BERKELEY HEIGHTS PTO SEEKS PLAY "DOUGH" FOR A NEW PLAYGROUND AT WOODRUFF SCHOOL

The Parent Teacher Organization of Woodruff Elementary School in
Berkeley Heights is seeking the support of the community to raise
"dough" for a new playground to be installed in 2012. "Twenty five
years ago, the Woodruff PTA raised the funds to install a playground
that offered accessible equipment to all students. Fast forward
another 25 years, and building materials, as well as accessibility
equipment have improved dramatically. We can't think of a better way
to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the school than to install a new
playground with challenging equipment that builds strong bodies for
today's students," said PTO President Debbie Koutsaftes. All children
playing side by side has always been the goal of the Woodruff community.

Woodruff School has a long history of celebrating the unique needs of
all children. "We have a philosophy that recognizes that learning and
physical challenges reflect the real world. Fostering understanding
and inclusion and teaching children to honor and respect differences
makes us stronger," commented Principal Patricia Gasparani. "I was
delighted the PTO decided to celebrate our 50th Anniversary with this
project."

After numerous meetings with state officials and school specialists,
and countless of hours of planning and discussions, the Playground
Committee of Cindy Lepore, Ellyn Dally, Debbie Koutsaftes, and Dan
Bernier, chose GameTime to design the final layout of the new site.
"The decision to hire GameTime as the official contractor was based on
their flexibility, equipment offered, price and reputation," said Ellyn
Dally, "and Dan Bernier brought his expertise and incredible insight as
Head of Park Planning for Union County Parks and Recreation, in
developing the project." A company representative met with the students
and got their "wish list" of a fantasy playground. Using the same
technology used to create Pixar movies, GameTime brought the fantasy to
life in a 3D format at the end of each meeting.

Cindy Lepore explained, "Working with the Playground committee is the
volunteer fundraising team of parents Michelle Harder, Jennifer
Serretti, Eileen Granelli, and Andrya Wallace. The $50,000 needed for
the project is being raised through fundraisers, grants, and donation
requests." The first fundraiser is a Carnival from 11am to 5pm on
October 15th at the school located at 55 Briarwood Drive West. Food,
games, and rides featuring a giant rock slide, rock wall, whirly bird,
dunk tank, moonwalk, and more will be ready to greet families, alumni
and friends. Merchandise sporting the 50th Anniversary logo will also
be on sale. A dinner dance is planned for March 2, 2012.

A poster rendition of the new playground is located in the school
lobby. The community is invited to support the project with donations
sent to: Woodruff School Playground Fund, 55 Briarwood Drive West,
Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922. For more information on the Carnival and
the playground project, please call the school at (908) 464-1723.