District Newsletter
Next Board Meeting: TONIGHT, October 28, 2021 7:00 p.m.
This Board meeting is open to the public. There are no limits to the number of people who may attend in person, but masks are required. Board meetings will continue to be live-streamed as well, but there will be no call-in comments or questions.
Link to Live-Streamed Meetings
Presentations from Recent Board Meetings:
UPDATE: RECENT BOARD of EDUCATION VACANCIES and SELECTION PROCESS
We are thrilled to announce that, after a thorough process including submission of written answers and in-person interviews, two applicants have been appointed to fill the immediate Board vacancies! They are:
- Megan Hollingworth
- Gregory Esemplare
We all experienced pride that so many Haddonfield residents (32 people in total!) care enough about our schools, our staff and our children to step up to the invitation to apply for these vacancies. The result of this big response is that now we can present two such dedicated and enthusiastic new Board members.
One of the new Board members will be sworn tonight (Hollingworth), and the second will be sworn in at the next Board meeting, November 11th. Congratulations!
GREETINGS from the SUPERINTENDENT!
We have successfully navigated through the first two months of school with very few bumps, interruptions or issues. I thank you all for your part in supporting our students and staff every single day!
At the last Board of Education meeting on October 14th, we took a few minutes to look ahead, particularly on the topic of the school calendar. I hope you were in attendance or watching at home, but here are some links to help clarify the calendar options we are considering.
- A video of Superintendent Chuck Klaus explaining the options
- A revision of the slide presentation made at the Board meeting
- A link to the recording of the entire October 14th Board meeting
Please take a look and carefully consider how any changes might impact you and your family. In a week or so, we will gather feedback from all families. Thank you.
Next week there will be no classes for students while our teachers take advantage of professional development. I hope you can enjoy some quality time with your family, and we will see everyone back at school on Monday, November 8th.
Chuck Klaus,
Superintendent of Schools
DISTRICT NEWS
HSD INTRODUCING NEW SCHOOL COMMUNICATIONS APP!
Because we know how challenging it can be for parents to keep up with numerous messages from school, we are excited to announce that Haddonfield School District is adopting a customized app with one-stop, searchable access to school communications!
Coming to HSD in mid-November, ParentSquare is a new form of school-to-home communication designed to keep parents informed and to facilitate communication from principals and district administrators.
ParentSquare provides a convenient way for the school principal and administrative staff to:
Send school information via email and text
Archive searchable posts from your phone or computer
Post items on searchable calendar, customized to the schools your children attend
and much more . . . all in one centralized place!
All parents and guardians will be invited via email to activate their accounts during the week of November 15th. Once your account is activated, you will begin to receive information about ParentSquare in the form of emails and/or texts. Your child’s principal and district staff may send “test” messages during the last few weeks of November, and they will use ParentSquare exclusively beginning on December 1st.
We will encourage you to download the ParentSquare app in November (for either iOS or Android) to have access to all features of the custom ParentSquare feed on your phone. Although not required, using the app allows for instant notifications and better customization of certain options.
If you choose not to download the app onto your phone, you can still activate your account and gain access to the custom ParentSquare feed on their website.
PLEASE NOTE: Teachers will continue to communicate with you as before; they will not use ParentSquare at this time. In the first phase of implementation, the app will be used for district and whole school messages (e.g. school newsletters, COVID announcements, emergency communications, etc.). We will explore expanding our use of ParentSquare in the future.
We look forward to introducing ParentSquare to the Haddonfield school community!
HOW the DISTRICT will RESPOND to INCLEMENT WINTER WEATHER
As we move into November, it is important that we are all ready for winter weather and the potential for changes to school schedules. Here is some information about the decision-making process as well as our methods of notification to families.
HOW DO WE MAKE OUR DECISION?
We make the decision to open or close our schools in bad weather based on a careful analysis of many factors, such as:
• Information on road conditions from the borough.
• The amount of accumulated snow and ice.
• Weather predictions, including whether precipitation will continue.
• Building and grounds conditions.
• Decisions made by neighboring districts. Many superintendents (colleagues in adjacent districts) confer. However, please keep in mind that, because Haddonfield is a "walking district," there will be times we will be open while other schools around us are closed due to busing issues.
WHO MAKES THE DECISION?
Superintendent Chuck Klaus in consultation with the Director of Facilities, our BA (business administrator) and our transportation director.
HOW ARE FAMILIES NOTIFIED?
You will receive an e-mail and text message. Also you may check our district website for information. Checking local TV and radio stations (KYW News Radio, CBS Philly, 6 ABC, NBC 10, Fox 29) should be your last resort as there is always a delay between our reporting to the media and their posting the information. Our school’s number is 560.
WHEN IS THE DECISION MADE?
We try very hard to make the decision by 5:30 a.m. or earlier when possible.
FAMILY DECISIONS
Although we all do our absolute best in this process, we know that often no perfect decision exists. Just as you trust us to do our best, we trust you to make the best personal decisions for your family as well. For example,
- If, based on current weather conditions, you do not feel as though it is safe for your children to attend school, please keep them at home.
- Also, please discourage teenagers from driving in bad conditions and offer them alternatives. We firmly believe that students should be in school when possible, but, when the weather is inclement, our top priority is student and staff safety.
READ the LATEST @HSDHealth NEWS
This issue of the @HSDHealth news was emailed to families yesterday, October 27th.
Please note: the vaccine clinics fill up quickly, so pre-register soon. We will keep you informed about other vaccine clinics as they are planned. Additionally, we are exploring all options to increase COVID testing capacity within the district.
School Glimpses
CENTRAL STUDENTS SAVOR THEIR BOOKS
Mrs. Dupuis's fifth graders have been talking about reading with "alertness" and with "different lenses." On this sunny day, the lesson was illustrated with cookies! The students ate one cookie quickly and then ate one slowly, savoring the texture, smell, and taste. Dupuis compared the cookie-eating experience with the way we read a book. We can read quickly but miss some of the best parts (like the first time eating the cookie), OR we can read at a measure pace, savoring every word. During this thoughtful process, students were also encouraged to stop and write in their notebooks.
TAKING the TECHNOLOGY PLEDGE at ELIZABETH HADDON
Second-grade students sat down with librarian Sophie Nelson to learn about the meaning of the word pledge. Then they actually took a pledge to use technology safely and respectfully. Ms. Nelson uses Common Sense Education's Digital Citizenship curriculum and teaches the subject in grades K-5.
Kindergarten learns to balance screen time with other activities. First, second, and third graders learn how to identify safe sites and the difference between private and personal information; and fourth and fifth graders learn about media choices, clickbait, and reading news online. Click here for more information.
TATEM FIRST GRADE CREATES SKELETON HANDS
As a seasonal science activity, Tatem first-grade students in Ms. Haney's room explored what would happen if their bodies didn't have bones.
In the "Skeleton Hand" activity, students combined science with art: they traced their hands, then added see-through bones to their picture, making their own skeleton hand.
GRADE 8 STUDENTS LEAD EFFORTS to SUPPORT REFUGEES
During the summer, eighth-grade students Penelope I. and Phoebe A. watched the news about refugees from Afghanistan with concern. They sat down with friends Leah C. and Sadie B. and their families to discuss ways they could help. Beginning in September, these young women have been collecting clothing and other supplies to donate to local mosques and churches that distribute items to the Afghan families as they arrive in this country.
“When I watched the news, I thought about how privileged I am and how much I want the refugees’ children to have these privileges someday too,” said Phoebe.
“What we are doing is important,” said Penelope, “and it is also important to recognize that the four of use represent four different religions, yet we can work together to help other people.”
Thanks to the generous response of Haddonfield families to the school notifications throughout September and October, the students have collected several carfuls of much-need items. The collection period ends Friday, October 29th.
SENIORS ENJOYED SEMINARS on PSAT DAY
While grades 9 to 11 were taking the PSATs on October 13th, the seniors attended seminars on a variety of meaningful and fun topics. Offerings included “Sustainability and College Life,” “College Application Review,” “Baking the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie,” “The Simpsons and Historical Issues,” “Sewing 101,” “Photo Editing Fun for Free,” “Experimental Design of Coffee,” and “How to Activate Ideas and Turn them into Action.”
The day started with a 12th-grade assembly in which five recent HMHS graduates “Zoomed in” from college to share what their first two college months have been like and how Haddonfield prepared them. The grads gave great advice.
OPPORTUNITIES
3H Has Returned! Apply now!
"Haddon's Helping Hands" (3H) has returned to Haddonfield School District. 3H is a program in which some of our high school students are paired with grade 3-5 elementary students for tutoring and, as a secondary benefit, relationship-building.
After pairing 70+ elementary school students with high school tutors last year, the group is now open to new applications. The application is available here.
Parents should communicate with the HMHS student through the elementary student’s school email address. Scheduling for tutoring sessions depends on the availability of the ES and HMHS student.
Haddonfield-Japan Exchange Reopening Summer 2022
(SECOND POSTING of this information; deadline has not passed:)
Applications are now open for Haddonfield Memorial High School students to travel to Japan in the summer of 2022!
The Haddonfield Japan Exchange is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that promotes an annual exchange program between students from Haddonfield and Sendai, Japan. In alternating summers, about 10 to 15 students (and chaperones) from the U.S. and Japan visit one another and stay with host families. This year’s trip is tentatively scheduled for July 2022. Students will be required to cover airfare for the trip and attend classes every two weeks for cultural learning and trip preparation.
There will be an information meeting on November 8 at 7:00 p.m. in room C8 at Haddonfield Memorial High School. Students and parents are encouraged to attend to learn more about the program.
Please visit www.hjex.org or contact the Haddonfield Japan Exchange at hje08033@gmail.com for more information on the program.
N.J. Governor's "Educator of the Year" Nominations Open Until November 11th
(SECOND POSTING of this information; deadline has not passed:)
Haddonfield School District is excited to participate in the Governor's Educator of the Year (GEOY) program, but we need your help. The intent of this program is to recognize the hard work of our outstanding TEACHERS and EDUCATIONAL SERVICES PROFESSIONALS. Below you will find a link to the nomination form (used for all categories).
Governor’s Educator of the Year Nomination form
Please complete this nomination form by Wednesday, November 10, 2021. Administrators, staff members, parents, students and community members are encouraged to participate.
We will also be recognizing SUPPORT STAFF PROFESSIONALS from Haddonfield Schools for their hard work and dedication to the district. Please use the same nomination form, also due by Wednesday, November 10, 2021. A description of the category of “support professional” follows the bullets on the nomination form. Thank you!
In the Loop
Keep up with current information, news and photos.
District Twitter: @HaddonSchools
District Facebook: @HaddonfieldSchoolDistrict
Instagram: About to launch DISTRICT Instagram account; stay tuned!
- Watch a longer version of the news coverage of the freshman class "Memoir Project." Excellent job!
- Watch the HIB presentation, recently added to our website. This is a good reminder for all.
- Did you know the SAC (Student Assistance Counselor) produces her own newsletter? It's great! Read it here.
- Read the September-October issue of the Peer Bias Leaders newsletter, posted on the HMHS website
- Look for your school's Twitter feed.
- Your student's team or club may also tweet.
- Our PTAs have a presence on Facebook and/or Twitter.