District Newsletter - February 2026 - Old Tappan School District

District Newsletter - February 2026

Posted on 02/27/2026

February 2026

Old Tappan Public Schools

The Core is the monthly newsletter for families of the

Old Tappan Public School District.

Community | Curiosity | Courage | Creativity | Commitmentt

Message from the Superintendent

Dear Parents/Guardians:

Hopefully, your child(ren) enjoyed last week’s February break and it was filled with some relaxation and out-of-school learning. This coming weekend, we turn the calendars to March. March is a busy month in schools, with steady, full weeks of learning!

This edition of The Core highlights some of our events over the past month, as well as upcoming events. Included in this edition, you will find the

2026-2027 School Year Calendar for our PK-8 Old Tappan Public Schools, which was approved by the Board of Education. For your convenience, this calendar also will be posted on our District website.

Thank you for your continued support of our schools!

Respectfully,

Danielle M. Da Giau, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Old Tappan Public School District

COMMUNITY

School Year Calendars

The Board of Education approved the 2026-2027 School Year Calendar. This calendar (click here) has been posted to our District website and will be included in the schools' Weekly Wrap-Ups. As we plan school activities for the 2026-2027 school year, they will begin to be added to our web calendars.

Every school year calendar has three (3) built-in school closure days for inclement weather or emergency situations. At this point, we have used two (2) emergency closure days in the 2025-2026 school year. We will see what the rest of this winter season has in store for us. Once the winter weather is behind us, an update to our 2025-2026 year-end calendar dates will be shared with you.

CURIOSITY

Let's Partner! Parent Series

We are continuing our Let's Partner!: Parent Series with our sixth offering on Wednesday, 3/4, at 1:00 PM and 7:00 PM. Dr. Da Giau and Mr. Greco, a Social Worker in Old Tappan, will be facilitating a book club entitled "Parenting in the Screen Age: A Guide for Calm Conversations" for all interested parents.

Whether you read some, all, or none of Delaney Ruston's (2020) book, please join us! We will address ways to discuss sensitive topics with children, as well as ways to establish boundaries for digital use. Read more here.

On Wednesday, 3/18, at 1:00 PM and 7:00 PM, Dr.

Da Giau will be hosting informational sessions about the State's Standardized Test, the NJSLA-A (New Jersey Student Learning Assessment-Adaptive). If you are interested in learning about this assessment, join her in the Board Conference Room. Read more here.

Also, in March, If you are interested in participating in casual conversations about our District and sharing ideas for betterment, participate in a District-Based Planning Team Meeting, as we engage in open dialogue and discuss our three-year Blueprint. Join Dr. Da Giau in the Board Conference Room on Thursday, 3/26 at

1:00 PM or 7:00 PM. There is no need to RSVP, just come and join the group.

COURAGE

Expression through the Arts

This year, TBD was, once again, thrilled to host our International Dance Festival, which is a tradition in our District. This International Festival is a wonderful event that recognizes and honors our families’ multicultural traditions. Thank you to the PTO and to the many families who contributed their time, energy, and resources to our school for this celebration.

The TBD students were filled with excitement, as they performed for their teachers and peers. All TBD students had opportunities to learn about different countries, traditional costumes, traditional music, and traditional dances from around the world.

Our school families shared dances from America, India, Korea, Greece, Cuba, and the Philippines. The Festival afforded a number of new experiences for our students, and we are looking forward to its return next year!

CREATIVITY

Learning Mathematics

Mathematics and its related learning involves three components — the actual quantities that exist in space and time; the counting of numbers in the spoken language; and formal symbols, such as written numerals and operation signs. Number sense requires fluidity among these components.

Students first link real quantities to their counting of numbers. Then, they integrate symbols and understand their meanings. At age 5 or 6, children blend their ability to make quantity comparisons with their ability to count. This conceptual structure is a significant step in developing number sense. By age 7 or 8, students begin to understand distinct quantitative dimensions, which allows them to understand place value and time. By age 9 or 10, children have a developed understanding of the number system, permitting them to compute with double and triple digits.

Students learn best when presented with a plethora of opportunities for building their mathematical understandings.

Number Sense

Number sense is a person’s ability to understand, relate, and connect numbers precisely and fluently. Students with strong number sense can visualize and talk about numbers; can take numbers apart and put them back together; can compute mentally; and can relate numbers to real-life problems. We strive to build strong number sense at the elementary grades, which will support upper-grade math success.

100th Day Celebration

From the very first day of the school year, the students in kindergarten begin to keep track of the number of days they have been in school. Through their tracking, they learn about groups of five and groups of ten, with the mounting anticipation of the 100th day of school. The 100th day of school is a day that marks their display of the number 100 through graphs and manipulatives, and it also represents progress and growth in all areas of kindergarten.

The first 100th day of school was celebrated in 1979 by Lynn Taylor, along with her colleagues. From them, the idea grew not only as a means for celebration but also as an instructional mechanism for teaching number sense.

COMMITMENT

Peer Learning

Students work collaboratively, as they join together in academic competition to solve problems, while also meeting established criteria. Exposing students to a competitive academic arena supports students’ development of higher-level logical thinking and reasoning skills, as well as their verbal and articulation skills.

Collaborative and Interdisciplinary Work

Our seventh-grade and eighth-grade students, who are part of the LEAP Program, attended the VIA (Valley Interdisciplinary Approach) Convocation this month. At this event, the students collaborated in mixed teams from participating Northern Valley schools. This year’s theme was “Dynamic Eggcellent Racer.” This challenge involved the design and construction of a futuristic, electric-powered vehicle with a self-contained programmable motor. Teams created a vehicle motorized by an emission-free, waterproof engine in which an egg must safely be transported during several obstacle and speed trials. Points were awarded to teams for structures and creativity. This Northern Valley academic competition offered our students a wonderful opportunity to work together and to hone their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Also, this month, the CDW MathCounts Team competed in the Bergen-Hudson Chapter competition. The MathCounts competition offers students Sprint, Target, Team, and Countdown competition rounds that test speed, accuracy, and problem-solving skills in algebra, geometry, counting, and probability. Our middle school team placed 4th out of 27 teams. CDW also achieved the highest placement among all Northern Valley schools!