Woodland Park School District News
Nov. 12, 2021
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
____________________________________________________
Friendsgiving
The students in Mrs. Cieslak’s and Mrs. Parker’s classes at Charles Olbon School participated in a "Friendsgiving" event. Students enjoyed snacks together outside, listened to a story about friendship, and created a leaf project. This event was sponsored by our Preschool Home & School Association and the Special Needs Advisory Committee (SNAC).
____________________________________________________
Honoring Our Veterans
On Thursday, Ms. Tonti’s first grade class at Charles Olbon School honored our veterans during a “Campfire” festival. The students participated in various activities, such as read alouds and discussions, poetry readings, independent reading time with mini books and newspapers, authored and illustrated “Thankful” books, sharing about veterans in their lives, and designed a Poppy flower pin project which was worn proudly over their hearts. This class is very proud and thankful for our veterans every day!
____________________________________________________
Official Scientists
Students in Mrs. D’Amico and Mrs. Davidson's first grade class at Charles Olbon School kicked off science with a pumpkin investigation that ended with a “Scientist Badge Ceremony.” They began by observing the pumpkin and taking an educated guess about what it looks like, the number of lines on the outside and the number of seeds on the inside. Mrs. Davidson opened the pumpkin and the students had the opportunity to feel the inside of a pumpkin to help describe it. The class counted the actual number of seeds and lines to see how close the guesses were. At the conclusion of the lesson, the class voted on what type of face to carve on the pumpkin. A happy face was the winner! Each student received an “Official Scientist ID Badge” with "official clearance" to be used during all science experiments this year.
____________________________________________________
Learning About Resources
Mrs. Bouroult's fourth graders at Beatrice Gilmore School designed posters comparing and contrasting renewable energy vs. non-renewable energy. The students used Play-Doh to create natural resources that are renewable as well as non-renewable. Moving forward the class will be learning about the importance of natural resources and how we can protect our environment.
____________________________________________________
Door Decorating Contest Winners
PK-3 – Chicka Boom Boom – Ms. Gilhooley
PK-4 – Taste the Rainbow – Ms. Murray
Kindergarten – Cows – Ms. Candusso
First Grade – Bubble gum – Mrs. Davidson & Mrs. D'Amico
Second Grade - Castle – Mrs. Healey & Mrs. Calabrese
Third Grade – Frankly – Ms. DiBona
Fourth Grade – Mummy – Mrs. Tashayodi
Fifth Grade – Gaming Controller – Mrs. Facciollio
Sixth Grade – Llama – Riviera/McCluskey
Seventh Grade – Skeleton – Mr. Havrilla
Eighth Grade – Clown/Circus – Mr. Pollicino & Mrs. Skibinski
Honorable Mentions:
School 1 Director's Puppy door
BG Growing Minds class door
____________________________________________________
Testing Strength
Students in Ms. Altomare's classes at Beatrice Gilmore School designed a bridge using only two sheets of paper and scissors. The strength of the bridge was tested by stacking pennies on the bridge.
____________________________________________________
Science Explorations
Ms. Tonti’s first grade scientists at Charles Olbon School worked in the outdoor classroom for science class with Ms. Tobia. The students had the opportunity to engage in various activities. They discussed how a pumpkin looks, feels, and smells. The children learned about measurement by measuring the length and width of the pumpkin and a pumpkin seed. Students put sink or float predictions to the test. Ms. Tobia used the pumpkin seeds to assess addition and subtraction skills. The children even had the opportunity to feel the pumpkin’s inside contents. These scientists had a blast exploring many concepts by using just one little pumpkin. There was no better way to kick off Anti-Drug Awareness Week than to think like a scientist to keep your brain focused, clear, and ready to learn!
____________________________________________________
Learning About Trees
Students in Mrs. Guariglia's PreK-3 class at School 1 are working on studying trees. Throughout the investigation phase, the children were provided with the opportunity to make comparisons and take measurements of themselves in comparison to the trees outside.
____________________________________________________
Character Study
Ms. Calabrese and Ms. Healey’s second graders at Charles Olbon School have been studying characters in Reading Workshop and participated in a fun fall book project. Students did an amazing job decorating a pumpkin which would serve as book characters. Students wrote about the pumpkin character’s role in the story and presented to the class!
____________________________________________________
Celebrating Halloween
Students in School 1, Charles Olbon School and Beatrice Gilmore School enjoyed dressing up for school on the Friday before Halloween. All enjoyed a parade outside to show off costumes for family and friends.
____________________________________________________
Memorial Times October Issue Released
The October edition of The Memorial Times has been released. The issue features stories about Memorial School's House System and Disney's 50th anniversary, as well as "Meet the Teacher" features, television, and video game reviews. You can view the issue here.
____________________________________________________
Multiplication Manipulatives
Students have been working on multiplication facts using linked cubes with Mrs. Kivlehan at Beatrice Gilmore School.
____________________________________________________
BG Home & School Association Running Several Fundraisers
The Beatrice Gilmore School Home & School Association is running several fundraisers. The Fifth Grade Committee has a pretzel and pizza snack sale. Flyers were blasted out and were printed to go home. Orders are due on Monday, Nov. 15. No late orders can be taken. See the attached flyers below for the other fundraisers for Krispy Kreme, Scentsy and Smashburger.
____________________________________________________
Charles Olbon School HSA Offers Spirit Wear Sale
The Charles Olbon School spirit wear sale up and running. The sale is over Nov. 22 and no late orders will be accepted. If you have any issues, contact the vendor directly. All orders will be directly shipped to your home. You can view and order Spirit Wear here.
____________________________________________________
Rec Basketball Registration Is Now Open
Basketball registration for the upcoming season is now open. This program is open to all Woodland Park children who are currently in kindergarten through eighth grade. To register and for more information, click here. The club is currently looking for a basketball commissioner for the upcoming season. If interested, please reach out to Tom Bolen at mbt2004@optonline.net.
____________________________________________________
Borough Will Assume Management Of Youth Rec Programs
Dear Woodland Park Families,
The Borough of Woodland Park is excited to announce that as of the March 2022 spring athletic season, our Department of Recreation will begin to offer sports programs and other activities to the children of our town.
As was discussed in spring of 2019, the Borough will hire paid staff to effectively and efficiently organize and manage our youth programs—just like our summer camp. We will also continue to run our annual activities for our seniors, our community celebrations and our holiday events.
We will also open discussion with the Woodland Park Public Schools to enhance after school programming opportunities and work with our neighboring towns of Totowa and Little Falls to continue and grow our successful travel team partnerships with youth from all three Passaic Valley municipalities.
The Borough is well aware of the challenges in delivering quality youth programs, especially in light of the setbacks related to COVID-19. The suspension of youth athletics during that time period, a further drop in volunteerism and uncertainty amongst parents as to safety—all contributed to these issues. Together, with the support of the Borough, we can build back programs under this new structure.
On behalf of the Council, we thank the decades of leadership—both past and present—at the West Paterson Boys’ & Girls’ Club for their efforts in providing athletics to the children of Woodland Park since 1955.
While we will keep the many traditions of being a Panther—today we start anew! The Council and I fully understand the importance of good organization, proper scheduling, volunteer recruitment and the need to provide a positive experience for our children and families across all programs.
More information will be released in the coming weeks regarding this transition. In the meantime, recruitment and involvement are key to our collective success. Your input and feedback are also imperative in this process. Should you wish to submit your name for one of the five seats on the newly formed Woodland Park Recreation & Parks Advisory Board or to submit your name for consideration as a sports commissioner, coach or volunteer, please complete the application here. All applications are due by Friday, December 3, 2021.
We are looking forward to the beginning of something great here in Woodland Park when it comes to youth athletics and activities! GO PANTHERS!
Best Regards,
Keith Kazmark
Mayor
____________________________________________________
Coming up at the Alfred Baumann Library:
The Alfred Baumann Library will host the following programs. While the Library building is temporarily closed due to flood damage, please check the website for event locations. Programming may be held outside, in the Municipal Building Community Room or via Zoom. Visit the Library's website here or Facebook page here. Its phone is 973-345-8120. Email is library@abwplibrary.org.
Saturday, Nov. 13, 11 a.m. - Arts & Crafts for grades kindergarten to fourth. Join in for a read-aloud of "Otis & The Scarecrow" then make a fun scarecrow craft. Register here.
Monday, Nov. 15, 10 a.m. - Weigh To Go. Join the group every Monday to discuss your weight loss journey via Zoom. Enjoy a relaxed, judgment-free zone to share your stories, recipes, tips, and more. Register here.
Monday, Nov. 15, 11 a.m. - Chair Yoga. Come and find your inner peace during our chair yoga and meditation sessions. The class is held in Borough Hall's Community Room. Register here.
Tuesday, Nov. 16, 6:30 p.m. - ESL Conversation Club. Register here.
Tuesday, Nov. 16, 6:30 p.m. - Family Cooking Class. Families are invited to join Heather Shasa, registered dietitian from ShopRite of Little Falls, for a special virtual program. Heather will take you and your family through fun and healthy recipes, one step at a time. An ingredients list will be provided after registration. Register here.
Wednesday, Nov. 17, 4:30 p.m. - Reading Rebels book club for grades 3-5. This month the group will be reading "The Wild Robot" by Peter Brown. The book will be provided at the program. Register here.
Wednesday, Nov. 17, 6:30 p.m. - Unwind With Pat. Join Pat to unwind with the craft of your choice. Register here.
Wednesday, Nov. 17, 7 p.m. - The adult book club will be discussing "Convenience Store Woman" by Sayaka Murata. The eBook and audiobook are available via the Hoopla app.
The eBook can be found here and the audiobook can be found here. The meeting will be held in person or via Zoom. If held on Zoom, the link will be emailed. Register here.
Thursday, Nov. 18, 11 a.m. - Unwind With Pat. Join Pat to unwind with the craft of your choice. Register here.
Thursday, Nov. 18, 7 p.m. - Spice of the Month club meets via Zoom to discuss the spice provided earlier in the month and talk about what you made. Register here.
Tuesday, Nov. 23, 4:30 p.m. - Bookmarked book club for grades 6 to 8. This month we will be reading "When You Reach Me" by Rebecca Stead. Patrons can pick up the book at the Library. The group will discuss the book and enjoy activities, crafts and games based on the book. Register here.
Tuesday, Nov. 23, 6:30 p.m. - Pajama Story Time for babies to Kindergarten. Put on your PJs and join us for evening stories. Register here.
Wednesday, Nov. 24, 4:30 p.m. - Autumn Bingo for ages kindergarten and up. Join in for a game of Autumn-themed picture bingo. Prizes will be available for all winners. Register here.