Old Tappan Public Schools
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The Core is the monthly newsletter for families of the
Old Tappan Public School District.
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Community | Curiosity | Courage | Creativity | Commitmentt
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Message from the Superintendent
Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s):
During this Thanksgiving season, we are reminded of the gifts for which we are grateful.
In our District, we are grateful for our students, who are ready to learn each day. We are grateful for our school families, who partner with us and place their trust in us. We are grateful for our faculty, staff, and Board of Education, who continue to have our students’ best interests at heart. We remain grateful for our wonderful Old Tappan school community!
Enjoy this November edition of The Core, which highlights activities, events, and happenings anchored by our core values.
Wishing you and your family a bountiful Thanksgiving holiday!
Respectfully,
Danielle M. Da Giau, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Old Tappan Public School District
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Learning about Our Community
Our TBD third-grade students enjoyed a walking trip to our Borough Hall. While visiting with Mayor Gallagher, the students learned about the role of the Old Tappan Mayor, as well as the responsibilities of the Old Tappan Council Members. During the presentation, students asked questions, based on their classroom learning about local government. Prior to their trip, students studied about local government structures and the ways in which officials serve our community. While in Borough Hall, the students visited the various rooms of the building.
Community connections offer students the opportunities to interact with those outside of our school. Through community-based visits, students learn about careers, the importance of local organizations, and concepts that are more abstract or more complicated when simply discussed in the classroom.
Community-based learning engages students with content, encourages deeper thinking by seeing nuances that might otherwise go unnoticed if only learned about within the school.
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Students as Scientists and Collaborative Learners
Our middle school students collaborated to create a substance, Oobleck, to represent the Earth’s Mantle during their unit about Plate Tectonics. Following the investigative process, the Oobleck acted as a model.
Just as the substance is a liquid and a solid, so is the Mantle underneath the crust. The substance mimicked the Earth’s Mantle as it cracks and resists during sudden impact and flows like liquid under gentle, continuous pressure.
Students worked together to make hypotheses and take notes during their investigation.
Scientific concepts come to life when students have opportunities to see ideas and discuss their learning together, guided by the teacher.
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Honoring Our Heroic Veterans
Along with their teachers, students at all grade levels discussed the importance of Veterans Day and of honoring those who have served and who are currently serving in our Armed Forces. Through morning announcements, class discussions, poetry studies, readings, and reflective writings, students from the elementary to the upper middle-school grades contemplated the difference between Veterans Day and Memorial Day; as well as the values of courage, loyalty, and integrity, while also considering the sacrifices of our veterans for the freedoms enjoyed by all today.
Middle school students learned about the virtues of service from a Wounded Warrior, Dr. Tyshawn Jenkins. Dr. Jenkins joined the Air National Guard in 2010 because he wanted to give back to the nation that had given him so much! During his presentation to the student body, he shared his story and raised awareness for the military community. His presentation reminded listeners of the sacrifices made by the military's brave men and women — and their families — as well as their struggles after they return from war. The students were thoroughly engaged with the presentation and so many students, individually, approached Dr. Jenkins to thank him for his service to our country.
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The Value of Extension Activities
Students learn as much outside of the classroom as they do inside of the classroom. Through extension activities, students have opportunities to collaborate with peers, extend academic skills, and navigate real-world environments.
Extension activities, whether during the school day or extracurricular in nature, provide students the spaces to work together with high-interest topics. This month, students engaged in interscholastic athletic playoff games, Debate Team competitions, Bergen Brain Busters contests, Thanksgiving card-making for senior citizens, and Student Council activities.
To participate in these extension activities requires collaboration. To collaborate requires that students clearly articulate their thinking, remain open-minded enough to consider others’ thoughts, and sustain engagement to make progress with the tasks at-hand.
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TBD and CDW Earn Top Rankings
School recognitions have become more popular among K-8 schools in the recent past. Recently, U.S. News and World Report magazine released the 2026 school rankings, which are dependent upon the data available for comparison, which, in most cases, consists primarily of test scores. As such, TBD and CDW are listed as 2026 "Best Schools.” TBD is ranked within the top 7% of elementary schools in New Jersey. CDW is ranked within the top 3% of middle schools in New Jersey.
Using available data points, our schools, TBD and CDW, were both named “2026 Best Schools” by Niche. They were ranked within the top 7% and top 8% of schools, respectively.
To earn these recognitions, State test scores were considered, as well as data primarily provided by the Department of Education, which included information about our accelerated classes, gifted education, English-language learning, discipline, the arts, athletics, and demographics.
We certainly enjoy these distinctions, yet we do understand these awards and rankings only recognize that which is measurable from limited data, and they do not honor the valuable, non-measurable activities and strides made with students. Measurable and non-measurable progress is possible because of consistent at-home support. Home-school connections allow school personnel to teach more than academics. Students learn about respect, responsibility, and trustworthiness — all of which are not able to be ranked. With solid foundations, staff and students will continue to work hard, regardless of any outside recognition!
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Calendar
November 27&28
No School
December 8
Board Meeting
December 23
12:30 Dismissal
December 24-January 4
No School; Return to School on 1/5/26
January 5
Return to School
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Notes
Happy Thanksgiving from
Our Old Tappan School Family
to Your Family!
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