Hillcrest Academy North Newsletter
May 2023
Principal's Message
The month of May was an exciting time at Hillcrest Academy North. As most of you know, we celebrated Teacher Appreciation Week at the beginning of this month. The week consisted of a continuous focus on our dedicated teachers and how they change the lives of our student population on a daily basis. We celebrated with a breakfast, students made cards with meaningful messages, and every morning we started the day with a quote dedicated to our teachers and how heroic they are to us. Next, we celebrated Cinco De Mayo. Ms. Flores did a wonderful job facilitating the event and relied on students to take the project from conception to completion. Lesson were learned about the history of the day, cultural music and foods were enjoyed by students and staff, and arts and crafts made by our very creative student population. It is certainly a pleasure to see how hard students are working in the classes during my daily walk-throughs. Students are engaged, curious, asking great questions, and trusting one another in taking certain academic risks in the classroom. Very well done!
Great job, HAN Students and Staff!
Mission, Teamwork, and Communication!
Regards,
Mr. Marquet
Please look to the link found at the bottom of this page for our feedback survey. We are always interested in getting better!
*Upcoming Dates*
June 7th - Awards Night
June 14th - Senior Dinner
June 15 - HAN BBQ
June 16th - No School
June 15, 19, 20th - Early Dismissals
June 20th - Last Day of School!
Student of the Month
Elijah
Elijah is a junior at HAN and was named Student of the Month! Elijah goes above and beyond in his classes to help other students complete assignments. He demonstrates being a student leader in the building by always offering to assist Mr. Jones with different projects. Elijah will be returning to HAN in the fall as a senior and we are very excited to see him continue to shine as he prepares for life after high school!
Teacher Spotlight
Mrs. Prieto, School Nurse
Mrs. Prieto has been working at Hillcrest Academy North for eighteen years as the School Nurse. Her calming presence makes both students and staff feel comfortable talking to her. Students stop by throughout the day and Mrs. Prieto is always there to offer any help she can. On May 10th, we celebrated Mrs. Prieto for School Nurse's Day! HAN Staff celebrated Mrs. Prieto with a card and a cake! We are incredibly grateful for everything Mrs. Prieto does!
Classroom Spotlights
Mrs. Machado, Mathematics Teacher
Mrs. Machado has been working towards preparing all her students for the 2023 Hillcrest Academy North's Annual Chess Tournament. Learning to play chess can help students acquire the cognitive skills needed to build strong math skills as well as in other subjects across the curriculum! Chess promotes higher-level thinking skills; analyzing chess positions strengthens problem-solving skills; it develops spatial reasoning skills and visual memory; it improves attention span and sharpens self-confidence. Chess also increases intrinsic motivation to learn and helps students find enjoyment through mentally taxing activities.
To introduce the game, Machado's math classes watched the movie, Critical Thinking, based on the true story of the 1998 Miami Jackson High School chess team, the first inner-city team to win the U.S. National Chess Championship.
Machado's students began the lessons at the basics, learning piece's moves and abilities, then into the history and its relation to war tactics. Some students quickly advanced to becoming "Masters", having them be the teachers guiding and overlooking games. All students are engaged and motivated, looking forward to find out who is name the 2023 Chess Champion of the year.
Mrs. Goldenberg, Social Worker
May has been a productive month in the social work office. Throughout the month, the social worker has met with Seniors to discuss academic progress – and more specifically to ensure that graduation requirements are being met. The social worker has been in regular contact with all counselors from Elizabeth to discuss this progress and to begin to prepare for graduation.
The theme of the month in May is Self-Reflection. The social worker has continued to work on SEL activities with classes. We did a review of progress this year and completed a questionnaire on the best way to end the year on a positive note. As it was teacher appreciation week, the students made cards for multiple teachers that they are thankful for. The social worker has continued to meet with students regularly for various needs: peer issues, issues within the home, and obtaining insurance to name a few. The social worker has also reached out to the truancy officer in Elizabeth multiple times to go to the homes of students. Many of these students return to school the very next day and get back on track.
We are looking forward to a June full of celebrations!
HAN Alumni
HAN Class of 2017 Alumni Kwame stopped by Hillcrest to visit with Mr. Marquet after running into Mrs. Goldenberg and current HAN students on a field trip to Union County College last month. Kwame discussed how his life has been since leaving Hillcrest. In the fall of 2017, Kwame was incarcerated and spent three years in prison. Almost a year after his release, Kwame was in a car accident that put him in a coma for a month and left him paralyzed from the shoulders down. After many months of physical therapy and determination to recapture his mobility, Kwame was able to regain his ability to walk. Kwame started taking classes at UCC in January 2023 and is majoring in business marketing. He also remains passionate about producing music.
While talking with Kwame, he spent time reminiscing about his years at Hillcrest. He talked about how the teachers made him excited to learn and taught him skills that he didn’t learn before. Kwame went on to discuss how passionate and caring the staff was and made him feel like he finally belonged at a school and enjoyed coming to Hillcrest everyday. Kwame talked with Mr. Marquet about his favorite HAN memory, going outside on Fridays to play basketball! We wish Kwame the best and look forward to his next visit!
May at HAN
Chess Tournament Preparation
Mrs. Machado's math classes are hard at work preparing for the upcoming HAN Annual Chess Tournament! Students spent time learning the rules and strategies for chess and have been working on their skills in practice games. Students are looking forward to the tournament in June!
Cinco De Mayo Celebration
Mrs. Flores and her Spanish classes put together a fantastic Cinco de Mayo Celebration! Students rotated between five stations focusing on Mexican food, music, history, games, and art. Each room had several student leaders to introduce the topic and guide their classmates through the activities. The celebration ended with a pot luck lunch featuring different Hispanic dishes!
Spirit Week
HAN Seniors Kenia, Taneiya, and Camila worked with Mrs. Rivas and Ms. Rosenfield to create the Spring Spirit Week! Each day was a different theme and included Decades Day, Character Day, Sports Day and Twin Day. The week ended with Freaky Friday where students dressed as teachers and teachers dressed like students. Spirit Week is always a fun time at HAN!
Theme of the Month: Self Reflection
Outdoor Fun
After a long week of State Testing, students were able to go outside and relax. Some students play basketball or walk around the field while others relax on the playground. The nice weather and sunshine was a much needed break after the week of testing!
New Skills
HAN Social Worker, Mrs. Goldenberg, and Junior student Ximena started learning how to crochet by following online tutorials. The time spent learning a new skills allows for the students to focus on the activity while chatting with Mrs. Goldenberg. We can't wait to see the finished projects!
Ms. Killeen's Do Nows
Ms. Killeen created her Daily Do Now questions for her English classes based on the monthly theme of Self Reflection. Students spend the first few minutes of class independently answering the question and then sharing their answers in a small class discussion. Because May is Mental Health Awareness Month, Ms. Killeen combined both themes for a week to have students reflect on the importance of mental health.
HAN in the Community
Union County Scholars Breakfast
HAN's Valedictorian Josi and Salutatorian Jordi were honored for their outstanding academic achievements at the Union County Scholars Breakfast! Everyone at HAN is incredibly proud of Josi and Jordi for their dedication to their academics and we can't wait to see all the great things they accomplish in the future!
Team Building
HAN Staff spent time outside playing badminton together! Staff members were paired off into teams of two and learned the basics of the game; then the teams played games of 2v2. It was a great way to bond as a staff!
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About HAN
Hillcrest Academy North assists students from the Elizabeth Public School District in reaching their full potential by providing an alternative to the traditional high school setting. We offer smaller class sizes with a rigorous and challenging high school curriculum that is aligned to the New Jersey Student Learning Standards and prepares students for college and career. Our goal is to provide a safe, supportive, and empowering school environment that fosters lifelong learning, mutual respect, creativity, and the joy of learning, with an effective, caring, innovative staff, in partnership with home and the community.
Mr. John Marquet, Principal
Mr. Thomas Van Cleef, Supervisor of Instruction
Location: 2630 Plainfield Ave, Scotch Plains, NJ 07076
Phone Number: (908) 233-9366