WEST ORANGE, NJ — The Betty Maddalena Foundation, formed in 2011 following the death of beloved West Orange educator Betty Maddalena, has donated 63 Stand2Learn desks at a cost of $14,000 throughout all schools in the district. The initiative was begun by Christine Aker, a learning disabilities teacher consultant in West Orange who is also […]
WEST ORANGE, NJ — The 30th annual International Fifth Grade Festival, held Dec. 16 at Kelly Elementary School, celebrated world diversity and the two teachers who first began the annual event. Former teachers Betty Byrne and Lois Zimmer first began the tradition at Kelly in 1986, then Pleasantdale. As the years passed, the school continued […]
WEST ORANGE, NJ — All 11 schools in the West Orange School District once again answered the call to create holiday cards for the troops with a resounding “yes,” as more than 1,000 cards were recently sent out to troops around the world. “We Love Our Heroes,” a local group comprised of friends and parishioners […]
WEST ORANGE, NJ — West Orange schools commemorated the New Jersey state-mandated “Week of Respect” Oct. 3 through 7 with a series of events meant to create self-acceptance and respect for others. Following the passage of the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act in 2010, with amendments in 2011, a new series of Harassment, Intimidation and […]
WEST ORANGE, NJ — Kelly Elementary School students, parents, teachers and community leaders once again joined together for International Walk to School Day on Oct. 5. Begun in 1997, “International Walk to School Day is a global event that involves communities from more than 40 countries walking and biking to school on the same day,” […]
Tenured teachers boycott Back to School Nights, demand new contract with pay raises, respect
WEST ORANGE, NJ — The tenured teachers of the West Orange Education Association are not attending their Back to School Nights in order to raise awareness about the negotiations dispute that has left them working without a contract for more than a year as well as what they feel has been disrespectful treatment on behalf […]
WOSD continues work to modernize WO education
WEST ORANGE, NJ — Most West Orange students who recently returned to school were met with new initiatives designed to improve their learning experience and better prepare them for the future. The West Orange School District this year implemented departmentalization for grades four and five, meaning students at those levels will now report to multiple […]
WEST ORANGE, NJ — Tuesday, Sept. 6, marked the start of the new school year in West Orange and the picture-perfect morning highlighted the excitement at all 11 West Orange public schools. Photos Courtesy of Cynthia Cumming, Sylvia Rowan, Buzz1441 and Keisha Griffith.
WOSD pleased with low HIB number but still looks to improve
WEST ORANGE, NJ — There were 37 cases of Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying confirmed to have taken place in the West Orange School District during the 2015-2016 academic year, according to data presented by Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Rutzky during the Aug. 22 Board of Education meeting. Each case was substantiated following an investigation conducted […]
WOSD puts health first while working to keep costs low
WEST ORANGE, NJ — The West Orange School District has taken corrective action after testing found that water from 27 of the 304 district taps analyzed last April contained lead amounts exceeding the Environmental Protection Agency’s action level of 15 parts per billion. According to the district’s lead report, actions taken to address the situation […]