HAS Weekly Update

Dear HAS Community,

We had an exciting week here at HAS. On Monday and Tuesday our elementary students met in their Full Value Families. See the post below for more information. Today we capped off the week with 8 lucky students tossing colored powder at me to celebrate all the amazing fundraising that was accomplished for our 1st ever HAS Color Run. See the pictures below and click here for a video of the event.

Please remember that Monday, October 14th, is a single session day.

Single Session Schedule:

K-PM class only: 8:40am - 11:20am

Grades 6 - 8: 8:00am - 12:25pm

Grades 1 - 5: 8:40am - 12:40pm

Sincerely,

Kevin Deacon

Principal

As a district we follow the 6 Full Value Principals, Be Here , Be Safe, Be Honest, Set Goals, Let Go and Move On, and Care for Self and Others. On Monday our K-2 students and on Tuesday our 3-5 students met in the auditorium to learn about the Full Value Principals. Then we went outside to the backfield and gathered in our Full Value Families where the students participated in "getting to know you" games and created a name for their Family. Our Full Value Families will meet monthly and each meeting will focus on a different Full Value Principal. We will be looking for parent/guardian volunteers to help facilitate our future meetings. Be on the lookout for a Sign up.

This Wednesday, October 16, 2024, we challenge everyone to wear ORANGE. Unity Day was started to bring together youth, parents, educators, and community members all over the country. The goal is to spread the message that bullying is not acceptable and that all students deserve to be safe in school, online, and in the community. Orange is a strong color to empower everyone to speak up when they see something, and to act with kindness, acceptance, inclusion and respect.

Please join us in a district wide “Pink Out’ to support breast cancer awareness. All are asked to wear pink to school and out and about town on Friday, October 18, 2024

Order your middle school yearbook now. Visit yearbookordercenter.com with school code 8666. Or call 1.866.287.3096 to order your yearbook over the phone.

$35 until 1/15/25

$45 until 4/15/25

Personalization Sales End 1/15/25

All Sales End 4/15/25

The Hillside Avenue PTA is pleased to announce that the 2024 4th Grade Bicycle Rodeo has been scheduled for October 17 th at 9 AM!

The Bike Rodeo event helps promote safe bicycle operating practices by students when they are out riding in neighborhoods and streets. Riders and non-riders will visit various bicycle education stations to learn about riding safety. Each rodeo usually begins with a short lecture on bicycle safety and has some type of road course. This annual event is an opportunity for your child to learn safe riding techniques and interact with members of the Cranford Police Department Traffic Bureau.

Did you know that each year, 1,500,000 bicycles are stolen nationwide and about half of them are recovered - but less than 2% are ever returned because there’s no way to link a bike to its owner? When your bicycle is labeled and registered in the Cranford Police Department database, it can be easily identified by police and returned to its rightful owner. Fortunately, the bicycle rodeo allows every participant to register their bicycle too!

What Are The Next Steps?

• Register your child for the bicycle rodeo by Friday October 11 th , 2024 using this sign-up link: https://forms.gle/hQ6UWvXaQkh2T9Xy7
• Complete the attached “bicycle registration” form and return along with $4.00 (cash or check made out to the “HAS PTA”) to the PTA Mailbox in the HAS Main Office by October 11th, 2024. Be sure to complete the form fully – and include the serial number for your bicycle. (Question about your serial number? Email police@cranfordnj.org)
• Ensure that your child comes to school on October 17th, 2024 with a safe bicycle in good operating condition (working brakes, fully inflated tires, etc.) and an appropriate-fitting helmet.

• Bikes can be locked up on the bike rack by the playground
• Sign up to be a parent volunteer to help out on the day of this event! (Indicate if you are able to volunteer when registering your child using the sign up link)

Questions about this event? Email Jill Nazzaro at jbashaw@verizon.net

All 7th and 8th parents and students are invited to stop by Cranford High School on October 24th at 7pm in the Auditorium to hear all about the amazing programs and fabulous school environment. 7th and 8th Grade Family/Academy Night

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdaJpEZggqIo_x8d15cxUOHIhTeDUhV6oxq-XYRww1bSaBXDA/viewform

School Pictures were sent home today. If you would like for your child to take a retake please click here to add them to our list. Retakes are scheduled for Thursday, November 14, 2024.

Kindergarten - 5th Grade Conferences will be in the afternoon on Monday, November 4 (still a full day of school for students) and all day on Tuesday, November 5. Please make sure to set aside time on one of those days for conferences as those are the district's assigned time for conferences. We look forward to this opportunity to connect about your child's progress this school year.

The 2nd graders came together for a talk about kindness. The students were then paired with a student from the other class and they came up with how they could show kindness to others. Students then decorated a piece of "candy" with their kindness statement in the main hallway.

Students in Mrs. Quinty's Algebra class participated in the thinking classroom tackling Literal Equations.

Grade 6 students participate in a Shark Tank project during their Computer Science cycle. In groups, students develop a tech product along with a product prototype, commercial/print ad, and sales pitch. Students present their products to their class of sharks and try to sell it!

Dear Parent/ Guardian(s),

The week of October 14-18 is Safe Schools Week. This is a national celebration that takes place throughout schools in the United States. Here at Hillside Avenue School we have again partnered with the ADL to continue the No Place for Hate Initiative. This will be our fifth year working with No Place for Hate. Each year we strive to do more than just “talk” about what matters. In that vein the counseling department continues its efforts to visit classrooms with meaningful lessons on things such as inclusion, kindness, conflict resolution and other important social and emotional lessons. As always, we ask for that school home partnership that can only aide to make our work stronger.

Thank You,

Stella Siciliano, LCSW, School Social Worker

Marina Brito, School Counselor

Hillside Avenue School

Mon, 10/14/24 - Single Session Day. School Schedule above

Wed, 10/16/24 - Wear Orange

Thu, 10/17/24 starts at 9am - Grade 4 Bike Rodeo

Fri, 10/18/24 - Pink Out

Please consider attending the annual Livingston Avenue School Haunted House on Friday, October 18th or Saturday, October 19th!

Please see below for the Cranford PAL tryouts. Sign up can be found on www.cranfordpal.org

Go Green Folder

• Lunch Menu for September - Click HERE

• Convenient Pre-Payment Options Prepayment

The doors for entry open at 8:40. We have seen a lot of students arrive well before entry and we do not have supervision outside before 8:40. Please make sure your children are not arriving any earlier than 8:35. For our 4th and 5th grade students we have asked that they do not play any ball activities on the concrete space outside their door as it is very busy there in the morning or on the side of the building as Middle School classes going on.

During middle school drop off please do not pull into the back STAFF parking lot. You can pull into the horseshoe in front of the building to drop your child off.

Please do not double park and block in cars in parking spaces.

Please do not park in handicapped parking spots at any time, even for a brief moment. These spaces are reserved for those who have permits to park there. Thank you for helping us to make our school safe and accessible for all who visit.

Thank you for your assistance and understanding.

Please click the link to watch a short video about the CFEE CFEE BTS Night Video.mp4

Please click here for information regarding the anticipated administration of state assessments and standardized assessments that will be given during the 2024-2025 school year.

NJSLA score report forms were mailed home today. These reports are for students in grades 4-8.

4th and 5th Grade Parents/Guardians,

If your child is interested in participating in the Elementary Chorus and has not already signed up please click on the Chorus Sign up Form to register your child.

We are still very much in need of elementary lunch aides. Elementary lunch aide hours are 12:00 - 2:00. This is a great way to see your kid in school and interact with them. If you are interested in taking advantage of this wonderful opportunity visit, https://www.applitrack.com/cranford/onlineapp/default.aspx?Category=Support+Staff

If you ever need to visit a previous weekly update you can visit our school website where they are stored. https://has.cranfordschools.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=2707172&type=d&pREC_ID=2396278

• New Electronic Device Protocols
  
• Elementary School Hours
• Middle School Hours

Students should come to school dressed appropriately for a school environment. Clothing must be neat, clean, safe and worn properly. Safe footwear must be worn. Footwear that poses a hazard may not be worn in school. Students may not attend school with cleated shoes, “flip-flops,” shoes without backs or bare feet. Clothing that is not school appropriate (sunglasses, hats, bare midriffs, exposed underwear, etc.) should not be worn in school. Shorts and skirts must be the appropriate length. Any clothing which displays excessive nudity should not be worn to school.

Articles of clothing with offensive slogans, abusive language, which promote tobacco products, drinking alcoholic beverages, or drug use are subject to removal and should not be worn.

Cell phones and electronic devices must be off and off and away during the school day. Cell phones are not to be used until the end of the school day. Smartwatches are only to be used for telling time during the school day.

Misuse of electronic devices will result in the following:

• 1st offense: Device will be confiscated and held until the end of the day. A notification will be sent informing the parents/guardians that your child violated the electronic device protocol.

• 2nd offense: Device will be confiscated and held until the end of the day. The student will receive 1 after-school detention. A notification will be sent informing the parents/guardians that your child violated the electronic device protocol.

• 3rd offense and on: Device will be confiscated. The student will receive 1 after-school detention. The parent/guardian must pick up the device from school.

Middle school students who arrive after 8:10 a.m. are considered tardy. They must obtain a late pass from the office. After the sixth tardy a student will receive a lunch detention each time they are tardy. Parents/Guardians will be notified if their child has been tardy five or more times. On February 1st, tardy counts will reset and the process will begin again.

Please remind your children not to ride their bikes through the parking lot. At the end of school they should also walk their bike along the sidewalk in front of the school, as it is very crowded.

Please make sure you email the attendance office (HAS-attendance@cranfordschools.org) or call 908-709-6229 or 908-709-6983, if your child has to be signed out early to attend an appointment.

If your child is absent for any reason, please call our absence line at 908-709-6983 (24/7) or email has-attendance@cranfordschools.org (copy-paste email address)

The safety of our students is of the utmost importance and we ask that all our visitors follow our procedures.

1. If you are picking up your child for an appointment please notify the office ahead of time by emailing (HAS-attendance@cranfordschools.org) or calling 908-709-6229 or 908-709-6983. The nurse may also call to have you pick up your child if they are feeling ill.
2. During pick up have your ID ready and ring the main entrance intercom bell. State your name and the reason for your visit then present your ID to the camera.
3. You will be buzzed into the vestibule.
4. Please wait in the vestibule.
5. We will bring your child to you in the vestibule where you will sign them out.

**Kindergarten single sessions will alternate between AM & PM classes according to the following schedule: Student Entry at 8:40am - Dismissal at 11:20am

Monday, 10/14/24 - PM only (no AM session)

Wednesday, 11/27/24 - AM only (no PM session)

Friday, 12/20/24 - PM only (no AM session)

Monday, 2/3/25 - AM only (no PM session)

Monday, 3/10/25 - PM only (no AM session)

Wednesday, 6/18/25 - AM only (no PM session)

Thursday, 6/19/25 - PM only (no AM session)

Email: Deacon@cranfordschools.org
Website: https://has.cranfordschools.org/
Location: 125 Hillside Avenue, Cranford, NJ, USA
Phone: 908-709-6229