Highview Happenings
April 11, 2025
From the Principal's Desk...
Dear Highview Families,
Happy Friday! We enjoyed another productive week of teaching and learning here at Highview. I know that our students, staff, and families are looking forward to a wonderful Spring Recess next week. If you happen to be traveling, I wish you safe travels. In an effort to care for our student Chromebooks, we highly recommend not bringing them on vacation with you. Thank you for your understanding of this important matter.
It is bittersweet that I share news that our beloved School Counselor, Ms. Melissa Lipson, will be retiring effective May 5. Ms. Lipson is an integral part of our Highview family and has dedicated many rewarding years of service to the students and families in our school district. We look forward to the coming weeks as we celebrate Ms. Lipson in style!
As we continue through these beautiful months of spring, it is a perfect time to provide our students with reminders about our K-4 Code of Conduct and Behavior Response Plan. We will continue to review this with students at school, and I would be grateful if parents/guardians can review it at home as well. I am very appreciative of your partnership and support!
I hope you and your loved ones enjoy a beautiful Spring Recess. We look forward to welcoming our Highview Knights back to school on Tuesday, April 22.
Sincerely,
Matthew Lutz
Principal
Charter Shout-Outs for the Week
On a rotating basis, classroom teachers nominate two students from their classes to receive a Charter Shout-Out. The class charter is a RULER tool used in all classrooms to help students develop expectations for success as learners and members of the community. The Charter Shout-Out gives teachers the opportunity to highlight students who are living up to their classroom charters.
This week, students from the following classes received shout-outs and were recognized over morning announcements: Mrs. DeGennaro (3PD) and Mrs. Cooney (4LC). Congratulations to Sisa (3PD), Michael (4LC), and Matthieu (4LC). See their proud picture below!
Principal's Pride
I would like to give a huge SHOUT OUT to our amazing students, staff, and families. As you know, we participated in a Global Service Project called Kind Coins for Kenyan Kids. Our goal was to raise at least $1500 to sponsor school-aged children in Kenya.
I am proud to share that we raised $2005 for students in Kenya, which means we had the opportunity to sponsor at least 30 school-aged children in Kenya to ensure they have all the necessary materials and supplies needed for a successful school year. Congratulations, Highview Knights, you are global citizens who are truly changing the world one child at a time!
Eat-and-Play Challenge
At the beginning of the year, our School Counselor, Ms. Lipson, and School Social Worker, Mrs. Weiss re-launched a monthly Eat-and-Play Challenge for our students. The goal is for classes to work together to follow the Eat-and-Play rules during the lunch/recess periods. They have the opportunity to add a sticker in a square on an incentive chart. The classes with the most stickers at the end of the month get to shop on our FABULOUS prize cart! There will be at least one winner each month in both grade levels.
For the month of March, Mrs. DeGennaro's class won the third-grade challenge. Mrs. Banks' class won the fourth-grade challenge. Congratulations classes 3PD and 4MB! We look forward to seeing which classes will win for the month of April!
Library Poster Contest
It is time for Highview's annual Library Poster Contest! This is always an exciting Spring contest for our students here at Highview. Please see the informational letter below that details the expectations for the contest. All posters should be brought to school on Tuesday, May 6 (no earlier). If you have questions about the contest, please contact Ms. Jodi Hink, Librarian, by emailing jhink@nanuetsd.org.
New York State Testing
The Nanuet School District is getting ready to administer the Grades 3-8 New York State English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics tests during the months of April and May. The tests are designed to provide a snapshot of your student’s abilities. There is not one test that can accurately reflect your child’s potential or current level. The data generated from these assessments assists in identifying areas of growth and success for each individual student. Our students in Grade 3 will take paper-based tests, while our students in Grade 4 will take computer-based tests. Beginning in 2025-2026, both third- and fourth-grade students will take computer-based tests. Linked below you will find a letter from Dr. Lisa Brady, Superintendent of Schools, that details the testing dates for Highview Elementary School.
RULER/SEL Spotlight
Ms. Lipson hosted a Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Assembly for all Highview students. The focus of the assemblies were self-management and self-awareness. Both of these are critical in developing healthy relationships. Some of our fourth-grade RULER Ambassadors presented alongside Ms. Lipson and shared insights into the power of positivity. The ambassadors explained why maintaining a positive mindset is essential, while also acknowledging the need to handle challenging situations in real-life and school. Below you will see two pictures of Elle, one of our RULER Ambassadors, leading our third-grade students in a discussion about the power of positivity. Way to go, Elle! Thank you for your leadership!
🔶🔶🔶🔶 REPEATED REMINDERS🔶🔶🔶🔶
Affirmations
Take a look at our daily Morning Affirmations that we recite together as a school community. The purpose of this practice is to encourage our students to use positive self-talk to get themselves excited and ready to conquer the day. We want our students to feel empowered and productive at Highview. You are more than welcome to use these at home as well.
Arrival and Dismissal Procedures
During arrival and dismissal, the safety of our students is our top priority. Please review this document, which outlines our arrival and dismissal procedures for the 2024-2025 school year. We must all work together to ensure the safety of both students and staff during these important blocks of time. We thank you in advance for your cooperation and partnership in following these procedures each day.
Bus Information
As always, the safety of our students and staff is our top priority. When riding the bus, students are expected to follow three bus rules:
- Be a good listener.
- Use a quiet voice.
- Stay in your seat at all times.
Please note that beginning in 2024-2025, no student in Grades K-4 will be released from the bus without an adult present at the bus stop. This is to ensure the safety of all students.
We appreciate your partnership in reiterating these expectations for a safe bus ride. Please note that unsafe behavior on the bus will result in a loss of bus riding privileges at the discretion of Principal Lutz, Assistant Principal Mehu, or their designee(s).
Code of Conduct
The Board of Education is committed to providing a safe and orderly school environment where students may receive and district personnel may deliver quality educational experiences without disruption or interference. We ask that you read and review the Code of Conduct for Grades K-4 with your child. Our goal is to ensure students are engaged in learning while making positive contributions to our school community.
Digital Backpack
Each week, documents will be loaded to our Digital Backpack, which is linked to the bottom of the Highview homepage. We encourage you to check the Digital Backpack, which is updated every Friday, to ensure you have updated information on important dates, events, and opportunities being offered to students and families.
Electronic Devices and Valuable Items
Students in grades K-4 should not bring electronic devices, large amounts of money, or valuable items to school. This includes cell phones/smart phones, iPods, iPads/tablets, smart watches, personal computers/laptops, electronic games, expensive jewelry, card collections, and large amounts of money. Even if the student who brings in the item is not at fault, there are no funds to pay for its repair or replacement. The school carries no insurance that is applicable to these matters and there is no money budgeted for this purpose. Principal Lutz, Assistant Principal Mehu, and/or their designee(s) reserve the right to determine whether an item is an electronic device and/or valuable.
Parent Square Notification System
Over the next few months, the district and buildings are moving to a new communication system to send alerts out to parents, guardians and the community. Please check your email for an invitation from Parent Square or register on the website. Follow the video linked below to set notification and language settings in the app or website. The Parent Square app can be downloaded from your app store.
Registration Website:
https://www.parentsquare.com/signin
Video for how to change notification or language settings:
Parent-Teacher Association (PTA)
We are fortunate to have a wonderful Parent-Teacher Association (PTA). We encourage our parents to get involved with the PTA. If you have questions, you can always reach out to our PTA via email at nanuetpta@gmail.com.
Here are the 2024-2025 Board Members for the Elementary PTA:
- Jennifer Falzon, President
- Debbie Harris, Vice President for G.W. Miller School
- Linda Metress, Vice President for Highview School
- Kelly Ann Trombley, Secretary
- Stephanie Gannon, Treasurer
- Gillian LaTorre, Delegate
Additionally, please check out the PTA's website for more information on how to join this amazing group! Thank you to our fabulous PTA for all you do to support the students, staff, and families in the Nanuet School District!
Safety and Security Protcols
As you know, the safety of our students and staff is our top priority in the Nanuet Union Free School District. The Safety/Security Protocols for 2024-2025 are outlined in the document below. We thank you in advance for your cooperation with and prompt attention to these protocols.
Snack and Water Bottles
Students do have a snack time daily and at the discretion of the classroom teacher. Your child's teacher will communicate this to you when they share their specific schedules. We encourage you to send a healthy snack to school with your child. If your child's classroom is designated as Nut Aware, you will receive a letter as well as a notification from the classroom teacher. Please do not send any products containing nuts.
Every student can have a water bottle in class. Water bottles must be capped (no straws or glass) and should be a personal size (16 oz. or less). There are opportunities to refill water bottles during the school day. Please be sure your child’s water bottle can fit in their backpack for transport purposes. Please label your child’s water bottle with their name and class code. Students cannot bring open containers, energy drinks, or coffee-related drinks to school.
Strive for 25
Our students at Highview Elementary School participate in a reading incentive known as Strive for 25. The goal is for every student to read 25 books by the end of the school year. Classroom teachers keep track of books read in their individual classrooms for this incentive. This year, we are adding some benchmarks along the way so that students have more opportunities for recognition. Please see the benchmarks below.
- Students who read 10 books will be recognized and given a small prize.
- Students who read 20 books will be recognized and given a small prize.
- Students who read 25+ books will be recognized and will receive a certificate and book.
Dates to Remember
Monday, April 14-Monday, April 21
Spring Recess - No School
Tuesday, April 22
School Resumes
Wednesday, April 23
Administrative Professionals' Day
Thank you, Mrs. Carbone, Mrs. Galluzzo, and Mrs. Ryan!
Wednesday, April 23 - Friday, April 25
NYS ELA Test for Grade 4
Monday, April 28
Elementary PTA Meeting
7:30 p.m. at Highview School in Library
Tuesday, April 29 - Thursday, May 1
NYS ELA Test for Grade 3
Friday, May 2
Spirit Day
Wear black and gold!
Go Nanuet Knights!
Friday, May 2
School Lunch Hero Day
Monday, May 5 - Friday, May 9
Staff Appreciation Week
Tuesday, May 6
Board of Education Meeting
7:30 p.m. at Nanuet High School
Highview Elementary School
Email: mlutz@nanuetsd.org
Website: highview.nanuetsd.org
Location: 24 Highview Avenue, Nanuet, NY 10954
Phone: (845) 627-3460
Facebook: www.facebook.com/NanuetPublicSchools
Instagram: @nanuetschools