Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Challenge Day for Freshman: Wednesday, December 1


We are excited about the positive impact that the Responsive Classroom program in grades 3-5 and the Developmental Designs program ("Herd Huddles") in grades 6-8 are having on individual classrooms and the schools overall.

The high school effort to promote good citizenship and good will toward others is partly accomplished through the Challenge Day program for Woodbury freshman. Last year, the Class of 2013 experienced a very emotional day that helped forge stronger relationships among the various individuals who participated. Tomorrow, this year's freshman class, the Class of 2014, continues this new tradition.

You can find out more about the program by clicking on the link: Challenge Day.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Thanksgiving Day Fire

(This letter is being sent home with the Evergreen Avenue school children. The family who suffered this tragedy has children at both Evergreen and the Jr.-Sr. High School. Mrs. Breland is the principal of the Evegreen Avenue School.)

November 29, 2010

Dear Parents/Guardians:
We are reaching out to the Woodbury community to make a difference in the lives of one of our Woodbury families. Thanksgiving Day, one of our Woodbury families lost their home and all of their belongings to a fire. Fortunately, the family was not home at the time and no one was hurt. The fire destroyed everything and the family will need to completely start fresh.

As you might imagine, starting over can be very overwhelming, however, we are hoping that we might be able to help. We are joining efforts to raise funds for this family with three children in the Woodbury Public Schools.

Please consider making a financial donation in the form of cash, money order or gift cards to the family. No amount is too small, as it will be combined with everyone’s contribution. Please send your donations to the main office of the school in an envelope. We will distribute to the family.

We appreciate your thoughtfulness and consideration to help someone in need.

Yours Truly,

Mrs. Breland

Cyberbullying and Cyber Abuse

Christ Church, 62 Delaware Street, directly behind the Jr.-Sr. High School is inviting the Woodbury community to an evening program on Wednesday, December 8:

Crimes of the Internet
A Community Forum on Cyberbullying and Cyber Abuse
Wednesday, December 8
7:00 p.m.

The program will take place within the upper assembly room of the Parish House of Christ Church. Enter through the glass door on New Street. There is no charge for attendance.

Presenter: Sergeant Steven J. LaPorta
Unit Supervisor, High Tech Crimes Unit
Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Parent Teacher Conferences


When our Strategic Plan was adopted in June 2008, it included an expectation that all parents would attend an individual conference with their child's teacher(s). Given that expectation, we hope that you were/are able to attend the parent conferences that are being held this week.

If you miss the conferences, it is likely that you will receive a follow-up note from the building principal asking that you schedule a conference with the teacher (or teachers) -- or that you mark you calendar for our mid-year, February 23rd conferences.

These chances to meet with your child's teacher assist in developing the important connection between the home and the school. We appreciate the efforts that you make to attend and all that you do to support your child in his/her academic success.

Monday, November 22, 2010

West End Mileage Club


West End Memorial Elementary School is now in its fifth year implementing Mileage Club during lunch recess to promote healthy habits while providing an organized activity to reduce playground incidents. Members of the West End PTA volunteer their time twice a week during recess to organize and run this activity.




Here's How It Works
Students walk on the school playground twice each week. The Mileage Marker Cards are checked every time a child completes a lap or laps on the course. When recess ends, the students return their cards to their personal files. For each five laps a child walks, the child is rewarded with a Toe Token. All awards are designed to provide children with a sense of accomplishment, recognition and a source of positive image building. The children also learn responsibility, mathematics and record-keeping skills.


Children Sharpen Their Skills
By participating in the Feelin' Good Mileage Club, students discover that physical activity can be fun and rewarding. The children also enhance their scholastic skills! Feelin' Good Mileage Club schools find that:
• Students learn fractions (by counting laps).
• Students learn geography by plotting miles on a map and/or "walking" to a new destination.
• Participants learn about the environment and how to take care of it.
• Children learn how to set goals, work to achieve them and then evaluate their personal achievement.




Walking helps develop fitness while building muscles, burning calories, reducing stress and creating good lifelong habits. Educators who use the program say their students end the school year in better physical condition than before they began the Mileage Club. Best of all, we use walking to help make our playground almost hassle-free and a contributing part of the educational process. Besides promoting fitness, we also have a program that makes it easy to enhance learning readiness and self-esteem - two key elements in children's academic achievement.

Contributed by: Vincent Myers, West End Elementary School Principal

Friday, November 19, 2010

Spotlight on Ms. Brennan



Kelly Brennan

Teacher of Elementary Technology

West End


• Name: Kelly Brennan

• College(s) and degrees(s): University of the Arts, graduated in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science in Communications and a minor in Multimedia. Fairleigh Dickenson University, anticipated graduation August 2011 with a Masters of Arts in Teaching.

• Work experience: I worked at the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging from 2006-2009 as a graphic designer and production coordinator. My responsibilities included coordinating print and communications projects; designing and coordinating production of agency newsletters, brochures, and flyers; and serving as the staff photographer for internal and external events. While working at PCA I realized that my technological talents and resources might be better utilized in a classroom setting, rather than simply sitting in a cubicle. I student taught in Mt. Laurel during the fall of 2009 and then worked as a long-term substitute in Gibbsboro School District as a Computer Teacher for grades pre-K through eight. While I was winding down the school year with Gibbsboro I came across a listing for an elementary technology teaching position with Woodbury, and let’s just say the rest is history…

• Favorite book -- fiction: The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

• Favorite television show: The State

• Last movie I loved: Rabbit Proof Fence. I was required to watch this movie for one of my classes recently and I was intrigued by the storyline from start to finish.

• Music CD that I have almost worn out from repeated playing: Sun Kil Moon’s album, Ghosts of the Great Highway

• Person (living or not) that I’d like to have lunch with and why: Dave Grohl. His ability to remain grounded and authentic while living in the spotlight for so many years intrigues me. I’m a fan of all of his musical endeavors, and I would love to "pick his brain" about the different experiences he has had during his career.

• Visiting this place makes me peaceful: My bedroom on a Saturday morning with my dog and three cats surrounding me.

• One item on my “to do” list that I can’t seem to get to: Traveling! I love to see and experience new places and it’s been entirely too long since my last vacation.

• Favorite animal (domestic or wild): Since I’m unable to choose between cats and dogs, I will have to go with polar bears!

• Favorite sports team: Philadelphia Phillies

• Destination of my fantasy vacation trip: Any French Polynesian island

• Anything Else: I am an avid animal lover – I have three cats (Gwennie, Artie, and Tuna) and one greyhound (Fab). I volunteer as often as I can at a rescue organization in Pennsauken, NJ called Greyhound Angels Adoption.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Open Invitation to Join Strategic Plan Action Teams

WOODBURY CITY PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT
OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDENT
25 NORTH BROAD STREET
WOODBURY, NEW JERSEY 08096
(856) 853-0123, EXTENSION 230


November 2010


Dear Woodbury City Public Schools Community Member:

Our community developed a Strategic Plan during the 2007-08 school year which the Board of Education adopted in June 2008. (The full plan can be viewed on the district website.) During this third year of implementation, we are updating the plan to ensure that we are on track for success and to make adjustments needed in response to any changing dynamic impacting the district. We welcome you to add your voice to this process.

Over the summer, a planning committee of thirty individuals was formed. This group met in late September to identify areas of the plan that warranted more conversation. Now we are looking to form three teams; each will hold focused discussion sessions and make recommendations to modify the existing Strategic Plan.

Would you like to join one of the Action Teams?

Action Team I. This team will focus on six topics: homework completion programs, evening library hours, attendance recognition programs, preschool, technology in the classroom, and curriculum mapping/benchmarks.

Action Team II. This team will discuss character traits of responsible citizens: how to identify these traits, how to measure the success our students have demonstrating the traits, how healthy eating and exercise may connect to this topic, and how the various programs that the school currently employs or is looking to employ help achieve the goal of responsible citizenry.

Action Team III. This team will focus on how students can create meaningful personal learning plans with the help of faculty members.

We hope that one of the above Action Teams will interest you. Our kick-off meeting for these teams will be on Monday, December 13, at 6:00 p.m., in the Jr.-Sr. High School auditorium. After this initial gathering, each group will set its own meeting schedule; we anticipate that the work can be accomplished from December through February. Meetings are likely to occur every other week (or as needed).

To indicate your interest in participating, simply inform my secretary, Stacy Hoffman, at shoffman@woodburysch.com or 856-853-0123, ext. 214, by Friday, December 3, 2010.

Thank you for considering this request to serve our community.

Sincerely,



Joseph Jones, III
Superintendent

Friday and Saturday Activites @ the Jr.-Sr. High School


Friday 11/19
7:00PM JHS Musical Sat 11/20 - Sun 11/21

Sat 11/20
1:00PM JHS Musical
1:00PM NJSIAA Group I Playoff Semi-final Football Game vs. Paulsboro High School (H)
7:00PM JHS Musical


There is a good bit of activity at the high school this weekend and fun for the whole family. Saturday afternoon there is a choice between watching the Junior High School musical, Alice in Wonderland, Jr., or attending the football game. Both activities are at 1:00 p.m.

Parking for these Saturday events may be difficult. If you are driving, you can use the newer county parking garage (free parking)at Hunter and Broad Street, directly across the street from the high school at the light.

Also, the musical will be held both Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:00 p.m.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Belated Halloween Pictures -- West End


Friday, October 29th, was a fun day at all the elementary schools. The pictures above were provided by West End. Fun memories for many -- "Mom, remember the time I was the McDonald's French Fries!"

Monday, November 15, 2010

Board of Education Meeting -- Wednesday @ 7 p.m.

The regular, monthly meeting of the Woodbury Board of Education will be held this Wednesday, November 17, at 7:00 p.m. This one is coming quickly on the heals of the last meeting. Typically, our meetings are the fourth Wednesday of each month, but due to next week's holiday schedule, we will be meeting a week earlier in November.

Another change is the location of the meeting. This board meetings is scheduled to be held in the Walnut Street School's All-purpose Room. During the course of the year, the Board of Education will hold a regular, monthly meeting at each of the three elementary schools. November is the month scheduled for Walnut Street School.

Finally, a third change is the start time of the meeting. The official start time is listed as 6:30 p.m. The board will open the meeting at this time and then go immediately into executive session to continue a discussion from the last meeting. Then, the plan is to return to the full, public meeting by the typical 7:00 p.m. time.

The agenda for the board meeting will be posted on the district website some time during the day today. (
agenda)

At this November meeting, there will be a presentation by Walnut Street School, a report on the district's Strategic Plan update efforts, and a review of the district's completion of the NJDOE's Quality Single Accountability Continuum (QSAC) District Performance Review.

Friday, November 12, 2010

NJSIAA South Jersey Group I Football Playoffs: Saturday, 1 PM


The Woodbury Thundering Herd play Haddon Heights this Saturday in a first round playoff game at home. Game time is 1:00 P.M.


QuarterfinalsSemifinalsSectional Final
Nov. 13th, 1 p.m. - Woodbury
Preview | Box Score
(1) Woodbury---
(8) Haddon Heights---
Nov. 13th, 1 p.m. - Paulsboro
Preview | Box Score
(5) Schalick---
(4) Paulsboro---
Nov. 12th, 7 p.m. - Pennsville
Preview | Box Score
(3) Pennsville---
(6) Audubon---
Nov. 12th, 7 p.m. - Glassboro
Preview | Box Score
(7) Gloucester City---
(2) Glassboro---

Woodbury nabs Group I top seed

Sunday, November 07, 2010
By Scott Chappelear
schappelear@sjnewsco.com

Thanks to a surprising loss on Saturday, the defending NJSIAA South Jersey Group I champion will get a chance to repeat at the top seed.

The Glassboro High School football team was upset by Camden on Saturday, 9-7, giving Woodbury (7-1) the No. 1 seed by one point over the Bulldogs (6-2) according to unofficial power point standings computed by the Gloucester County Times following this weekend's action. The Thundering Herd downed Collingswood Friday night.




Thursday, November 11, 2010

Woodury Football on Comcast

Mr. Jarrett, high school counselor, forwarded to me the following message. I am assuming that this means there was some fly-by video of a recent Woodbury football game. I do not get this Comcast feed, but you may:

The video of the Woodbury game can be viewed all this week on our new nonstop digital channel.

It's in our High School Sports Show program which airs every day, Monday thru Friday at 4:30pm on Comcast
channel 248, Fios 460 or over-the-air on 10.2.

Best,

Colin Macaulay
NBC10 Sports Producer


So -- for those of you tech savy enough to understand this message, there may be a chance today or tomorrow to view this clip!

Tuesday, November 09, 2010

November Calendar

November is a "choppy" month for school. At Woodbury, we have combined staff development days with the election day and New Jersey Education Association convention days so that there is a full week off. It is hoped that this helps to consolidate some coverage issues at home.

This week continues with a calendar that is different from normal: Thursday, November 11, is Veterans' Day. School will be closed for this state holiday.

Also this week: Woodbury Jr.-Sr. High School is the site for a Gloucester County Board of Health flu clinic. The clinic will be held TODAY, November 9th, from 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. (New/gold cafeteria). Any Gloucester County resident is welcome to use the clinic to receive his/her flu shot for the year.

Then, in two weeks, we have parent conferences and the Thanksgiving holiday. . . Before you know it, we will be into December!

Monday, November 08, 2010

November Playoff Soccer

Both the boys and girls soccer teams played in the NJSIAA South Jersey playoffs last week.

The boys, ranked ninth, beat the eighth seeded Pennsville team on Monday and then fell to the top seeded Pitman team on Friday. Similarly, our girls team, seeded ninth, shut out eighth seeded Maple Shade for their first playoff victory in sixteen years. Then, they too played the top seeded team in their competition, Clayton, on Friday and lost.

Each team represented the school well all season and in the respective post-season runs in the playoffs. Congratulations to all.

First round stories in the Gloucester County Times: