Waldwick High School Principal's Blog

Caroling was a huge success this past weekend! The students and community thoroughly enjoyed the performances.  Thank you to the Waldwick Music Parent Association for all your help in coordinating this event! Great job Ms. Marsicovete and Mrs. Serwin and all the members of the Band and Chorus! 

Mind Over Matter sweatshirt fundraiser. All money raised will be split between the PAT and Nick Negron Foundation supporting Mental Health Awareness. WHS Mind over Matter Apparel Store 2021  

WHS Winter Concert 2021 - Here is the live stream to tonight's concert. Families and friends are welcome to attend in-person. All guests must wear a mask on. Date: Thursday, 12/9 Time: 7pm  Location: Little Theater 

Welcome to December!  To finish off the year let's have some fun heading into the holiday break! Starting Monday, December 13 we will celebrate the 9 Days to Holiday Break.   I wanted everyone to have time to plan out their outfits for each of the days. The Student Council will be doing something similar with the students.  The MS staff will also be taking part in the 9 Days to Holiday Break!  Let's end the year on a positive!  Check out what we have planned! 

The Global Awareness Club has launched an ornament sale featuring original Waldwick Warriors holiday ornaments! If you would like to purchase one (or more :) please see the link below. All of the proceeds will go to support the Grace Project and our partner students in Kenya. The ornaments will come in by the second week in December. Order yours now!! Link to Order:   Waldwick Warriors Holiday Ornaments

Please see link for a Winter Sports update from Mr. Mayer.  Winter Sports Opening Letter 2021-2022

WarriorNation we need your support! Come out and support the Boys Varsity Soccer Team on Saturday, 11/20 at 5:30pm @ Kean University. Tickets are on Sale NOW!!!! You must purchase them online. They will be scanned at the gate, print or have on mobile device Tickets can be found at www.njsiaa.org/tickets $5 Adults $2 Student/Senior Tickets are for students grade 1-12 / adults over 65 Children 5 and under are free of charge There are no refunds or exchanges Boys Soccer NJSIAA Group 1 State Championship Game - Information. Everything you need to know to see the game on Saturday - c lick here

Students for Global Awareness fundraiser event for our friends in Kenya in connection with TEEEM.  Where: Nellies  When: Monday, 11/15  *You most bring a hard copy of the flyer.  Please print it. 

Class of 2023 - 2025 (Graduation Requirements) These requirements were adopted by the New Jersey State Board of Education on September 8, 2021 for the classes of 2023 - 2025. Graduation Assessment Requirements First Pathway: Students must  take and demonstrate proficiency in Grade 11 on the New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment, which includes content aligned to the Grade 10 New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJSLS) in ELA and the NJSLS in Algebra 1 and Geometry. If after completing the New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment a student does not demonstrate proficiency on the ELA or mathematics section, the student may retake the New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment in the following summer or fall. If after completing the New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment in Grade 11, students did not demonstrate proficiency by passing the ELA component or the mathematics component, such students may access the following pathways: * These pathways are only available

  Thanks to the Student Council for putting together a great Sprint Rally.  Great to have the spirit and smiles back!  Spirit Rally Photos

On October 20th, 2021 at 7pm Northern Highlands High School will host Chris Herren, a former professional Basketball player. Mr. Herren is a Wellness Advocate and will be talking about substance use prevention and how we view the disease of addiction.   Northern Highlands High School has generously opened up attendance to this event to parents and students of neighboring schools. Mr. Herren will be presenting both live and on zoom. Attendance is free but requires registration. Please see the attached link and flier should you be interested. Chris Herren - Northern Highland Flyer 

I write this post with great honor and pride that I get to announce six Waldwick High School seniors have been recognized as "Commended Students in the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program." Congratulations to: Marcelo Ayala Hudson Davis Madeline Dowling Craig Kunz Brandon Martinez Paul White About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2022 competition for National Merit Scholarship Awards, Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 students who entered the 2022 competition by taking the 2020 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®). “Those being named Commended Students have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success," commented a spokesperson for NMSC. "These students represent a valuable national resource; recognizing their accomplishments, as well as the key role their schools play in their academic dev

National Bullying Prevention Month Be Part of the Solution! October is National Bullying Prevention Month. New Jersey celebrates the Week of Respect from October 4th to the 8th. During this time we set up activities that attempt to prevent bullying and promote kindness, acceptance and tolerance. Everyone can do something to help prevent bullying. Individuals, schools, and communities all play an important role. What can families do to help? We ask that during this time families encourage students to participate in school based activities to acknowledge the week of respect. Talk to students about family values regarding respect and encourage kind and caring behavior by your student. Role model the respectful behavior we are trying to instill in our students. This is a great opportunity for discussion, debate and a time to take action. Families can do random acts of kindness, reach out to others that may feel alone or isolated. Take a moment to talk about differences and similarities a

Back to School Night 2021  Here is the site for the 2021 Virtual Back to School Night. Waldwick High School Back to School Night 2021

State Testing Update -  Start Strong Assessments This past spring, New Jersey students did not participate in the statewide student achievement testing program, the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments (NJSLA), due to the impact of Covid-19. The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) notified districts that the administration of the Start Strong Assessments in the fall, 2021 will satisfy the federal statewide assessment requirement to administer general assessments in English Language Arts (ELA), Mathematics, and Science for the 2020-2021 school year. The Start Strong assessments are intentionally brief, designed to maximize instructional time and quickly provide critical data to teachers and school leaders. The district will have immediate access to student results, allowing teachers the flexibility to address students’ unique needs at the beginning of the school year.  Waldwick High School will be administering the Start Strong Assessments to students in Grades 9 – 12  during

Waldwick High School will be a national testing center for the administration of the PSAT Exam and National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test on Wednesday, October 13, 2021.   We offer the test free of charge during the school day to all Juniors. The PSAT is an excellent opportunity to prepare and gain an understanding of the SAT exam. Juniors are eligible for a National Merit Scholarship depending upon their score. PSAT study guides will be handed out to all Juniors. English and Math teachers will be taking time to review the study guide with the students. If there is a parent/guardian who wishes not to have their child sit for the test, I ask that you have a conversation with your son's or daughter's guidance counselor prior to making that decision. If you choose to opt them out, please send me an email so I can remove them from the list. Info for PSAT’s Testing Day - Wednesday, 10/13/21 All Juniors should report to their testing room by 8am. Please be on time. Testing room

The Bergen County Division of Mental Health is offering a FREE Talk Saves Lives virtual presentation, tomorrow, September 21st, from 7-8pm Please see the link below for more information and for a link to register. Registration will close tomorrow, September 21st at 4pm. A Brief Introduction to Suicide Prevention  Suicide can be prevented. This presentation will cover what we know about this leading cause of death, the most up-to-date research on prevention and what we can all do to fight suicide. Participants will learn the common risk factors for suicide, how to spot the warning signs in others, and how to keep ourselves, our loved ones and those in our community safe. See Link for more details - FREE Talk Saves Lives virtual presentation

Important announcement from Mr. Mayer regarding transportation issues we have been having the first two weeks of school related to athletics. See link below. 2021 Transportation Letter

Here is the video of the 9th Grade Parent Orientation from 9/9/21 if you were not able to attend.  You might need to jump to the 6:00 minute mark on the video which is where the presentation begins.  I have also included a few links that were mentioned during the presentation: Slide show for the 9th Grade Parent Orientation Focus 9 Website   Be sure to sign up for Remind

Parents/Guardians:  On Monday, October 11th, we will be conducting an in-service day for our faculty and staff.  This will cause us to have a delayed opening on this day.  Classes will begin at 10:00 AM.   *The lunch time has changed and will be from 12 - 12:50pm.  WHS October Calendar  Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions regarding this matter. 

9th Grade Parent Orientation Thursday, 9/9/21, at 6:45pm   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. Agenda for the event is below: 6:45pm - 6:55pm - Open Remarks - Mr. Carroll 6:55pm - 7:03pm - Language Arts Teachers  7:03pm - 7:11pm - Math Teachers  7:11pm  - 7:19pm - Science Teachers  7:19pm - 7:27pm - Social Studies  7:27pm  - 7:35pm - World Language Teachers  7:35pm - 7:45pm - Wrap Up   I will be emailing the Zoom link out to all parents on Wednesday evening. 

WARRIOR Nation Flag sale ... GradBall 2022! We are selling flags (large 2x3 or Garden flag with stakes) that will match the flag that WHS will fly at the turf! 

*In my video I mistaking said students start Wednesday 9/2, I meant to say Thursday 9/2.  I hope the students had a great two months away from WHS and enjoyed the summer. I have missed the students and can’t wait to have everyone back in the building next week.  It's been a long year and a half dealing with COVID-19 and we will still be dealing with it this school year.  We will do everything we can to make sure the transition back to full day in-person learning is smooth and will deal with any issues that arise.   The safety of the students and staff is always my number one priority and will continue to be.  Getting back to the school routine is never easy, but seeing friends everyday, learning new things, attending games and having some structure in the day is a good thing. I am looking forward to an amazing year! On September 2, 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 Ind

WHS will continue with the My School Bucks online payment system for your child to purchase lunch. Accounts have been created for all students. The program will begin on the first day of school, which is Thursday, September 2, 2021. The system is called My School Bucks. This online payment service provides a quick and easy way to add money to your student's meal account using a credit/debit card or electronic check. You will need your child's Genesis student ID number when setting up the account. You can also view recent purchases, check balances and set-up low balance alerts for FREE! My School Bucks provides: Convenience - Available 24/7 on the web or through our mobile app for your smartphone. Efficiency - Make payments for all of your students, even if they attend different schools within the district. Eliminate the need for your student to take money to school. Control - Set low balance alerts, view account activity, recurring/automatic payments & more! Flexibility -

  A few reminders for the Class of 2022 ...  What you need to know about  Senior Privileges (Parking & Open Campus)   Seniors can pick up their parking pass this week on Wednesday, 8/18, and Thursday, 8/19 between 8:15AM and 1:00PM in the main office if they have completed the following: Submit all the required forms on Genesis (Parent Account) High School Parent Signature Sheet Chromebook/GAFE/Devices Random Drug Testing *If you plan to park on campus this is required  Seniors Only  Complete your Senior Parking Application Seniors are only allowed to park in the numbered spots in the lower lot. There are 57 student spots which have been numbered. Clearly, not enough for everyone, but that's what we have. Please remember, parking on campus is a privilege, not a right.   If parking becomes an issue with students parking in staff spots, I will implement a lottery system and assign spots per marking period. 

WHS Community: We are excited to announce our new Waldwick High School ESports program! Mr. Left will be coaching the team this year and will be hosting a signup meeting on Tuesday August 24th at 12pm via Google Meet. If you are interested in ESports, please review this presentation . Please reach out to Mr. Left - leftp@waldwickschools.org to sign up and for the meeting information. The team also has a Twitter account that you can follow. @WldwckHSEsports

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 WHS FORMS: High School Parent Signature Sheet (Required 9-12) Chromebook/GAFE/Devices Sign-off Form (Required 9-12) PaySch

  Class of 2024  Last year was a tough year to start high school with all that you had to deal with related to COVID-19.  Some of you were full-time remote students all year and never had the chance to walk the halls of WHS. We want to make sure that we do all we can to help with the transition back to school in September. On Tuesday, August 31, at 10am, current sophomores that were full-time remote all year will have a chance to tour the building and talk with National Honor Society members.  We hope this will make the transition back to school a little easier.  If you are interested to taking part in this Welcome Back Day, please RSVP using this Google Form .  Masks will be required to enter the building.  Any questions please reach out. 

Freshmen Orientation - Wednesday, August 25th 12:30 - 2:45pm    This event is for students only and is run by the members of the National Honor Society. Chromebooks will be distributed, along with some  very cool swag to start out their year. Please complete this  Google Form for T-Shirt Size .  I do need the sizes back ASAP. Please complete the form by Monday, August 9.  The purpose of Freshmen Orientation is to help our incoming Freshman class acclimate to their new school culture and assist with the transition to High School related to stress and academic achievement. Orientation is the first step in making sure our students understand the mission of WHS which is: Waldwick High School’s mission is to create a positive learning experience through both technological and environmental means in order to promote critical thinkers , effective communicators , creators and innovators . At Waldwick High School students will be provided an environment that encourages students to be resilien

Athletic Paperwork for the Fall 2021 - 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 Monday, August 9th, 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 Friday, July 30th, 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 dated

Student schedules for the 2021-22 school year are now available for viewing on Parent Access. Please review your potential schedule, keeping in mind that the schedule may change; however, we are very comfortable that most schedules are accurate and will remain in place for September.  If you have any issues or concerns with your schedule, please complete this Google Form. Schedule Issues (Sept 2021) .  The Guidance Counselors will be available August 24 and 25.  That is when issues will be addressed.  Final schedules will be posted on Parent Access in August with periods and rooms. 

WHS Summer General Information Summer Hours - The building is open Monday through Thursday from 7:45AM- 2:30 PM and Friday 7:45 - 12:15pm. Not all staff are in each day, so please call in advance to confirm the person you need is available. General Questions - Mrs. Doheny dohenyd@waldwickschools.org Guidance Questions - Ms. Cassidy cassidyl@waldwickschools.org Working Papers - Mrs. Brophy brophye@waldwickschools.org Summer Assignments - This summer there are no summer assignments, with the exception of AP classes. AP students have access to the Google Classroom - 21-22 AP Information Hub and can find their assignments there. If a student does not have access, please email Mr. Carroll. carrollk@waldwickschools.org Remind Make sure you are signed up for Remind notifications for the correct grade level (Students and Parents). Remind provides a safe way for the administrators, teachers and coaches at Waldwick High School to communicate with students and parents/guardians via text mes

Dear Parents and Athletes, I hope you had a great Spring and end to the school year. We are excited to get back to a normal Summer Recess Period for our High School athletic program. The NJSIAA is allowing normal Summer workouts to begin next week. Here is the plan for the Summer Recess Period at WHS: Summer Workouts (voluntary) for all teams may begin on Monday June 21st Prior to participating in workouts, athletes must hand in a Summer Health History Update Form to the nurses office. This will be handed in just one time. Coach will conduct daily temperature checks prior to the workout to screen each athlete participating. (a reading of 100.4 or higher means the athlete cannot workout) Athletes will bring their own water bottle to the workout. There are no mandatory workouts. All scheduled workouts will be voluntary. Mandatory practices do not begin for the Fall season until August 9th for Football and August 16th for all other sports. The Summer Recharging Period will be in eff

  WALDWICK HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATING SENIORS CAR PARADE - June 18, at 1:00 pm WarriorNation let’s come out to support the class of 2021 on Friday, June 18 at 1:00pm. Let’s line the streets of Waldwick and celebrate this great group of students! The caravan will leave Waldwick Borough Park at 1:00 pm, proceed north on Hopper Ave, then south on Franklin Turnpike, then west on Wyckoff Ave, and will end at the Waldwick High School.

WarriorNation Show how strong and united we are as warriors! This past year has been tough for all of us, but there is always someone less fortunate than us - so let’s work to change that. Participate in the Warrior Strong campaign by donating, buying a sign, hat etc. and 100% proceeds will be benefiting the Center for Food Action to fight hunger and help struggling families near you. We are Warrior Strong together! " Place your order using the link: Warrior Strong Sign Store

Mental Health Program for High School and Middle School Parents Staff from WHS and WMS have been working in conjunction with two local organizations on developing Mental Health Workshops and resources for the Waldwick community.  The two organizations are: People Are There (PAT) and The Nick Negron Mental Health Foundation. Both groups are filled with Waldwick alumni trying to bring light to the struggles related to Mental Health and the resources that are available.  Four unique evening parent programs have been set up to help parents support their child with mental health as they transition through life.  We have created a short survey for parents to complete to help us finalize the agenda for the evenings.  Parent Survey  All meetings will be held via Zoom and links will be sent out on Tuesday, June 1.  6TH AND 7TH GRADE PARENTS - WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2 @ 7 PM 8TH GRADE PARENTS - THURSDAY, JUNE 3 @ 7 PM 9TH, 10TH, AND 11TH GRADE PARENTS - MONDAY, JUNE 7 @ 7 PM 12TH GRADE PARENTS - TUESDA

  Link to the live stream for Thursday nights performance of: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Show starts at 6pm  Admission to the show is only for families members of the cast and crew with limited seating.  Tickets have already been handed out for each of the 3 performances. 

Final details on the full day schedule starting Monday, May 3rd. Blog post from last week - WHS Schedule for the Reminder of the School Year    Schedule for the Week of May 3rd Monthly Calendars May 2021 June, 2021 Daily Bell Schedule Lunch Time  Seniors and Juniors are allowed to leave the campus for lunch. Sophomores and Freshmen will be eating on campus.  No lunch will be served by WHS, students must bring their own.  Masks will only be off when students are eating.  We are still following the Student Handbook when it comes leaving school early or at lunch time.  LEAVING SCHOOL EARLY All students regardless of age, who request to leave school before the end of the day must present a signed note by the parent/guardian to the Attendance Secretary before the start of Block 1. This includes students 17 and under wishing to attend school sponsored events during school hours. The note must include the date, the requested dismissal time and a parent or guardian's daytime telephone n

Dear Parents and Guardians; As you know from Dr. Casarico’s most recent email, which was sent out the week before the break, Waldwick High School will be implementing the next step in our Return to School Plan. This new component to our program will take effect on Monday, May 3, 2021. Please know that in developing this new schedule, we have adhered to our goal of safely providing more in-person learning to our students. This new schedule achieves that goal. *Next week I will be holding grade level meetings to review all of this with the students.    The details of the plan are the following: Students will remain in their current cohorts and follow the same schedule of days in the building that we have been following. Pride - Monday and Tuesday Spirit - Thursday and Friday *Pride and Spirit will still be switching every week on Wednesday's. We will run the same structure to our schedule that we have been running throughout this school year; however, there are some

Waldwick Music Parents Association - Clothing & Shoe Drive (May 16, 9 - 1pm) Waldwick Music Parents Association - Clothing & Shoe Drive (May 16, 9 - 1pm) https://t.co/YmhslMjRpZ #OwnitWHS pic.twitter.com/joyEHGH5OG — Waldwick High School (@WaldwickWHS) April 19, 2021