February Newsletter 2022

CEDAR HILL PREPARATORY SCHOOL

February Newsletter

CHP Living History Presentations Cedar Hill Prep School celebrates Black History Month by each student researching, writing, and ultimately, bringing to life, a Black American whose achievements are so great that they reverberate through all of our lives.

Read More In Our Newsletter www.cedarhillprep.com | 1

In January, students in Grades 4 through 8 took the Online Regional Qualifying Exams for the National Geography Bee, National History Bee, and National Science Bee. Based upon their performance on these exams, approximately 30 Cedar Hill Prep students are scheduled to compete in the Regional Finals during late February through April.

Of those CHP students who competed in the February 26th Regional Finals of the Geography Bee, History Bee, and Science Bee, several have earned the opportunity to advance to the National Finals of their respective Bees… to be held in Orlando, FL this June!

As soon as all of the Regional Bees are completed and official results are released, CHP will announce all of the students’ names and awards.

Congratulations to all the students who qualified to advance in the competitions!

2 | February Newsletter

PRESCHOOL - KINDERGARTEN NEWS Chinese New Year Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year, was celebrated on Tuesday, February 1st this year.

According to the zodiac, this is the Year of the Tiger. To celebrate, our preschoolers colored a beautiful tiger lantern.

Black History Month in Preschool Preschoolers celebrated Black History Month with their own presentations. With the help of their parents, our youngest group in school did a little research on some famous Black Americans. The class brought in hand made posters of famous inventors, entertainers, athletes, and scientists. They shared their projects with their friends while practicing public speaking skills, as well as recalling information.

The children were eager to share the name, what the person did, and why they are still remembered today. As an added bonus, some of our preschoolers dressed up as the person they reported on or brought the item that made their person famous. They were so proud of their work and it showed!!!!

www.cedarhillprep.com | 3

PRESCHOOL - KINDERGARTEN NEWS Dinosaur Fossils One of our themes this month was about dinosaurs.

We read stories, played with toy dinosaurs, and then made dinosaur fossils. After reading the story, Fossils Tell of Long Ago, written by Aliki, the children were so excited to make their own fossils. They learned that dinosaurs do not live today; they are extinct.

As a group, we followed directions on how to make dinosaur fossils. We mixed flour, salt and water to make dough. Then we formed the dough into balls.

Each child flattened out their ball of dough and pressed a small dinosaur into it to leave an imprint.

The dough was then placed into a warmer to dry out overnight. The children were so excited to see the fossils they had made from their dinosaurs.

Valentine’s Day Valentine’s week was celebrated with extra love and kindness in preschool. The children decorated Valentine bags and colored paper bracelets, along with making cards for their parents.

On the 14th, the children dressed in Valentine colors and presented their own Valentine cards that they created at home for their classmates. Each card was created with love and kindness toward their friends.

4 | February Newsletter

PRESCHOOL - KINDERGARTEN NEWS Pre-Kindergarten Honors Black History Month Pre-Kindergarten honored Black History Month by doing an exciting research project! The children were able to choose from a list of famous African - American inventors, entertainers, athletes, and political figures. After researching their person of choice, they did a presentation in class. All of the children’s projects came out great and they did an amazing job presenting their work in front of their peers!

Chinese New Year!

Both Kindergarten classes learned all about Chinese New Year! Stories and traditions were shared about this very special celebration that lasts for 15 days. This year Chinese New Year began on February 1st. Families exchange gifts such as red envelopes containing money for Chinese New Year.

People eat special foods to symbolize prosperity and family unity. Chinese dragons are a symbol of strength in China’s culture and bring good luck to people. Celebrations include a dragon dance and fireworks! The Kindergarten students created dragon masks in celebration of Chinese New Year!

Groundhog Day We celebrated Groundhog Day and watched a video that took place at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania where Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog, saw his shadow! Now we will have 6 more weeks of winter! We learned that other names for groundhogs are a woodchuck and a whistle pig.

The groundhog lives in a burrow in the ground. We do know this ceremony is a myth. The children listened to the story Groundhog Day and each child made a groundhog! www.cedarhillprep.com | 5

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEWS Heart Healthy Presentation Our 1st Graders investigated healthy foods during a session with CHP’s nurse, Nurse Loretta. Students identified healthy snacks and experienced eating apple slices and sunflower butter. Nurse Loretta explained to our students the importance of choosing healthy snacks and how those choices could affect their health. Our 1st Graders were enthusiastic as they answered many of the questions posed to them!

Thank you, Nurse Loretta.

The ABC’s of Black History

First Graders at CHP presented The ABC’s of Black History during the school’s Living History event on Friday, February 25, 2022. Our First Graders were amazing! Each child was given a paper quilt square with the letter of the alphabet. They each presented information and illustrations of people, places, and historical facts about Black History. With the help of teachers and parents, our students rewarded us with an outstanding experience!

Black History Hallway Decorations First graders created an ABC of Black History book. In addition, our students colored abstract patterns and animal prints to decorate our hallway to celebrate Black History.

6 | February Newsletter

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEWS Second Grade Living History Presentations

Second Grade celebrated Black History Month by creating and presenting an Inspirational Quote Quilt. The children reflected on inspirational quotes by both historical and current notable Black Americans. After reciting the quote, the children presented their illustrated quilt square, explaining the message within the quote and how it relates to their life today. Thank you 2nd Graders for a fabulous performance.

2022 Lunar New Year February 1st signaled the start of the 2022 Lunar New Year, one of the most important celebrations of the year among East and Southeast Asian cultures, including Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean communities. The event, which is usually celebrated for multiple days, started as a time for feasting and honoring heavenly deities and ancestors. 2022 is the Year of the Tiger, which represents strength, courage, and bravery.

Those born in the tiger years, according to the zodiac system, are said to be brave, passionate, and eager to take on challenges.

Third Graders created colorful ornaments representing the holiday, using the traditional colors of red and gold. These colors represent luck and prosperity, which are revered in Chinese culture. Everything revolves around wealth in the new year. Students also received coloring books as part of the celebration. Great job, Third Graders!

www.cedarhillprep.com | 7

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEWS February Mystery Readers in Third Grade The third grade welcomed a mystery reader on a Friday afternoon. Mrs. Priya Bristol, Colton’s mom read a humorous book called Hens Don’t Crow! By A.H. Benjamin and Rebecca Elliott. When Rooster falls ill the farm animals are in a panic! Who is going to wake them up in the morning? Hen says she’ll do it... but how? Everyone knows hens don’t crow! The farm animals are skeptical when a hen promises to fulfill the wake-up duties of a sick rooster. The students enjoyed the animated reading by Colton’s mom. Thank you for reading to us and we look forward to welcoming more mystery readers in the future.

Super Students Every month, Third Grade students are selected as Super Students. They exhibit the qualities of exceptional behavior in and outside of the classroom.

They complete a poster that showcases who they are, including their “super student power” and what they would do to make the world a better place.

The students take this honor very seriously and are able to showcase their artistic talent through this activity.

The following are our Super Students for the month of February: Vihaan- Vihaan describes himself as a tip-top team player, an honorable helper, and a great geographer.

To make the world a better place, he would feed the hungry.

Zinnia- Zinnia describes herself as an awesome artist and she surely showed that in her poster! To make the world a better place, she would like to help clean lakes, rivers, and oceans that are dirty. What a great way to help our planet!

Miraya- Miraya describes herself as a magnificent musician, a rad reader, and a stunning scientist. She would like to make the world a better place by giving food to the homeless.

8 | February Newsletter

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEWS Living History “People Posters” of Poets and Authors On Friday, February 25th, CHP participated in our annual Living History Museum for Black History Month. The Third Graders focused on authors and poets. The students created “People Posters” based on the person they researched. They were then asked to memorize a speech, in character, as their person. Some students got creative and even dressed up in an outfit their person would wear! I am truly proud of the courage each student showed by being in front of a camera getting their speech recorded. This is the first year we have recorded the students’ speeches. Even with all of the apparatuses and a small audience of Fifth Graders, the students presented their projects beautifully.

Great job Third Graders!!

Grade 4 Celebrates February Birthdays Grade 4 celebrated two more classmates turning double-digits! Happy Birthday Millana and Grayson!!!

Thank you to their families for providing yummy treats for the celebrations!

www.cedarhillprep.com | 9

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEWS Black American Living History in Grade 4 On Friday, February 25th, Grade 4 students were bustling with excitement as they carried their Black American Living History Projects into the gym to perform for their classmates while their presentations were recorded and filmed by the videographer for their families to enjoy.

Each Grade 4 student’s performance was a celebration of the many Black-American scientists and inventors who have made important contributions to our society. Dressed in costumes reflecting the period in which these inventors lived, from the mid-18th century to the present day, each 4th grade “inventor” delivered speeches that discussed the challenges many of the inventors faced and their amazing successes.

Among the many celebrated inventors were Benjamin Banneker, Jan Ernst Matzeliger, Daniel Hale Williams, Garrett Morgan, Percy Lavon James, Otis Boykin, Dr. Patricia Bath, Katherine Johnson, Mark Dean, and Lisa Gelobter.

In preparation for the event, the students learned to do online research, collect and organize data, document their research, and write a speech to inform….in the 1st person! Their “museum” displays included artifacts that reflected the inventors’ accomplishments and provided the students with an opportunity to express their findings creatively. In addition, the students learned the essence of public speaking.

Congratulations Grade 4 for your outstanding presentations!!!

A special thank-you to our Grade 4 families for your assistance with this four-week project that led to the children’s performances! And… a special thank-you to Mr. Homiak for his assistance with the oral presentations, Ms. Iyengar and Mr. Siegel for their technical expertise, and Mr. Seeley for organizing the logistics of this event despite a two hour weather-related delayed opening!

10 | February Newsletter

MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS Middle School Living History History is much more than the study of long dead presidents, obscure battles, or dusty old trade agreements. The people we learn about in social studies class were real people, just like you and me; people with hopes and dreams, joys and sorrows, struggles and triumphs. Living History Day is a CHP tradition that brings together the “human face” of history with the unique contributions of our nation’s African American heritage. This year, each student was assigned someone who had made a major contribution to 20th and 21st century America. They spent the month doing diligent research, writing a biography, and then memorizing it for an inspiring speech to the school. The students dressed and conducted themselves like professionals and truly embodied the ambition, integrity, and excellence of the men and women they had researched. We could not be more proud of the work that CHP’s middle school put into their Living History projects. The personal, meaningful, creative, and passionate presentations these students make, each and every year, are the key for us to feel the presence of great people of the past, and to make their lives part of our lives.

Black History Month is a wonderful occasion to celebrate the unique contributions of African-Americans to our nation. While we take this month to specifically acknowledge the achievements of those who have, for far too long and far too often, been overlooked or ignored, it is important to make clear that Black History is American History, and therefore does not start and end with the month of February.

www.cedarhillprep.com | 11

AROUND THE SCHOOL Garden State Debate League February 5th 2022 Fifty six teams participated in the debate and more than 160 students participated in the tournament.Cedar Hill Prep School won 1st place in percentage wins by winning 68% of the debates. Cedar Hill Prep School won 1st place in overall wins by winning 24 out of the 35 debates.

The topics for the debate were: Animal Testing Is Unethical Self Driving Cars Do More Harm Than Good.

Free Press Is More Important Than National Security Top Teams In the Tournament: First Place Team: Avi Nath; Daniel Yuh; Sriram Banigalapatti (75.89) Second Place Team: Tea Florencio; Aarna Rao; Aarushi Gupta (74.89) Fifth Place Team: Shameek Parab; Mahadev Menon; Motunrayo Odukoya (74.11) Sixth Place Team: Sidharth Shah; Ayden Raju (73.83) Seventh Place Team: Sophia Lai; Nitara Baruah; Jwala Rajnikanth (73.22) Top Speakers in the Tournament: Second Place: Motunrayo Odukoya (77.3) Fourth Place: Avi Nath (76.3) Fifth Place: Sriram Banigalapatti; Daniel Yuh and Jwala Rajnikanth (75.7) Sixth Place: Aarnaa Desai (75.3) Congratulations to all of our debaters!

Family Fun Night The CHP House Leadership team hosted a “Virtual” Family Fun Night on Feb 11th, where students led several breakout rooms including Trivia/Kahoot, Arts and Crafts, Scrabble/Pictionary, Game Pigeon/ Video Games, Music/Dance, and a family vs. family tournament of Family Feud!

A great time was had by everyone.

12 | February Newsletter

SPECIALS Preschool Practices Their Numbers in Spanish The children were very excited to learn about numbers in Spanish. Our CHP Preschoolers loved learning about numbers. They love to participate in playing flashcards in groups and individually, watching videos, singing songs, practicing their skills, and building fluency. It’s fun learning Spanish!

France Comes to Fourth Grade Fourth Grade learned about France in their French class. They created a brochure about the capital of France, the currency used, famous monuments, and French cuisine. They also created a passport and they used it every time they learned about a new French-speaking country by getting their passports stamped!

DRAMA Drama Class Creates The Spring Play In Drama class, students continued work on our original production for the Spring. Students in each grade contributed to the direction of the story, the details of the characters, and the words spoken as dialogue throughout the play. The story involves pirates, a giant, a Viking, and even a shapeshifting cat! The students can’t wait to bring this performance to life. www.cedarhillprep.com | 13

SPECIALS

ART Grade 1: Patches the Paper Penguin Paper Collage Students began the art lesson by tracing a template of a penguin, followed by drawing a pair of flippers. Next, after smearing glue within the outline of the penguin, students applied white paper patches which were torn from a sheet of white paper, thus covering the penguin’s body. Afterward, torn pieces of black paper filled in the flippers as well as created the eyes and feet. Lastly, a small piece of orange paper was used for a beak. What a fun way for students to develop fine motor skills!

Students Continue Graphic Design Projects.

In art class, students continued to practice implementing the basic concepts of graphic design: the relationships of shapes on the page, varying their sizes and arrangements for a dramatic impact so viewers are engaged. Grades 3 and 4 continued creating their magazine covers and spreads. Grades 5 through 8 moved on to the second part of their Living History graphics with a digital presentation of their character. They were to, again, use Graphic Design concepts to create a visual background that would be displayed on a monitor behind the student as they performed their Living History person speech.

“I took your suggestions into consideration and decided to make the entire presentation more colorful to represent Tina Turner’s personality. I also carefully chose the design of the new background and changed it to something that looks like sun rays. These “sun rays” represent Tina Turner’s fashion style. It reminds me of the fringe on Tina Turner’s most iconic dresses, her spiked stiletto heels that she constantly wore, and her spiky, crazy, well-known hairstyle.”

—Demi, Grade 5 Student

Mardi Gras Parade Floats in Progress Students in Grades 3 through 8 are working by class-based themes to create actual Parade Floats that will be paraded on wheeled platforms up to the gym from the Admin Building Carport on March 11th for the Mardi Gras Event.

Students learned that parades and processions have always been part of human culture. They observed Mardi Gras and other celebratory floats. Then they created their own using Art, Upcycled, and Mixed Media materials. Each float consists of a themed landscaped base or terrain and figures to inhabit it.

The Art Concept rubric is to build large and in 3D, expanding up and around the base platform.

14 | February Newsletter

SPECIALS

www.cedarhillprep.com | 15

SPECIALS Chess Tournament Cedar Hill Prep students from Kindergarten through 7th Grade had been diligently preparing for their inaugural tournament of the year! On Sunday, February 27th, the wait was over, as the students piled in various cars (thanks, Mom and Dad!) and made the trek to Brookdale Community College, who generously hosted the event. Hundreds of children gathered from various elementary schools to compete.

Our students gained valuable practice in recording their scores, using time clocks, and flexing their critical thinking muscles in an unfamiliar environment. We are so proud of their perseverance, commitment, and impeccable conduct in the community. We look forward to the next opportunity to represent our school and, as always...

Go Wildcats!

WILDCATS SPORTS

The Wildcats Boys Basketball Team lost their February 9th game to Princeton Day School, with a final score of 21 - 17. This gives them 4 wins and 5 losses for the season overall. The Wildcats Girls Basketball Team lost their February 8th game to Far Hills Country Day School, with a final score of 25 - 20. The next day they won against Princeton Day School, with a final score of 15 - 9. This makes 5 wins and 3 losses in the season overall.

Congratulations to both teams on a well played season to date.

16 | February Newsletter

Our next PTO Meeting is March 9, 2022.

The meeting will be via Zoom and we will be discussing upcoming events and fundraisers.

Be on the lookout for an email with details regarding the meeting.

Thank you and we look forward to seeing you all there.

New CHP Sweatshirts are Here!

Only $30.00 Sizes: Small, Medium, and Large Please contact mlozano@cedarhillprep.com for more information and pick up.

We will be launching our CHP Uniform Resale shortly. There is a donation bin in the main lobby for any donations that you may have for the sale.

Once collected we will log and put into the donations to be sold in the coming weeks. What is the Resale: See the FAQs above.

www.cedarhillprep.com | 17

SAVE THE DATE

Thursday, May 12th at 6:00

Of Pirates and Princes a CHP original play

Buy Your 2021-2022 Yearbook Today!

Ordering Deadline April 11, 2022

Price: $40.00 All ordering will be done online.

To Order: • Scan the QR Code or login at https://ybpay.lifetouch.com/ • Use Code: 14297722 • Follow the Directions All Yearbooks will be shipped to the school.

Please contact Lifetouch at 1-800-736-4761 with any questions.

SCAN TO ORDER

Join the Alumni Instagram and Facebook Page

Staff Birthdays Happy Birthday to Adam Siegal, Jessica Martinez, Michael Lozano, and Karen Holstein who celebrated their birthdays in February.

Hope they enjoyed their birthdays!

Stay connected and network with the CHP Community.

You will receive invitations to events and the latest CHP and academic news. This will also allow us to share news and acknowledge all your achievements.

Be Part of the Alumni Community Today! Join and share with family and friends to follow and like!

Share Your Happy Experiences!

Positive reviews from awesome parents like you help others to feel confident about choosing the Cedar Hill Prep Community.

Please click here to rate us on Yelp!

18 | February Newsletter

Please click here to rate us on Yellow Pages!

Please click here to rate us on Private School Review!

www.cedarhillprep.com | 19

152 Cedar Grove Lane Somerset, NJ 08873 Phone: 732-356-5400 Fax: 732-356-5409 Email: admissions@cedarhillprep.com Web: www.cedarhillprep.com

Contact Us

Follow Us 20 | February Newsletter