WRMS Weekly Update

Please continue to conduct this screening at home, daily. If your student is symptomatic or potentially exposed, please contact Mrs. Penn at deborah.penn@wwrsd.org ASAP.

Each day your student is in-person, please make sure they bring each of the following with them:

• 2 masks (1 on + a back-up)
• A fully charged, school-issued chromebook & charger
• Headphones
• Refillable water bottles
• Tissue packs
• Individual hand sanitizer
• Other materials according to their teachers

We have added our early dismissal schedule to the Hybrid Group Schedule for your reference. Wednesday, 11/25 will be a B day and we will run periods 7-1 from 8:15 - 12:36.

Meals for next week will be distributed as follows:

• Group 1 and Full Remote on Monday, 11/23 (5 meals)
• Group 2 on 11/24 (5 meals)
• No meals will be distributed on Wednesday, 11/26

This is a reminder from the Westwood Regional School District Medical Department that if you are planning on traveling out of State, whether it’s for a day, weekend or an extended vacation, you should check the NJDOH Travel Advisory, NJ Travel Advisory Hub, prior to leaving.

This site is continually updated, but if you travel to another state that is on the list, or if the state you are visiting is added to the list while you are there, you will need to quarantine for 14 days prior to returning to school and/or work. If you return from a listed state on Sunday, 11/29, then your student can return to in-person learning on Monday, December 14.

Recent clarification from the Department of Health regarding “traveling through a state” specified that if you are traveling and stop at a rest stop, short layover, etc., and do not visit anyone in that state, then you would not have to quarantine. However, if you stay less than 24 hours in a designated state that is on the list and visit someone in that state, even for a short period of time, you would have to quarantine for the 14 days because you have then increased your risk factor for contracting COVID-19.

Feel free to contact Mrs. Penn for any questions regarding this matter.

We still want to be able to take our students outside and leave windows open as much as possible. Please make sure your students are dressed appropriately so that they can be comfortable. Layers are highly recommended!

Thank you to both the parents and students for their feedback on our Hybrid Learning Survey. Here is a summary of the results:

• Students: 541 responses

• 81% can meet academic demands; 16% unsure; 4% disagree

• 83% engage during all remote times/days; 11% unsure; 6% disagree

• 60% feel connected to teachers; 29% unsure; 10% disagree

• 80% have a structured routine; 13% unsure; 7% disagree

• Families: 85 reponses

• 72% can meet academic demands; 16% unsure; 12% disagree

• 71% engages during all remote times/days; 7% unsure; 22% disagree

• 52% feel connected to teachers; 28% unsure; 20% disagree

• 91% have a structured routine; 4% unsure; 6% disagree

• Comments/Trends

• Great improvement from the spring

• Great appreciation for the hard work of the faculty

• Students are very happy to see their teachers

• Screentime is a concern

• More breaks between classes

• Wifi/technology issues

• Counselor involvement

We are currently focusing on expanding our 5 day offerings to our at-risk student populations, and are having discussions on how to bring more students in with greater frequency. Given the increase in COVID cases and groups of students rotating between classes, those discussion will continue, but moving forward with bringing in large groups of students will be on hold for now.

If you were not able to attend our Care Plus parent and student presentation on November 17th, "Mental Health & Coping with the Challenges of a Pandemic", click here for the recording of the presentation. Use this Passcode: !1H+D6me

Click on the following link to be able to click on the links in the presentation: Mental Health & Coping with the Challenges of a Pandemic

Thank you again for your flexibility with picture day. We have make-ups/retakes currently schedule for December 9th and 10th, weather permitting.

The Westwood Regional School District will open online Kindergarten registration for the 2021‑2022 school year on Tuesday, December 1, 2020. This is a pre-registration only; students will not be considered enrolled until parents/guardians submit the required documentation at an in-person registration appointment.

Be aware that your child must reside in the Borough of Westwood or Township of Washington and be five (5) years old on or before October 1, 2021 to enter Kindergarten next September.

For more information, click here. We look forward to welcoming your kindergartener!

We have a number of students who are missing one or two classes during the course of a remote day. Please be proactive in communicating with Mrs. McDonough and your student's assistant principal (below) if this is a planned absence or technical issues. Our assistant principals will be reviewing each student's attendance to ensure students are attending class when they should be, and discipline may be assigned accordingly.

Grade 6: michael.corso@wwrsd.org

Grade 7: barry.albert@wwrsd.org

Grade 8: michael.attanasio@wwrsd.org

If you need help with your school-issued chromebook, please have your student email tech.help@wwrsd.org from their school account.

Students who are applying to high schools outside of Westwood Regional School District should have their required transcript requests and teacher recommendation requests no later than Friday, November 20th. Please reach out to Ms. Sparno, the Eighth Grade Counselor at 201 664-5560, ext. 6009 or by email at jenny.sparno@wwrsd.org with any questions. Please fill out this form, as well.

The Guidance Counselors are available every day to meet with students regardless of whether they are scheduled for in-person or remote learning. In an effort to maintain current safety guidelines, students are strongly encouraged to request meetings with their counselors by emailing them. Counselors will contact the student as soon as possible to schedule an online or in-person meeting. Counselors will continue to see students on an emergency basis, as well.

If your student is having difficulty, be is academic, technological, social emotional or more, please reach out to us! Our trained staff is here to support them whether we are in-person or remote!

Counselors:

• 6th Grade - Ms. Fabrocini (caitlin.fabrocini@wwrsd.org)

• 7th Grade - Mrs. Androulakis (christie.androulakis@wwrsd.org)

• 8th Grade - Mrs. Sparno (jenny.sparno@wwrsd.org)

Nurses:

• District Head and Middle School Nurse - Mrs. Penn (deborah.penn@wwrsd.org)
• Part-time nurse and RN - Mrs. Galow (kenia.galow@wwrsd.org)

Assistant Principals:

• 6th Grade - Mr. Corso (michael.corso@wwrsd.org)

• 7th Grade - Mr. Albert (barry.albert@wwrsd.org)

• 8th Grade - Mr. Attanasio (michael.attanasio@wwrsd.org)

The WRMS PSO is gearing up for the school year! Thank you for the balloon arrangements to brighten our students' arrivals this week!

We are a Box Tops school! Even though Box Tops has gone digital, there are still some products out there that have unexpired traditional clips. If you see the traditional clip on the box, you can still get credit for those as long as they are not expired! Please have your student turn those in by the new main office and keep scanning your receipts!

Please find a Bergen County Mental Health resource document (updated 11/17) for your reference and support. You can also check out the resource page on www.BergenResourceNet.org regarding resources about inclusion, social consciousness and understanding, etc.

Please click here to access an online library of electronic flyers for our community partners.

Please mark your calendars for important upcoming events...

• 11/25 - Early Dismissal
  
• 11/26 & 27 - District Closed
• 11/30 - Report Cards available in Genesis
• 12/9 & 10 - Picture retakes (weather permitting)
• 12/17 - Board of Education Meeting, 7 PM
• 12/24 - 1/1 - Winter Recess

Next week's schedule:

• Monday, 11/23: B Day, Group 1 in-person, periods 1-5, lunch, 6-7

• Tuesday, 11/24: A Day, Group 2 in-person, periods 7-3, lunch, 2-1
• Wednesday, 11/25: B Day, Group 1 in-person, periods 7-1, early dismissal schedule
• Thursday & Friday - no school

Email: shelley.laforgia@wwrsd.org
Website: http://www.wwrsd.org/westwoodrms
Location: 23 3rd Ave, Westwood, NJ, United States
Phone: 201-664-5560
Facebook: facebook.com/WRMiddleSchool
Twitter: @wrmscardinals