The Woodbury Warbler

12/12/2025

🚨 DEVELOPING🚨

Gloucester County Institute of Technology is experiencing a higher-than-usual number of teacher absences today.

According to an email from Principal Dr. Sybil Girard, students were assembled in six designated locations during first period while a coverage plan was finalized. All clubs for today have been cancelled. The principal has assured families that students will be adequately supervised.

The Warbler has reached out to district for comment.

Are you a GCIT teacher, staff member, or parent with more information? I'd love to hear from you — reach out via DM or email [email protected].

Follow this page and subscribe to the newsletter at the website for updates.

12/12/2025

GCIT parents - did you get this email this morning: The school had a higher-than-usual number of teacher absences today and not enough subs to cover. Students were assembled in 6 locations during 1st period while they figured out coverage. All clubs cancelled today.

If any GCIT teachers or staff are willing to talk about what's going on, I'd like to understand the situation better. Please email me at [email protected].

12/12/2025

🏛️ NEW: Woodbury City Council Recap - December 10

Everything you need to know about this week's meeting:

🎄 Woodbury's Tree Lighting Ceremony is TONIGHT at City Hall at 5:30 p.m.

🥕 The Woodbury Farmer's Market was named #1 in New Jersey and #5 in the nation! Council is planning a springtime proclamation to honor Nicole Nocito for her work making the market a success.

🎨 The Broad Street Mural Project is moving forward — artist De'von Downes has been selected and the city is finalizing a design the community will love.

🏀 Youth recreation is booming: 9 basketball teams and 80 kids participating this year!

🚲 Heads up, e-bike owners: State legislation moving through Trenton could require registration, licensing, and insurance for all e-bikes.

Also covered: holiday trash schedules, City Hall closures, Code Blue warming center info, and a resident's request for a GCL ballot question.

Link to the full meeting summary is in the first comment!

12/11/2025

I scatter breadcrumbs, but the real feast is in your inbox.

Look, I'll be honest with you: I don't particularly enjoy posting on Facebook or Instagram – so much that I have just completely ignored them for weeks at a time. If I had my way, everything would just go straight into the newsletter and that would be it.

But I know not everyone checks their email religiously. Some of you are still getting your local news from Facebook groups and community pages. So I toss out breadcrumbs into the public square – a photo here, a quick update there – hoping to attract my flock.

Think of my social media posts as the trailer. The newsletter is the actual movie.

When I post "Big news coming about the library renovation!" on Facebook, the full story – with all the details, the timeline, the impact on your daily life – goes in the newsletter. When I share a photo of the new mural on Instagram, the story about the artist, the community process, and what it means for our downtown goes to your inbox.

Social media gets the appetizer. Email subscribers get the whole meal.

If you want to know what's really happening in The W Towns, you need to be on the email list. Everything else is just me rattling the dinner bell.

12/10/2025

Sometimes the best technology is no technology!

I know this sounds like the ramblings of someone who still uses a flip phone (I don't (yet), for the record), but sometimes the most advanced thing you can do is the simplest thing.

Email is older than the World Wide Web. It's boring, reliable, and hasn't fundamentally changed in decades. There's something beautiful about that in a world where every app wants to reinvent communication.

The Woodbury Warbler works the same way newsletters worked 20 years ago: I write something, I send it to you, you read it. No updates required, no new features to learn, no terms of service changes to agree to.

In a world designed to fragment your attention and complicate your life, maybe the most radical thing you can do is choose the simple, direct path.

Maybe the future of local communication isn't more technology. Maybe it's better technology. Maybe it's technology that serves community instead of extracting from it.

Maybe it's just email.

12/10/2025

Santa is really getting around The W Towns this week! Tonight he'll be at the West Deptford Free Public Library's new location!

Santa comes tonight to the Children's Department from 6-7pm at our new location, 611 Academy Avenue. 🎅

12/10/2025

If you are in need of a meal or would like to offer help and/or cookies, The Lighthouse Community Center is hosting a community meal on December 22. 🐥❤️

Our next free hot meal distribution is on December 22. If you or someone you know needs a free hot meal, please register at https://forms.gle/n85mRKPBbFzpynQF7.

If you would like to help in the kitchen, show up anytime between 11 and 6:30 pm.

If you would like to donate Christmas cookies, drop them off before December 22.

Thank you!!

12/10/2025

🐥 NEW WARBLER ALERT! 🐥

This week's newsletter is HERE and it's packed!

📣 Happening TODAY:

Woodbury City Council meets tonight at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall—on the agenda: downtown redevelopment updates, water/sewer rates, and the Broad Street mural artist selection

Deptford Senior Bingo (doors 11:30 a.m.)

Wenonah Acoustic Session (7-9 p.m.)

🎉 This week's highlights:

Thursday: Kwanzaa Celebration at Woodbury High School (5:30-8:30 p.m.)—music, dance, crafts, food, and performances! Bring a non-perishable food item for admission

Friday: Woodbury Tree Lighting at City Hall (6 p.m.) + SE4SK Holiday Bingo

Saturday: SO MUCH—Wreaths Across America in Wenonah, Holiday Open House at Art Studio of Deptford, Cookie Decorating at the Y, and more!

Plus: a mysterious backyard find that gave me chills, Westville property tax info (don't panic!), and a November council recap.

Link to this week's newsletter in comments! 🔗

12/09/2025

TONIGHT: Broad Street Mural Town Hall 🎨

This is it, neighbors! Tonight's your chance to share feedback on the submitted mural proposals.

The City of Woodbury, NJ genuinely wants community input on this. They're not just checking a box—they're actually asking what YOU think should represent Woodbury on Broad Street.

Can't make big changes if we don't show up for the small meetings, you know?

📍 City Hall, 33 Delaware Street, 2nd Floor Council Chambers
🕐 6:30-7:45 p.m.
💵 Free

It's 75 minutes. Bring a neighbor. Let's make sure Woodbury voices are heard. 🐦💙

See you tonight?

12/09/2025

Resources for neighbors 💙

Open this week:

📦 GWCM Food Pantries - Tue & Thu 9-11am (Seventh Day Adventist), Sat 9:30-11am (Colonial Manor UMC)

👕 Jeanette's Closet - Every Tuesday 9:30-11:30am (Central Baptist, Jackson Street entrance for shoppers)

🛏️ Code Blue Warming Center - Open daily 6pm-6am (200 N. Delsea Drive, Clayton)

URGENT - Toys for Tots deadlines approaching:

Brynn Bradley Winter Collection: December 13

Woodbury Heights Toys for Tots: December 16

Coming up this weekend:

🎄 Woodbury Tree Lighting - Friday Dec 12, 6-8pm at City Hall

🎨 MASSIVE Saturday Dec 13: Family celebrations, cookie decorating, Collingsweird Bizarre, Duffield's Christmas Village, book signing at Old Pine Farm, Art Studio open house, 50th Annual Mullica Hill House Tour

Full listing of upcoming holiday events are on the website!

Send a message to learn more

12/08/2025

Monday check-in! 🐦

Tonight: 🎶 Gateway Madrigals Concert at Holy Trinity in Wenonah, 7pm - local Girl Scouts opening! Cookies and punch after. FREE.

This week:

Tue 12/9: Meet the Grinch at Landmark Americana (dinner reservations required)

Tue 12/9: Broad Street Mural Redesign Town Hall (6:30pm, share feedback on proposals!)

Wed 12/10: Wenonah Acoustic Session Holiday Party (7-9pm)

Thu 12/11: Kwanzaa Celebration at Woodbury HS (5:30pm, bring non-perishable food)

Thu 12/11: Lessons & Carols at St. Patrick's Church (7pm)

Thu 12/11: Dr. Daisy Century as Madam C.J. Walker at Woodbury Library (6pm, RSVP!)

Plus ongoing: Tweens & Teens Game Day at the library, food pantries open, Jeanette's Closet, and more.

Full calendar on the Warbler website! 📅

12/07/2025

Sunday reset 🎄

Happening today:

🎅 Santa in West Deptford (Greenfields & Colonial Manor sections, 10am)

🕯️ Whitall House Candlelight Tours continue (3-7pm, National Park)

🎲 Holy Angels Bingo (doors at noon)

Everything you need to know is on the website!