George Washington Elementary School

Dear Washington Wizards,

⭐ Laying the Foundation: A Message from Mrs. O’Brien

I hope you and your family have enjoyed a wonderful summer filled with time to relax, recharge, and make lasting memories. To our returning Washington Wizards, welcome back! And to the families joining our school community for the very first time, welcome to Washington! We are so excited to have you with us and can't wait to begin building something great together.

Last year, we Ignited the Spark: A New Beginning and we embarked on an exciting new chapter together. This year, we're taking the next step, we are Building Something Great! This year we will continue to build a school community where every child feels welcomed, challenged, supported, and inspired. At Washington, we believe that great schools aren't built with bricks alone. They're built through kindness, curiosity, perseverance, responsibility, friendship, and countless everyday moments that help each of us grow. Throughout the year, each month will highlight an important building block of our community.

As Washington Wizards, we know the greatest magic isn't found in a wand, it's created by the choices we make each day. We can't wait to spend another incredible year Building Something Great with all of you!

See you in 2 short weeks. Please see below for our first update of the year. On behalf of the entire Washington School staff, it is with great joy that I welcome you to the 2026–2027 school year! 

As we get ready to begin another exciting school year, I want to start by extending my heartfelt thanks to our amazing maintenance team and office staff, Mrs. Marchisin and Mrs. Eischen. Their hard work throughout the summer has helped prepare our school for an incredible year ahead. From fresh updates in our classrooms to the beautiful transformation of our first-floor hallways, to the countless behind-the-scenes details that keep our school running smoothly, they have truly helped lay the foundation for a successful year. Thank you!

I also want to extend my deepest gratitude to our incredible PTO presidents, Jenn Charles and Bri Miccio. They have been working tirelessly all summer, pouring their hearts into an exciting year ahead. We are so fortunate to have their partnership as we build this great year together.

🔨 Tools for Success: Reminders for Families

Our school day is from 8:50 a.m. until 3:20 p.m. Please note that the first day of school, September 8th will be a minimum day and students will be dismissed at 1:05 p.m.

NEW Arrival will look slightly different this year. ALL students (no matter the grade level) will enter the school each morning at door #2 on the Morse Avenue side OR door #6 by the baseball fields. Students can be dropped off in either the drop-off zone on Morse Avenue or parents can park in the lower lot and students can walk to the door. Although space is limited, parents may also park on Woodland Avenue in front of the school and walk their child around to the Morse Avenue door. Arrival begins at 8:35. Students arriving after 8:50 are considered tardy.

There are no changes to dismissal doors for this year. Door numbers are located on each door: 

• Kindergarten (KK and KR) will dismiss from Door 4

• Kindergarten (KF) will dismiss from door 7 

• First Grade will dismiss from door 3 

• Second and Fifth Grade will dismiss from door 2

• Third and Fourth Grade will dismiss from door 6

On Wednesday, August 26th after 3:30 p.m., the Genesis Parent Portal will be available for all parents to log in, fill out their required forms, and access their homerooms. All parents must log on and fill out the school forms for each child before seeing their child’s homeroom on Genesis. If you have any difficulty logging into Genesis please contact the helpdesk at Genesis HelpDesk: genesis@wyckoffps.org.

There is one form on the Genesis portal that asks escorted vs. unescorted. Reminder that all students are currently considered unescorted when they are dismissed from school at the end of the school day.  An unescorted student will be taken to the designated dismissal door by their teacher. Students are released to an adult after the teacher sees the parent (or known caretaker) and are considered unescorted.  If parents/guardians decide to have their child officially escorted, students will be taken to the main office to be picked up and signed out by one of the persons authorized to do so daily.  The individual escorting the student is required to go to the main office with picture identification.

On September 1st at 2:00 pm, we invite our incoming Kindergarten students and their parents to our annual Kindergarten Orientation. This is a key event that will help your child transition smoothly into our school. 

This summer, the Board of Education approved the appointment or rearrangement of a few teachers and instructional aids at Washington School. The staff below are fantastic and I'm confident they will be wonderful additions to our Washington School community.

• Tara Timpone will be transitioning to the role of Guidance Counselor 

• Nicolette DiMaria will be transitioning to our Fifth Grade team

• Samuel Enright joins us as our PE teacher shared with all 4 elementary schools

• Erin O’Neill joins us as a Special Education Teacher

• Juliana Bisacquino will be transitioning to a Leave Replacement role in our Resource Room

• Dana Figueroa joins us as an Instructional Aide.

• Anne Driskell Walsh and Fadila Tawfik join us as Lunch/Recess Aides.

• Rob La Morte will join us as the District Computer Science and Design Thinking teacher

The grade teams are as follows:

• Kindergarten: Mrs. Kerin, Mrs. Flanagan, and Mrs. Rowland

• First Grade: Ms. Cassella, Ms. Danon, Mrs. Marrero

• Second Grade: Mrs. Lutzer, Mrs. Palladino, and Mrs. Wogisch

• Third Grade: Ms. Cox, Mrs. Ermer, and Mrs. Gerais

• Fourth Grade: Mrs. DeGennaro, Mrs. DePersis, and Mrs. Hershberger

• Fifth Grade: Mrs. Certo, Mrs. DeBlasio, Ms. DiMaria and Mrs. Karsos

For any student health questions, or to submit health forms, please contact our school nurse, Mrs. Antonucci, at lantonucci@wyckoffschools.org or 201-848-5740, ext. 4206. Kindergarten Parents - Please be sure to review your child's immunizations. They need to be complete in order  to enter Kindergarten at Washington. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to reach out to Mrs. Antonucci.

We’re looking forward to a great year and to seeing you soon!

Sincerely, 

Mrs. O’Brien

🏗️ Constructing Our Week: Upcoming Events 

Upcoming Events:

9/1/26 - Kindergarten Orientation @ 2 pm 
9/2/26 - New Student Buddy Day @ 11 am
9/8/26 - First Day of School for Students - Minimum Day - Dismissal at 1:05 pm
9/9/26 - Spirit Day - Blue and Gold Day
9/14/26 - BOE Meeting - EMS @ 6:30 pm
9/15/26 - Washington PTO Meeting @ 9:15 - MPR -- Washington Back To School Night @ 6:00 - 8:30 pm
9/18/26 - Washington Family Movie Night @ 6:00 - 9:00 pm
9/21/26 - Schools Closed - Religious Holiday
9/25/26 - Washington Family Movie Night - Rain Date
10/5/26 - BOE Meeting - EMS @ 6:30 pm
10/7/26 - National Walk & Bike To School Day -- Spirit Day
10/12/26 - Minimum Day for Students - Dismissal at 1:05 pm
10/13/26 - Washington Picture Day for Students --  Washington PTO Meeting @ 9:15 - MPR
10/14/26 - Washington Picture Day Rain Date
10/15/26 - Washington Harvest Festival - Back Field/Blacktop @ 3:30-5 pm
10/16/26 - Washington Harvest Festival - Rain Date
10/23/26 - Washington PTO Parent Night Out - TBD
10/30/26 - Washington Halloween Parade for Parents - Back Field @ 2:30 pm
11/2/26 - BOE Meeting - EMS @ 6:30 pm
11/4/26 - Spirit Day
11/5-6/26 - NJEA Teacher Convention - Schools Closed
11/9/26 - Schools Closed for Students - Parent/Teacher Conferences
11/10/26 - Washington PTO Meeting @ 9:15 - MPR
11/13/26 - District Grade 5 Bingo - EMS @ 6:30-7:30 pm
11/16/26 - Minimum Day for Students - Parent/Teacher Conferences - Dismissal @ 1:05 pm
11/17/26 - Delayed Opening PreK-8 - Elementary Classes Start at 10:30
11/25/26 - Minimum Day - Dismissal @ 1:05 pm
11/26-27/26 - Schools Closed - Thanksgiving Holiday
12/1-2/26 - Washington Holiday Store for Students
12/2/26 - Spirit Day
12/7/26 - BOE Meeting - EMS @ 6:30 pm
12/18/26 - Washington 4th & 5th Grade Choral Concert for Parents @ 2:30 pm
12/23/26 - Minimum Day - Dismissal @ 1:05 pm
12/24/26-1/3/26 - Schools Closed Holiday Break