The Hillside Comet - March 2023

S C H O O L D I S T R I C T N E W S L E T T E R MISSION STATEMENT: The mission of Hillside Public Schools is to provide all students with the knowledge and skills needed to be successful, engaged citizens; citizens that contribute to the vitality of an ever-changing world through rigorous academic, culturally responsive, instructional student support programs. Hillside programs seek to strengthen character, cultivate innovation, and foster leadership.

Welcome to The Hillside Comet, the interactive and informative monthly newsletter for the Hillside Public School district in Hillside, New Jersey! There are multiple ways to engage with the content and information included in this publication. This brief tutorial will explain how to maneuver through the following pages to see all that each department has to offer! Use the backwards and forwards arrows to move from one page to another. Many icons and images within this newsletter are interactive! Hovering your cursor over certain images or clicking the plus sign icon will open a pop-up that provides further information regarding a topic or event. You can identify interactive elements by the fluorescent glow and shape around them, as seen in the examples below: Some photos and elements can be clicked on to take you to different links, pages, or to open videos and additional media. There will be specific text to inform you of what to click, as well as buttons like this: Videos are embedded within the newsletter; you can press play, pause them, as well as turn the sound on or off!

TUTORIAL.....................................................................................................PG. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS................................................................................. PG. 3 SUPERINTENDENT'S MESSAGE ................................................................ PG. 4 MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD OF EDUCATION ........................................PG. 5 BUSINESS OFFICE ........................................................................................PG. 6 DEPARTMENT OF CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION .................................PG. 7 SPECIAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT..............................................................PG. 8 GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT...........................................................................PG. 9 BUILDINGS & GROUNDS DEPARTMENT...................................................PG. 10 ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT............................................................................PG. 11 DATA, STUDENT INFORMATION, & ACCOUNTABILITY DEPARTMENT..............................................................................................PG. 12 TRANSPORTATION & FOOD SERVICES DEPARTMENT...........................PG. 13 TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT....................................................................PG. 14 HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT.........................................................PG. 15

March was Women's History Month across the United States, a month dedicated to "commemorating and encouraging the study, observance and celebration of the vital role of women in American history." (womenshistorymonth.gov) Hillside Public Schools could not thrive without the daily contributions, love, and dedication of our female staff, faculty, parents, and community members. Though Women's History Month is nationally recognized for thirty-one days, the Hillside Public School District cherishes the hard work of women all year- round. To the women of Hillside Public School District, we say thank you! DO YOU KNOW ...THE HILLSIDE PUBLIC SCHOOLS' PRIORITY GOALS? STUDENT SUCCESS ENGAGED WORKFORCE STUDENT WELL-BEING OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE PARTNERSHIPS

There are many wonderful things happening in our schools. The Board of Education encourages all to interact with our websites and social media pages to stay in the know. It takes a village. WEBSITE FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM TWITTER

DIRECTOR OF CURRICULUM - DR. JAMES BEVERE Do you know what the fastest-growing sport in America is right now? Hint: Its championship had 80 million more viewers that the SUPERBOWL… The answer is, eSPORTS! We are proud to announce that the Hillside Public Schools District is developing its very own eSPORTS curriculum and program! Let's answer some frequently asked questions !! What does gaming have to do with Curriculum & Instruction? What are eSPORTS? Are eSPORTS What are the real sports? benefits of an eSPORTS program?

DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL SERVICES - DR. SANDY MERCEDES The Special Services Department would like to shout out each of Hillside Public Schools' representatives who led their Autism Awareness T-Shirt Sale initiative! Learning Ally is now available to students as an online resource to support students’ access to text and literature! Students can log into Learning Ally at school and at home by signing in through their Clever account!

DIRECTOR OF GUIDANCE - LYNN RANDLE WHAT COLLEGES ARE HILLSIDE SCHOLARS COMMITTING TO?

CERTIFIED EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES MANAGER - DAVID DEFLURI

ATHLETIC DIRECTOR - HALIM IBN MCNEIL SPRING SEASON 2023 HAS BEGUN FOR HILLSIDE ATHLETICS! WILL HILLSIDE HIGH SCHOOL BE HOME "IT'S A CELEBRATION!..." TO THE NEXT SERENA WILLIAMS?

DIRECTOR OF DATA, STUDENT INFORMATION & ACCOUNTABILITY - KRISTY WEAVER Sherrill Smith Marisol Rivera Katrina Milner Students are considered chronically absent if they are out 10% (or more) of the days enrolled!

DIRECTOR OF FOOD SERVICES & TRANSPORTATION - MATT LEONARDIS TRANSPORTATION FOOD SERVICES Hillside Public Schools' Food Services department, in conjunction with Maschio's Food Services, entered an original sandwich recipe (Hillside Buffalo Chicken Cordon Bleu) into the School Nutrition Association’s Spectacular Sandwich Contest! The monetary prize for this competition is being earmarked to pay down student meal debt, which would tremendously benefit the Hillside Public Schools district! Hillside Public Schools needed your vote by March 31, 2023!

TECHNOLOGY COORDINATOR - DEANNA DEFLURI HOW CLEVER ARE YOU WITH "CLEVER"? Click on the image to the left to view an informative PDF about how to access Clever on any device! HILLSIDE'S CHROMEBOOK CARE GUIDE! DEVICE CLEANLINESS POWER: LCD MONITOR REPORTING PROBLEMS: TRANSPORT:

DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES - ALICIA WILTSHIRE-KING It's recruiting season at Hillside Public Schools! Please encourage family and friends to follow our social media (@hillsidepublicschools) for updates and/or contact us via email at [email protected] for questions. Also, visit the school website for current openings! Here are a few staff members acknowledged by their schools this month! Hover over each school to see March's shoutouts! March 24th was designated a District "Healthy You-Social Emotional Learning" Day for teachers and students! Feel free to use some of the tips and resources below to help you become more balanced and stress-free!

HILLSIDE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS CURRENTLY IN DISCUSSION WITH OUR NEWSLETTER PARTNER TO ENSURE FUTURE EDITIONS ARE AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH AND OTHER LANGUAGES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE AND STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES! Hillside Board of Education 195 Virginia Street, Hillside, NJ 07205 908-352-7664