Revised Knight Times September 2018

Volume 114September 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 pr

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 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 been kind to you and those you love, I look forward to joining you in a year that brings meaning, purpose, and both personal and collective satisfaction to all we plan to do together Toward that end, I send you

my sincere gratitude for your willingness to become supportive partners as we work together to make a great school even greater every year

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 sug-gested school-wide themes that connect directly to our district’s summer read, in an attempt to under-score 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 None-theless, 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 ad-ministrators 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 mendations and incredible energy to contribute to our school and its students Collaboration being a key

recom-to any school’s success, I encourage all parents/guardians recom-to make the effort recom-to attend our fall Back recom-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 ance 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

appear-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 do 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

demon-strate a high attendance rate of 96.37% for the

2017-2018 school year There were 46

stu-dents who earned perfect attendance for the

year and 3 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

par-ents and studpar-ents 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

num-ber 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, par- ents 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 stu- dent 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 973-664-2300 Information

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 1 Marking Period 3

September 4, 2018 - November 12, 2018 February 1, 2019 - April 10, 2019 1st MP Mid-Quarter - October 10, 2018 3rd MP Mid-Quarter - March 7, 2019 Quarterly Week: November 1-6, 2018

Marking Period 2 Marking Period 4

November 13, 2018 - January 31, 2019 April 11, 2019 - June 20, 2019 2nd MP Mid-Quarter - December 18, 2018 4th MP Mid-Quarter - May 20, 2019 Quarterly Week: January 24-29, 2019 Quarterly Week: June 13-18, 2019

REGULAR BELL SCHEDULE FOR ALTERNATE

11:56 - 12:00 Passing Class 12:00 - 1:30 (90 minutes) 3B 7B Class 11:12 - 11:56 (44 minutes)

11:56 - 12:00 Passing Lunch 12:00 - 12:42 (42 minutes)

12:42 - 12:46 Passing Class 12:46 - 1:30 (44 minutes) 3C 7C Class 11:12 - 12:42 (90 minutes)

12:42 - 12:46 Passing Lunch 12:46 - 1:30 (44 minutes)

1:30 - 1:34 Passing

4 8 Class 1:34 - 3:02 (88 minutes)

3:02 Dismissal

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

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 1 to 5 AP grades of 4

and 5 are comparable to college grades of A

and B In general, an AP grade of 3 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 3 or better.

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

John Romano World Language Jaclyn Weisz Science

Sarah Wlazlowski Music

Katelyn Oller Maternity Leave for

Janel Jones Christine Aschoff Maternity Leave for

Amy Ottavinia

Arizona State University

East Carolina University

East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania

Emmanuel College

<Fairleigh Dickinson University

Felician University

*Georgia Institute of Technology

Grand Canyon University

*Indiana University at Bloomington

*Johns Hopkins University

Millersville University of Pennsylvania

Montclair State University

<Ramapo College of New Jersey

*Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

<Rowan University

* <Rutgers University-New Brunswick

Rutgers University-Newark

Sacred Heart University

Savannah College of Art and Design

*Seton Hall University

Skidmore College

*Stevens Institute of Technology

Stockton University

Stony Brook University

Sussex County Community College Syracuse University

Temple University The College of New Jersey

*The George Washington University The Ohio State University

The University of Alabama The University of Arizona The University of Scranton

<United States Military-National Guard

*University of California, San Diego

*University of Connecticut

*University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

*University of Maryland, College Park University of Massachusetts, Lowell University of Nebraska at Lincoln University of New Haven

University of North Dakota

*University of Notre Dame University of Oregon

<University of Scranton Villanova University Virginia Tech

<Warren Wilson College West Virginia University Widener University William Paterson University of New Jersey

< AVID Matriculation

* Magnet Matriculation

Morris Hills Student Activities 2018 – 2019

Welcome to Student Activities at Morris Hills High School for the 2018 – 2019 school year!

The extra-curricular activities program at Morris Hills is a vital and integral component towards creating who every student will become when they leave these halls at the time of their graduation By joining a club, students will have the opportunity to define and refine their personal interests and pursue their passions They will get the opportunity to learn life-skills outside of the classroom as well as discover what they love and meet individuals that enjoy the same things They will establish relationships and create memories that they will keep well beyond their years at Morris Hills The extra-curricular programs at our school provide each student with the tools needed to become “The Best Version of Themselves”

Morris Hills High School has more than sixty organizations that a student can join, providing students with a broad set of opportunities that cater to everyone’s interests Our clubs also enable students to try something new and find new passions that they didn’t know existed

Clubs such as Interact, LEO Club, Key Club, HOPE, and Project LEAD celebrate the importance of community service and helping those less fortunate Cultural experiences can be found by participating in the Spanish, French, and German, African Cultural, Korean clubs as well as the ERASE Club

A student with an eye for the dramatic can participate in the International Thespian Society, Fall Play, and Spring Musical Potential lawyers can practice their skills with the Mock Trial team

Aspiring artists, poets, and writers can display their creativity through the Art Services Club, the Photography Club, the Literary Magazine, the Yearbook, the Spoken Word Society, and the School Newspaper

Our future doctors, mathematicians, astronauts, and ecologists can fuel their passions through the Sports Medicine Club, the Physics Club, the Chem Club, the Math Club, and the Environmental Action Club

If students love music, then the Marching Band, Concert Band, and Jazz Band are for them The singer can

participate in Women’s Choir, Men’s Choir, Madrigals, and Knights Templar

Students that are thinking about getting into the business field should consider joining the FBLA and DECA If someone would like to be a leader in your class, then they should definitely think about being part of the SGA or running for class office