Welcome Back! What a wonderful start to the school year! I could not have been more proud of the students and staff for their readiness to re-engage! The kids entered the first day of school with a positive attitude and complete respect for their education! I spoke to the kids about school expectations as they relate to masks and attendance and they have been more than compliant! Thank you for your support!

We welcomed HSE staff back to school on September 1, 2021 for a full day of professional development. Our goal was to reconnect with East family members and to appreciate what we do matters and that we are ALL important parts to the success of our mission! I spoke to the staff about establishing the mindset that our job has meaning in this world and that we are all agents of change! We worked collaboratively to articulate what a student should be able to think, do, and say after having been under our guidance for the past four years. We also discussed whether our infrastructure is currently designed to meet the expectations. We evaluated our progress regarding the nine characteristics that define highly effective schools.

Staff highlighted the characteristics they believe define a Raider:

• Life-long learner
• Accountable
• Problem Solver/Critical Thinker
• Empathetic
• Civic Mindset
• Grit
• Positive mental health and wellness

We will be meeting with our students and parents to further define these characteristics in follow up workshops.

Thank you for your patience as we navigated the morning drop off the first few days of school. Positive attendance is a staple at East and we appreciated the effort to be on time this morning!

All students in grades 6-12 are provided with a district chromebook which will remain in their possession until they graduate from Toms River schools. We are asking for all families to review the student device handbook, which can be accessed both on the district website Parents page at https://www.trschools.com/Parents and on the Parent Portal. We are offering optional insurance coverage that parents will have an opportunity to waive in lieu of acceptance of a fee schedule that is outlined within the handbook. Please visit the Parent Portal at your earliest convenience to review the district policies and procedures. All parents are required to either waive or accept the optional insurance by September 30th or the family will be considered as having waived the insurance and will be responsible for the fees as outlined in the handbook. If there are no damages reported within a given school year, the chromebook insurance will carry over from year to year for students who have paid and/or are exempt. Any student who is currently in possession of a district device will be asked to return that device before receiving a new one.

We will be holding our Back to School Night on Thursday, September 23, 2021 at 6 pm at HSE. The evening will conducted in a HYBRID mode to support families not being comfortable attending in-person. I sent home the brochure highlighting specific details in the summer mailing. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me.

Spanish version of our Back to School Night information:

• https://docs.google.com/document/d/10AjLSBDIbZ3HDhYpZPTo72hK03TWRw2u793ZKmO8CSQ/edit?usp=sharing
  

I would like to thank JF Party Dragon Charity for their commitment to support our students in need. Every year, JF Party Dragon donates school supplies to our at-risk student population! Thank you for your continued support!

To learn more about his organization, click on the following link:

• https://www.jfpartydragon.com/
  

We held our Raiders Remember 9/11 Ceremony on Friday morning on the front patio. I spoke about the importance of appreciating what it means to accept opinions or behavior that do not necessarily agree with our own. Raiders are expected to demonstrate tolerance, respect, and empathy. Mr. Cohen spoke to the students about his recollection of the events that unfolded that day. Mr. Cohen emphasized what we learned from 9/11 and how we can move forward as a society. Security Officer Mr. Ralf Solomone spoke about his personal experiences having been in the Twin Towers moments before they collapsed. Mr. Solomone stressed the importance of not forgetting and being kind to others. Student Body President, Hannah Fuschetto, provided concluding remarks to her peers about the importance of being a person of character! I could not have been more proud of our students and staff for their behavior throughout the day in remembrance of those who lost their lives to the senseless acts of terrorism! Raiders will always remember!

High School East remains committed to supporting the needs of our students and families. We believe in the importance of establishing healthy school-home relationships and working collaboratively towards aligned goals. We will be holding workshop/meeting activities throughout the year and we are proud to announce our October meeting dates/times:

• October 13 @6:30 pm in our Media Center - Topic: Genesis Training for our Hispanic Student Population
• October 26 @6:00 pm in our Media Center - Topic: Genesis Training for All Interested Families
• October 27 @6:00 pm in our Cafeteria - Topic: Establishing Consensus on School Goals

More to follow on these workshops!

Congratulations to our football team for their impressive win over South Friday evening! What a way to welcome back the fall season with a big win in front of a tremendous crowd. Special thanks to our Raider Nation for providing a fun atmosphere! Great job to our Band and our Cheerleaders for their spirited performances that evening!

Our boys soccer team split this week, beating Pinelands but losing to North. Our girls soccer team tied North and beat Pinelands to open Coach Blondina's varsity account! Our field hockey team lost two games, but beat Brick Memorial to get their first win for the season under their belt. Our volleyball team won both of their matches to begin their season 2-0! Way to go girls! Our tennis team lost both of their matches, but played competively! Our boys cross-country team placed 18th out of 45 at the Cherokee Competition. Our girls placed four medal winners in a successful outing this past Saturday! Keep up the great work kids!

Parents/Guardians, a friendly reminder to be sure you have updated and completed the following forms related to:

• Emergency Contacts
• Health Screenings Information
• Health Insurance Information
• Parent Medical Consent
• Technology Permission Form
• Technology- Acceptable Use Form
• Media Release
• School Cafe - Free & Reduced Lunch Application
• School Calendar
• Clever Login