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Hillcrest Academy South Campus
April 2024 Newsletter
Dr. Balsamello's Message
April 2024 Important Dates
April 8 Return from Spring Break
April 8 Solar Eclipse
April 12 Spirit Day - Autism Awareness
April 15-16 Voting Registration
April 17 Union County College Trip
April 18 End of 3rd Marking Period
April 18-19 Healthy Relationships Assembly
April 19 Start of 4th Marking Period
April 23 PSAT/SAT's
April 24 Administrative Professional's Day
April 25 Honor Roll Incentive Trip
People Spotlights!
Student of the Month for March!
Congratulations to our Student of the Month for March, Alex! When asked about his work ethic, his teachers replied;
- Always ready to participate
- Very kind and very respectful
- Caring and helpful
- Always polite and conscientious
Staff Spotlight Ms Ramirez!
Ms Ramirez is in her 2nd year here at the Commission & HAS, but in general she has been in education for 24 years. Before becoming a SAC, Ms Ramirez was a Spanish teacher, and before that she worked in Addiction & Recovery. Aside from being a teacher, she was also a Latin Dance Instructor & served as a Latin Dance Club Advisor for many years; she loves to dance! Ms Ramirez comes from a big soccer family - her father in law played professionally, her husband played semi-pro, and together they ran their home town's recreational program, opened a club, and served on several boards. From this love of soccer, Ms Ramirez was also a soccer coach. When not working as a SAC, she enjoys spending time with her family; a big, crazy bunch, diverse in every kind of way. Ms Ramirez' family still lives close and sees each other often, which she sees as a true blessing. She love being outdoors and especially being able to see nature's beautiful scenery. Ms Ramirez once took a road trip through 3 national parks and can't wait to be able to do it again!
Guidance Spotlights
Mrs Gilchrist - Social Worker
Ms Schulhafer - Guidance Councilor
Mrs Ramirez - Student Assistance Coordinator (SAC)
Being fairly new to the UCESC, Ms Ramirez is working on providing a comprehensive student assistance program that includes prevention, intervention, support and instructional services for students. As a Student Assistance Counselor (SAC), the goal is to offer assistance to students troubled by familial, emotional, social, legal, physical, or substance abuse problems. Ms Ramirez aims to serve as a structured, organized liaison among the school, parents, and outside agencies. The role of the SAC is to provide a strength-based approach in working with the youth she serves in her efforts to promote a healthy, safe, & drug-free life-style. Ms Ramirez does her best to utilize the existing resources within the school to address school based concerns as well as link students and their families with community resources to provide for needs requiring specialized services.
Arab-American Heritage Month
3rd Marking Period Honor Roll Trip
Congratulations to all those students who made honor roll for the 3rd marking period! As a reward for all of their efforts and hard work, these students were treated to a trip to the movies. They were able to purchase snacks and treats, sit with their friends, and enjoy a relaxing day out! The movie for this trip is Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire which was chapparoned by Dr Balsamello and Ms Gilchrist.
Arbor Day
What is Arbor Day and why is it celebrated? In 1872, a man by the name of J. Sterling Morton proposed that a special day be set aside for the planting of trees. Trees are a necessity in multiple ways and they were being cut down and not being replaced The first time this holiday was observed more than one million trees were planted in Nebraska. Now it is currently celebrated all over the world. As part of this celebration, Mrs Arora took her science classes outside to plant a few trees on our school campus. While they planted trees, students learned our trees work, why it is important to plant them, and how different creatures, like earth worms, contribute to the function and flourishment of trees.
Union County College Trip
Healthy Relationships Assembly
Relationships at any age can be difficult, and that's if the relationship is a healthy one. What makes a relationship healthy? What makes a relationship toxic? What if the relationship ends? Does friendship count as a relationship? These are things that high school students may not fully understand because this is all new to them. This can also be a very devastating time for them if the relationships end. Mrs Ramirez, UCESC's Student Assistance Coordinator, organized the Healthy Relationships Assembly for students. During this assembly, presenters spoke with students about what the difference is between a healthy relationship and an unhealthy relationship. Both romantic and friendships were included in this presentation as well as the tools needed to handle "break ups" for both.
Happy Administrative Professional's Day
Here at HAS, we are so grateful for our Administrative Professional, Mrs D'Emilio! According to Google, the definition of an Administrative Professional are those who "provide essential office duties such as writing business correspondence, scheduling appointments, managing projects, maintaining paper and electronic files, and delivering customer service". Here at HAS, Ms D'Emilio is so much more than that! The students love her and look up to her for all the kind things she does for them. The staff appreciates all the work she does behind the scenes to keep our school running. Thank you Mrs D'Emilio for all you do for us here at HAS!
Our Students In and Out of School
You play ball like a girl!
About Us
Hillcrest Academy South is an alternative high school for students from the Elizabeth Public School District. Students are referred to HAS by their Elizabeth Academy guidance counselor and administration for an interview at HAS. We provide a small educational learning setting with opportunities to make up courses through our Credit Retrieval Program in a caring environment in order to meet Elizabeth’s graduation requirements.
Website: www.ucesc.org
Instagram: ucesc_has
Facebook: Hillcrest Academy South
Location: 1571 Lamberts Mill Road, Westfield, NJ, USA-Door 3B
Phone: 908-233-9317