A monthly e-newsletter to keep you connected to your District

December 2018

A MESSAGE from Dr. Gonzalez ...

Over the course of the last several weeks there have been a variety of messages of hate found scrawled in schools around the Pascack Valley and neighboring districts. Nothing has been discovered in our schools; however, if such an act would occur, rest assured that we would work in cooperation with law enforcement to use all of our district resources to investigate the matter thoroughly.

In the meantime, we should not wait for something to happen before acting; rather, we should seize the opportunity to use these events as a teachable moment.

HOLIDAY RECESS HOMEWORK

When it comes to the treatment of others, all our schools offer a variety of experiences designed to foster empathy, good decision making, social-emotional learning, and the development of an effective moral compass.

To support your children, families are asked to please spend time discussing the following topics asking questions such as "What does it look like? How does it sound? How does it feel?":

Empathy: the experience of understanding another person's thoughts, feelings, and condition from their point of view, rather than from your own. https://www.psychologytoday.com
Tolerance: a way of thinking and feeling—but most importantly, of acting—that gives us peace in our individuality, respect for those unlike us, the wisdom to discern humane values and the courage to act upon them. https://www.tolerance.org
Respect: a positive feeling or action shown towards someone or something considered important, or held in high esteem or regard; it conveys a sense of admiration for good or valuable qualities; and it is also the process of honoring someone by exhibiting care, concern, or consideration for their needs or feelings. https://en.wikipedia.org

You will best support your child's school experience by sharing your personal expectations for their behavior and making of good decisions. These events open the door for important conversations for what your child chooses to say and write, as well as what they choose to post on Social Media.

We must always remember that we are stronger as a school district, community, and nation because of diversity and that we must all work together to ensure that everyone feels accepted and valued for who they are.

On behalf of the Board of Education and all the administrators of Westwood Regional School District, we want to wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season.

Peace,

Dr. G

District Safety and Security

We remain steadfast in our commitment to providing our students with safe environments where they can learn and thrive. In pursuit of this endeavor, we place a strong emphasis on proactively supporting the social emotional needs or our students to help them understand how to manage their emotions and to feel and show empathy for others. Our character education and wellness initiatives are prime examples of our efforts in action. In addition, we continually update our processes, technologies, and facilities to better fortify our buildings and respond effectively in a crisis. Check out our Safety and Security presentation for the latest updates.

2018-19 Safety and Security Update

December 5: Wellness Event

Finding Balance

The inaugural event of our 2018-19 wellness series convened about 70 members of the school community -- students, parents, and educators -- together in a conversation about sources of stress and ways to find balance in life. The presentation from the evening can be seen below and includes slides with specific strategies to consider to help us all when life gets a little hectic.

Stress, Anxiety and Finding Balance PRESENTATION.pdf

SAVE THE DATE

Are you watching kids scroll through life, with their rapid-fire thumbs and a six-second attention span? You are not alone. Join us on February 5 at 6:30 PM at the Jr/Sr High School for a screening of www.screenagersmovie.com to explore struggles over social media, video games, academics and discuss ways adults can empower kids to best navigate the digital world and find balance.

Check out the trailer to see what it's all about. Visit bit.ly/wwrsdwellness to RSVP.

This event is open to all members of our school community including students, staff, and parents.

Around the district

We are extremely proud to report that Westwood Regional High School is one of 373 school districts in the U.S. and Canada being honored by the College Board with placement on the 9th Annual AP® District Honor Roll. To be included on the 9th Annual Honor Roll, Westwood Regional High School had to, since 2016, increase the number of students participating in AP while also increasing or maintaining the percentage of students earning AP Exam scores of 3 or higher. Reaching these goals shows that this district is successfully identifying motivated, academically prepared students who are ready for AP. This is a wonderful testament to the work that has been supported and accomplished over the last several years to meet the objectives set forth in our HS revitalization plan and Goal #3 of our strategic plan.

MIDDLE SCHOOL EXPANSION PROJECT

The first phase of the project is progressing smoothly with the completion of the 'A-Field' parking lot scheduled for the first week in January. This is right on time for the flurry of construction activity that will begin in the new year marked by the installation of construction fencing over the break.

3rd Avenue Bridge repair by the County of Bergen connecting the 'A-Field' parking lot to WRMS.

Light pole installation and paving preparation continues

Paving begins

OTHER FACILITIES PROJECTS

Our Buildings and Grounds Department uses in-house talent to work collaboratively with our schools to maintain and upgrade our facilities.

Replacement of Adjustable Basketball Backboards at Washington School

Installation of Brookside LED Lighting Bollards

Installation of PSO-Donated Bench at George School

Upgrade stairwell lighting at Berkeley with brighter LED fixtures.

MEETING HIGHLIGHTS

The December 13 Board of Education meeting featured recaps, performances, recognitions, and overviews.

To begin the meeting, the Superintendent's report included the 2018 Fall Athletics and Visual & Performing Arts wrap up which summarized the athletic and artistic talent of our students. The Westwood Regional High School Chamber Singers followed with a number of seasonal favorites to put everyone in the holiday spirit.

Awards and Recognitions: middle and high school students' for the months of October & November, and recognition of Board of Education members for their dedicated years of service to the District.

Public Presentation: In direct support for the Board's commitment to their growth and development as outlined in Board Goal #1 and District Goal #2, the NJ School Boards Association NJSBA Training entitled, "Improving School Board Decision-Making: Making the Data Connection".

Click the links to view the AGENDA and ADDENDUM for the December 13, 1018 meeting.

Student Representatives Report

Each month at our public meeting of the Board of Education, our HS student representatives, Gabriella Dunay and Kaavya Muthuraman, report out on the exciting news and activity taking place at our Jr/Sr High School. Here's what they reported this month:

12/13 BOE Meeting

Click HERE to view an archive of the 2018-19 student representative reports from the Jr/Sr High School.

Student Artwork on Display

Brookside Elementary and Berkeley Elementary Art students under the direction of Mrs. Barbara Portelli, Brookside: Kendal Peck (K), Claire Hardin (1), Jade Abella (2), Justin Peck (3), Donald Trammell (4), Noah Perez (5); Berkeley: Violet Deschene (K), Layla Marcos (1), Julia Marada (2), Veronica Lanza (3), Julia Menz (4), Mary Urban (5)

Jr./Sr. High School Chamber Singers

Members of the Chamber Singers from the Jr./Sr. High School performed a variety of holiday favorites, under the direction of Mr. Joseph Fritz

October Students of the Month

Jr/Sr High School: Samantha DiBari (gr.10); Nicholas Yasso (gr.8)

Middle School: Jake Bazaz (gr.7); Jamie Prezzia (gr.6)

November Students of the Month

Jr/Sr High School: Ian Borgersen & Zachary Rahaman (gr.10); Matthew Ryan (gr.8)

Middle School: Peyton Tan (gr.7); Sarah Hastings (gr.6)

Retiring school Board Members

Paul Liddy

Trustee of the Board of Education, recognized for his thirteen years of dedicated service to the Westwood Regional School District

Maria Straight

Trustee of the Board of Education, recognized for her four years of dedicated service to the Westwood Regional School District

The following Board policies were approved

Any policies currently under review by the full Board can found HERE and ALL Board approved policies and regulations can be found on the district website under the Board of Education drop down menu.

NORA ABBASI

Westwood Regional Middle School

MIDDLE SCHOOL MATHEMATICS TEACHER

When you walk into Ms. Nora Abbasi’s class, the energy level is palpable. Ms. Abbasi loves teaching. She consistently goes above and beyond for her students, both in her pedagogy and her commitment to help each student succeed.

Ms. Abbasi teaches Dynamic Connections, a project-based class that consistently infuses math with science, engineering, and health through a real-world approach. She may be teaching probability, statistics, and financial literacy, but walking into her class makes it hard to believe that is what is truly occuring. Students are often engaged in activities like building boardwalk games, creating family trees, flipping coins, or playing a variety of games. These instructional methods provide an original challenge to her students, but make learning fun and interesting.

Ms. Abbasi also jumps at opportunities to try something new for her students. She was eager to pilot digital playlists, she creates her own videos to support a variety of learners, and consistently embeds new apps into her instruction in a meaningful way that creates more powerful learning experiences. She is constantly reflecting and refining each unit, project, and lesson.

What helps to make her great pedagogy effective is Ms. Abbasi’s teaching style. She is energetic, patient, kind, and has a wonderful sense of humor. She uses a variety of technological means to monitor student progress and students are able to ask for help in a private and comfortable manner. She makes math both approachable and enjoyable. Additionally, Ms. Abbasi is co-advisor to our Helping Hands Club, a club devoted to charitable acts, and an annual treat is Ms. Abbasi’s surprising the 7th grade choir for some holiday duets! We are lucky to have Ms. Abbasi at the Middle School.

You are cordially invited ...

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

School Calendar 2018-2019.pdf

2018-2019 School Calendar

DECEMBER

24-31: District Closed

January

1: District Closed
3: Board of Education Annual Organizational Meeting
21: Schools Closed for Students (Staff PD)
17: Board of Education Mid-Year Personnel Meeting

FEBRUARY

18-19: District Closed
28: Board of Education Budget Work Session

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