I am very excited to begin my second school year with my WRJSHS students, administrative team, staff and colleagues.  I was able to learn so much last year, and I continue to look forward to developing the school with everyone in our building, along with support from the varying stakeholders of the Wood-Ridge Community.

 

One part of successfully moving a school forward is to make data-driven decisions; gone are the days when "hunches" guided the development of curriculum, instruction and assessments.  Our district has invested in a data warehouse program called LinkIt.  This program can absorb a tremendous amount of data, which allows us to look at key educationally-related components so we can reflect on varying aspects of teaching, learning and support, along with allowing the administrative team to provide targeted professional development for our staff.  We will be using LinkIt to provide varying standards-based assessments this year which will give us crucial information that will promote teachers successfully addressing different gaps in students' working academic knowledge.  More information regarding LinkIt will be provided as we move through the school year.

 

Another part of moving a school forward is making sure our students are supported academically and personally.  We implemented a mindfulness program last year called Inner Explorer.  This program promotes the development of students' social-emotional well-being, along with developing a school community that is empathetic, caring and safe.  The use of Inner Explorer will start in September, and staff will be trained on best practices that support the usage of this program on a daily basis.  Mindfulness is a powerful tool, and we believe it is a critical practice not only for our students, but our community in general.  Please note that we will continue to offer free subscriptions to Inner Explorer to our community.  This information will be located on our school's website.

 

Again, we are excited to start this school year!  We will continue to work at WRJSHS to provide our students with the best educational experience possible, and our staff the tools and experiences to do so.

 

 

 

All the best,

 

 

Principal Suro