Dear Parents/Guardians,

Welcome to the Westwood Regional School District…the only K-12 regional school district in Bergen County, serves approximately 2,800 students from the Borough of Westwood and the Township of Washington. The district is composed of four K-5 "neighborhood" elementary schools, a 6-7 Middle School, a 8-12 Junior/Senior High School, and a preschool program housed in a largely self-contained wing of the Jr./Sr. High School. Our primary educational goal is to establish high quality, comprehensive, well-rounded programs that prepare all students to be productive and creative citizens. We believe that to successfully implement such programs the district needs to involve family, school, and community members who ultimately share responsibility for program success.

As reflected in our district mission statement, “To provide excellence in education through rich and diverse learning opportunities, enabling students to exercise intelligent control of their future," our comprehensive academic program prepares students for college and career choices, enabling them to compete with high school graduates nationwide for enrollment in prestigious colleges and universities. The core general education program includes language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, fine, performing, and related arts, health and physical education, applied technology, and world languages, reflecting the State of New Jersey's Core Curriculum Content Standards and the value that the Westwood Regional school community places on an educational experience that highlights the humanities, mathematics, sciences, and the fine, performing, and related arts.

We believe that to create extraordinary learning, school improvement must be implemented at the school and classroom levels. Action plans and agendas for change can be generated from any number of sources, but only principals and teachers can directly effect improvement in the quality and quantity of student learning. In recognition of this, school-level objectives are encompassed within district-level strategic planning. District-level strategic planning challenges and supports school‑level planning. These two interdependent forces must co-exist to create true, positive change for students in classrooms.

Our district provides resources for continuous professional development of its staff; works to engage community organizations, businesses, and local government agencies as partners in the educational process; encourages parent and family involvement in school and district activities and committees; and is beginning to participate with other school districts and higher education institutions in shared-service arrangements, joint programming, research, and other initiatives that support student learning.

The Westwood Regional School District consistently does well on the state's standardized testing program. This, however, is not enough to reflect a vibrant instructional program. Our Board and staff analyze many data sources in monitoring the progress made from year to year. College acceptances, SAT scores, and honors and A.P. course participation are but a few of the indicators that the district considers in its cycle of decision making and goal setting.

The Westwood Regional School District values education and fully supports our students and schools as we provide the academic and co-curricular opportunities for each child to reach his/her goals. We work to have our schools become exciting places to learn and grow, and the achievements of all of our students are something of which we are consistently proud. Visitors are encouraged to carefully peruse our website and the data found on the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) website (http://www.state.nj.us/education/) to discover what makes the Westwood Regional School District a special learning environment for students in our community.

Rory J. McCourt