Hillcrest North Jan 2024 Newsletter
January 2024
Dear Hillcrest Academy North Campus (HAN) Student sand Families:
January has been a very productive month here at HAN. Students have been working diligently in the classes in finishing projects and assignments for marking period 2. HAN facilitated an "advocate meeting" during the middle of the month designed for advocates to meet with students to review grades, missing assignments, attendance, and overall attitude about school. These meetings have proven to be productive as students are reminded of their progress, or lack of, toward the end of the marking period. It opens up an opportunity for staff to connect with students by demonstrating that we care about their well being both academically and social emotionally.
I wish everyone a very Happy New Year!
Sincerely,
Mr. Marquet
Principal
Mrs. Flores is the Spanish Teacher at Hillcrest Academy North and has been teaching here for two years. She has been with UCESC for over a decade. Mrs. Flores is adored by her students and her positive, upbeat energy is felt around the building. Mrs. Flores put together the Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration in October. Students in the Spanish classes created and led five different activities for students to participate in. Under Mrs. Flores' guidance, students created posters celebrating the different cultures of various Spanish speaking countries, and engaged the entire building in the Celebration. We will miss Mrs. Flores while she spends the next year teaching Spanish at Hillcrest Academy South!
Ms. Lederman, English Teacher
In Creative Writing the class has been writing short stories, scoring their classmates short stories with a rubric they created (based off of one Ms. Lederman created), and then revising those short stories to make them even better, making sure they include dialogue, imagery, and proper punctuation.
Mr. Mojovich, Physical Education & Health Teacher
During the 2nd marking period, in Health Class, the topic of discussion was Sexual Health Education. There were so many topics being discussed that are very important for students to be aware about and know more about. Some of the topics discussed were the reproductive systems, the importance of knowing about and how to treat and prevent HIV/AIDS/STDs, and prenatal development and care. Students would listen to me present my Google Slide presentation and it would be followed up with a ‘questions for understanding’ worksheet. All of the students were engaged and asked great questions about the topics that were discussed.
Along with talking about Sexual Health Education, I also assisted on administering an ELA portfolio essay. Students had to read an article named, “How the Web Affects Memory,” where a Harvard Professor Daniel Wegner did several experiments testing out whether or not the internet has proven that we rely too much on it, instead of using our memory. Students had to complete a multiple choice assessment, along with a 5 paragraph essay, agreeing or disagreeing with Wegner’s assessment. Students worked on completing the essay daily, as they were instructed to complete a paragraph daily. At the end of it all, they had to type up the essay and submit it to the Supervisor of Instruction for credit.
SEL
Mr. Jones joining in on playing video games during lunch in Mr. Kaplan's class. Students enjoy taking a break and relaxing on the couches after completing their Claim, Evidence, Analysis assignments!
Spirit Days
HAN had weekly Spirit Days throughout the month of January. Students have been working hard in their classes as the Marking Period comes to an end and the Friday Spirit Days were always looked forward to!
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
