CDW Weekly Wrap-Up

Please consider adding a booster or advertisement to this year's program for Into The Woods Jr. Below is the flyer, and here is the direct link to the Google Form to purchase.

All Boosters and Advertisements will be published in the program and will be handed out to all audience members at all four of CDW's performances. All payment must be received by Friday, March 15th. Please drop off or mail checks to Charles DeWolf Middle School with attention to the Drama Program.

The CDW Musical, Into the Woods, will be here before we know it, and the cast and crew have been working hard preparing for four great performances. You can purchase your tickets now using THIS LINK.

Performance Dates/Times:

Friday, March 22nd: 7:00 PM

Saturday, March 23rd: 1:00 PM and 7:00 PM

Sunday, March 24th: 1:00 PM

*All performances are in the CDW Lynch Gym.

Thank you to the Old Tappan Police Department and the students and staff who participated in the First Annual Volleyball Game! It was a great time had by all, and together we collected an amazing amount of donations for the local food pantry!

On Monday, March 4th, the CDW Debate Team participated in their final tournament, held at NVOT. Debaters presented cases for and against the United States federal government increasing fiscal redistribution by adopting a federal jobs guarantee, expanding Social Security, and/or providing a basic income. Teammates Michael Tang and Amy Choe ended the season with a double win, defeating Cresskill and Harrington Park in their Negative and Affirmative rounds. All of this year’s debaters did a great job competing throughout the 2023-24 season!

On Monday, March 4th, Jesse Janowitz, author of The Doughnut Fix and The Doughnut King, visited with each Grade 5 class to discuss the process of writing. The lesson explained how a writer uses characters and plot to make the reader feel something. This lesson focused on creating characters, and next week Ms. Janowitz will be back to help the students create a plot for those characters!

Peace Islands Institute has released the theme for the 14th Annual Art and Essay Contest! The theme is The Sound of Peace! You can visit artandessay.org for more information. The deadline for submissions is May 15th! There are 5 honorable mentions for each category, as well as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place! Below are the details for those interested. Please see Ms. Santa for more information.

During the week of March 25th, Grade 8 students will participate in the Child Assault Prevention TeenCAP Project. The National Assault Prevention Center developed TeenCAP as a response to violence and aims to prevent assault against teens by training them to recognize and deal with potentially dangerous situations. TeenCAP also prepares adults to recognize and care for youth who have been affected by abuse. For more information, please join the Virtual Parent Program on March 14, 2024 at 7:00 PM.

Adult Education

The adult program provides information on assault against teens, identification of assault victims, reporting of abuse, and crisis intervention skills. For additional information, please visit the following resource: www.NJCAP.org, specifically the Teen Adult Guide.

Virtual Parent Program: March 14th, 7:00-8:00 PM

Use this link, or the information below:

Meeting ID: 857 9474 2815

Passcode: dewolf

Student Workshops

The student workshop combines guided group discussion and a series of scenarios to focus on situations teens may encounter. Topics discussed include peer assault, sexual harassment, battering, dating violence, and sexual assault. Strategies emphasized to protect teens include self-assertion, seeking help from a trusted adult, and self-defense. Classroom workshops for students will be on March 25th, 26th, and 27th.

If you have any questions regarding your child(ren)'s participation, please reach out to Ms. Santa or Mr. Lauriello.

Congratulations to Grade 8 CDW Student, Hannah Moon!

The National Coltman Chamber Music Competition, established in 2010, is an annual event in the United States named after Felicity Coltman, the founder of the Austin Chamber Music Center. This competition places a strong emphasis on chamber music performance and attracts talented young musicians from across the country. The competition is held at The University of Texas at Austin Butler School of Music.

Hannah participated in the Junior Division, where ensemble members must have an average age of 18 or under. Out of 35 teams nationwide, Hannah's ensemble was selected as one of the top 10 to advance to the semi-finals!

8th Grade Information:

If your child(ren) will NOT be attending NVOT in the fall, please send me an email letting me know where he/she will be attending so I can inform the high school.

Lastly, please ask your child(ren) to notify me if they receive an acceptance letter and/or an interview for any school they’ve applied to.

Reminders for All Grades:

Wellness Wednesday lunches:

Grades 5 and 6 lunch with Ms. Adamo is in room 414.

Grades 7 and 8 lunch with Dr. Polizotto is in room 308.

Should you have any questions or concerns regarding your child’s academic, social, or emotional needs, please contact me at adamoj@nvnet.org or 201-664-1475 ext. 2203.

Mrs. Henriquez will continue to run Intramurals on Fridays at 3:00 PM. The current sport is Badminton! If your child(ren) is interested, he/she can see Mrs. Henriquez with any questions. Inter-Scholastic Sports and Intramurals Information can be found HERE. If your child(ren) plans on doing intramurals at all throughout the year, please make sure that his/her paperwork has been handed in to Mrs. McCarthy, the school nurse.

Please use these links to sign up to serve pizza at TBD and CDW from now to June 2024:

TBD Pizza

CDW Pizza

The PTO is pleased to offer Gertrude Hawk chocolates fundraising.

Every first Friday of the month, the Class of 2024 will be selling candy and ice pops at dismissal for an afternoon treat. Students in Grades 5-8 can go to the Lynch Gym to purchase their treat of choice! Treats will be between $1-3 and will include, but will not be limited to: lollipops, M&M's, Twizzlers, Gummy Bears, Sour Patch Kids, etc. See the flyer below for more information.

Dates of Sales: April 5th, May 3rd, June 7th

ATTENTION: 8th grade parents, please sign up HERE to volunteer for future Candy and Ice Pop Sales!

The first two fundraisers were a success! The 8th Grade PTO Committee needs volunteers to help serve the Chick-fil-A lunches on the following date: March 14, 2024. Please use this link to sign up.

The CDW Spirit Wear store is available on OTPTO.org! The Long Term Store is open year round and orders are shipped directly to the purchaser. The Short Term Store will reopen in the spring.

Both stores offer different merchandise. Links are on OTPTO.org or see below:

LONG TERM: Charles DeWolf Middle School

The PTO is always looking for volunteers for the events during the school year!

Volunteers play a huge part in the PTO and what we are able to offer our students and teachers. Without volunteers, many of the programs that students, teachers, and families enjoy will not be able to happen. Volunteer descriptions can be found at: OTPTO.org under "More Info" and then "Flyers."

If you have interest in joining the PTO Board, joining or running a committee, or just want to learn more- please reach out to the PTO by visiting OTPTO.org and selecting "Contact Old Tappan PTO" under the Help tab.

This year, the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT) will be administered to all Grade 5 students on Tuesday, March 19th.

The OLSAT assessment is designed to measure a student's cognitive ability, as it relates to abstract thinking and reasoning ability; however, it does not produce an IQ score. Although the data from the OLSAT will not be used for grading purposes, the results help to identify students who qualify for LEAP, our gifted and talented program, while also providing teachers with additional data points regarding student ability and performance.

If your child becomes eligible for the LEAP Program, the school will contact you at the end of August. Your child's OLSAT scores will be mailed home in early June.

No special preparation is necessary for this assessment. We just encourage our middle schoolers to do their best!

On Wednesday, March 20th, Dr. Da Giau will be hosting a Parent Workshop to offer an overview of the State's standardized tests at 1:00 PM or 7:00 PM.

The National Junior Honor Society students have been starting their Changemaker Projects. One of the groups is doing a Sports Equipment Drive, and they are asking for your help! See the flyer below for more information.

Membership in the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) at Charles DeWolf Middle School is open to any seventh grade student who meets all the membership requirements at the end of the third marking period in 2024.

During the final days of April, eligible students will be identified and invited to apply for admission to the NJHS by email. An email will also be sent to parents of eligible students. The induction ceremony will be held on May 14, 2024 (subject to change).

The link to the online newspaper can be found HERE. If any writers want to join the club, please see Mr. Johnson for more information!

The CDW Homework Club is offered to all students in Grades 5-8 and is FREE! Please sign your child up each week that you are interested!

If you would like to purchase insurance for your child(ren)'s school issued Chromebook, please refer to the information below, or you may purchase directly from smarttechinsurance.com/old-tappan.

New to our insurance policy this year is that all Chromebooks must be in cases or the insurance will not cover any claims.

If your child is not going to attend school, please contact Mrs. McCarthy at 201-664-1475 ext. 2103 or McCarthy@nvnet.org.

In an effort to minimize the potential spread of illness at school, please keep your child home if he/she:

• has a fever. Students should be fever-free for 24 hours without medication prior to returning to school.
• is nauseous or is vomiting.
• has diarrhea.

March

Monday, March 11th~ The BOE Meeting will be in the BOE Conference Room at 7:00 PM.

Thursday, March 14th~ Chick-fil-A PTO Special Lunch

Thursday, March 14th~ Grade 8 Virtual CAP Program for Parents at 7:00 PM, (virtual)

Tuesday, March 19th~ Grade 5 OLSAT Testing

Tuesday, March 19th~ PTO Meeting at 7:30 PM in the CDW Media Center

Thursday, March 21st~ Grade 5 OLSAT Testing Make Ups

Friday, March 22nd~ The CDW Musical at 7:00 PM

Saturday, March 23rd~ The CDW Musical at 1:00 PM and 7:00 PM

Sunday, March 24th~ The CDW Musical at 1:00 PM

Monday, March 25th-Wednesday, March 27th~ Grade 8 CAP Program

Friday, March 29th~ No School for Staff and Students for Good Friday

​​​​​​​OT 2023-2024 Approved School Year Calendar

Instagram: cdw_middle

Email: santaj@nvnet.org
Website: https://cdw.oldtappanschools.org/
Location: 275 Old Tappan Road, Old Tappan, NJ, USA
Phone: 201-664-1475
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OldTappanSchoolDistrict/