Spotlight on Mr. Datz

Steven Datz

Teacher of Mathematics

Jr.-Sr. High School

• Name: Steve Datz

• College(s) and degrees(s): 1) Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering, Villanova University 2) Master of Arts, Secondary Education, Wilmington University

• Work experience: Civil engineering land development firms: 1) Taylor, Wiseman, and Taylor (Mount Laurel, NJ) 2) Stantec Consulting (Kennett Square, PA) 3) VanDemark & Lynch, Inc. (Wilmington, DE)

• Favorite books
o fiction: A Thousand Splendid Suns (Khaled Hosseini)
o nonfiction: 1776 (David McCullough)

• Favorite television show: The Office

• Last movie I loved: The Blind Side

• Music CD that I have almost worn out from repeated playing: Dave Matthews Band (Under the Table and Dreaming)

• Person (living or not) that I’d like to have lunch with and why: Abraham Lincoln, because he was one of the greatest presidents of all time, and I would love to hear what he had to say.

• Visiting this place makes me peaceful: North Carolina beaches

• One item on my “to do” list that I can’t seem to get to: Washing/vacuuming my car

• Favorite animal (domestic or wild): Dog

• Favorite sports team: Villanova basketball

• Destination of my fantasy vacation trip: Hawaii

• Details about the teacher I will never forget who inspired me to enter the profession: My mom has been an elementary school (1st/2nd grade) teacher in Pennsville for 15 years.

Upcoming High School Sporting Events

• Today -- Girls Field Hockey will play a first round NJSIAA Group I playoff game at Maple Shade (3:45 p.m.). Good luck girls.

• Saturday -- Varsity Football (5-1) travel to Paulsboro (6-0) for an exciting Group I match-up. Game time is 11 a.m.

• Next Week -- Our soccer teams will be in the NJSIAA playoffs; more information to follow.

What If You Passed By This Man?

Have you read about this? It seems that this dates back to 2007, but it was circulated to me in an e-mail just recently.

The story will likely give you pause -- as a parent and/or teacher, we know that the world is moving fast and part of our responsibility is to slow it down long enough for our children to be able to partake in all that life has to offer.

---

THE SITUATION

In Washington , DC , at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, this man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.


After about 3 minutes:

A middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule.

About 4 minutes later:
The violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

At 6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

At 10 minutes:
A 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent - without exception - forced their children to move on quickly.

At 45 minutes:
The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

After 1 hour:

He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded.

There was no recognition at all.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities.

This experiment raised several questions:

*In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?

*If so, do we stop to appreciate it?

*Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made . . . How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?

__________________________________________

• Here's a YouTube clip of part of the performance:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnOPu0_YWhw

• FYI, he's playing the Bach Violin Partita Number 2 in D Minor.

• The story about this "non-event" won a Pulitzer for The Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2007/04/06/DI2007040601228.html)

Curriculum Standards

Just this past June, the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) and the State Board of Education finalized the update to the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards (NJCCCS)), now listed on the state's website as the New Jersey World Class Standards.

The NJDOE website has a significant amount of information about schooling in the state. Specifically, you can find detailed information about the NJCCCS on the site.

The newly adopted standards are to be phased in over the next couple of years at the school level. This year, Woodbury faculty members are examining our local "curriculum maps" to ensure that we have all the key components included so that our students are meeting (and exceeding!) the expectations set by the state through this curriculum standards initiative.

If you have specific curriculum questions, you can ask your child's teacher, the building principal or either of the two individuals specifically charged with curriculum oversight in the district:

• Tonya Breland, Evergreen Avenue Principal and Curriculum & Instruction Supervisor PK-5 (853-0125, ext. 142 or at tbreland@wooburysch.com)
• Donna Cohen, Curriculum & Instruction Supervisor, 6-12 (853-0123, ext. 241 or at dcohen@woodburysch.com)

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

The regular, monthly meeting of the Woodbury Board of Education will be held this Wednesday, October 27, at 7:00 p.m.

This board meetings is scheduled to be held in the Jr.-Sr. High School auditorium. Entrance to the building can be made through the lobby doors by the auditorium, across from the Cap Paine gymnasium.

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

At the October meeting, there will be a report on the New Jersey Department of Education Violence and Vandalism numbers from the 2009-10 school year. Also, an annual report on testing data focused on the 2009-10 will be reviewed with the Board of Education members.

Oral History Project: African-American Community in Woodbury

This was sent out by the Woodbury Neighborhood Presevervation Program. If you or someone you know is interested in this project, please consider attending (or pass the information along to those who may be interested).


Please join us for the next workshop for



The African-American Community in Woodbury

Oral History Project

on

Saturday, October 23, 2010

11:00 AM

at

The Woodbury MEWS

122 Green Street, Woodbury



RSVP to Gloria Holmes at 845-1630





Please bring any photos or documents you have regarding life in Woodbury when you were young: sports teams, church choirs, school photos, homes and businesses in your neighborhoods, places you or your parents worked, etc.



And please bring your white binders.



Everyone is welcome to join us -

you don’t have to live in Woodbury to participate.

We are looking for the history of people & events from the past

and all information is important!





Lunch will be served at 12 noon.

There is a $5.00 per person fee for lunch,

which will be collected at the meeting.



Sponsored by the

Woodbury Neighborhood Preservation Program

Homecoming 2010

Woodbury High School's Homecoming football game will be played this weekend. Come out and enjoy the Saturday morning game. Woodbury currently enjoys a 4-1 record to start this season. Haddon Heights enters with a 3-2 record. It should be good contest and an enjoyable opportunity to catch up with old friends.

Students will hold their annual Homecoming Dance that evening in the school gymnasium.

Saturday 10/23 10:30 a.m. vs. Haddon Heights

Hall of Fame Recap

Special thanks are extended to the Hall of Fame Committee for putting together a wonderful evening this past Saturday: Grant Shivers, Tony DeLucas, Ed Hughes, Frank Gwalthney, Megan Lucidi, Scott Henderson, and Calvin Ferguson.

Those of us in attendance at the Hall of Fame Induction Dinner were treated to a night of Woodbury High School memories and the reaffirmation that this school district is a unique, special place. Alumni with athletic talent spanning classes from 1925 through 1993, three coaches and three additional “distinguished” alumni constituted the group inducted.

A highlight of the evening were the warm remarks of the 1939 graduate, Mary Lockett Moody. She spoke about being an African American athlete at a time when that was not the norm for schools and how her coach insisted, even when other schools attempted to turn away the African American student athletes, that they were one team and that everyone played or no one played. Though she indicated her 90 year old body was not ready to climb the stadium steps as part of a practice routine, she did talk about how she continues to carry many of the lessons learned as a student at Woodbury with her throughout her life.

The current high school principal, Mrs. Dunham, will be reaching out to Ms. Moody to set up opportunities for her to connect with the students who walk the halls today. She has recently moved back to Woodbury after a number of years in the south.

Congratulations to all the new inductees and thank you for sharing such fond memories of your time at Woodbury High School.

Spotlight On Mr. Travis

John Travis

Teacher of Mathematics

Jr.-Sr. High School

• Name: John Travis

• College(s) and degrees(s): Princeton University, A.B. in Economics

• Work experience:
- Montgomery High School - Skillman, NJ
- Foundation Academy Charter School - Trenton, NJ

• Favorite books
o fiction: Lord of the Rings Series - JRR Tolkien; Harry Potter Series - JK Rowling
o nonfiction: Savage Inequalities - Jonathan Kozol; Freakonomics - Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner

• Favorite television show: House

• Last movie I loved: Inception (or Toy Story III)

• Music CD that I have almost worn out from repeated playing: Songs in the Key of Life - Stevie Wonder

• Person (living or not) that I’d like to have lunch with: Jackie Robinson

• Visiting this place makes me peaceful: Top of a mountain at sunset.

• One item on my “to do” list that I can’t seem to get to: Listening to/Analyzing the premier canonical works of classical music.

• Favorite animal (domestic or wild): Tiger

• Favorite sports team: Philadelphia Phillies

• Destination of my fantasy vacation trip: Mediterranean Port City Tour (ending in Greece)

• Details about the teacher I will never forget who inspired me to enter the profession: My 8th grade Math teacher, Mr. Neights inspired me to consider teaching. I had a C after the 1st marking period in his class, and he met with me and convinced me one day after school that with consistent work and effort I could find success. That day changed how I looked at school and also made me realize that teachers often have their largest victories outside of their 45 minutes of instruction.

Sharing a Letter from a Graduate . . .

The following letter was recently received, and I thought it would be good to share the perespective of this Woodbury graduate after returning to the school for a recent reunion:

David & Denise Winter
Sarasota, Florida




Mrs. Denise Dunham, Principal
Woodbury Junior Senior High School
25 North Broad St.
Woodbury, NJ 08096


Dear Mrs. Dunham,

On Saturday, October 2, Woodbury High School hosted a tour for my class (1965) at “my old school”. Having not been back in 45 years and heard previous stories about the decline of small town America reflected in Woodbury, the decline of the downtown area and the reduction in size of the student body due to the building of an additional high school in the area, we really expected to be disappointed in the school.

That expectation could not have been further from the truth. As a 15 year principal of a Chicago elementary magnet public school married to a 15 year athletic director at a suburban high school with combined 68 years of experience in public education, the two of us know what it takes to run and maintain a public high school. The cleanliness of your building, the total absence of any sign of graffiti and obvious pride of your support staff is clearly reflected in your facility. We especially liked the educational resumes of teachers reflected on each room door as a model to which students can aspire. The condition of the auditorium is just one area where we noted the pride of the school reflected in the facilities offered to the students of Woodbury.

As much as the school building and facilities reflected well on the community, our tour was even better. Run by Athletic Director Grant Shivers, he could not be more positive and supportive of the school and community. He exudes pride in the entire school, not just the athletic program. His reflecting on academic achievement, performance of the fine arts programs and special education programs indicate on-going emphasis on the total education of the total child.

Please share our impressions with your staff, both educational and support. We are surely aware of the many challenges with which you are confronted. You need to know that the face you are presenting to the public makes me proud to be an alumnus of Woodbury High School as well as a veteran educator. Thank you for the good work you are doing.

Sincerely,

Denise Frick Winter (Class of 1965)

Hall of Fame Dinner -- This Saturday

Reminder: The Woodbury High School Hall of Fame Induction Dinner will be held this Saturday. This event happens on a three-year cycle and provides a wonderful opportunity to relive old school memories.

See this prior blog post for more detail on those being inducted.

It is not too late to pick up a ticket and enjoy a night with Woodbury friends.

Main Street Woodbury Presents . . .

Timed Tickets are now available at Edwards Hairstyling 14 S Broad St.

Any questions call Main Street 856-845-8655

Please share with family-friends!

Spotlight of Mrs. Carr

Mrs. Holly A. Carr

Teacher of Business

Jr.-Sr. High School




• Name:
Holly A Carr

• College(s) and degrees(s):

• Stockton State University, BA Business Administration
• Certified Public Accountant
• Rowan University, Standard Certificates to Teach in following areas: K-5 Elementary School, Middle School 5-8 Mathematics, High School Business - Both Accounting and Finance/Economics/Law

• Work experience:
Accounting Profession for 15 years
Teaching: 2 years

• Woodlynne Elementary School, Woodlynne School District
• Lewis Middle School, Gloucester Township School District

• Favorite books
o fiction: My Sisters Keeper, by Jodi Picoult
o nonfiction: The Way to Wealth, by Benjamin Franklin

• Favorite television show: Office

• Last movie I loved: The Notebook

• Music CD that I have almost worn out from repeated playing:
Nora Jones - anything

• Person (living or not) that I’d like to have lunch with and why:
Benjamin Franklin - He was brilliant.

• Visiting this place makes me peaceful:
Bell Lake Park

• One item on my “to do” list that I can’t seem to get to:
A Spa Day

• Favorite animal (domestic or wild):
Dog

• Favorite sports team:
Phillies

• Destination of my fantasy vacation trip:
Greece

• Details about the teacher I will never forget who inspired me to enter the profession:
Mrs. Tortu and Mrs. Albey. They were both very nice teachers, and each made you excited about the things you did in class.

• Anything Else:
I would like students to grow their knowledge and their self esteem in the classes I teach.

Monday, October 11 -- Columbus Day

Reminder -- no school this upcoming Monday.

That works well for Phillies fans. Game 3 is scheduled for Sunday night -- go Phillies!

And . . . for juniors who are just beginning to think about the college selection process, school holidays like these are a good time to visit nearby colleges. Visits to campuses while school is in session help give a full picture of the college experience. Columbus Day, November teacher convention, and Spring Break are all good times to plan college visitation days.

Senior Parent Night College Application Process 7PM

Mr. Murphy, our Director of Pupil Personnel Service will be hosting Woodbury Jr-Sr High School's annual College Application Process Night for parents of seniors tonight at 7:00 p.m. (Hopefully, the Phillies will have a nice, big, early lead!).

Our counseling department will review the college application process with you, how Woodbury Jr-Sr High School will assist in the process, and what you should be especially careful to attend to in order to ensure a smooth, successful effort.

This can be a stressful time for families, but the "Common Application" and on-line processing can help make this time be a bit more manageable. Learn about these features and understand the deadlines that colleges have when it comes to their acceptance procedures.

Finally -- though the title of the program indicates this is a night for parents of seniors, the program is open to anyone. Parents of juniors (or younger students) may want to come to the session to get a jump on the types of things that will be required down the line. The reality is that the application process for colleges can start as early as the summer before the senior year -- it isn't too early to get a sense for what will be expected of the student and his/her family.

Go Phillies!

Website Calendar for Specific School Activities

Last week, I reminded you that the district calendar listing the 180 school days, school holidays, and major events (back-to-school night, etc.) could be found on the district website.

Today, I want to point out that our district website also has a more detailed, interactive calendar found on the left side of the front page of the website. You can click on the month at the top of the small calendar (October) and find a listing of more detailed activities for the individual schools:

HS: SAT testing on 10/09

HS: Homecoming on 10/23

EV: School Pictures on 10/12

WA: Book Fair the week of 10/18

WE: Mileage Club every Wednesday and Friday

You can also click on a specific date in the calendar to see a daily view. Finally, you can choose only one of the schools so that the program filters out activities and just that school's happenings will display.

This is what the monthly view looks like (there is a color key/filter at the top of the page of the actual website):

					1 9 Events School Tools 25 book assembly 10:30 am Mrs. Platt's class walking trip to Stewart Lake Spirit Week Spirit Day - sports theme MAP Testing Spirit Day - Fall Colors Mileage Club Treasure Tower	2
3	4 5 Events Fire Prevention Week Begins Book Fair Preview Day MAP Testing Pretzel Sale Begins Choir - Gr. 4 3-3:30	5 9 Events Book Fair Shopping Day 9 am - 1 pm Book Fair Family Shopping Night 7 - 8:30 pm HSPA Testing Band rehearsal, 5:00-6:00, West End MAP Testing Fire Drill 2:15 Band Practice 5-6:00 PAC meeting 6p. 7p. PTA Meeting	6 10 Events Book Fair Shopping Day HSPA Testing Senior Parent Night College Application Process 7PM Choir, 3:00-3:30 Band percussionist rehearsal, West End, 5:00-5:45 MAP Testing Mileage Club 9:00 Fire Prevention Assembly Fitness Club Gr. 2&3 5-5:45 Percussionist Rehearsal	7 7 Events Book Fair Shopping Day HSPA Testing Fire Prevention Assembly, 10:00 Progress Reports Book Club, 3:00-4:00 MAP Testing Choir - Gr. 5 3-3:30	8 7 Events Book Fair - last day for shopping Fire Prevention Assembly 9 am & 12:30 Sophomore Class Ring Information Assembly MAP Testing Mileage Club Treasure Tower Pretzel Orders Due	9 1 Event SAT @ WHS
10	11 1 Event Columbus Day	12 7 Events School Pictures - All grades group & individual Class Ring Orders at lunch Post Graduation Planning 3-7PM Curriculum Mapping Band rehearsal, 5:00-6:00, West End MAP Testing Band Practice 5-6:00	13 7 Events Sophomore Ring Night 6-8pm PSAT Choir, 3:00-3:30 Band percussionist rehearsal, West End, 5:00-5:45 MAP Testing Mileage Club 5-5:45 Percussionist Rehearsal	14 3 Events Post Graduation Planning 3-7PM H.S.A. Meeting, 7:00 Choir - Gr. 5 3-3:30	15 4 Events JHS Dance 7PM Mileage Club Treasure Tower Pretzel Delivery	16
17	18 8 Events School Violence Awareness Week Begins Underclassmen Pictures Homecoming Dance Ticket Sales Book Fair Choir - Gr. 4 3-3:30 9:00 Fire Drill Fall Book Fair School Violence Awareness Week	19 10 Events PTO Meeting 7:00 pm Underclassmen Pictures PTSA Meeting 7PM Homecoming Dance Ticket Sales Book Fair Faculty Meeting, 3:20 Band rehearsal, 5:00-6:00, West End Band Practice 5-6:00 6:30-9p. Book Fair and Water Ice Social Fall Book Fair	20 10 Events Homecoming Dance Ticket Sales AVID Parent Night Choir, 3:00-3:30 Book Fair Book Fair Family Night, 6:00-8:00 Band percussionist rehearsal, West End, 5:00-5:45 Mileage Club Fall Book Fair 5-5:45 Percussionist Rehearsal School Store	21 7 Events Homecoming Dance Ticket Sales NHS Induction 7PM Book Fair Book Club, 3:00-4:00 Choir - Gr. 5 3-3:30 Fall Book Fair Terrific Kids	22 5 Events Assembly Mileage Club Treasure Tower Fall Fun Friday Fall Book Fair	23 1 Event Homecoming Dance 7-11
24	25 2 Events Choir - Gr. 4 3-3:30 Red Ribbon Week	26 3 Events Post Graduation Planning 3-7PM Band rehearsal, 5:00-6:00, West End Band Practice 5-6:00	27 5 Events Birthday Table Choir, 3:00-3:30 Band percussionist rehearsal, West End, 5:00-5:45 Mileage Club 5-5:45 Percussionist Rehearsal	28 5 Events Class Trip Mrs. DiRienzo & Mrs. Stankiewicz Creamy Acres Preschool trip G&G Farms Post Graduation Planning 3-7PM Terrific Kids, 10:15 Choir - Gr. 5 3-3:30	29 8 Events Halloween Parade 1:45 JHS Costume Contest Birthday table Halloween parade and parties Mileage Club Treasure Tower WEBSTER ASSEMBLY: 8:50 Gr. 3-5; 9:15 Gr. K-2 2:15 Halloween Parade	30
31					www.woodburysch.com

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! -- West End in the News

West End Principal, Vince Myers, had a guest "op-ed" piece published in Sunday's Gloucester County Times. The focus of the article was on efforts the school has made with respect to promoting a healthy lifestyle. Click here to read this special to the GCT.


Congratulations, West End.

Spotlight on Mrs. Shute

Mrs. Kristin Shute

Speech-Language Specialist

Woodbury City Schools










• Name:
Kristin Shute

• College(s) and degrees(s):
Kean University: BA in Communication Disorders and Deafness,
MA in Speech Language Pathology

• Work experience:
09-10 Gloucester County Special Services School District

• Favorite books
o fiction: Anything Janet Evanovich
o nonfiction: Pretending to be Normal - Liane Willey

• Favorite television show:
Glee and One Tree Hill

• Last movie I loved:
Anchorman

• Music CD that I have almost worn out from repeated playing:
Jessica Simpson (my own favorite mix)

• Person (living or not) that I’d like to have lunch with and why:
My Brother. He died before I was born and I would love to have known him.

• Visiting this place makes me peaceful:
Barnes and Noble

• One item on my “to do” list that I can’t seem to get to:
A new passport

• Favorite animal (domestic or wild):
Miniature beagle

• Favorite sports team:
Phillies

• Destination of my fantasy vacation trip:
Hawaii

• Details about the teacher I will never forget who inspired me to enter the profession:
My sister, as corny as that seems, inspired me to make learning interesting and fun and be an active participant in the students' experience (class advisor, musical director, & coach).