HUBER STREET SCHOOL

Hello Bears,

As we approach the holiday season, I want to take a moment to wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving! This time of year is a wonderful opportunity for reflection, gratitude, and spending time with loved ones. I am truly thankful for the support and involvement of our entire school community.

We have some exciting events to look forward to in December, including our Winter Chorus and Band Concert, the Secaucus Tree Lighting Ceremony, and the PTA Holiday Bazaar. These events are sure to bring some holiday cheer to our school and community, and I hope to see many of you there! Of course, we’re also gearing up for the winter break, which is just around the corner.

As the weather gets colder, please remember to send your child to school with warm clothes, including hats, gloves, and jackets. We want to make sure everyone stays cozy and can enjoy outdoor recess, even on chilly days.

Wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving and a joyful start to the holiday season!

Sincerely,

Mr. Valente

~PS- May the Force Be With You!

Huber Street School is participating in this year's Toy Drive for the Town of Secaucus. The drive began on November 18th and will run through December 13th. Any and all donations of toys will be greatly appreciated, as there are many families in need.

The Secaucus Public Schools second annual Family Math Night for grades preK through fifth grade was on Tuesday, November 19th. It was great to see families working together to complete a series of math activities. Our goal is to inspire a lifelong love for mathematics. Below are a few activities that families can complete at home to provide extra practice in mathematics. Families are encouraged to explore the activities to continue promoting mathematiccs at home.

Family Activities
Memory Match: Create a set of cards with an equation on one card and the answer on another. Mix up the cards and lay them face down on the table. Take turns flipping over two cards and trying to find a match. When a match is found, the player must provide the correct math fact before keeping the cards. The player with the most matches at the end of the game wins.

Math Dice: Use a pair of dice to practice multiplication. Each player rolls the dice and multiplies the numbers depending on the game rules. Encourage your child to mentally calculate the math facts and keep track of their score.

Number Bingo: Create bingo cards with various math facts instead of numbers. Call out math problems and players have to find and cover the correct answer on their bingo card. The first player to cover a row or complete their card wins.

Math War Card Game: Remove the face cards from a deck of playing cards and assign values to the number cards (Ace = 1, 2 = 2, etc.). Players take turns flipping over two cards and multiplying the numbers to find the answer. The player with the highest answer gets to keep the cards. The player with the most cards at the end wins.

Math Scavenger Hunt: Hide math fact flashcards or sticky notes with equations around the house. Set a timer and challenge the child to find as many math facts as they can within a specific time frame. After finding each card, they need to solve the equation and keep track of their correct answers.

The Kids Blessing Bag Project is a Secaucus-based nonprofit 501C3 that is dedicated to teaching children (of all ages) kindness, compassion, and community service.

Dear Secaucus School Community,

I’d like to take this opportunity to formally introduce myself as the new Director of Special Services. Although this position is a new role for me, working in the Secaucus School district is certainly not. I have proudly been an educator in the district for just over twenty years. In my experience, I have taught at multiple grade levels, including elementary and secondary education, and in multiple classes. In my most recent role, I was the Special Education Transition Coordinator at Secaucus High School, a role that provided me the privilege to work within the community and with various state agencies and stakeholders. Through this role, I was able to create inclusive learning experiences for students transitioning from school to adulthood within local businesses in the community.

As I step into this new position, I am honored to join the administrative team and contribute to the continued growth of our school community. I am eager to create and develop programs that support our diverse learners, and I am confident that my experience in Special Education will have a positive impact on our students, families, and staff. I will work to continue to enhance programs, foster an inclusive culture, and work collaboratively to help families and students meet their educational goals.

In closing, please know that I look forward to working together to build a positive learning environment for all of our students and to continue strengthening our culture of open communication and mutual support.

Best Regards,

Tammy Hennessy

Special Education Director

Secaucus Public Schools

The Huber Street SGO and Peacekeepers Club held a joint fundraiser to help the Secaucus Food Pantry during this holiday season. Students were asked to bring in a non-perishable item in exchange for wearing pajamas or comfy clothes. The Coordinators of these clubs, Mrs. Stamm, Mrs. Leppin, and Mrs. Byrne, would like to thank our Huber Street School community for being so generous. Thank you to all for your continued support.

On Friday, November 1st, the Huber Street School 4th grade class honored local veterans with a reading of the America's White Table and performances of a medley of American Military songs, as well as God Bless the U.S.A.

"America's White Table" tells the poignant story of a 10-year old child who learns about the significance of the White Table, a military tribute to fallen soldiers, highlighting themes of remembrance, honor, and the importance of family traditions.

The Assembly was amazing again. The students were fantastic! Thank you to Mrs. Alyssa Curry, Mrs. Melissa Lopena, Mr. Bill Millevoi, Ms. Jennine Peduto, Ms. Shukrijie Grajcevci, and Mrs. Linda Hansen for putting together this great show. Thank you to Dan Amato for helping provide the music and for conducting the patriotic songs.

During the ceremony, the VFW honored Mrs. Melissa Lopena as their Educator of the Year. Melissa's service to our local veterans through this program has been recognized. We are proud of Mrs. Lopena and happy to have her as part of the Huber Street School family.

Following the ceremony, our local veterans were joined by the Huber Street School 5th grade, where the Veterans were presented with donations to Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3776 and American Legion Post 118.

Funds were raised by families donating to have a flag posted on the front lawn of Huber Street School honoring the many Veterans in Secaucus. Thank you to Mrs. Kerri Stamm for running the 2nd Annual Field of Flags. It's a beautiful tribute to the brave men and women who have served our country, and we am proud to have it in front of our school.

Our 1st graders finished their lesson on the human body.

Students in Ms. Choj's First Grade class wrapped up their CKLA Knowledge Domain 2 unit on the human body by spending the day working in First Grade Memorial Hospital. Students had a chance to work on different activities such as Tricky Word bones, Lung Match, and Food Pyramid sorts, and putting together the muscular and skeletal systems.

Mrs. Viggiani's Fabulous Firsties transformed into "doctors" at "Huber Street Hospital." During the past few weeks, the first graders learned about the human body through our Amplify Knowledge lessons. The first graders worked to understand the circulatory, nervous, skeletal, & muscular systems and how they each contribute to our overall health and well-being. They also learned the importance of nutrition through the food pyramid and how vaccines can keep our bodies safe. This "hospital" was a hands-on culminating activity that allowed the Firsties to showcase all that they learned about the human body and is sure to be a core memory for each of them!!

Mrs. Frank welcomed Sir Bartholomew Bones into her class to help the children amass some knowledge of things scientific. His visit was really terrific!

Miss Newcombe and Mrs. Puerari’s classes celebrated Thanksgiving by discussing what Thanksgiving is all about and shared what we’re thankful for. In connection with the novel we are reading, Number the Stars, we discussed things that the characters didn’t have that they would be thankful for. For example, coffee, tea and of course, pink cupcakes. Students then enjoyed decorating and eating their own pink cupcakes, with a cup of iced tea.

Mrs. Rivera's Pre-K classes have begun learning the alphabet and having a lot of fun!

On Wednesday, November 13th, Huber Street School hosted the annual 2nd and 3rd grade Turkey Trot Dance. Our students had a ball while coloring, building with LEGO, playing Corn Hole, making personalized slap-bracelets, and dancing the night away.

Huber Street School hosted the annual Soccer Tournament. All students in Kindergarten, 1st Grade, and 2nd Grade participated on Thursday, November 14th and all 3rd, 4th, and 5th Graders participated on Friday, November 15th. The students loved it! Check out the images below for our winning teams.

The tournament was run by our long-time Physical Education Teacher, Mrs. Brittany (Yannetti) Vacnan. Friday, November 15th was Mrs. Vacnan's last day as a Huber Street Bear. Mrs. Vacnan and her family are relocating to another state. We wish her well on her new journey. Thank you for all that you've done for our faculty and our students!

To help celebrate Thanksgiving, our 2nd graders paraded through the classrooms with their personalized, hand-made Thanksgiving Parade Floats. Check out the video below to see them showing off their work.

Mrs. Martin’s media classes had an exciting month! Fourth and fifth graders created a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade stop-motion video. First through third graders created scenes from their CKLA stories on Google Slides. Kindergarteners learned to log onto their Chromebooks and played turkey games on Starfall. It was a fun-filled month of creativity and learning! Check out the video and photos below.

On Monday, November 11th, Huber Street School 2nd grader, Lucas Rojas played soccer on the field at MetLife Stadium. Lucas and his NESA teammates play out of Nutley, NJ and were invited to play on the big field. When asked where he went to school, Lucas proudly stated, "Huber Street School in Secaucus!" Way to go Lucas!

In Art class this month, students are celebrating the Autumn season while using creativity and imagination. Pictured are 5th grade's Miniature Clay Pumpkin Patch and 5th Grade Farm Paintings on Canvas. In 4th grade, students created a One Point Perspective Drawing of the New York City Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. Students had creative freedom to choose what character they wanted for their float. In 3rd Grade, students were focusing on Warm & Cool Color Leaf paintings while learning about color families. In 2nd grade, students learned about animal environments while drawing fall animals; such as foxes, hedgehogs, and squirrels. In 1st grade, students created Mosaic Fruit & Vegetable collages and Paint Palette compositions. Kindergarten students have been practicing cutting and gluing skills while creating Fall Owls in Trees.

Thankful for all our bears! Happy Thanksgiving from your School Counselor! Pictured below are our P.A.W.S. points winners for last month. A raffle is held monthly for students that are caught doing good and displaying positive behaviors towards one another. Congratulations to all students that received an entry! Keep up the good work!

On Tuesday, December 10th and Wednesday, December 11th, the Huber Street School Parent Teacher Association is hosting their annual fun and festive Holiday Bazaar. The event will take place in the Huber Street School Gymnasium. Each homeroom will have a scheduled time to visit the Bazaar. Students can shop for their family and friends!

Students can also purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win great prizes. Raffle tickets are 3 for $1.00. Raffle tickets can be purchased during the students shopping time slot.

Important Note for Raffle Prizes:

To help us purchase the raffle prizes, we are kindly requesting a $2.00 donation from each student. This money will go directly towards buying the raffle prizes, not for the purchase of raffle tickets. Please send the $2.00 in a sealed envelope with your child’s name and “Attn: PTA” written on the outside. If you prefer to donate a new, unopened toy for our raffle table, please label the item “ Att: PTA”. The donation should be turned in no later than Friday, December 6th.

As always, thank you for your continued support!

Join us on Thursday, December 5th at 6:00pm for the Elementary School Winter Concert. Students from both Huber Street School and Clarendon School will be performing together in the Concert Band, conducted by Mr. Oscar Gongora, and in the Chorus, under the direction of Mr. Dan Amato. The show will take place at the Arthur F. Couch Performing Arts Center.

On Saturday, December 7th, the Huber Street School Chorus and Clarendon School Chorus will be performing at the annual Secaucus Tree Lighting Ceremony. The event will take place in the center of town.

On Tuesday, December 10th and Wednesday, December 11th, the Huber Street School Parent Teacher Association is hosting their annual Holiday Bazaar. The event will take place in the Huber Street School Gymnasium. Each homeroom will have a scheduled time to visit the Bazaar.

Dec 05: Elementary Winter Concert

Dec 07: Secaucus Tree Lighting

Dec 10 - 11: PTA Holiday Bazaar

Dec 16: Huber Street & Millridge Picture Retakes

Dec 20: Huber Street Sing-a-Long

Dec 23 - Jan 1: School Closed for Winter Break

Here is a look at the breakfast and lunch menus for the upcoming month.

Student schedules, health screening, report card access, etc. can be found on the Realtime Parent Portal. If you have any questions, please contact our main office. You can access the Parent Portal via the following link. (All parent portal log-in information has been sent to you via email.)

https://www.fridayparentportal.com/Secaucus

Huber Street School Schedule

Full Session: 8:20am-3:00pm

• (Kindergarten is dismissed at 2:45pm)

One-Session: 8:20am-12:30pm

Delayed Opening: 10:20am-3:00pm

Millridge School Schedule

Full Session:

Pre-K AM: 8:20am-10:50am

Pre-K PM: 11:50am-2:20pm

Pre-K Full Day Classes: 8:20am-2:20pm

One-Session:

Pre-K AM: 8:20am-10:00am

Pre-K PM: 10:30am-12:10pm

Pre-K Full Day Classes: 8:20am-12:00pm

Delayed Opening:

Pre-K AM: Class Cancelled

Pre-K PM: 11:50am-2:20pm

Pre-K Full Day Classes: 10:20am-2:20pm

The end of the day is a very hectic time when teachers are ensuring that each student is connected with a caregiver. We respectfully ask that you do not change your student’s pick up routine on a day-to-day basis. Understandably, emergencies and last minute changes do arise, but for safety reasons we ask that you help us to keep our dismissal procedures consistent for both our staff and students.

If you need to pick up your student early for an appointment, or special reason, they must be picked up before 9th period which begins at 2:15 pm (12:00pm on one-session days.) Last period often includes special area classes and time set aside for wrapping up activities and packing up for the day which makes it difficult for our security staff to continue to monitor the building if they are also being asked to locate and get students early from their classes.

If you wish your student to be picked up by a person not on your pick-up list, you must send a note in with them in the morning, or an email to your child's homeroom teachers, in addition to Kim Pascarello (kpascarello@sboe.org) and Coleen Mason (cmason@sboe.org) in the main office.

Please make sure to state the person’s name, relationship to your student and a contact phone number for the person.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

The federal government's universal free lunch program expired and our schools will return to offering free and reduced school lunch to only students who qualify based on family income. Families are encouraged to complete the Free and Reduced Lunch application if they believe they qualify.

As in previous years, if you would like to purchase lunch, please replenish your child's lunch account by logging into the Payforit.net (https://www.payforit.net/Login.aspx) website.

Huber Street School and Clarendon School will be serving a more traditional and expanded lunch menu. Please be reminded that students will need to input their Student ID number when purchasing items from the cafeteria (as no cash will be accepted.)

We will make every effort to have our students go outside for recess. Please make sure to provide your children with appropriate clothing for cold weather. Students will remain indoors during the following weather conditions.

• Snow, Rain, Hail, Sleet

• Thunder/Lightning

• Temperature and/or Windchill Temperature 32 degrees or colder

The Secaucus Board of Education requires students to wear school uniforms on a daily basis, including field trips. Students are to arrive at school wearing the appropriate clothing as defined in the dress code. The following is a list of clothing items in compliance with the uniform policy and information regarding this can also be found in the Elementary Handbook.

Please Note the Changes to the "Shoes" Section of the Dress Code

Approved Uniform Attire for Clarendon/Huber Street Schools

**ALL SHIRTS, SWEATERS, SWEATSHIRTS AND FLEECE MUST HAVE THE PROPER “SECAUCUS SCHOOL DISTRICT” EMBROIDERED LOGO

STUDENT DRESS CODE ATTIRE OPTIONS:

Tops:

• Polo Shirt - Red/White/Navy: Short Sleeve/Long Sleeve

• Turtle Neck - Red/White/Navy (NO EMBLEMS OR LOGO)

• Sweater - Red/White/Navy: V-neck, Crew neck, Cardigan or Vest

• Sweat Shirt - Red/White/Navy: Crew Neck (NO HOOD)

• Fleece - Red/Navy: Zippered Front or Pullover (NO HOOD)

• Jumper - Navy/Khaki: Cotton/Cotton-Polyester

• Peter Pan Blouse - White (NO LOGO)

Bottoms:

• Pants - Navy/Khaki: Cotton/Cotton-Polyester (NO CARGO PANTS OR LEGGINGS)

• Shorts - Navy/Khaki: Cotton/Cotton-Polyester

• Skirt - Navy/Khaki: Cotton/Cotton-Polyester

• Skort - Navy/Khaki: Cotton/Cotton-Polyester

• Capris - Navy/Khaki: Cotton/Cotton-Polyester

• Socks & Tights - Navy/Khaki/White/Red, Solid Color

Shoes:

ALL shoes must be securely fastened with a backing to the feet. Sneakers are strongly recommended for everyday use.

• Flip-flops, open toed shoes, slippers, and slide shoes are NOT permitted.

• Crocs are permitted ONLY in “sport mode”, meaning the pivoting heel strap must be utilized when worn.

• Uggs boots or shoes are permitted, but NOT slippers or slides (all shoes must have a back).

**Please note:

All students are permitted to wear knee length shorts until October 31st and again in the spring beginning April 15th, in a docker style in navy or khaki. Athletic shorts should reach the end of the finger tip in length.

Huber Street School is an elementary school in Secaucus, NJ that educates students from Kindergarten through 5th grade. The Millridge School (Early Learning Center) is a satellite school that houses our pre-kindergarten students. Huber Street School has been educating Secaucus students since 1910.

Huber Street School

1520 Paterson Plank Road

Secaucus, NJ 07094

201-974-2053

The Millridge School

40 Millridge Road

Secaucus, NJ 07094

201-974-2053

Email: kpascarello@sboe.org, cmason@sboe.org,

Email: rvalente@sboe.org.