Highview Happenings

Dear Highview Families,

Happy Friday! 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.

The entire school community will participate in a Strive for 25 assembly each trimester. Our first trimester assembly will take place in December, and the exact date is TBD.

Parent-Teacher Conferences will take place on Thursday, November 14 and Tuesday, November 19. On both days, K-4 students will dismiss at 11:35 a.m. The partnership between home and school is essential, and I know that our teachers are grateful to spend time with you discussing your child's progress. If you have questions about your conference time, please contact your child's classroom teacher directly. Here are the timeframes for both days:

• Thursday, November 14 - Day/Evening Conferences (5:30-7:30 p.m.)
• Tuesday, November 19 - Day Conferences until 3:45 p.m.

As a reminder, all Nanuet Public Schools will close on Monday, November 11 in observance of Veterans Day. Thank you to all the brave men and women who have made - and continue to make - the ultimate sacrifice for our country! I hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful long weekend. We look forward to welcoming our Highview Knights back to school on Tuesday, November 12.

Sincerely,

Matthew Lutz

Principal

mlutz@nanuetsd.org

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: Ms. MacRobbie (3MR), Mr. Lawless (4JL), and Mrs. Miller (4CM). Congratulations to Amelia (3MR), Julian (3MR), Jack (4JL), Olivia (4CM), and Nicholas (4CM). See their proud picture below!

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 give a shout out to Class 4CM - Mrs. Miller's class. Our fourth graders traveled to Nanuet's Outdoor Education Center (OEC) to participate in a bee dissection with Ms. Nancy Galdi. At the OEC, fourth-grade students explored the fascinating external structures of bees and their functions, connecting this hands-on experience to their science unit. Students had the chance to examine the bee's body parts under a microscope, getting a close-up look at its compound and simple eyes, as well as its antennae. They also discovered how bees use their sense receptors to navigate and make sense of the world around them. Take a look at some of the scientists from 4CM in the photographs below!

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 October, Mrs. DeGennaro's class won the third-grade challenge. Ms. O'Riordan's class won the fourth-grade challenge. Congratulations 3PD and 4MO! We look forward to seeing which classes will win for the month of November!

Our third graders will visit LEGO Land Discovery Center Westchester at the Ridge Hill Mall in Yonkers, NY. They will be extending their Science 21 lessons on force and motion. Students will explore push and pull forces and the effects of friction while testing LEGO push cars. Our third graders will make predictions and recognize patterns of the change in speed of an object and how far it will go in push car races led by a S.T.E.A.M. professional at LEGO Land.

• Wednesday, November 13 - 3MR, 3PD, and BOCES
• Wednesday, November 20 - 3AK, 3KB, and 3KA
• Thursday, November 21 - 3JM, 3KS, and 3AM

Our fourth graders will visit Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, NJ on Wednesday, December 4. Students will find many exhibits that offer hands-on experiences aligned with classroom learning. These experiences foster critical thinking, problem-solving, and real-world application of science concepts. For example, students can explore ecosystems, physics, and engineering through interactive exhibits that mirror the standards' emphasis on inquiry-based learning and cross-cutting concepts like energy, forces, and environmental systems.

In October, Ms. Lipson, School Counselor, and Mrs. Weiss, School Social Worker, held a social-emotional learning (SEL) assembly for all students, focusing on the RULER concept/tool known as Meta Moment. This process encourages students to pause between being triggered and responding, fostering self-reflection and emotional regulation. By assessing their thoughts and feelings—like feeling glum, joyful, concerned, easygoing, or apprehensive—students can better manage challenges and improve problem-solving skills.

During the assembly, students learned calming techniques such as taking belly breaths, cupcake breathing, muscle relaxation, 5-finger breathing, visualization, and counting to handle strong emotions. Through a role-play experience, students practiced choosing appropriate strategies for different scenarios and feelings so that their Best Self shows up in any given situation.

How can I support my child at home?

To support your child at home, you can model self-regulation. For instance, if you are stuck in traffic and feel impatient, express your frustration and share how you plan to stay calm. This teaches valuable self-management skills, helping your child navigate challenges like losing a game or taking a test while enhancing their academic focus.

Highview students and staff will come together for our annual Highview Turkey Trot on Wednesday, November 27, 2024. Students and staff will complete a fitness course around the Highview school grounds. Please send your child to school wearing sneakers and clothing appropriate for the weather. We encourage students to wear the colors black and gold to celebrate our School Spirit. Please note that this event is for Highview students and staff only. Below you will find a flyer for the event.

Highview Turkey Trot - November 2024

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.

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.

HV - Arrival & Dismissal Procedures 2024-2025

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:

1. Be a good listener.
2. Use a quiet voice.
3. 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).

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.

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.

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.

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:

https://app.screencastify.com/v3/watch/HfHHWdCKIX8cQcYtdLYs

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

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!

Nanuet Elementary PTA Website

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.

2024-2025 Safety and Security Protocols - Highview School

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.

Monday, November 11

Veterans Day

All Nanuet Schools Closed

Thank you, Veterans!

Tuesday, November 12

HV and Miller: Picture Retake Day

Wednesday, November 13

Grade 3 LEGO Land Field Trip

Classes 3MR, 3PD, and BOCES

Thursday, November 14

11:35 a.m. Early Dismissal for Students

Day Parent-Teacher Conferences &

Evening Parent-Teacher Conferences (5:30-7:30 p.m.)

Monday, November 18

Elementary PTA Meeting

7:30 p.m. at G.W. Miller in Library

Tuesday, November 19

11:35 a.m. Early Dismissal for Students

Day Parent-Teacher Conferences until 3:45 p.m.

Tuesday, November 19

Board of Education Meeting

7:30 p.m. at Nanuet Senior High School

Wednesday, November 20

Grade 3 LEGO Land Field Trip

Classes 3AK, 3KB, and 3KA

Thursday, November 21

Grade 3 LEGO Land Field Trip

Classes 3JM, 3KS, and 3AM

Wednesday, November 27

Highview's Turkey Trot

For Staff & Students Only

Wednesday, November 27

Early Dismissal - 12:00 p.m.

Walkers dismissed at 11:50 a.m.

Bus riders dismissed at 12:00 p.m.

Thursday, November 28

Thanksgiving Recess

All Nanuet Schools Closed

Friday, November 29

Thanksgiving Recess

All Nanuet Schools Closed

Monday, December 2

School Resumes

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