Woodland Park School District News
February 11, 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
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Congratulations to our Spelling Bee winners
Our second annual spelling bee was held using the Scripps National Spelling Bee online testing platform. Sixth grader, Joaquin Vila, was named school-level champion and will move on to the North Jersey Spelling Bee! Please join us in wishing Joaquin the best of luck in the next level of the competition. Eighth grader, Lily Aspirany, and seventh grader, Crismarly Fernandez, tied for second place in our local spelling bee! All winners received Scripps Spelling Bee headphones. Vila also received a trophy. Memorial School Principal, Mr. Scholtz, and District Supervisor of Language Arts, Mrs. Castrovinci, delivered the prizes to the winners.
Congratulations to all of our school spelling bee participants who improved their spelling, increased their vocabularies, learned concepts, and developed correct English usage that will help them throughout their every day lives. We are all proud of your achievements!
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STRIVE student takes second place in quiz bowl
Recently, our Memorial School STRIVE participated in its third competition of the school year. Our sixth grade team participated in a Virtual Quiz Bowl competing against students in Haledon and North Haledon. Grade 6 student, Joaquin Vila, placed second in this competition! What makes this all the more special is Joaquin was the only student in the sixth grade representing Woodland Park. Great job, Joaquin!
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Tubes and tunnels
The students in Mrs. Murray/Mrs. Lindsay's class at School 1 recently finished their "Tubes and Tunnels" study by participating in two fun activities. First, Mr. John visited their class and shared an example of a tube instrument: the saxophone. He gave a quick lesson about the saxophone and then played a song. The children presented thank you cards and drawings to Mr. John during the closing meeting. The students also created 3D art projects or instruments out of tubes or tunnels. Everyone enjoyed these activities!
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Sharing some Valentine love
Mrs. Skrbic wanted to share some Valentine's love with her second grade class at Charles Olbon School. These students are working so hard and their teacher is so very proud!
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Measuring up
During Ms. Scillieri's STEM enrichment this week at Beatrice Gilmore School, students continued their study of the "Surface Tension and STEM" unit. The students examined different soaps in order to assess whether or not bubbles could be blown via this experiment. At the same time, the students meaasured the length of the bubbles once popped. Next week, the class will analyze the data as an examination of the results.
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Celebrating World Read Aloud Day
In honor of World Read Aloud Day, the students in Mrs. Wilson's fourth grade class at Beatrice Gilmore School enjoyed two read-alouds. The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi is a book about a student who is new to a class and is unsure of sharing her unique name. This story of friendship helps students to understand the importance of being proud of one's culture and heritage. This read-aloud lead to a whole class conversation with the students shareing stories of thier own unique names and cultures. The second text the class read was Say Something by Peter H. Reynolds. This story is about the importance of using one's voice to speak out. This read aloud was followed by a reflective written piece on a particular topic that each individual student wanted to speak out about.
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Learning about legends
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Virtual zoo visit fun
This virutal fieldt trip allowed the students to view a live camera of various animal exhibits! After visiting various exhibits, Mrs. D'Amico's students voted on their favorite San Diego zoo animal. The winner was the koala!
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Kindergarten registration is underway for 2021-2022
Kindergarten Registration for the 2021-2022 school year is now open. To qualify, your child must turn 5 years old by Oct. 1. To register, go to www.wpschools.org and click on "New Student Registration for K-8th Grade." All documents for registration should be emailed to dreda@wpschools.org. Note: There will not be an in-person registration this year.
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Virtual events offered free for families
On Monday, Feb. 22 from 4 to 5 p.m. enjoy a virtual family “field trip” to the North Shore Animal League adoption center and engage with rescue animals and staff. North Shore is the largest no-kill animal shelter in the world. All ages are welcome. Register here.
On March 7, at 4 p.m. join in for "Beyond Fun: Play Dough Virtual Workshop." Explore the many benefits of Play Dough, including encouraging creativity, strengthening small muscles, and calming tension. Register here.
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Boys & Girls Club opens baseball, softball registration
The West Paterson Boys & Girls Club has opened registration for spring baseball, softball, and Wiffle ball. Registration closes on March 22. The season will run from April 1 to June 14.
Wiffle ball is offered to pre-K age children, where they are introduced to the game and work on the fundamentals of catching, throwing, fielding, and hitting off of a tee. Baseball and softball kindergarten to second grade teams will practice once a week and have a game every Saturday. They will focus on the fundamentals and teamwork. Third to eighth grade teams will learn more advanced softball skills and team concepts. There will be at least one team practice a week, one game a week, and one game on Saturday.
There will be 10 games and everyone makes the playoffs. Though games are competitive, all children will receive equal playing time with the focus on learning and fun first. Registration information can be found here.
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Sprinkled with love
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Coming up at the Alfred Baumann Library:
The Alfred Baumann Library will host the following children's programs. All programs are VIRTUAL unless noted. To view virtual programs, click here.
Tuesday, Feb. 16, 6:30 p.m. - Meditation With Yoga Life Society’s Rev. Lakshmi-Vivian Suszczynski. Learn how to restore energy, focus on your mind, and lead a more productive life. Everyone who participates will receive a free relaxation kit. Register here.
Tuesday, Feb. 16, 6:30 p.m. - Chill out with STEM. Pick up your "make and take" STEM kit from the library. Tune in from home for a hands-on, interactive, Zoom session. Register here.
Wednesday, Feb. 17, 4:30 p.m. - Virtual storytime with Miss Phil and Miss Sara. Register here.
Wednesday, Feb. 24, 7 p.m. - Join Brianne as the February Adult Book Club has a live, virtual book discussion via Zoom. The group will be discussing "Shuggie Bain" by Douglas Stuart. The eBook and audiobook versions of this title are available for instant download. Find the eBook here and audiobook here. Register for the discussion here.
Thursday, Feb. 25, 6:30 pm - "One Room Schoolhouses in WP" with historian Rick Lijoi. Let's take a trip down memory lane to learn about our Borough's schools. Learn about one-room schoolhouses to our present schools. Discover what school was like back in the 1800s - some interesting stories of things in the past. You will receive the Zoom link after registering for this event as we approach the meeting date. Register here.
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