District Newsletter

February 8, 2024: Work Session

February 29, 2024: Tentative Budget 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

The close of January also marks the close of the first half of the school year. High school students are completing midterms, and our elementary school community is zeroing in on the hundredth day of school. Some tend to look at the time between now and June as a downhill ride; however, many elements of district activity demonstrate the opposite, which should be highlighted.

Although our relatively new content-area supervisors have hit the ground running, their critical work has just begun. As a reminder, they are:

• Matthew DiDonato: Math and Science
• Rob Fox: Health & Phys. Ed., Fine and Performing Arts, World Language, HIB, Safety
• Katy Roussos: English/Language Arts and Social Studies

Under Mr. DiDonato’s leadership, the elementary school math pilot, a significant change resulting in an improved curriculum, will be completed in March, with implementation planned for the fall. You can read details about it and access a link to his recent Board presentation below. Mrs. Roussos has worked with her team to do the heavy lifting of realigning our curriculum to match the newly released NJSLA standards in ELA. As highlighted earlier, the work and feedback provided by our teachers to the NJ DOE impacted the final version of those new standards. Mr. Fox has been busy re-envisioning and reinvigorating our performing arts department. Guests in attendance at our fall and winter concerts have seen the positive outcome of this effort in energetic and enthusiastic student performances. He has also worked diligently to utilize safety programs and training, including increasing our awareness of cyber dangers, information that was shared through assemblies at the middle school and via a community presentation last night.

The Board of Education policy committee has been collaborating with the administration and students to review policies that impact student life. The most notable would be practices surrounding the code of conduct and, specifically, suspensions; they are exploring whether out-of-school suspension is the best way to handle certain conduct violations. This exploration has resulted in rich conversations about when suspensions are appropriate and when other kinds of consequences may be more beneficial and may address behaviors more meaningfully.

Plans are underway for Tatem Elementary’s one hundredth anniversary this spring, extending their year of celebration after being named a US DOE National Blue Ribbon School in the fall.

On a final note, the Board of Education plans to have a committee of the whole discussion on February 8 about the status of the potential referendum as they revisit the project’s scope. We welcome all community members to participate by attending in person or watching online.

Here’s to a successful second half of the 2023-24 school year! Thank you for your continued collaboration and support.

Chuck Klaus, Superintendent of Schools

As we move through the winter season, it is important that we are all ready for the possibility of inclement weather and resultant changes to school schedules.

HOW ARE FAMILIES NOTIFIED?

We try very hard to make the decision by 5:30 a.m. or earlier. Staff and families will receive an e-mail and text message. Also you may check our district website for current information.

Checking local TV and radio stations should be your last resort as there is always a delay between our reporting to the media and their posting the information. Our school’s number is 560.

FAMILY DECISIONS

Although we all do our absolute best in this process, we know that often no perfect decision exists. Just as you trust us to do our best, we trust you to make the best personal decisions for your family as well. For example,

• If, based on current weather conditions, you do not feel as though it is safe for your children to attend school, please keep them at home.
• Also, please discourage teenagers from driving in bad conditions and offer them alternatives. We firmly believe that students should be in school when possible, but, when the weather is inclement, our top priority is student and staff safety.

At the January 18th meeting of the Board of Education, math and science content-area supervisor Matt DiDonato shared a presentation about the current elementary math program pilot.

The search for a new elementary math program began in December 2022 when district staff agreed that we needed to replace Everyday Math. Over the next several months, four programs were considered, and two were chosen to be tested in our classrooms: i-Ready Classroom Mathematics and Reveal Math. Beginning in September 2023, each program is being piloted in all three elementary buildings and at all six grade levels, kindergarten to grade 5.

One of these two programs will be selected in March, and Board approval is expected in April. The goal is to fully implement the new program in September 2024. Teachers will receive initial training in May and August, with ongoing support and additional professional learning throughout the 2024-25 school year.

To view the entire presentation, click here.

Our elementary student councils are holding a "gently used or new" book drive from January 29 to March 1. The books will be donated to an organization called BookSmiles that helps underserved children build home libraries and so much more.

To help promote the project, student council representatives visited various classrooms and read their favorite books to younger students. Below Elizabeth Haddon fifth-grader Sophia L. reads "The Ugly Duckling" to Mrs. McKeon's first-graders.

Collection boxes are in each elementary school, and your support is appreciated!

On Thursday, December 21, all Tatem staff and students met in the all-purpose room in recognition of the school's status as a NBRS (National Blue Ribbon School). It was a spectacular celebration!

PTA President Lauren Zonies, Haddonfield Mayor Colleen Bezich and Congressman Donald Norcross were honored guests; the Tatem chorus sang three songs including the school's theme song "Eye of the Tiger;" first-grade teacher Marc Hanna led the children in an uproarious game of "Guess the Teacher;" and Superintendent Klaus and Principal Beatty made sure the children and staff knew that THEY are the reason Tatem has been identified as outstanding!

In a video presentation, students shared their reasons for believing that Tatem is a wonderful school. Additionally, to illustrate the fact that everyone had a "hand" in Tatem's success, all children wrote their reasons on colorful hands that decorated a large banner.

It was a great day! Read the Haddonfield Sun's story about the celebration here.

Please note: “Flipper Zero” devices can be purchased online and are toy-like, portable hacking tools. They are marketed as fun "cyber buddies" but in fact have the ability to hack radio protocols, access control systems, hardware, and more. In short, Flipper Zero can be used to access and tamper with devices or systems without the owner's permission.

Possession of this type of device in school is a violation of the district's Acceptable Use Policy. Please make sure your students understand that they are not allowed to bring such devices to school.

Learn more here.

The New Jersey Student Learning Assessments (NJSLA) are statewide assessments that measure students’ progress toward the New Jersey Student Learning Standards in English language arts (ELA), mathematics, and science. All public schools in New Jersey administer these tests annually.

In Haddonfield, computer-based testing is scheduled from April 30, through May 20, 2024. Make-up testing will be administered from May 28 through May 31, 2024.

The following grade levels will take the NJSLA:

• ELA: Grades 3-9
• Math: Grades 3 to High School (Algebra I, Geometry, or Algebra II)
• Science: Grades 5, 8 and 11

Grade-level-specific testing dates are:

• Elementary Grades 3-4-5: May 13 to May 17
• Middle School Grades 6-7-8: May 14 to May 20
• High School: April 30 to May 3

Second-grade students at Central Elementary have been learning about "predicate expanders" from their Framing Your Thoughts writing program and are applying this skill to their "small moment writing" stories.

A "how expander" answers the question "How?" and adds detail to their stories. Children may use three starter words to add a how expander, "like," "with," or "without," or they may add a word ending in "ly." For example, if the sentence originally was "I ran," the student may add a how expander such as "like a cheetah" or "quickly."

Similarly, students use "where expanders" such as "to the park" or "through" to add detail to the sentence "I ran." Well done, budding writers!

Elizabeth Haddon second-grade students studied the figures in Picasso's "Three Musicians" painting and created their own figures (below left). They also gained inspiration from the collages of Henri Matisse (student work below right) who called his technique of cutting out shapes "drawing with scissors." Well done, students. Your work graces our hallways and makes us proud!

On Friday, January 26, Mrs. Haney's first-grade class got together with their "buddies" in Mrs. Schneider's fourth grade for a winter-themed read-aloud and math craft. To create the math craft, the students used characteristics about themselves to make snowman glyphs that represent their individual personalities. As they shared their personal traits, they got to know each other even better and had fun! Pictured below: Luca A. and Nathaniel M.

On December 19, 32 Haddonfield Middle School students were inducted into the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS).

Membership to this organization is by invitation only. Nominated students interested in applying for acceptance into the eighth-grade NJHS complete an application listing their attributes and personal achievements. Students must earn a 97 or better end-of-the-year grade in Social Studies, ELA, Math, Science, and World Language in grades 6 and 7 to be considered. They also write an essay, and their teachers complete a recommendation form. These applications are meticulously reviewed by our faculty selection committee for the qualities each NJHS member must possess: scholarship, service, leadership, character and citizenship.

Guest speaker and science teacher Kevin Kozak, chosen by the student body, congratulated the students for embodying the five pillars of NJHS. Advisor and Spanish teacher Ana Sanchez and officers Talia S. and Alexander F. led the ceremony which was attended by family, friends and staff members.

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!

Due to an uptick in cases nationwide, we have posted updated COVID-19 guidelines to our website.

• Testing is recommended for students/staff with COVID-19 Symptoms.
• If you test positive for COVID-19, you are encouraged to contact your school nurse.

Specific information and more details can be found on this single-page document. 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 Tatem Elementary Tiger Times (winter edition)

The HMS Bulldawg Bulletin Junior (winter edition)

The HMHS Bulldawg Bulletin

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