School Attendance

There is a new board attendance policy in effect this year. Regulations detail specific requirements for regular school attendance.

Note that a student in the Jr.-Sr. High School must be in attendance for 166 days (out of the 181 day total). This total is regardless of reason – excused or unexcused. The bottom line is that a student cannot miss more than fifteen school days during the course of a school-year without jeopardizing credit for the year.

This number is a bit more generous for elementary school students. The total number of days that are required for these students to be in attendance is 160 days. (This allows for up to 21 days of absence).

Obviously, we hope that our students are in attendance regularly and miss few days. But, if there are absences, please be sure to recognize that all absence will count against the total.

(You can read the policy and regulations posted on our website for more information. An appeal process for unusual circumstances is detailed in these documents. Contact your child’s principal if you have any questions.)

Attendance Policy

Attendance Regulation

Wanted: Home Instructors

Do you have a New Jersey teaching certificate? Are you available during the day, afternoon, or evening to help students maintain pace with their classmates while on home instruction?

Or . . . maybe you know someone who has a New Jersey teaching certification who would be interested.

The Woodbury Public School District is actively seeking individuals to serve as home instructors. The position requires standard New Jersey certification (all subject areas desired!); state mandated fingerprinting is also an expectation.

Home instructors work with students who are unable to attend school for a period of time – typically for medical reasons. There is a requirement that a parent or adult be present during the instruction.

The district pay is $30/hour. Students will be provided from five to ten hours of instruction a week. In the upper grades, the time will be divided amongst subject specialist.

This is a good way to utilize your certification and help a Woodbury child. The one-on-one working relationship can be very beneficial.

If interested, or for more information, contact:

Ed Murphy
Director of Pupil Personell Service
Woodbury Public Schools
25 North Broad Street
Woodbury, New Jersey 08096

emurphy@woodburysch.com

856-853-123 ext. 225

Spotlight on Mr. Grundel

Mark Grundel

Teacher of Grade 5

Evergreen Avenue School





•Name:
Mark Grundel

• College(s) and degrees(s):
Rutgers University – BA – Psychology
Rider University – Graduate Level Teacher Program

• Work experience:
Two years in Trenton Community Charter School – 3rd and 4th grade

• Favorite books
o fiction: Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
o nonfiction: I do not really read fiction

• Favorite television show:
Jeopardy

• Last movie I loved:
300

• Music CD that I have almost worn out from repeated playing:
Sublime

• Person (living or not) that I’d like to have lunch with and why:
Albert Einstein – He is a true ordinary genius

• Visiting this place makes me peaceful:
Vail, Colorado – You are at the top of the US then you can rush down on skis.

• One item on my “to do” list that I can’t seem to get to:
Cleaning my salt-water fish tank

• Favorite animal (domestic or wild):
Dog

Favorite sports team:
Eagles

• Destination of my fantasy vacation trip:
About 8-10 weeks backpacking through Europe

• Details about the teacher I will never forget who inspired me to enter the profession:
Doc Williams – inspired me to truly love books, writing and connecting the two subjects. He was my senior year (High School) English teacher.

Butterfly News from West End Memorial

Mrs. Gassner's West End Memorial class shared these photos from an exciting moment this week in their classroom -- a new butterfly hatched from a chrsyalis!

Jr.-Sr. High School – Evacuation

There was an unplanned evacuation of the Jr.-Sr. High School this afternoon. The building was evacuated for approximately fifteen minutes. We were assisted by the local police in securing clearance to return. Students returned to their classes and resumed the balance of the school day.

Evergreen Ave. Parent Breakfast with the Principal

New Evergreen Avenue Elementary School Prinicipal, Tonya Breland, met with parents last week. She sent these photographs and the following account to be posted on the blog so that parents who were not able to attend would be aware of the meeting and its purpose. Please feel free to reach out to her to set up individual meetings, if you so desire.

Parents of Evergreen Ave. Elementary were invited to attend a breakfast with the principal, held in the school’s All Purpose Room Friday morning. The response was very favorable. There were over 20 parents present.

Each parent had an opportunity to talk about their child(ren)’s unique characteristics, in addition to sharing information about their children and ways the school can make this an outstanding year for them. They also had an opportunity to talk about areas of concern and ask questions.

Many parents took the time to sign up to volunteer for various events at the school and share their own talents with the school. Overall, this was a great opportunity to develop a rapport and help support the children.

The following poem was shared and well received by the parents:

WHOSE CHILD IS THIS?
Author Unknown

“Whose child is this?” I asked one day
Seeing a little one out at play
“Mine,” said the parent with a tender smile
“Mine to keep a little while
To bathe his hands and comb his hair
To tell him what he is to wear
To prepare him that he may always be good
And each day do the things he should”

“Whose child is this?” I asked again
As the door opened and someone came in
“Mine, to keep just for a little while
To teach him how to be gentle and kind
To train and direct his dear little mind
To help him live by every rule
And get the best he can from school”

“Whose child is this?” I ask once more
Just as the little one entered the door
“Ours,” said the parent and the teacher as they smiled
And each took the hand of the little child
“Ours to love and train together
Ours this blessed task forever.”

Jr.-Sr. High School Pictures

The school switched picture vendors, and there was some confusion in the process. The picture order forms that were mailed to the homes had incorrect prices for the various packages.

A corrected sheet listing the new prices will be handed out to students today.

Picture day is scheduled for Thursday, October 4.

Spotlight on Mrs. Breland

Tonya D. Breland

Principal

Evergreen Avenue School







•Name:
Tonya D. Breland

• College(s) and degrees(s):
Howard University, Washington, DC – B.S. Psychology
Nova Southeastern University – Ft. Lauerdale, FL – M.S. Administration

• Work experience:
Social services in various programs, providing advocacy for children, parents and families (North Jersey); Teacher of grades 7, Kindergarten (North Jersey), and 4th grade, Vice Principal (Burlington Twp.), and now Principal

• Favorite books
o fiction: The Left Behind series by Tim Lehaye and Jerry Jenkins
o nonfiction: The Dream Giver by Bruce Wilkenson

• Favorite television show:
American Idol

• Last movie I loved:
Seldom get to the movies, but recently rented The Devil Wears Prada - it was a fun movie.

• Music CD that I have almost worn out from repeated playing:
A gospel artist, Maurette Brown-Clark

• Person (living or not) that I’d like to have lunch with and why:
My deceased paternal grandparents. They were both my greatest champions in life and I’d love to talk to them again about my journey.

• Visiting this place makes me peaceful:
The beach. It’s a great place to read and relax.

• One item on my “to do” list that I can’t seem to get to:
Painting a few rooms in my house.

• Favorite animal (domestic or wild):
Our dog, Buddy (Bison/Shih Tzu)

Favorite sports team:
In the 80’s and early 90’s – Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bears. Now, by default, the Philadelphia Eagles

• Destination of my fantasy vacation trip:
European tour with my family.

• Details about the teacher I will never forget who inspired me to enter the profession: Mrs. Clark, my 1st grade teacher. She made me feel like I was the only child in the classroom. She was one of three African American teachers in the school, where I was also in the small minority. She made me feel special and invited me to her home for dinner. I'll never forget how she made me feel. She was one who truly made a difference in my life and made me feel that I could do/be anything. That is what I want to do for others.


Other facts:
• Mother of a sophomore, Gianya & 7th grader, Daniel
o I am a huge fan of my children & enjoy supporting their endeavors
o It is my priority to encourage them to be anything they want to be

• Married to Gerard for 17 years.

World Water Monitoring Day

Evergreen teacher, Mrs.Platt, writes the following:

Last Friday, September 21, 2007 Evergreen Elementary School in Woodbury, NJ participated on World Water Monitoring Day.

Accompanied by Stephen Platt from the Ground Water & Enforcement Branch, Mrs. Platt's fourth and fifth grade students conducted water quality sampling at Stewart lake in Woodbury, NJ. This is the fifth consecutive year that students from Mrs. Platt's class and EPA have participated in World Water Monitoring Day -- an event that takes place throughout the world from mid-September to mid-October each year.

The sampling results from 2007 indicated that the lake's water quality is good and continues to support many forms of wildlife. While sampling, the students observed a significant number of turtles, a blue heron and fishermen fishing for small mouth bass. This year the students also learned how a Global Positioning System (GPS) works and were able to geographically locate Stewart Lake using a GPS unit.

Home Football

This Friday, while we await the completion of the new stadium, we will play our first “home” game of the season. We have arranged to use the Rowan University football field for this game.

Special time: Friday, September 28 – 8:00 p.m.

The players are excited to be under the lights on a college, artificial turf field. Mark your calendars and enjoy a “Friday Night Lights” game @ Rowan. The opponent is Sterling.

The Woodbury Thundering Herd football team is off to a 2-0 start this season!

Board of Education Meeting – Wednesday, 7 p.m.

The regular monthly meetings of the Woodbury Board of Education have been moved to Wednesday evenings (typically the fourth Wednesday of each month). On our district website, the meetings are listed:

Board Meetings for 2007-08

This month’s meeting will be held tomorrow, September 26, at 7:00 p.m. The agenda for the meeting is posted on the website:

Board Agenda -- September 2007

Our new teachers will be introduced at the beginning of the meeting. Also, construction updates will be provided to the board in conjunction with the referendum project (high school stadium work) and the structural issues at Walnut.

Finally, as a result of our new door-locking scheme at the high school and some office reconfiguration, the door to be used to enter for board meetings has changed. As you face the school on the old courthouse side, use the door immediately to the right of the board office entrance. The stairs down will lead you to the hallway containing the board conference room. We will have a sign outside to mark this new entrance.

MAP – Measure of Academic Progress

This year, the Woodbury Public Schools will be administering MAP testing in grades 2 through 8. These test are designed to provide teachers and parents with critical information regarding the academic level of a child in the areas of Language, Reading, and Mathematics.

This testing package is different from the New Jersey state testing system (ASK – Assessment of Skills and Knowledge) that is given in the spring in grades 3 through 8. With the MAP test, the teachers will have immediate, more detailed feedback regarding student performance and will be able to use that information to help guide instruction for the year. Additionally, we plan to administer the test again at the end of the year to measure progress. Parents will receive a report at the end of the year that will summarize the two testing sessions.

Another significant difference is that MAP testing is administered on the computer and is “adaptive.” That means that the test’s level of difficult changes as the student answers questions – the difficulty level changes depending if a correct or incorrect answer was provided to the previous question. Ultimately, this test will zero in on the academic level of the student and provide a more detailed assessment of their work.

I have attached a link to a “Parent Toolkit” that will provide more answers to this Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) package:

Parent Toolkit -- NWEA

Also, feel fee to contact your child’s principal or our Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction, Alysa Cummings, if you have additional questions.

We anticipate testing to start next week. The tests are not timed, but will take approximately an hour each; the testing will be spread out over a two week period.

Pictures . . . .

The sod arrives!








Green!
Stay tuned...

Rolling Out the Sod

This is just a picture from the internet of sod – but, hopefully, pictures of the sod going onto the new Woodbury High School football field can be taken TODAY!

There are still many items to attend to before we are ready to open the stadium, but getting grass onto the field itself is obviously an important item to cross off the list. The sod trucks are scheduled to arrive today.

I will look to post some real pictures from the school site soon.

Back-to-School Nights

I have made it a practice this past year to post my blog entries each school day, first thing. I may vary my routine on the rare occasion, but it seems to be what works best.

Yesterday, running late, I thought I would simply post my entry upon arriving at work. It was going to be a simple reminder about Back-to-School nights. That was the last time I thought about it until I was driving home from work!

Oh well.

So, here you go. Don’t forget (!), Back-to-School nights at Woodbury start this week:

Thursday, September 20 – all elementary schools
Thursday, September 27 – Jr.-Sr. High School

Parents, we hope to see all of you there. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet the teacher, see the room, and get a better feel for your child’s school day.

If, due to your schedule, you are unable to make the evening event, do not hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher on your own – e-mail, phone, or personal conference.

Making a connection with your child’s teacher(s) is an important step to ensuring a successful school year.

Spotlight on Ms. Stocker

Maureen Stocker

Teacher of Social Studies

Woodbury Jr.-Sr. High School



•Name:
Maureen Stocker

• College(s) and degrees(s):
Fashion Institute of Technology, Fine Arts major
Moore College of Art & Design, BFA, Art History & Studio Art
LaSalle University, MA, Secondary Education

• Work experience:
I previously worked for Freeman's Auction House in Philadelphia. For the most part I handled all of the buyers for Client Services. On several occasions I had the opportunity to catalogue and appraise African, Pre-Columbian, Oceanic and Japanese art pieces for auction. Working for an auction house was an extremely exciting experience. I had the pleasure of handling several rare and unique works of art.

• Favorite books
o fiction: The Harry Potter series and I really love murder mysteries
o nonfiction: Anything art history or history

• Favorite television show:
I’m totally addicted to Lost

• Last movie I loved:
I took my 2 year old niece to see Shrek 3 ; we both loved it.

• Music CD that I have almost worn out from repeated playing:
With Teeth Nine Inch Nails

• Person (living or not) that I’d like to have lunch with and why:
My grandmother (who passed away 3 years ago). I really miss hanging out with her; she was an amazing lady.

• Visiting this place makes me peaceful:
The Archaeology and Anthropology Museum at University of Pennsylvania

• One item on my “to do” list that I can’t seem to get to:
Cleaning the trunk of my car. I have the most random things in there.

• Favorite animal (domestic or wild):
I love cats, domestic or wild.

• Destination of my fantasy vacation trip:
Nigeria, to visit the Yoruba tribe and witness the Egungun Festival.

• Details about the teacher I will never forget who inspired me to enter the profession:
Mr. Muccolini, whom I had the pleasure of taking three courses with in high school (World Cultures, Economics and Contemporary International Affairs). He thought outside the box and taught outside of it too. He encouraged thinking, debates and speaking our minds. He challenged me and made me interested in learning. He valued me as a person despite the fact that I wasn't the most stellar student.

I had the pleasure of running into him last November. When I told him the career I was pursuing and that he'd inspired me to do it, he was so excited. We have kept in touch since then and he gives me tons of helpful hints. He's still challenging me and encouraging me. He is also still thinking outside the box; he has a pirate flag on an obnoxiously tall flag pole on his lawn.

Other facts:
• I have three brothers, all of whom I absolutely adore. I have two nephews and three nieces that I love to spoil.
• Published a paper in January entitled, “Educational Theory of Booker T. Washington.” Finding out that I was published was a dream come true; it was my proudest moment. http://www.newfoundations.com/GALLERY/Washington.html
• I was an exchange student to Austria when I was 15.
• I lived in New York City for five years and in Dublin, Ireland for one year.

Got Tickets? . . . Continued

Yesterday, two tickets to a Pitman Broadway show were donated to the district as part of our “Got Tickets?” effort.

Last year, Woodbury students were also able to enjoy the Camden Riversharks and the Philadelphia 76ers thanks to individuals who knew about and acted on this campaign.

I am repeating the posting from last year to remind some and introduce other to our “Got Tickets?” thinking:

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Do you have tickets to the opera, ballet, a play, or musical? How about tickets to a sporting event?

The Woodbury Public Schools would like to be a "clearinghouse" for extra tickets. We will get them into the hands of families in our district. You will be able to provide an opportunity to one of our students -- an opportunity that may not be something he or she would typically experience.

In a July 9, 2006, letter to the editor in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Carolynn Schneider of Glassboro wrote how a trip to a "free" concert when she was a high school student introduced her to the "glory of classical music experienced in person. That first free concert led to three generations of Philadelphia Orchestra season-ticket holders . . ."

Maybe you can be the one who sparks a new interest. Even a chance for a child to witness a 76ers game in person is something that can have lasting impact.

Contact my secretary, Mrs. Carr, at 856-853-0123 EXT. 214 if you have tickets to donate, or e-mail her at jcarr@woodburysch.com.

If you can provide us with lead time, it is appreciated, but we will be able to "turn around" the tickets with little notice.

What a wonderful opportunity you will provide a child!

NASA Videoconference

Woodbury retains it’s NASA School designation even though we have completed the formal, three-year planning and activity cycle. As a result, our teachers maintain opportunities to connect with NASA and provide students with special opportunities.

Ms. Fitzgerald, science teacher in the high school, informs us that her 8th period class will be participating in a videoconference this Thursday.

Students will interact with NASA's Desert Research and Technology Studies 
(RATS) team while they are field testing a variety of spacesuits, robotics,
 and other scientific equipment that has been designed to support future 
space and planetary exploration.



Update, Part 2: Fire Alarm

Just to keep us all on our toes, the fire alarm in the Jr.-Sr. High School went off last period of the day. As per our protocol, the building was evacuated. Unfortunately, at the time, rain showers were occurring.

There was no malicious act – no fire station was pulled. In fact, the cause of the alarm still needs to be determined; the company that supports the fire detection system has been called to investigate the malfunction.

All in all, it was a rather hectic day at the Jr.-Sr. High School. The one bright spot during both of today's events was that our students were very cooperative.

Update: Gloucester County Courthouse Threat

This morning, there was a bomb threat at the three Gloucester County Court buildings. We were asked to move our students and staff from a portion of the Jr.-Sr. High School closest to the old County Court House; we moved these individuals to the gymnasium.

When it was determined that we could use portions of the building away from the south side of the school, we moved students so that everyone did not need to remain in the gym. Also, we were able to use our lunch rooms; our sixth grade students ate lunch at their regularly designated time.

We received an “all clear” message from those responsible for the Court House search and returned to using the entire Jr.-Sr. High School at 11:45 a.m. The balance of our students were able to eat lunch at the regularly scheduled times.

The entire event lasted approximately two hours. Our students were well behaved and cooperative throughout the time away from our regular routine.

Congratulations, Woodbury Athletes

Each year, the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) reports on the number of student athlete disqualifications each school received in all sports. NJSIAA’s goal by tracking and publicizing these disqualification numbers is to reduce the overall number.

Our Athletic Director, Grant Shivers, recently reported that Woodbury was disqualification free for the 2006-2007 season.

We were one of only four schools in the Colonial Conference to go disqualification free.

When informing all of the coaches, Mr. Shivers wrote, “I want to congratulate all of you for the hard work you do and thank you for making sportsmanship a focus for the athletes you guide. I am very grateful for such a great coaching staff. Now let’s make it two years in a row!”

Congratulations to all – coaches, athletes, and spectators – who help Woodbury stand out in such an important manner and good luck during the 2007-08 sports seasons!

NJSIAA's Official List

Stadium Update

One reader of this blog asked for a football stadium update.

Since the contractor working on the stadium began work last school year, the goal has been to have the stadium complete and ready for this Fall 2007 season. As recently as last week’s weekly meeting with the contractor, we have continued to use September 29th as the target.

Unfortunately, the reality of various issues that have caused delays throughout the project – verifying that we were not disturbing native American artifacts, soil remediation issues, structural concerns with adjacent properties, and various weather events -- have caused for the timeline for completion to be ever-changing.

There has been substantial work completed to date. I believe that what you see there today would impress you. The new stadium will be exciting.

The sod for the playing field is scheduled to be started later this week. Other big hurdles that remain include getting the foundation of the new track completed and finishing the poured concrete bleachers and associated stairs.

Most of the items necessary for opening for football will be finalized in the next couple of weeks. There are some timeline issues that remain that will need to be worked out more completely with the help our construction management group.

We have made back-up plans to have some of our early home games played on Rowan University’s turf field. At this point, it appears that this will be necessary. Our plan at this time is to target the Homecoming game for our official home opener (October 20th).

Two of our first three home games can be accommodated at Rowan. For the other game, will play on the road – at Lindenwold.

That’s the update. Not perfect, but progress is being made; and our plan allows for us to at least be on a neutral site for a couple of those opening home games.

I will post more details as we receive updates that impact the timeline in any significant way.

Spotlight on Mr. Vivadelli

Jason M. Vivadelli

Assistant Principal

Junior High School





•Name:
Jason M. Vivadelli

• College(s) and degrees(s):
Wilmington College - MED Educational Leadership
The College of New Jersey - BA History

• Work experience:
For the past three years I have worked in the Mt. Laurel School District as a Social Studies Teacher at Thomas E. Harrington Middle School. Prior to that, I lived in northern New Jersey and worked as a Social Studies Teacher at Maxson Middle School in Plainfield.

• Favorite books
o fiction: Shogun - by James Clavell
o nonfiction: Free to Choose – by Milton Friedman

• Favorite television show:
This one is a tough call. I'd have to say it's a tie between Lost and 24.

• Last movie I loved:
The Bourne Ultimatum

• Music CD that I have almost worn out from repeated playing:
Creedence Clearwater Revival

• Person (living or not) that I’d like to have lunch with:
From everything I've read, Benjamin Franklin seems like someone who would spark entertaining lunch conversation. Humorous and intelligent, he was a true "renaissance man" with eclectic talents and interests.

• Visiting this place makes me peaceful:
Ocean City, NJ

• One item on my “to do” list that I can’t seem to get to:
Repainting a hallway in my house

• Favorite animal (domestic or wild):
Lucy - my parent's cat

• Favorite sports team:
New York Jets…Mets…New Jersey Nets…Devils

• Destination of my fantasy vacation trip:
Australia

• Details about the teacher I will never forget who inspired me to enter the profession:
The teacher that was most inspiring to me was a professor that I met in college. Passionate and innovative, his teaching style was both engaging and effective. His class was quite challenging as he held us all to extremely high standards. Yet, his interest in my academic development and individual goals was what was truly motivating. As a professional educator, I try to model myself on his differentiated approach and caring demeanor.

Welcome Back – Students!

We welcome our students back Thursday – September 6th.

I wish everyone a successful school year.

Throughout the school year, please feel very comfortable communicating any questions or concerns that you may have to your child’s teacher or principal. It is important that we know of these issues so that we can work together toward solutions.

Ultimately, our goal is the same – to provide a high quality educational program for your child. We hope, that along the way, he or she will also find school a warm, welcoming, and fun place to be.

Get ready. . . get set . . . GO! Our 181-day adventure begins.

Welcome Back, Faculty and Staff!

We had our first day of the 2007-08 school year today. We have a wonderful, dedicated group of adults ready to greet our students in just two days. School starts for our students on Thursday, September 6.

Below, I am placing the "youtube" links to the various clips that I included in my opening, welcoming remarks at this morning's session. Some of those in the audience asked to be directed to one or more of the items.

1. Human Network (CISCO):
http://youtube.com/watch?v=x60pWzJvb9Q

2. Seinfeld in the Classroom:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=eyF6VTplDjk

3. Digital Students:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=k-KAb5fomKY

4. Tech Help (Opening the book)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=4pyjRj3UMRM

5. Did You Know?
http://youtube.com/watch?v=pMcfrLYDm2U

6. What if?
http://www.lps.k12.co.us/schools/arapahoe/fisch/fischbowlpresentations.htm

7. Education Today and Tomorrow
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Fnh9q_cQcUE

8. Hero in the Hallway
http://youtube.com/watch?v=PtFtbaKIYyg

9. Sir Ken Robinson: Do Schools Kill Creativity? (Not viewed at this morning's session, but discussed)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY

ENJOY!

Welcome Back

Welcome back! I am sure to catch up on some of the summer happenings in these early blog posts. It seemed like a short break – very busy!

For now, let me remind the families – students and parents – and staff in the Evergreen and Walnut schools about our “Welcoming Events” for the new principals:

Tuesday, September 4
Evergreen Avenue School
4 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Welcome New Principal, Tonya Breland!


Wednesday, September 5
Walnut Street School
4 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Welcome New Principal, Jeff Adams!

Please feel free to stop by any time during these events. This is an opportunity to meet the new principals and say hello.

We will have some refreshments available for all.

The weather looks like it will be nice – we are scheduled to be outside.

Summer Blog Break

Thanks for being part of this blog effort! At times, posting each day of the school year was a challenge, but I enjoyed the fact that a segment of the school community was able to connect to some additional information that they may not have otherwise known.

The blog counter shows the following for the year:

Total Visitors: 7,095
Total Hits: 13,165

I am going to take a break. I do not anticipate any regular summer posts – but I do plan to return to the blog as we get closer to the new school year.

Enjoy your summer.

Thank You, Teachers

One of our teachers, Dan O'Leary, had his child accompany him to school this spring on the annual “Take Your Child to Work” day. His son, a second grader, enjoyed his day and wrote a short essay about his experiences. The school principal at his son’s school saw it and published it on the front page of the school newsletter.

Today, I was a 6th, 7th, 8th and high school teacher at Woodbury School where my dad teaches. It felt nice leading and helping all the kids. I got to experience how teachers work and feel every day.

It felt different being a teacher than a student. Being a teacher felt good to help kids learn. It also can feel frustrating when the kids don’t listen, misbehave, or don’t do their work.

I learned how teachers prepare for a lesson and how hard they work with their kids. I really liked teaching reading because we read Dracula and all the kids were very interested and excited about it. I did not like math because it was a bit boring and a kid did not behave.

I liked being a teacher it was fun and hard work. I think a teacher is one of the most important jobs in the world because you are teaching kids how to grow up. Teachers are like moms and dads away from home.

On this last day of teaching for the 2006-07 school year, I would like to thank all of our teachers for working so hard each day to make the learning experience meaningful for our students.

I wish everyone a safe, enjoyable summer.

Spotlight on Mr. Gamble

John W. Gamble

Principal

Walnut Street School





(Note: Mr. Gamble is retiring at the end of this school year after thirty-one years as an administrator in the Woodbury Public School system. We thank him and wish him well!)


•Name:
John W. Gamble

• College(s) and degrees(s):
West Chester University -- B.A. – Political Science
West Chester University – Masters Degree in Educational Administration
Temple University Principal Certification

• Work experience:
High School Teacher of Social Studies and English
Coached basketball, baseball and soccer
Principal – Woodbury Jr.-Sr. High School, West End School, Walnut Street School

• Favorite books
o fiction: Anything by James Patterson
o nonfiction: When Pride Still Mattered – David Maraniss

• Favorite television show:
Antiques Roadshow; ESPN; Two and one-half Men

• Last movie I loved:
Any movie I see with my granddaughter

• Person (living or not) that I’d like to have lunch with:
My dad who passed away years ago in his mid-fifties. He was a sensitive, caring person who taught me to value people and simple things in life. He also was the only person who was glad and supportive of my decision to forego a career in law to become a teacher and coach.

• Visiting this place makes me peaceful:
Any place on the water.

• One item on my “to do” list that I can’t seem to get to:
September at the beach; “finish” my basement

• Favorite animal (domestic or wild):
Dogs, cats, horses, deer – I love animals

• Favorite sports team:
Eagles, Phillies, Penn State, and the “Herd”

• Destination of my fantasy vacation trip:
The moon – or at least a beach, a book, a beverage, and my wife

• Details about the teacher I will never forget who inspired me to enter the profession:
An individual who really cared about all students, both as students and as people. One who enjoyed teaching and the subject, and was always enthusiastic and energetic. This teacher worked hard and was always prepared for class, inspiring students to do the same. This person saw the positive in each student and set high expectations for all of us.

• Any other last words/message?
When I first came to Woodbury, I knew no one. Thirty-one years later, I leave here with a strong love and respect for this school district and the many students whom I have had; the town/community; and the wonderful staff with whom I’ve worked. I am thankful for having had the opportunity to work here and will cherish the memories forever.

Board of Education Meeting Tonight --- 7:00 p.m.

The regular, monthly meeting of the Woodbury Board of Education is scheduled for this evening at 7:00 p.m. The meeting is held in the Board Conference Room on the first floor of the high school building.

The full agendas for all board meetings can be found on the school district's website: www.woodburysch.com.

An addendum to the agenda will be provided at the meeting; it will include action items on some summer facility upgrade projects – classroom renovation and athletic trainer’s room relocation. Bids for the work were just recently received.

Spotlight on Mrs. Carey

Frances G. Carey

Principal

Evergreen Avenue School




(Note: Mrs. Carey is retiring at the end of this school year after ten years as the principal of Evergreen Avenue School. We thank her and wish her well!)


•Name:
Frances G. Carey

• Last movie I loved:
Amazing Grace

• Music CD that I have almost worn out from repeated playing:
Playlists devised by my sons for my I-pod - Music from Vivaldi to The Beatles – love it all!

• Person (living or not) that I’d like to have lunch with and why:
My family. We have such great conversations, and my sons have such a great sense of humor that we cry with laughter. They are great company and so positive in their outlook on life.

• Visiting this place makes me peaceful:
The Beach

• One item on my “to do” list that I can’t seem to get to:
The basement

• Favorite animal (domestic or wild):
A stuffed one

• Favorite sports team:
The team my kids were on … otherwise watching others play sports is not part of my life.

• Destination of my fantasy vacation trip:
Bali

• Details about the teacher I will never forget who inspired me to enter the profession:
Mrs. Goukas in 4th grade. She brought her son and husband to school for “show ‘n tell”. They were both basketball pro’s … and so tall. Even with her very full life, Mrs. Goukas made each one of us feel valued, and she truly convinced us that our education was our ticket to a better life. She held high standards but we knew she cared about us and wanted the best for us.

Last Week

Jr. – Sr. High School
The last week of school has arrived. In the Jr. - Sr. High School, today is the last full-day of classes. Today, final exams start for the seniors. Exams begin for everyone else tomorrow. Tuesday through Friday will be early dismissal days for the Jr.-Sr. High School.

More information regarding exams and graduation can be found on the district’s website:

Jr.-Sr. High School

Elementary Schools
The elementary schools will have regular days of school today and tomorrow. These schools close the school year with three early dismissal days – Wednesday through Friday.

Get Real

I said I was done with this computer fun and learning initiative, but my own kids keep showing me sites that are exciting . . . I guess this could simply go on forever. Here is a cute “game” that asks you some questions about life goals and then you need to make decisions that have a financial impact. The objective is to meet your life goals (including a financial savings goal) by the end of one year.

This was shown to my by my own seventh grader, but my little first grader had fun being the one making the decisions. He caught on soon – that you simply cannot continue to buy everything in life that you want!

Moneyville

(Click on the “Get Real” option)

Note (– for those of you inside the school’s filter system!): I will check with our technology department, but there is a “micromedia flash player” requirement. I am not sure that this site is one that can simply be unblocked at school; the flash player requirement may cause a problem. Hopefully it can be worked out.

Line Rider

Okay -- one last entry on fun, educational items on the computer. This one is all about creativity and problem solving. The following is copied from another site:

The irresistible webtoy Line Rider has returned, now in a delicious "beta 2" flavor! The update fixes a few rough spots in the interface and adds some much-needed tools to the mix. Those of you already hooked on Line Rider will appreciate how much easier it is to create a masterpiece with the new additions, and first-time players will see just what all the fuss is about.

Line Rider was originally created by Bostjan Cadez (aka FSK) as a project for an illustration class. Since its release in September 2006, so many people have become captivated by its simple, creative charm. All you do is draw lines for a character on a sled to slide down. There's no scoring, no set objectives, and no levels to complete. Just start playing and see where your imagination takes you!

A few of the notable additions to the second beta are as follows:

Pen - It's your basic tool for creating floors and ceilings. Hold shift while starting a new line to switch between the two.

Line - Create straight lines with ease.

Swatches - Three line-types are available to use, each represented by a colored swatch. Blue lines are normal floors/ceilings, but red lines will give your rider a speed boost. Green lines are for decoration and have no affect on where the rider goes.

Eraser - Wipe out whole sections or tiny portions of your masterpiece.

Magnifying Glass - Zoom in to fine-tune your creation or zoom out to take in the view.

Flag - Lets you save the rider's current speed and position. The next time you click "play", the rider will take off from there.

And the good news doesn't stop there. The California-based software company inXile Entertainment has obtained the publishing rights to Line Rider. The company plans to release versions of the game on both the Nintendo DS and Nintendo Wii in the spring of 2007. Each version will feature the same captivating drawing concept but with a few new bonuses.

If you haven't tried Line Rider, it's definitely time to discover what the fuss is all about. Tens of thousands of people are expressing their creativity with this fun webtoy, so give it a try and see what strange things you can create.

Line Rider

Do You Know the 50 States?

So . . . we were experimenting on some of the educational sites that are listed on the woodburysch.com site. My first grader was enjoying some of the math games. Then, my seventh grader showed us this site:

50 State Game

How well do you know the fifty states? If you have ten minutes . . . give it a try. See how you do.

Woodbury Kids Festival

Continuing with the theme of good activities for the upcoming summer, Woodbury Kids Festival will take place on the Saturday after school is out this year – Saturday, June 23.

Woodbury Kids Festival - All Events are Free!

Daytime multi-cultural and interactive events for kids 12 years and under, at various locations starting at 11am. You can pick up a schedule at the Woodbury Public Library at 33 Delaware St.

At the library, don’t miss a Beaded Art Craft program at 11:30 am at the library and then Mr. Malcolm performing at 1 pm.

A nighttime stage performance for kids 2 to 7 years wil be held at the Kemble Methodist Church, 19 S. Broad St. Doors open at 5:45pm. Kids must be accompanied by an adult.

The Woodbury Neighborhood Preservation Program, the Friends of the Woodbury Public Library and the Friends of the Woodbury Kids Festival sponsor the event. For more information, call (856) 845-1300 ext. 129.

Summer Computer Fun

A new link has been added to the front page of our school district website: "Learning Is Not Only For School Time."

Check it out at www.woodburysch.com.

You will find fun, educational websites that can be visited by your child during the upcoming summer to keep his/her skills sharp. The sites are clustered by grade level.

Enjoy.

Lemonade Days 2007

This weekend is Lemonade Days 2007 for Alex’s Lemonade Stand.

Alex's Lemonade Stand

I know of at least one stand that will be open for business. Stop by the West End Memorial School after school today – Friday, June 8.

Mrs. Norris’ 1st Grade class will be running an Alex’s Lemonade Stand.

Enjoy – it is suppose to be hot outside today. Lemonade will taste good – and it is for a good cause!

New Jersey Department of Education

The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) maintains a website that provides good information. It is not always the easiest to navigate, but often you will be able to find answers to questions that you may have about statewide issues associated with public schooling.

The link to the site is off to the side on this blog page. I have also copied it here in this entry. Take a look. The NJDOE website has links that are dedicated to various interest groups: Parents, Educators, Students, and Partners. Also, clicking around on other sections, you may find additional items of interest.

NJDOE

In the News

The Gloucester County Time has an on-line version that allows you to check the main stories included in the newspaper. It is a site that is part of my daily routine.

Recently, I noticed that they have added a blog of their own – South Jersey Life. Over the course of the past few weeks, Woodbury students have already been spotlighted. Today, there are entries for each of our elementary schools in association with the Kiwanis program – Terrific Kids.

Take a look. If you click on the link below, you will be taken to the site for the Gloucester County Times. Find the heading for "South Jersey Life" and click directly on those words.

Scroll down and you will find the three entries -- Walnut, Evegreen, and West End -- each with its own picture!

Congratulations to all the students recognized.

Gloucester County Times On-line

Junior High School 8th Annual Career Day

Last Friday, June 1, the Woodbury Junior High School sponsored its 8th Annual Career Day. During the morning hours, sixth, seventh and eighth grade students moved through three sessions that introduced them to possible career ideas. Then, all students met in the auditorium for a motivational presentation from keynote speaker, Naim Muslim, Executive Director for Foundations 2000, Inc.

Our guest speakers on the various careers were treated to a catered luncheon at the conclusion of the program sponsored by US Foods, Inc.

Special thanks are extended to our Junior High School counselor, Marge Pertuit, for her coordinating efforts. Additionally, we thank all of the guest speakers:

Jim Kelly & Nick Danze: Forensics Investigators
Dean DiPietro: Detective – FBI
Brian Turner: Detective – FBI
Donald Sanderson: Owner – Sanderson’s Florist
Phil Blackman: Self Employed – aviator and musician
Dr. Michael Anthony: Veterinarian – Greenfield’s Veterinarian Association
Scott Foody: Orthopedics of Woodbury
Melody Arno: Sports Trainer – WHS
Kenny Avent: Sports – WHS
Chris Mentzer: Chef – US Foods, Inc.
Adam Taylor: Lawyer
Rhonda Thompson: Real Estate Agent
Morgan Meehan: Woodbury Police Department
Stephano Biello: Self employed – masonry
Dianna Barber: Self employed – scientist
Rhonda Holmstrom: Nurse
Thomas Estill: NASA Goddard Space Flight Ctr (distance learning experience)
Todd German: Omega Institute – medical career
Jerry Lonabaugh: Lawyer
Renee Carter: Stylist
Steve Morris: Education -- WHS
Laraine Knauss: Food Sciences, Corp.
Deneen Long-White: Health Care
Rachel Long: Health Care
George Saridakis: President – Seaburst Farms

If anyone reading this blog is interested in being a presenter at next year’s event, simply contact Ms. Pertuit at mpertuit@woodburysch.com.

State Champions -- Girls Track

It was an exciting weekend for the Woodbury High School track programs. Congratulations to all the coaches and athletes. The girls team finished with a State Group I Championship and the boys came within one point of doing the same!

There was a lot of publicity over the weekend. Take a look:

Girls:

Gloucester County Times

Courier-Post

Courier-Post

Boys:

Courier-Post

Gloucester County Times

Philadelphia Inquirer

Did I Say Busy?

Yesterday, all of our 5th grade students took a trip to the Jr.-Sr. High School to “Shadow” the current 6th graders. This day was an effort to help answer questions and provide the students with a chance to get a feel for the new building that they will attend next year.

The day included lunch, classroom visits, tours, and a question & answer session. Additionally, the 5th and 6th graders were treated to a sneak preview of the play Dorothy Meets Alice or the Wizard of Wonderland in the newly refurbished auditorium. The play was performed by the Jr.-Sr. High School Drama Club students.

Though it was a busy, hectic day for the host students, teachers, and administrators, it seemed that the goal of providing an introduction for our 5th graders to what can be expected for next year was accomplished. All seemed to enjoy and value the day.

Today -- it is a Career Day event for the Junior High School! I will provide some more detail next week.

Enjoy the weekend. Remember, Woodbury Block Party is this Sunday from noon until 5 p.m.

Woodbury Jr.-Sr. High School Students -- Busy Calendars

Last night, two Woodbury students, Zoe Mowl (8th grade) and Diondra Brown (12th grade) were recognized at the annual Gloucester County School Board Association’s Spring Dinner. See the school’s website for a “district news” blurb and picture noting this accomplishment:

Woodbury Public Schools

Two nights ago, Woodbury High School students participated in the annual Students in Government Program in conjunction with the Woodbury City Council. For more details and pictures, follow the link below to the city’s website:

City of Woodbury

Elementary School Mathematics

Our Everyday Mathematics series in the elementary grades does a wonderful job of introducing algebraic and other advanced mathematics concepts to our students at young ages.

The topics are introduced gradually and then reinforced over the years. As a result, teachers and students think differently about mathematics than once was the case in a typical elementary mathematics classroom.

For example, in one of our third grade classes, the teacher, Mrs. Stanek, wanted to be able to express how an answer was approximately equal to a number. So, she researched and added to the conversation the mathematical symbol for “approximate equality” – the squiggly equal sign!

Now, her students are able to say that

67/6 ≈ 11

or even

1/3 ≈ 0.3

As a former mathematics teacher, I am often amazed to see the type of problems that are introduced in our elementary schools. This approach allows for a better ultimate understanding of the concepts for all students and a way for our more capable mathematics students to become excited about mathematical possibilities at an earlier age.

Home Stretch

Welcome Back – from our Memorial Day Weekend. I hope that you were able take in the local Woodbury parade. Also, it was a nice weekend to enjoy time with family and friends.

I feel like I have already posted about the final stretch, but I find the idea relevant again as we make it back to school from our last holiday for the year. June is upon us –- this Friday is June 1! The benefit of the new HVAC system in three of our buildings is that most of the classrooms now allow us to continue the academic work in an optimal environment.

Though these spring days can present challenges –- with baseball and softball games and longer days while the sun lingers into the evening hours -- I encourage you to help keep the children focused on their school responsibilities. Do they have any homework? When are they going to get it done? It is important to finish the year in a strong fashion.

I think I write all this because of how much a struggle this is in the Jones house. Some of these spring days make my kids (and my wife and me!) feel like we have already moved into summer.

Anything we can do to help keep the children on track will be helpful. And, our children’s teachers will be thankful!

Special Announcement

Principal -- Evergreen Avenue Elementary School
The search for a principal for Evergreen School began last month immediately following the Board of Education receiving notice of Mrs. Carey’s intention to retire at the end of July. The Board’s search included involvement from teachers, parents, and administrators. We are pleased to report that Mrs. Tonya Breland was approved at this week’s Board meeting to become the principal of Evergreen Avenue School for the 2007-08 school year, effective August 1, 2007.

Mrs. Breland is currently an assistant principal at an elementary school in the Burlington Township School District. She has experience as a teacher of kindergarten, fourth grade and seventh grade students. Recently, Mrs. Breland was one of two educators in the state to receive the Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award. She received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Howard University and a master’s degree in educational administration from Nova Southeastern University.

Principal -- Walnut Street Elementary School
In addition, the Board of Education is pleased to report that for the 2007-08 school year, Dr. Jeffrey Adams has been appointed to assume the responsibilities of Principal of Walnut Street School. Dr. Adams has been our Supervisor of Special Services for the last two school years. He has proven himself to be a hard working, student-focused administrator who truly enjoys being part of the Woodbury Public School system. Dr. Adams will continue his oversight of the Special Services department while also serving as principal.

_____________________________________________________

Between now and the start of the new school year, formal opportunities to meet our new principals will occur. These will be advertised directly by the district and through parent organization communication. Both Mrs. Breland and Dr. Adams are excited about the chance to assume these important roles in the school district and look forward to meeting with all members of the school community.

Tomatosphere @ Evergreen

Astronaut Mike Fincke holds a bag of tomato seeds for the EPO Tomatosphere II project in the SM during Expedition 9.



Mrs. Platt, teacher at the Evergreen Avenue Elementary School, reports that her students have been part of the Tomatosphere NASA project. They planted and observed tomato seeds during their germination period. Some of the seeds they grew were part of a control group, and some were on board the International Space Station.

Mrs. Platt reports that they were very successful and that the students now have four-week-old seedling. The students will be taking some home to plant, and they have offered staff members in the school to join the effort and place a plant in a sunny garden to grow this summer.

Mrs. Platt is asking for a report on how well the plants produce fruit when everyone returns to school next year. How exciting!

Tomatosphere

Board Meeting – Tomorrow Night

The Board of Education meetings will shift to Wednesday nights starting this month. Therefore, please take note that we meet on Wednesday, May 23, at 7:00 p.m.

The agenda is posted on the website. As noted in yesterday’s post, an item of interest is the Board’s attention to the two elementary principal openings. It is anticipated that both positions will be filled at this meeting.

Also, we have been active with our search for new faculty for next year. A number of critical positions will be filled at this May meeting. We hope to finalize the balance of the teacher hiring at the June meeting.

Elementary Principals

Just last month, both Fran Carey, Principal of the Evergreen Avenue Elementary School, and John Gamble, Principal of the Walnut Street School and Director of the Alternative School, announced that they would be retiring at the end of the school year. Each has spent a considerable portion of their respective professional careers here at Woodbury. We thank them for the successes that they have shared with our students.

We will be losing an important link to the history of Woodbury through the retirement of our two administrators. Their work and dedication to our school community will be missed. At the same time, we recognize that this is a critical time to bring leadership that will be able to continue the good practices that are part of each school and to bring new ideas that will enhance the current program.

I will be able to provide an update on next year’s administrative team once final decisions have been made at the board level.

Edward Murphy

Director of Pupil Personnel Services

Woodbury Public Schools



•Name:
Edward Murphy

• College(s) and degrees(s):
*BS Special Education, Lock Haven University
*MA Counseling Services, Rider University
*Supervisory Certification, Rowan University

• Work experience:
*US Peace Corps, Volunteer (Ecuador)
*Elementary Special Education Teacher, Trenton Public Schools
*Counselor, Burlington Township High School
*Director of Counseling, Pitman High School
*Director of Counseling, Northern Burlington

• Favorite books
o fiction: How Green Was My Valley
o nonfiction: Running with the Buffaloes

• Favorite television show:
Real Sports

• Last movie I loved:
Life Is Beautiful

• Music CD that I have almost worn out from repeated playing:
Jeffrey Gaines Live

• Person (living or not) that I’d like to have lunch with and why:
My Dad; We have a lot to catch up on.

• Visiting this place makes me peaceful:
Forbidden Drive, Fairmount Park, Philadelphia

• One item on my “to do” list that I can’t seem to get to:
Straighten out my CDs

• Favorite animal (domestic or wild):
Dogs (Juneau and Winnie- but of course!)

• Favorite sports team:
Philadelphia EAGLES

• Destination of my fantasy vacation trip:
Costa Rica

• Details about the teacher I will never forget who inspired me to enter the profession:
Tom Sexton- an excellent teacher, great coach, outstanding mentor and a fine person.

Busy Calendars

This is such a busy time of the year. Between little league games and spring programs at the school, it seems that every night can have something on the calendar requiring attention, juggling, etc!

As we close out this week, I have two special events left on my calendar for Woodbury Schools --

Thursday: Academic Awards Banquet for the Jr.-Sr. High School

Congratulations to all the students who qualified through their overall grade point average to be invited to attend this year’s Academic Awards Banquet. Just like we pause to celebrate the end of our sports seasons, it is important to recognize the hard work that has resulted in academic success during the 2006-07 school year for these high school students.

Friday: West End Memorial May Fair

This is the first year for the May Fair after a hiatus due to the construction work on the grounds of West End. The program is a spring celebration and a major fundraiser for the West End PTA. Enjoy!

I know that there are many other events happening at the schools – ice cream socials, Family Nights, etc. Soon we will have a long break called summer. Until then, we will be juggling our calendar items.

Amidst the juggling and nice weather, we – as parents – have the added challenge of keeping our children focused on the school responsibilities. Homework becomes a much more complicated challenge this time of the year. Hang in there – we are just about one month away from the grand finale!

LeaderTalk

This is the day for my monthly post on the LeaderTalk blog. If you are interested, I refer you to that entry:

LeaderTalk

Teachers at School

The South Jersey Math Partnership (SJMP) at Rowan University is an intensive professional development project involving Rowan University and sixteen school districts in South Jersey. The Partnership’s original goal was to improve the quality of middle grades mathematics teachers by deepening their understanding of mathematical content and pedagogy.

SJMP has since grown to include a focus on science and is now expanding to provide a focus on mathematics and science for teachers in the early elementary grades.

Congratulations to Evergreen third grade teacher, Kathy Estep, who recently received notification that she has been accepted into Cohort 1 of the SJMP program for elementary school teachers. This cohort will start its work this summer.

Woodbury Public School teachers have been very active members of SJMP efforts. The following teachers have participated in the middle school programs:

Mathematics:
Tobey Realley. Terry Stebich, Robyn Sole, and Nicole Daisey

Science:
Susan Berting and Cindy Cammarota

For more information on Rowan’s SJMP:
SJMP

Mr. Woodbury -- Tuesday Night

1st Annual Mr. Woodbury
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
7 PM in the Auditorium

There will be twelve Senior Class gentlemen involved.

6 judges – Faculty and Community members

The variety show will consist of the following:
• Opening Number
• Casual Wear
• Talent
• Formal Wear
• Question
• Finale

Spotlight on Mrs. Atkinson

Marjorie Atkinson

Secretary to the Assistant Principal

Woodbury Jr.-Sr. High School




(Note: Mrs. Atkinson is retiring at the end of this school year after thirty years as a secretary in the Woodbury Public Schools. We thank her and wish her well!)

•Name:
Marjorie Atkinson

• College(s) and degrees(s):
Springfield College – Spring, Massachusetts - BS

• Work experience:
Taught 3 years in the St. Petersburg, Florida school system.

• Favorite books
Enjoy reading, mostly fiction. No favorites – I like mysteries, human interest fiction.

• Favorite television show:
House, Grey’s Anatomy

• Last movie I loved:
I enjoy a variety of movies.

• Music CD that I have almost worn out from repeated playing:
John Denver, The Carpenters

• Person (living or not) that I’d like to have lunch with and why:
Mrs. Carr and I do a good job on lunch!!

• Visiting this place makes me peaceful:
I just like to garden.

• One item on my “to do” list that I can’t seem to get to:
DEEP housecleaning!! And staining some cabinets.

• Favorite animal (domestic or wild):
Dog

• Favorite sports team:
Yankees

• Destination of my fantasy vacation trip:
I would like to go to Jackson Hole, Wyoming

• Details about the teacher I will never forget who inspired me to enter the profession:
My 8th grade teacher. She was kind, fair, talented, good sense of humor, many different ways to teach a subject until all students understood.

Even More Poetry News

I want to direct your attention to the district web page. On the home page, we provide a link to "District News." In this section, we include press release information that has been sent to the local newspapers.

You will find a link there for the Jr.-Sr. High School One School: One Poet contest held last month. Also, included in that news item is another link to a site with the actual poems. Enjoy.

(Recall -- there is a link to the district website off to the right of this page.)

An Impressive Performance

What do a girls basketball player, a swimmer, a tennis player, a student government representative, an AVID student, a boys basketball player, a transfer student, a computer science student, and a host of other Woodbury Senior High School students have in common? They all came together last night as members of the Senior High School Band to close out a night of wonderful performances with powerful music.

On these nights I am often impressed with how our students are so multi-talented. The music was beautiful!

During the evening event, our instrumental music teacher, Dr. DiMenna, informed the audience that many of the Junior High School performers who had opened the evening concert so nicely are ready to join the Senior High band next year. They have will have some big shoes to fill as talented seniors will leave the group this year due to graduation.

Great job – everyone!

And . . .

Did you see the Gloucester County Times article on Robyn Sole?

Sunday GCT Article

Top 5

Last night, the top five academic students in the senior class at all high schools in Gloucester County were honored as a program sponsored by various educational groups in the county. The function was held at Auletto’s Catering.

Woodbury was represented by the following graduating seniors:

Danielle Bowen (Rider University, Undecided)
Alexis Gassner (Rutgers University, Ecological/Biological Science)
Rebecca Schaffer (Ramapo College, Nursing)
Christian Strey (Rutgers University, Undecided)
Lesley Wagner (University of Scranton, Marketing)

Parents were invited to join the students for the dinner. Each student was presented with a plaque and certificate to commemorate the accomplishment.

The keynote speaker was a recent graduate of Glassboro High School and Princeton University – Rob Moore. Mr. Moore spoke about how he was able to be involved and successful in a wide variety of activities while at Glassboro. He indicated that, at Princeton, he had to become more focused and find the one thing that interested him most. He decided that he should focus on what he was most excited about – what he did well and did because it was fun. For Mr. Moore, his interest was in all things entrepreneurial. You can read more about this impressive young man at the following site:

Rob Moore, Princeton University

A school like Woodbury High School allows for our students to participate in many different activities. These experiences help students reflect on what interests them most – what that one thing will be that they ultimately choose to be the focus of their energy. High school is a time to explore, and Woodbury High School offers a great opportunity for this exploration.

Congratulations to Woodbury’s top five! Enjoy your next four years looking to focusing on that one thing you want to do. And good luck to all our undergraduates who are following in your footsteps.

More Poetry News

More poetry happennings . . . the following information comes from Mr. Myers, West End Memorial School Principal.


Earlier this spring, students from West End entered a poetry contest for young poets. Below is a list of students whose poems were found worthy for publication in the anthology A Celebration of Young Poets. Congratulations to our poets!


Tori Blackwell
Darian Bailey
Maria Berggren
Emma Blades
Carlissa Brown
Jade Chandler
Nicole Duncan
Ryan Meraw
Isabella Minniti
Jessica Rohlfing
Duane Stanton
Jimmy Ulmer
John Weatherby
Eli Zarzecki

Poetry, continued . . .

And their teacher, Mrs. Jess, provided two examples of the poems --

Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring
written by: Maria Berggren

So long my rosy cheeks,
So long my frosty feet,
So long frozen icicles
and hail and stormy sleet.

Bye-bye to bare trees,
Bye-bye to having no bees,
Bye-bye to snow ball fights
and my freezing knees.

Welcome jogging,
Welcome bike riding,
Welcome Daylight Savings
and planting seeds.

Howdy! spring showers,
Howdy! planting flowers,
Howdy! healthy green grass
And playing in the sun for hours.



My World of Red
written by: Eli Zarzecki

Red
A bottle of red paint
An old fire hydrant
A fall leaf
A fire truck’s siren
Crunching leaves under my feet
The American flag blowing in the wind
A scrumptious bottle of ketchup
A spicy bottle of hot sauce
A juicy apple
A strong, hard brick wall
A squishy watermelon
A soft red electric blanket
Red may take you to a nightmare

Spotlight on Mrs. Branyan

Carla Branyan

ESL Teacher












(Note: Mrs. Branyan is retiring at the end of this school year. She began work in the field of education as the Director and Kindergarten Teacher at St. John's Learning Center in Melrose Park, PA. During the last few years, Mrs. Branyan has worked as an ESL teacher in the Woodbury Public Schools. We thank her for her work with our students and wish her well!)


•Name:
Carla Branyan

• College(s) and degrees(s):
Arcadia University – BS in Elementary Education
Rowan University – Certificate to teach ESL

• Work experience:
28 years teaching preschool, kindergarten, 2nd grade, special services (migrant), and ESL

• Favorite books
o fiction: Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, Where the Wild Things Are
o nonfiction: All educational magazines and child development texts

• Favorite television show:
24; I’m also hanging in for Lost in case it ever starts to make sense.

• Last movie I loved:
Bend It Like Becham

• Music CD that I have almost worn out from repeated playing:
Phantom of the Opera

• Person (living or not) that I’d like to have lunch with:
Jimmy Carter is so very inspirational. He continues to teach Sunday school and help with world issues, doing so much to help humanity.

• Visiting this place makes me peaceful:
The ocean

• One item on my “to do” list that I can’t seem to get to:
Clean out the loft and have a garage sale.

• Favorite animal (domestic or wild):
Rabbit

• Favorite sports team:
Phillies

• Destination of my fantasy vacation trip:
Traveling through Europe to visit cathedrals, museums, and schools

• Details about the teacher I will never forget who inspired me to enter the profession:
My father was a business education teacher in the days of shorthand and typing. He worked hard, and he told many funny stories about school and children. He always urged me to “Do it Now”, (before Nike’s “Just do it”) and “What’s a better way to do this?” I have tried to instill these ideas into my philosophy of teaching.

Elementary Music

Reminder: Tonight the Elementary Choir and Band will perform on the stage of the Jr.-Sr. High School. The show starts at 7:00 p.m. Enjoy.

High School Drama Club

Mrs. Webb, the director of our high school’s spring musical announced that one of our students, Laura Lonabaugh, has been selected to have her review of an area high school’s production included in this Sunday’s section of the Philadelphia Inquirer Neighbor’s section. This section of the paper is specific to region and, since this was a Holy Ghost Prep High School production, our Gloucester County edition will likely not carry the article – but you will be able to read a copy when they post it on the web site for the Greater Philadelphia Area Cappies –

Greater Philadelphia Area Cappies -- Reviews

Many students from high schools across the region attend the shows and participate in writing reviews for all the various student production of participating schools in the Philadelphia area. There is significant competition to be selected for actual publication. Congratulations, Laura.

If you click on the tab that shows the schools who participate in the Cappies, you will note that Woodbury is one of the few South Jersey schools involved. Thanks to Mrs. Webb for her organization of this additional opportunity for our local drama club members.

Gloucester County Teacher of the Year -- Robyn Sole

Each year, we are able to forward one of the names of our Teachers of the Year to the County Office of Education for consideration in the selection process for Gloucester County Teacher of the Year.

Congratulations to Woodbury's Robyn Sole – Gloucester County Teacher of the Year! Dr. Mark Stanwood, Gloucester County Superintendent of Schools, informed us yesterday that Ms. Sole was selected to represent Gloucester County. The selection process now continues at the state level to choose the New Jersey Teacher of the Year. Ms. Sole is one of twenty-two finalists for that honor.

Ms. Sole is a mathematics teacher in the Woodbury Junior High School. She entered teaching after starting work in the world of business (Ms. Sole had been the Executive Director of the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House). She obtained certification by way of New Jersey’s Alternate Route process – a system started by the New Jersey Department of Education in 1984 that allows college graduates who did not follow the traditional teacher preparation program to enter the field of teaching. Today, Ms. Sole continues her own formal education and has been a very active member of the Rowan University South Jersey Math Partnership project.

Ms. Sole exemplifies what it means to be a passionate educator. We are proud that she is able to represent the many quality, passionate educators who work in the Woodbury Public Schools.

Again, congratulations to Robyn Sole!

Grade 3 Keypals Connect

(The following is a contribution from Ms. Cummings, Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction.)

In the old days, (before there was e-mail), there used to be Penpal Writing Projects between schools. Students would write letters to one another the old fashioned way. Back then, teachers needed paper, pens, envelopes and stamps to make Penpal Writing Projects happen. Unfortunately, it could take weeks (or longer) sometimes for the students on the receiving end to write and mail their responses back.

How low tech can you get?

During the months of April and May, third graders in Walnut, Evergreen and West End Schools are participating in a KeyPal (as in computer keyboard) Writing Project that immediately injects excitement into the old Penpal Writing project concept. Instead of writing and sending letters by ‘snail mail,’ the six third grade classrooms in the district have been organized into pairs and are communicating via their teachers’ email accounts.

Dear Mrs. Stanek's Class,

Good morning! This is Ms. Estep's third grade class from Evergreen Avenue Elementary School! We are very excited to be your Keypals. We have a lot of questions about your class and your school, but first we are going to tell you a little bit about us!

The students work in teams to first decide what special things about their school they’d like to share with the other third grade classroom. Those ideas gradually become sentences and paragraphs that the grade 3 teacher types into the body of an email message to be sent to the Keypal classroom.

West End School is really fun. We have a new principal this year. His name is Mr. Myers. He’s kind of young and likes to have fun with us…

The next step is for the students to think of questions they would like answered in their keypals’ first message back. There’s no doubt that third graders are very curious writers indeed! For example, here’s what Mrs. Romano’s students at Walnut wanted to know about their West End keypals:

• How old is your school?
• Do you have centers?
• Is there a prize box in your classroom?
• How many students attend your school?
• What are your school colors?

Once a message is received and read aloud to the class, the challenge is to keep the communication going. Third grade teachers are taking advantage of their school computer labs or their C.O.W. (laptop Computers On Wheels) special class time to work on their Keypal Writing Project.

The grade 3 teachers report that students are so motivated to send and receive keypal messages, that plans are moving forward in at least two of the six classrooms for the keypals to meet face to face before the end of the school year.