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! 

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Thank you #WarriorNation ... you made my night by singing Sweet Caroline. New traditions starting at WHS. Great night and lots of fun. #OwnitWHS

A post shared by WaldwickWHS (@waldwickwhs) on Feb 21, 2019 at 5:50pm PST

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)

WHS Staff News - Week of 2/4/19

This week is National School Counselor Week
We have a special group here at WHS and it's an honor to work with them everyday and see the impact they have on their students. I wrote a song for them but since I can't sing, I will let you sing it to yourselves as you read it.  Think GhostBusters theme song as you sing the words.  

If there's something off 

with one of our students 

Who you gonna call?  (A Counselor)

If there's something weird 

with one of our students 

Who you gonna call?  (A Counselor)

I ain't afraid of seeing my counselor 

(music playing) 

I ain't afraid of seeing my counselor

If your having struggles 

with your academics 

Who you gonna call?  (A Counselor)

When times are tough

Who you gonna call?  (A Counselor)

I ain't afraid of seeing my counselor 

(music playing) 

I ain't afraid of seeing my Counselor

Feel free to add more lines and if you can sing, come by guidance and sing it loud and proud! The counselors would love that! 

School Safety 
The lockdown window signs were distributed on Friday. As a reminder, they should be covering the window during lockdowns.  A few school security reminders:

• Classroom doors should be locked at all times with the magnet covering the door plate 
• Stay calm and keep the students calm during all drills
• Be sure to hear the code word before releasing from any drill

Recommendations 19-20 SY
Later this morning I will share with everyone a Google Sheet which we will use to make recommendations.  

• There are tabs for each department 
• Within the department tab, the sheet is organized by teacher, then by current course
• The sheet includes: student name, teacher name, current course, current grades, course recommendation for the 19-20 SY and if you are recommending a change in placement, a column noting that you notified the parent
• The counselors and I will work separately with the AP teachers on AP placement 
• The CST will handle the Special Services tab; however, I will be working with special education teachers on those placements as well
• Recommendations are due Thursday, 2/14, at 8am

Working Wednesday 

Work on EDS Orders 

Start working/thinking about Recommendations 

New Faces at WHS
We have two new faces here at WHS who you will be seeing around the building.  Mr. Marzullo has a student observer from William Paterson University, Nicole D'Ascoli and Mrs. Gray has a nurse observer from Thomas Edison State University, Christine Truhn.  Please introduce yourself, say hello and welcome Nicole and Christine to #WarriorNation.

Important Dates

ASVAB Test
Friday, February 8 (8-11am) The names of students taking the test are posted on Google Calendar

EDS Orders Due (Email from Dianna)
All orders need to be submitted by Friday, 2/8.

Positive Coaching Alliance Assembly for Student Athletes
Thursday, February 14 (12 - 3pm) in the Little Theatre. The list of athletes attending will be posted on the Calendar.  All Sophomore and Junior athletes will be attending.

Recovery Day
Thursday, February 14 - If we do not use any snow days, we will run a special schedule with all classes meeting.
  

WHS Staff News - Week of 1/28/19

This "Where's Waldo" picture is what I felt like as I wrote this blog post with all of the upcoming events and tasks ahead of us. There is SO much going on schoolwide. Trying my best to make it manageable for all. 

Thank you for all the support so many of you showed our students on Friday, during a tough time.  Parents have been emailing me, with thank you messages for all we do for their children.  It's what #OwnitWHS is about, which bring #WarriorNation together in goods times and bad. 

Monday's PD Day

I was part of some great conversations yesterday and heard good things from the different groups. I hope you felt the time was productive and meaningful.

Working Wednesday

We will be meeting tomorrow as a staff for 15/20 minutes. 

Agenda Items: 

Mrs. Gray - update on medical procedures

School Safety - Classroom window signs 

Daily/Period Attendance 

EDS orders  

Recommendations - AP/Honors/Survey 

Future Working Wednesday
2/6
2/13

Unit Plans 
As we pass the mid-year point of year, we are going to start looking at Unit plans.  Next week we be reviewing plans.  Dates/reflections

Scheduling Process for the 19-20 School Year 

This week, during the second half of the common lunch (11:30 AM), the guidance counselors will be meeting with each grade level to go over courses requests. The meeting might extend 5/10 minutes into Block 4.

Wednesday, 1/30 - Current 9th Graders
Thursday, 1/31 - Current 10th Graders
Friday, 2/1 - Current 11th Graders

9th Grade Assembly (This is part two of the three part series for the freshmen class http://www.scottchesney.com/ )

Monday, February 4 (12 - 1pm) in the Little Theatre

ASVAB Test 

Friday, February 8 (8-11am) The names of students taking the test are posted on Google Calendar 

EDS Orders Due (Email from Dianna)

All orders need to be submitted by Friday, 2/8.  

Positive Coaching Alliance  Assembly for Student Athletes 
Thursday, February 14 (12 - 3pm) in the Little Theatre. The list of athletes attending will be posted soon.  All Sophomore and Junior athletes will be attending.  

Recovery Day 

Thursday, February 14 - If we do not use any snow days, we will run a special schedule with all classes meeting.

Winter Break 

Friday, February 15 and Monday, February 18. (No homework break)

Recommendations (10th - 12th Grade AP/Honors/Survey/CST) 

Due Thursday, February 14 at 8am

PARCC Testing Dates and Schedule 

Thursday, May 16

Monday, May 20

Tuesday, May 21 

PARCC Everything you need to know 2019 (Proctoring schedule is not done yet)

*With this schedule, there are no AP review sessions built in.  All but one AP test will be given prior to the PARCC testing. 

WHS Staff News - Week of 1/14/19

Just because I like Eagles 

New Faces @ WHS 
Dr. Janet Testerman, Physics Teacher - Dr. Testerman took over for Mrs. O'Hara. Please stop by Room 303 and introduce yourself.  

Valentina Esteves is back, as I'm sure most of you have noticed.  For the new staff, Mrs. Esteves is the Secretary to the Athletic Director. 

Mid-Year Assessments 
We are off and running with the mid-years.  Since this is a pilot year, we need to collect data related to the assessments. Please add your information to this sheet. Each class should be listed separately.  
Data for Mid-Year Assessments

Students out of the Learning Rooms 
I am noticing a lot more students walking around, going to the bathroom in groups and not working productively in the hallways. Recently we have had a few issues in the bathrooms which are not acceptable. This being one of them. 

As a staff, let's all be more vigilant in who is leaving our room, for how long and if we have students working in the hallways, make sure we are monitoring them. 

A few "Little Things"we can all do:

• In most cases, only allow one student out of the room at a time. "Can I go with him"... NO!
• Feel free to say ... Is it an emergency? Can you wait till the end of class? 
• Note the time they leave. Let them know they have 2 minutes.  
• Have the student leave their phone. Phones in bathrooms is disgusting anyway!
• Be so engaging, that they don't want to leave your class. 

If you have "frequent flyers" who are giving you a hard time, send Mr. Clancy an email and those students will be spoken to. 

Communication with Parents - As we wrap-up the second marking period, please be sure you are keeping parents in the loop about grades and behavior.  Both negative and positive. 

Important Dates 
Monday, 1/21 - No School
Monday, 1/28 - Minimum Day/Professional Development 
Marking Period 2 Grades Due Monday, 1/28/19, at 8AM
Report Cards will be released Tuesday, 1/29

Good Cause

Junior, Tara Lambert, is holding a soccer cleat collection until Friday, 1/18. If you have any old, smelly soccer cleats around the house that you planned on getting rid of, please bring them in.  There are two bins outside the main office. 

WHS Staff News - First Post for 2019

I hope everyone had an amazing break and took advantage of the time off. 

Before break we had our 2nd Annual Alumni Day. We had over 40 graduates back at WHS and they shared some great insight for our current seniors. Special thanks to the ScIP Team for all of their work putting the event together. Thank you ... Danny, Kris Ann, Peggy, Ryan and Vanessa! 

We also had our staff holiday luncheon on Thursday before break. Special thanks to Terais and all of her elves for putting the luncheon together. We also had some help from a few NHS members. 

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Thanks to these five for covering the main office today during the common lunch. We are in good hands. #OwnitWHS KC

A post shared by WaldwickWHS (@waldwickwhs) on Dec 20, 2018 at 8:29am PST

Mid-Year Assessments (Schedule)
All assessments are scheduled for the week of January 14. Please keep the following in mind for that week:
*No Unit/Chapter Tests for your classes can be given during the week of January 14. Please plan accordingly.
*Please keep hallway traffic to a minimum and limit the use of the high top tables for the week.
Marking Period 2 (Ends Friday, 1/18)
The marking period will be over before we know it.  Please keep your grade book up-to-date and be proactive with students and parents if you have a student struggling or in danger of failing. 
Changes we made because of the mid-year assessments:
Grades Due Monday, 1/28/19, at 8AM (was 1/23)
Report Cards will be released Tuesday, 1/29

Some news over the break regarding PARCC.  Honestly, not sure what it means for us but hopefully, we will find out soon. 
Court strikes down PARCC requirements for high school graduation

Looking ahead ... We have an R-Day (Recovery Day) scheduled for February 14. If we don't have any snow days before February 14, we will run a special schedule with all classes meeting that day. 

Something to Consider
Some of you might be into New Year's resolutions and some may not.  Some of us keep them and for some of us, by February we have forgotten all about them.  This year I am trying the One Word.  The idea is to choose one word that represents what you want to focus on in 2019.  There is a book about it (I have the book, if any one wants to borrow it) and a  hashtag, #oneword2019  Some of our coaches have used the one word as a motivational tool for their teams.

I invite you to join me in picking your one word for 2019. Take some time to think about what you want to change, add, remove, or improve in your life. My word has meaning for me, personally and professionally. The choice is yours on what the word represents for you.  Once you have selected your word, consider posting it online, sharing it via email, drawing a picture, posting it in your room, etc. For those of you who decide to choose a word, I would be honored if you would share it with me so together we can help and support each other throughout the year. 

My One Word for 2019 is: Consistent

WHS Staff News - Week of 12/3/18

Midyear Assessments (Update)
All assessments will be approved by Friday, December 7
Can anyone give their assessment before the break? If you can please add your name/course to this doc. 
Our next step will be mapping out the assessments so that they are manageable for the students.  I plan to share a draft of the schedule with all of you next week, as well as get it out to the students. 

Waldwick School District Newsletter 
Please see Doc from Kristen Strauss for information related to district newsletter. 

Working Wednesday Schedule 
This Wednesday, December 5, we will meet for 10-15 minutes in the Little Theater.  Focus will be on school security.  I attended a training session on Friday and want to share some things I learned about. As an FYI we will be doing a lunch time drill later this week.  I will talk more about this on Wednesday.

Warrior Gear Sale - Last call. Sale ends Friday at 8am. 

Alumni Day - Friday, December 21st from 8 - 11:30. More details to follow. 

WHS Staff News - Week of 11/26/18

I hope everyone had an awesome break and enjoyed their time with family and friends. We have 20 days to the holiday break! Not sure how that is possible, but it is.  Let's make the most of those days. Here are a few ideas for what you could do during those 20 days:

• Make one positive parent/guardian call/email each day for the 20 the days
• Take 20 minutes each day to reflect and appreciate life
• Take 20 minutes each day to read and learn. Alternate, one day for professional, one day for pleasure
• Go for a 2o minute walk each day. During school, get outside or walk the halls.  
• Over the next four weeks, spend 20 minutes a week talking with your students about their interests, hobbies, what makes them laugh, favorite movies, music, etc. This can happening during lunch, before school, after school, in the hallways, etc. 
• Take 20 minutes to reach out to old friends, colleagues, mentors. Let them know you are thinking of them.  If someone made a positive impact on your life, let them know.    

These are just some fun ideas I thought of.  Come up with your own list,  I made my own list. 

Thanks for all the work you did on the budget over the last few weeks. I believe we are in a good place moving into the 19-20 school year. 

See Instagram post below, I would to love have a few teachers participate in the 20 day Takeover.  

Important Dates 
Tuesday 11/27 - Heroes and Cool Kids Training at BCC - 8:30 - 1pm (Names on Calendar)

Wednesday 11/28 - Working Wednesday (Agenda will be updated later today)
*ScIP Meeting 

Tuesday 12/11 - 9th Grade Assembly - 12 - 1pm @ Little Th (This will be a three part series for the freshmen class http://www.scottchesney.com/ )

Tuesday 12/12 - Winter Concert - 7pm @ Little Th


What I'm Reading
Leadership Contradictions via Jeff Zoul
Teaching Responsibility or Compliance? via George Couros
Lead Communicator via Tony Sinanis


Tweets/Posts

Alumni Day @ WHS - 12/21/18

Waldwick Gear Sale (Sale ends 12/7)

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Looking for volunteers for Instagram take over ... Let me know why I should pick you? We have 20 days to the holiday break so let’s have some fun leading up to it. Email me or send a remind why you and what your plan is for the takeover. Looking for 20 volunteers. One per day. Students, teachers, administrators, secretaries, aides, etc.

A post shared by WaldwickWHS (@waldwickwhs) on Nov 25, 2018 at 12:35pm PST

2nd annual Orlaksgiving!! Happy Turkey Day @WaldwickWHS 🦃🍽 pic.twitter.com/cfcO3aIMt1

— Dayna Orlak (@desiorlak) November 21, 2018