Woodland Park School District News
Feb. 17, 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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Poster Contest Winner
Congratulations to Beatrice Gilmore School fourth grade student Sebastian Huelmo! He is one of the few selected winners of the 26th Annual My County Poster Calendar Contest which is sponsored by Passaic County Clerk, Danielle Ireland-Imhof. The County received approximately 450 submissions by fourth grade students from across 10 municipalities in Passaic County. Sebastian’s artwork is showcased on the 2022 Passaic County Calendar Poster for the month of October. Congratulations also to Mrs. Toole, art teacher at BG and CO Schools, who continues her streak of having one of her student’s artwork selected among the winners each year for several years. What talent!
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BG Influencers
Beatrice Gilmore School has launched the BG Influencers program! Pictured above is Principal Mrs. Tomback, Guidance Counselor Mrs. Farraye, and Buddy the Bear who visited the classrooms to congratulate the 25 accepted students! There were over 65 students interested in participating in this program!
The BG Influencers are a group of students who are now members of the BG School Climate and Culture Team. These students will be integral participants in maintaining a climate at BG School. These BG Influencers will meet with committee sponsors on a regular basis in order to plan activities and solicit student input. The Influencer committee subgroups are aligned with the "Pillars of Character" which are also in place at Memorial Middle School.
BG Influencers are the face of the school community. These individuals represent the following characteristics: non-judgmental, problem solvers, positive role models and approachability.
The 25 selected BG Influencers are:
Third grade: Sara V., Roselie D, Shevket H., and Veronica M.
Fourth grade: Adam N., Alex B., Amelia G., Anayah L., Anna S., Dana T., Dominic P. and Rital N.
Fifth grade: Aubrey C., Burchai S., Christopher S., Destiny R., Elena G., Eric G., Fernando M., Layla D., Mercedes V., Nayla T., Raemonia F., Riley B., and Sean M.
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Super Support
Beatrice Gilmore School wrapped up its annual SOUPer Bowl for Caring collection drive last Friday. A total of 2,155 items were collected this year from students and staff, which will be given to the St. Agnes Church Food Pantry in Little Falls. BG doubled the number of items that were donated two years ago. The students are extremely proud of their hard work.
The BG Influencers promoted positivity among their peers within the school. Their first task in their new role was to help Mrs. Seavy in creating the image of the cans.
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Making A Match
Students in Mr. Ling and Ms. Elman’s seventh grade math classes at Memorial Middle School completed a Greatest Common Factor matchmaker activity on Valentine’s Day. Students reviewed how to find the GCF of two numbers in order to get ready to learn how to factor expressions. They demonstrated their ability to find the GCF of two numbers by listing each number’s factors and then matching with their partner holding the GCF. Students enjoyed Mr. Ling acting as the matchmaker host! It was a fun way to practice math on Valentine’s Day!
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Showing Their Appreciation
Ms. DiGiacomo's kindergarten class at Charles Olbon School created thank you letters for Guidance Counselor, Mrs. Sanducci, in honor of School Counselors Week. They had a blast giving her the letters.
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Sharing Their Love
Ms. Tonti’s first graders at Charles Olbon School put their writing and creative skills on display to make a Valentine’s Day card for a loved one. The children explored being poets by writing poems for their families. They also were artists who creatively designed their cards’ covers. The students even worked with one another to grow and share ideas. This class loves to spread love!
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Super Bowl Potluck
The staff at Memorial Middle School gathered for a potluck lunch Friday to celebrate the Super Bowl. Staff enjoyed fun Super Bowl snacks and deserts while sporting their favorite team's jerseys.
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Top Secret Surprise
Students in Ms. Tonti's first grade class at Charles Olbon School received a loving, decorated, surprise heart from their families. The children were excited to open their mail.
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Color Of The Month
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Tunnel To Read
The students in Mrs. Murray and Mrs. Lindsay's PreK-4 class at School 1 created a tunnel as a way to support the current unit of study, Tubes and Tunnels. The "Tunnel to Read", as it is named, allows the students to get to the library area of the class.
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Kindness Counts
Kindness happens regularly in Mrs. Behnken’s class at Memorial Middle School and yielded an extra special act last week.
This quarter, the students participate in World Language class. Ms Alejo joined the class for whole class presentations. The students supported one another in order to help reduce their level of anxiety when public speaking and giving a presentation in the large group setting. One of the students was presenting and another, who feels more confident speaking Spanish, came to stand beside the presented to support his classmate. The remainder of the students in the class were also supportive and encouraging. Great job!
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Round And Round
Ms. Brunini's class at Beatrice Gilmore School is learning how the earth rotates around the sun with the assistance of Mr. Krakower.
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Magical Glasses
The students in Ms. Tonti’s first grade class at Charles Olbon School used special magical glasses to spy sight words. These really helped to find such tricky words!
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Fun With Verbs
Ms. Tonti’s first graders at Charles Olbon School wrote verb phrases to spread some love and kindness. Students enjoy learning action words. They even dance and exercise to verbs. Verbs are truly fun to learn!
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Ready For Game Day
Ms. Odaman's kindergarten class at Charles Olbon School enjoyed wearing game day shirts last Friday and the class also had a Valentine's watch party last week, listening to a different virtual story each day.
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Get to Know The BOE Trustees
Each week we are spotlighting one of our Board of Education members in order to celebrate and honor their volunteer service and dedication to the students and families of Woodland Park.
A resident of Woodland Park for 26 years, Glen Grimes resides with his wife Merys, stepson Mikey, 24, and daughter Gabriella, 8. Mr. Grimes has worked for the Passaic County Board of Social Services for over 30 years. Currently, he is an Assistant Administrator for the Medicaid Department.
Now in his second year of service to the Board, Mr. Grimes serves on the Board of Education’s Finance and Education committees and is Chair of the Policy Committee.
His primary goals for the District this year include securing a location for our second tuition-free pre-school program and having it ready for the next school year. In addition, Mr. Grimes wishes to continue to build upon the excellent strides made in providing a quality education for Woodland Park children in a safe and healthy environment.
Prior to running for the Board of Education, Mr. Grimes was a member of the Board of Adjustments for several years. He has been a member of the Municipal Alliance Against Drugs & Alcohol for several years, and was just appointed to the new Recreation Advisory Board.
Please join us in thanking Mr. Grimes for his time and service.
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BGHSA St. Patrick's Day Grams
The Beatrice Gilmore School Home & School Association 5th Grade Committee is sponsoring St. Patrick's Day Grams. Send them to your friends, your teacher and don't forget yourself! Cost is $1 each a non-food item will be delivered to classrooms on March 17. Forms must be returned to school by Feb. 25. If you are not in school, you can email bghsa1075@gmail.com.
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Baseball, Softball Sign-Ups End Feb. 28
Registration is now open for 2022 spring baseball and softball for children in grades PreK to eighth grade. Cost per player: Pre-K & Kindergarten - $50; 1st & 2nd Grade - $75; 3rd to 8th Grade - $125. No refunds will be given once the transaction has been made. Any questions, contact Recreation Director Tom DeSiervo at tdesiervo@wpnj.us. For full details and to register, click here.
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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.
Saturday, Feb. 19, 11 a.m. - LEGO Mania. Do you love building and creating? Join in for LEGO play time for grades kindergarten and up. Register here.
Monday, Feb. 21 - Library is closed for President's Day
Tuesday, Feb. 22, 6:30 p.m. - Pajama story time with Miss Sara. Register here.
Wednesday, Feb. 22, 4 p.m. - February picture bingo for kindergarten and up. Prizes will be available for the winners. Register here.
Wednesday, Feb. 23, 6:30 p.m. - Unwind With Pat. Join in to work on a craft of your choice. Register here.
Wednesday, Feb. 23, 7 p.m. - Join the Baumann Book Club to discuss "The German House" by Annette Hess. The selection is available on Hoopla in Ebook or downloadable audiobook. Print copies are available at the Library. Register here.
Thursday, Feb. 24, 11 a.m. - Unwind With Pat. Join in to work on a craft of your choice. Register here.
Thursday, Feb. 24, 12 noon - Sit & Fit chair exercises in the Community Room in Borough Hall. Register here.
Thursday, Feb. 24, 7 p.m. - Spice of the Month Club will meet to discuss member fundings. Register here.