District Newsletter

June 5, 2024: Work Session

June 20, 2024: Regular Meeting

All meetings are held at 7:00 p.m. in the high school library.

Board of Education meetings are open to the public and will continue to be live-streamed:

Link to Live-Streamed Meetings

Presentations from Recent Board Meetings:

Posted on our website

At the May 23 Board of Education meeting, I made a presentation about our current enrollments and projections for the 2024–25 school year.

The District is now at the point where enrollment numbers need immediate attention, especially in the elementary schools. We are seeing numbers unlike any we have seen in the recent past. As we open the 2024-25 school year, seven students from the Central Elementary School neighborhood will attend Elizabeth Haddon, and six students from the Tatem neighborhood will join them. And grade 1 is not an anomaly. According to Policy 2312: Class Size, the maximum number of students we can house in grades 1-5 in a school with three sections per grade is 387. Currently, 377 students are enrolled for Central School for September 2024, not including those already displaced to Elizabeth Haddon.

We will increase our focus on enrollment numbers in the very near future as we anticipate three new developments in Haddonfield. The Place at Haddonfield (Snowden) will have 20 units, scheduled to be completed by this time next year and potentially generating a number of additional students coming to us in the 2026-27 school year. The new property being developed on Ellis Street has 18 units, and the borough recently announced that 120 apartment units will be constructed on the old Bancroft property. All three of these developments fall into the already crowded Central and Tatem catchment areas.

Estimating the impact these developments may have on district enrollment is challenging, but even a dozen new elementary students would significantly compound our current issues. With such possibilities in mind, I spoke to the Board about the need to initiate discussions focused on enrollment challenges, catchment areas, and policy. It is a conversation that will require community engagement in the future.

As I stated at the May 23 Board of Education meeting, this is just the beginning of the conversation. We have no way to know the true impact of the new housing units, but we must consider the likelihood of additional students in an already crowded part of our community.

There are two ways to approach this: (1) to revise and modify registration policies and processes and/or (2) to explore the different definitions of elementary school-based neighborhoods.

Revising policies would give families and the District a better-defined understanding of student placement, especially in oversubscribed classrooms at a particular school. The deeper challenge of balancing the population across three elementary schools will be far more complex and require boundary zones that are highly flexible or that can be adjusted frequently, which is not ideal.

Adjusting neighborhood sending zones would be more effective at balancing the population across the three elementary schools, but it has several drawbacks. We value our status as a walking, neighborhood school district. Altering boundaries may interfere with our perception that each particular school is part of a small, close-knit neighborhood. Moving a single boundary line would not suffice in balancing enrollment; it will take a combination of adjustments. Additionally, our current boundaries are generally set to make sure that many students don’t have to cross our busiest streets. This would no longer be the case.

Over the next several months, we will be discussing potential solutions. The upcoming bond referendum will have a hand in creating the best options as we look at enlarging or increasing student spaces.

Chuck Klaus, Superintendent of Schools

Over the past several months, Katy Roussos and a team of administrators and teachers have conducted an audit of the English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum for the district. As the ELA / Social Studies Content-Area Supervisor, Roussos aims to ensure our educational programs and materials align with the latest New Jersey Student Learning Standards released in October 2023.

“This review allows us to confirm the vertical progression of skills and concepts across all grade levels and to maintain consistency in instructional materials and approaches used in each school and level,” Roussos said. “By evaluating our current curricula and instructional programs compared to those utilized in other high-achieving districts that follow best practices, we can identify potential gaps or areas for enhancement. Furthermore, analyzing the results of recent state assessments highlights any instructional gaps that may need to be addressed through curriculum modifications or additional resources. Our audit lays the groundwork for continuous improvement of our academic offerings to provide the highest quality education for our students.”

In a presentation to the Board of Education on Thursday, May 23, Roussos outlined the process that began in September, including

• Researching programs in comparable districts;

• Conducting deep analysis of current curriculum;

• Gathering feedback from stakeholders;

• Formal and informal data gathering during:

• Review of curriculum maps to assess correlation to the 2023 NJSLS

• Teacher focus groups: grade level & department

• Surveys of families, teachers, and students;

• Teacher meetings and classroom visits;

• Analysis of NJSLA scores;

• Extensive research of best practices.

Her presentation highlighted curricular strengths and areas for growth, concluding with recommendations such as:

• Changing the assessments and screening tools used to evaluate and report foundational literacy skills;

• Introducing specific new reading, writing and spelling programs by grade level;

• Increasing training and/or altering practices for staff;

• Implementing professional development where needed.

The findings and costs associated with this audit are up for Board approval in June. If approved, most of these recommendations will be in place in September.

We encourage you to review the complete presentation, posted on our website here. Thank you!

On Wednesday, May 29, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that 11 New Jersey school districts will receive rebates under the 2023 Clean School Bus Program, part of the Biden-Harris administration’s Investing in America agenda. Haddonfield is one of the districts chosen to benefit from the program, established to help New Jersey transition to zero emission vehicles by replacing older, diesel-fueled school buses. More than $12 million will be awarded statewide, providing nearly 70 clean buses in New Jersey.

Haddonfield is slated to receive $745,000 in rebate funding to potentially purchase four clean school buses and to build the infrastructure to charge the vehicles.

Read the entire EPA news release here.

PARENTS: Do you have a child currently in grades 2 to 7? If so, mark your calendar for the Musical Instrument Petting Zoo on June 13, 6:30 p.m.

The "zoo" will be held at Elizabeth Haddon Elementary, but it is for students in all three elementary schools and our middle school (rising third- through eighth-graders).

• Learn about our award-winning instrumental music program
• See, touch and play instruments up close
• Meet our music teachers
• Meet the instrument rental vendors
• Enroll your child for September!

We look forward to seeing you there!

The Haddonfield School District and the Haddonfield Education Association (HEA) honored retirees and staff members who have reached service milestones on Thursday, May 30.

The names of those recognized are listed below. We appreciate these faithful, talented and caring individuals who contributed/are still contributing to an educational environment of which we all can be proud!

Retirees:

Bob Bickel (Teacher, MS)

Scott Fleming (Teacher, HS)

Klaus Henkel (Maintenance, District)

Deborah Landry (Teacher, EH)

AnnMarie Murray Pousatis (Child Study Team)

David Payne (Teacher, HS)

Kathleen Petrucelli (Payroll, District)

Annette Sanchirico (Teacher, MS)

Ron Smith (Teacher, HS)

Tina Troncone (Bus Driver, District)

Kathleen White (Bus Driver, District)

Anne Williams (EA, Tatem)

50 Years of Service:

Jeffrey Holman (Counselor, HS)

30 Years of Service:

Charles Klaus (Superintendent, District)

Susan Zitter (Teacher, EH)

25 Years of Service:

Deborah Borum (EA, HS)

Caren Izzo (Teacher, MS)

Maria Munz (Teacher, MS)

David Payne (Teacher, HS)

Susan Salotto (Teacher, MS)

Annette Sanchirico (Teacher, MS)

Rick Sparks (Buildings & Grounds, District)

Anne Williams (EA, Tatem)

On Friday May 24, about 18 HMHS students and family members went to five Cumberland County beaches to participate in the rescue of stranded horseshoe crabs. Led by HMHS teacher Ron Smith, the group rescued more than 5,000 horseshoe crabs in one day, lifting them carefully and placing them gently on their feet facing the water. Once repositioned, the crabs will return safely to the sea.

"This was a particularly large rescue due to a powerful overnight tide," said Smith. "I was very proud of everyone who took part."

For 13 years HMHS students have been assisting in the rescue of horseshoe crabs every Friday in May and June on beaches that have been closed during shorebird migration. During those months, horseshoe crabs crawl up onto the beaches to lay their eggs, often becoming stranded, overturned, or even trapped behind natural or manmade structures. The students who have participated in this process over the years have had a significant impact on the population of horseshoe crabs in New Jersey.

To view the photo album from this rescue, click here. For more info on the program, visit returnthefavorNJ.org.

For the third year, students in Tina Papa’s eighth-grade Gifted and Talented class were challenged to improve an already existing invention for the N.J. School Boards Association's STEAM Tank competition. In January, three teams presented their proposals, and one advanced to the semi-finals.

On Wednesday, May 29, the team of Avery Hazlett, Lia Cottrell, and Margaret McGrath made their presentation of "The Touch-Up Brush," an eco-friendly bamboo hair brush that is equipped with a make-up palette and a beauty blender for a person's on-the-go beauty needs!

At 1 p.m. on June 3, the NJSBA will make a virtual announcement of the middle school teams in New Jersey that will go to the finals in Atlantic City in October. Stay tuned for the results. Good luck, team!

PARENTS: When we get information about programs that are run outside of the district but that may be of interest to you, we post them all on our Community News website.

To celebrate spring, buddies in 5B (Bellagamba) and 2B (Bodnar) collaborated on haikus. The topics varied from spring flowers to the Phillies, and brought the students together for a creative project.

As part of their study of communities, all second-graders study Haddonfield. They compare Haddonfield of long ago with Haddonfield of today. They learn how the city has changed over time and reasons why communities change. At the same time, they learn the importance of keeping history alive. The children took "Flat Lizzy" to visit historical places throughout Haddonfield and learned more about why these places are an important part of Haddonfield's history. They then brought Flat Lizzy to school and reported their findings to their peers — keeping the history of Haddonfield alive with their family and friends! Students below are in Mrs. Murphy's class.

Students in fourth grade (Wysocki, Augugliaro, Miller, Schneider) created their own geometric art in the style of artist Alexander Calder, an artist known particularly for wire sculptures and the use of primary colors. This project is part of a multi-week Calder unit in all three elementary schools. The students enjoyed expressing themselves in primary colors and arranging the shapes creatively.

On Thursday, May 23, and in collaboration with the Mt. Laurel Field Office of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Haddonfield Human Relations Commission, Haddonfield Middle School (HMS) hosted a naturalization ceremony for 24 people who met the requirements for becoming U.S. citizens. This powerful ceremony was the conclusion of many years of hard work for these brand new citizens; additionally it served as an unusual opportunity for our eighth-graders to observe a naturalization ceremony in person. The students study the history of immigration in the United States as part of their social studies curriculum and were honored guests at this event.

Hon. Joel B. Rosen, U.S. Magistrate Judge (Ret.) introduced the ceremony. Haddonfield Board of Education President Jaime Grookett and Haddonfield Mayor Colleen Bianco Bezich welcomed our special guests and congratulated them on their accomplishments. Keith Dorr, USCIS Field Office Director, Dept. of Homeland Security, directed the ceremony and administered the Oath of Allegiance. The HMS chorus sang “America the Beautiful.”

The new citizens represented 19 different countries:

Burkina Faso

Canada

Costa Rica

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

Guatemala

Haiti

India

Iraq

Jamaica

Jordan

Mexico

Pakistan

Philippines

Russia

Sierra Leone

Turkey

Uzbekistan

Vietnam

There were several moments that were emotionally moving for both guests and the new citizens. Singing the National Anthem, repeating the Oath of Allegiance, receiving their certificates and individual American flags, to name a few. Many were surprised and touched to see the welcome signs created by HMS student members of the National Junior Honor Society. Each sign included the flag of the person’s country of birth, an American flag, and the word “welcome” written in their birth language.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, the League of Women Voters invited each person to register to vote, a privilege of U.S. citizenship. The Daughters of the American Revolution, also in attendance, provided gifts to the new citizens.

View the photo album here.

Read words of gratitude from one of the new citizens written to Director Dorr.

Read the article in the Haddonfield Sun here.

Watch a brief news story from WPHL TV17 here.

On Tuesday, May 21, HMHS German language students presented a binder of family letters to Joel Fabian, a local Holocaust survivor.

The letters, originally written in German, were written by various members of the Fabian family before and after WWII. A researcher in Germany found them as part of a Holocaust-related research project and brought them to the attention of Helen Kirschbaum of the Esther Raab Holocaust Center and Goodwin Education Center in Cherry Hill. She communicated with Fabian and then reached out to former German language teacher Chris Gwin, who touched base with current HMHS German teacher Anna Feinleib. The students worked for months to translate the letters, which Fabian received gratefully.

Following the presentation of letters, Fabian shared his slide show and many personal stories of his family’s experiences in Theresienstadt, a Nazi concentration camp/ghetto in northern Bohemia (now the Czech Republic). He was only four years old when his family was sent from Berlin to the camp, where they lived for three years. They eventually emigrated to the United States.

The students commented that they were proud to have been part of the group that worked on these letters. Although challenging, the experience brought them a new respect for and understanding of the history of the Holocaust.

HMHS Memorial Day Assembly

Wellness Day HS - Friday 5/31

WW Poetry Contest: Honorable Mention winners were ninth-graders Sophie F. and Ryan M.

Parents, we use ParentSquare to communicate with you via text or email.

We encourage you to download the app and register with ParentSquare so that you can take advantage of settings such as how and when you will receive school communications. For example, you may choose to receive them immediately or late in the day when you have time to digest the message.

Here are some helpful tips and instructions:

Click here to download the mobile app.

Click here for instructions how to register for PS from the app.

Watch the "getting started" video here.

Manage PS account settings here.

Thank you!

We encourage parents to consider applying for Free or Reduced-Price lunch. This document explains why and provides further information.

We encourage all parents to become familiar with the Food Services website .

Student Newspapers:

The HMHS Bulldawg Bulletin

The HMS Bulldawg Bulletin Jr.

Social Media:

District Facebook: @HaddonfieldSchoolDistrict

District Instagram: haddonfieldschooldistrict

District Twitter: @HaddonSchools

• Look for your school's Twitter feed.
• Ask if your student's team or club uses social media.
• Look for your particular PTA on social media. Our PTAs do a wonderful job communicating with families!

SAC Corner:

Enjoy the May issue posted on the HMHS website here. These monthly newsletters include helpful information from our SAC (Student Assistance Counselor), Holly Penna.