The Herald
Hoboken Public School District
Superintendent's Weekly Message - January 11, 2020
I hope that you and your family are enjoying this beautiful weekend. Take time to get outside and play, visit local shops and restaurants, or simply walk along the waterfront.
In this edition of The Herald, I have included information about our internationally acclaimed, High School Debate Team, the addition of a new ice hockey clinic to our Passport to Learning Program series, and a cohort of High School students who were accepted to participate in a summer exchange learning program. Once again, I have included information on inclement weather closings. Please understand that there are many factors that go into making the decision to delay an opening, dismiss early or close for the day. I am acutely aware that these decisions will never make everyone happy. I ask that you respect all that goes into my final decision.
In addition, there is information about our college and university process. Hoboken High School's Guidance Department is in full swing. And, the Class of 2020 has already earned over $16 million in academic and merit scholarship awards.
As you know, our school community is dedicated to building global citizens, in addition to this year's trip to Greece and next year's planned trip to the Galapagos Islands, our Classroom without Walls Program has organized a service learning trip to Puerto Rico in February of 2021. As we connect students to the rest of the world, our goal is also to connect our district families. We have included invitations for Digital Citizenship Day, along with a dedication of sensory hallways in Shirael Pollack's name, at Wallace Elementary School tomorrow at 3:00 p.m.
Take time and read about our new Vocabulary.com initiative, as well as our Middle and High School winter sports' offerings.
I encourage you to take time to review The Herald. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook too. Each week, you will see that I highlight one or two schools so that every family has the chance to learn about the entire district. Over the past two weeks, I have highlighted each of our schools in The Herald. In this addition, I have included a range of items from across the district.
Have a wonderful break. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at your convenience.
Sincerely,
Superintendent Johnson
Governor's Teachers and Specialists of the Year
Early Childhood Learning Center at Calabro
- Cecily Evans (GTOTY)
- Nory Rojas (GSOTY)
Brandt Elementary School
- Megan Tainter (GTOTY)
- Jessica Hosbach (GSOTY)
Connors Elementary School
- Lauren Schultes (GTOTY)
- David White (GSOTY)
Wallace Elementary School
- Jacqueline Cordero (GTOTY)
- Theresa Coari (GSOTY)
Hoboken Middle School
- Jaclyn Gennarelli (GTOTY)
- Ivan Ramos (GSOTY)
Hoboken High School
- Samuel Thomas (GTOTY)
- Patricia Drumgoole (GSOTY)
Newest Cohort of Hoboken High School's International Travel Scholars
Hoboken Public Education's Sensory Hallway Dedication Invitation
On January 12th, Hoboken Public Elementary Schools will unveil sensory hallways. Through these sensory pathways students will be encouraged to crawl, march, hop, and jump to release energy and regain focus.
The new sensory hallways, which will include colorful prompts and pictures on both the floors and walls, are designed to encourage attention and learning, whether children need to re-energize or to settle down through movement.
The Office of Special Services and the Office of the Superintendent pitched the idea of sensory hallways to the Hoboken Public Education Foundation as a special way to honor the late Shirael Pollack. As a related services provided and advocate for all children, Shirael and Superintendent Johnson often talked about the benefits installing sensory paths to address high-energy, anxiety, and coordination. Sensory paths in our schools' hallways are a great way to positively affect school climate and culture, while providing brain breaks and promoting health and wellness.
After the idea was presented to the Hoboken Public Education Foundation and approved, each elementary school principal was informed of the initiative and details. Teachers and paraprofessionals were equally as excited to learn about the new additions to their schools.
Installation has been scheduled. There will be a district-wide event and unveiling at the Wallace Elementary School on Sunday, January 12th at 3:00 p.m. Mr. Mark Mautone will do a brief presentation on the topic of sensory hallways to all adults in attendance while children enjoy hot cocoa and healthy treats. The Hoboken Public Education Foundation will then dedicate the entire project to Shirael Pollack, original co-founder of the Foundation. All those in attendance will be walked to see the sensory hallways, as well as the plaque hung in honor of Shirael Pollack.
See You On The Ice!
We are so pleased to announce that the Passport to Learning Adventure Series will be hosting an all-level Ice Hockey Clinic! The Passport to Learning Adventure Series offers experiential learning opportunities outside the school district and in the great outdoors. Each event is designed to foster community, promote independence, educate through experience, and get kids outside and out of their comfort zones.
The Passport to Learning Ice Hockey Clinic is open to all interested students in grades 5-12. The program is for all level hockey players from first-timers to pros! If your child has never skated, played ice hockey, or doesn't have equipment not to worry. Simply complete the online registration and we will pair your child with an instructor that can meet their needs.
https://PTL.regfox.com/passport-to-learning-adventure-serie…
The clinics will take place at the Secaucus Ice Rink from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. on the following mornings: January 22, 2020, February 3, 2020, February 5, 2020, and February 19, 2020. All registered students will be picked up in front of the Wallace Elementary School at 5:30 a.m. on each of the scheduled clinic days and then dropped off at their respective schools.
The cost of the clinic includes ice time, transportation and all skill appropriate equipment needed. This price is standard and will be the same for students who bring their own equipment. We look forward to seeing everyone on the ice!
Vocabulary.com Integrated in Hoboken Middle and High School's Academic Programs
As part of our commitment to integrating technology effectively into instruction, Hoboken High School subscribes to Vocabulary.Com, an adaptive, game-based web learning tool. Vocabulary.Com has a dictionary of over 14,000 words and a bank of over 167,000 questions that allow students to master multiple meanings of the words they learn. Increased vocabulary is one of the critical foundations for academic success. Word mastery comes as a result of encountering vocabulary repeatedly and in different contexts. This web-based platform is adaptive in that it tailors the questions for students to align with their needs. If a student is struggling with a word, they will receive questions about that word with greater frequency until mastery is achieved. Once mastery is achieved, the word will still recur from time to time, to ensure the word is truly integrated into that student’s personal bank of words.
Anyone can play the free version of Vocabulary.Com by creating an account, but the version we have allows teachers to completely tailor the learning experience using the data dashboard. The dashboard of student progress shows them how students are doing, including time spent using the platform, numbers of words mastered, and scores on the quizzes. All of our teachers at HHS have accounts and received training on the platform. Teachers can create word lists for their classes by copying and pasting text from any online source, such as news articles and primary source documents. The program also has word lists already pulled from classic and contemporary novels. Because teachers can select their own text sets, the program is truly cross curricular. Vocabulary.com creates an initial list of words from the text, which teachers can edit to exclude or include any word from the list, as well as select specific word meanings to practice. Teachers create lists for practice and can assign quizzes to check for mastery.
In Hoboken Middle School, Vocabulary.com is a very important component of the core novel initiative. Through incorporating vocabulary.com in both our Humanities and STEM blocks students have the opportunity to achieve mastery of academic vocabulary, leading to improved comprehension skills across the curriculum. Vocabulary.com utilizes a variety of approaches including but not limited to classroom “vocab jams”. Parents and children can use the site together, see the link below for an article about vocabulary.com and why it is so important to us as we grow writing across the curriculum.
https://help.vocabulary.com/hc/en-us/articles/213742628-Why-use-Vocabulary-com-
Lastly, what students like about the platform is that it is game-based. As students answer questions correctly and learn words, they earn points and level up through badges based on various achievements, such as correctly answering 5 questions in a row, or getting a perfect score for a round. Students can track their own progress as they learn and they can add words into their lists. As a whole class activity, the teacher can start a vocabulary jam, in which students compete as teams. This really gets them engaged. In this school year alone, our student body answered 176,000 questions, mastered 14,609 words, and spent 1055 hours learning through it. How amazing is that?
Hoboken High School Debate Team Prepares for Competitions and Activities
Debate Team Competitions & Activities Calendar
Take a walk down memory lane...Harvard Model Congress Europe 2019 Closing Ceremonies and announcements of international awards of excellence.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1113184629933182977
Internal
- High School Mock Trial Performance - (December)
- Middle School Mock Trial Performance - (January)
- End of the year family dinner and awards celebration (May)
- Weekly Wednesday meetings 3-5pm
External
- Hudson County Mock Trial Competition (January-February)
- Model United Nations Debate Competition (March)
- Harvard Model Congress Conference in Spain (March)
- Freeholders (April)
Classrooms without Walls
College and University Update
Albright College
Allegheny College
Assumption College
Becker College
Boston College
Brown University
Bryant University
Caldwell University
Colorado State University
University of Connecticut
Culver Stockton College
Curry College
Delaware Valley University
University of Delaware
Dominican College
Emory University (Scholars Program)
Florida Gulf Coast University
University of Hartford
Hofstra University
Immaculata University
Johnson & Wales University (Providence)
Kean University
Keystone College
Lincoln College
Lincoln University
University of Maine
McDaniel College
McPherson College
Michigan State University
Mitchell College
Monmouth University
Montclair State University
Morehead State University
Mount St. Mary's University - Maryland
New England College
New England Institute of Technology
University of New Haven
New Jersey City University
New Jersey Institute of Technology
The College of New Jersey
New York Institute of Technology
North Carolina State University
Ohio Wesleyan University
Pace University, New York City (Dyson College of Arts and Sciences)
Pennsylvania State University
Plymouth State University
Princeton University
Ramapo College of New Jersey
University of Rhode Island
Rutgers University-New Brunswick
Rutgers University-Newark
Sacred Heart University (University College)
Saint Anselm College
Saint Peter's University
Seton Hall University
St. Francis College
St. John's University
Stevens Institute of Technology
Stockton University
Stonehill College
SUNY Morrisville
Susquehanna University
The University of Tampa
Temple University
Ursinus College
Vanderbilt University
Virginia State University
West Virginia University
Western Connecticut State University
Wilkes University
William Paterson University of New Jersey
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Yale University
Connors Elementary School Setting an Example
At Connors Elementary School, 57 kindergarten through fifth grade students are growing their literacy and computer skills in Passport to Learning’s Tech for Success ELA program. The unique structure of this technology infused program provides students with the opportunity to engage in three highly engaging literacy stations.
At the first computer-based literacy station, first through fifth grade students have access to Education.com. Education.com is the award-winning provider of engaging, standards-aligned reading and learning games. The program embeds instructional content into the core mechanics of gameplay. At the same time, kindergartners are gaining foundational literacy skills through Starfall.com. The web-based program emphasizes exploration, play and positive reinforcement - encouraging our youngest learners to become confident and intrinsically motivated readers.
At the second computer-based literacy station, students have access to KidsA-Z.com. This online program helps students to improve fluency and comprehension skills at their individual reading levels by using eTools for active reading. With access to over 2000 ebooks, students are increasing both their reading levels and important 21st century skills.
At the third literacy station, students engage in the reading process by reading beautifully illustrated children’s books and high-interest novels alongside the teacher. Teachers use a responsive teaching style to tailor phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary or comprehension focused lessons to students’ individual learning interests and levels. This ensures that every student grows important literacy skills while also fostering a love for reading.
We look forward to setting this program up in Brandt and Wallace Elementary Schools.
Inclement Weather Communications Protocol
When making my decision, I must assess the following:
1) Weather conditions in all of the districts in which our teachers and staff members live. In order to open, we must be staffed at a level which is deemed safe. If our teachers' childrens' schools are closed or if they cannot make it into Hoboken safely, we will not have the ability to adequately supervise children;
2) Conditions of roads, sidewalks, corners and crosswalks throughout Hoboken;
3) Icing and utility conditions;
4) Bus routes for all of our out of district students;
5) Status of High Tech, County Prep and surrounding districts.
As Superintendent of Schools, I will use three platforms to communicate my decision regarding school closings directly with families, using the following the plan:
1. Once a decision has been made to delay our opening, close our schools early or not open at all, parents will receive a call, text message, and an email message via the use of SchoolMessenger Communicate. This automated parent notification system rapidly alerts all families and is a direct form of communication to all parents. The system is programmed to send messages to all those numbers and email addresses listed on our students' enrollment and emergency information cards.
2. The school district will keep the entire community informed through local radio stations, TV stations, Internet sites, and by notifying the Hoboken Police and Fire Departments and City of Hoboken. If the Hoboken School District is not mentioned online or on television broadcasts, I encourage families to check our district's website, Facebook page and Twitter account.
3. The homepage of the Hoboken Public School District's website is maintained and includes critical information regarding Hoboken's students and staff. It also includes several stories which provide timely information for parents and community members. In the event of an emergency or change to the school schedule, a highlighted notice will appear on the Hoboken Public School District's website.
Simply put, the Hoboken Public School District's inclement weather communications will comprise of the following:
- Phone, email and text messages to parents
- Local radio and television stations
- District website
- Facebook and Twitter pages
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: 158 4th Street, Hoboken, NJ 07834
Phone: (201) 356-3600
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HobokenPublicSchoolDistrict/
Twitter: @HobokenSchools