HILLSIDE WEDNESDAY WEEKLY BULLETIN
November 18, 2009
DATES TO REMEMBER
Monday, November 23....…Coffee & Conversation with Mrs. Pilchman, 9:15-10:15AM, Media Center
Monday, November 23…………………..PPEC Seminar, 7:30PM, Heritage Middle School Auditorium
November 23 & 24………………………………………….………...…………Livingston Education Week
Wednesday, November 25……………………………………………..………………12:15PM Dismissal
November 26 & 27…………………………………….……………………School Closed, Thanksgiving
Monday, November 30……………………….Deadline to Order Hillside Huskies Blankets & Umbrellas
Tuesday, December 8………………………...………………….Budget Referendum Vote, 1:00-9:00PM
Tuesday, December 8……………………....….Bingo Night, 6:30-8:30PM, Hillside School, Upper Gym
December 24-January 1………………………………………...………….School Closed, Winter Break
HOBBY HOUR NEWS
Great news, this year we will be running Winter and Spring Hobby Hour Sessions. In order to serve
you better, please take a few minutes to answer the survey. Click here to take the survey. The first
100 responses will be collected. Please complete the survey by Monday, November 23rd.
The surveys will be anonymous, thank you in advance for your responses.
Calling all parents! If anyone has any special talents and would like to teach a Hobby Hour class,
please contact Kim DePalma at mkdepalma@msn.com or Sara Grabelle at saragrabelle@aol.com.
**Signs ups for Winter Session will be coming soon in the WWB!!**
HELP WANTED
Volunteers/Co-Chair needed to help organize and run Hobby Hour. Please let us know if you are
interested and able to help run and/or co-chair Hobby Hour for Winter and Spring 2010 sessions.
Please contact Kim DePalma mkdepalma@msn.com or Sara Grabelle saragrabelle@aol.com
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Hillside Kids Have H.E.A.R.T.
Helpful ▪. Empathetic ▪ Accepting ▪. Respectful ▪ Trustworthy
BINGO & DESSERT
HILLSIDE FAMILY NIGHT
JOIN US FOR BINGO & DESSERT
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8
WHAT:
We know it’s a school night but it’s also voting day. The Livingston Board of Education
approved a referendum to make facility upgrades to the elementary and middle
schools. This referendum is consistent with our current district Strategic Plan and
affords the Livingston Public Schools the opportunity to receive 40% of the necessary
funding in the form of a grant from the State of New Jersey. These facility upgrades
will eventually have to be done and if the referendum is not approved, the tax payers
will have to pay 100% of the total costs.
We encourage you to vote – polls are open between 1:00 and 9:00PM – and afterward,
please join us for a night of fun, games and prizes. This is a family event and not a
drop off...no exceptions.
WHEN:
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
WHERE:
Upper gym at Hillside Elementary
6:30 – 8:30 PM
The PTA will provide dessert.
STARS
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Hillside Kids Have H.E.A.R.T.
Helpful ▪. Empathetic ▪ Accepting ▪. Respectful ▪ Trustworthy
Please remember to update your STARS account at https://stars.livingston.org (Student
Authorization Registration System) if your information changes. We’re entering the winter months
and the possibility for school opening delays and/or early dismissals due to snow is real. Keeping
your emergency contact information and student dismissal options current and accurate is important
to ensure you receive proper notification from the District’s automated system. If you have trouble
accessing your STARS account, please contact Livingston Registrar at 973.535.8000 x8002 or email
registrar@livingston.org.
HILLSIDE HAS GOT YOU COVERED
This is your chance to get your “Hillside Huskies” blanket ($17), golf umbrella ($18) and/or
collapsible umbrella ($12). Orders must be received by Monday, November 30th in order to receive
delivery before the holidays. Please send orders to school in an envelope marked “Blanket &
Umbrella Order”, attention Amy Dinicola. Please make checks payable to Hillside PTA. Any
questions, call Suzanne Russo at 973.992.1704.
THANK YOU
A big thank you is due to all of the people that helped make these events possible but especially the
following people who spearhead these efforts:
Clothing Drive -- Amy Dinicola & the 5th Grade volunteers who helped load the truck, Mary
Anderson, Steven Anderson, Michael Battista, Jay Bhanushali, Jack Dinicola, Phoebe Konecky,
Noah Siegel Max Spitz & Sydnie Spitz.
Thank you to everyone who supported the clothing drive. 3,285 lbs of "stuff" was collected for the
clothing/toy drive and the PTA will receive a check for over $425! Keep saving your “stuff”, there will
be another clothing drive in the Spring.
Holiday Shopping Event at Community Center -- Jane Greene
Fall Apparel -- Dayna Platnick, Stacey Siegel & Tammy Minsky
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Hillside Kids Have H.E.A.R.T.
Helpful ▪. Empathetic ▪ Accepting ▪. Respectful ▪ Trustworthy
LIVINGSTON EDUCATION WEEK
Looking to volunteer? We can use you to help sign in visitors at the school on either Monday, Nov
23 or Tuesday, Nov 24 for Livingston Education Week. This is an easy activity and you can pair up
with a friend. We need volunteers throughout the day starting at 8:30 AM. Please contact Kathleen
Small at smallbk@aol.com if you can help.
COFFEE & CONVERSATION WITH MRS. PILCHMAN
Join Mrs. Pilchman on Monday, November 23 from 9:15-10:15 AM in the Media Center. This is your
chance to discuss anything that is on your mind. Are you confused by the state testing guidelines
and how to interpret your child’s results? Mrs. Pilchman will also explain the NJ ASK for grades 3, 4
& 5.
If you’re uncomfortable asking questions in public or can’t make it to the Coffee, you may submit
your questions or comments in advance to Cami Konecky at camikonecky@yahoo.com.
PPEC PRESENTS — A PARENT COACHING SEMINAR:
How to Eliminate Negative Behaviors in Children, Decrease Parental Stress and Improve
Parenting Skills
Do you ever feel like you are asking your child to do something over and over again and they just
ignore you or refuse to do it? Do you find yourself losing your patience when you are trying to get
your child to do a simple task like getting dressed or brushing teeth? Are you frustrated at how you
are always at odds with your child? Then this session is for you. Dr. Steven Kurtz, a leading expert
in the treatment of behavioral problems and disorders, is Clinical Director of the Institute for Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity and Behavior Disorders and Assistant Professor of Child and Adolescent
Psychiatry at the NYU School of Medicine. Dr Kurtz will be presenting a session on Parent Child
Interaction Therapy (PCIT) – unique interactive counseling program proven to enhance family
relationships by coaching parents to increase their child’s ability to manage frustration,
independence, self-control, listening and social skills. This session is open to all. It promises to be a
highly informative session.
Date: Monday, November 23
Location: Heritage Middle School Auditorium
Time: 7:30 PM
RSVP: PPECLIVINGSTON@AOL.COM
Parents and Professionals for Exceptional Children (PPEC) is an organization committed to
providing education, support, and guidance to parents and educators of children with special needs.
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Hillside Kids Have H.E.A.R.T.
Helpful ▪. Empathetic ▪ Accepting ▪. Respectful ▪ Trustworthy
BUDGET REFERENDUM – YOUR VOTE COUNTS!
The Livingston Board of Education approved a referendum to make facility upgrades to the
elementary and middle schools. This referendum is consistent with our current district Strategic Plan
and affords the Livingston Public Schools the opportunity to receive 40% of the necessary funding in
the form of a grant from the State of New Jersey.
On Tuesday, December 8 from 1:00-9:00PM, Livingston residents will be going to the polls
and asked whether they support a referendum that would provide necessary facility upgrades to the
elementary and middle schools. In a second question, voters will also be asked if they support the
installation of solar panels on all of the schools. In order to approve the solar panels (question #2),
the facility upgrades (question #1) must also be approved. Why? Because it is not fiscally
responsible to put solar panels on roofs that will need to be replaced in the very near future.
If the referendum is passed, the Livingston Public Schools will receive 40% of the necessary funding
in the form of a grant from the State of New Jersey.
Maintaining our school facilities is a necessary part of providing for the welfare of our children. Your
vote and the vote of every registered voter in your household on December 8 in The Special School
Election will have a long-term effect on your child’s education.
Hillside School would receive the following facility upgrades if the Referendum is approved:
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Replacement of all single pane windows
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Heating system would be replaced, and a cooling system would be added to all classrooms,
offices and multi-purpose room
Automatic temperature control would be installed
29,400 square feet of roofing would be replaced.
Interior doors would be replaced with fire resistant doors
Stair wells would be repaired
Restrooms would be renovated to be ADA compliant per current code.
An elevator would be installed so students with mobility impairments would be able to move
more freely throughout the building
Solar panels would be installed on the roof of Hillside with the ability to generate 97.75
kilowatts.
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Click here for more information.
In order to vote on December 8th you need to be registered to vote. If you are not yet registered to
vote or have recently moved, the deadline to register is Tuesday, November 17. You may access a
voter registration application here. After you have filled it out, remember to print it and mail it in.
There is no postage necessary and the application is already addressed.
BE A POLL WATCHER IN THE DECEMBER SPECIAL SCHOOL ELECTION…
** It Only Takes An Hour or Two to Support Our Schools!
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Hillside Kids Have H.E.A.R.T.
Helpful ▪. Empathetic ▪ Accepting ▪. Respectful ▪ Trustworthy
Each year volunteers serve as Poll Watchers. A Poll Watcher is a registered voter in Livingston who
sits at the voting site (in our case it's Hillside Elementary School) to observe voting in an election,
ensures that election rules are being followed and helps voters identify their voting district based on
street address, etc. It's a simple task but we need your help.
On Tuesday, December 8, 2009, polls will be open from 1:00PM – 9:00PM for the citizens of
Livingston to vote in the Special School Election for the Proposed Referendum Project. If we can
get about 16 volunteers, then each person will only need to sit at the poll for one hour. We
encourage you to sign up with a friend.
To volunteer, please contact our school representative Jim Gamble at jgamble962@yahoo.com and
specify which time slot(s) you are available for.
CLAIM YOUR LOST & FOUND
The following children have items that need to be claimed in the Lost & Found box:
Matt Burack (jacket)
James Duffy (jacket)
Zachary Friedman (winter coat)
Max Shen (lunch box)
Jameson Zalayet (2 items)
REFLECT ON THIS…
It has been found by experience that a person increases his blessings by being grateful for what he
has. - Charles Fillmore
BLURB SUBMISSION
Deadline to submit a blurb is Sunday, NOON in order to be included in that week’s WWB. Please
email your blurbs to Fiona Bhanushali at fionanb1@yahoo.com.
Click here to access the PTA website.
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Hillside Kids Have H.E.A.R.T.
Helpful ▪. Empathetic ▪ Accepting ▪. Respectful ▪ Trustworthy