Monday, December 9, 2019

WHS Staff News - Week of 12/9/19


Kindness month continues this week - Kindness Month @ WHS
  • Monday - Give someone a compliment.
  • Tuesday - Ask two colleagues or friends if you can help them with something today.
  • Wednesday - Write a note to someone and let them know they are appreciated.
  • Thursday - Think of a colleague or friend who has helped you be more confident with something. Thank them for it.
  • Friday - HIGH FIVE FRIDAY! Give out 10 high fives to 10 different people.
In School Suspension 
I'm bringing ISS back! I am working on a plan to have ISS available on all Day 2's if needed. A few of you have mentioned the idea and think it's something we need and I agree. Of course I will need help, so I am working on a plan to use hall duty, study hall, and Media Center duty teachers to cover the different periods. I am looking at one teacher per period and will rotate which teachers will be covering.

Working Wednesday (Last one for 2019)
Wednesday, 12/11, we have scheduled a guest speaker to come in for our working Wednesday. This meeting will be one that everyone needs to be at. Please plan accordingly.

Dr. Jolene Arasz will be speaking on the topic of anxiety. I heard her speak two weeks ago at a Bergen County Principals meeting and was blown away with how she presented and explained anxiety in such a clear and simplified manner. Our students anxiety levels are off the charts, and her presentation will enlighten all of us about this epidemic.

She will be speaking from 3:10 sharp, till 4:10. There will be an optional Q&A from 4:10 to 4:30 for those who can stay.

Holiday staff luncheon - Thursday 12/19/19 (Please pay Terais McLoughlin by Friday) Let's all enjoy a lunch together. 

 Spirt Rally - We will have a spirit rally on Friday 12/20.  More details to follow, including Spirit Week theme days. 
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Monday, October 7, 2019

WHS Staff News - 10/7/19

PSAT Testing will take place on Wednesday, October 16. Juniors will be testing in the Cafeteria and Media Center Lab.  The rest of the building will be following a normal schedule. I will share the proctoring schedule is a separate email and post it on The Answers @ WHS later today.

Week of Respect blog post.  I shared this with everyone on Friday.

Spirit Week 10/14 (Staff Days) 
This year's spirit days were picked so every staff member can get involved and feel comfortable participating.  I am hoping to get 100% participation each day. Let's have fun, and show the students what school spirit is all about! 

Monday 10/14 - Pink Out for Breast Cancer Awareness
Tuesday 10/15 - Sneakers and Caps
Wednesday 10/16 - Jersey Day
Thursday 10/17 - USA Out (Red, White or Blue)
Friday 10/18 - Warrior Day (Go over the top) 
*If Jeans are part of your spirit outfit, feel free to wear them

Field Trip Reminders
Location is key for BOE approval.  The date, time, club, etc. does not matter.  Only the location needs approval.

When using outside busing, if the bus shows up and does NOT have seatbelts you are NOT to get on that bus. The trip is canceled.   There are NO EXCEPTIONS for this one!
...But, they said they would have seatbelts when I requested it.
...But, we will lose the money.
...But, the kids and parents will be upset.
None of this matters! 

 On Thursday, I will have a graduate student from William Paterson University shadowing me for the day. Her name is Cassi Deighan. If you see her around the building please say hello and introduce yourself.  We will be around the building, in and out of classrooms. 

Recent Blog Posts

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Friday, October 4, 2019

Week of Respect 2019


Some of the events planned for the Week of Respect 

Monday - Staff and students wear blue for World Day for Bullying Prevention
Tuesday - Wear your favorite Jerseys (students) (Fight Against Bullies)
Wednesday - Off
Thursday - 3rd party compliments during lunch
Friday - Students and Staff wear Orange. Jeans allowed.

Friday 10/11 - 12 - 1pm in the Little Th
Positive Coaching Alliance Presentation: "Becoming a Triple-Impact Competitor"
Freshmen and Sophomore athletes will be attending this assembly. Names will be added to the calendar.

Student Council members will be posting positive messages on social media.

We will also have "Student Ambassador's" observing random acts of kindness throughout the week. They will let Mrs. Fortini know the name of the student/staff member that was caught doing an act of kindness and what they observed.  Those individuals will be presented with a warrior pin. 
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Tuesday, September 24, 2019

WHS Staff News - Week of 9/23/19

Day 15 of the school year! That went fast, but it also feels like we have been here for months already. We are off to a great start and there is a lot of positive energy in the building.


For this Week 
 DLC Meeting today - Focus for the Meeting 

 Back to School Night Reminders (Please review)
Saw this on Twitter from Andy Jacks and thought he said it perfectly. 


Back to School Nights are here, don't forget that these should be used to build POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS with parents. Create a meaningful experience & SHOW them, don't tell them, that you are an amazing educator! People forget your words, but not how you make them feel, right?!

*This Friday will be a second Warrior/Jean day for BTSN! 


New Staff Blog Posts - Get to know them 

 New Staff @ WHS - Joseph Betts
New Staff @ WHS - Danielle Nelson
New Staff @ WHS - Ethan Crump
New Staff @ WHS - Marylou Markman

 Pictures from the Boys and Girls Soccer Games

 Boys Varsity 9/14
Girls Varsity Soccer 9/21




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Monday, August 26, 2019

Welcome Back 2019 - 2020 School Year





Please watch the video first. 

 Follow up from the video ..... For the first day please think about and be ready to share your answers to these two questions .... 

 What is your PURPOSE as an educator? 
As an educator, how do you want your students to remember you? 
Opening day for staff on Tuesday, September 3 - The entire district will get together first thing in the morning (8am) in the Middle School Multi-Purpose Room for the Superintendent’s welcome, followed by a WEA meeting. As a staff, we will meet at 9:30am in the Media Center. Here is the complete Agenda for 9/3/19.

My Goals for the 19-20 SY ( I will talk more about these next week)

DLC’s - This will be a school-wide goal as we go into year one. This will be a slow process, but together I know this will bring a huge positive change to our school.
Feedback - I want to make sure you are getting feedback that is meaningful, sincere and timely.
Purpose - Sounds like a simple word but I want us to see the importance of being PURPOSE driven. Purpose = The Why!

*As a district goal, all four schools will be talking and updating their school’s mission statement. This is something we, as a staff, will be working on together throughout the first half of the year.

Things we need to do, but let's make them meaningful!

Working Wednesday’s 
We will keep in place the working Wednesday mindset. I have mapped out all the Wednesday’s throughout the year (the best I could) to account for everything that needs to get done. We will use Wednesday’s for the DLC’s to meet as well.
Working Wednesday 19-20 SY

SGO's
Ms. Angelli will again be the point person for SGO’s. SGO Timeline 2019-2020

Planning
At the end of last year we talked about planning and trying to streamline the process. This Doc (Planning - What we are looking @WHS ) puts our expectations into the simplest terms when it comes to your plans. I showed everyone this Doc during their end of year Eval meetings, so this is nothing new.

PDP Plan
The DLC meetings will help shape our goals this year and moving forward. We have three DLC meetings before the PDP’s are due on 10/24. We will talk more about this on 9/3.
*The overall school goal will focus on implementing DLC’s across all departments.

What to expect for the first day with students

September 4 we will follow a Special Schedule where all classes will meet. The rotation will start on Thursday, 9/5, with Day 1.
*Note Wednesday, 9/11, will be another Special Schedule with all classes meeting. We needed to do this for picture day and bus evacuation drills. The Physical Education department will take care of both of these things.

The entire school year has been planned out related to the rotation schedule. See link to the calendar for the year: 2019 - 2020 Rotation Schedule

New Staff joining us at WHS

Joseph Betts - Athletic Trainer
Ethan Crump - Physics
Danielle Nelson - Physical Education
Marylou Markman - Paraprofessional
**Spanish - pending

Improvements around WHS

New Epson Interact Boards - Three new boards/projects were installed over the summer in Rooms 140, 142, 144.

Bathroom Renovations - Six bathrooms at the HS have been renovated since the Spring. The bathrooms in the Senior Wing, Art Wing and down by the Greenberg Center were all completely gutted and updated. Floors, sinks, toilets and partitions were all replaced.

Gym padding - The wall padding was replaced and updated with new logos.

Greenberg Center Entrance - The entrance has been completely renovated with a new floor and wheelchair ramp. The bathrooms were renovated back in June and the Booster Club is donating all of the new signage around the entrance and gym.

Trainer's Room - We moved the trainer’s room up by the locker rooms to provide more space for treatment and care of our student-athletes.

Resources
The Answers - Your staff manual for everything you need to know related to WHS. Here you can find the ... Master Schedule, Duty List, Agenda for 9/3, Schedule for 9/4, Meeting dates, Emergency drill procedures and much more!

Safe Schools & BOE Policies - Reminder: The courses you need to watch need to be completed by 9/13
Policy Acknowledgment 2019-20 - Complete by 9/6

WHS Staff Personal Info - Only for new staff

Registration of Automobile - Only for new staff or if you have a new car. After completing the form, please see Edna for a parking tag.

Save the Date: Wednesday, September 25 - Back to School Night

Enjoy the last week of August and I am looking forward to a great year! #OwnitWHS
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Monday, May 13, 2019

WHS Staff News - Week of 5/13/19


I hope your enjoyed Teacher Appreciation Week 2019! Here are the pics from the Red Carpet!
https://whsprincipal.blogspot.com/2019/05/red-carpet-event-whs.html

Here are pictures from last weeks Spring Rally 2019  Thanks Mr. Opderbeck and Reese for all the great pics. 

 NJSLA Testing Starts on Thursday  
  • Everything you need to know
  • Please make sure Language Arts and Math teachers let their students know which rooms they are testing in
  • Today at 10:50, all 9th and 10th graders are to report to the Little Th for a testing meeting
  • Juniors will meet during the last 15 minutes of lunch
Congratulations to the Girls Track Team - County Divisional Champs!!!




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Monday, May 6, 2019

#TeacherAppreciationWeek

THANK YOU for all you do as a teacher!!!  Together, let's celebrate each other this week for all the great things each of you do for our students.  

 Some days are hard, some days are amazing, but it always comes back to teaching and leading with love. Love your kids. Relationships Matter!

Fill in the Blank #TeacherAppreciationWeek (Google Form)





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Tuesday, April 30, 2019

WHS Staff News - Week of 4/29

I hope everyone had a great week off. Let's all work together to finish the school year strong. Memorial Day weekend will be here before you know it and then graduation. We can do this!!!

Welcome Karen Massaro to WHS! Karen is taking on the leave replacement postion in the Physical Education Department.  

Over Spring Break 
24 additional speakers were added around the building.  All bathrooms now have speakers in them and additional speakers were mounted around the hallways. 

The four exterior gym doors were all replaced and look great. 

The bathrooms in the Art Wing are being renovated.  The floors were done over the break and the entire bathroom will be updated over the next week or two.  The plan is for the senior wing bathrooms to be renovated over the summer. 

The company, CM3, who handles our cameras/security around the building finished wiring the doors and the areas where strobe lights will be installed. Hopefully over the next few weeks all the work will be completed and the swipe access and strobes will be fully up and running.

State Testing Info
Testing Meeting is TODAY (Tuesday 4/30) at 3:05 in the Little Theatre
WHS NJSLA Resources 2019 - Everything You Need to Know

 AP Testing starts next week
AP Dates and Times 2019

Spirit Week
Monday - Pajama Day
Tuesday - America Day
Wednesday - Warrior Day
Thursday - (Sports) Jersey Day
Friday - Color Day
Seniors - Black
Juniors - White
Sophomores - Blue
Freshmen - Red
Staff - Green

Spirit Rally - Friday during Period 5. Students will be called down from Period 8 (around 1:55)

 Recent Posts
700 Group - Class of 2019







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Friday, April 12, 2019

WHS Staff News


State Testing Info

This doc will have everything you need to know about State testing in May.
WHS NJSLA Resources 2019 - Everything You Need to Know

*The proctoring schedule is not included on this doc yet. Penny will add them before the testing meeting on Tuesday, April 30.

Student Assembly on Monday
1pm Grades 9 & 11
2pm Grades 10 & 12
Students will report to their scheduled class during Blocks 5 and 6. Teachers should take attendance and escort their classes to the Little Theatre. This needs to happen quickly.

Minding Your Mind Presentation - Just Talk About It

End-of year meetings with tenured staff will take place in late May. Please make sure you are working on updating your PDP's and PD hours in the staff portal. Donna will start adding them to your calendar.  If you have a conflict with the day, please let me know.

No school on Friday, April 19. Enjoy your 10 day Spring Break!!!

Unused snow days ... I believe at the next BOE meeting (4/28/19) we will find out which days we will be getting back.

Recent Posts
National Merit Scholarship Program - Class of 2020
Congratulations to Gabriel Masarwa and Joseph Saffioti
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Tuesday, April 2, 2019

WHS Staff News - Week of 4/1/19


I know we all need a recharge.  It's coming. 

 Its April 1st, 4th marking period starts on Monday and we have three weeks to spring break.  I know it's been a long stretch, but I see how hard we are working as a staff. Stay strong, stay focused and stay motivated for our students!

 I did a "recap"from our last meeting on 3/20. I hope this answers some of the questions that came up in the meeting, as well as gives everyone additional ideas related to security around the building.  The presentation was shared via email.

 End of 3rd marking period communication with parents ... Make sure you are communicating with parents so there are no surprises. Good and bad news should be shared. 

  The week ahead

 We have a full staff meeting on Wednesday, 4/3.  We will continue to prepare for DLC's.
All crossover teachers should attend the middle school testing meeting first and then come to the HS meeting afterwards.

 Thursday, 4/4, at 12pm - 9th Grade assembly (Part 3 of  the 3 part series, Journey of Self-Discovery)

 What it's all about!!!

I wonder how many staff members will get this cartoon joke? 

Mr. Freeman gets his first varsity win yesterday as a head coach. Congratulations!
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Friday, March 22, 2019

Recapping Wednesday


Great job on Wednesday! When we all work together, for a common goal, we can accomplish anything. It's all about our students success in the end. 

Jimmy Casas is a friend, a member of my PLN and an educator I have a lot of respect for.  This morning he tweeted his daily #ThoughtForTheDay and I thought his video did a great job highlighting what we envision the DLC's becoming.   

 DLC's are about:

Collaborative leadership
Driving professional conversations 
Improving communication within departments 
Working together for the benefit of the students

This is exactly what it is! 

DLC's @ WHS (Presentation I used to introduce DLC's)


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Tuesday, March 19, 2019

WHS Staff News - Week of 3/18/19


Update from the NJDOE on state testing... based on their memo released yesterday, juniors will no longer be required to test in either ELA or Math; however, there is some confusion with this that we are trying to figure out. This could effect juniors who have not met the graduation requirement yet. When we know more I will update everyone.
Just to clarify, the new name of the state testing is New Jersey Student Learning Assessments for English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics. PARCC is no longer used.

Working Wednesday 
We will be meeting as a staff in the Media Center from 3:05 - 4pm.
As a staff we will be discussing school safety based on changes we have made this year and the presentation we saw last week from the Prosecutor's Office.

Looking ahead, Wednesday, May 1, will be our testing meeting to review all state testing protocols.

Recovery Day on 3/29
We will be running a special schedule with all classes meeting.  If we have a snow day between now and then, we will make that day up on March 29.
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Monday, March 11, 2019

WHS Staff News - Week of 3/11/19

I know I am going to jinx myself by saying this but our staff attendance this year has been great! (As Donna reads this, she is saying WHY would he say that ... lol)  Thank you for being here when you can, as much as you can.  I know things come up in life but remember family always comes first. 

 Why am I writing about this today, well last week I was checking in with Mr. Schultz on how the "Sub Hall" was working out this year.  He had a few suggestions and ideas that would help make things a little smoother. Overall he feels things are working out and there have been very few issues all year. 

 Here are a few reminder I wanted to make sure everyone was aware of:
  • Every morning I send a Remind message to the students on which teacher's are absent for the day.  This is working out well and replaced the door signs around the building. We have been doing this since October/November. 
  • Please make sure you are leaving work/posting on Google Classroom. The assignments you are leaving should take most of the period to complete.
  • When possible try to assign work that can be submitted on Classroom at the end of the period.  Having a deadline to complete the work, will help Tommy keep the student on task and help create less issues.  
  • Mr. Schultz has a Waldwickschools.org email account so you can always email him if needed.  Please always cc Donna just in case.  
  • The coverage for the "Sub Hall" for most weeks is Tommy Schultz Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and John Schmeding does it on Wednesday's. 
For the Week

Wednesday March 13 (3:05 - 4pm) in the Little Theatre
Active Shooter Presentation by the Safe Schools Task Force - Bergen County Prosecutor's Office

Thursday, March 14 - Minimum Day/Edcamp (Schedule will be posted before Thursday)

 Tweets/Posts

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Wednesday, March 6, 2019

WHS Staff News - Week of 3/4/19

Positive Calls ... The Why Always Matters.  Joe Sanfelippo is an educator I follow on Twitter who does these one minute videos with a weekly Leadership Challenge. They apply to all educators and this one was about positive calls home and the WHY.  I know a lot of you have positive calls/emails as a goal for this year, so I wanted to share this video.  Even if it's not a goal, finding a few minutes to recognize our students for the great things are they are doing goes along way. Relationships Matter! 

 All on Joe's Leadership Challenges 

The Why Always Matters from Joe Sanfelippo on Vimeo.

Working Wednesday Schedule for March 

For Today

Upcoming Wednesday (All staff must attend -mark your calendars)
March 13 (3:05 - 4pm) in the Little Theatre
Active Shooter Presentation by the Safe Schools Task Force - Bergen County Prosecutor's Office 

March 20 (3:05 - 4pm) in the Media Center 
DLC's - Let the work begin

Last call for Teacher/Educational Services Professional of Year (Form)

March 14 Minimum Day / Professional Development (Ed Camp)

**After PD on Thursday, consider bringing your kids over (You can jump too!) to SkyZone in Allendale for a fun afternoon of jumping for a great cause sponsored by the Students for Global Awareness. The students have put this whole event together! Ted and I are very proud of the group. 

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Tuesday, February 26, 2019

WHS Staff News - Week of 2/25


Last week, the two Warrior Nation Family Nights / Stigma Free events were a huge success! Thank you to all the staff members that found time to stop by.  We had big crowds for both games and everyone had a great time! 


Working Wednesday Items  (See link)

Teacher / Educational Services Professional of the Year for the 18-19 SY
Dr. Casarico sent an email out on Monday with the nomination form. Please consider taking 10-15 minutes to recognize one of your colleagues. Submit your nomination to me by Friday March 9.

Update on Graduation Requirements (New Blog Post)
On Monday the state released updated information related to the graduation requirements for the classes of 2019 & 2020. 

9th Grade Assembly - Friday, 3/1/19, at 1pm
Presentation by the Bergen County Prosecutor's office: “Pathway to Addiction”
All students will report to their Block 5 class (Period 6) for attendance. Once attendance is taken, please walk your class to the Little Theatre.

Drama Production
WHS Drama Club is proud to present: The Music Man
dates/times are - 3/7, 3/8, 3/9 @ 7pm
**Chaperones Needed Ticket Taker List - Drama Club (Please sign up to Chaperone one of the three shows)
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