Weehawken High School News
WHS Band, Color Guard Win State and National Titles
The weekend of November 4 became a celebration of epic proportions and a highwater mark for the Weehawken Marching Band. On the same day, the Marching Band took home not one, but two titles, the first being the US BANDS National Championship in Allentown, PA, and just a few hours later, the State Championship in Middletown at Middletown High School in Middletown, NJ.
To top off the weekend, the Marching Band hosted the annual Weehawken Bandfest, which brought marching bands from Union City, Hoboken, North Arlington, Becton Regional, Garfield, Lyndhurst, Ridgefield and Memorial High Schools. Congratulations to new band director Minesh Shah, TRS Band Director Ryan Gorman and the entire supporting team for helping to bring these wonderful honors (and a 12 foot trophy!) to Weehawken High School.
Future Ready!
All three Weehawken schools were honored as Future Ready Schools at the annual School Boards Convention in Atlantic City. Each school had to complete a rigorous application process to demonstrate that we are indeed Future Ready. Thanks to faculty members Paul Bannon, Ariel Parkinson, and Leigh Ann Murduca for heading up the high school committee.
Ambassadors of Kindness
With the help of counselor John Munro, many students took the opportunity to become Ambassadors of Kindness, a new program instituted as an anti-bullying measure . In the program students agree to act with kindness, and to model kind behavior in school. So far, more than 30 students have signed up to participate.
Hamilton Workshop
The Weehawken Theater Arts attended a workshop with Andrew Chappelle, of Hamilton Fame. Students attended a class with him and learned original Broadway choreography. Our students represented Weehawken at its best. They were well-behaved, asked interesting questions and were fully committed to learning the dance.
Alumni Day
Ms. Wendolowski and the Guidance Department hosted Alumni Day on November 22. Fifteen graduates came back to WHS to speak to our juniors. Using a panel format, the alumni described their experiences in college and answered questions from the juniors about college life.
Weight Room
The weight room is open on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 7 PM to 9 PM through the Weehawken Recreation program. Participants must be residents of Weehawken and must be at least 15 years of age.
Achieve 3000
Across all demographics, students using Achieve3000’s literacy solutions regularly exceeded their expected Lexile reading growth by an average of 72 points, or more than 2X times the expected reading gains. Achieve3000’s literacy solutions are uniquely designed to meet the needs of classrooms with a diverse mix of student abilities and needs: every student in class reads the same grade-appropriate content differentiated at their individual reading level, empowering all students to fully participate in whole-class instruction and discussions. The program includes deeply differentiated instruction; an adaptive content system that integrates ongoing assessment, engaging nonfiction content, robust scaffolds, and linguistic supports for struggling students and English language learners.
Parents can track their child’s Achieve 3000 progress by doing the following:
Log on to ● https://login.achieve3000.com with the following username and password. Username: your child's email address: firstname.lastname@weehawkentsd.net (WHS) Your child's password: weehawken ● Find your child’s name in the upper right hand corner of the page. ● Click the little down arrow near his/her name. ● Select Create Parent Login. ○ Be sure to enable the popup window. ● Add your personal parent security code. This information was mailed to you in a letter. If you don’t have it, please email Ms. Amato at famato@weehawken.k12.nj.us.
Seventh and Eighth Grade Dance
Monday, November 21 marked the first ever WHS dance for seventh and eighth graders. Sponsored by our newly established PTO, the dance ran from 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM in the cafeteria, which was beautifully decorated by PTO members.
Homecoming
And speaking of dances, on November 30 students in grades 9-12 held their Homecoming Dance, where a Homecoming King and Queen will be crowned. Students voted on the nominees, who must have participated in a fall, winter or spring sport, and the winners were named at the dance. Congratulations to: Homecoming Queen Natalia Ordonez and Homecoming King Fabio Gonzalez and their court.
Open Mic Night
With the help of instructors Tammy Jacobs and Matthew McCloskey, WHS held its first Open Mic Night on December 14. From comedians to duets and solo acts, students displayed their talents in the school’s cafeteria before a sellout crowd of over 120 parents and students . The evening was a terrific success and plans are already in progress for another Open Mic Night in the near future.
Tutoring
We are happy to roll out a new program for all students in Grades 7-12. We have partnered with FEV Tutor, an innovative virtual tutoring company that will provide online, on-demand, 24/7 tutoring. Students taking any course can be helped anywhere and anytime. This program is free of charge to all students and we sincerely hope everyone takes advantage of this wonderful resource if and when needed.
For more information on FEV Tutoring, please visit this website: https://www.fevtutor.com/. If you have questions, please contact Francesca Amato at famato@weehawken.k12.nj.us or WHS Principal Anthony Colasurdo at AColasur@weehawken.k12.nj.us.
January 30 and 31 — WHS Showcase/Curriculum/ Scheduling Nights
