• 50th Anniversary


    Woodruff Staff
    Woodruff Staff- 2011-2012
     
     

     

     

    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.