

Hillcrest Academy South Campus
May 2024 Newsletter
Dr. Balsamello's Message
This May we encouraged students to stay focused on their goals in order to finish the 2023-2024 school year strong. The numerous activities, regular incentive visits to the Westlake Sunshine Cafe, and special events provided an enjoyable educational environment. Staff and students prepared for the prom at the end of May as well as the annual Senior Recognition and Awards Ceremony during the first week of June. May was also Teacher Appreciation Week and it was my honor to celebrate with the best staff of my career.
May 2024 Important Dates
May 1 Principal's Appreciation Day
May 3 Cinco de Mayo Celebration
May 6-10 Teacher Appreciation Week
May 6-10 Nurse Appreciation Week
May 6-10 NJSLA Testing
May 21 Scholarship Breakfast
May 21 UCC Trip
May 27 Memorial Day
People Spotlights!
Student of the Month for April!
Congratulations to our Student of the Month for April, Giselle! When asked about her work ethic, her teachers replied;
- Dedicated
- Very kind and very respectful
- Hard working
- Always polite and conscientious
- Willing to help others
Staff Spotlight Mr Van Cleef!
Mr Van Cleef is the Supervisor of Instruction for Hillcrest Academy both North & South. He started his career being a Social Studies teacher at North for 8 years before becoming Supervisor in September of 2021. This means that he has been working for UCESC for a total of 11 years! When he was still a teacher, his favorite subject to teach was Economics. Mr Van Cleef has a personal hero who is his Uncle Tom who taught him how to do the right thing and be a good person. When asked if he had any favorite things to do, Mr Van Cleef said his favorite TV show is "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" with Guy Fieri. The one thing Mr Van Cleef absolutely loves is hearing from former students as it really means a lot to him when they keep in touch!
Staff Spotlights
Mrs Rubin - Nurse
During the month of May, Mrs. Rubin attended a professional development
course to learn about the new database, Genesis, which will be used in our district starting in
September. Her focus this month is to complete the health screenings for the year. May is a
tough month for allergies, and she is working with the families to ensure that the students are
healthy enough to attend school. She is also reviewing summer safety with students as we get
to the end of the school year. There are a bunch of new students joining us this month, and she
is getting to know them and updating their information as well as orienting them to her office and
the school procedures.
Mr DiOrio - Safety & Security Monitor
Mr Whitehead - Custodian
Principal's Appreciation Day
May 1st HAS celebrated our principal Dr Balsamello for Principal Appreciation Day. Outside the Main Office, students got to decorate the wall by taking a paper hand and writing either a note of thanks or encouragement. Inside the Main Office, staff made sure there were decorations expressing our gratitude for the fearless leadership of Dr Balsamello. Then as a school, students created cards that faculty, staff, and students signed with all our thanks and praises. Last but not least, of course there was the return of the faculty and staff Dr B t-shirts!
Teacher Appreciation Week
School Nurse Appreciation Week
During the month of May, Mrs. Rubin was recognized by the staff and students in honor of National School Nurse Day. She received a beautiful handmade card, and her door was decorated with well wishes. We are so lucky to have Mrs. Rubin at HAS and so grateful for all she does! Between illness and injury, wellness checks and health screenings, and the never ending game of "is it sickness or just allergies", Mrs. Rubin handles it all with great care and consideration for the students and staff.
Scholarship Breakfast
Cinco de Mayo
On Friday May 3rd, students, faculty, and staff celebrated Cinco de Mayo. The celebration was planned and executed by our very own Spanish teacher Mrs. Flores! This celebration was made to highlight the cultural diversity of our Spanish and American community through music, dancing, art, food, and more. The day began with a video about the History of Cinco de Mayo which was watched in homeroom. Then at 9:30 students rotated from station to station every 20 minutes sampling different activities throughout the day.
Debate: Taco vs Burrito!
Students picked sides as they argued over which is better, tacos or burritos. Each team had to debate the pros of the food they chose and the cons of the food they are up against. One thing that all could agree on is that either way, they are delicious!
Making Paper Flowers
The making of paper flowers are an important part of Mexican culture. They are usually made from tissue paper and are used as decoration for different celebrations like weddings and parties.
Henna and Face Painting
Karaoke
What is a celebration without singing? Our music station was able to express their emotions through singing Hispanic/Latino songs that they can read the lyrics to. There is no judgment on how great one can sing, just on the amount of fun one can have while singing!
History of Cinco de Mayo
Color Your Own Mask
Masks are also a part of Hispanic/Mexican culture. They usually depict people, supernatural beings, and even animals. These masks on the other hand were colored by HAS students. Then these masks were donated to Westlake school for their students to enjoy.
Food
Juegos
Dancing
Our very own SAC, Mrs. Ramirez, had a station was to teach Salsa dancing to students. Before she became a SAC, she actually was a Spanish teacher which was very helpful for this day's festivities. She was also a Latin Dance Instructor & served as a Latin Dance Club Advisor which explains why she was in her element with Salsa Dancing.
UCC Trip
UCC has been holding various orientations for new students to register for classes. On the 21st of this month, Mrs Schulhafer brought a select group of HAS and HAN students to the Cranford Campus of UCC to register for fall semester. While there, students were able to set up their college email, learn the in's and out's of how to navigate through UCC, and had the opportunity to meet with an academic advisor. Luckily, any students that may have missed the trip, for whatever reason will have more opportunities to go in person to register or even register online!
Chess Tournament
Musical Math Class
The UCESF was able to provide HAS with the Music in Mathematics Program through a grant that was written by Mrs Ferrari and Mrs Flores. Mr Cerria, who already works with Westlake, Crossroads, and LMA was able to facilitate this program every Tuesday in Mrs Ferrari's 2nd Period Geometry class. Every week, new instruments were introduced to the students; instruments like drums, guitar, triangle, and bongos. The class tied each instrument to the class stylistically, historically, and emotionally. Through this class, students were able to express their emotions by creating songs with what they learned.
Our Students In and Out of School
Nailed It!
Keilyn has been an at home nail technician for the past year. She became influenced by social media that showed her that getting your nails done for a simple nail set was very expensive at the nail salon. She made a choice to save her money and get the supplies needed to do her own nails. As time passed, Keilyn began to take on clients and spread her business all over social media. Through the support of her friends and family, she has been doing nails ever since. When asked how being a nail tech makes her feel, Keilyn replied that it makes her happy as it has ignited her passion for creativity, helping others save money, and also make some money in the process.
About Us
Hillcrest Academy South is an alternative high school for students from the Elizabeth Public School District. Students are referred to HAS by their Elizabeth Academy guidance counselor and administration for an interview at HAS. We provide a small educational learning setting with opportunities to make up courses through our Credit Retrieval Program in a caring environment in order to meet Elizabeth’s graduation requirements.
Website: www.ucesc.org
Instagram: ucesc_has
Facebook: Hillcrest Academy South
Location: 1571 Lamberts Mill Road, Westfield, NJ, USA-Door 3B
Phone: 908-233-9317