It seems like yesterday that we just started our school year – as they say …”time flies when you are experiencing excellence!”
We began this school year with tremendous excitement, anticipation, a shared educational vision and an energy level which was positively contagious and palpable. As the “new kid on the block” (not such a kid) aka General Studies Principal, I took our school’s pulse while simultaneously helped to create and foster a school culture, environment and trajectory conducive to high level teaching/instruction. In a word … to continue HACS’ journey to educational excellence.
I now proudly look into the school’s rear mirror and see an amazing mosaic of this year’s accomplishments. To name a few:
- Innovative STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) program for Middle School;
- Advanced Math Instruction for Middle School;
- Specialized group and individualized student counseling programs;
- Structured Sports and Physical Education Program;
- Field trips to Museums, Nature and Science Centers and other places of interest which beautifully compliment classroom learning;
- Differentiated Instruction Coaching for school faculty;
- Established a Department of Student Exceptionalities which leverage and provide services to our diverse students;
- Language Arts Program focused intensively on reading and writing literacy;
- Digital Citizenship Initiative which informs students, teachers and parents regarding best practices in social media use;
- Teacher assessment program which assesses teacher performance and classroom effectiveness;
- “MAP” Testing Protocol which measures academic growth and performance three times a year in Math and Language Arts;
- Teacher Professional Growth and Development Plan for 2018-19 implementation;
- Student discipline protocol which holds students and parents more accountable for student behavior;
- Specialized training for Computer coding and gaming;
- Science Exploration Projects in Elementary School;
- Creative Writing Lab for Middle School which produced our beautiful Literary Magazine; and
- Developed new Homework Policy Guidelines, based upon comprehensive research, analysis and deliberation.
These school initiatives represent but a small array of exciting initiatives at HACS. They are the direct result of a phenomenal faculty; highly skilled in their academic disciplines, passionately committed to cognitive, emotional and social development, our administration’s leadership who continuously promote and encourage educational excellence; and most important, the school-parent partnership – an essential ingredient for effective 21st century day school education.
We must celebrate these outstanding school accomplishments even as we plan for the coming school year. I am passionately committed and inspired to redouble our efforts and with HaShem’s help we will climb to great heights. It is in this spirit that I wish all of our students, families, and staff an invigorating summer of continued learning and rejuvenation.
We are finishing strong! But that is only our springboard for next year!