Superintendent's Update

As we settle into the school year, I want to share a few important updates that reflect both the strength of our district and some of the work that will guide us throughout the year.

We recently received the results of our latest NJQSAC review. NJQSAC is the New Jersey Department of Education’s comprehensive monitoring process for school districts and examines five areas of district performance. I am proud to share that Westwood Regional has once again been designated a High Performing District.

Our most recent results were:

• Instruction and Program – 89%
• Fiscal Management – 100%
• Governance – 95%
• Operations – 100%
• Personnel – 100%

We are especially pleased that our Instruction and Program score increased by four points since our previous review, from 85% to 89%, reflecting the focused work taking place across the district to strengthen curriculum, instruction, assessment practices, and supports for students. We also saw our Operations score increase from 97% to 100%, while Fiscal Management and Personnel remained at 100%. These results reflect the collective efforts of our teachers, administrators, support staff, and students and the strong systems that support our schools each day.

Our Governance score moved from 100% to 95% in this review. We have carefully reviewed the items that resulted in the five-point reduction and are confident that those issues have been addressed and will be corrected in our next review. While we are proud to once again be designated a High Performing District, we view NJQSAC as more than a rating. It is another opportunity to examine our practices, learn from the feedback we receive, and identify where we can continue to improve. Over the next three years, we will work to build upon the progress in Instruction and Program while maintaining the strong performance demonstrated across the other areas of the review.

That same commitment to continuous improvement is reflected in our 2026–2027 District Goals, which focus our work around Student Achievement, School Culture and Climate, and Community Engagement. These goals provide direction for our priorities and give us meaningful ways to measure our progress throughout the year. In the section below, you will find a link to our complete District Goals and the areas we will be focusing on to achieve them.

A major part of our Community Engagement goal will be the development of a comprehensive District Communications Plan. The intent is to create a more consistent, timely, accessible, and transparent approach to communication across our schools while also strengthening how we share the many positive stories happening throughout the district. On October 1, we will launch a districtwide communications survey to hear directly from our families, staff, students where appropriate, and community members. Your feedback will help us understand what is working well and where we can improve, and it will directly inform the plan we develop.

We are also beginning the work of our District Digital Steering Committee this fall. The committee will bring together administrators, teachers, parents, Board members, and middle and high school students to examine educational screen time, student devices, and the thoughtful integration of technology into teaching and learning. Our goal is not simply more technology or less technology—it is making better decisions about when and how technology adds meaningful value for students. You can learn more about the committee, its purpose, and the areas it will examine in the Digital Steering Committee outline linked in the section below.

All of these efforts are connected by the same commitment: to be proud of what we do well while continuing to listen, learn, and improve. That ongoing work is how we continue our pursuit of Excellence in Education for every student in Westwood Regional.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support.

GO CARDS!!

Dr. McQueeney

From October 5–9, schools across the Westwood Regional School District will join the New Jersey Department of Education and school districts across the state in recognizing the Week of Respect.

Throughout the week, our schools will participate in age-appropriate activities and conversations that reinforce the importance of kindness, inclusion, empathy, and treating others with dignity. This statewide observance connects directly to the “R” in our Cardinal P.R.I.D.E. program — Respect.

Respect is an essential part of the culture we want to build in every classroom, hallway, activity, and school community. Week of Respect gives us another opportunity to reinforce those expectations and remind our students that the way we treat one another matters. We also encourage families to continue these conversations at home. Ask your children what respect means to them, what it looks and sounds like in their school, and how they can show respect even when they disagree with someone. These simple conversations help reinforce the values we are working to build together across our district.

Please also keep an eye out for school emails, newsletters, and announcements for information about the activities and events planned in each of our schools throughout the week.

While we will highlight Respect during this special week, our goal is for it to remain part of who we are every day as Cardinals.

We are pleased to partner with InSite Health to offer a special K–12 parent wellness program on October 15 at 6:30 p.m. in the WRHS Hurley Theater. The program will also be livestreamed for families who are unable to attend in person.

The presentation will be led by Megan Coral, MS, LMFT, ASDCS, ADHD-CCSP, Regional Clinical Lead, and will focus on practical topics that are relevant to families at every grade level, including helping children build independence and understanding parenting styles and their impact on children.

We believe this program can provide families with valuable insight, practical strategies, and an opportunity to reflect on how we support children as they grow and become more independent. Just as importantly, it reflects our district’s ongoing commitment to providing meaningful support and resources not only for our students, but also for the families and community members who support them every day.

We encourage parents and caregivers across the district to join us for what we hope will be an informative and helpful evening.

Each year, our District Goals help focus our work on the areas we believe will have the greatest impact on our students, staff, and school community. For 2026–2027, our goals center on Student Achievement, School Culture and Climate, and Community Engagement. These are not simply statements of intent. Each goal includes measurable outcomes that will help us monitor progress, evaluate the impact of our work, and make adjustments throughout the year. Please refer to our district website at https://sites.google.com/wwrsd.org/boe/goals to review the full District and Board Goals for the 2026-2027 school year.

Goal 1: Student Achievement
Our first goal is to continue strengthening academic excellence across all of our programs. We will use student outcomes and assessment information to identify areas of strength and need, strengthen instruction and intervention, increase academic rigor, and ensure that all students have meaningful opportunities to grow and succeed. As we monitor our progress, we will look at student proficiency in English language arts and mathematics, academic growth over time, achievement gaps among student groups, the effectiveness of interventions in identified areas of need, secondary assessment performance, and indicators of high school readiness and successful graduation.

Goal 2: School Culture and Climate
Our second goal focuses on creating safe, inclusive, supportive schools where students and staff feel valued, connected, and secure. This work includes strengthening relationships and belonging, supporting positive student behavior, improving attendance and engagement, and continuing the districtwide implementation of Cardinal P.R.I.D.E. and character development. To help us understand the impact of this work, we will use student and staff school-climate feedback, attendance and chronic absenteeism trends, student discipline data, participation in character-development efforts, awareness of Cardinal P.R.I.D.E., and measures of how connected students and staff feel to their schools.

Goal 3: Community Engagement
Our third goal is to strengthen the connection between our schools and the community through clear, consistent, transparent communication and more intentional positive storytelling. A major focus will be the development and implementation of a comprehensive District Communications Plan that establishes clearer expectations for how, when, and where district information is shared while helping us better celebrate the accomplishments of our students and staff. We will gauge our progress by gathering stakeholder feedback about the clarity, timeliness, accessibility, usefulness, and effectiveness of district communication; examining whether families and community members know where to find important information; reviewing consistency across district and school communications; and monitoring engagement with our communication platforms and the Superintendent’s Update.

Taken together, these goals reflect our commitment to being thoughtful about where we are, clear about where we want to go, and accountable for the progress we make along the way. We are proud of the many strengths of the Westwood Regional School District, but we also know that excellence requires us to continue listening, learning, measuring, and improving. That ongoing commitment is at the heart of our pursuit of Excellence in Education and our responsibility to provide the very best experience possible for every student we serve.

This fall, we are launching the Westwood Regional School District Digital Steering Committee, a districtwide advisory group that will help us take a thoughtful look at how technology is used to support teaching and learning across our schools.

The committee’s work will be guided by a central question: How can we use technology intentionally and developmentally appropriately to strengthen learning without allowing the tool to replace the teacher, relationships, or the learning experience itself?

The committee will examine several important topics, including how we define and think about educational screen time, whether our student devices and access models are appropriate at different grade levels, and when technology adds meaningful instructional value versus when a non-digital or blended approach may be stronger. The goal is not simply “more technology” or “less technology,” but to make better decisions about when and how technology best supports students.

We will be inviting representatives from each of our stakeholder groups, including administrators, teachers, parents and guardians, Board of Education members, and middle and high school students. Because the committee needs to remain a manageable working group, we are not able to open direct membership to everyone who may be interested. However, community participation will extend well beyond the committee itself. Throughout the process, we will provide multiple opportunities for students, staff, families, and community members to share their perspectives through surveys, focus groups, and other feedback opportunities related to the many topics included in the committee’s charge.

Ultimately, this work will help us develop clearer districtwide principles for digital learning, make informed decisions about devices and instructional practices, and ensure that technology continues to support great teaching rather than drive or replace it.

A link to the Digital Steering Committee outline is provided below for families and community members who would like additional information about the committee’s purpose, areas of study, and planned work.

Westwood Regional Digital Steering Committee 2026-2027

WWRSD Board Policy 5516 - Use of Electronic Communication and Recording Devices

WWRSD Board Regulation 5516 - Student Use of Internet-Enabled Devices

Thursday, October 1st - WRMS Back to School Night

Tuesday, October 6th - WWRSD SEPAG Meeting @ 6:00 pm, WRHS Media Center

Wednesday, October 7th - WRHS Financial Aid Presentation with Principia Prep (VIRTUAL) 7:00 pm

Monday, October 12th - SCHOOLS CLOSED for Students, Staff Professional Development Day

Thursday, October 15th - WWRSD/Insite Health Parent Presentation @ 6:30 pm, WRHS Hurley Theater

Thursday, October 29th - Westwood Regional School District Board of Education Meeting

Friday, October 30th - WRHS Financial Aid Presentation with Principia Prep 6:30 pm, WRHS Campbell Auditorium