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

october 2019

Kindergarten 2020-2021

The Westwood Regional School District will open online Kindergarten registration for the 2020‑2021 school year on Tuesday, December 3, 2019. This is a pre-registration only; students will not be considered enrolled until parents/guardians submit the required documentation at an in-person registration appointment.

Your child must reside in the Borough of Westwood or Township of Washington and be five (5) years old on or before October 1, 2020 to enter Kindergarten next September.

For more information, click here.

STUDENT / PARENT HANDBOOKS

All of our student and parent handbooks are available online on our district and school websites. You can also access them directly by clicking HERE.

You can also access additional information about the STUDENT DISCIPLINE/CODE OF CONDUCT by reading Board Policy and Regulation 5600.

AROUND THE DISTRICT

Standards Based Report Cards Coming to Elementary Schools

Standards-Based report cards are coming to the Westwood Regional School District at the elementary school level in time for the 2020-2021 school year. Principals and the assistant principal of all four public schools, along with a committee of teachers, spent several months putting together a new system that will allow the grades in our report cards to better reflect the critical learning standards in the current curriculum. As a result of numerous improvements to the elementary curricula in the past five years, it has become apparent that the district needs to change its report cards in order to better align with the new curricula and most current version of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards. A standards-based report card will enable teachers to better communicate an accurate view of student progress to parents/guardians. Most importantly, a standards-based report card promotes a growth mindset and enables students to monitor their progress and mastery of skills and concepts.

Standards-Based Grading focuses on grading students in their mastery of individual standards in subject areas. A standard-based report card enables teachers to better communicate to parents an accurate view of student progress and learning. This new grading system will inform teachers and students so that they can accurately monitor their mastery of the learning standards. Teachers will be able to grade students on their mastery of the NJ state standards while at the same time adjusting instruction so that all students can meet the desired learning outcomes. Elementary school principals believe that both students and teachers can approach learning with a growth mindset when striving to meet state standards. Parents will be kept abreast of the changes during information sessions scheduled to begin this fall. Standards-based grading benefits all stakeholders parents, teachers, and most importantly students.

GRADE 1 EXAMPLE

CURRENT REPORT CARDS

STANDARDS BASED REPORT CARDS

Anti-Bullying and Anti-Violence Awareness Activities

Each year, during the month of October, school districts around the State recognize the importance of developing and maintaining positive school climates, and providing students with a safe and supportive school environment devoid of harassment, intimidation and bullying (HIB) encourages academic success and increased social and emotional competence. Here are some of the activities that took place in our schools.

OCTOBER MEETINGS

October 7: SPECIAL MEETING | October 17: REGULAR MEETING

Middle School A-field Bid Award

At a special public meeting of the Board of Education on October 7, the Middle School A-Field refurbishment project bid was officially awarded to Paving Materials and Contracting, LLC, in the sum of $664,047. Work on the project began last week and will continue throughout the fall, finishing in the Spring.

The existing A-Field and adjacent field will be regraded utilizing the surplus soil from the Middle School site to establish two new playing fields for soccer and a future baseball and future softball field. Topsoil will then be spread over the project area and topped with sod. The existing walkway connecting Third Avenue to the barn and the bridge will be repaved. A new, paved walkway will be constructed leading from O’Toole Street to Third Avenue and will also connect with the newly constructed parking lot.

Click HERE to view the resolution.

REGULAR MEETING

The following are some of the highlights from the October 17, 2019, Board of Education meeting (click HERE to view all the agenda documents for the meeting).

The October 17 Board of Education public meeting featured Students' of the Month for September, National Hispanic and AP Scholar student recognitions, as well as a display of student artwork showcasing the artistic creativity among some of our High School AP & Honors students.

In addition, Dr. Ray Gonzalez reported on the district's Student Safety Data Report as well as the Week of Respect and School Violence Awareness Activities that took place across our schools. Click HERE to view a list of the activities district-wide.

At the end of the meeting, the Board continued their exploration of options to address the needs for staff parking at Berkeley Elementary School. You can view the results of the feasibility study in the attached presentation.

Exploration of options for Berkeley Staff Parking

Westwood BOE Berkeley School Parking Presentation 10-17-19 v1.1.pdf

STUDENT ARTWORK ON DISPLAY

STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES REPORT

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

10/17 BOE Meeting

STUDENTS OF THE MONTH

Middle School: Veda Elchuri and Dylan Dinallo

Jr/Sr High School: Andrew Park and Paul McClair

national hispanic scholar

Franchesca Doell (grade 12)

AP SCHOLAR

Zachary Watson (grade 12)

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.