Highview Happenings
September 13, 2024
From the Principal's Desk...
Dear Highview Families,
Happy Friday! We had a successful first full week of the new school year! It is wonderful to see all students building relationships with one another and settling into their academic routines. I am confident it will be a wonderful year of growing and learning together!
This week, we conducted one bus safety drill and two fire drills. The students did an excellent job listening to the adults during these important safety drills. We continue to reiterate to students that our number one priority is their safety and wellbeing.
Last night was our Meet the Teacher Night. The event was buzzing with excitement, and I know that our faculty and staff enjoyed meeting with parents/guardians to provide an overview of the upcoming school year. Many thanks to our fabulous Elementary PTA, Nanuet Music Partners, and Nanuet Public Library for joining us!
Based on attendance data from Meet the Teacher Night, I am pleased to share that we had 124 families out of 156 attend for students in Grade 3, and 127 families out of 157 for Grade 4. This is AMAZING attendance data! We appreciate your partnership as we embark on this journey with you this school year
Today, your child is bringing home a paper copy of the K-4 Code of Conduct. There is a simplified version for students and a detailed version for parents/guardians. We are asking that you please review the entire Code of Conduct with your child. Then, we ask that you please sign the form that we sent home acknowledging that you reviewed and understand the Code of Conduct. We ask that you only return the acknowledgment form no later than Friday, September 20. The packet that includes the Code of Conduct is for you to keep at home as a reference.
My hope is that you and your loved ones enjoy a wonderful weekend together. We look forward to welcoming our Highview Knights back to school on Monday, September 16.
Sincerely,
Matthew Lutz
Principal
Principal's Pride
Being the Principal of Highview Elementary School brings me a tremendous amount of joy and pride. I am beyond lucky to be able to work with such incredible students, staff, and families.
This week, I would like to recognize Class 3MR - Ms. MacRobbie's class. They created a beautiful mural commemorating September 11, Patriot Day, and National Day of Service and Remembrance. Take a look at the picture of the beautiful mural as well as the beautiful artists who created it! Thank you, Class 3MR - you make us proud!
Affirmations
Beginning Monday, September 16, the entire Highview Elementary School community will recite our daily "Morning Affirmations" during morning announcements. 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. Take a look at our affirmations below!
RULER/SEL Spotlight
This week, Ms. Lipson, School Counselor, and Mrs. Weiss, School Social Worker, facilitated a social-emotional learning (SEL) assembly for all students. The topic was Name Your Feelings. The students, with help from the counselors, talked about big and small feelings. Specifically, students discussed why it is important to recognize and name those feelings. This helps with remaining calm, making good decisions, and being able to offer/seek help to regulate those feelings.
Then, students played a game entitled Name It to Tame It. Students learned new feelings words and their definitions, such as: apathetic, furious, exhilarated, and serene. The better they are at recognizing and labeling their emotions, the more capable they are of responding to them in healthy, helpful ways.
How can I help my child grow in this area?
Use many different words to describe your own emotions around your child. For example, instead of saying, “I am happy we all get to spend the weekend together,” try using words like glad, grateful, or thankful. Exposing your child to more words can help build their emotional vocabulary. It is also important to share the reasons behind your feelings. By recognizing what causes you to feel different ways, you are modeling self-awareness and showing how other people’s actions can affect your mood.
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 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
- Michelle Garrido, Vice President for Highview School
- Kelly Ann Trombley, Secretary
- Stephanie Gannon, Treasurer
Additionally, please check out the PTA's Facebook Page and 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!
Nanuet Elementary PTA Facebook Page
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.
Dates to Remember
Monday, September 16
Elementary PTA Meeting
7:30 p.m. at G.W. Miller in the Library
Friday, September 20
PTA Mum Sale Orders Due
Tuesday, September 24
Board of Education Meeting
7:30 p.m. at Nanuet High School
Thursday, September 26
K-4 Welcome Back Picnic
5:00-7:00 p.m.
G.W. Miller Fields
Monday, September 30
Highview's School Picture Day
Bring your best smile to school!
Thursday, October 3
Rosh Hashanah
All Nanuet Schools Closed
Friday, October 4
Rosh Hashanah
All Nanuet Schools Closed
Monday, October 7 - Friday, October 11
Fall aimswebPLUS Administration (ELA/Math)
Monday, October 7 - Friday, October 5
Fall DRA Administration
Tuesday, October 8
Board of Education Meeting
7:30 p.m. at Nanuet High School
Friday, October 11
Spirit Day
Wear black and gold - Go Golden Knights!
Monday, October 14
Columbus Day
All Nanuet Schools Closed
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
X (Formerly Twitter): @nanuetschools