A Note from the Principal’s Desk – 12.3.2021
Dear Hillside Parents/Caregivers:
Being selfless, empathetic, compassionate, and community oriented are goals we should all be striving for. Helping others is not only good for them and a good thing to do, it also makes us happier and healthier too. Giving also connects us to others, creating stronger communities and helping to build a happier society for everyone. And it’s not all about money – we can also give our time, ideas and energy.
We want to thank all of the Hillside staff and students that participated in Making Wishes for the Holiday Season. Collectively, our school wrote 223 letters to raise money to grant wishes for those in need. That came to a grand total of $446.00. Great job everyone!!
School-wide News…Be in the Know
Dance-Gymnastics Aesthetics
If you have a child enrolled in a dance or gymnastics class, then please click HERE to read about our showcase rescheduled dates.
Book Fair
We want to extend many many thanks to Diane Tehranian. Our November fair sold over 2305 books and was one of the most successful book fairs for Hillside Elementary School! Diane has been relentless in her planning and execution of the fair. Aside from the amazing profit this will earn the school, so many books were put in students hands that this is an unequivocal success!
SATp ANNOUNCEMENTS
SATp Presents Hillside Holiday Meal Helpers
Put on your Giving Gloves because It’s holiday time at Hillside! Gathering with family and having amazing meals is a tradition many look forward to each year. In addition to Hillside Cares’ annual prepared meal deliveries, SATp is starting a new holiday tradition where you too can contribute to making sure families in need have plenty of fixings on the table. Donate to a wonderful cause and help us provide grocery gift cards to families in need. DONATE HERE We thank you for your support! Happy Holidays! For more information contact: hillsidesatp@gmail.com
Hillside Cares Make-A-Wish is Here
Please help make the holidays a little brighter for children in need within our own school community by participating in the Hillside Cares Make-a-Wish Come True Program. This is an annual tradition at our school and we need your support to make some wishes come true!! ALL ITEMS NEED TO BE DELIVERED BY FRIDAY, DECEMBER 17TH!!!!
HOW IT WORKS:
- Follow this link to the Sign Up Genius website to see the items that are needed: https://tinyurl.com/HillsideMAW2021
- Sign up for the items you would like to purchase and donate.
- Please return the wrapped gift(s) by placing them in the bins located near Door K. Please make sure that the gift has a tag indicating which item it is. FOR EXAMPLE: #14 – Coat (6 year old boy, size 6)
ADDITIONAL WAYS YOU CAN HELP:
- Monetary donations: Please donate here: https://hillsidepta.memberhub.com/store/items/154649 Or, drop a check off to Ms. Best or Ms. Mazur (Door K) at Hillside. Please make checks payable to “Hillside PTA” with “Make-A-Wish” in the memo and place in an envelope marked “Make-A Wish”. Volunteers will use this money to purchase items that were not taken on the Sign-up Genius site.
- Partner Up with a friend to make a family’s wish come true.
- Amazon Smile: Shop smile.amazon.com and add ‘23182 Hillside PTA’ as your preferred charity. A small portion of each purchase is donated to our school
Pick Up: If you are unable to drop off, we will gladly pick them up. Please contact us at hillsidesatp@gmail.com
Have questions or want to volunteer to help sort and organize gifts? Please contact: the Hillside Cares Team at hillsidesatp@gmail.com
SATp Cultural Infusion
Hanukkah Celebration: Monday, December 6th at 7pm
Join us virtually to Celebrate Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Light with other Hillside & Nishuane families!
- Learn the tradition and history of the holiday!
- Play a game of Hanukkah Kahoot (yes, there are prizes!)
- And join a Hanukkah singalong!
Plus, registered families will be able to pick up a bag of “sufganiyot” (hanukkah donuts!) provided by Meny Vaknin (the chef of Marcel), to enjoy while watching Meny live sufganiyot-making demo (yum!).
***Zoom link provided upon registration***
Please Register HERE in advance for the event so that we have a proper headcount for the Sufganiyot!
Kwanzaa Celebration: Friday, December 17th
Online event in the evening
All Hillside and NISHUANE families are invited. RSVP link will be available next week.
PTA Happenings
Drumroll Please….. The Winner of the PTA Membership Raffle is Rebecca Rudelson !!! Congratulations Rebecca, you’ve won a Hillside t-shirt!!! Stay tuned for the January PTA Membership Raffle – #roadto200
Thankful for Family Trivia Night
Join us this Saturday, December 4 at 7:00 pm for some family trivia fun, now with PRIZES for our TOP three winners! The trivia will be a mashup of “thankful” trivia topics and Thanksgiving trends. The trivia questions will be geared to our student population (K-5) but we will include some older sibling parent-focused questions so everyone can have some fun. Please RSVP for Trivia Night by completing the sign up below. The suggested donation is $5 (any donation value is appreciated), but donations are not required to participate – you can go directly to the RSVP form.
Proceeds raised from the December Trivia Night will go to both Nishuane and Hillside PTA for their Holiday Gift Drives and other needed purchases
Hillside Swag
Today is the LAST day to purchase your Holiday Hillside Hoodies on PTA Memberhub Site https://hillsidepta.memberhub.com/store/items/119364 Get them today for the whole family. Winter is coming…
PTA General Meeting 12/16 @ 7pm
All are invited to join our December PTA meeting. Dr. Anglin and Mr. Adamo will be in attendance! Register in advance for this meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.Information Session for Caregivers (immediately following the December PTA meeting)
Zoom Link
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIudOytrzIpHtLcOou4li5tKYVGWIAJSuHG
Winter Supplies Needed
Now that the weather is getting colder and our children will be indoors more often during lunch/recess, the school is looking to get some indoor recess supplies. All donations are appreciated!! Supplies can be sent in to school with your children (label them to go to the Front Desk) or dropped off at the school.
Sign up to donate supplies below
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0a4aa4a622a6fa7-supplies
PTA Nominating Committee
Per the Generic Local PTA Bylaws, effective July 1, 2021, all local PTAs must elect their Nominating Committee at a General Membership meeting by December 31. 2021.
Article VIII:Nominating Committee- Election and Duties, Section I:
A Nominating Committee must be elected at a general membership meeting by the end of December. At least three members (must be an odd number) and one alternate shall be elected to the Nominating Committee. Any current member, excluding the current PTA president(s), is eligible to serve on the Nominating Committee. The committee shall elect its Chair.
The Nominating Committee is charged with evaluating all possible nominees and choosing one qualified nominee for each officer position. The detailed duties of the Nominating Committee will be presented via Zoom training session in January and February of 2022. Stay tuned for these dates and times!
Reflections Chair
Hillside, we are looking for a Reflections Chair for our school. If you are interested, please email ptapres@hillsidepta.org The deadline to volunteer has been extended to December 12th.
Hillside Talent Show will be on 1/28, Save The Date!
Preparations for the Talent Show are underway. There will be an information session for parents on 12/16, immediately following the PTA meeting. Please pre-register for the information session using the PTA meeting link above (or below). More information, audition dates and submission instructions will be shared next week. Everyone can participate in the Talent Show! If you have any questions about the Talent Show, email to talentshow@hillsidepta.org
Fireball 2022
Interested in volunteering to plan and run Fireball this school year? Email ptapres@hillsidepta.org to sign up for this fun and important committee!
Message from Ms. Scott (School Counselor)
I am here to support our Hillside families in any way I can. In addition to email (sscott@montclair.k12.nj.us), I can be reached at 973.509.4200 x4297. Additionally please ask your child to join Ms. Scott’s Google Classroom (class code jzelps7) where they will be able to access the I Need to See Ms. Scott Google form. Lastly, here is the In Need of Counseling Survey parents can use to let me know if your child could use my help. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any concerns about your child’s social-emotional well being.
Note from Nurse Boyle
Hello Hillside Families and Friends! Exciting news, the Pfizer Covid vaccine has been approved for children ages 5-11. If your child has received the vaccine please send a screenshot to me at rboyle@montclair.k12.nj.us I will add them to your child’s vaccine records. Fully vaccinated students will not have to quarantine related to exposure or travel unless they are sick. A person is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
If your child has medication please send it along with the medication form to me. Students must have the medication and forms at school in order to attend school trips.
If you are traveling during Thanksgiving or the winter break please email me with the date your family will return to NJ so I can instruct you on quarantine, PCR testing dates and return to school. Have a great weekend! Nurse Boyle
Important Dates:
Monday 12/6 & Tuesday 12/7- Winter Concert, Live Stream 12/7 at 10:15AM
Wed 12/8, Thurs 12/9, Friday 12/10– Early Dismissal/Parent Conferences
Best Regards,
Samanthaa
Samanthaa Lennon Anglin, Ed.D.
Principal
Hillside Elementary School ~ Gifted and Talented Magnet
54 Orange Rd., Montclair, NJ
Phone: (973) 509-4200
Fax: (973) 509-1448
Follow us on Twitter: @Hillside_MPS