Waldwick High School Principal's Blog

On Monday, February 29, I will be taking part in the “ Shadowing a Student Challenge . ” I will be joining school leaders from 23 countries and all 50 states.  Right now there are over 1,117 school leaders taking part during the week of February 29 - March 4. My schedule has been cleared, selected a student and will spend the day as a member of the Waldwick High School student body.  I will be reflecting on the day and plan on sharing my experience. The goal for the day is to see what our school looks like through the eyes of student .  At the end of the day my homework will be to i dentify what's going well, what could be better and what questions or ideas are sparked by this experience. I am looking forward to being a student again (I think).

Waldwick High School is excited to announce  we are changing our math sequence starting with the Class of 2020 (Current 8th Graders).  Starting this September, all incoming freshman will be taking Geometry and the new college prep sequence will be Geometry, Algebra 1, Algebra 2 and Pre-Calculus.  This change does not affect the honors sequence.   After two years of researching the advantages of making this change, we determined this would be best for the students of Waldwick High school.  This proposed change was presented to the Board of Education at two of the Curriculum Committee meetings (October 2015 & January 2016)  and spoken about at the February 8 Board Meeting.  Some of the key reasons for this change are: All classes K-8 have Geometry standards in their curriculum High School Algebra 1 does not have any Geometry standards; therefore, it is more beneficial to move Geometry closer to the MS level and Algebra 1 to come before A...

We are entering the second year of PARCC testing and starting in April, students in grades 9, 10 and 11 in ELA (English Language Arts) and Math (Algebra 1, Geometry and  Algebra  2) will participate in the updated version of the PARCC (Partnership For Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) tests.  One big change from last year is that students will only be taking the test once during the school year.    Just like last year, the assessments are computer-based and aligned to our curriculum.   The PARCC testing is designed to help the teachers and staff  understand  how well we are preparing our students toward the goals of the CCSS as well as offering a snapshot of individual student growth at each grade level. This information along with the  internal assessments that are used, helps teachers to support the learning of each child.  In addition, we use the info...

Internet and cell phone technology have revolutionized the way we learn and interact. The benefits are immense, but so are the potential dangers. For teens in particular, cyber-bullying, harassment, stalking, spying, sexting and sexual predation are reaching dangerous levels throughout the country. In order to help reinforce safe online behaviors, we will be showing the film, "Sticks and Stones" on Thursday, February 25, 2016, to all 9th Graders (1:30pm start) . This film addresses many of these issues in a hard-hitting but realistic way.  The film was co-produced by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and Chase Wilson, the Emmy-nominated creators of the DWI prevention film, "Stoned Cold." Several important lessons will be highlighted during the film presentation and classroom discussions.  We encourage you to talk to your child about the film after they view it, in particular: The nature and consequences of bullying on the victim and bystanders; The dan...

WALDWICK HIGH SCHOOL January Students of the Month 2015 – 2016 BUSINESS ALLISON JOHNSON - Allison, a senior, does outstanding work in her Personal Finance and Software Applications classes. She works very well individually or in groups to complete activities and projects.  She goes “above and beyond” to get things done. One example is Allison’s work in formatting and organizing a recently completed Course of Studies booklet. In addition, Allison is very creative in design work and problem solving. Allison maintains an “A” average in her Personal Finance and Software classes. Good job!!!    INSTRUMENTAL ANTHONY TUTSCHEK - Anthony, a junior, is very deserving of Student of the Month honors for Instrumental Music. He has been involved with the WHS band for the past four years. Anthony began as  a trombone player,  then switched to tuba at the end of his freshman year. Anthony has demonstrated a tremendous amount of improvement over the last...