms, a PCR test is in order. Many of our students who tested positive after Thanksgiving were kept home for a day and then sent to school only to be sent to the nurse and turn out to be positive exposing everyone around them.

These are some the signs of COVID as experienced by our students - NOTE, they only had one symptom:

• headache
• nausea/stomach ache
• runny nose
• sore throat
• congestion

While fully vaccinated students/staff are permitted to attend after being in close contact with a COVID positive individual, considering there are many break through cases, it is always a good idea to get a PCR test on days 3- 5 after exposure to that person.

Child's first & last name

Child's teacher

Siblings' names & teachers (inform other schools if older)

Date of exposure to close contact and/or date of symptoms and date of PCR test collected (not reported)

Send a screenshot of the PCR report when you receive it

The district has moved away from our individual letters to a dashboard which will be updated each Friday on the district website. You will no longer receive letters from the school.

VACCINES

• Vaccines are now readily available for all children ages 5 and up.

• Send children in with clean CHILD SIZED masks daily. (Adult masks are not appropriate and do not fit.)

STAY HOME

• If a household member is sick or awaiting PCR test results, keep all children HOME.
• Keep sneezing and coughing children home.
• If you are questioning if your child is possibly ill, STAY HOME
• As per the district protocol, if a member of your household is symptomatic, all Edison students must stay home until that household member tests negative.
• These absences will be excused
• A doctor's note to return to school due to allergies/strep if a child was symptomatic is not sufficient. A negative COVID test must accompany the doctor's note.
• Do NOT give your children cough medicine and fever reducers and send your child to school. We are trying to keep everyone healthy.

COVID TESTS

• NO HOME TESTS are acceptable.
• If you take a rapid test, please also take a PCR test which is much more reliable.
• You must remain home while awaiting results of your PCR tests

CLASSROOM LINKS

• Only students who the school requires to stay home are permitted to listen via a classroom link. It is not available for everyone.
• This is not hybrid. There is no interaction between the students and teacher.
• The camera will only stay on during whole class instruction.