Forecast for May and June -- Learning

My son was asked by his grandparent this weekend --- “ how much longer, less than a month?” And he looked at his cell phone, confirmed the date, and happily reported that it was, in fact, less than a month until summer vacation.

One of the added, instructional benefits of the Woodbury geothermal HVAC system recently installed in three of the school buildings (and the complementary system at the Walnut Street School) is that the in-class program can continue without interference of those muggy, 90 degree + days that can occur during these closing weeks of school. Our students and teachers benefit in that school year instructional opportunities are actually extended by this system.

Walk the halls and, in many regards, May and June look like any other two months of the school year.

Some may have the end of June on their minds, but it will not be because of oppressive heat and humidity.

Spotlight on Ms. Cadorette

Eliza A. Cadorette

Teacher of Grade 5 – West End School

District

•Name:
Eliza A. Cadorette

• College(s) and degrees(s):
University of Nevada, Las Vegas – BS – Elementary Education
New Jersey City University – MA – Special Education

• Work experience:
2003-05 – Newark, NJ – Basic Skills Teacher – Grades K-8
2005-07 – Tenafly, NJ – 2nd and 5th teacher

• Favorite books
o Fiction: Love that Dog by Sharon Creech
o Nonfiction: Memoir: A Long Way Gone – MEMOIRS OF A BOY SOLDIER by Ishmael Beah – tells his experience as a child soldier from Sierra Leone. Truly inspirational!

• Favorite television show:
Top Chef and Lost

• Last movie I loved:
Little Miss Sunshine

• Music CD that I have almost worn out from repeated playing:
Live at Central Park (I was there!) - Dave Matthews Band

• Person (living or not) that I’d like to have lunch with and why:
My father who passed in 2000. He always had a corny joke to tell and an adventure story to share.

• Visiting this place makes me peaceful:
The Beach

• One item on my “to do” list that I can’t seem to get to:
Writing a children’s book

• Favorite animal (domestic or wild):
My Welsh Terrier, Scruffy

• Favorite sports team:
To play basketball; to watch football – Go Giants!

• Destination of my fantasy vacation trip:
Tibet

• Details about the teacher I will never forget who inspired me to enter the profession:
Mr. DeVencenzio was my photography teacher in high school. He was a down-to-earth teacher/artist who encouraged me to think “outside the box”. He never limited my creativity and always believed in my talent.

• Other:
I love traveling the world. I have been to Australia, New Zealand and Costa Rica, just to name a few. Last year, I became friends with a school in Uganda through a pen pal program. With the help of my students and the community, we were able to raise over $4,000. This money went towards supplies, concrete flooring food, and tuition for students. I hope to visit my friends across the ocean in the summer of 2009.

More Poetry

Mrs. Jess, third grade teacher at West End, wrote that she was happy to announce that twelve of her students were selected to have their poems published in A Celebration of Young Poets anthology.

This publication is run in conjunction with a national poetry contest for students up to grade 3. Mrs. Jess will receive a free copy of the anthology to keep in her classroom.

The following students were finalists in the contest:

• Tim Brown
• Dominiana Burnett
• Mike Capps
• Zackery Charsha
• Rhianna Cliver
• Najah Davis
• Annie Hughes
• Cheo King
• Rebecca Martin
• Michael Messado Moten
• Maurice Royals
• Alyssa White

Congratulations to all!

Congratulations, Mr. Ford

Congratulations to Woodbury Jr.-Sr. High School mathematics teacher Ari Ford.
He has been selected to participate in the 2008 Drexel University RET program. The search committee indicated that they were extremely impressed with his qualifications and potential.

The program will run for five weeks this summer. Mr. Ford will gain valuable experience in a research laboratory, meet other teachers from the region, build his own web site, learn successful grant writing techniques, and participate in other professional development activities.

In addition, he will work directly with a faculty research mentor on the Drexel campus.

For More Information on Drexel's RET program

Fun Poetry

Last month was National Poetry month and in we celebrated this across the district in many ways.

Last night, my second grader was reading some Shel Silverstein prior to going to bed. He read to me the following two that made him laugh:

SCALE

If I could only see the scale,
I’m sure that it would state
That I’ve lost ounces . . . maybe pounds
Or even tons of weight.
“You’d better eat some pancakes –
You’re skinny as a rail.”
I’m sure that’s what the scale would say . . .
If I could see the scale.


STUPID PENCIL MAKER

Some dummy built this pencil wrong –
The eraser’s down here where the point belongs.
And the point’s at the top – so its no good to me.
Its amazing how stupid some people can be.


He was smiling as he read. That was a nice way to end the day.

I hope you have a great Tuesday. Enjoy.

Walnut Street School Lockdown Update/Detail

This afternoon, Monday, May 12, there was an attempted robbery on Broad Street in the North end of the city. Police were involved and our School Resource Officer (SRO) notified us about the event.

The attention of the police was focused in the north portion of the city. It was decided for Walnut Street School to go into a “modified” lockdown – students stayed inside, shades were drawn. This all occurred during the last half-hour of the school day.

Though the police indicated that we could dismiss our students in our normal fashion, we decided to be extra cautious. Students were dismissed to an adult. Telephone calls were made to the parents/guardians of those children who did not have an adult there to pick them up.

Soon after normal dismissal, nearly all students had been dismissed with an adult to chaperone them home.

Jr.-Sr. High School Band Concert

This week it is the Jr.-Sr. High School’s turn for a concert. Tuesday night – 8 p.m. in the auditorium – our students will perform in their Spring Band Concert.

Strategic Plan Update

The thirty-member Planning Committee developing the new Strategic Plan for the Woodbury Public Schools meets Friday and Saturday of this week. Friday is an all day event – 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. Saturday is a full day as well – 8:00 a.m. until 4 p.m.

The group will hear from the five Action Team leaders about the work that has taken place since January. Nearly seventy individuals have worked in these five Action Teams to formulate the various plans that will help achieve the objectives of the broader Strategic Plan. That work has occurred on a weekly basis over the course of these last five months.

The Planning Committee will come to agreement on a final proposal that will then be presented to the full Board of Education for approval at the June board meeting. This strategic plan will be our guiding document for our work over the course of the next five years.

Elementary Band and Choir – Spring Concert

Our elementary band and choir students perform this evening at 7:00 p.m. in the Jr.-Sr. High School auditorium. Our music teachers Mrs. Savage and Mr. Park do a fantastic job with all our student musicians. It is sure to be an enjoyable performance!

Top 5

The top five academic senior students in all of the high schools across Gloucester County were recognized last evening at an awards program held at Auletto Caterers. For Woodbury Jr.-Sr. High School, the following students were recognized:

• Harrison Webb: Brandeis University, pre-med
• William Jones: Rowan University, electrical engineering
• Joann Saridakis: Cornell University, China/Asian Pacific Studies
• Eric Ulmer: Bentley College, business
• Lucille Gassner: Drexel University, engineering

Congratulations to all!

Michael Bain Recognized for Volunteer Service

(This entry was provided by the Woodbury High School counseling department.)

Micheal Bain, a Woodbury High School senior, has been honored for his exemplary volunteer service with a President’s Volunteer Service award.

The award, which recognizes Americans of all ages who have volunteered significant amounts of their time to serve their communities and their country, was presented by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program on behalf of the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation. Michael participated in the Spirit Community Program this year as a representative of Woodbury High School.

Sponsored by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program recognizes young people across America for outstanding community service activities. More than 250,000 young people have been considered for these awards since the program began in 1995.

“The recipients of these awards vividly demonstrate that young people in America are making remarkable contributions to the health and vitality of their communities,” said Art Ryan, chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial. “They truly deserve all of the praise and encouragement we can give them.”

“The young people recognized by the Spirit of Community Awards demonstrate an enormous capacity for giving and reaching out to those in need,” said Gerald N. Tirozzi, executive director of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. “NASSP is proud to honor them as they are wonderful examples of the high caliber of young people in our nation’s schools today.”

Spotlight on Ms. Patrizio

Natalie Patrizio

Teacher of Mathematics

Woodbury Jr.-Sr. High School

· Name:

Natalie Patrizio

· College(s) and degrees(s):

Rowan University: BA Mathematics and BA Subject Matter Teaching

· Work experience:

Substitute Teacher, Retail Sales Manager of New York and Company for 6 years

· Favorite books

o Fiction: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
o Nonfiction: I do not really have a nonfiction favorite!

· Favorite television show:

Grey's Anatomy

· Last movie I loved:

I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry

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

I have a ton of burned CD's with lots of songs on them! I continually play them over and over again :0)

· Person (living or not) that I’d like to have lunch with and why:

My Uncle Joe because I miss him dearly. He was the best person in the world! He would do anything for anyone and really means the world to me.

· Visiting this place makes me peaceful:

Sitting on the beach with the ocean in front of me :)

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

Getting the addresses for my wedding guest list.

· Favorite animal (domestic or wild):

Monkey

· Favorite sports team:

E-A-G-L-E-S

· Destination of my fantasy vacation trip:

Hawaii, but I am very scared of the flight!

· Details about the teacher I will never forget who inspired me to enter the profession:

This was my high school Calculus teacher.  She was absolutely amazing in everyway possible.  She was always there for her students whether it was before or after school and she always made time to really show she cared about us.  This teacher always was interested in our lives outside of school and she would tell us some funny stories about her life.  She always challenged us more than what we thought we could handle, but it really paid off in the long run.  I still talk to this teacher today and have told her over and over again she is the reason I went into the education profession.

Testing

The New Jersey Department of Education released a memorandum last week that detailed the schedule of required state testing for 2008-09. The memo was seven pages long.

• High School Proficiency Exam (HSPA) – grade 11
• Special Review Assessment – grade 12
• End of Course Exam: Biology – high school
• End of Course Exam Pilot: Algebra I – high school
• End of Course Exam Algebra II (a future test) – high school
• Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (ASK)

• ASK8
• ASK7
• ASK6
• ASK5
• ASK4
• ASK3

• Alternative Proficiency Assessment (APA) for select special needs students.

[NJDOE memorandum]

That is a lot of testing. Obviously, each requires a shift to the school instructional day, significant administrative work, and time to administer what are often multiple day assessments.

It is no wonder that you hear educators and parents worry about the amount of testing.

Most of the above tests factor into the national No Child Left Behind (NCLB) performance expectations that schools are required to meet.

In addition to the above tests that have been primarily used for regulatory purposes, Woodbury began to administer an additional tests to students in grades 3 through 8 (grade 2 was also piloted for a different, younger version of the test). These new tests are called MAP – Measures of Academic Progress.

The MAP tests are different from the state testing in that these tests are administered on the computer, they are adaptive to the individual student (questions are given based upon previous answers), and have results immediately available to teachers so that the tests results help guide classroom instruction.

We administered the MAP tests in the fall and then again in the spring. There is a MAP report that has been generated for each student, and we will be mailing these results home with an explanatory cover letter next week. You will be able to see your child’s performance in the areas tested, look for growth, and examine how the scores compare with a district average and a national norm.

As we continue to utilize the MAP testing, the individual student score report will generate longitudinal results that will show growth over multiple years. We are excited about the first year use of this testing program and believe that there will be even more positive impact in the years to come as we become even more accustomed to how to use the many different reports available that can help teachers make curricular choices and parents support learning at home.

Look for your MAP information in the mail next week.

Full-day Pre-school for All

Business Administrator, Kara Huber, and I attended an informational session yesterday on the New Jersey Department of Education Pre-School Expansion plan. The initiative was first revealed as part of the new funding formula presented early this school year.

Woodbury is a school district that in a category that will allow us to offer full-day pre-school programming to all three- and four-year-olds in the city. The state’s plan provides per-pupil funding that covers nearly all costs associated with running the program.

The requirement is for districts to plan for this pre-school expansion during the upcoming school year and then begin implementation during the 2009-2010 school year. The idea is to have a five-year phase in process with an end goal of serving 90% of the children in the city in the program.

For Woodbury, a significant issue will be space. The state’s plan allows for you to run the program in-district, with outside providers, or by partnering with existing Head Start operations.

I will be putting together a planning team to work on Woodbury’s pre-school expansion. If there are any blog readers who have a special interest in this area, let me know; you can send an e-mail directly to me. I will look to involve as many interested parties as possible.

This is an exciting opportunity. You can read more on the section of the NJDOE website dedicated to early childhood. It is my understanding that more of the current information being shared as these informational sessions will be added to this site.

NJDOE Early Childhood Education

Governor's School -- Summer 2008

Congratulations to Woodbury High School Junior Myra Galloway who has been accepted to the Governor’s School of the Arts (Creative Writing).

Every year 11th graders with talent in music, theatre, dance, visual arts and writing are invited to make application for one of the 115 spots in the Governor’s School of the Arts. The application process includes candidate auditions, or in the case of creative writing, the submission of prose and poetry manuscripts. The students’ work is then judged by professional artists in each field.

As a result of being selected for The Governor’s School of the Arts, this summer Ms. Galloway will take a course exploring poetry, fiction and drama leading to the creation of a personal writing portfolio 40 pages in length. Additionally, she will work with fellow creative writers to publish a magazine and read her work to various audiences.

Spotlight on Ms. Burrough

Jane Burrough

Teacher of Special Education

Woodbury Jr.-Sr. High School

· Name:

Jane Burrough

· College(s) and degrees(s):
Rowan University (BA-History & Psychology)
Eastern University (MA Multicultural Education-May 08)

· Work experience:
Resource Room Teacher, Alcorn Elementary School. Philadelphia, PA

· Favorite books
o Fiction: Catch 22
o Nonfiction: My Father's Keeper

· Favorite television show:
The Office

· Last movie I loved:
Love Actually

· Person (living or not) that I’d like to have lunch with and why:
Mother Theresa. I would like to hear her tell her life story, explain how she felt when she found her "calling," and ask her how she stayed motivated to remain in Calcutta for so many years.

· Visiting this place makes me peaceful:
Any beach

· One item on my “to do” list that I can’t seem to get to:
Any kind of painting

· Favorite animal (domestic or wild):
Cat

· Favorite sports team:
Philadelphia Flyers

· Destination of my fantasy vacation trip:
Ireland

· Details about the teacher I will never forget who inspired me to enter the profession:
She was always pushing her students for more--another reason, another re-write, etc. She never allowed any student to fail nor would she allow them to not give their best everyday.

Woodbury Celebrates National Poetry Month

(This entry was compiled by Ms. Cummings, Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction.)

Poems, poems, poems
There are poems everywhere.
There are haiku on the board.
There are rhymes running down the stairs.
There are limericks on the ceiling.
There’s acrostics in my hair.

There’s poetry, poetry, poetry
Flying through the springtime air.
For as far as the eye can see.
Spend a day in April at any school
In the town of Woodbury…



West End Third Grader Imani Campbell poses proudly with her butterfly poem based on the writing of poet Christina Rosetti.

During the month of April, Woodbury students, from PreKindergarten age through grade 12, are celebrating National Poetry Month in so many different creative and exciting ways. Here’s how:

• For PreK learners working with Mrs. Seigel, Mrs. Maxymuk and Mrs. Whitman, poetry means nursery rhymes. The students are using music CDs to help them practice their nursery rhymes for a scheduled June parents’ program.

• At West End, Mrs. Gorham’s Kindergarteners learned a Quack, Quack poem written by Pat Mora and were inspired to rewrite it using cats (Meow, Meow) and birds (Tweet, Tweet) as the main characters.

• In Mrs. McLaughlin’s Kindergarten class, the Evergreen students worked one-on-one with their teacher and wrote original poems expressing how spring feels, looks, tastes, sounds and smells.

Deja Talmadge wrote:

Spring…comfortable like a rocking chair/a blossom flower/that smells like the air…




• For Mrs. Muldoon’s young writers, it was exciting to learn that sometimes poems can rhyme and sometimes they don’t have to. She helped her Evergreen Kindergarteners explore both types of poems this month.

• In first grade, Mrs. Spittal connected her young writers with second grade poets in Miss Guerin’s class. The two West End classes were able to poetically inspire each other! Across the hall, in Mrs. Brewer’s classroom, students created shape poems online.

• For Mrs. Runzer’s first graders at Walnut, every day begins with the daily National Poetry Month poem read aloud during the morning announcements. During Guided Reading, the boys and girls work at poetry activity centers as well.



• Walnut second graders have been inspired to write similes in their poetry describing their favorite stuffed animal. “His fur is like brown sugar,” wrote one of Miss Hill’s students.

• At Evergreen, Miss Lyons’ writers have created a book featuring seven poems. They will perform their favorite poem with family and friends at a poetry reading scheduled for May 2nd.

• Mrs. Tsomabaris’ writers have been collecting their writing in a special poetry folder all month long. They are enjoying reading their work aloud to one another.



• Third grade classes across the district welcomed Ms. Cummings into their classrooms for an hour long Poetry Writers’ Workshop this month. First, each classroom collaborated on a group poem “I Can’t Write a Poem” based on the poem of the same name by Bruce Lansky. Next they each chose one of three different poetry forms for a personal piece. Finally, each poet was invited to share their writing at the end of the Writers’ Workshop and receive finger snapping applause and positive feedback from the other students.

• Miss Estep’s students are working with Literacy Coach Mrs. Frapaul on Diamante poetry. In addition, Mrs. Jess’s third graders at West End We each chose one of their favorite pieces and entered a National Poetry Contest – “Celebrating Young Poets.”

• Fourth graders at Evergreen participated in a Haiku Hike based on a book by the same name and were motivated to write about the natural beauty they saw as they walked outside. Mrs. Cremeens’ students at West End moved on from Haiku form to experiment with limericks and acrostic poetry. Walnut fourth grade students have been proud to practice and perform the daily poem everyday for the morning announcements during the month of April.

• Grade Four Enrichment students across the district have been working with Mrs. Foran to write cinquains about some of the real-life mysteries that they have been studying: Stonehenge, Machu Picchu, Easter Island, Atlantis, Bermuda Triangle, and Roswell.

• Finally, in grades six through twelve English students have been invited to write in the style of poet Nikki Giovanni for this year’s One School/One Poet Contest.


A Poet Tree “grows” outside of Mrs. Rath’s classroom at West End School

New Jersey Commissioner of Education Visits Walnut

New Jersey Commissioner of Education, Lucille Davy, visited the kindergarten students at Walnut Street School last week. Ms. Davy was touring select schools in honor of the National Week of the Young Child. Ms. Davy targeted schools that offered young children full day kindergarten options.

Commissioner Davy read to the students and asked them questions about their schooling. Mrs. Richmond's kindergarten students were dressed in pajamas because they were participating in an event later in the day where older students were going to join them for an additional reading activity.

Walnut was proud to be on the short list of schools visited by the Commissioner.

(Gloucester County Times article)

English 100 Class Project -- Mrs. Lario

Maria Lario’s English 100 students’ strong emotional connection to Night, Elie Wiesel’s autobiographical account of the Holocaust, recently translated into a powerful classroom project.

The idea grew from a parent’s email. For the project, the students had to depict either a scene or a concept from the book. They were asked to brainstorm ideas and then plan out a drawing in detail, explaining the significance of their figures used, the symbols, and even the colors. The students also wrote a formal explanation to accompany their drawings.

The original plan was to create a paper quilt until Sue Berting, 7th grade Science teacher, offered to share her skills as a quilter. The result is the Night quilt displayed.

You can imagine how excited Mrs. Lario’s students were to see the finished product. The students’ work will be shared at tomorrow's Board of Education meeting.

Recently, Mrs. Lario was informed that The Goodwin Holocaust Museum of the Delaware Valley would like the have the quilt loaned to them for display at the Cherry Hill-based museum. The museum plans to display the quilt on April 30th for the Yom Ha Shoah evening in remembrance of the Holocaust.


(Information from this post came from Denise Dunham, Principal, and a letter that Mrs. Lario sent to the parents of her students regarding the quilt project.)

Board of Education Meeting: Wednesday, 7:00 p.m.

The regular, monthly meeting of the Woodbury Board of Education is scheduled for this Wednesday evening, April 23, at 7:00 p.m. The meeting is held in the Board Conference Room on the first floor of the high school building.

This April meeting is the reorganization meeting of the Board of Education. As a result, this month's meeting is a bit more involved than normal. A couple of points of interest:

* Principal Dunham and Mrs. Lario, Sr. High English teacher, will be making a presentation to the Board regarding a quilt project. More information will be in tomorrow's blog post.

* The re-elected board members will be officially sworn into office along with the new student representative to the board, James Jones.

The full agenda for this board meeting will be able to be found on the school district's website later today: Agendas

Woodbury Relays @ Woodbury!

On Your Mark . . .



Get Set . . .



Go!

The Woodbury Relays return to Woodbury this Saturday, April 19, 2008 at 9:00 a.m.

Today's GCT's article

Woodbury’s Own Gets the Gold!

(This entry was submitted by Mrs. Dunham, Principal of the Jr.-Sr. High School)

Samantha DeWitt, Class of 2008, achieved the Girl Scout Gold Award -- the highest award that a Girl Scout 14-18 may earn. Samantha is part of the first generation of Girl Scouts to earn the Bronze, Silver, and Gold awards. To date, only 5% of registered Girl Scouts in grades 10-12 can claim this accomplishment.

The Girl Scout Gold Award focuses on a Girl Scout's interests and personal journey through leadership skills, career explorations, self-improvement, and service. Samantha has proven to be a leader in and outside of the walls of Woodbury Junior - Senior High School. All of Herd Country celebrate your accomplishments; we are very proud to know you!

Congratulations, Samantha!

Updates -- Budget and Track

Thanks to all who participated in the school budget vote yesterday. The Woodbury budget passed by the largest percentage in the county – a nearly 80% approval mark.






Work continues on the new track surface with the hope that the historic Woodbury Relays will return to our stadium complex this year. The weather, significantly limiting much of the work over the past few weeks, has finally cooperated this week.

It is expected that the very last portion of the track will be finished today. That will leave just a couple days (Thursday and Friday) to finish painting the lines. If the weather continues to be nice – and no other complications arise – we will just make it in time for the Saturday meet.

We will put a final notice regarding the site of the meet on of the district website this Friday.

April 15, 2008 -- School Budget/Election

Thank you.

School Budget Vote -- Tuesday, April 15th

Tomorrow -- Tuesday, April 15th -- is the vote on the school budget and the election of school board members.

The polls are open from 2 PM until 9 PM.

This year’s proposed budget will reduce local taxes by approximately 1 million dollars in comparison to last year’s budget. This reducation can be directly attributed to the state’s new funding formula for schools and the corresponding increase in state aid to Woodbury.

The result to the tax rate is a cut for the upcoming school year:
-25.3 cents.

Please remember to vote. Each individual vote is important.

Spotlight on Ms. Baresel

Karynna Ann Baresel

English Teacher

Woodbury Jr.-Sr. High School

•Name:
Karynna Ann Baresel

• College(s) and degrees(s):
Old Dominion University – M.A. - Humanities – Women’s Studies Certificate
Old Dominion University – B.A. - English – Journalism emphasis, Women’s Studies minor

• Work experience:
English Instructor (Adjunct) – Rutgers University, Rowan University, Old Dominion University, Tidewater Community College
Volunteer Coordinator – Help and Emergency Response (H.E.R. Shelter)
Editorial Assistant – Norfolk Southern Corporation, Public Relations

• Favorite books
o Fiction: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
o Nonfiction: Anything by David Sedaris

• Favorite television show:
Seinfeld

• Last movie I loved:
Lylia 4-Ever (or at least the last movie that impacted me deeply)

• Music CD that I have almost worn out from repeated playing:
Joshua Tree - U2

• Person (living or not) that I’d like to have lunch with and why:
Bono. I admire the fact that he’s used his fame to affect positive change in the world – not to mention he’s an amazing musician and performer.

• Visiting this place makes me peaceful:
Walking through the streets of my hometown of Haddonfield.

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

• Favorite animal (domestic or wild):
I’m an animal lover, but I have an affinity for bunnies.

Favorite sports team:
None

• Destination of my fantasy vacation trip:
I love to travel and have visited more than 30 countries worldwide. I recently returned from my fantasy trip to SE Asia where I spent several months volunteering in Thailand as well as backpacking through Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. For ’08, I have a few destinations picked out, including visiting a friend in China and volunteering in South Africa. To me, traveling some place new is always a fantasy and more than a “vacation” – it’s a repeated lesson on humbleness and gratitude.

• Details about the teacher I will never forget who inspired me to enter the profession:
In high school I had a teacher, Ms. Kalodi, who taught an elective on the Vietnam War. I've yet to experience a teacher more passionate about his/her subject matter. And through those spirited and meaningful lessons, she maintained one simple message: That no matter what side we came down on about the war, whether we believed it was justified or not, to give appreciation to those who fought in it, and if we were to meet a vet to just say "Thank you."

This winter when I was in Vietnam I met Peter, a vet returning to the country for the first time. We crossed paths several times, including a trip we took together the day after Christmas to My Lai. It was a humbling place, and I was grateful to have the opportunity to visit such sacred ground with Peter as well as to hear his stories and to learn more about Vietnam and about the war. When I finally could muster the emotional strength to say those two words "Thank you," I understood why Ms. Kalodi was so passionate about her message. When Peter puzzled at my initial appreciation, all I could muster was, "It's something I learned from a teacher."

Blood Drive -- Tomorrow

(A message from Miss Sharron Knauss, advisor to the Woodbury NHS)

The Woodbury High School National Honor Society Blood Drive has been rescheduled for this Friday, April 11th. Those who signed up for the original date, your appointments will be the same.

Anyone else who would like to schedule an appointment from 3pm to 8pm, please contact Sharron Knauss, NHS advisor. Everyone is welcome. This afternoon/evening session is open to the public.

Miss Sharron L. Knauss
Phone 853-0123 ext. 248
sknauss@woodburysch.com

Thank you for your assistance in making this a successful drive.

Student Summer Work

The High School Counseling Office wants students to know that there are some summer employment opportunities available right here at the school. If you are interested, see your counselor for more information.


Student Worker for Board Office

20 Hours a Week $8.00 an Hour

Start Date: July 7th




Student Worker for the Technology Office

20 Hours a Week $7.50 an Hour

Start Date: July 7th



Student Painters (10 Positions Available)

20 Hours a Week $7.15 an Hour

Start Date: July 7th

NJDOE f.y.i.

The following information was sent to all school superintendents regarding a new NJDOE newsletter. I thought you may be interested:


The New Jersey Department of Education has established a newsletter to serve the information needs of the state’s education community and the general public. DOE f.y.i. will provide readers with regular updates on news involving state-level programs affecting the public schools in digest form. It will also contain news about upcoming events and recent postings on our website.

Please take some time to review the inaugural issue by clicking on the link at the end of this message. If you would like to continue to receive this free newsletter, we are asking you to fill out a brief subscription request. You will be subscribed upon submission of your request.

To review your issue of DOE f.y.i., click on this link:

http://www.nj.gov/education/newsletter/08/0402.pdf

For your free subscription to DOE f.y.i., click on this link:

http://www.nj.gov/education/newsletter/

If you have any questions or comments about DOE f.y.i., please contact the Office of Public Information at 609-292-1126.

Gloucester County Summer Youth Internship Program

The Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office runs a special summer program for high school students. Last week, Edward Murphy, Director of Pupil Personnel Services and I met with Jackie Caban, Assistant Prosecutor for Gloucester County about the program. Ms. Caban runs the program for the Prosecutor’s Office.

High school students can apply to be part of a group of twenty who participate in a four-week program – two weeks are held at the Police Academy (on Gloucester County College’s campus) and two weeks are at the Prosecutor’s Office here in Woodbury. Some program highlights:

• Free transportation is provided to get to GCC during the first two weeks,
  
• Free lunch is provided daily,
  
• There is an opportunity to learn about law enforcement from a variety of people in the field,
  
• A number of trips (Cooper Trauma Center, Constitution Center, etc.) are included as part of the program, and
  
• A $400 stipend is paid to each participant.
  

Applications are available now. Stop by the main office. You can see either of the high school counselors or Mr. Murphy for more information.

Woodbury is allotted approximately five of the twenty slots. The program is open to students who will be entering their sophomore, junior or senior years.

Spotlight on Ms. Mosley

Amanda Mosley

Teacher of English

Woodbury Jr.-Sr. High School

•Name:
Amanda Mosley

• College(s) and degrees(s):
West Chester University, Bachelor of Science in Education

• Work experience:
Long-term substitute in Cedarville, NJ, 8th grade LA and 7th and 8th grade AVID

• Favorite books
The Great Gatsby

• Favorite television show:
Law and Order

• Last movie I loved:
Dirty Dancing

• Music CD that I have almost worn out from repeated playing:
Middle of Nowhere - Hanson

• Person (living or not) that I’d like to have lunch with and why:
I’d love to have lunch with my paternal grandmother to find out more about my father’s side of the family.

• Visiting this place makes me peaceful:
The beach

• Favorite animal (domestic or wild):
Cats

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 3rd grade teacher, Mrs. Byer, is the reason I decided to become a teacher. She had a passion for all of her students, and I can remember feeling safe and comfortable in her classroom. She loved all of her students equally and, at the same time, treated them as individuals.

Shoes and Smoking

Below is a link to the story associated with this picture:

Gloucester County Times Story -- 04/03/08

Yesterday: April Fools

A
P
R
I
L

F
O
O
L
S

As someone pointed out in one of the comments, the first letter of each paragraph revealed the hint: “April Fools.” Just for fun.

So, what did we learn:

 Some Woodbury colleagues (teachers and administrators) thought it would be fun to get into the act with various posts in the comment section,

 The comment section of the blog really works – this was, by far, the most actively responded to entry,

 And . . . I suspect that some truly find interest in the idea of a reduction in homework. I know that as a father of four – all school age with regular homework – the idea of just one homework-free night seems like such a treat.

Well, that was fun. You can imagine the reaction here at the schools by our teachers to such an idea suddenly appearing on the blog.

In truth, there has been conversation about the amount of homework in the elementary grades. We have been discussing this a bit administratively and with teachers in grade level meetings. The idea is to look to standardized an amount of homework by grade level so that there is no significant fluctuation from class to class.

For now, the idea of a “No Homework” school year will have to wait, and we return to the regular blog entries.

Oh – did you see the one comment on yesterday's post that used the same idea except that it was the first letter in each word in the comment that gave away the trick?

All Previous Responses Insightful. 
Life-experience Frequently Outshines Organized Learning Systems!

New Homework Policy Explanation

A number of our teachers thought that it would be healthy for us to adopt a new “No Homework” policy. The idea would be that students would be free to do what they want after school with no worry about any school assignments.

Policy changes require two board meetings. Therefore, this change will not go into effect until the next school year, but we thought it would be important to share this new thinking early.

Recent research has shown that time spent on homework can be better put to use for other important activities – family interaction, physical activity, etc.

It is expected that a few of our families will question this change in policy, but understand that you can always provide your own children with extra academic work – if that is your choice.

Limiting the time students have for outside interest seriously curtails their ability to explore these areas of interest and can have a limiting impact on future decisions about careers, etc. This new approach should broaden the horizon for many of the Woodbury students.

Following a year of operating under this new policy, we will conduct a variety of studies to determine whether academic performance has suffered. In addition, surveys will be conducted of our students and their parents to see if “quality of life” issues have benefited from the change.

Our goal here is to increase student opportunities. Interestingly, it is believed that this approach will also increase student academic performance.

One of the critical benchmarks for success will be performance on the state testing – ASK and HSPA testing. We will be able to chart these performances against past years to have an added measure to help determine the success of the new “No Homework” policy.

Let’s face it, today’s society has placed many added pressures on the family. If the school can help relieve some of this tension, our children will be better off. The teachers will be able to utilize classroom time on new learning – without worry about who did or did not complete a prior night’s assignment. Additionally, mom and dad will now have the luxury of true family time each and every night. This presents a win-win opportunity.

Should you have any questions or comments about this proposed change in policy, feel free to leave a comment as part of this blog entry. It will be interesting to be able to follow the thoughts of others who hear about this idea and the various reactions.

25 Book Club at West End Memorial

(Mr. Myers, principal of West End, contributed this blog entry.)

The incentive portion of the 25 Book Club came to an end on March 28th for the students at West End. By this date, it was expected that all students completed the goal of reading 25 books at home during the course of the year in order to receive prizes.

During the course of the school year, the students at West End have read well over 8,000 books! We have 224 students who met the 25 book goal and will have the opportunity to attend the Camden Riversharks game on May 15th. Way to go students!

Throughout out the last couple of months, the West End staff organized several fundraisers to off-set some of the costs associated to the game including a popcorn sale, pretzel sale, lollypop sale, dress down days, and a “Tape Mr. Myers to the Wall Day.

The most interesting fundraiser was the “Tape Mr. Myers to the Wall Day.” Students were able to bring in one dollar to purchase a piece of duct tape. We all thought for sure that 277 pieces of duct tape would hold Mr. Myers to the wall. While students conducted many chants of “Tape him up!”, Mr. Jones pulled the step stool out from Mr. Myers. After a brief second suspended in the air -- Mr. Myers fell to the ground.

Though this brings the "contest" portion of the 25 Book Club to an end, it is still expected that students continue to read at home. Individual book counts are reflected on report cards.

Congratulations, West End.

Gloucester County Times Article -- Saturday, March 29

Spotlight on Ms. Benson

Chloe Benson

Teacher of Mathematics

Woodbury Jr.-Sr. High School

•Name:
Chloe Benson

• College(s) and degrees(s):
Gwynedd-Mercy College – B.A. in Computer Information Science
Rowan University – Post-Baccalaureate, Certification (K-12) Mathematics

• Work experience:
Teaching assistant, Gloucester County College (2002-2007)

• Favorite books
o Fiction: Tuesday with Morrie
o Nonfiction: Thinking Mathematically

• Favorite television show:
Medium

• Last movie I loved:
October Sky

• Music CD that I have almost worn out from repeated playing:
Come Away With Me - Norah Jones

• Person (living or not) that I’d like to have lunch with and why:
My dad. I would like to pay for the lunch and say “Thank you, Dad!”

• Visiting this place makes me peaceful:
Big open field with nobody around

• One item on my “to do” list that I can’t seem to get to:
Save enough money to travel around the world.

• Favorite animal (domestic or wild):
Dogs

Favorite sports team:
Sorry! I don’t have any.

• Destination of my fantasy vacation trip:
Spain and Portugal

• Details about the teacher I will never forget who inspired me to enter the profession:
I met this professor in my college math course. She was always enthusiastic when she walked into the classroom. Her lessons were always incremental and organized. I took her pre-calculus class, and I recognized the first time that I enjoyed working on math and I was good at it. Through her teaching style, I discovered my potential in math.

An Impressive Performance

I must write to inform you that any Woodbury resident would have been proud of the Woodbury Public Schools last night if he or she was in attendance at the Board of Education meeting to hear our students perform.

Mr. Dunham, principal of the Jr.-Sr. High School, had three different sets of students involved in the program –

• Two students sang a song they originally performed in the cafeteria-based, February Black History “Open Mic” celebration,
  

• Three students read original poetry that each fashioned in the high school’s new Creative Writing elective class, and
  

• Nine students provided the board members with personal reflections on the value of being part of the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program in the high school.
  

At the conclusion of the presentation, our board members praised the students and teachers present for the wonderful insight into the successes that were part of this 2007-08 school year.

I want to thank Mrs. Dunham, Mrs. Sokolovic (Creative Writing teacher), Mrs. Fitzgerald (AVID teacher), Mrs. Cohen (AVID director) and all of the students involved in the board presentation (see below). It was a powerfully uplifting event.

Open Mic
Darnell Donohue, Grade 9,
Juwan Daniels-Dyer, Grade 9

Creative Writing
Adrienne Curry, Grade 10
Kim Erskine, Grade 12
Tangeleke Rothmiller, Grade 12

AVID 9
Karon Gibson
Teddy Johnson
Keyona Nelson
William Pearson
Qua'Dera Riche
Maya Rhodes

AVID 10
James Jones
Katharine Mooney
JaLisa Wilson

Board of Education Meeting -- Tonight

The regular monthly meeting of the Woodbury Board of Education will be held today, March 26, at 7:00 p.m. (agenda)

There are two presentations/discussion items scheduled for this month's meeting:

• Jr.-Sr. High School Student Presentation
  
• Public Hearing on the 2008-09 School Budget

(Reminder to school staff: There is a 3:30 p.m. meeting today in the Board Conference Room for all who are interested in hearing a preview of the information that will be part of the public hearing on the school budget.)

Second Grade Poets Grow Big and Small

(submitted by Alysa Cummings, Supervisor of Curriculum & Instruction)

To get a head start on their April celebration of National Poetry Month, second grade teachers invited Curriculum and Instruction Supervisor Alysa Cummings into their classrooms during the month of March for a fun Shel Silverstein lesson based on his Where the Sidewalk Ends poem,

One Inch Tall:

If you were only one inch tall, you'd ride a worm to school.The teardrop of a crying ant would be your swimming pool.A crumb of cake would be a feastAnd last you seven days at least,A flea would be a frightening beastIf you were one inch tall…

The students tried to imagine what life would be like if they were suddenly shrunken in size. After reading One Inch Tall, here are some of the creative ideas that Miss Hill’s boys and girls shared:

I could swim in a bowl of cheerios
I would fly in a bubble
I would jump through a paper clip
And dance on the computer keys

Next, the second graders used their imaginations to write about a different perspective: how would your life change if you were suddenly 15 feet tall? Miss Frazier’s and Mrs. Tsombaris’ students really liked being big:

I would give my teacher a ride to work on my shoulder
I could eat 6000 bags of cookies
I could walk from New Jersey to the North Pole
I would step on a lot of people
I could jump as high as the sky
I would slide down a rainbow
I would feel big and strong
I could do anything I wanted to if I was 15 feet tall…

Shel Silverstein is just one of many poets that elementary students will be celebrating during National Poetry Month and clearly a top ten favorite among second graders.

Walnut in the News

The Walnut Street School students made the newspaper today.  Check out the link below to the Gloucester County Times story on the Philadelphia Zoo program that visited our students yesterday.  It was a reward assembly for good citizenship.  Congratulations, Walnut!

Gloucester County Times

Anticipated Faculty Openings for 2008-09 School Year

We have started our annual search for new faculty. This time of the year, we are attending various education job fairs in the region.

We attended the Greater Philadelphia Area Teacher Job Fair on Wednesday, March 11. Additionally, last Saturday, we were one of the school districts interviewing at the Association of Mathematics Teachers of New Jersey job fair for prospective mathematics and science teachers.

We will continue with a Gloucester County Teacher Job Fair this week (Wednesday) and then another event at the University of Delaware.

In addition, we are advertising in NJHire (an on-line service -- njhire.com) and have placed an advertisement in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Ultimately, we will look to hire the majority of new teachers for the 2008-09 school year at our April and May board meetings.

Below is a list of anticipated openings:

• Science
  


• Special Education (highly qualified language arts literacy and/or mathematics)
  


• Spanish
  


• Social Studies
  


• English
  


• Elementary Teachers
  


• Academic Coach – Literacy
  


• Academic Coach – Mathematics
  


• Academic Coach -- AVID
  


• School Psychologist and/or LDTC
  


• Intern/Option II Coordinator (0.5 FTE)

Driver Education

Earlier this month, Woodbury High School driver education teacher, Joyce Woodrow, arranged with the local Woodbury Police and the Camden Park Police to have a special demonstration for her students. The demonstration is part of a program that is sponsored by the Camden County Freeholders and includes a special golf cart, vision impaired goggles, and an obstacle course made from traffic cones.

This hands-on demonstration seemed to make an impact on the many students who participated throughout the day.

There was a story in the Courier-Post and a picture display on the Gloucester County Times website. Links to both are attached below.

Gloucester County Times -- pictures

Courier-Post -- story

Spotlight on Mrs. Scipione-Fehre

Roseanne Scipione-Fehre

Teacher of English

Woodbury Jr.-Sr. High School

•Name:
Roseanne Scipione-Fehre

• College(s) and degrees(s):
Temple University, B.S. in Education

• Work experience:
I started teaching in a Maximum Security facility for serious male juvenile offenders. I taught 120 of the most serious male offenders in the state of Pennsylvania. I enjoyed working with troubled youth very much. Unfortunately, the facility closed and I had to find another job. Thankfully, the principal of the school called me and asked me to work for him at his new school. That is how I ended up teaching for the Chester-Upland School District. I really liked working in Chester but I decided to stay home when I had my first child. I now have two children ages two and five and I am thrilled to be back in the classroom.

• Favorite books
o Fiction: I have many but I would have to say that my favorite is The Autobiography of an Ex-colored Man by James Weldon Johnson
o Nonfiction: A Narrative in the Life of Frederick Douglas (I love slave narratives)

• Favorite television show:
All time favorite: Seinfeld

Current favorites: Scrubs and The Office

• Last movie I loved:
Ratatouille

• Music CD that I have almost worn out from repeated playing:
I’m more of a radio listener.

• Person (living or not) that I’d like to have lunch with and why:
Jesus Christ. I’d like to ask him what he thinks of the world today and what the future holds.

• Visiting this place makes me peaceful:
The beach

• One item on my “to do” list that I can’t seem to get to:
Cleaning out my basement. (Now that I got this blog assignment finished!)

• Favorite animal (domestic or wild):
Dog

Favorite sports team:
Whichever team is winning at the time.

• Destination of my fantasy vacation trip:
Italy, to my father’s birthplace.

• Details about the teacher I will never forget who inspired me to enter the profession:
Mrs. Todt was my fourth grade teacher. She was kind and gentle and never raised her voice. She treated us all like we were her own children and shared stories about her life. She was always available for extra help and was happy to have us before or after school in her room. I will never forget her dedication and devotion.

Senior Citizens' Luncheon and Musical

(This entry was written by Donna Lacovara, Student Assistance Coordinator.) 

On Saturday, March 1st, the Woodbury Education Association’s Pride committee hosted its third annual Senior Citizens’ luncheon. This year the number of attendees tripled to 61!

Seniors, by reservation, enjoyed a catered luncheon provided by Lee Weatherby’s Impromptu Caterers, received a stadium cushion with the message of “Pride in Public Education, Woodbury Education Association,” and even searched through some discarded library books to take home.

Several WEA members hosted the event, which is free of cost to all who attended thanks to a Pride grant provided through the NJEA. At the luncheon’s conclusion, seniors received a complimentary ticket from the WHS Drama Club to their matinee performance of Into the Woods.

All had a wonderful day and the time allowed for WEA members to further connect to our community. Any questions or comments regarding this annual event may be directed to Donna Lacovara (dlacovara@woodburysch.com).

[Special thanks to our "workers" at the luncheon; these WEA members and their families helped to organize and make the luncheon such a success: Donna Lacovara, Cyndy Tsombaris, Sharron Knauss, Dianne Clement (and her Foods II class for making cupcakes), Rosanne Fehre, Nicolina and Antonio Fehre, Jane Burrough, Ellen Firth, Linda Webb, Susan Berting, Chrissy Pierce, Jaime Jess, Peggy Namm, Maria Gassner, Michele Sokolovic, Noelle Baskinger, Kaitlyn and Kendal Lacovara.]

Just In . . .

Today at Scotto's -- Wednesday, March 12th 5-10PM

15% of the total bill will be donated to the Woodbury High School National Honor Society.


CALL 856-384-7700 OR VISIT ON LINE @ http://www.piazzadiscotto.com/

Congressman Andrews Visits Evergreen

Woodbury Public Schools Celebrate . . .


NEA's Read Across America.



Last week, our schools celebrated the National Educational Association's Read Across America -- and the birthday of Dr. Seuss. Various guest readers were invited into different classrooms across the district.

At Evergreen, on Friday, March 7, Congressman Robert Andrews visited the kindergarten, first, and second grade classes. He read from Dr. Seuss books and answered student questions regarding everything from his pets (two cats) to his work in Washington, DC.

Keeping reading everyone! Every day.

PTO Raises Funds for Evergreen Playground

(This entry was written by Tonya Breland, Principal of Evergreen Avenue Elementary School.)

For several years, Evergreen’s PTO has been putting away money to purchase new playground equipment for the students. This year, as the current officers close out their terms at Evergreen, they are ready to make the purchase.

Students have been contributing their loose change daily towards the new playground and are excited about it. Staff have also joined in with their own fundraising and are making contributions towards the purchase.

Evergreen views this campaign as a joint community effort since community members have graciously contributed to various fundraising activities in the past.

We still need more help…the cost of the new playground is not limited to just the equipment, but we have the cost of preparing the grounds as well. We are seeking donations and, eventually, time commitments from individuals who can help prepare and install the new equipment.

Please contact Evergreen’s main office at extension 141 if you would like to help.

Evergreen Celebrates Black History Month

(This entry was written by Tonya Breland, Principal of Evergreen Avenue Elementary School.)

Students at Evergreen Avenue Elementary School celebrated Black History Month in a culminating school-wide event Friday February 29th. The program’s theme was “Making a Difference,” recognizing the contributions of noteworthy African Americans to our country.

Every class prepared short presentations for their parents and the student body. Presentations varied and included a song about Dr. King & equality, a parade of inventors, several creative PowerPoint presentations of individuals who have made a difference -- including some presentations with voice-overs and video, individual presentations, recitations of poetry and song, and a mock Oprah show. Our preschool contributed to the décor by creating a peace sign with their hand prints.

Everyone’s efforts contributed to the program’s overall success.

Spotlight on Ms. Capodanno

Julie Capodanno

Teacher of English as a Second Language

District

•Name:
Julie Capodanno

• College(s) and degrees(s):
Sweet Briar College – B.A. – International Affairs/B.A. Spanish
University of Delaware – M.A. – Teaching English as a Second Language

• Work experience:
Taught Spanish at Hockessin Montessori School and St. John the Beloved; English Language Tutor with Delaware Head Start; Student Teaching in Greenwood Elementary – Kennett Square, PA

• Favorite books
o Fiction: Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
o Nonfiction: The Five Points by Tyler Anbinder

• Favorite television show:
Lost

• Last movie I loved:
The Good Shepherd

• Music CD that I have almost worn out from repeated playing:
Blue - Joni Mitchell

• Person (living or not) that I’d like to have lunch with and why:
President Theodore Roosevelt. I’d like to talk with him about his travels throughout the world and political ideas. I bet it would definitely be an exciting talk.

• Visiting this place makes me peaceful:
The Beach

• One item on my “to do” list that I can’t seem to get to:
Join a field hockey league

• Favorite animal (domestic or wild):
Dogs

Favorite sports team:
The Eagles

• Destination of my fantasy vacation trip:
Hawaii

• Details about the teacher I will never forget who inspired me to enter the profession:
He was a history, political science teacher that was always fun to be around. You could tell he loved the subject he taught and cared about his students and their lives.