Woodland Park School District News
Oct. 6, 2023
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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Mental Health Matters
The Woodland Park Stigma Free Task Force sponsored the "Mental Health Is In The AIR" assembly last week for Beatrice Gilmore School fifth graders and Memorial Middle School sixth graders. The program was presented by AIR (Attitudes In Reverse) founder Tricia Baker, who spoke with the students about brain health.
Fifty percent of mental health disorders present by age 14, and the suicide rate of those 12 and under has doubled in the past 10 years. AIR works to reach young people early to talk about good mental health before the onset of symptoms to help save lives.
Many with mental health disorders suffer for an average of 10 years before getting help. "Can you imagine living with cancer, diabetes, or other diseases for 10 years?" Baker asked the students. "When you take care of your whole body, your brain benefits."
Baker detailed the items that students need in their mental health tool kit: sleep, time with friends, movement, healthy eating, writing our your troubles, creative time, hugging your pet, listening to your favorite music, relaxing, and volunteering.
One coping mechanism in the tool kit is "hugging your pet," so following Mrs. Baker's presentation, students got to meet Goofy Goober, a certified AIR therapy dog.
For more information about AIR, click here.
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A Sweet Treat
Ms. LaSala's PreK-4 class at School 1 made fudge to go along with the story Peeney Butter Fudge. They measured, mixed and then let it set before they got to eat their delicious fudge.
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Tower Challenge
Students in Mrs. DiBona's third grade class at Beatrice Gilmore School were challenged to design and construct model towers out of newspaper during their STEM special with Mrs. McGinnis. They were given limited supplies: one sheet of paper, tape, and scissors, paralleling the real-world challenges faced by engineers. Students aimed to build their towers for height and stability. They had to think creatively and critically and practiced how to listen to and work with others.
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Budgeting Basics
If you were given only 20 beans, how and where would you spend them? This is an activity the Personal Financial Literacy classes started off the year with at Memorial Middle School. You cannot spend more than four beans in any of the categories, which included food, housing, insurance, clothing, transportation, recreation, furnishings, personal care, communication, gifts, and last but most important, savings.
People are stretching their income to meet the needs of rising costs of just about everything. The cost of groceries alone has increased between 9.9 and 11.4%. While everything has increased in price, sizes have also been made smaller. A 16 ounce size of oatmeal cookies costing $1.99 is now a 12 ounce size costing $4.99. It helps if you buy the store brand which may not taste exactly the same, but it's about half the price or less. The students learned about making decisions about the additional money they have to spend just to purchase the same food.
What if there is an emergency? Will you have to adjust your regular spending to afford an emergency expense? The students compared how they each spent their 20 beans, what categories they spent the most beans, and explained what was most important to them. The students enjoyed this activity and have a better understaning there are many financial decisions to be made on a daily basis.
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Centers Time
Ms. Morozowski's kindergarten students at Charles Olbon worked last week in their ELA and Math centers and also practiced partner reading during Readers Workshop.
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Fun Friday
Ms. Tonti’s class earned a special “Fun Friday” for working so hard during their first month in first grade at Charles Olbon School. The students rotated in STEM stations as well as in an observation station. The children built with various means in teams. They discussed ways to build objects independently and then brought those things together to make a larger object as a team. Some chose to use magnify glasses to observe a variety of seashells, rocks, and fossils from different islands and New Jersey beaches. They talked about their findings and how things happen or are made naturally from our Earth. It was quite remarkable to hear how much background knowledge these young learners have.
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Studying Force
Ms. Gutierrez's third grade class at Beatrice Gilmore School is diving into force and motion. Shown are students testing gravity. They made predictions and then tested their hypothesis.
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Cube Design
Ms. Fagan and Ms. Riviera’s sixth grade math classes at Memorial Middle School worked on composing nets into 3-D shapes as they study surface area. Students explored different ways to make a cube from net designs in their groups.
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Yoga Lessons
The students in Mrs. Woessner's PreK-4 class at School 1 spent a rainy Friday indoors for gross motor play. They had their first yoga lesson, learning basic poses while listening to music from Encanto.
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Stack And Build
Ms. Tonti’s first grade students at Charles Olbon School enjoyed Ms. McGinnis’ STEM class. The students collaborated in groups various ways to stack and build with a limited number of cups. They came together as a team to come up with pretty intricate ideas. These children are engineers in the making!
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Drawing Fun
Ms. Face’s PreK-3 class at School 1 enjoyed using shaving cream to draw shapes and write letters!
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Morning Announcements
Here is a student from Mrs. Murray and Mrs. Coffey's class at School 1 giving the morning announcements. The morning announcements are given daily by various students telling the day, date, and birthdays, and that PAWS, the preschool puppy, reminds us to: Play safely. Act kind. Work together. Smile!
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Volunteer Trunks Needed
Volunteer trunks are needed for the Municipal Alliance Against Alcoholism and Drug Abuse's annual Trick or Trunk on Oct. 31. This event cannot happen without the community's help! Registration for children to attend will not open until enough trunks are registered. To volunteer your trunk, please email wptrunks@gmail.com with your name and cell phone number as soon as possible.
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Coming up at the Woodland Park Library at Berkeley College
The Woodland Park Library at Berkeley College, 44 Rifle Camp Rd., in Renaissance Hall, 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, Oct. 7, 11 a.m. - Pokemon Club for all ages. Join Time Warp Comics to learn all about trading cards, playing against one another, and more. New and experienced collectors are welcome; bring your cards! Time Warp will have merchandise for sale at the program. Register here.
Monday, Oct. 9 - The Library is closed in observance of Columbus Day
Tuesday, Oct. 10, 6:30 p.m. - Spooky Story Time for grades K-2. Enjoy a campfire story time with spooky stories, songs, a craft, and more. Register here.
Wednesday, Oct. 11, 4 p.m. - Snails & Tales Mystery Letters for ages 3 and up. Join Miss Sara for an alphabet story time - with songs, rhymes, stories, and a craft. Each week will have a different mystery letter. Register here.
Wednesday, Oct. 11, 6:30 p.m. - Unwind With Pat. Join Pat to unwind with the craft of your choice. Register here.
Wednesday, Oct. 11, 6:30 p.m. - Teen Advisory Board for grades 6-12. Brainstorm program ideas for teens, help choose books and games for the library collection, create a newsletter, and more. Register here.
Thursday, Oct. 12, 11 a.m. - Unwind With Pat. Join Pat to unwind with the craft of your choice. Register here.
Thursday, Oct. 12, 12 p.m. - Sit & Fit. Have fun exercising from the comfort of your chair. Register here.
Thursday, Oct. 12, 6:30 p.m. - Barks & Bites. Join ShopRite's registered dietitian Heather Shasa, as she teaches us how to make healthy and nutritious no-bake treats for our dogs. Your furry pal will thank you! Register here.
Thursday, Oct. 12, 6:30 p.m. - Spooky Zentangle for grades 3-6. Join instructor Maria as she walks you through the Zentangle drawing process. Then create your own Halloween-inspired drawing. Register here.
Friday, Oct. 13, 10:30 a.m. - Little Movers for ages 18 to 36 months. Join in for a fun story time for little movers. Register here.
Saturday, Oct. 14, 11 a.m. - Arts & Crafts for grades K-4. Make a fun seasonal craft and hear a story. Register here.
Monday, Oct. 16, 10 a.m. - Weigh To Go. Need some inspiration? Want to share your weight loss journey? Join us in a judgment-free setting to help you reach your weight loss goals. Register here.
Monday, Oct. 16, 10:30 a.m. - Bouncing Babies for age 0 to 18 months. Enjoy songs, stories, rhymes, and free play. Register here.
Monday, Oct. 16, 11 a.m. - Chair yoga and meditation. Come and find inner peace through chair yoga and meditation. Register here.
Monday, Oct. 16, 6 p.m. - Dungeons & Dragons for grades 6 to 12. New and experienced players are welcome. Register here.
Monday, Oct. 16, 6:30 p.m. - Low-Impact Dance Class. Join certified instructor, Karen, as she leads the class. It's a great way to get your exercise in while having fun. Don't forget to bring a water bottle to stay hydrated. Register here.
Tuesday, Oct. 17, 1 p.m. - Crafternoon for adults. Create a beautiful craft to take home. Register here.