Hillcrest North January Newsletter
January 2023
Principal's Message
The month of January was an exciting time at Hillcrest Academy North. HAN students are working diligently in completing their assignments in classes and reflecting on SEL skills they have learned this month. With Leadership and Courage being the theme of the month, I have observed several meaningful and effective lessons students were engaged in. In particular, the Do Nows that teachers open every class with, have asked very intriguing and reflective questions aligned to this theme. Students have responded very positively to being a part of the discussion and dialogue that teachers are facilitating! When asked to reflect on what was learned from the activity, students have responded with a myriad of very thoughtful responses.
Great job, HAN Superstars!
Upcoming Dates
February 3, 2023- Union County College Information Session
February 14, 2023- Valentine's Day Senior Bake Sale
February 17-20, 2023- No School for President's Day
March 24, 2023- HAN Career Day
Student of the Month
Jesiree Santana is our student of the month at Hillcrest Academy North and she has quickly made her mark here. She loves taking on extra projects in the building. For example, she wrote close to 30 letters to troops during the holidays for Community Service. When HAN had a Holiday Door Decorating Contest, she took the lead on her homeroom's door design. Jesiree frequently writes notes of encouragement on sticky notes and posts them in the hallway in effort to spread positivity. These actions, coupled with her academics, resulted in Jesiree earning Student of the Month at HAN.
Teacher Spotlight
Ms. Machado Math Teacher
Ms. Machado is our math teacher here at HAN and builds such strong connections with our students, almost like a second mom to some. She graduated from Kean University with a Bachelor's degree in Science and Technology and obtained her Masters in Instruction and curriculum. She has worked at Hillcrest North for the past 12 years! Her favorite thing about working at HAN is building connections with students and working with a big-hearted team! When Ms. Machado was posted on our school's Instagram page, her post was flooded with positive comments from past students really showcasing her strong impact even years later. When asked about Ms. Machado to our current students, here were some of the things they said: "Ms. Machado is such a kind and humble teacher." "I love Ms. Machado! She taught me chess!" and "She always makes me feel welcomed!"
Classroom Spotlights
Ms. Killeen
In the month of January, my English classes took a step back from from traditional English writing assignments. I really wanted students to learn something that they feel can be very useful to them, and I know many of them are interested in learning more about their careers and how to make a good living. What better way than to combine English and career skills by introducing cover letters!
Students were encouraged to really think about what they would like to do as potential careers, and conducted research through the Occupational Handbook Outlook website. Students gained a lot of insight about their dream jobs including the pay, the job growth, number of jobs available, the skills needed, and the working environment. Then students chose one of the three jobs to apply to by writing a mock cover letter! This has been one of my favorite assignments this schoolyear because it is solely based on students' interests and the skills can be applied to real life.
Pictured is a sample cover letter a student wrote, with their name blocked out for privacy. The student's main goal after high school is to become a flight attendant. He completed research on the skills necessary to be a flight attendant and then crafted a strong cover letter that any employer would be impressed with!
Ms. Rehwinkel
Factoring quadratics might be the most complicated problem Algebra students have encountered so far in their math education. It is an open-ended question that can force students to consider multiple paths for a solution, and each path could have multiple outcomes. At the same time, most Algebra students still aren’t sure how they feel about that “x” they find down every path. But, just as complicated as finding the solution might seem, understanding and mastering the process is just as important.
A math teacher, like myself, might secretly admit that she loves factoring. It is like a little puzzle, a mini game I can play in my head. It’s a rewarding game too, because I know I will definitely, eventually, be successful, and factoring that quadratic into two binomials proves once again that math can bring order to the world. But all of the steps - factoring the constant term, picking a pair of numbers, choosing the right sign for each number, and then possibly having to start all over again - can be overwhelming for students, especially those whose mental math skills are a little rusty.
I wouldn’t be much of a math teacher, though, if I didn’t think that all students could learn to factor and probably learn to like it. I was happy to find a little math game that got the students factoring before I even mentioned the term.
The internet called it a Diamond Chart, and I introduced it as a game to start a new unit. The students saw it as a nice break from multiplying polynomials (not an “x” variable in sight!), and I provided a multiplication chart for the students that benefited from that support. The first example I present is on the left with the solution on the right.
It was a hit. All students found success with the game that first day, enthusiastically searching through the columns and rows of the multiplication chart, if necessary. The next day I demonstrated how the same game could be used to factor quadratics, and the students already had confidence that they could solve this new problem. We have spent almost two weeks factoring quadratics of varying complexity with the Diamond Chart, and when I asked my students how they felt about factoring, they said: “It’s easy!”
January at HAN
Mr. Kaplan making his weekly egg sandwiches for students!
Principal Awards for our students this month!
Student Art Projects!
Theme of the Month: Leadership and Courage
Ms. Lederman's Class Working on Do Now Questions
Ms. Lederman's class has been working hard all month answering Do Now questions related to January's theme of Leadership and Courage. Some of the thought provoking questions included: "Under what conditions would it be courageous to say something? explain something? Ask a question? test a hypothesis? advance a theory? publish a book?" and "Were you born to be a leader? What leadership qualities do you have?" Students had such meaningful discussions with one another based on their answers and learned from one another.
Motivational Sticky Notes Around the Hallways
Success Seminar New Year's Resolutions
School in the Community
Earning Community Service Hours
Uno Battle Royale at Elizabeth Public Library
Two students made it to the final round!
"Crafternoon"
Students earning additional community service hours at the Union Public Library!
About us
Location: 2630 Plainfield Ave, Scotch Plains, NJ 07076
Phone Number: (908) 233-9366