• Improving sleep hygiene – Examples of improving sleep hygiene would be not eating a large meal or consuming caffeine close to bedtime and darkening their bedrooms.

• Screen limits – Neither adolescents or adults should have a cellphone in their bedroom at night.

• Timing and content – It’s a good idea to limit exposure to blue-light screens an hour or two before sleep.

• Caution on melatonin – Doctors advise against adolescents using this sleep-inducing substance without consulting a health care provider.

• Weekends and napping – Some teens binge-sleep on weekends and then have difficulty getting to sleep on Sunday night.

• Stress-loop thinking – I still have so much work to do! If I don’t get enough sleep, I’ll fail the test tomorrow. I couldn’t get to sleep last night and tonight will be worse. Keeping a journal can be helpful, listing worries, what’s been accomplished, and what can wait until tomorrow. Parents and educators can also help kids get out of their own heads, reassuring them and putting day-to-day worries in perspective.

May

Monday, May 29th~ School is closed for Memorial Day. The CDW Band will be playing in the Old Tappan Memorial Day Parade.

Wednesday, May 31st to Friday, June 2nd~ Grade 8 Trip

Wednesday, May 31st~ Grades 5-7 Math Criterion-Referenced Tests

Wednesday, May 31st~ Grade 5 Grade Level PE Challenge

June

Thursday, June 1st~ Grades 5 and 6 Battle of the Books Competition

Thursday, June 1st~ Grade 6 and Grade 7 Grade Level PE Challenges

Thursday, June 1st~ The Transition Meeting for Grade 6 to Grade 7 parents will be in the Media Center at 7:00 PM.

Monday, June 5th~ Grade 8 NVOT Social 3:45 PM-5:30 PM

Monday, June 5th~ There will be a BOE Meeting in the BOE Conference Room at 8:00 PM.

Tuesday, June 6th~ Knights' Fest 6-9 PM

Wednesday, June 7th~ The Transition Meeting for Grade 7 to Grade 8 parents will be in the Media Center at 7:00 PM.

Thursday, June 8th~ Grade 5 LEAD Picnic

Thursday, June 8th~ Liberty Science Center visit to CDW for Grade 6

Friday, June 9th~ Liberty Science Center visit to CDW for Grade 5

Monday, June 19th~ 12:30 PM Dismissal; Grade 8 Graduation at 5:30 PM

Tuesday, June 20th~ Last Day of School; 12:30 PM Dismissal; MP 4 Report Cards will be released at noon.

At the end of each school year, Mrs. Henriquez (Brock) conducts the Grade Level Challenges on the CDW Field. The students will compete against the other homerooms in their grade level. The events consist of an egg spoon race, limbo, soccer shootout, potato sack race, and basketball knockout. Below you will find the date of your child(ren)'s Grade Level Challenge and the color he/she should wear.

• Henriquez (BLUE)

• DiPisa & Hwang (WHITE)

• Osbahr + Franco (BLACK)

• Vetrero (RED/PINK)

• Fearon & Franco (BLUE)

• Johnson & Woo (WHITE)

• Zuckerman (RED/PINK)

• Suriano & Woo (BLACK)

• Clark & Fischer (WHITE)

• Cohen (BLUE)

• Escobar, Woo, Franco (BLACK)

• Westervelt (RED)

*Please make sure your child(ren) has enough water.

**If it rains, a rain date will be determined at that time.

The purpose of year-end assessments is to see what our students learned in their core

subjects and what learning they will carry with them to the next grade level. Students are exposed to Year-End Assessments that require them to think back on their learning and to share what they have learned. Teachers plan for these assessments to be meaningful and to assess the big ideas of their subject's content. Please see the schedule below.

Grade 7 Year-End Assessments:

• Tuesday, June 13th- Math
  
• Thursday, June 15th- Language Arts
• Friday, June 16th- Social Studies

*The Science and Spanish assessments will be an ongoing, project-based assessment.

Grade 8 Year-End Assessment

• Monday, June 12th- Math
• Tuesday, June 13th- Science and Spanish
• Wednesday, June 14th- Language Arts

*The Social Studies assessment will be an ongoing, project-based assessment.

*Teachers will continue to have class conversations that lead up to these assessments. The students will know what to expect in each of their classes.

Reminders and Updates from CDW's Student Manager

We are excited to offer the Summer Skill-Booster Program again this summer to all Old Tappan students currently enrolled in Kindergarten through Grade 8. Sessions have been set, and it is time to register! Click here to find more information about the program and links to register for a summer session. Space is limited so register early! Registration closes on June 30, 2023.

Keep in mind when signing up for a session, the AM sessions are designed to review the material presented to your child(ren) in his/her current grade level (If your child is in 5th grade, sign him/her up for a 5th grade session.). The PM sessions are designed to preview material for your child(ren)'s next grade level (If your child is in 5th grade, sign him/her up for a 6th grade session.).

Please reach out to Mr. Lauriello at lauriello@nvnet.org with any questions.

The book fair is still open to shop online using the link below.

CDW ends May 29th:

https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/cdw

LONG TERM: Charles DeWolf Middle School

• Grade 6 to Grade 7 Transition Meeting- Thursday, June 1st, 7:00-8:00 PM
  
• Grade 7 to Grade 8 Transition Meeting- Wednesday, June 7th, 7:00-8:00 PM

The meeting presentations will be posted to the school's website following the last meeting date.

CDW students in grades 5-7 will take the Criterion-Referenced Test on Wednesday, May 31st, which will provide specific information about a student's understanding of math content according to their grade levels.

For Current Grade 5 Students:
All Grade 5 students will take the Grade 5 Criterion-Referenced Test, as explained above. This test offers us a gauge of student performance. For students who perform extraordinarily well on this test, earning a score of 95% or higher, they will be asked to sit for a secondary assessment. Families of these identified students will be notified by June 1st. The purpose of a secondary assessment would be to ascertain the selected students' potential success in skipping Grade 6 Math and moving directly into accelerated Pre-Algebra as a sixth grader. You will be notified by July 1st if your child is eligible to make this Grade 6 Math skip.

To be eligible for this Grade 6 course skip, the students would have to:

• Earn a score of 95% or higher on the Grade 5 Criterion-Referenced Test, as stated directly above
• Earn a score of 90% or higher on the secondary math placement test, as explained above
• Earn a minimum average of 95% or higher for each marking period in Grade 5 Math
• Earn teacher recommendation, based on class performance, work ethic, motivation, ability to work independently, and participation

• Earn a 796 or higher on the NJSLA-Math Grade 4 Assessment
  

For Current Grade 6 Students:
In Grade 7, we offer two courses of study: Pre-Algebra, which is an accelerated course, and Grade 7 Math, which is an average-level course. Prior to placing students into either Pre-Algebra or Grade 7 Math, the following criteria are considered:

• Teacher recommendation, based on class performance, work ethic, motivation, ability to work independently, and participation
• Criterion-Referenced Test Score (math placement test) of 85% or higher - see test explanation above
• Year-end math average of 93% or higher
• Earn a 775 or higher on the NJSLA-Math Grade 5 Assessment
  

Notification of course placement will be communicated to all families by July 1st.

For Current Grade 7 Students:

We use the Criterion-Referenced Test to assess students' current placement and to determine if movement into Algebra I is appropriate in Grade 8. Families of these identified students would be notified by June 1st. The purpose of a secondary assessment would be to ascertain the selected students' potential success in skipping accelerated Grade 7 Pre-Algebra and moving directly into Algebra I as an eighth grader. You will be notified by July 1st if your child is eligible to make this accelerated Grade 7 Pre-Algebra skip.

To be eligible for this accelerated Pre-algebra course skip, the students would have to:

• Earn a score of 95% or higher on the Grade 7 Criterion-Referenced Test
• Earn a score of 90% or higher on the secondary math placement test
• Earn a minimum average of 95% or higher for each marking period in Grade 7 Math
• Earn teacher recommendation, based on class performance, work ethic, motivation, ability to work independently, and participation
• Earn a 775 or higher on the NJSLA-Math Grade 6 Assessment

One submission per student can be submitted now through June 9, 2023.

In an effort to minimize the potential spread of illness at school, please keep your child home if he/she:

• has a fever. Students should be fever-free for 24 hours without medication prior to returning to school.
• is nauseous or is vomiting.
• has diarrhea.

The School Year Calendar for the PK-8 Old Tappan Public Schools was approved at Monday evening's Board of Education Meeting. For your convenience, this calendar also will be posted on our District website.

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OT 2023-2024 Approved School Year Calendar