The Herald
Hoboken Public School District
Superintendent's Message - 10/4/2020
Dear Parents and Guardians:
I hope that you are enjoying this beautiful weekend. I noticed the leaves on the trees changing colors and the air is rather crisp at night. Fall is certainly here. It is my favorite season.
As you know, I sent out the second Declaration of Intent for those wanting to switch from remote to onsite learning covering the period of time between October 13th through November 30th. I will be tallying up all of the data this coming week and planning for classrooms and staffing. I will provide all families with an update by the end of the week. If any families would like to switch from onsite to remote, you may do so at anytime by simply emailing your child's principal.
This edition of The Herald provides information about our upcoming Virtual Back to School Nights. It also presents good news about Hoboken High School's Recognition by U.S. News and World Reports as one of the Nation's Best High Schools and Hoboken High School's award by Project Lead the Way as a National STEM School of Distinction. I have also included Hoboken High School's scholarship totals and 4-Year graduation cohort rates.
This school year, we have so many new families that have enrolled from schools in Hoboken, around the state, across the country and spanning the globe. Help me welcome all of our new families.
If your family is interested in our district's Breathe to Perform initiative, then take a look at all of the free programs we are offering throughout this school year and register. I am sure that you will find them so beneficial.
In closing, I want to thank all of you for your cooperation, patience and partnership. All three ingredients make for an incredible school district. I could not ask for a more committed collection of guardians and parents. You are truly amazing and I am honored to serve the Hoboken Public School District.
Sincerely,
Superintendent Johnson
Virtual Back to School Nights
The Hoboken Public School District is excited to announce the dates and times for each of our Back to School Nights. Your child's principal will be sending out specific information to all parents and guardians. Be on the look out!
Brandt Elementary School
- Monday, October 5th from 6:30 pm-8:00 pm
Wallace Elementary School
- Tuesday, October 6th from 6:30 pm-8:00 pm
Connors Elementary School
- Wednesday, October 7th from 6:30 pm-8:00 pm
Hoboken High School
- Thursday, October 8th from 5:00 pm-6:30 pm
Hoboken Middle School
- Thursday, October 8th from 6:30 pm-8:00 pm
Congratulations Hoboken High School...
Check Out Our College Academic & Merit Scholarship Totals
Take A Look At Our 4-Year H.S. Graduation Cohort Rate
The Hoboken Public School District Welcomes All Of Our New Students
ABC Kidz Academy, Harrison, NJ
All Saints, Hoboken, NJ
Amanda Stout School , Reading, PA
Alfred E. Zampella School #27, Jersey City, NJ
Apple Montessori, Hoboken, NJ
Batterman Elementary School, Las Vegas NV
Beacon School, NYC
Berkley Street Elementary, New Milford, NJ
Blue School, NYC
Christa McAuliffe School #28, Jersey City, NJ
Cordero School #37, Jersey City, NJ
County Prep (Hudson County), Jersey City, NJ
Dickinson High School, Jersey City, NJ
Dwight School, NYC
Edwards Middle School in Charlestown, MA
Elisabeth Morrow Schools, Englewood, NJ
Elysian Charter School, Hoboken, NJ
Emerson Middle School, Union City, NJ
Euclid Elementary, Hasbrouck Heights, NJ
Ferris High School, Jersey City, NJ
Fishtown Montessori, Philadelphia, PA
Franklin Williams School #7, Jersey City, NJ
High Tech (Hudson County), Secaucus, NJ
Hoboken Catholic Academy, Hoboken, NJ
Hoboken Charter School, Hoboken, NJ
Hoboken Kiddie Academy, Hoboken, NJ
Hoboken Montessori, Hoboken, NJ
It Takes a Village Preschool, Jersey City, NJ
Jersey City Community Charter School
Judy & John Goolsby Elementary School, Nevada
Kaplan, Hoboken, NJ
Learning Community Charter School, Jersey City, NJ
Milton Allen Elementary School, Medford, NJ
Montrose Early Childhood, So. Orange, NJ
Mustard Seed School, Hoboken, NJ
My Little Gan, Hoboken, NJ
North Bergen Middle School, North Bergen, NJ
Our Lady of Czestochowa, Jersey City, NJ
P.S. 6, Jersey City, NJ
P.S. 8, Jersey City, NJ
P.S. 36, Jersey City, NJ
P.S. 191, NYC
Playhouse, West Orange, NJ
Pre K Desert Torah Academy, Nevada
Primary Prep, Jersey City, NJ
Prime Time Hoboken, Hoboken, NJ
Transitional K at YMCA, Wycoff, NJ
Roosevelt Elementary School, Cheektowaga, NY
Ridge School, Ridgewood NJ
Sarkis & Siran Gabrellian Learning Center, Hackensack, NJ
Secaucus Middle School, Secaucus, NJ
Solomon Schechter, New Milford, NJ
Stevens Cooperative School, Hoboken, NJ
St. Nicholas School, Jersey City, NJ
St. Peter's Prep, Jersey City, NJ
Temple B’nai Torah Preschool, NYC
Tessa International School, Hoboken, NJ
The Community School, Teaneck, NJ
Whitney M. Young Community School, Jersey City, NJ
Workspace Education Without Walls, New Milford, CT
International/U.S. Territory
Escola Green Book - Brazil
G.D. Goenka Public School, India
Julio Collazo Silva School, Puerto Rico
Leader English School, Taiwan
Rosales De Canal Bilingual School, Spain
Trinity School, Costa Rica
Breathe to Perform for Families
On September 1st Breathe to Perform provided a district wide staff Professional Development on Respiratory Health in a Time of COVID-19. I’m pleased to announce that we have now partnered with Breathe to Perform to offer a once a month Parent/Guardian series with David Bidler and Lex Clark, founders and CEOs of Breathe to Perform. Both David and Lex have participated in state of the art neurological protocols with leading neuroscience expert Dr. Andrew Huberman at Stanford University, as well as Dr. Jose Herrero of Feinstein Institute for Medical Research and North Shore University Hospital where David worked with Dr. Herrero to develop real time breath control protocols to better map the neuro-network of the brain. Our Breathe to Perform Parent Series kicks off on Tuesday, October 20th at 3:50 p.m. via Google Meet. The first three editions of the Breathe To Perform family edition will cover topics related to The Impacts of Masks and will open with a powerful conversation on The hidden opportunities of wearing masks at school. For more information about David, Lex and Breathe to Perform please visit their website at https://www.thebreathetoperformprogram.com.
If you would like to participate, please visit the Google MeetUp Link to join:
Breathe to Perform: The Hidden Opportunities of Wearing Masks at School
Date: October 20, 2020
Time: 3:50 - 4:20
Google MeetUp Link: meet.google.com/sqx-nyzi-cuw
Breathe to Perform: The Latest Science of Stress Management and Adaptation in Schools
Date: November 17, 2020
Time: 3:50 - 4:20
Google MeetUp Link: meet.google.com/eka-tuhm-spr
Breathe to Perform: Three Tips on How to Improve Mental Focus at School and Home
Date: December 15, 2020
Time: 3:50 - 4:20
Google MeetUp Link: meet.google.com/vmu-eipy-fuf
How to Strengthen your Mind, Body, and Family Connection
Date: January 12, 2021
Time 3:50 - 4:20
Google MeetUp Link: meet.google.com/gfp-mbpr-iez
Simple Strategies for a Fit Family: The 80/20 Rule
Date: February 9, 2021
Time: 3:50 - 4:20
Google MeetUp Link: meet.google.com/fyt-pqhp-nei
March Madness: Family Fit Challenge
Date: March 2, 2021
Time: 3:50 - 4:20
Google MeetUp Link: meet.google.com/jge-osmm-bbo
Shout Out to the HPEF
I can't thank the Hoboken Public Education Foundation enough for all of their support. As you know, the HPEF sponsored our 1:1, Grades 3-12 Chromebook initiative. At this time, all high school, middle school, 5th and 4th grade students have already received Chromebooks. Today, our 3rd grade students are set to receive them. We are well on our way to becoming a Google District fully operational Google District.
A few weeks back, I spoke to HPEF leaders and explained that our art teachers want to eliminate the sharing of supplies. Our art teachers shared a list of items that they feel our student should have. The Hoboken Public Education Foundation graciously agreed to sponsor the purchase of art caddies filled with supplies for every Kindergarten through 5th grade student, as well as sketch pads and drawing utensils for students at the 6th through 12th grade levels. These supplies are being ordered and we can't wait to distribute them to our students.
Hoboken Middle School Announces a Partnership to Positively Impact Student Mental Health
Hoboken Middle School has announced a new partnership to positively impact student mental health. The partnership with Effective School Solutions (ESS) will provide additional therapeutic and counseling support to augment the efforts of district staff. Together, Hoboken Middle School and ESS will implement culturally inclusive mental health programs that improve care, strengthen outcomes, and maintain students in-district.
Mental health has emerged as a top priority for all schools and districts, especially since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Like districts across the country, Hoboken Middle School knows that there are mental health challenges due to the crisis. “Now more than ever, mental health is critical component of student success and we need to do everything we can to ensure our students are receiving the help they require in order to succeed. ESS can help us achieve this goal.”
The ESS program will provide intensive support for students with mental health challenges. Many of the students that ESS aims to serve may otherwise be at risk of placement into a private school outside the district. The ESS program will enable these students to remain in District and benefit from all of the resources the school has to offer.
Duncan Young, CEO of ESS, stated “It’s vital that districts support the mental health of every student. Hoboken Middle School and the District share our vision and we believe we have a moral obligation to address the mental health epidemic, which was compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, because all students deserve to reach their full potential.”
The partnership between Effective School Solutions and Hoboken Middle School began on September 1, 2020.
Since 2009, Effective School Solutions has been a leader in school based mental health. ESS partners with over 100 schools in over 60 districts in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and California to provide comprehensive, cost-effective whole-school clinical programs to K-12 students.
Sneak Peek: Author & Holocaust Survivor Marion Blumenthal Lazan Set to Visit Hoboken Middle School
Following Hitler’s rise to power, the Blumenthal family — father, mother, Marion, and her brother, Albert — were trapped in Nazi Germany. They managed eventually to get to Holland, but soon thereafter it was occupied by the Nazis. For the next six and a half years the Blumenthal's were forced to live in refugee, transit, and prison camps that included Westerbork in Holland and the notorious Bergen-Belsen in Germany. Though they all survived the camps, Walter Blumenthal, Marion’s father, succumbed to typhus just after liberation. It took three more years of struggle and waiting before Marion, Albert, and their mother at last obtained the necessary papers and boarded ship for the United States. Their story is one of horror and hardship, but it is also a story of courage, hope, and the will to survive. Holocaust speaker and author, Marion Blumenthal Lazan’s unforgettable memoir, Four Perfect Pebbles, recalls the devastating years that shaped her childhood. Mrs. Blumenthal Lazan will be visiting Hoboken Middle School on March 22, 2021 to share her powerful story with our students.
Parent & Guardian Communication
If you have any questions regarding your child's school or schedule, please reach out to his or her principal via email. Our principals' email addresses are as follows:
- High School Principal (Robin Piccapietra) robin.piccapietra@hoboken.k12.nj.us
- Middle School Principal (Anna Marra) anna.marra@hoboken.k12.nj.us
- Wallace School Principal (Martin Shannon) martin.shannon@hoboken.k12.nj.us
- Connors School Principal (Juliana Addi) juliana.addi@hoboken.k12.nj.us
- Brandt School Principal (Charles Bartlett) charles.bartlett@hoboken.k12.nj.us
This school year, we are asking all parents and guardians at all school levels to regularly use our student information system (Genesis). If you do not have a Genesis Parent Portal Account for your child or each child in your home, you may complete the Genesis Parent Account Request Survey by clicking below:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeAUvfz30kaSZE4N3pTHB-BDz28ixSuJwjlhKSeM3SyCumDJQ/viewform.
What will you be using Genesis for during the school year?
As parents and guardians, you will be asked to complete a Daily COVID-19 Questionnaire Form for each child in your home if they will be participating in our full-day, onsite traditional learning model. This questionnaire follows N.J. Department of Education guidelines for health and safety. It will ask questions related to symptoms that your child may be experiencing, as well as possible contact and potential exposure to COVID-19.
Each morning, a new Daily COVID-19 Questionnaire will be available between 5 a.m. and 7:45 a.m. This Questionnaire is very important and is part of our commitment to keep everyone safe and healthy. Below, you will find a Screencastify tutorial to help you with this process:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/12IkwL7EICI0JNmjExsdgNffMNR-O8O50/view
For those students who are participating in the full-day remote learning program, parents and guardians will need to submit the Remote Learning Attendance Form each day between 8:15 a.m. and 8:45 a.m. certifying that your child or children will be present for remote learning all day.
Remember, you must complete this form for each child in your home. We have included a Screencastify tutorial below that will assist you with this process as well:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Na8FLtjp-rk_Ssvk-n9VyQQzO3aa_8ds/view
To recap, the completion of the Daily COVID-19 Questionnaire Form will be completed for all children who are coming onsite for our full-day traditional learning model.
The completion of the Remote Learning Attendance Form will be completed for all children who will be staying home and participating in our remote learning model.
We will be sending friendly reminder emails at the start of the year on a daily basis. And, to facilitate practicing both forms, I am respectfully asking all K-12 families in the district to complete both the Daily COVID-19 Questionnaire Form and the Remote Learning Attendance Form during the week of September 14th through the 18th. By doing so, you will help us troubleshoot any issues that families may have or emails that may not be operational.
Partnership with Riverside Medical Group
This school year, we have retained the Riverside Medical Group for required "school physician" services. This medical group has been extremely helpful during the summer months and as we prepare for the opening of school As you know, Riverside has facilitated the vast majority of testing in the City of Hoboken. As a result of our new partnership, they have offered to make testing for Hoboken Public School District students as easy and seamless as possible. They have created a dedicated email for parents and guardians of students in our district who would like to make an appointment for COVID-19 testing. If you would like to have your child tested, please send an email to hobokenstudenttesting@riversidemedgroup.com. Let them know that you would like to have your child, who attends the Hoboken Public School District, tested and leave a phone number so they can reach back out to you. They will expedite your request and schedule an appointment for your child.
Parent & Guardian Resources
Our Assistant Superintendent's Office has developed an interactive site to assist families with remote learning and beyond. This site was created in response to feedback from parents and guardians over the past few months. We are cognizant that the partnership between home and school is critical both in the traditional and remote learning models. You will find student links, as well as parent and guardian resources. There is also valuable information about Chromebooks, the Google Classroom, various platforms and online safety. Take a look by clicking the link below.
Curriculum Updates
Over the summer months, our Assistant Superintendent and teachers worked to make some positive changes to our curriculum. Middle School Science, Elementary English Language Arts, and Elementary Social Studies documents have all been updated. The work that was completed over the summer is comprehensive and best-in-class.
Units in the Middle School Science curriculum were shifted in order to push Project Lead the Way learning to the end of the year. We want to be sure that all students will experience those particular units of study onsite.
At the elementary level, staff members worked to integrate explicit instruction in the Writers Workshop Model with concrete guidance and recommendations, detailed unit pacing guides, and writing units. It was our goal to present robust instruction in the art of writing. In the social studies content area, you will see that we dug deep into the themes of Social Justice and made powerful literature connections that will highlighted authentic writing opportunities. We are proud to present our partnership with Teaching Tolerance and the ways in which those standards are horizontally and vertically spiraled across each grade level and cumulatively from Kindergarten through Grade 5.
At the high school level, curriculum was developed for newly required courses for graduation at Hoboken High School. Before students leave Hoboken High School, they will take African American History and Culture in America, Latino History and Culture in America, People Who Have Shaped the World, and Holocaust and Genocide Studies.
I would like to thank Sandra Rodriguez-Gomez, Christopher Munoz, Paul Huggins, Karen Koerner, Dr. Robin Baskinger, Christy Gaudio, Savannah Januse, Corrine Yorlano-Doughtery, Elizabeth Lawrence, Kimberly Mara, and Milana Ayers for their work on these curriculum documents. Their dedication ensures that Hoboken Public Schools will continue to thrive and continuously strive for excellence.
To view all curriculum documents, please visit http://www.hoboken.k12.nj.us/curriculum.
Our District's Commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
This summer, I presented a resolution to the Board of Education that exemplifies our commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The Board Members unanimously approved my resolution. The resolution not only guides our work, but reflects our values and promise to all students and staff in the district. To review the resolution, please see the attachment below.
Expansion of Seamless Meal Program
We have just learned that a bill has been signed that will extend the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) and Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) through the end of the 2020-2021 school year. This means that all students, regardless of their pay status, will receive a free lunch (and breakfast if participating in the Breakfast Program) all school year. The Hoboken Public School District has applied once again and is approved for the continuation of SSO, as well as the service of meals on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays. Parents may come once a week to receive up to seven days’ meals for students on remote learning. Students who are onsite may bring meals home for the weekends and holidays. Pomptonian Food Service will continue to monitor the evolving regulations and work with our district to guarantee that our cafeterias are running as efficiently as possible.
Hoboken Public Schools - A District Dedicated to Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships
Our Vision
The Hoboken Public School District will be recognized as a premier educational choice and widely known as a best-practice model for academic growth, high quality instruction, innovative and equitable programs, engagement, facilities and personalized pathways that are essential for college, career and life-preparedness in our ever-changing, interconnected global society.
Our Mission
The Hoboken Public School District will prepare confident and resilient graduates who value academic achievement, embrace challenge, honor diversity, appreciate collaboration, and respectfully contribute to their local and wider communities.
Our District Goals
The Hoboken Public School District will implement a rigorous, relevant and responsive curriculum that meets the needs of all students, fosters personalized pathways for learning, and ensures continuous academic growth.
The Hoboken Public School District will support its diverse staff in professional growth, encourage them to serve as role models, and empower them to provide the highest quality of instruction for our students.
The Hoboken Public School District will develop and implement unique and innovative programs that promote global learning, ensure equitable access, and foster the social, emotional and academic growth of each student.
The Hoboken Public School District will engage and communicate with families and the wider community to bridge understanding and advance partnerships.
The Hoboken Public School District will operate well-maintained and safe facilities that respond to our growing student enrollment, support our academic and co-curricular programs, and promote pride across the city.
Email: district@hoboken.k12.nj.us
Website: www.hoboken.k12.nj.us
Location: 524 Park Avenue, Hoboken, NJ 07834
Phone: (201) 356-3600
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HobokenPublicSchoolDistrict/
Twitter: @HobokenSchools