Waldwick High School Principal's Blog

Bring on the 22-23 school year! I hope all the students and WHS families had a great summer. It's been an exciting summer here at WHS with all the construction and renovations going on. What a great time to be part of Waldwick High School and Warrior Nation. Yes, the construction will cause some inconveniences and changes to our normal routines, but the end product is something everyone connected to WHS and the Waldwick community will be extremely proud of!  I will continue to post updates on the construction and keep everyone informed throughout the project.    On Tuesday, September 6, we will follow a Special Schedule where all classes will meet. Everyone will report to their Period 1 class by 8am. Seniors who have Period 1 Independent should be in the building by 8:45am. and check in with Mrs. Raffaele in front of the Little Theater. Students should bring a copy of their schedule/screen shot or have access to Genesis via their phone. Health classes will start on Wednesday, 9/

It is my pleasure to introduce Stefanie Gosse Batory to the Waldwick community. Ms. Gosse Batory will be filling in for Mrs. Hidalgo (Ms. Hummel) while she is out on maternity leave. We are very excited to welcome Ms. Gosse Batory at WHS as our Library Media Specialist. Can you tell us a little about your background? I grew up in Allendale.NJ and St.Louis, Mo. After returning to NJ, I completed my undergraduate degree (BA Fine Arts) at Ramapo College and worked in Advertising/PR corporate management. A change of careers led me to librarianship, first in a public library then in school libraries and received my M.ED, in Curriculum/Instruction from William Paterson University with SLMS Certification. The 2022-2023 school year marks my 20th as a school librarian! What made you choose education as a career? When I desired a change from a corporate position, I realized my strengths in communication and research skills were applicable in a learning environment. Graduate school helped defin

It is my pleasure to introduce Nicole DeMatteo to the Waldwick community. Ms. DeMatteo will be a great addition to our Nurse's Office. We are very excited to welcome Ms. DeMatteo to WHS. Can you tell us a little about your background? I was born in Hoboken and grew up in Upper Saddle River. I attended Northern Highlands for High School where I played flute in the marching band and was the drum major my senior year. I also was a basketball cheerleader. I then went on to Fairfield University where I majored in Nursing. I moved to Hoboken after college and started working for Hackensack University Medical Center as a Mother/Baby Nurse. I took my career, a few years later, into the schools after getting my school nurse certification from Felician University. I started working for Bayonne High School and then Hoboken Schools. Last year, I moved back to the area to Allendale and I am excited to be working so close to home. What made you choose education as a career? I chose to leave hosp

It is my pleasure to introduce Joseph Petrosi to the Waldwick community. Mr. Petrosi will be a great addition to our Science Department. This year he will be teaching Chemistry at the high school. We are very excited to welcome Mr. Petrosi to WHS. Can you tell us a little about your background? I moved around a bit when I was younger between NY and NJ. But for the most part I grew up in Slate Hill, NY. I went to Rider University for a few years before transferring to William Paterson University where I received a B.S. in Chemistry and Secondary Education Certification. And just recently a M.Ed in Special Education. I was at my previous district for eight years, but I am looking forward to getting to know everyone here! What made you choose education as a career? I've always enjoyed helping others, and I have a love of Chemistry and Science as a whole. I wanted a career where I could engage people directly, and teaching fit that model perfectly. My end goal is to have my students f

It is my pleasure to introduce Cynthia Burmaster to the Waldwick community. Dr. Burmaster will be a great addition to our Science Department. This year she will be teaching Chemistry at the high school. We are very excited to welcome Dr. Burmaster to WHS. Can you tell us a little about your background? I was born in West Virginia and grew up in Kentucky. I graduated from Centre College in Danville Kentucky with a major in chemistry and a concentration in education. After graduating college, I worked a short time for Ashland Oil and from there I went on to receive a graduate degree in chemistry from the University of Georgia. I’ve worked in the pharmaceutical industry but then returned to Ramapo college to obtain a teaching certificate and pursue my lifelong desire to become a teacher. What made you choose education as a career? Fond memories of school at an early age led to my inspiration to teach. My mother taught in a public elementary school for 33 years as did my grandmother. Bein

With the on going construction at the high school we will have limited student lockers available for this school year. Over the past few years the amount of students using their locker has become less and less, so I don't believe this will have a major impact on anyone that would like to request one. All students will have access to use their gym locker to store gear/equipment/uniforms for after activities. Please complete this form and we will work on assigning you a locker. Once the locker is assigned it will appear in Genesis on the Student and Parent portal. Locker Request Form   Locker requests need to be made by 1pm on 8/31. *Only Waldwick students have access to submit a request

Physical Education Uniforms @ WHS If you need to order a PE uniform for the upcoming school year please see below: Please use this link for pricing, order deadlines, and submitting an order: Web Store to order Uniforms Deadline to order is Monday, September 12, 2022 ***Important*** It is a mandatory requirement for all HS Students to wear at least the WHS PE Department T-shirt and Shorts. Failure to do so will penalize a student's overall PE Grade. All orders should arrive to the High School by the last week of September. No student will be penalized until the orders have arrived. Until then, the PE Dept. will allow students to change into any appropriate top (t-shirt) and bottom (mesh/athletic shorts) that are grey or navy. Please contact Mr. Hagen if you have any questions. hagenm@waldwickschools.org

It is my pleasure to introduce Elizabeth Beck to the Waldwick community. Ms. Beck, a social worker, will be a great addition to our Child Study Team. We are very excited to welcome Ms. Beck from Traphagen/Crescent Elementary School to WHS. Can you tell us a little about your background? I've always been interested in people! I love hearing people's stories and experiences, and I love helping people navigate life's challenges. I've also always loved creative expression in all its forms! That brought me to my undergraduate studies of psychology and music, and my graduate studies in social work and art therapy. For the last 10 years, I've had the opportunity to apply my skills at the elementary level here in Waldwick. I'm excited to "graduate" to WMS/WHS this year! What made you choose education as a career? Education is in my family! Both of my parents were teachers, which led me to school-based work. I think it's also one of the places where I have

It is my pleasure to introduce Melanie Moore to the Waldwick community. Ms. Moore will be a great addition to our Counseling Center. This year she will be working with the freshmen to facilitate the transition into high school. We are very excited to welcome Ms. Moore to WHS in this new role. Can you tell us a little about your background? I grew up in Waldwick and recently returned in 2021 to make it my home once again. I attended Crescent Elementary School as well as Waldwick Middle School and High School. After graduating, I moved to Philadelphia where I attended La Salle University and earned my Bachelor's degree in Speech Language Hearing Science. Before attending grad school, I worked in the Ridgewood School District. As a result of that experience, I decided to earn my Master's Degree in School Counseling from Montclair State University instead. I worked as a School Counselor at Wood-Ridge Jr/Sr High School and Warren Middle School. This year will be my fifth year worki

                                 It is my pleasure to introduce Caitlin Ernest to the Waldwick community. Ms. Ernest will be a great addition to our Special Education Department. This year she will be teaching Language Arts and Social Studies at the high school. We are very excited to welcome Ms. Ernest to WHS. Can you tell us a little about your background? I grew up in Wanaque and now reside in Mahwah. I attended Pascack Hills High School where I played soccer, basketball and lacrosse. I currently coach high school girls’ basketball and girls’ lacrosse which is a huge passion of mine. I went to William Paterson University and majored in Secondary English Education with a minor in Teachers of Students with Disabilities. I student taught right here at Waldwick High School under Mrs. Kish and loved every minute of it! What made you choose education as a career? Growing up, my father was a huge inspiration of mine when deciding my career path. He was a coach and teacher at Pascack Hills

It is my pleasure to introduce Danielle Ramiccio to the Waldwick community. Ms. Ramiccio will be a great addition to our Special Education Department. This year she will be teaching Science at the high school. We are very excited to welcome Ms. Ramiccio to WHS. Can you tell us a little about your background? I grew up in Fair Lawn and attended Fair Lawn High School where I played Softball and graduated in 2017. I then continued my education at Monmouth University where I studied both Biology and Secondary Education. I did my full-time student teaching in Waldwick High School in my last year at Monmouth. I am currently attending Ramapo College in pursuit of a Masters in Special Education. What made you choose education as a career? I chose to go into education after having many teachers, professors and coaches in my life that shaped me to be who I am today. After the many clubs I was a part of throughout high school, I realized my passion for having an impact in the lives of children. T

9th Grade Parent Orientation  Thursday, 9/15/22, at 6:30pm Via Zoom The purpose of 9th Grade Parent Orientation is to help our incoming Freshman parents learn about WHS and how they can assist their child with the transition to High School. We understand this is new to so many of you and want to help make this first year as smooth as possible. Each of the academic subject areas will be presenting and we are planning on keeping the meeting to one hour.  I will be emailing the Zoom link out to all parents on Wednesday evening. Please note there will be an in-person Back to School Night on Thursday, 9/22/22 at 7pm.  More details to follow. 

Guest blog post: David Merchan, District Technology Coordinator Dear Parents/Guardians & Students: We hope you are enjoying your summer and this letter finds you in good health. We’d like to take this opportunity to ensure that your student’s Chromebook is in proper working condition for the upcoming school year. To start, please go through the following checklist: Completely power OFF the Chromebook then power back ON. (This will complete any necessary updates) Test power cord is charging Check mouse Check keyboard and all other functionalities Go to meets.google.com and test the microphone and camera settings If your child’s Chromebook meets the above criteria, your child’s Chromebook is ready for the start of school. In the event that you are having a problem with any of the above criteria, please follow the schedule below for drop-off/pick-up repairs. Drop-off: High School: 8/23/22 - 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM - Location MS MPR Pick-up: High School: 8/31/22 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM - Loca

We are open!!! Genesis Parent Access is now open. Parents have the ability to complete all of the necessary forms. Once the required forms are completed, your child(ren)’s schedule will be visible on both the parent account and student account. Through Genesis Parent Access, all parents are required to complete the following forms under the Forms Tab. Once you click on the form link, you have the ability to read and sign all forms online (Forms are only available through parent accounts). Student Schedule - Reading it When looking at the Summary Tab in Genesis Parent/Student Access, you will see your schedule for the day. By using the green arrows next to the calendar days, you will be able to see your schedule for every day moving forward. Yearly Rotating Drop Schedule Here is the complete schedule for the month of September as well. - WHS September Calendar If you have an issue with your schedule please complete this Google Form and the counselors will review it when they return in

Athletic Paperwork for the Fall 2022 - Guest post from Jeff Basilicato (Boz) The Fall season is almost upon us and hopefully we will be back to normal! The summer season officially switches to the Fall on Wednesday, August 10th , so this is a new season (technically) and we will need all of the medical paperwork submitted in order to be cleared for those practices. Keep in mind even if you were cleared for summer practices you will need to be cleared again for this fall season. Oftentimes there are errors or omissions with paperwork. Submitting paperwork by Thursday August 4th , is very strongly recommended so you are certain to be cleared for the first day of practice. As always, there are four items needed in order to be cleared for participation for the Fall season. The following links contain the files and information required for participation. These forms must be completed in full, and without errors or they will be returned for completion. A physical, completed by your physician