We have had a number of exciting events for our students and community over the past couple of months! Continue reading below for more information!

Please remember that I am here to support the students however I can. I am available to meet if a student needs help or just wants to talk! Don't hesitate to reach out if I can support you in any way.

My website is updated with links to resources and information!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Stiles

mstiles@greenhills.org

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We have started a new initiative this year at Green, to help recognize all of the wonderful things our students do on a daily basis! Green Hills Horseshoes are given out to students and classrooms for modeling behaviors that make our school wonderful! For our elementary classes, horseshoes can be displayed outside of classroom doors and each one brings the class and school closer to amazing rewards. Our middle school students will have horseshoes placed on their lockers to recognize their remarkable contributions to our school. We just reached our first major milestone by earning 200 horseshoes, and we celebrated with an afternoon of games outside right before Thanksgiving break. It was amazing to see the students take a break and enjoy their well-earned recognition! We are already thinking about how to celebrate our next goal of 500 horseshoes!

With the help of parents and community members, we hosted a Career Fair in the middle school on November 8th!! Students had the chance travel to different classrooms throughout the afternoon to learn about various careers that may be of interest to them! Students enjoyed being able to take the times to gather information about a number of different occupations. Thank you so much to all of the people who took time out of their day to make this day a success!!

The Center for Prevention and Counseling has been sponsoring their"What's Your Anti-Drug?" and "What Makes You Happy?" contests for over 22 years! This year, there were over 450 entries representing 29 schools in Sussex County. The Center had the difficult task of choosing 65 entries to be included in a special edition of the New Jersey Herald, and two of our Green Hills students were chosen as winners!

Congratulations to Julien Reira and Jace Olsyn for your outstanding work!! We will be receiving copies of the Herald to share with our students.

There were significant changes made to the HIB Law in the state of New Jersey that took effect this school year. Mr. Bollette and Mrs. Stiles offered a parent presentation for community members. These presentations are an important way for our parents to learn about the steps we take to prevent and address bullying in our schools.

Click here to view a PDF of our presentation.

We had a number of important events to celebrate Red Ribbon Week at Green Hills!

The Center for Prevention and Wellness offered our 7th and 8th grade students the opportunity to participate in a program called “Don’t Get Vaped In." The program taught students about the dangers of vaping, the alarming trend in marketing vapes towards young people, and helpful strategies to handle peer pressure.

The “Hidden in Plain Sight” presentation, also brought to us by the Center for Prevention, was offered to parents and community members. We had the chance to hear from prevention specialists about drug trends, how to prevent youth substance use disorders and understand resources available to help keep youth healthy. Parents were provided with a wealth of information to help them look past the obvious and become aware of the signs and symptoms of drug misuse.

Finally, our 5th grade students are Our fifth grade students are spending time with officers from the Sussex County Sheriff's office for the L.E.A.D. program, which "promotes positive, pro-social attitudes and behaviors, while helping students learn about fostering healthy relationships, resistance to substance abuse and conflict, and resistance to negative peer pressure and influence." Students will have the opportunity to participate in ten weekly lessons, which will focus on the development of specific traits and skills: goal setting, decision making, effective communication, anger management, conflict resolution, and pro-social bonding. To learn more about this program, click here.

To close out our Bullying Prevention Month activities, we were thrilled to offer an assembly for our students brought to us by Box Out Bullying, a national touring organization which specializes in bullying prevention. The elementary students learned more about what bullying is and isn't, with a focus on building empathy, all while participating in an interactive live theater performance. Middle school students explored the severity of cyberbullying while focusing on the importance of being an upstander when we see bullying taking place.

Parents play a key role in helping to prevent and respond to bullying. For more information about what you can do to be part of the solution, go to stopbullying.gov for valuable resources.

We are extremely excited to announce the creation of a new student organization at Green Hills School! The Mustang Zone is a club for students in grades 6 - 8 who want to strengthen the culture and climate at school. Mr. Bollette and I will meet with students to discuss various ways that we can build a school community where everyone is respected and supported. The mission of the Mustang Zone is to provide a welcoming, safe, and inclusive space for all members of the school community. The Mustang Zone will work to understand the value of each others’ differences and to create a strong sense of belonging here at school. Working as a group, students will plan and facilitate school-wide activities designed to foster a culture of acceptance and understanding. We will also focus on community outreach, and we hope to plan fundraisers and family events. I cannot wait to see the positive impact this group will have on our school and community!

We are currently meeting during extended homeroom time on Tuesday mornings, and may add additional meeting times as the year progresses. All students in grades 6 - 8 are welcome to join! Please reach out to me (Mrs. Stiles) or Mr. Bollette with any questions!

It likely goes without saying that students might be feeling more stress and anxiety lately. One practice that can help decrease and manage overwhelming feelings when they arise is mindfulness. Mindfulness helps to bring our focus to the present moment to observe our thoughts without judgment. The practice can also help to minimize negative thoughts that can spiral out of control. I have created a playlist of short mindful minute exercises for students to listen to when they feel the need to reset their thoughts or emotions. I will be adding to the playlist (click here) throughout the rest of the year.

I have updated my webpage to include a virtual office where you will be able to find information and helpful resources! It is a work in progress, so be sure to check in regularly for new information! Click on my bitmoji above to take a look around!