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

september 2018

A QUICK NOTE FROM DR. GONZALEZ

Happy New School Year! After a warm start, our schools have breezed through the first month of the 2018-19 school year. The activity in and around our schools is in full gear and there is no sign of stopping. As always, be sure to stay involved with your schools and follow us on social media to see the excitement for yourself. In the meantime, enjoy this edition of the Cardinal Connection to see highlights from ...

Around the district

Curriculum and Instruction

We started off the school year with Professional Development activities that included training on the new K-5 Social Studies Curriculum, special education legal training for our CST members, a William Paterson University professor’s presentation to the high school’s English Department on writing expectations for incoming freshman, and more.
Spring 2018 PARCC individual student score reports for parents/guardians are in and were sent home.
Elementary principals met with representatives from our partners in law enforcement for both towns to review the final plan for implementing LEAD in Grade 4 later this year. The curriculum is based on a “Too Good for Violence Social Perspectives” approach with topics that include, goal setting/decision making, effective communication, and managing emotions.
Our Office of C&I is performing an extensive audit of our curricula in order to needs and opportunities to teach about mental health. We started by reaching out to the grades 8/9 Health teachers to provide additional mental health teaching resources for them to review, as most of our mental health units are currently taught in those grades.

Technology

Interactive TVs have been installed in 8 elementary classrooms where projection capabilities did not exist or where replacements were needed.

Our 1:1 Chromebook distribution at the Jr/Sr High School is now complete. All students have received their devices and they are in active use in classrooms throughout the day.

Facilities

The new district maintenance garage and HS athletics fieldhouse is complete and fully operational.

Installation of new security gate across the Cardinal Courtyard breezeway at the Jr/Sr High School.

Need paving repairs and window replacements were completed at Washington Elementary School.

Berkeley first floor boys and girls bathroom renovation

2018-19 annual notification

Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:7C-6.6, school districts must, by October 1 of each year, provide parents or guardians information on any State assessment or commercially-developed standardized assessment that will be administered in that school year. The following table contains information for the Westwood Regional School District. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to your building principal.

2018-2019 Parental Notification of Standardized Assessment 101218.pdf

SEPTEMBER MEETING HIGHLIGHTS

The following are some highlights of the September 20, 2018 Board of Education meeting (click HERE to view the agenda):

Superintendent's Report:

Awards and Recognitions: Several AP Scholar students were recognized for their outstanding college-level achievement through their performance on AP Exams.

2018-19 Goals: During the meeting, the Board approved the 2018-19 District Goals and Board Goals. While the goals do not represent the only areas of focus for the school district this year, they do reflect some of our greatest priorities (click HERE to view our goals).

ABR Grade Presentation 2018.pdf

Click HERE to view the 2017-18 Annual HIB Self-Assessment Grades presentation

Spring 2018 District Testing Report (updated).pdf

Click HERE to view the Spring 2018 District Testing Report presentation

College Boards Advanced Placement (AP) Student Scholars

The College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) Program offers students the opportunity to take challenging college-level courses while still in high school. The Westwood Regional Board of Education commends and congratulates these students for their accomplishments and thanks the families who attended the Board meeting to accept the recognition on behalf of the students who have graduated. It was a proud evening for all!

No new Board policies were approved at this meeting, however, any policies currently under review by the Board can found here and ALL final policies and regulations can be found on the district website under the Board of Education drop down menu.

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: