Hoboken High School Weekly Update
#redwingway
Our first week back has been absolutely perfect. Students are excited, teachers are energized, and the building is full of students. I want to start by correcting two names from last week's edition. Ms. Fonseca is our new CST School Psychologist, and Ms. Prasisto is our new CST Learning Disabilities Teaching Consultant.
I have had the pleasure of working the 9th grade door this week, getting to know all our new Freshman. The first week jitters seem to have dissipated, and students are getting into the groove. This week the daily COVID forms went very well. If you are still having any difficulty submitting these forms or gaining access to Genesis, please reach out to:
Mr. Piccini at dpiccini@hoboken.k12.nj.us
Mr. Ponce at mponce@hoboken.k12.nj.us
Some important dates to remember:
PTO Meeting, September 21, 2021 at 6:00 pm. This will be a virtual meeting and I will be sharing the link via email on Monday.
Back to School Night, September 29, at 7:00 pm. This will be in person and will provide you the opportunity to meet your child's teachers.
So much to share, so grab a cup of coffee and enjoy the Smore.
Enjoy the weekly
All the best,
Ms. Picc
The Hoboken High School Hispanic Culture Club celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month
With a population of more than 60.6 million, equivalent to 18.5% of the entire population of the United States, Latinx influence is increasing in everyday life and popular culture through music, food, dance, but we also find the influence in science, art, economics, politics and other fields.
Latinx individuals have contributed, and continue to contribute, exponentially, to the development of the United States, and that is why, year after year, Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated. But do you know the story behind this celebration?
Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the history and countless contributions that Latinx people have made to the nation over the years. This month we also honor the cultural richness of Hispanics, who come from Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. This month is celebrated from September 15 to October 15. This time period was chosen because there are several Latin American Independence Days celebrated during that time period, including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua (which all celebrate their Independence Day on September 15th), Mexico (which celebrates its Independence Day on September 16th) and Chile (which celebrates its Independence Day on September 17th).
However, the origin of the festivities dates back to September 1968, when the 36th President of the United States, Lyndon B. Johnson, signed an executive order for the creation of Hispanic Heritage Week that began on September 17th each year. It wasn’t until 1988 that the observance went from one week to 30 days, thanks to the 40th President, Ronald Reagan, who chose to extend the observance of Hispanic heritage to a month. Since then, it has been held every year around the US through festivals, shows, art, conferences, community gatherings, and many more events.
As is tradition, Hoboken High School & Hoboken HS Hispanic Culture Club join this celebration, honoring Latinx people and commemorating all of their contributions to the United States. As part of this celebration, we reaffirm our commitment to work for Hispanics, with special emphasis on our Hoboken school community. Only together, as communities, can we continue building a free, diverse, and just country for all Americans.
On Wednesday, September 15th, the Hoboken High School Hispanic Culture Club hosted our annual Hispanic Heritage Month Flag-raising event. There were some dynamic words, poems, and speeches by HCC members Maria Mastrogiovanni, Amanda Sanchez, and Alexa Bracero.
We strongly urge you to participate in activities that do not jeopardize your safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Much of our festivities will take place virtually or will be postponed. It is important that our community continues to follow the health protocols indicated by the experts so the curve of the spread of the virus can be flattened.
Let’s proudly celebrate our Hispanic heritage!
Technology Assistance
Curriculum Corner
Student Spaceflight Experiments Program This year, participating students will engage in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) Mission 16 to the International Space Station (ISS) hosted by The National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE) as well as the Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Space Education. Students will be led through this amazing experience by Mr. Jean Lebegue. This unique opportunity allows our students to experience what true scientists would do in the field by designing an experiment, conducting research and writing a proposal. Student experiments will be reviewed and selected by a review board. The selected experiment will be conducted in a mini lab under microgravity experimental conditions by astronauts during the Low Earth Orbit en route to the International Space Station. Link to Dr. Jeff Goldstein’s blog post welcoming participating communities to the SSEP Mission 16 to the International Space Station. Girls Who Code - Summer Immersion Program This summer, Amanda Sanchez successfully completed the Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program! Through the program she had the opportunity to collaborate virtually with a student from New Castle, Delaware and they created a whole website using HTML code. Together, the duo worked on different parts of their website such as writing the content, designing the navigation bar, adding the pictures and links, and editing the size of the pictures all through coding. Congratulations Amanda! National Museum of Mathematics - The Steven H. Strogatz Prize for Math Communication Calling all mathematicians! The National Museum of Mathematics annual Steven H Strogatz Prize for Math Communication contest is now open to all qualifying high school students. Applicants must be high school students 15 to 18 years of age as of September 1, 2021. The application deadline is April 27, 2022. Please view the links below for more information.
Guidance
We have had a great week for college visits with our seniors. These colleges include Kean University, Rowan University, Ramapo College and Stevens Institute of Technology. There are so many more to come and a posting will be made every Friday on the Class of 2022 Google Classroom forum. Starting next week, Ms. Gleason will be going into the seniors' English classes to further discuss the application process, help create Common Application accounts and link them to the Naviance database. We look forward to this exciting chapter in the Class of 2022's academic career.
As always, please reach out to your guidance counselor with any questions!
Senior Portraits for the Yearbook
Welcome to the Hoboken School Based Youth Services Student Center!
Our goal at the Student Center is to provide students with the skills and tools needed to overcome challenges, develop a healthy sense of self, and build strong positive relationships with peers, family, school, and community members. We strive to promote academic and social emotional wellness while helping students navigate their day to day.
As we kick-off the school year, the SBYSP’s Student Center staff have been working diligently to develop activities and programming to meet the needs of our students. Foot traffic has been steady as we assist students with acclimating to a new school year and creating academic and personal goals.
Students have engaged in our many activities hosted during lunch periods such as strengthening social connections through ice breakers, games, workshops, movies and more. Stay tuned to our weekly happenings at the Student Center by checking out our monthly calendar posted outside of the Activities Room (219) or by stopping by the Student Center in room 228A.
This coming week, the Student Center will be hosting a Student Paint & Chips event. Students are encouraged to tap into their creativity with some relaxing and therapeutic painting activities. Whether you are the next Basquiat or still drawing stick figures, this event is sure to be a lot of fun. Stop by the Student Center for more info!
ELA
History
The week closes with lessons in recognition of Constitution Day, Friday, September 17. Students examine the purpose behind the US Constitution, the debates that went into its creation, and its application to daily life.
Production in Week 1.
Students in Mr. MacAulay's Video in the Connected World 1 & 2 and Sports and Television Journalism classes enjoyed the beautiful Columbus Park while learning the importance of pre-production. Students were given just a few minutes to organize a story with a beginning, middle and an end, and then they had twenty minutes to shoot the story. The reason behind the rush camera assignment is so students understand the importance of screenwriting/scriptwriting, shot lists and storyboards. Students had the feeling of chaos and disorganization when trying to prepare a story and shoot it in sequence, since there was not going to be an editing of the project. Mr. MacAulay also had the opportunity to see the students' production skills; camera exposure, angles, improvisation, and teamwork. Students had a chance to make a self critique on Friday, as we reviewed the footage and noted what was strong and what needs more work. All six classes gave a fantastic effort which also showed a promising school year.
PLTW Biomedical Science
PLTW Engineering
The 9th grade students in Introduction to Engineering dove right into the design process with the Bean Bag Launch Activity. Students were tasked to create a device to launch a bean bag as far as possible. As a team they first defined the problem and identified constraints. They then collaborated in the generating concepts phase to come up with many unique ideas. Choosing one, they developed it further to build and test it as a prototype. After collecting data they analyzed it and reflected on ways to optimize their device. Through this activity the students are learning how to work in teams to solve problems efficiently. The design process they utilized in this activity will be a common thread throughout all activities in IED.
Science and The Scientific Method
As the Biology CP classes begin their school year, they have been busy reviewing the basics of scientific inquiry. The students have been outlining the steps of the scientific method by exploring each step in depth. They have also been practicing their measurement skills while engaging in a scientific measurement lab this week. The lab was the students’ first opportunity to handle equipment and perform measurements. They were able to demonstrate the proper techniques for using a metric ruler, digital balance scale, and a graduated cylinder while collecting data. These important skills will serve as the backbone for their laboratory experience this year.
Athletics
Girls Varsity Volleyball jumps out to a 4-0 record to start the year, defeating Ferris on the road in 2 sets (25-15, 25-21)! Morgan Walia-Peters led the way with 8 aces and Sophomore Kayla Zegarra had a great defensive game, recording 8 digs. The team also had wins vs St. Dominick Academy and Weehawken at home. Keep up the great work!