Revised Knight Times September 2018

Morris Hills High School KNIGHT TIMES PARENT NEWSLETTER September 2018 Volume 114 September 2018 Dear Parents/Guardians and Students of the Morris Hills High School Community, There is a distinct inevitability about the month of August in that it suddenly presents like a siren in the night, signaling another school year, making its appearance with incredible regularity, preparing us all for Scarlet Knights the not too distant future Yes, here we are again, students, parents, teachers, and the entire community, poised to begin anew As I welcome you all to the 2018 – 2019 school year, hoping this summer has “Building The Future, been kind to you and those you love, I look forward to joining you in a year that brings meaning, purpose, One Student and both personal and collective satisfaction to all we plan to together Toward that end, I send you At A Time” my sincere gratitude for your willingness to become supportive partners as we work together to make a great school even greater every year Todd M Toriello Principal Robert Merle, Jr Assistant Principal Eugene Melvin Assistant Principal Emily Barkocy Assistant Principal Robert Haraka Supervisor of Student Services/Athletics Yesenia Rivera Supervisor of School Counseling As building Principal, it has been my practice in the past several years to offer a school-wide theme to serve as the fulcrum to our initiatives and the anchor to our actions as a school community I have suggested school-wide themes that connect directly to our district’s summer read, in an attempt to underscore the message of that read and bring it home in a style that rings true for our students I continue the practice by once again linking this year’s school-wide theme to the summer read entitled Breakthrough, an inspiring memoir by Jack Andraka who, at fifteen years of age, followed a dream and created an early detection test for pancreatic cancer – a revolutionary discovery to say the least His adolescent journey was filled with many layers of struggle, depression, and homophobic bullying, just to name a few Nonetheless, he found the personal resilience to face these painful forces, to rise above them, and to chase his dreams, probably in direct response to watching a close family friend lose his battel with pancreatic cancer He became driven by a goal to find a test for early detection He realized that goal Today, he stands as a beacon for all young people to keep pushing on and, in doing so, to teach the world that young people have the right to be taken seriously It is against that background that I identify the 2018 – 2019 school theme for Morris Hills High School: Capture Your Breakthrough Moments Whether those moments come in the classroom, on the playing field, within student activities, through the community, I challenge all students, faculty, parents, and administrators to grab them, to make them your own, and to let others know why those moments speak to you and drive you forward in your own personal style As per past practice, the author of Breakthrough will visit the district on October 4th to speak directly to the student body in an assembly program Following an extensive interview process last spring, Morris Hills High School opens its doors to a group of newly hired professionals to join our exemplary teaching staff Each comes with outstanding recommendations and incredible energy to contribute to our school and its students Collaboration being a key to any school’s success, I encourage all parents/guardians to make the effort to attend our fall Back to School Nights (September 20th – Last names A – L / September 26th – Last names M – Z) and meet these new professionals personally Additionally, I encourage all students to extend a hand of welcome in your classrooms and show our new faculty the face of the student body here at Morris Hills High School Facilities management continues to be a priority at Morris Hills High School, fueled by a deep belief that school appearance directly impacts school culture and climate Some recent upgrades are these: a new HVAC system in the Main Gym; the addition of new door signs; a new sitting area in the first floor Science Wing; window decals in the School Counseling and CST suite; additional charging stations; additional etched plaques; new benches in the gym foyer; new picnic tables at Gifford Field; new work stations in the Faculty Room; and annual building painting and cleaning Building pride is a priority here at Morris Hills High School Speaking of pride, our professional initiatives each year are reflective of the effort and focus of a professional staff that carries out the mission of a school with seriousness of purpose We look forward to concentrating on the following this academic year, just to name a few of our 2018 – 2019 initiatives: the 2nd year of our Learner-Active, Technology-Infused Classroom where a cohort of teachers work to raise academic rigor, actively engaging students in learning and building greater student responsibility for learning; the 2nd year of our one-to-one Chromebook initiative, Class of 2022; the 2nd year of two new cohorts of Academy students for the Class of 2022; the continuation of the Homework Free Weekends concept, an outgrowth of the Stress and Anxiety Roundtable; the 2nd year of a completely paperless summer mailing, and all athletic and medical paperwork moved to FamilyID Please take special note of the following items: 2nd year of late buses on Tuesday and Thursday only for activity runs; 2nd year of no after school library; two Back to School Nights for the 2018 – 2019 school year on September 20th and September 26th; PARCC testing signaling some possible big changes so stay tuned – one testing window once again for the 2018 – 2019 school year; quarterly assessment process contining with revisions and updates, with no quarterlies administered during the third marking period; mini-college fairs during the lunch blocks, with a night mini-college fair in the spring; bus passes being carried by students to swipe for access to the bus; report cards posting through the ASPEN portal; varsity letters for those students participating in extra-curricular activities that compete against other schools; elimination of reporting to homeroom for pep rallies or Battle of the Classes Allow me to close this correspondence by thanking you for all you to make Morris Hills High School the special place it is Your presence and your actions define the reason why As we begin this new year together, may our journey be rich in both challenge and reward May our personal “Breakthroughs,” in whatever venue, bring us “Moments” that both enrich and inform our lives; and may the goals we set be achieved by working together in a partnership of strength, trust, and active dialogue In the Spirit of Partnership, Todd M Toriello Principal AV D AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) is a nationwide, four-year program that is designed to help students in the academic middle prepare for and succeed in high school and college With individual support by trained faculty, students will pursue a challenging and rigorous curriculum while investigating careers and colleges, learning more effective study strategies, and working collaboratively with like-minded peers The AVID approach is based on rigor and high expectations; however, the core component of the program is the AVID Elective, which lends support to students as they tackle the school’s most rigorous classes Over the course of four years, students will work with their AVID Elective teacher and specially trained tutors to develop independent study skills, questioning techniques, and career awareness Congratulations AVID Class of 2018! Daniel Acocella- Warren Wilson College, V ictoria A spiazu- LIU-Post, Pamela Betancur- Fairleigh Dickinson University, Brian Bunch- Kent State University, Clemente Garcia Morales- Seton Hall University, Priscilla Gomez-Acevedo- Rowan University, V anessa Hartkopf- Pace University, Cindy Herrera- Caldwell University, A mirah Ibrahim- Centenary University, Juliana Jimenez- County College of Morris, Umer Khawaja- Rutgers University, Maximillian Lorentz- County College of Morris, Alexis Meneses- Ramapo College, Kiany Perez- Kean University, Edward Rodriguez- National Guard, Cassandra Rugel- University of Scranton, Jhon Torres- Caldwell University, and Kevin Tran-Norwich University Welcome AVID Class of 2022! In September 2018, the MHRD will proudly welcome twenty-six new freshmen into the AVID program! Many of our incoming freshmen attended the AVID Summer Experience in July, led by Mrs Dalton, Mr Roman and our AVID student leaders, where they learned about AVID methodologies and engaged in teambuilding activities The program is thrilled to have Mr Timothy Mein, AVID Elective teacher for the Class of 2018, as their Elective teacher Your MH family wishes you the best of luck! FRESHMAN ORIENTATION Freshman Orientation for all incoming grade nine students to Morris Hills High School will be conducted on Tuesday, August 28th Orientation will begin at 8:05 a.m Each freshman will be picked up by his/her school bus as noted in the transportation packet Students will report to the auditorium upon arrival to Morris Hills High School There will be a program including student government representatives, administrators, school counselors, and Project LEAD students until 12:00 p.m In a small group setting, freshmen will receive their 2018-19 student schedule and have it explained to them Other small group setting activities will include icebreakers, a review of school counseling department procedures, a review of the student handbook, a peer group break-out session, and a tour of the building ATTENDANCE POLICY Morris Hills High School continued to demonstrate a high attendance rate of 96.37% for the 2017-2018 school year There were 46 students who earned perfect attendance for the year and seniors who graduated with four years of perfect attendance Good attendance is a combined effort by the school and the home The Attendance Office is asking parents and students to carefully read the Student Handbook as it pertains to attendance For your convenience, please use the voice mail in the Attendance Office which allows you to call in a student absence in both English and/or Spanish the evening before or the morning of that absence Our telephone number is 973-664-2305 INFORMATION & UPDATES May also be obtained through the Morris Hills High School Website: www.mhrd.org STUDENT SCHEDULES The 2018-2019 student schedules are the result of teacher recommendations, counselor input, and parent review/approval In the spring, parents and students were asked to complete the course selection process in a serious manner The master schedule and student schedules were developed from that process Changes in the student schedule will be made only after a complete review of the student’s educational program and subsequent approval of the school counselor, classroom teacher, parent, and subject administrator TELEPHONE NUMBERS Morris Hills Information 973-664-2300 General Office 973-664-2309 Attendance Office 973-664-2305 School Counseling Office 973-664-2329 Athletic Office 973-664-2307 Nurses Office 973-664-2332 FIRST DAY- ALL STUDENTS SEPTEMBER 4, 2018 All students grades 9-12 will report to their class homerooms on Tuesday, September 4, 2018 Students will report at 8:05 a.m and will remain the full day Transportation information, including your student’s class homeroom assignment, was enclosed in the summer mailing Class homeroom lists will also be posted in the Senior Y as a reminder to students on September 4th Student schedules will be distributed during class homeroom on the first day 2018 - 2019 MARKING PERIOD DATES Marking Period September 4, 2018 - November 12, 2018 1st MP Mid-Quarter - October 10, 2018 Quarterly Week: November 1-6, 2018 Marking Period February 1, 2019 - April 10, 2019 3rd MP Mid-Quarter - March 7, 2019 Marking Period November 13, 2018 - January 31, 2019 2nd MP Mid-Quarter - December 18, 2018 Quarterly Week: January 24-29, 2019 Marking Period April 11, 2019 - June 20, 2019 4th MP Mid-Quarter - May 20, 2019 Quarterly Week: June 13-18, 2019 REGULAR BELL SCHEDULE FOR ALTERNATE BLOCK SCHEDULE 2018-2019 BLOCK A B TIME Class 8:05 - 9:33 9:33 - 9:37 (88 minutes) Passing Class 9:37 - 11:08 11:08 - 11:12 (91 minutes) Passing 3A 7A Lunch 11:12 - 11:56 11:56 - 12:00 12:00 - 1:30 (44 minutes) Passing (90 minutes) 11:12 - 11:56 11:56 - 12:00 12:00 - 12:42 12:42 - 12:46 12:46 - 1:30 (44 minutes) Passing (42 minutes) Passing (44 minutes) 11:12 - 12:42 12:42 - 12:46 12:46 - 1:30 1:30 - 1:34 (90 minutes) Passing (44 minutes) Passing 1:34 - 3:02 3:02 (88 minutes) Dismissal Class 3B 7B Class Lunch Class 3C 7C Class Lunch Class THE CLASS OF 2018 BEST WISHES A total of 340 students in the Morris Hills High School Class of 2018 graduated on Thursday, June 22, 2018 Ninety percent (87%) will attend two or four year colleges A list of the colleges to be attended by members of the Class of 2018 is provided in this newsletter The Class of 2018 Valedictorian was Achilles Dabrowski, who will attend Duke University The Class of 2018 Salutatorian was Sonali Sinha who will attend Rutgers University WELCOME CLASS OF 2022 The Class of 2022 visited, tested, and prepped for its entrance into the Morris Hills High School community A total of 345 members of the Freshman Class will participate in Freshman Orientation Program on August 28, 2018 The additional numbers provided by the incoming class results in an anticipated enrollment at Morris Hills High School of 1,451 students for the opening of school Parents of freshmen will have the opportunity to meet the Morris Hills Administration and Counseling Staff at the annual Freshman Parent Night scheduled for Wednesday, September 12, 2018, at 7:00 PM in the auditorium MORRIS HILLS AP RESULTS – 2018 385 students at Morris Hills High School were administered 902 Advanced Placement Exams in May 2018 Students took exams in 27 different AP subject areas Scores are reported on a scale of to AP grades of and are comparable to college grades of A and B In general, an AP grade of or higher may be considered for college credit A total of 325 (87%) of the scores of all Morris Hills AP results in 2018 were a score of or better CLASS OF 2018 GRADUATES PLANS # STUDENTS PERCENT College Year 195 62% College Year 77 25% School (Other) 2% ———————————————————————–—— Further Education 278 89% Military 10 3% Work 25 8% —————————————————————————— TOTAL 298 100.0% NEW STAFF AT MHHS 2018 - 2019 We welcome the following new staff members here at Morris Hills High School this September: Lara Carlson Dean DelGuercio Lisa Fleming Nicholas Livigne Alyssa Perry John Romano Jaclyn Weisz Sarah Wlazlowski Math Science - Traveling Special Services Art - Traveling Math World Language Science Music Katelyn Oller Maternity Leave for Janel Jones Maternity Leave for Amy Ottavinia Christine Aschoff Arizona State University *Barnard College Berkeley College - Woodbridge Location Binghamton University Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Boston University