Waldwick High School Principal's Blog

                           Andrew received the National Merit Scholarship Program – Letter of Commendation for outstanding performance on the preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test in 2013. In late September, more than two-thirds (about 34,000) of the approximately 50,000 high scorers on the PSAT/NMSQT® receive Letters of Commendation in recognition of their outstanding academic promise.  Commended students are named on the basis of a nationally applied Selection Index score that may vary from year to year and is typically below the level required for participants to be named Semifinalists in their respective states. Although Commended Students do not continue in the competition for National Merit® Scholarships, some of these students do become candidates for special scholarships sponsored by corporations and businesses. Congratulations Andrew! Check out more news from ...

                                  The College Board’s National Hispanic Recognition Program (NHRP) identifies academically outstanding Hispanic/Latino high school students.   Each year, the NHRP honors approximately 5,000 of the highest-scoring students   from over 250,000 Hispanic/Latino juniors who take the PSAT/NMSQT. Recognized students are mailed certificates in September of their senior year.  NHRP is proud to honor outstanding students who are academically exceptional students. Congratulations  Armando! Check out more news from the Guidance Department in their October edition of  Guidance News.

The information below is from the NJ Department of Education  The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that by the age of 18, the average American child will have viewed 200,000 acts of violence on television. Some studies suggest that exposure to violence in the media increases the chances that children will behave more aggressively, experience more anger and hostility, think more about aggression and violence, and become “numb” to images of violence. In response to this concern and in an effort to increase awareness, the Legislature passed and the Governor signed P.L. 2013, c. 146, which requires the New Jersey Department of Education to prepare and make available on the department’s website information on how a parent can limit a child’s exposure to violence on television, cell phones, computers, and other electronic devices.  The link below is a pamphlet created by the NJDOE.  Media Violence and Youth: Impact of a Child’s Ex...

What is the Common Core?  Here are few points to help answer that question.   The Common Core Is a Set of Standards, Not Curriculum The Common Core sets standards of what students should learn in math and English in each grade. Local school districts decide the curriculum that best helps all students meet the standards. For Many Years, New Jersey Has Adopted Standards That Guide Instruction in All Content Areas, and the Common Core Is No Different.  New Jersey has a 20-year history of standards based education. During that time, we have continually raised the bar for our students by revising the standards to meet the needs of our students in an ever-changing world. This “continuous improvement” approach is a core reason for the strong track record of success of New Jersey schools. The Common Core is not “new” to NJ educators, as they have been utilizing them since 2010. The Common Core Is a State-Driven Initiative, Not a Federal Mandate In 2009, 48 states, th...

Jean Day for Goodell - Friday, September 26th  Next Friday, the Waldwick School District will be taking part in a fundraiser for the Christopher Goodell Scholarship Fund .  Any student/parent who would like to be involved is more than welcome.  Students are encouraged to wear jeans.  A donation envelope will be available in homeroom for anyone wanting to make a donation.   Below is also information about purchasing a T-Shirt for the Christopher Goodell Scholarship Fund.  If you are interested in purchasing a T-shirt, please fill out the online order form and send your check to Waldwick High School, Attention:  Mr. Carroll. In Memory of Officer Goodell

2014-2015 Back to School Night "Welcome video"

disparky.Welcome.Digital Image.Flickr.Yahoo! http://goo.gl/HPCrIN Kris Ann Minichetti - Mathematics   I asked each new teacher to answer a few questions about themselves:  Can you tell us a little bit about your background? I lived in New Milford for the first five years of my life before moving to Wyckoff, where I currently reside. I went to private school from Pre-K-12. I majored in mathematics with a concentration in secondary education at Ramapo College. At Ramapo College, I belonged to the Pi Mu Epsilon Honor Society and the Golden Key International Honor Society. For the last two years, I taught at Hackensack Middle School. What made you choose education as a career? My mother is a teacher and I always remember visiting her classroom. When I began high school, I started helping my mother after school giving extra help to her middle school students. I enjoyed working with the students and seeing their progress throughout the year. What app...

disparky.Welcome.Digital Image.Flickr.Yahoo! http://goo.gl/HPCrIN Stephanie Scheck - Language Arts  I asked each new teacher to answer a few questions about themselves:  Can you tell us a little bit about your background? I grew up in Wyckoff. I went to Ramapo High School in Franklin Lakes and then continued on to attend Fairleigh Dickinson University for both my Bachelor's and my Master’s Degrees. I completed student teaching and a maternity leave position in the Pascack Valley Regional High School District. What made you choose education as a career? I have always had the desire to help people and a great appreciation of literature, reading, and writing. Those two factors combined led me to my decision to pursue Education as a career. What appealed to you about Waldwick High School?    I think that Waldwick is a very close-knit community and is a town that values the success of its students. I am very much looking forward to w...

disparky.Welcome.Digital Image.Flickr.Yahoo! http://goo.gl/HPCrIN Christine Osborn - World Languages I asked each new teacher to answer a few questions about themselves:  Can you tell us a little bit about your background? I was born and raised in Ct.  After graduating high school (in Ct) I went to Ithaca College and graduated with a BA in Spanish.  I wanted to get out and explore the world after college so I traveled, lived and worked in various different places, including Costa Rica, Chile, Argentina and California.  I went to NYU for graduate school and received an MA in TESOL (teaching English as a foreign language) in 2008. I pursued my NJ teaching certificate via alternate route in 2009 to become a certified teacher in Spanish and received a certificate of eligibility in ESL. What made you choose education as a career?   While I was living abroad in Chile, I decided to teach English to become more involved in the local community. I taug...

disparky.Welcome.Digital Image.Flickr.Yahoo! http://goo.gl/HPCrIN Ericka O'Hara - Science  I asked each new teacher to answer a few questions about themselves: Can you tell us a little bit about your background?   I grew up in Waldwick and graduated WHS. Then I attended Ramapo College and earned a degree in biochemistry.  After, I worked in vaccines research at Pfizer before coming back home to Waldwick to teach.  I have always had a great sense of wonder about all things science, but love the physical sciences most of all.  I have always had a great deal of pride for my hometown and Alma Mater and am lucky to once again be a part of the community at WHS. What made you choose education as a career? I originally set out to get my teaching degree in college thinking that I would teach right away, but I decided that I wanted to see things from the inside of the laboratory first. When I worked at the lab, the only thing I really discovered was...

disparky.Welcome.Digital Image.Flickr.Yahoo! http://goo.gl/HPCrIN Michael Mayer - Supervisor of Athletics and Social Studies   I asked each new staff member to answer a few questions about themselves:  Can you tell us a little bit about your background? I grew up in Paramus where I attended Paramus High School.  I played basketball and football in high school.  After high school, I received my bachelor's degree from Montclair State University and my master's degree in Educational Leadership from Seton Hall University.  For the past 12 years I have been a Social Studies teacher, head softball coach, and head boy's basketball coach for the New Milford School District. What made you choose education as a career? I knew I wanted to make a difference in the lives of others and there aren't many careers that offer that chance.  I chose education as a career because it has given me that opportunity to help others pursue ...

disparky.Welcome.Digital Image.Flickr.Yahoo! http://goo.gl/HPCrIN Sean Cosgrove - Social Studies  I asked each new teacher to answer a few questions about themselves:  Can you tell us a little bit about your background? I grew up in River Vale, NJ and attended Pascack Valley High School. In high school, I played soccer, ice hockey, and golf. After graduating from Pascack Valley, I attended Quinnipiac University where I majored in history and earned a master degree as well. While at Quinnipiac, I was very active in the school’s Quinnipiac Future Teachers Organization (QFTO). During my internship at North Haven High School, I coached the middle school soccer team and Unified Sports. What made you choose education as a career? My path to teaching wasn’t always crystal clear even though both of my parents are in education. While at Quinnipiac, I changed my major several times and was completely lost as my sophomore year was coming to a close. It wasn’t until ...