A Note from the Principal’s Desk – 6.4.2021
Dear Hillside Community,
Today we hosted our annual FIELD DAY!!!! The development and design of this day was created by the CEO of Field Day, Mrs. Lever and her right hand, Mrs. Smeriglio. These two dynamic physical education teachers were so creative with developing challenging interactive activities for all students (in-person & remote). At every turn during this trying time, I am honored to work with related arts staff members that are trying to maintain some normalcy for our students and working to maintain integrity to our magnet. This was a great day for all!
June is Pride Month, when the world’s LGBTQ+ communities come together and celebrate the freedom to be themselves. Pride gatherings are rooted in the arduous history of minority groups who have struggled for decades to overcome prejudice and be accepted for who they are. In Montclair and at Hillside we don’t teach tolerance. Instead we teach inclusion and appreciation for all the differences that make up the beautiful collage of individuals that’s also known as our Hillside family! This month we are excited to show our support for our Hillside families that are also part of the LGBTQ+ community and invite you to join us in a virtual “Pride Parade”!
If you would like to participate, then please create a poster that represents your support for the LGBTQ+ community and then use the link below to add your poster to be included in our slideshow. All submissions are due by 9:00 am Thursday, June 10th. Hillside Pride Parade Submission
Hybrid In-Person Reminders:
Hybrid In-person Rotation Calendar
School-wide Mentions:
Aesthetics6/7/21-6/11/21 A1 Week/Mountie Wednesday
Updated Related Arts Rotation Schedules
Please view the updated schedules by grade level:
3rd Grade Updated Related Arts Rotation Schedule
4th Grade Updated Related Arts Rotation Schedule
5th Grade Updated Related Arts Rotation Schedule
Wear it Wednesdays: Wednesday 6/9 is Hero and Legends Day: Dress like your favorite hero, real or fictitious. It can be a family member, career role model, character, athlete, or more!
5th Grade Mentions:
5th Grade Moving-Up Day will be held on June 21 at 11:00 am (rain date – June 22 at 11:00am)
- Moving-Up Ceremony will be outdoors at Woodman Field (10 Essex Ave, Montclair).
- EVERYONE in attendance must wear a mask.
- The district will be streaming the ceremony and the link to this will be published as soon as we receive it from the tech department.
- Fifth grade students (Monday Mountie Day) will NOT report to Hillside on this day. ALL fifth grade students will log-in remotely at 9:10am for attendance to be taken.
- ALL participating fifth grade students are to be dropped off at Woodman Field at 10:30am.
- 4 Tickets will be issued to each family, you must have a ticket to enter the event.
- Families (groups of 4) will sit together, each family will socially distance by 3ft.
- After the ceremony, children will depart the event with their parents/guardian.
- All students who attend the ceremony will receive credit for a full day’s attendance.
5th Grade Events:
1) Fifth Grade Farewell Food Drive – 6/5 @10am
June 5th (Rain date: June 12th) @ 10 AM – 2 PM
Come say goodbye to the AMAZING Hillside fifth graders with one last day of service! All are welcome to the Fifth Grade Farewell Food Drive. Let’s get the whole town involved! Donations will go to Toni’s Kitchen to help combat food insecurity & support our neighbors in need. Volunteer slots are for fifth graders only. Help us spread the word! Tell your family, friends & neighbors to bring food donations to support our neighbors in need.
Donation wish list: pasta, pasta sauce, oatmeal, nuts, rice, canned beans, breakfast food, coffee, tuna, canned vegetables, canned soup.
* To volunteer on the day of the food drive, please sign up here.
Questions about the Food Drive? Contact Jodi Holmes at jodiFholmes@aol.com
2) Yearbook Shout Outs – ALL Families can order a Shout Out
A Shout Out is a short message, about 2-3 lines of text or 10-20 words and can be to a student, sibling, teacher or friend. Each Shout Out is $5.00 and is paid to the Hillside PTA to support the yearbook. Submissions must be sent by Tuesday, June 8 to be included in the Yearbook.
Some examples of a Shout Out are:
Way to go Julia!! We are so proud of you!! Love, Mom, Dad & Ryan
Ashley!! We are dancers, fashionistas, and besties! C U at Glenfield! Claire
THANK YOU Ms. Hart for making 5th grade the best year ever! Will miss you! Henry
Please use the Cheddarup Link below to create your shout out!
https://yearbook-shout-out.cheddarup.com
3) 5th Grade Picnic – for 5th Grade students ONLY – RESCHEDULED, NEW DATE 6/11
When: Friday, June 11th from 4 pm – 7 pm
Where: Glenfield Park (adjacent to Glenfield Middle School)
Please RSVP for your 5th Grade student here.
Does your child need a lift to the party? Fill this form out: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeBF9Ker9pIVVMNEjz_DtilhB7Y1Btpt8wINZeX-s0pZ9FUTA/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0
Parent volunteers are NEEDED to help at the picnic. Please use this link to sign up to volunteer here.
IMANI 6th Grade Transition Summer Program
We are looking forward to another great summer of the IMANI 6th Grade Transition Program as we prepare 5th-grade students for the challenge of the 6th-grade curriculum. During the month of July, students will read and role-play short stories from the 6th-grade Language Arts curriculum. Additionally, students will explore math concepts to better prepare themselves for success at the middle school level. 6th Grade Transition Flyer
Additional Items for Your Review:
AAPI Events
Heritage Month Family Program
Sponsored by AAPI Montclair & the Bradford, CHB, Edgemont, Hillside, Northeast, & Watchung PTAs
Part 1: Virtual Visit with Author and Activist Ambreen Tariq – Tuesday, June 1st, 6:30-7:15pm
Part 2: In-Person Hike at Eagle Rock for Students and Families – Saturday, June 5th, 4:30pm
Let’s build on Ambreen’s visit with a joint hike at Eagle Rock Reservation! This ~1.25 hr, easy hike
will include stops for a short lesson and snack break. Please meet at Kiosk #1 in the parking lot at the top of Crest Drive, and be sure to wear sneakers (no open toes), a mask, and bug spray, and bring water and a snack. Students should be accompanied by an adult caregiver. To register for the hike: https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showRSVPSignUp/10c0c45a9aa2ca3fecf8-montclair
Please see this flyer for more details on both of these events. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AjloG2Oqk1dIkicvH1ptMB7B69awuDN6/view
Hillside Book Swap – 6/12 @ 10am
With the school year ending, most of us are probably looking to find new books for summer and most likely looking to clean out our bookshelves! Come to the Hillside book swap on Saturday 6/12 at 10am. Bring all the books you’d like to give away, take any books you’re interested in, it’s that simple! This a free event, come find new reads even if you don’t have any books to swap! We will meet at the school parking lot.
Book drop off: we will start accepting books at 9am at the school parking lot. You may also drop off books on Friday 6/11, please email Colleen for the address at cdougherty@cdougherty.com
Montclair SEPAC Monthly Meeting – 6/7
Please join SEPAC for our final monthly member meeting for this school year on Monday, June 7th at 7pm. This meeting will feature the presentation “Parent Advocacy, Institutional Resistance, and the ‘Battle’ for Inclusive Education” with Dr. Priya Lalvani, Professor at Montclair State University and Program Coordinator for the Graduate Program in Inclusive Education. Dr. Lalvani will focus on the benefits, myths and misconceptions about inclusive education and will draw attention to the socioeconomic, racial and cultural inequities in the experiences of parents of children with disabilities. Please feel free to submit questions in advance at montclairSEPAC@gmail.com.
Join the Zoom Meeting at:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87559583588?pwd=ZWV2QzZaWEVzM2JHRXB5M3lIOVJpQT09
Meeting ID: 875 5958 3588 Passcode: 490115
Farewell to Dr. Jill McLaughlin – due 6/9
As you may have heard, our beloved Dr. McLaughlin is leaving the Nishuane School. The Nishuane Sunshine Committee is creating a farewell video for her and is inviting Hillside/former Nishuane students to participate! If you are interested, please submit a photo or video (30 seconds MAX) of your child to Ms. Wise NO LATER THAN June 9th. This is a SURPRISE!!! Please email photos/videos to: iwise@montclair.k12.nj.us.
Order School Supplies for 2021-2022 now!
There will be a 1st day of school next year, and 1st Day Supplies is here to help Hillside families! Why not cross back to school shopping off your to do list? It is super easy… click, pay, done! The supplies will be shipped directly to your home. To buy your Hillside teacher approved school supplies, CLICK here to place your order: https://1stdayschoolsupplies.com/kits.php?sid=66394
Questions about school supplies orders? Contact Jen Hand at Jennyjohand@gmail.com
Message from Ms. Scott
As we celebrate Pride Month, questions may arise at home. Some families have expressed a desire to show support, but difficulty knowing where to start or how much detail to give. Here are a few links to help guide conversations should you need them.