Hillcrest North March Newsletter
March 2023
Principal's Message
The month of March was an exciting time at Hillcrest Academy North. Students were very productive in the classrooms and enjoyed learning the content. Career Day took place here at North on March 24, 2023 which was a great success. Students commented on how much they liked hearing and speaking with the professionals that participated that day. The students filled out a pamphlet of career interests which included their experiences and takeaways. They were all engaged and can't wait for the next school-wide activity; they are always very meaningful to students and staff.
Community Service Projects continue to be attended at the Elizabeth Public Library by numerous students especially those looking to graduate.
Please look to the link found at the bottom of this page for our feedback survey. We are always interested in getting better!
Great job, HAN Students and Staff!
Mission, Teamwork, and Communication!
Upcoming Dates
April 6 - Roller Skating Field Trip!
April 7-April 14 - Spring Break!
April 21 - UCC Trip!
Unsung Hero Recipient - Phadnerson
Phadnerson was named Hillcrest Academy North's recipient of the Union County School Boards Association Unsung Hero Award! Phadnerson is in his second year at Hillcrest Academy North. This school year, Phadnerson has already earned various awards in the school – perfect attendance, honor roll, and Best Attitude, to name a few. He is a leader in the building and is often a student we speak to in order to continue to strengthen school culture. The progress Phadnerson has made since last year is truly remarkable. Despite having faced challenges in his life, Phadnerson has not only survived, but he has thrived. He is kind to everyone he encounters and we feel privileged to have him as a student. We are confident that Phadnerson will be successful in anything he sets his mind to in the future.
Students of the Month
Luis & Nakryah
HAN had two Students of the Month! Luis is a returning senior and has grown in both academics and confidence over his time at HAN. He is a leader among the seniors and increases the school climate by constantly modeling what a Hillcrest North student should be. This is Nakyrah's first year at HAN and she quickly became a stand out in the classroom. She adds thoughtful and intelligent comments to class discussions and has helped new students feel welcome at HAN.
Both students embody all the qualities of an exceptional HAN student and everyone is excited to see what they will accomplish after they graduate in June!
Teacher Spotlight
Mr. Kaplan, Social Studies Teacher
Mr. Kaplan is the HAN Teacher of the Year! Mr. Kaplan has been teaching Social Studies at Hillcrest Academy North for seven years. When students were asked about Mr. Kaplan, some of the responses were "Mr. Kaplan is very nice, he greets everyone in the morning!" and "I look forward to Mondays because I know Mr. Kaplan will have his homemade breakfast sandwiches!" On top of all the selfless acts Mr. Kaplan regularly performs, he truly is an incredibly skilled classroom teacher. Every single day in his Social Studies classes, students are intellectually challenged. Mr. Kaplan has created an environment where students feel both emotionally safe and scholastically prepared to participate in class discussions. These discussions cover a wide range of social studies topics, all of which are applicable directly to student lives. Furthermore, Mr. Kaplan has helped students make huge strides as writers. Each week, students are assigned a writing task. Mr. Kaplan writes personal feedback to each student and then asks students to make edits to their writings in order to facilitate growth. These classroom activities give students the tools to become more informed, empowered and responsible members of society.
Classroom Spotlights
Ms. Miller, Social Studies Teacher
Economics students have been focusing on their future finances this month by learning about credit scores, banking systems, and budgeting. Students researched careers and places to live that interested them and created monthly budgets based on the salary and cost of living. Students have increased their financial literacy skills to help increase their level of independence. World History students have been studying the Medieval Ages and how society has changed. Students compared and contrasted the rules that Europe had to follow during the Black Death and the procedures that were put in place due to COVID-19. Students then analyzed the reactions to the Medieval and Modern day pandemics. All Social Studies students have continued studying Current Events every week by watching short, 10 minute videos and engaging in class discussion about what is happening around the world. Students have increased their critical thinking and analytical skills along with building upon their Social Emotional Learning skills.
Ms. Lederman, English Teacher
In English students read their own short story and made a presentation finding multiple literary elements to put on their slides. They had to find the element, a quote that proved that element, as well as an analysis of the element. They also had to answer the question of how the literary elements they found for the slide show supported the theme of the short story. In Media Literacy students have been looking at how the First Amendment and journalism work together. We’ve been discussing facts, opinions, and false facts. We have just started to look at how advertisements use different psychological concepts to manipulate its audience to behave a certain way.
March at HAN
School Culture
Mr. Kaplan spends one day a week reviewing individual assignments with students and providing feedback on how to improve their Claim, Evidence, Analysis Writing skills. Students are familiar with the routine in Mr. Kaplan's classroom and are able to see their writing skills increase as the school year goes on!
Student Leadership
HAN seniors, Kenia and Lizbeth, volunteered to go to the UCESC Office and work on the HAN Bulletin Board. Students helped design and create the bulletin board to show off HAN's Superpowers!
SEL Activity
Students working on communication and cooperation in Ms. Killeen's class while playing various games. Social Emotional Learning is an important part of the school climate at HAN and teachers are very creative at creating new ways to integrate SEL skills into their lessons!
Theme of the Month: Empowerment
Spanish Class Projects
Mrs. Flores' Spanish classes created posters that celebrated Hispanic culture and Women's History Month! Students first had to research a Hispanic country and focus on the culture and customs of that country and then research an influential woman from that country and the impact they have made. The posters now decorate all the hallways of HAN!
Empowerment Do Nows
Ms. Lederman focused her English classes' Do Now questions on the monthly theme of Empowerment. Students were able to answer the question individually and then discuss their thoughts as a group.
Women's History Month Project
Students created posters of influential women from New Jersey for Women's History Month. Students worked with Ms. Rivas to research women from New Jersey and wrote a brief summary of the impact they have made on society.
School in the Community
Career Day
Career Day 2023 was a complete success! Professionals from various industries volunteered their time to speak to the students about their careers and the paths they took to get there. Professionals included Police Offices, Military Personal, Real Estate Agent, Tattoo Artist/Shop Owner, Entrepreneurs, Business Owners, Financial Advisors, College Academic Advisor, and a VP of a Credit Union. Students were able to ask questions and engage in discussion with each professional to help take steps in thinking about the post graduation plans!
UCESC Bulletin Board Contest!
HAN students and HAN Paraprofessional Ms. Rivas went to the UCESC Offices to decorate the HAN Bulletin Board! The contest theme is centered around the superpowers and what makes HAN unique. Students were able to volunteer to work on the bulletin board and earn Community Service hours!
PowerBack Assembly!
PowerBack is an outreach group that focuses on teaching teens about dating violence and what healthy relationships are. Students listened to a presentation and then received information about healthy teen relationships. Students continued the conversation about teen dating through discussions about what they learned with some of the teachers!
Click the link above to complete the UCESC Feedback Survey!
About HAN
Hillcrest Academy North assists students from the Elizabeth Public School District in reaching their full potential by providing an alternative to the traditional high school setting. We offer smaller class sizes with a rigorous and challenging high school curriculum that is aligned to the New Jersey Student Learning Standards and prepares students for college and career. Our goal is to provide a safe, supportive, and empowering school environment that fosters lifelong learning, mutual respect, creativity, and the joy of learning, with an effective, caring, innovative staff, in partnership with home and the community.
Mr. John Marquet, Principal
Mr. Thomas Van Cleef, Supervisor of Instruction
Location: 2630 Plainfield Ave, Scotch Plains, NJ 07076
Phone Number: (908) 233-9366