City of Woodbury Survey

The City of Woodbury, in partnership with the Gloucester County Department of Economic Development, is conducting a survey to better understand the wants and needs of the people who live, work, or shop in Woodbury. As part of their ongoing efforts to revitalize and improve the Broad Street commercial district, they want know know what will make the downtown district more appealing to you. Please take this opportunity to express your views about shopping and dining in Woodbury. The results of the survey will be used to develop a community-driven plan of action for the Broad Street corridor.

The survey is available online at www. Woodburysurvey.com. The survey is anonymous-- no personal information will be requested.

Happy Friday

Well -- I have to retool. I need to update a few of my new teacher entries so that I can get more ready for the Friday Spotlights.

For today, let me point out that the Junior High School Theatre Club will be performing Seussical The Musical tonight and tomorrow, 7 p.m., in the Jr.-Sr. High School auditorium. Come on out for some local entertainment. It is sure to be fun.

Tickets at the door. Adults -- $7; Students and Seniors -- $5.

(This is a copy of the letter that will go home with our Jr.-Sr. High School students today. I post it here as an added way to ensure that some of our parents have quick, ready access to it.)
______________________________________________________________

WOODBURY JUNIOR – SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
25 North Broad Street
Woodbury, New Jersey 08096
(856) 853-0123

Denise Dunham, Principal
Jason Vivadelli, Assistant Principal
John Lukis, Assistant Principal
Grant Shivers, Director of Athletics and Student Activities



December 4, 2008


Dear Parents/Guardians:

I am writing this letter to inform you of an incident that occurred in the downtown area of the City this morning.

Just prior to the start of school, the Woodbury Police were informed that a gunshot was heard in the alley behind the Gloucester County Family Court building. This building is located across Broad Street on the south side of the main intersection.

The police recovered the firearm before school started and have a report regarding the description of the alleged shooter. As part of their search for this individual, Woodbury police were stationed around our building at the start of the school day.

A collaborative decision by the City police and the school district resulted in the determination that the matter could be handled by the police with no need for the school to take any special action. Faculty and staff were provided an update early in the morning and there was no interruption to our school day.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

Denise Dunham Principal

Family Nights

In mid-November, the 2nd and 3rd graders in the Woodbury School District were invited to come out for a Reading Café Family Night. Parents, students and teachers from all three schools came together at Evergreen Avenue School to hear a story and participate in learning centers. These centers included math and literacy games and activities related to a story that was created by Woodbury elementary teachers. Students were able to work on laptop computers, assemble a thermometer craft kit, and write a comic strip as well as other fun activities. Refreshments were served and wonderful time was had by all!

For more information on 2008-09 Family Nights see our district website.

(This post was prepared by Toni Capodanno, Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction)

WHS Boys Soccer

Coach Marc Cannuli was recently informed that his Boys Soccer team has again been recognized by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America with a National Team Academic Award. Woodbury Boys Soccer has achieved this award every year since 2002. Congratulations to each of our scholar-athletes for this accomplishment!

http://nscaa.com/articles/20081118090750381.php

2008 NSCAA High School Team Academic Award Winners Announced

A total of 402 soccer teams (148 boys, 254 girls) from throughout the United States have earned the NSCAA Team Academic Award for exemplary performance in the classroom as a team during the 2007-08 academic year. Among these programs are 56 schools receiving honors for both their boys and girls teams. To qualify for the award, the team must have a minimum grade point average of 3.25 for the entire academic year. The team GPA is determined by adding every player's GPA, then dividing by the number of players. 2007-08 NSCAA/adidas Boys Team Academic Award School, City, State, Coach, GPA Academic Magnet High School, North Charleston, S.C., Troy Bennage, 4.08 Alamo Heights High School, San Antonio, Texas, Bruce Fink, 3.73 Arapahoe High School, Centennial, Colo., Mark Hampshire, 3.53 Arrowhead Christian Academy, Redlands, Calif., Greg Treur, 3.32 Augusta Preparatory Day School, Martinez, Ga., Forrest Wimberly, 3.50 Avon High School, Avon, Ind., Philip Schmitt, 3.66 Bath-Haverling High School, Bath, N.Y., Matt Hill, 3.68 Bay High School, Bay Village, Ohio, Robert Dougherty, 3.39 Baylor School, Chattanooga, Tenn., Curtis Blair, 3.54 Beachwood High School, Beachwood, Ohio, Brian R. Greene, 3.62 Bellbrook High School, Bellbrook, Ohio, Charles Luse, 3.33 Berkeley Preparatory School, Tampa, Fla., Tim Cooper, 3.40 Blackman High School, Murfreesboro, Tenn., Bill Vice, 3.30 Blacksburg High School, Blacksburg, Va., Travis Bishop, 3.48 Blue Valley High School, Stilwell, Kan., K. Dean Snell, 3.48 Blue Valley North High School, Overland Park, Kan., Tom E. Holland, 3.50 Brenham High School, Brenham, Texas, Erik Lane, 3.28 Broadneck High School, Annapolis, Md., Sean Tettemer, 3.65 Brookland-Cayce High School, Cayce, S.C., Kevin Heise, 3.85 Broomfield High School, Broomfield, Colo., Jim Davidson, 3.60 Brophy College Preparatory , Phoenix, Ariz., Marc A. Kelly, 3.56 James F. Byrnes High School, Duncan, S.C., Matt Brophy, 3.35 Cabell Midland High School, Ona, W. Va., Jack DeFazio, 3.84 Cambridge Christian School, Tampa, Fla., Kevin Hickinbotham, 3.75 Campbellsport High School, Campbellsport, Wis., Jim Schwindt, 3.41 Canfield High School, Canfield, Ohio, Phil Simone, 3.29 Canterbury High School, Fort Wayne, Ind., Greg Mauch, 3.49 Cardinal Newman School, Columbia, S.C., Will Eudy, 3.71 Catonsville High School, Catonsville, Md., Victor Vega, 3.51 Chapin High School, Chapin, S.C., Dick Hiller, 3.40 Charles F. Brush High School, Lyndhurst , Ohio, John Scramling, 3.55 Charlotte Latin School, Charlotte, N.C., Lee Horton, 3.51 Chestatee High School, Gainesville, Ga., Michael Herrin, 3.33 Chickasha High School, Chickasha, Okla., Steve Scott, 3.25 Christ Church Episcopal School, Greenville, S.C., David A. Wilcox, 3.84 Christian Life School, Kenosha, Wis., Alan Kross, 3.47 Circle Christian School, Orlando, Fla., John Lauretta, 3.76 Cocalico High School, Denver, Pa., Bob Dungan, 3.39 Cosby High School, Midlothian, Va., Mike Anderson, 3.87 Conestoga Valley High School, Lancaster, Pa., David Hartlaub, 3.59 Frank W. Cox High School, Virginia Beach, Va., Richard Mead, 3.29 Crespi Carmelite High School, Encino, Calif., Rob Kodama, 3.25 Danville High School, Danville, Ky., Brent Beauman, 3.67 Danville Area High School, Danville, Pa., Christopher Johns, 3.70 Deep Run High School, Glen Allen, Va., Steven Chapman, 3.76 Dorman High School, Roebuck, S.C., Carlos Osorio, 3.45 Durham School of the Arts, Durham , N.C., Amy Green, 3.88 East Chapel Hill High School, Chapel Hill, N.C., Joe Burger, 3.60 East Hampton High School, East Hampton, Conn., Bob Boscarino, 3.67 East Limestone High School, Athens, Ala., Tim Kay, 3.80 Eastern Mennonite High School, Harrisonburg, Va., Kendal Bauman, 3.35 ELCO High School, Myerstown, Pa., Mike Seigfried, 3.58 Elyria Catholic High School, Elyria, Ohio, Michael Wisnor, 3.33 Emmaus High School, Emmaus, Pa., John Cari, 3.44 Falmouth High School, Falmouth, Maine, David Halligan Jr., 3.42 First Presbyterian Day School, Macon, Ga., Joshua Trieste, 3.42 Forest Lake Christian High School, Auburn, Calif., Thad Kopec, 3.58 Franklinton High School, Franklinton, N.C., Deran Coe, 3.65 Free State High School, Lawrence, Kan., Jason Pendleton, 3.36 Freedom, Morgantown, N.C., David Fletcher, 3.72 Friendswood High School, Friendswood, Texas, Stephen Peter, 3.49 Gaffney High School, Gaffney , S.C., Frank Ridlehoover, 3.26 Gahanna Lincoln High School, Gahanna, Ohio, Dwayne Marshall, 3.35 Gaston Day School, Gastonia, N.C., Kevin Sims, 3.82 Grants High School, Grants, N.M., Mike Hatfield, 3.61 Great Bridge High School, Chesapeake, Va., Paul Duval, 3.41 John Handley High School, Winchester, Va., Cosmo Bailo, 3.80 Hickory High School, Hermitage, Pa., Michael Pascarella, 3.47 Horace Greeley High School, Chappaqua, N.Y., Robert Oddo, 3.39 Hickory High School, Hickory, N.C., Brian Jillings, 3.77 Highland High School, Gilbert, Ariz., Timothy Barmettler, 3.29 Hinsdale High School, Hinsdale, Ill., Michael Wiggins, 3.38 Irmo High School, Columbia, S.C., Phil Savitz, 3.72 John F. Kennedy High School, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Steven Robertson, 3.40 John F. Kennedy High School, Warren, Ohio, Stelios L. Bournias, 3.52 Kennesaw Mountain High School, Kennesaw, Ga., Daniel DePlanche, 3.25 Koehler High School, Koehler, Wis., Scott Feltner, 3.25 Lake Highland Preparatory School, Orlando, Fla., George Sasvari, 3.82 Mirabeau B. Lamar High School, Houston, Texas, Bryan Hayman, 3.26 Liberty High School, Colorado Springs, Colo., Mike Goyden, 3.30 Lima Central Catholic High School, Lima, Ohio, Bryan Burkholder, 3.94 Lincoln East High School, Lincoln, Neb., Jeff Hoham, 3.50 Loch Raven High School, Towson, Md., Joe Fiedler, 3.97 Lynbrook Senior High School, Lynbrook, N.Y., Joshua Berlin, 3.66 Malvern Preparatory School, Malvern, Pa., Leighton Walters, 3.54 Manheim Central High School, Manheim, Pa., Matt Schwartz, 3.98 Mauldin High School, Mauldin, S.C., Joe Siatkowski, 3.68 McCallie School, Chattanooga, Tenn., Tony Meyers, 3.60 Bishop McGuinness High School, Oklahoma City, Okla., Andrew Worthington, 3.66 McIntosh High School, Peachtree City, Ga., Bunky Colvin, 3.41 McKinney High School, McKinney, Texas, Alan Pocock, 3.88 McKinney Boyd High School, McKinney, Texas, Daniel R. Lowe, 4.17 McQuaid Jesuit High School, Rochester, N.Y., Ken Wilkin, 3.39 Metuchen High School, Metuchen, N.J., Ken Graf, 3.46 Middletown High School, Middletown, Md., Bob Sheffler, 3.40 Morgan High School, McConnelsville, Ohio, Barry Ross, 3.39 Montclair High School, Montclair, N.J., Jack Weber, 3.67 Mount de Sales Academy, Macon, Ga., Iain Jones, 3.48 Newman Catholic High School, Wausau, Wis., Michael Switalski, 3.31 Newton-Conover High School, Newton, N.C., Angelo Palozzi, 3.57 Norcross High School, Norcross, Ga., Chris Bess, 3.17 Norwalk High School, Norwalk, Iowa, Dustin Kralik, 3.35 Northwestern High School, Rock Hill, S.C., Dominic Wren, 3.30 Notre Dame Regional High School, Cape Girardeau, Mo., Brad Wittenborn, 3.31 Ouachita Christian School, Monroe, La., Bruce Deaton, 3.65 Ocean Lakes High School, Virginia Beach, Va., Don Hart, 3.45 Orange High School, Pepper Pike, Ohio, Jake Cooper, 3.52 Owen County High School, Owenton, Ky., Jerry Doolin, 3.30 Owensboro High School, Owensboro, Ky., L. Dale Poole, 3.40 Parkview High School, Lilburn, Ga., Michael Tolmich, 3.33 Pewaukee High School, Pewaukee, Wis., Randy Staus, 3.37 Pittsburgh Allderdice High School, Pittsburgh, Pa., Edward R. Powers, 3.27 Pittsford Mendon High School, Pittsford, N.Y., Mark Hurley, 3.57 Pittsford Sutherland High School, Pittsford, N.Y., Stephen Schreib, 3.28 Princeton High School, Cincinnati, Ohio, Jeff Hemphill, 3.40 Randolph-Macon Academy, Front Royal, Va., Frank Shreve, 3.46 Regina High School, Iowa City, Iowa, Rick Larew, 3.51 Rice Memorial High School, South Burlington, Vt., Ed DeMulder, 3.50 Roncalli High School, Indianapolis, Ind., Bryce M. Cooper, 3.56 St. Ignatius High School, Cleveland, Ohio, Mike McLaughlin, 3.60 St. Louis Catholic High School, Lake Charles, La., Jason Oertling, 3.33 St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Dover, N.H., Scott Suleski, 3.28 St. Vincent St. Mary High School, Akron, Ohio, John Stavros, 3.35 St. Xavier High School, Louisville, Ky., Andy Schulten, 3.94 Shady Side Academy, Pittsburgh, Pa., Harry Fleishman, 3.44 Shawnee Heights High School, Tecumseh, Kan., Michael Balint, 3.38 Siegel High School, Murfreesboro, Tenn., Eric Shelton, 3.37 Smyrna High School, Smyrna, Ga., Bill McCloskey, 3.56 Sparta High School, Sparta, N.J., Andrew Lowery, 3.60 Staples High School, Westport, Conn., Dan Woog, 3.31 Starr's Mill High School, Fayetteville, Ga., Mike Hanie, 3.44 State College Area High School, State College, Pa., John Marsden, 3.43 The Summit Country Day School, Cincinnati, Ohio, Barnard Baker, 3.68 Taylor High School, North Bend, Ohio, Jim Mercer, 3.63 Trinity High School, Louisville, Ky., Gregory Moss-Brown, 3.46 Tullahoma High School, Tullahoma, Tenn., Richie Chadwick, 3.49 Twinsburg High School, Twinsburg, Ohio, Michael Lally, 3.36 Wadsworth High School, Wadsworth, Ohio, John Johnson, 3.34 Wahlert Catholic High School, Dubuque, Iowa, Will Spencer, 3.42 Wakefield High School, Raleigh, N.C., Scott C. Sloan, 3.64 Walkersville High School, Walkersville, Md., Kevin Conley, 3.54 Wasatch High School, Heber City, Utah, Dawain M. Wheatley, 3.40 George Washington High School, Charleston, W. Va., Tom Hopper, 4.15 West Ashley High School, Charleston, S.C., Stephen Jackson, 3.36 West Babylon High School, West Babylon, N.Y., Jeff Cronk, 3.98 West Morris Central High School, Chester, N.J., Matt Ferreri, 3.33 Whitewater High School, Fayetteville, Ga., Shane Pulliam, 3.57 Woodbury Junior Senior High School, Woodbury, N.J., Marc Cannulli, 3.30 Worthington Kilbourne High School, Columbus, Ohio, Jon Sprunger, 3.51

“.docx” Issues

The school district switched over to Windows 2007 this past summer. I like the new layout for the Microsoft programs in the 2007 format and have not found much difficulty with the transition.

I am sure, as with all of the new technology today, I am only using a small fraction of all that is available to the user. That is frustrating if you think about it – so I simply try not to think about that.

The one problem with the Windows 2007 package that I am struggling with always seems to hit me first thing in the morning. Now that this blog is in its third year, I have teachers, administrators, board members, and people in the community who will send me ideas for postings. Some even go as far as to send me draft copy of the text to use (and that is great!).

The problem I have encountered is that I will now have a potential post saved -- waiting to be published -- but it sits in the new Windows 2007 format (with that “.docx” suffix). And, I sit here at home with the older version of Windows on an Apple machine.

I think there is a “patch” . . . but I am not sure one exists for the Apple version. It probably would take less time to find the patch than write this entry . . . but it seems that this is how we sometimes go about our struggles with the new technologies.

So – I still need to overcome this hurdle. Anyone find that patch yet? I know that I tried a Google search once – to no avail. I am sure it is only a matter of time before I get this right . . . but this can be when technology gets frustrating.

Oh well – off to my good, old-fashioned hard copy of the newspaper that is sitting at end of my driveway. I know that I will have no trouble opening that.

It's December!

I hope that you all had a safe, enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday.

At my house, we even started decorating for the next holiday already. I almost feel like the stores, but they still had a big head start on that front. My youngest wanted to “do it up big” this year with the decorations. I guess we could not figure out what that would mean other than getting started earlier.

At school, we have a full plate during the next three and a half weeks, and the winter concerts fill the evening agendas:

Tuesday, December 9: Elementary Winter Concert
Tuesday, December 16: Junior High School Choir Concert
Thursday, December 18: High School Band Concert
Monday, December 22: High School Choir Concert

Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving

Enjoy the holiday time – especially for those of you lucky enough to be able to spend time with family and friends. You can start the day off with some Thanksgiving Day football by coming out to watch the traditional Woodbury-Gateway game. The game is home and will start at 10:30 a.m.

We congratulate each of our four schools on their successful Thanksgiving food drives. Each of the elementary schools put together large baskets of food for Woodbury families – nearly thirty Woodbury families will have much more during this holiday thanks to these efforts. Additionally, the Jr.-Sr. High School Interact club helped lead that schools effort to collect and donate food directly to the Food Bank of South Jersey.

See the GCT’s article spotlighting Woodbury graduate Bryant McKinnie’s visit to the schools yesterday: GCT article on Food Drive

See everyone December 1st !

AVID in Action

(The following is a press release that was modified to be included here as a blog entry. I was fortunate to be present to witness our student performance. After hearing the opening testimonials from our senior AVID students, I knew that I was in for one of the most powerful student run programs I have ever witnessed. It is no exaggeration to state that it was one of my proudest moments as an educator. AVID is changing the educational landscape for many Woodbury students – over 20% of our students in grades 8 through 12 participate in the AVID program.)



Last week, as part of the eight seminar series of the New Jersey Network to Close the Achievement Gap, seventy school leaders met in Sewell at the EIRC to discuss a program whose mission is to ensure that all students are prepared for college, AVID. Students from Woodbury Jr.-Sr. High School presented at the program to the gathered school administrators and teacher leaders.

AVID Executive Director, Robert Gira, visiting from California where AVID originated, along with AVID New Jersey Director, Ellen Nickerson, were also available to answer questions.

AVID is a fourth- through twelfth-grade system to prepare students in the academic middle for four-year college eligibility. It has a proven track record in bringing out the best in students, and in closing the achievement gap. AVID stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination.

AVID targets students in the academic middle — B, C, and even D students — who have the desire to go to college and the willingness to work hard. These are students who are capable of completing rigorous curriculum but are falling short of their potential. Typically, they will be the first in their families to attend college, and many are from low-income or minority families. AVID pulls these students out of their unchallenging courses and puts them on the college track: acceleration instead of remediation." In the case of Woodbury we include some A students who have the desire to be a part of the program.

The program included an introduction of AVID elective teachers and AVID testimonials by Seniors, Malcolm Beale, Rasheeda Roundtree, Anthony Blackwell, and Malcolm Beale. AVID seniors shared the college preparation process using a student created PowerPoint featuring senior, Shelby Martin. AVID “Tutorlology” sessions were demonstrated by eighth grade students. Students from all grades presented their AVID binders. Juniors taught the gathered school leaders to use Costa's levels of questioning to have deeper discussions. Finally, an AVID Socratic Seminar was be presented by freshmen.

(Coming soon – pictures from the day . . .)

Family Tiles @ West End Memorial

(This post was provided by Mr. Myers, West End Memorial School Principal)




Over the years we have had great success with our W.E.B.S.T.E.R. home projects that encouraged families to come together as a school community. Some of our past family projects have included multicultural children, wooden flowers that adorned our school gardens, a large community quilt -- which is still a matter of great pride for us here at West End Memorial School, and the “West End Students are Heads and Shoulders Above the Rest” banners.


During the 2007-2008 school year, we were excited to work on a new project: tiling the wall outside of our computer lab. West End families were able to use their imaginations to create a tile that uniquely represented their family. Once each tile was returned, first grade teacher Mrs. Spittal and representative from our PTA shellacked each one in order for the family tiles to “shine.” Each was then mounted on boards in preparation for display. These boards were then hung in the hallway. The final piece to this project occurred at the beginning of this school year when Mrs. Spittal orchestrated the effort to paint the wall around the tiles to give all of the boards some “pop.” Along with the blue and gold paint, various character traits from W.E.B.S.T.E.R. were incorporated along the wall boarders.



We were excited to be able to display all of the creativity and diversity from our West End Families!

Spotlight on Mrs. Stalter-Allen

Mrs. Stalter-Allen


Option II Coordinator


Woodbury Jr.-Sr. High School


• Name:

Kathryn Stalter-Allen


• College(s) and degrees(s):

Eastern University, St. Davids, Pa BA - Organizational Management


• Work experience:

Salem Community College, Gloucester County OEL,

Cumberland/Salem Workforce Investment Board


• Favorite books:

o fiction: To Kill a Mockingbird
o nonfiction: The Last Lecture


• Favorite television show:

The Dog Whisperer


• Last movie I loved:

It's a Wonderful Life


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

10th Avenue North: Over and Underneath


• Visiting this place makes me peaceful:

Homer, Alaska


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

Stand-Up Comic School


• Favorite animal (domestic or wild):

Horses


• Favorite sports team:

Woodstown Boys Varsity Soccer (sorry) :(


• Destination of my fantasy vacation trip:

Kenya, Africa


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

College Professor D. DeRosier….. "Just keep learning"

Parent Conferences

Please note that we have our annual parent conferences scheduled for next week.

Elemenatry Schools
The elementary schools will be meeting with parents Monday afternoon, Tuesday afternoon and evening, and Wednesday morning.

(Early dismissal for students on Monday and Tuesday; no classes on Wednesday for West End and Evergreen; Walnut will make up a day on Wednesday -- early dismissal)

Jr.-Sr. High School
The Jr.-Sr. High School will have conference concentrated on Tuesday afternoon and evening.

(Early dismissal for students on Tuesday and Wednesday)

As part of our new Strategic Plan, we are operating on the concept that the district requires parent participation at conference time. Parents of Jr.-Sr. High School only need to meet at least one of the teachers on your child's schedule, though you are welcome to see as many as needed.

If you have a conflict with the dates and times of the conference, please contact the building principal.

Jr.-Sr. High School Concern. Wednesday, November 19th.

I am writing to report to you a concern that was relayed to the school district by the Woodbury Police department late Tuesday evening. The police provided a report that one of our students allegedly received a call indicating that there would be a bomb at the school on Wednesday, November 19. The family of the student contacted the Woodbury police, and the police reached out to school officials.

Late Tuesday evening, school district personnel and the police worked closely together to ensure that the school building itself was secure. Though these matters are almost always a hoax, we have obviously chosen to treat this case seriously.

In addition to last night’s efforts, all students will be checked upon entering school today through a designated doorway. We will have established checkpoints with enough adults participating in the process to ensure that students move through as rapidly as possible. The police will have officers available, and police cars are scheduled to be on campus at the start of the school day.

We anticipate that there will only be a minimal delay to the start of school as we move students through a common entrance. Once the above student procedure is followed, we will go about a regular school day with "business as usual."

Finally, students will be informed that a reward will be offered for the first person to provide information to the building principal that leads to the arrest and conviction of the individual(s) responsible for generating this concern.

Though this posting fully summarizes what we know at this time, you are welcome to call (or e-mail) me or any of the Jr.-Sr. High School administrators if you have additional questions or information.

A New Woodbury Venture

The Greater Woodbury Arts Council will introduce itself to Woodbury and surrounding communities on Friday, November 21, with their “Meet the Artist” night at 67 Cooper Street starting at 7 p.m.

Over twenty-five art works by local artists will be on display, and local musicians will be featured. Refreshments will be served. The event is free.

Come out and enjoy this fun and exciting kick off to a new arts venture in Woodbury. Woodbury Jr.-Sr. High School art teacher Maureen St. John will be one of the featured artists!

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

The regular, monthly meeting of the Woodbury Board of Education will be held this Wednesday, November19th, at 7:00 p.m.

The board meetings are 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 later today. (agenda)

At this November meeting, there will be a report on our efforts to expand "Option II" and an update on the status of the implementation of our new Strategic Plan.

Spotlight on Mrs. Evans

Mrs. Denise Evans

School Psychologist

Woodbury City Public School District

• Name:

Denise Evans

• College(s) and degrees(s):

Temple University--earned my M.Ed in School Psychology; working toward my Ph.D in School Psychology (anticipated May 2009)

• Work experience:

I completed my internship at Paulsboro School District during the 2007-2008 school year. Prior to that, I worked at NewPoint Behavioral Health (formerly Gloucester County Mental Health) as a case management supervisor. I helped to link children and their families to mental health resources in Gloucester county and then supervised the delivery of these services. As a result, I feel more comfortable in navigating the mental health system and am more than happy to provide any assistance.

• Favorite books:
o fiction: Harry Potter series
o nonfiction: Anything related to ancient civilizations (Incan, Mayan, Roman)

• Favorite television show:

I love LOST, 24, The Office, and The Tudors

• Last movie I loved:

I'm a big fan of all the Harry Potter movies, but the last movie I saw was the new Indiana Jones film -- it was pretty good.

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

Jack Johnson

• Visiting this place makes me peaceful:

I enjoy going to the park by my house or the library.

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

Finishing my dissertation--ugh, so frustrating

• Favorite animal (domestic or wild):

Panda bears

• Favorite sports team:

Pittsburgh Steelers!!!

• Destination of my fantasy vacation trip:

Italy or Jerusalem

• Details about the reasons I entered the profession:

When I was young, my best friend lived next door. Her mother was diagnosed with mental health problems and ended up taking her own life. This had a devastating impact on my friend, who was very close with her mother. She was eventually diagnosed with similar mental health problems but sought out the help of a psychologist. This psychologist encouraged her talk about the issues with which she struggled and helped her address her problems head on. At the time, I remember wishing that I could help her and feeling like my hands were tied due to my lack of understanding regarding what she was going through and what I could do. After witnessing a positive change in her whole demeanor and attitude toward life, I decided that I wanted to learn more about psychology and what drives behavior and behavior change. After graduating from college, I decided to combine my own love of learning and children with psychology and attended graduate school to become a school psychologist. After many years of studying hard, I'm here to begin my journey as a Woodbury School Psychologist. I am looking forward to a great year!

Chatter Matters

Here’s a non-school post. We are a game family – we like board games. Games get the family around the kitchen table, talking, and having fun. I said in a recent post that we were playing a good bit of Monopoly over the break. A number of our games tend to be the traditional board games.

At the same time, my wife is always on the lookout for new, fun games that will engage everyone – especially at the holiday times. December is often a time new games get introduced.
Last night, my third grader wanted to play a game that has been in our house for a while now. It is not in my repertoire of “traditional” games because it is a relatively new entry into the game market. But, it is a fun game that has as a main goal to get the family talking --- about family. The name of the game is Chatter Matters Family Game.

If you are looking for a good gift for a family with children – give some thought to Chatter Matters. It is for 2 to 6 players and the box indicates ages 8 & up. My son and I played last night – but it is even more engaging with a bigger group.

Anyway – just a thought/suggestion. It is a Mattel game. See the link below for even more information, if you are interested.

More Info

Election Activity at Evergreen

(This entry was submitted by Principal Breland and 5th grade teacher Mr. Richardson.)

To celebrate and recognize the 2008 Presidential Election, students from Evergreen Avenue Elementary School gathered on October 30th to debate and sing patriotic songs.

The ceremony was opened with the singing of the "Star Spangled Banner" by principal Tonya Breland and followed by songs that the students had practiced in their music classes with teacher Mrs. Savage.

With the auditorium decorated for the occassion, students from Mr. Richardson's and Mr. Grundel's 5th grade classes debated on the issue of attending year round school. Some points were argued that attending school year round allows for more opportunities to travel and could provide a chance for enrichment education during the many breaks. To counter some points, students rebutted by saying that year round schooling could cost the school more money and not allow students and teachers to have summer jobs.

After listening to the many points from each class, the school was then given the opportunity to vote for or against year round schooling the following day. All in all, the event was a huge success.

Peer Mediation @ Woodbury

(This posting was provided by Mr. Murphy, Director of Pupil Personnel Services.)

On Tuesday, October 28th, twenty-six students in grades 4-7 were trained as peer mediators. Students from each of our elementary schools and the junior high school participated in this year’s training. The final selections were made by the teachers and counselors, and training was held at RiverWinds in West Deptford, NJ.

During training, students learned the fine art of listening and the process involved in helping their peers resolve conflict. The day was filled with hands-on activities, and the students were provided time to practice the process through role-playing activities. After a full day, the students returned back to their respective schools eager to be a part of this character education program.

A group of students who were trained last year and who attended a refresher course this year also submitted Peer Mediation t-shirt designs. The designs were then voted on by this year’s peer mediator group. Congratulations to the design winners, 6th grader Megan Rogers and 7th grader Emily Repas. Each peer mediator will receive a t-shirt.

Parents or students who would like additional information about the program are encouraged to contact any of the school counselors.

Welcome to November

Welcome back, everyone. I hope that this fall break provided some opportunities to do things as a family that the hectic pace of the school week does not allow. Even if it was something as simply as a few Monopoly games (I know that is what capture the fancy of my family!).

At school, during the course of the last week, we had two days dedicated to a new initiative. The faculty started work on an ambitious project to move our local course curriculum documents into a new computerized format. This "curriculum mapping" process will allow for teachers to have easy access to all the curriculum in the district through a specially designed computer database.

We feel that the end product will provide new accessibility to important information and that this will help improve instruction across the district.

I would like to extend a special thanks to all the teachers who moved so quickly to begin tackling this curriculum mapping task.