Dear HTSD Families,
The first marking period is ending soon. At the secondary level, (middle and high schools) the first marking period ends on November 12th. The secondary level has four marking periods each year. At the elementary level, the first marking period ends on December 5th. The elementary schools have trimesters. Dates for each marking period are provided further down in this update.
This is an important time in your child’s school year. It’s a time for you to check on their academic progress and discuss concerns you may have with your child’s teacher(s). Although we have 180 days of school, learning doesn’t only happen during the school day. For a student to progress academically, and according to the curricula in each grade level, work needs to be done outside of the school day. The simplest example of this is for students to do their homework, when assigned, and to study for tests and quizzes. Outside of these basic expectations, students of all grade levels should be reading 4 to 5 days per week for at least 20-30 minutes a day. For children who cannot read yet, a parent, sibling, caregiver, or family member may read to them each night.
Additionally, we have online resources for various subjects to enhance and improve students’ knowledge. If you are looking for ideas or assistance, please contact your child’s teacher, guidance counselor, and/or principal for more information.
Finally, families often ask what skills and abilities their children should have / be able to do in the first quarter of the school year. Below is a list that can help you understand what skills and abilities students should be exhibiting throughout the school year so they can have a successful year. These are specific to Kindergarten, First grade, and Second grade. Please take these items as topics you can work with your child during the year to support the learning that happens in the classroom. If you notice your child lacks, or is still developing, any of these skills and abilities, please contact your school for further resources.
Together, we can work to make our students’ experiences in school a success. Additional important information is below.
Sincerely,
Scott R. Rocco, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Kindergarten
Social & Emotional:
Follow simple rules and routines.
Takes turns and shares with others.
Expresses emotions appropriately (most of the time).
Shows independence in basic tasks (e.g., putting on shoes, using the restroom).
Can separate from parents/caregivers without excessive distress.
Language & Literacy
Recites the alphabet.
Recognizes some common sight words.
Understands the difference between letters and words.
Prints some uppercase and lowercase letters.
Communicates needs and wants verbally.
Listen attentively to stories.
Math
Knows number names and the count sequence.
Count to tell the number of objects.
Compare numbers.
Understand addition as putting together and adding to, and understand subtraction as taking apart and taking from.
Work with numbers 11–19 to gain foundations for place value.
Physical Development
Hold a pencil with a proper grip.
Use scissors safely.
Runs, jumps, and climbs with coordination.
First Grade
Social & Emotional:
Works independently and as part of a group.
Follow multi-step directions.
Resolves conflicts peacefully.
Shows empathy towards others.
Language & Literacy
Read and write simple sentences.
Sounds out words phonetically.
Identifies the main idea and details in a story.
Writes simple narratives.
Math
Represent and solve problems involving addition and subtraction.
Understand and apply properties of operations and the relationship between addition and subtraction.
Add and subtract within 20.
Work with addition and subtraction equations.
Extend the counting sequence.
Understand place value.
Use place value understanding and properties of operations to add and subtract.
Describe and compare measurable attributes.
Physical Development
Improved fine motor skills for writing and drawing.
Increased hand-eye coordination.
Second Grade
Social & Emotional:
Take initiative and responsibility for learning.
Manage emotions effectively.
Shows respect for differences.
Language & Literacy
Read fluently and with expression.
Writes detailed sentences and paragraphs.
Understands different types of texts (fiction, non-fiction).
Uses correct grammar and punctuation.
Math
Represent and solve problems involving addition and subtraction.
Add and subtract within 20.
Understand place value.
Understand place value understanding and properties of operations to add and subtract.
Measure and estimate lengths in standard units.
Relate addition and subtraction to length.
Physical Development
Continues to refine fine and gross motor skills.
Hornets’ LB Gabe Bing Hits the Books Hard and Opponents Harder - Community News - October 1, 2024
Sibling Rivalries Drive Mackenzie Bendas for Steinert Field Hockey - Community News - October 2, 2024
- Hamilton Township Schools Welcome Student Representatives to Board of Education - TapInto.net October 4, 2024
- Sunnybrae Elementary Launches "Bee A Champion" Initiative - Hamilton Post, October 2024
- HTSD Receives 2024 NJSPRA Communication Award - Released October 30, 2024
2024 NJSBA School Leadership Award
Congratulations to Alexander Elementary School on receiving a School Leadership Award "The Journey to Becoming a River-Friendly School," recognized as an Exemplary Program.
2024 NJSPRA Communication Award: Photography
Congratulations to our HTSD Grants, Communication and Sponsorship Coordinator, Laura Geltch, on receiving an NJSPRA Communication Award. The original photo taken celebrates Reynolds Middle School Marketplace. Press Release.
"Holiday Hugs" image features Teacher: Jaclyn Mladenetz and Student: Jonas Constant
Digital Family Resources for October have been posted. We have family newsletters for the following grade spans:
iReady Family Reports for Grades 1-5 are in the process of being mailed home. These reports will show families how students performed on Diagnostic #1 (for math and reading). Click the links noted below to:
We are very excited to begin our high school staff training initiative focusing on block scheduling. During our November 5th inservice, all instructional and administrative staff will engage in department-specific training focusing on:
why the move to the block is the right thing for students;
accommodating the various needs of students;
helping students and teachers look at instructional time (in the block) more efficiently and why this is critical for academic success.
Block Scheduling At The High School
In June of 2024 we announced that all of our high schools will transition to a block schedule in September of 2025. We started the discussion for a potential change in the middle of last school year and decided that we would take about a year and a half to plan, prepare, and train for the transition. All summer long we planned and prepared. This preparation continues into and through this school year.
As listed above, in a previous section of the Community Update, training for our faculty and staff will be conducted this month during our professional development day. This is just one part of a year’s worth of training that has already started. We intend to continue professional development training and provide resources throughout this school year and all of next school year for faculty and staff.
As community members you will receive frequent updates of our progress. Below you will find updates based on our work thus far and a few answers to the submitted frequently asked questions. If you have a question about the transition, you may submit it HERE.
- A team of building and district administrators met numerous times this summer to plan and prepare for our transition to the block schedule. One of our initial goals was to compare the 2024-2025 traditional schedule with how that would look as a block schedule. Our high school scheduling VP’s and district PowerSchool administrator were able to schedule one of our high schools into a block schedule based on student requests and staff schedules. This was an important test and assessment of the block schedule potential.
- We are implementing professional development for our faculty and staff.
- Our focus at this time on the structure of Block Scheduling is to design a structure to the lunch block with our new food service provider, and evaluating facility needs. We have already met with our food service provider and have a second meeting scheduled for November.
- We are now organizing student representatives from each high school to meet and discuss the transition to Block Scheduling. These students will meet several times during the school year.
Frequently Asked Questions - As of 10/30/24)
- Does this mean that a student who planned to take 5 AP classes in their senior(2025 - 2026) year will be unable to do so? No. Students currently can enroll in eight (8) classes during the school day. In the new block schedule there will be eight (8) classes available. Half of the classes will be taught on one day and the other half on the other day.
Food Service & School Lunches
- To access your child’s breakfast and lunch menu, please click the link below or follow the prompts under the food service tab on the district website.
- https://htsdnj.nutrislice.com
- For any allergy, nutrition or dietary concerns, please contact rbrower@maschiofood.com
- To fund your child’s meal account, we recommend parents/guardians deposit money using MySchoolBucks. There is also a mobile app that you may download directly to your phone.
- Cash and check payments will also be accepted in the cafeteria.
- To contact Maschio’s regarding anything food related, please email rbrower@maschiofood.com
- To contact the HTSD Food Service Department regarding meal eligibility benefits, please email HTSDFoodServices@htsdnj.org
The Hamilton Township School District is hiring. Please visit our website to learn how to:
- Become A Substitute Teacher
- Become A Teacher
- Apply for an HTSD Position
If you are planning to apply to college, make an appointment to speak with your counselor, add colleges to Schoolinks and watch those deadlines!
MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Nottingham High School will be hosting our first “One Hamilton” school counseling event for the year. The College Admissions Panel will be held on Tuesday, November 19th @ 6pm.
Future One Hamilton College and Career Events:
Junior Planning Night (Hamilton High West)-Tuesday, 2/11@ 6:30 pm
College & Career Fair (Steinert High School)- Tuesday, 4/1 @ 6 pm
Create an FSA ID so you are ready to complete the FAFSA when it opens in December.
Check with your individual buildings for upcoming events such as Senior Success Week!
PSAT9 and PSAT/NMSQT scores were released this past week. To access student scores, students must log in to the College Board account through www.collegeboard.org or the Big Future School mobile app. For more information, click the links below:
If you have difficulty logging into your College Board account, you can call College Board Customer Service for help at: 1-866-433-7728. If you have any further questions regarding your PSAT scores, please do not hesitate to reach out to your school counselor.
As we head into the Month of Kindness and giving thanks, be sure to check with your school to see if they have initiatives planned for collecting clothing and food for those in need.
Wayfinder: We will begin implementing the Wayfinder social emotional learning curriculum/platform in all the elementary schools and incorporating it as part of the MTSS process. Elementary families can read the Welcome Letter from Wayfinder to learn more about the program.
Special Education Parent Advisory Group (SEPAG)
“Making PRISE Come Alive”
November 19, 2024
Crockett Middle School, 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Parent Videos-Mental Health Moments
In this quick video, we offer parents practical tips to manage the stress and anxiety that often comes with navigating school related challenges
October Topic-Encouraging Self Esteem
MTSS update:
Each middle school data team has met and reviewed the iReady assessment data and tiered the 6th grade students for ELA and have begun working on intervention plans.
The elementary data teams have reviewed all ELA and math data for all K-5 students. Students have been placed in tiered interventions plans and parents have been notified if their students are in a tier 2 or 3 plan.
- Spanish translation services are available daily from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM.
- Stay informed with our new mobile app! Subscribe to individual school calendars for the latest updates and events.
- Download the app today: Apple Store | Google Play Store
- You can also subscribe to app notifications. The directions can be found here.
- Have questions about using the app? Contact us at techsupport@htsdnj.org.
Our HTSD Family Learning Hub is a one stop shop for district resources and information for families. This page will continue to update with new resources as they become available. You can see the page here: HTSD Family Learning Hub
- RISE Meeting - October 30, 2024, 4:00 - 5:00pm, Grice Middle School Library
- Facilities Strategic Plan Meeting - November 11, 2024, 6:00 - 8:00pm, Steinert High School Cafeteria
- DCR Meeting - November 12, 2024, 5:00 - 6:00pm, Hamilton High School West Library
- College Admissions Panel - 6:00pm, November 19, 2024, Nottingham High School
- SEPAG Meeting - 6:00pm, November 19, 2024, Crockett Middle School
- The College Admissions Panel - November 19th - 6pm, NHS
- New Student Teacher Orientation HR Event - November 20th, 4 - 5pm
- Summer Camp 2025 Registration Opens - Friday, January 31, 2025
- District Art Show - March 2025
- College and Career Fair - April 1, 2025 - SHS
- Educator Job Fair - TBA
- Tech Night 2025 - April 10th, 5 - 8pm, CMS
- Whole Child Fair - TBA
Cell Phone Use
Please see and follow the below rules about cell phones and electronic devices connected to phones (ie Apple watches). This information was first posted in the December 21, 2023 Community Update.
- Elementary Schools - Students are not to have cell phones or devices (ie. Apple watches, and similar wearable technology) in school unless they are needed for medical reasons. Medical issues are to be approved by your principal and nurse and require medical documentation from a certified medical doctor.
- Middle Schools - Students' phones must be put away in a backpack or locker (see your student handbook). Teachers and administrators have the right to tell students to put phones/devices away. Students who do not comply may have their phones confiscated and returned to a parent or guardian.
- High Schools - Students and parents should review their student handbook and messages sent by the principal on this topic for proper use during the school day. Teachers and administrators have the right to tell students to put phones/devices away. Students who do not comply may have their phones confiscated and they will be returned to a parent or guardian.
HTSD PTA President Update
We are proud to share that our PTA Food Initiative, founded and managed by our PTA, has officially concluded its operations. Thanks to the incredible generosity of our community, all donated food has been distributed to schools throughout our district.
This initiative has helped ensure that students in need have access to nutritious meals. HTSD would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed to this important community need—we could not have done it without your support!
Most recent/last donations:
Seven Title 1 Elementary received two bags each
Remaining 10 elementary received one bag each
Middle school received one bag each
For more information about how you can make a difference in your school, contact the HTSD PTA President, Lisa Schultz via email at: limol1@aol.com.
Get Connected! @WeAreHTSD
Follow HTSD on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram
Facebook: Hamilton Township School District - Mercer County
Twitter: @WeAreHTSD
Instagram: @WeAreHTSD
Linkedin: Hamilton Township School District
YouTube: Hamilton Township School District
Hamilton Township School District
Website: https://www.htsdnj.org/
Location: 90 Park Avenue, Hamilton Township, NJ, USA
Phone: (609) 631-4100