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A YEAR OF CELEBRATED EXCELLENCE … FINISHING STRONG!

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!