Waldwick High School Principal's Blog

WHS Picture Day September 11, 2024 S Order Form Link WHS Picture Day is Wednesday, 9/11/24

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...

We would like to inform you that lockers are optional @ WHS. Over the past few years, we have seen a decline in students using lockers and that's why they are now optional. If you would like to request a locker, please complete this form All students will have access to use their gym locker to store gear/equipment/uniforms for after-school activities. If you would like to use a locker this year, please complete this form and we will assign a locker for you. 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 11am on Wednesday, 8/28. Any request after 8/28 will be processed after the school year starts. *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 9, 2024 ***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

  WHS  Athletic Paperwork for the Fall 2024 The Fall season is almost upon us.  The summer season officially switches to the Fall season on Monday, August 12th (Football & Tennis) & Monday, August 19th (All other sports), 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 8th, 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 ...

9th Grade Parent Orientation Thursday, September 12, 2024 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. I will be emailing the Zoom link out to all parents on Tuesday evening. Please note there will be an in-person Back-to-School Night on Tuesday, September 17, at 7:00pm. More details to follow.

Freshmen Orientation - Wednesday, August 28, 12:30 - 3:00pm  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 Wednesday, July 31. 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 resilient, co...

  New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment (NJGPA) Individual Score Report Spring 2024 In the spring, your student participated in the New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment (NJGPA) administration to measure the extent to which your student is graduation ready in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics. The ELA component of the NJGPA assesses student graduation readiness based on grade 10 standards. The mathematics component of the NJGPA assesses student graduation readiness based on Algebra I and Geometry standards. The NJGPA is required to be administered to students in grade 11 as part of the graduation assessment requirements adopted by the State Board of Education on September 8, 2021. A minimum score of 725 is required for each component (ELA and mathematics) of the NJGPA and was adopted by the State Board of Education on May 3, 2023. Graduation readiness is reported separately for each content component . Your student’s NJGPA Individual Student Report (IS...

Show your Warrior Pride and help support the Class of 2025. WarrriorNation Flags: Garden flags include stake. 2’x3’ flags are perfect for your front porch or for dorm room décor. Sale closes 7/26. Click here for order form

Something new is coming for the 24-25 School Year to help streamline communication at Waldwick High School. I am excited to announce that we adopted a new form of school-to-home communication called ParentSquare. This unified communications platform is designed to keep parents and guardians informed and encourage greater engagement and connection with Waldwick High School. It provides a safe way for the school administrations, teachers, staff, and parents to: Send and receive school information Share pictures and files Receive updates from athletic teams and clubs See calendar items and much more . . . all in one centralized place! ParentSquare will take the place of: Emails, Remind messages and the Waldwick High School Principal Blog. All WHS information will now be sent to your computer or phone via email and/or text. For even more convenience, download the ParentSquare app (available for free for iOS and Android devices). The rollout will begin in mid-July, aiming to have the app f...

A moving assembly about mental health telling the story of Madison Holleran. Presented by the Waldwick High School Mind over Matter Club.  Thank you to the WEF for making this happen! 

Summer 2024 Art Workshops &  Musical Theater Workshops Use the QR codes to register

Semester 2 Assessments will take place from June 10 to June 14. We will be running a modified schedule with two assessments per day. Here is the Schedule for the five days of assessments, as well as the schedule for last two days of school - Semester 2 Assessment Schedule   A few items to clarify: Each assessment block is 2 hours (8:05 - 10:05 & 10:15 - 12:15) For Semester 2 Assessments, all classes that are not giving an Assessment will not be meeting. Example: Related Arts, PE, Study Hall, electives, etc. Assessments will include Multiple Units/Skills and Standards, but not everything that was covered during the second Semester. The Semester 2 Assessment counts as 6% of the overall class grade. Each Marking Period is 22% (4) and each Semester Assessment is 6% (2)

Waldwick HS Community, We are excited to inform you about an upcoming event that aims to promote mental health awareness within our school community. During the month of May, the Mind Over Matter Club has been dedicated to highlighting the significance of mental well-being among our student body. In observance of Mental Health Awareness Month, the club has been sharing wellness tips via Instagram. Additionally, therapy dogs are set to visit and on May 23, a mental health event is scheduled for all juniors and seniors in the morning prior to prom. As a culminating event for Mental Health Awareness, on Thursday, June 6 , we will be holding an assembly featuring a guest speaker from the Madison Holleran Foundation. The speaker, Carli Bushoven, is the sister of Madison Holleran, a young woman who tragically took her own life at the age of 19 in 2014. Madison was a graduate of Northern Highlands High School and a talented track runner at UPenn. Her story has been documented in the book ...

  We're really excited about the upcoming 1st Annual STARS Award Show! STARS stands for Senior Tribute & Recognition Show, where we'll be giving out department and school awards. Normally, these awards were part of the Senior Awards Night along with scholarships. But this year, we're doing something special by hosting the STARS Award Show as a separate event. Alongside the usual awards, we've got some fun senior superlatives picked by our teachers. These superlatives cover a range of categories, from silly to serious, adding a nice mix of humor and importance to the event. The 1st Annual STARS Award Show is going to be a great way to honor the talent and hard work of our seniors. We're looking forward to celebrating with everyone!

  Congratulations to the newest members of the Waldwick High School Chapter of the National Honor Society. The Induction Ceremony took place on Thursday evening, May 2, 2024. RYAN BAGDAS JOSEPH BUSACCO TYLER BYRNES ABIGAIL CARPENTER LUCY CASTANEDA ELIZABETH DAVIS SARA DEAK ABIGAIL DIAZ GIANNA DZIEKAN GIANNA GARCIA JOSEPH HAUSCH EMMA HOOD ABIGAIL INCORVAIA DEREK MIANO MAYU NAKANO FARWAH NASSERI SYDNEY NG TAYLOR PIEKARZ KATELYNN RAINERE EMMA SEIFERT ELLA SMITH RYAN TARRANT ANGELINA URANA VINCENT WASILEWSKI MIA WHITE NOAH YSERN HAILEY ZIRPOLI

Every year on May 1st, we celebrate the decisions seniors make regarding their future paths; whether it's college, the military, trade school, or entering the workforce. However, this year due to almost two hundred colleges pushing back their official Decision Day because of this year's FAFSA delay and associated challenges, we will also delay our planned activities. We will celebrate the Class of 2024 like we have in the past with collecting pictures and posting them on social media to highlight their decision. We also have two additional activities planned that we are very excited about. More details on those to come. On Monday, May 20 all students and staff are encouraged to wear their College/Military/Career shirt to school. Decision Day Picture Seniors, It’s decision time … whether it’s May 1, May 15, May 30, let’s celebrate your choice for your plans for next year. We want to share your decision with WarriorNation! Decorate your room or door and send me a picture of...

This post aims to inform you about our state testing schedule for May. Specifically, all 9th-grade students will be required to take the (NJSLA) New Jersey Student Learning Assessment in Language Arts on May 14 and 15. Additionally, only 9th graders enrolled in Algebra 1 Honors and Geometry Honors will participate in testing on May 6 and 7. NJSLA Math Monday 5/6 (Day 1) & Tuesday 5/7 (Day 2) 9th Grade Algebra 1 Honors - (2) 90 minute units 9th Grade Geometry Honors - (2) 90 minute units The NJSLA in Mathematics consists of both calculator and non-calculator units. The first mathematics unit is split into two sections: a non-calculator section and a calculator section. The other units permit calculator usage throughout the entire unit. For those sections that require a calculator there is a drop down calculator provided for each student in the testing application. Students may optionally choose to use their own calculators on those sections, provided that the student uses only a g...

Attention Current Juniors:  This post aims to inform you about our state testing schedule for May. It is mandatory for all 11th-grade students to take the New Jersey Student Learning Assessment (NJSLA) in Science. NJSLA Science on 5/20 & 5/21 Monday, 5/20, Day 3 (2 units - 60 minutes each) Tuesday, 5/21, Day 4 (2 units - 60 minutes each) AM Testing Only 8 - 10:30am (Approximately) Calculators are optional Students may use their own calculator on the NJSLA Science test, provided that the student uses only a graphing calculator (with functionality consistent with the TI-84 or a similar model). Hand held calculators will not be available if your child does not bring one. In an effort to minimize disruption to our educational program, Waldwick High School will isolate the Grade 11 students for testing. Instructional classes will continue for students in Grades 9, 10 and 12 while testing is taking place. Students will receive their testing locations from their Science teacher. Stud...

Dear Parents/Guardians: Course Requests for the 2024-2025 school year have been posted on the Genesis Parent Portal for parents and students to review. The core courses posted are those which your student requested, combined with teacher/administration recommendations. The "Scheduling" tab will be open for review until 3:00 pm on Monday, April 1, 2024. If you have any questions with regard to courses that appear, please contact yourchild’s school counselor directly. Every effort is made to schedule all course requests; however, limitations of staff, student enrollment, building space, time and budgetary considerations occasionally make either the cancellation of undersubscribed courses or the substitution of alternate course choices necessary. Final schedules, including elective courses, will be posted in June. We do have an updated Google form for students to complete if they are looking to make changes to their elective requests in the area of STEM. This form ONLY needs t...

Waldwick High School will be a National Testing Center for the administration of the PSAT 10 Test on Friday, April 5, 2024. We offer the test free of charge during the school day to all sophomores. The PSAT 10 is now digital! The test is easier to take, shorter, has more time per question, and comes with a built-in calculator. Sophomore level Math and Language Arts teachers will be talking with students about the PSAT 10 and reviewing the new online procedures. The PSAT 10 is an excellent opportunity to prepare and gain an understanding of the SAT exam. College Board Information related to PSAT 10 Info for PSAT 10 Testing Day - Friday, April 5, 2024 All Sophomores should report to their testing room before 8am. Please be on time. Testing rooms will be shared with the students the week of the test via their English teacher. Charged Chromebook (The test is online) Cell phones must be turned off when you enter the testing rooms. We can not have a phone going off during the test. Bookbag...

As we continue our commitment to supporting our students' educational journey, we are excited to extend an invitation to you for our upcoming virtual workshops titled "Together We Thrive: Parents' Guide to Overcoming Absenteeism." These virtual workshops will be held on the following dates and times: March 11 at 5:00pm March 14 at 6:00pm The aim of these workshops is to empower parents and caregivers with insights to support their students' educational success. We will delve into the latest statistics on chronic absenteeism in the US and gain a deeper understanding of its underlying causes. By exploring the potential challenges posed by continued absenteeism, we will also present possible pathways toward positive change and student success. Together, we will explore promising solutions and interventions aimed at fostering a culture of regular attendance. Let's embrace this opportunity to support our children on their journey towards academic achievement and a...

 The Waldwick High School Drama Club presents... The SpongeBob Musical Show nights and times March 7 & 8  7:00pm March 9 - 6:30pm  General Admission $14 Matinee:  Saturday, March 9, 2024 2:00 pm General Admission $10 Location: WHS Little Theater Tickets must be purchased online.  No tickets will be sold at the door.  Link to purchase tickets -  Ticket Link

The purpose of this post is to provide you with information on our state testing schedule for the Junior class. Students in Grade 11 will be taking two performance-based assessments in English Language Arts (ELA) and two performance-based assessments in Mathematics. New Jersey public schools statewide graduation assessment is called the New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment (NJGPA) for all students in Grade 11. NJGPA is aligned to New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Grade 10 ELA, Algebra I and Geometry. This test complies with State statute (N.J.S.A. 18A:7C-1 et seq.) and requires, as a prerequisite for graduation, all students to demonstrate proficiency by achieving a passing score on the English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics components of the New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment, or by achieving a passing score on a substitute competency assessment, or by submitting portfolio appeals through their district. NJDOE resource for Graduation Requirements In an ...

Friendly reminder: The deadline to enroll in the BCC Dual Enrollment Program is fast approaching on February 23rd. For your convenience, here's a list of Dual Enrollment Classes along with their corresponding credits: Dual Enrollment Classes List . To sign up for this invaluable program, please refer to the instructions provided here: (BCC)  Enrollment Instructions . Don't miss out on this opportunity!

As we do every year, Waldwick High School will provide a common two week recharging period for our coaches and student-athletes this coming summer. Beginning on Saturday, July 20 and ending on Sunday, August 4 , our facilities will be closed to our coaches and athletes. Our teams will not compete in outside summer leagues or tournaments during this two week period. WarriorNation is all about family and we know our student-athletes, families and coaches will all benefit greatly from this well-deserved time off. We understand some of you may have already scheduled your summer plans and our coaches understand that the summer practices are not mandatory. Student-athletes are encouraged to attend as many practices, games and events as possible; however, the official start of Fall 2024 practice is: Football - August 12th Girls Tennis - August 12th Cross Country - August 19th Girls/Boys Soccer - August 19th Girls Volleyball - August 19th Planning ahead - the dates for Summer 2025 recharging...

The high school counselors have started the scheduling process for the 2024-2025 school year. The course requests are done via a Google Form for elective courses only. Academic courses are determined by teacher recommendations, which will be shared via Genesis Parent Access in late February or early March. Current 9th Graders - Mrs. Fortini spoke with all of the 9th graders on Friday, 1/26/24 during their BluePrint / Economic classes. Current 10th Graders - The counselors will be going into the 10th Grade Language Arts classes on 1/31/24 & 2/1/24 Current 11th Graders -  Each junior has a one-on-one meeting with their counselor and as part of that meeting, next year’s schedule is discussed. All students were emailed the Google Form to make their selections. The form is only available to students to submit. Students were also sent the Program of Studies , which lists all the course offered at WHS.  In late February or early March, parents and students will have the abil...

Semester 1 Assessments will take place from January 23 to January 26, 2024. WHS will be running a modified schedule with two assessments per day. Students will have a delayed opening with a 9:02am start and an early release at 1:56pm. Here is the Schedule for the four days.  A few items to clarify: Each assessment block is 2 hours For Semester 1 Assessments, all classes will meet regardless whether they are giving an assessment or not. Example Related Arts, PE, electives, etc. Assessments will include Multiple Units/Skills and Standards, but not everything that was covered during the first semester. The Semester 1 Assessment counts as 6% of the overall class grade. Each marking period is 22% (4) and each semester assessment is 6% (2) Common lunch will run from 11:04 - 11:54am. Juniors and Seniors do not need to report to Study Hall during Semester Assessments. All students are dismissed at 1:56pm during the four days of Semester Assessments. 

Over the past fifteen years, Waldwick High School has teamed up with the Sean Fisher Memorial Foundation to honor the life of Sean Fisher and provide heart screenings to all 9th graders. Sean Patrick Fisher passed away August 25, 2008 on his 13th birthday from Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA). By all appearances, Sean was a healthy teenager. But as was discovered, appearances can be deceiving. There was no reason to have his heart checked – or so we thought. He never complained of chest pain, lightheadedness or the myriad of other symptoms associated with SCA. The Sean Fisher Memorial Foundation was established in Sean’s memory to screen high school freshmen students for undetected heart conditions, while trying to prevent their families from the unbelievable shock, trauma and lifelong sorrow that sudden cardiac arrest can bring. The screening program is offered at no cost to the Freshman class ONLY and will take place at Waldwick High School on February 5 & 6, 2024 during school hours....

 MLK Week of Service Video Update 1/5/24 WHS MLK Week of Serive website