May Pole Celebrations

Evergreen Avenue:

The families of Mrs. McLaughlin’s Kindergarten class at Evergreen Avenue School gathered on May 20th for a traditional Maypole Dance.

The students circled the Maypole with their bright pink and blue ribbons while 5th grader, Anthony Hallowell, held the Maypole in place.



Mrs. McLaughlin played the piano while 2nd and 5th grade brothers, Julian and Richard Antonucci, added musical accompaniment on their violins.




West End:
Mrs. Norris' 1st Grade class had a similar celebration. See the video below:

TODAY -- Ice Cream/Dessert Social

On the front lawn of the Jr.-Sr. High School -- or in the high school cafeteria, if we have rain -- there will be a Multi-Cultural Dessert Event. All in the school community are welcome.

The district's Minority Task Force is looking to gather families for some simple dessert and a chance to share the good work that is taking place in the school.

Come hear about our 4th grade and 8th grade college visitation trips. Also, our AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination)students will be available to answer questions.

In addition, members of the Minority Task Force will be on hand.

And -- there will be door prizes raffled off during the event. Come for any length of time between the hours of 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (You are encouraged to bring a small dessert to be placed on the table.)

Project Graduation

(The following request is from the parents of the seniors who have been busy organizing the annual Project Graduation event.)


Project Graduation will be held at the YMCA on June 24th from 9pm to 3am. This year, the event is sponsored by the senior parents.

The evening will include a DJ, refreshments, and there will be drawings throughout the night for prizes. Some of the prizes this year include digital cameras, gift certificates, gas cards, and -- at the end of the night -- a flat screen TV.

In order for this night to be a success, the senior parents are asking for your support. We are asking for financial as well as refreshment donations. Also, the senior parents would like to be able to fully enjoy graduation night and are asking for underclassmen parent volunteers to help setup at the YMCA before the event.

If you would like to help please contact Mrs. Gail Parham at 845-4824 or gailparhamteacher@yahoo.com.

A Woodbury Boys and Girls Club Initiative

A group of concerned citizens has mounted a serious effort to start a Boys and Girls Club in Woodbury. The club would become part of the Gloucester County Boys and Girls Club that currently operates in both Glassboro and Paulsboro.

An important fundraiser to kick-off the campaign to raise the necessary funds is a “FOUNDERS DINNER” to be held on June 4, 2010 at Nicolosi’s -- 7:00 p.m. (Dinner, libations, entertainment and silent auctions)

The donation required to participate in the dinner is $250/ticket. Obviously, this is a significant sum of money, but the required amount of money to be raised to start this club is equally significant and the group hopes that this dinner event will jump start the effort.

A plaque will be placed at the Woodbury Boys and Girls Club to recognize the generosity of donors:

Founders Circle: $25,000
Patrons Circle: $10,000
Benefactors Circle: $5,000
Visionary Circle: $2,500
Humanitarian Circle: $1,000
Samaritan Circle: $500
Community Circle: $250
Good Neighbor Circle: $100
Friends Circle: $25

Hopefully you can contribute at the Community Circle level or above and join the group for the Friday, June 4, celebration at the Founders Dinner. If not, please consider joining in as a Good Neighbor or Friend.


You can simply mail in your donation to the following address:
Founders’ Committee
Boys and Girls Club
PO Box 545
Woodbury, NJ 08096

[Make checks payable to:
Boys and Girls Clubs of Gloucester County – Woodbury Unit
Tax ID# 54-2075655]

Please include the following information --
Number of tickets:
Additional Donation:
Total Donation:
Inscription on plaque to read:
Within the ____________________ Circle.
Your name (or company’s name):
Phone:
Email Address:

THANK YOU!

Assessment of Skill and Knowledge Testing (ASK Testing)

This year, Junior High School mathematics teacher, Robyn Sole, has had her students creating videos that they have posted on Youtube to provide some added spark and interest in the school work. Recently, in an effort to drive home the importance of of the state ASK testing, Ms. Sole's students produced the following videos; enjoy:


Video #1


Video #2


Video #3


Video #4

Woodbury City Council Approves Budget Reduction Resolution

The Woodbury City Council approved a resolution to recommend a reduction to the proposed 2010-11 school budget.

The city, by this resolution, recommended a reduction of $56,571. This will bring the total school tax levy for the general fund budget to 10,944,106 for the 2010-11 school year. This makes the total General Fund budget approximately $1 million dollars ($932,985) LESS THAN the current 2009-10 school year amount.

We were pleased that the City Council's Finance Committee and the City Council as a whole recognized the many difficult decisions that already went into crafting the current budget proposal. The Board of Education now needs to adopt this reduction and then the budget will be set for the new school year.

Board of Education Meeting

There will be a special, additional meeting of the Board of Education this month. The Board meets this Wednesday evening, May 12, at 7:00 p.m. in the Jr.-Sr. High School auditorium.

This meeting will address budget reductions recommended by the Woodbury City Council for the 2010-11 budget, personnel hiring for 2010-11, and action on the tentative agreement between the Board of Education and the Woodbury Education Association. A copy of the agenda for the meeting can be found on the district website.

The regularly scheduled meeting of the board for May will still take place on May 28, 2010.

Special Education Week

Painting a Better Tomorrow
Special Education Week

in New Jersey
May 9 – 15, 2010



Thanks to all our special education teachers and support staff. Our students benefit from your caring approach and the good work that you do each day!

2010 Prom Information

The 2010 Prom will be held on May 14, 2010. This year's theme is "Arabian Allure". The prom will be held at Riverwinds from 7:00pm until 11:00pm.

The promenade will be held at the Woodbury Jr.-Sr. High School Auditorium from 5:30pm to 6:30pm. Tickets for promenade are $3.00 for adults and $2.00 for students. Please come and enjoy our students in their finest attire!

Contributed by: Tracey Parker, Promenade Chairperson

The Beautification of Evergreen

A former Evergreen student, Nicholas Schoning, restored the garden area outside of the 1st grade and Kindergarten classrooms as a part of his Eagle Scout Project. He added flowers (including perennials that will bloom each spring), cleaned the garden area, trimmed hedges, and added new topsoil and mulch to the flower beds. He also re-established the cinderblocks surrounding the flower beds, repainted the wishing well and garden arbor, and put in three sturdy new benches for all to enjoy.

Nicholas created this beautiful haven as a way to give back to Evergreen. He was involved in the original garden that was created when he was a student at Evergreen and saw this as a great opportunity to do something meaningful and useful. He also wanted to provide a place for teachers to have outdoor classrooms on nice weather days.

Nicholas is presently a junior at the Senior High School. The district thanks him for a job well done!

Woodbury Lunch Munch -- Friday (and Woodfest Friday Night!)

African Troupe Assembly Visits Walnut and Evergreen

The 3rd through 5th graders at Walnut and Evergreen Elementary Schools experienced an entertaining and acrobatic performance by a group of African entertainers. It was the perfect way to end the week on a high note as students prepared to begin state Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (ASK) testing beginning on Monday, May 6.

Evergreen Performs at Barnes and Noble!

The Evergreen Avenue School sponsored a fundraising event at the Deptford

Barnes & Noble on April 28th. The Reader’s Theatre club performed a skit

for parents, and a drawing was held for Barnes & Noble gift cards.

Parents and students browsed and shopped, and

the P.T.O. received a percentage of the sales.

Fundraising for Haiti: Jr.-Sr. High School

(This posting is a bit dated -- but I thought that you would want to see how our two assistant principals looked "up on the wall!")

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A series of events held during one week at the Jr.-Sr. High School resulted in students raising more than $800 for the citizens of Haiti. The week included a soft pretzel sale and a hat day…but the real cash came in when the students were offered the opportunity to purchase a strip of duct tape for $1 apiece to tape Assistant Principals’ Jason Vivadelli and Thomas Braddock to the wall!

A big thank you to Mr. Vivadelli and Mr. Braddock for being such good sports to benefit a worthy cause!

FEMA Disaster Recovery

The Gloucester County Board of Chosen Freeholders announced that a Disaster Recovery Center location has been established in the Atrium of the Gloucester County Government Services Building. The Center is for the for those residents applying for federal disaster aid as a result of the severe storms and flooding beginning on March 12, 2010, and continuing.

The services provided at the Disaster Recovery Center will include telephone registration of individuals into FEMA disaster recovery process, status of application claims, opportunity to apply for loans through Small Business Administration, meet with FEMA Mitigation Specialists to identify opportunities to limit future disaster impacts, receive information and advice on other available services.

The role of this operation is to provide citizens the opportunity to meet with FEMA and Small Business Administration reps face-to-face. Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

The Gloucester County Government Services Building is located at 1200 N. Delsea Drive, Clayton. The Disaster Recovery Center will operate Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm for the next several weeks. Walk-ins welcome, no appointments needed.

Residents can apply for assistance on line at http://www.disasterassistance.gov/, by calling (800) 621-3362 (FEMA), by going to http://www.nj211.org/flood.cfm, or by going in person to the Disaster Recovery Center.

Glassboro-Camden Line: UPDATE

I thought that you would be interested in reading this update that I received recently. There will be meetings coming up in May -- see the link at the end of this announcement regarding the dates and locations.

Southern New Jersey to Philadelphia Mass Transit Expansion Alternatives Analysis Project Update

Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) and Port Authority Transit Corporation (PATCO) have completed an extensive Alternatives Analysis (AA) study that focused on identifying transportation needs and solutions for Southern New Jersey. This study concluded in 2009 with a recommendation for light rail transit along the Conrail rail right-of-way from Glassboro to Camden.

The Project is proceeding and DRPA/PATCO is pleased to announce the new official name, the Glassboro-Camden Line (GCL).

The GCL is now entering the next phase of project development. DRPA/PATCO is collaborating with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to complete an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). An EIS is a formal document that records the potential social, economic and environmental benefits and impacts of a proposed project or action and proposes measures to mitigate any adverse impacts. This environmental study is expected to be completed in 18-24 months.

What Happens Next?
The “scoping” process is the formal public comment phase conducted at the start of an EIS study. The primary purpose of scoping is to provide comment on the purpose and need, the alternatives to be analyzed, and the potential social, economic and environmental impacts and benefits of the project. Throughout the scoping process, active participation by the public, local community organizations and government agencies is encouraged and valued.

DRPA/PATCO invites you to attend and participate in a Public Scoping Meeting and requests your comments on the GCL project. Each scoping meeting is comprised of an Information Session, Formal Presentation and Formal Comment Period. Interested participants will be able to provide formal verbal testimony at a meeting. Those who wish to speak can register at the start of the meeting.

Individuals who require special assistance at a public meeting should contact Ms. Malaszecki at 856.223.0800 at least 3 days in advance.


The scoping comment period for the GCL will close on Thursday June 10, 2010.
Comments may be submitted to:
Ms. Victoria Malaszecki, Public Involvement Liaison
Envision Consultants, Ltd. PO Box 536 • Mullica Hill, NJ • 08062
Phone: 856.968.2252
Fax: 856.223.8886
E-mail: publicinvolvement@GlassboroCamdenLine.com
Web: http://www.glassborocamdenline.com/
Project Information Line: (856) 968-2252 (voice or via relay)


About the Project

The Glassboro-Camden Line (GCL) is a proposed 18-mile passenger rail line between Glassboro and Camden along and primarily within the existing Conrail rail right-of-way. The GCL corridor traverses Gloucester and Camden counties including the communities of Glassboro, Pitman, Sewell, Mantua Twp., Deptford Twp. Wenonah, Woodbury Heights, Woodbury, Westville, Brooklawn, Gloucester City and Camden. The proposed line would restore passenger rail service along the existing rail line using light rail technology similar to the NJ TRANSIT River LINE. Light rail along this corridor was selected as the Recommended Alternative based on the two-year Alternatives Analysis study completed by DRPA/PATCO in 2009.


Looking For More Information?
Visit the project website at http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103325835911&s=2981&e=001r5AxSKdWyTDkUKDDyVTNwZLNsd2lqbRJvpIQH49Hm7f-6rf9GwbqWm2cGO5KFZyXV17AyOMyrmGXfrhIRb6PSEd_xthQnNMphBQUW0iv-IrwTl7JG7oxJaFgb0s23Dti, call the project information line at (856) 968-2252 (voice or via relay), or use these quick links to download key GCL project documents.

For the Public Scoping Meeting Flyer, Click Here
For the Scoping Information Booklet & Comment Form, Click Here
For the Project Fact Sheet, Click Here

MAIN STREET VOLUNTEERS TO “BEAUTIFY” BUSINESS DISTRICT

Main Street Woodbury volunteers will be helping to add spring colors, refresh benches and clean-up of the business district (Broad Street) in the downtown on Saturday, May 1, and they will welcome your help.

Dubbed – “Beatification Day”, by Main Street Woodbury’s Design Committee, the event will take place, rain or shine, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the business district, located on Broad Street, and flowers will be planted in the various patches around the trees in the district, as well as bench staining as a way of sprucing up the current benches.

“Broad Street is the focal point for people traveling through our downtown and, it’s important that we reflect positive energy and beatification when we show off our Business District ,” said Main Street Woodbury Design Committee Chairperson Dave Magyar.

“To see our volunteers joined by those from other organizations come out and work together to contribute beauty to our downtown is a true source of pride and satisfaction,” said Main Street Woodbury Executive Director Ronda Abbruzzese.

Volunteers will meet in the city’s parking lot, behind the White House at 8 a.m. that day and, though most tools and equipment will be available, those volunteering should bring gardener’s gloves, if they have them.

For more information, call the Main Street Woodbury office at (856) 845-8655.

Rob Guarino Visits West End

Meteorologist, Rob Guarino, made a special visit to West End on April 19th. The students in grades 3, 4, & 5 participated in the School Weather Challenge which included questions on weather symbols, various weather types, and thunderstorm safety.

With a total of 245 points out of 250, the girls beat the boys in the challenge. Our hope is that we gained a high enough score to win against other competing schools and camps.

Goals To Success

Angel Rivello and Socceroo of

the Philadelphia Kixx stopped by West End to present their “Goals to Success” program. As you can tell by the pictures, students, teachers and Mr. Myers participated in the program as the students learned to be successful while setting goals for themselves.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle . . . .

This news comes from Miss Jones' 6th grade Science class.  

Today, April 22, is Earth Day.  Her science classes are doing a “Go Green” unit this week and discovered that Woodbury, NJ was the first U.S. city to mandate recycling (1980).