Whittier Fourth Graders, our Teaneck Tomorrow Junior Reporters, had the opportunity to interview their principal Mr. Peter LoGiudice. They asked her many questions and these were here answers!
Personal
What do you do in your free time?
I do a lot of things in my free time. The first and most important thing I do in my free time is spend as much time with my daughters as possible. That usually leads to just being their chauffeur as I drive them to their activities. They both are very talented dancers. They dance at their dance studio 5 days a week and then they have competitions. When I'm not with them and by I’m myself, I like to watch sports. I like the Yankees, the Giants and the Nets. Those are my 3 favorite teams. I also like to play video games. I am a gamer so I like to play on my PS5 that I just got. I've always had a PlayStation. I just turned in my PS4 for a PS5 so that's what I do in my free time
Can you tell us about your family?
I have two daughters. My oldest, Evangeline, is in high school and my youngest daughter, Charlize, is a sixth-grader. Those are the two most important people in my life. In addition, I have my mom and dad, an older sister, and a younger brother.
What is something that is a favorite of yours for example favorite meal, movie, sport, or color?
I think everyone knows that my favorite character is definitely Spider Man. Kids in the class yelled out, “Same. He’s on your door.” I've been reading Marvel Comics since I was in elementary school, but out of all the characters in those amazing stories that I read growing up and now get the pleasure of seeing on the screen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man is definitely my favorite. I also love the Yankees, the Giants and the Nets, but if I had to pick only one team to follow for the rest of my life it would be the New York Yankees. I love baseball and I love the Yankees.
Becoming A Principal
What jobs did you have before becoming a principal?
When I was in high school I started working at a restaurant as a cook. My parents were insistent that I get a part-time job and learn how to make money for myself and have a responsibility. I started off on the fries in the back of the restaurant, just making french fries. Then as I went through high school and college I continued to work there and moved to different stations. I learned all about the restaurant business and that has inspired me to even to this day because I love to cook. I try not to order in too often or go out to dinner because I really enjoy cooking for myself and for my daughters. After I went to college and graduated I was a math teacher at Teaneck High School for 7 years, then a dean for one of the grade levels there for 4 years, then the assistant principal at the high school for 6 years, and then I was the principal at the high school for 2 years. Now I'm the principal here at Whittier.
How long did it take you to become principal and how did you do it?
When I first became a math teacher I expected to be a math teacher for the rest of my life. I never thought I would do anything other than teach math. However, as I got to be part of the school community and really got to know the job of educating young people, being a principal became something that I started to wonder about. When I was a teacher I felt like I had a positive impact on the students in my classroom and then as I moved up to these other positions I wanted to have more of a positive impact on even more students. There are 1300 students at Teaneck High School so as I moved up from teacher to dean to vice principal to principal I was looking for opportunities to really have more of an impact and provide great opportunities for kids. Although it was not something I ever thought I would do, as I was watching the principal at the time and what he was doing and then the principal after him and what she was doing, becoming a principal became something that I thought I would really enjoy doing. I was hoping that I would be a good principal and people tell me that I do a pretty good job.
How did you do it?
To become a principal I had to go back to school at night and get a principal’s certificate. I would teach math all day, grab a snack, jump in my car, and drive over to Montclair State University in Montclair and take night classes to learn how to be a principal. Then I had to pass the state test so that I could get my principal’s license and then thankfully I was given the opportunity to be a principal.
Was it hard?
It was hard in the sense that I was very tired at the end of those classes because I would be waking up early, working as a teacher all day, having a quick snack and then having to drive all the way to Montclair to sit through a couple of hours of class. After class I had to do homework and then grade tests from the students that I had in class as a teacher. They were very long days and a lot of work to do because I was in school to become a principal and working at the same time. Once I became a principal, there are some hard days, but I enjoy it very much so I never really think it's hard.
How old were you when you became principal?
I am 45 years old now so if you count me being a vice principal that was 11 years ago, but if you count me being a principal then I was 40 years old.
As Principal
Is it hard or easy being principal? What do you like about it?
The hard part is that there are so many different things to think about or to have knowledge of. You have to know about the curriculum -the math curriculum, the reading curriculum, about all different grade levels. You have to know what is going on in the kindergarten through 4th grade. You have to know about the field trips and security drills. This year has been especially hard because we have to make sure that we are following all the Covid protocols and make sure that we are keeping students and staff safe. Because of the pandemic, it has been extra hard over the last couple of years. So the hard part is just knowing all of the information because there's so much that you have to know when you are a principal.
The easy part is spending time with the students and hearing about the great things that you are doing in class. Being around you guys is the easy part.
What do you like about your job?
I like a lot of things about my job. I like spending time with you guys and learning about all the great things that you're doing, what you're passionate about, what sports you're playing, what's your favorite subject. I enjoy seeing you guys enjoy learning .
What do you do all day?
Every day is a little bit different. I make sure that everybody is where they're supposed to be - the students and the staff. I make sure that breakfast is served, lunch is served, the school is cleaned every day. The most important thing that I do though, is to make sure that the teachers have everything that they need to be the best teachers that they can be so that you guys can get the most out of your day here at Whittier. I always have to make sure that Ms. Davis, Ms. Spencer, Ms. Fliegelman, Mr. Henry, the lower grade teachers, all your specials teachers have what they need to give you the best education possible.
Has there ever been a real emergency? What do you do in an emergency?
There have been real emergencies, but we haven’t had a real emergency this year. We've had a lot of security drills, but thankfully we haven't had to deal with any school wide emergencies. In the past when I have had to deal with emergencies you want to make sure that you keep everybody calm, make sure that everybody feels safe, and that you get people to help that they need.
Do you choose what we get to eat?
I do not choose what we get to eat. We have a company for the whole district and they provide the meals for students. If there's something that I know students really don't like or if there's something that we're not serving that I think students might like I could give a suggestion to the food company, but I don't get to choose the daily menu everyday.
How does being principal of Whittier compare to being principal of Teaneck High School?
That's a great question! There's a lot of similarities and a lot of differences. It's similar because as the principal of either school, you want to make sure that you're providing leadership and great opportunities for students to really succeed. It's different because the high school has teenagers and it's a much bigger school. There are a little bit over 300 students in Whittier School, but Teaneck High School is the size of 4 Whittier schools. That’s four times as many students! There are a lot more teachers and students to take care of.
Do you like us more?
I do like you more. I spent many more years at the high school than I have here, but in just my short time here I could definitely tell you that I love being a Whittier Wolf.
If you got another job what would it be?
Wow, that’s a tough one. If I got another job, my dream job would be a general manager for a baseball team. That person picks all the players for a baseball team. As a math teacher, I love statistics. As a sports fan and a baseball fan, I love statistics [on players]. I would love to be the general manager and pick the players so that I could try to win a championship by picking those players by their strengths and weaknesses and building the best team.
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If I were PRINCIPAL for a Day!
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By Ava Cooper
If I was principal for the day, there are many things I would do to make it more fun for the kids. First, I would give the kids the day off if not, the week. In the district, I would be the principal for every school. In the classrooms, I would have different seating options like you can sit on a couch, trampoline, bean bag chairs, or hammocks.
In specials, I would make it so there is no Spanish because it takes a lot of work and time away from PE. PE classes are more important because the classes help make you healthy. I would offer different PE classes to the students. For example, I would offer classes such as gymnastics, skateboarding, dancing, skiing, boxing, football, and volleyball.
As principal, I would like to change some things in the school community. I would give the students the choice for online classes or in person classes. Every student on his or her birthday would get to choose what he or she wants to learn on that day. We could also do something called Secret Elf where you would make things or bring things in for a Secret Elf to make people happy.
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By Shaimaa
If I was principal for a day the classrooms would have big desks and more room and have lockers to put their stuff in. There would be windows and a rug to sit on. This is what I would do if I was principal.
In p.e, the students are going to do 1 minute and 30 seconds of running and learn jumping ropes. Also, do some workout stuff and learn how to run much longer. In music, we learn piano, ukulele, and other instruments and learn to do music with them. In Spanish, The people who speak Spanish help the other people who don't speak Spanish. In art, you learn to draw and make famous paintings. You can do it the way you want to and not copy how they did it. In the library, you learn about books, authors,and history. And then they pick up the books.
We are going to have a party and get some three to five wolfbucks. If someone gets hurt the nurse is going to help. The nurse can call their parents to pick them up.
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By Samuel Trujillo
If I was the principal for the day. The classroom will have no homework on Monday. I will have more lunch time. lunch will be 30 minutes longer. This is what I would do if I was principal for the day. In specials the kids will have more time to do their work. I will do fun stuff in PE. This is what I do as principal for the day. In the school community the wolf bucks shop will be free on Friday. All students will have more time to eat their lunch .This is what I would do if I was principal.
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By Soraya Bryan
If I were principal for the day, I would make sure that every kid will have fun while learning. I would make a game for every subject so kids can learn and enjoy school. This way kids won’t dred to go to school every day. I would make games for every subject because I do not want kids to dislike going to school everyday until they graduate.
In specials, I would tell the kids to run for 5 minutes and stretch in the gym. I would show the kids famous artists' art work and have them guess who made the artwork. I would make videos for the school to see in music so it’s fun and educational.
For the school community, I would make school a currency called “Ice Cream Bucks” that you can trade in for ice cream in any flavor you could want. Also, I would make projects for the whole school like “Who can read the most books?” I would make lunch and recess be at 10:20 so no kid is hungry.
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By Steven Bryan
So have you ever thought about what it would be like to be principal? Well, if I was principal, I would have a lot of benefits that would be amazing for any school. So let me tell you my benefits. I would give longer breaks, check in on classes, and address the school each day.
If I was principal I would give longer breaks. This can be good because they can relax, recharge, and the teachers can grade papers while they’re on their break. On a normal break, they don’t have that time to grade papers, create work on the computer so they can print it out to paper, or post things they may forget to do while they were in the classroom. This way the students can catch up on their work and the teacher can take a rest when they're done doing the things they forgot to do.
So if I was principal I would check on classes to see if there are major problems happening around the school every 10 or 15 minutes. This can help a lot. A teacher may run out of some tools for learning, like copies of paper or pencils, and this can interrupt a class. So if I go in there, I can make more copies of paper and give them the supplies. This happens more than you think around Whitter school. Checking classes could make students act better also, by doing their work and behaving. Doing work is important for good grades on your report card. It also helps with the kids that act bad. Anyway, let's talk about the day and lunch.
Ok so if I was principal, I would address the school on the speaker. I would say the day and lunch at the start of the school day, so students know what they’re going to eat for the day. On holidays, I'd give different lunch choices that represent that holiday. On half days, I'd give small gifts that affect the school budget by less than 1%. I’d have holiday events. Afterwards, I would clean it all up, and it would all go back to normal and all will be well.
My name is Steven Bryan and that is what I’d do if I was principal. I would make longer breaks, check on the classes, and address the school each day. Also, thanks to the principal at our school for checking over the school and making sure nothing bad happens.
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If I Was Mayor for a Day
By Mason Root
IF I was the mayor I would close schools for 2 days so kids’ brains are refreshed and they won’t be tired from school and they won't be overwhelmed. And they could stay awake for school. I would put some money into the schools and give the kids better food.
I would give 300 hundred dollars as a stimuli check every month so you would be able to buy food with it and you can use some to buy sneakers or something like that and it will help you a little bit, but it won’t do much though so use it wisely. I will fix broken roads and broken-down buildings. I was would fix playgrounds so the kids are happy when they take a trip to the park. Also, they won’t hurt themself since it will be safe. The parents don’t have to worry about their kids and they won't have to check about them, (well maybe sometimes just in case).
If I was the mayor for a day I would try to make more nature so it feels like the forest so it is peaceful for everyone. You can read in the park and you can walk in the park and hear the birds singing. It is peaceful to your ears so you will be calm and not hyper if you are. It will bring peace to the community so there is no harm to the community. I would plant purple and green and red flowers and I would put a taco shop next to the park so that when kids are hungry they can eat and they can enjoy their food then they can play after and walk home from a nice day.
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By Alexander Velez
I Will let the kids have free time.I will let kids choose what they want to eat that week. I will give kids 30 minutes to think what they want to learn.
In the community, I will help people in need. If people that don't even have a roof over their head I will give them a house.I will make sure that no one abuses the laws.
I will stop bullying everywhere.I will make schools have cool playgrounds with a secret button that has a cool underground.There be really good books for free so that kids can enjoy them.
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By Laila Guilford
If I were principal for a day there is so much that I would do. In the classroom, I would allow all students to work together with other students when needed. Also, I would allow all students to vote on class decisions, such as writing topics. As principal I would highly request these topics because I believe it is important to show and express what you and others feel and why. I also believe it is important to engage with other students to get to know each other better, and find out if you have similar likings or similar dislikes towards a topic. Finally, I think it helps shy students come out of their shell and show others what a kind and fun person he or she is. If I were principal for a day I would help this happen.
In specials, I would make any Friday a “Fun Friday!” I have noticed in other classes and even in my class specials we just continue what we were working on, from past days. Many specials do have “Fun Friday!” but others don’t. I would like students to have a day where it is so fun all their worries from home are no longer on their worry list. If I were principal for a day I would help this happen.
In the school community I would make sure before serving any dish to students that it was well cooked and looked pleasing. I would do this because I have noticed after lunch many students complain about their stomach hurting or that the food didn't taste good. Also in every class I would give every teacher a first aid kit because usually many injuries or nurse problems happen at noon when the nurse is at lunch.
Lastly, I would make a program for kids who are less fortunate in school and don't have enough money to pay for lunch. I would do this because many students when they get home don’t have any food to eat. I would send them home with food for the rest of the day and then for the next day and so on. If I were principal for a day I would help this happen.
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By Peter Shayne
If I was principal for a day I would let the kids choose any seats they would like on the first day of school so they could talk to their friends at the right times.
If I was principal for a day I would also make recess and lunch much longer so the kids have time to eat and take their time .And I will make recess longer because kids are going to have more energy and they can interact with their friends.
Another reason is around the third day of school I will make all the kids go on the stage and say their name where they are from and make them say their religon.
Lastly, every Friday we go to the gym and sit on the floor and listen to America and always stand up and hold our chest while the music is going on and playing.
And that is what I would do if I was principal for a day.
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By Karam Bashaireh
If I were a principal for the day. I would give the kids 30 minutes to play learning games. I would make reading for 1 hour so students can learn new things from reading. I'll make recess for 15 minutes because it's 25 minutes and lunch is 10 minutes. Some kids don't finish their lunch so I'll make lunch for 20 minutes.
In PE, there are some exercises that kids can't do like pushups and a lot of other exercises too so I will make the students stop doing the hard exercises. In Music, I’ll make the whole 4 grade have a turn to go on stage and sing.
I’ll let the kids have their phones with them in recess. It's their free time so why not!? I’ll ban every single chromebook game because some kids play when they are taking a lesson.
That’s why I would make a good principal!
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By Branley German
If I was principal for a day this is what I would do. I’ll make the work on Chromebook so students’ hands don’t hurt a lot. Also, I’ll make the whiteboard bigger than they are so the teachers can write a lot and don’t run out of space. I would buy touch-screen Chromebooks because. I will add a swimming class because there could be an accident on a field trip. The class would protect the students. I’ll add a lot of flowers so the school would look beautiful. I would also add a pond in front of the school because there are not really any ponds nearby. This would be nice to look at. I would also take a picture of the fourth graders in front of the school. Then I would print the picture and hand it out to everyone. This way, they will remember the year when they drive by. This is why it would be a great day being principal!
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By Natalia Marrero
Hi there! Today I want to talk about if I was a principal for a day. So first, I want to talk about what principal’s do. Principal’s are the leaders of the school. Principal’s also check to see if you are being good or bad in the classroom. They also make the school safe. If I was a principal for a day I would make sure kids are doing well in class and I would make sure the school is safe.
If students are misbehaving in class, I will have a talk with the students. I would tell them to be nice. I would explain misbehaving is not good, because someone may get hurt. It interrupts the class. Then the kids can’t concentrate.
Principals make sure it is safe by practicing lockdowns and fire drills. If it was a lock down, I would tell the teachers that we have a lock down. If there was a fire drill, I would help get students outside fast. I want to make sure everyone is safe.
I would also stop bullying. If a kid is being bullied someone should tell the principal, because that is not good for a kid to be bullied. Bullying is being mean to people at school or maybe at home too, but you should still tell your principal and your mom and dad. Also, if someone is bullied they could get hurt, so kids should not be bullied.
I would also be a nice principal for the students, because I don't want to be a mean principal. I would like to get to know the students better. So that is why I want to be a principal for a day. Being a principal is fun for me!!!
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By Christian Pena
Hey there! What would you do if you were a principal for a day? Well let me tell you what I would do if I were principal. If I was a principal for a day, I would make sure everyone is safe, having fun, and not bullying. But enough of that, let me hop on to my first reason.
I would make sure everyone is safe. If I was principal I would make sure there is no fighting or anything inappropriate. Also I would have to make sure not just the kids are safe, but also the teachers and the school building too. If I was principal I would want to be the best principal in the world. Let me tell you how I would make sure they are safe. 1: I would practice with them. 2: you have to make sure they know what's going on. And 3: put cameras around the school. And that's how to keep them safe.
Hey, do you want to be a principal and make sure everyone is having fun? So here’s what you should do. Here is some stuff you should let them do. They can draw, play cool math games, go on Raz Kids, IXL, or even Freckle. But be careful what they can do on the device.
If you're a bully stop it, because if I was principal at your school I would not let you bully. If you're a principal and you have a bully, here is a way to solve your problem. It’s simple. Talk to him and see what's wrong, that's how simple it is. If you were bullied before and you're a bully and you feel bad, that's how other kids feel. Plus, bullying can get you in a bad situation, so do not bully.
Ok, now I told you what I would do if I were principal for a day. What? You don't remember? Well, let me tell you. I would make sure everyone is safe, having fun, and no bullying. Now tell me what you would do.
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Why I Think Teaneck is Beautiful!
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By: Sarai Tirado
Today I am telling you what is beautiful in Teaneck. The flowers are colorful and pretty and it’s peaceful outside. What do you think is beautiful in Teaneck?
What’s beautiful in Teaneck is that the flowers are colorful and pretty. The flowers are colorful and pretty because when I walk by them they look so bright and colorful that I just had to feel them and they felt soft. You can find them in a local flower shop right here in Teaneck. One day I asked my mom if we could buy some flower seeds so we could plant them and the next day I saw that the flowers I planted grew a bit. We planted them in front of my house and they looked so good and beautiful when they bloomed. My mom told me what the flowers are called - Roses(red), Violet(purple), and Sunflowers(yellow).
What’s beautiful about Teaneck is that it’s peaceful outside. The birds can wake you up in the morning and it’s not a lot of noise outside that you hear. The sun is bright and you can see people going for walks. If you walk outside in the morning you will not hear people. You can see people walking their dog and you can say, “Hi”, “Good Morning”, or ask if you can pet their dog if you want.
What do you think is beautiful in Teaneck? I think that the flowers are colorful and pretty and it’s peaceful outside.
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By Gavin Goodall
What is beautiful about Teaneck is the people. The people of Teaneck are very friendly, nice and funny. The people in Teaneck take care of the town and keep it clean. Most of the neighbors are very nice and friendly. When they visit other people’s houses, they make sure to keep the house clean and not make a mess. People in Teaneck are very respectful.
Teaneck has great parks for people who like to be outside and the people of Teaneck like to be outside. The parks have exercise stations, playgrounds, football and soccer fields, and a path for people to walk. There are also great programs for kids. For example, in the summer they have movie nights with popcorn outdoors in the park. You can bring a blanket, a pillow and watch a really good movie. They are really fun! In the summer there is a pool and swimming lessons for young kids and older kids.
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By Meilyn Veras Hernandez
Teaneck has a lot of beautiful places. The two places I think are the most fun and beautiful are the Teaneck Plaza and The Teaneck Park.
I think the Teaneck Plaza is beautiful and fun because it has a lot of stores to go to. For example, in the Teaneck Plaza, you can do everything like, groceries in Aldi, restaurant in the new crab place, fixing your nails at the nail salon, and also getting any item at the Dollar General, and more! In the Teaneck Plaza, you can do everything fast. The best thing is you don't have to drive to a lot of places, you just have to go to the next store you want to go to in the Teaneck Plaza! Teaneck Plaza is a beautiful and fun place!
One of the parks in Teaneck is also beautiful. It is beautiful because every time I go it's clean. It is also really fun! For example, one day, when my mom took me to Teaneck Park, it was so clean. The slides were shiny, the swings had no leaves and they were not wet. The basketball court was clean and there were no balls everywhere, they were in one spot. Teaneck Park always makes me have fun. The best thing is you can make new friends! Teaneck Park is beautiful and definitely fun!
I Love Teaneck by
Parker Gee
Do you think Teaneck is the best town in New Jersey? Well, I do. I love Teaneck! Our town is amazing for so many reasons. I love Teaneck because it has so many parks. Also, you can go to great schools here and there are so many beautiful houses that you can live in. Now let's talk about how it has so many parks.
Teaneck has 25 different parks. Some people can walk to a park. The biggest park is Windsor Park, where you can see the natural environment of Teaneck. There is also Votee, Argonne, Phelps, Sagamore, and so many others, where you can do many other activities. In Votee Park there are 3 playgrounds, a walking path, a studio, a soccer/football field, a basketball court, a tennis court, a handball court, a water park, and in the summer you can even swim in the pool. As you can see you can basically go there and do whatever you want.
You can go to great schools in Teaneck. You can go to preschool at Bryant or kindergarten at Lacey. You can go to Whittier, Hawthorne, or Lowell school for kindergarten - 4th grade and you can go to TJ or BF for middle school. Teaneck has one high school that people call the castle on the hill. And if you want to stay here for college, there’s FDU. Teaneck has some great schools.
You can live a happy life in Teaneck. You can buy a pretty nice house for your family here. There are small houses and big houses. There are apartments and mansions. There are houses for everyone!
Teaneck is the best town in New Jersey because there are so many parks, you can go to great schools and you can buy nice houses for your family. What do you like about Teaneck?
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