CEDAR HILL PREPARATORY SCHOOL January Newsletter
CHP Spelling Bee Cedar Hill Prep’s return from Winter Break was quite busy as students in grades 1 – 8 prepared for the annual Spelling Bee. Read full article on page 2 of newsletter.
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CHP Spelling Bee Cedar Hill Prep’s return from Winter Break was quite busy as students in grades 1 – 8 prepared for the annual Spelling Bee. The first stage of the competition involved the Classroom Bees. The two winners from each grade then advanced to the CHP school-wide Spelling Bee. With COVID protocols still in place, on the morning of January 20th, rather than gather in the gym, the on-campus CHP community and participants’ parents gathered in front of their computer screens to support the sixteen contestants as they competed in our annual CHP Spelling Bee. The competition was quite impressive and lasted 13 rounds! Advancing to the Championship round were third grader, Yajur Subramaniam, and fifth grader, Meghana Indupuru. They went on to compete in several Championship Rounds until a winner was declared. Congratulations to Meghana Indupuru (1st place winner) and Yajur Subramaniam (runner-up) for their amazing performances! Meghana will advance to the Scripps Regional Spelling Bee with our very best wishes!
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PRESCHOOL - KINDERGARTEN NEWS A Flurry of Unique Snowflakes Our preschoolers are learning about winter and its characteristics. They also learned that no two snowflakes are ever the same. For our winter art craft, the children made their own unique snowflakes using coffee filters, markers, and strips of paper.
Rainbows of Diversity The preschool children learned about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream to be treated fairly regardless of their skin color. The children colored a rainbow, however, it wasn’t the traditional colors of the rainbow. It was called The Rainbow Colors of Me. All the childrens’ rainbows were different because we all are different.
Patterns in Preschool The preschoolers learned about patterns during our virtual learning. The children were taught that a pattern is something that repeats and repeats. Lining up crayons, singing songs, listening to stories, and dancing were all used to enhance the children’s preparation for making their own patterns. For this activity, the students found their own objects at home to create their patterns.
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PRESCHOOL - KINDERGARTEN NEWS Animals of the Arctic The Pre-Kindergarten class has started learning about the Arctic and the animals that live there. This month we learned all about polar bears! The children loved learning about this animal. They were surprised to find out that a polar bear’s fur is not white. It is actually translucent! Also, we discovered where they live, what they eat, and how they survive in such a cold environment. After learning all about this magnificent animal, the children made a beautiful polar bear craft.
Kindergarten Celebrates Unity and Diversity This month Kindergarten celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by dedicating and singing a special song giving thanks to him for all the freedoms that he peacefully fought for. We read inspiring books about him and had many discussions. We learned that segregation is wrong, unfair laws had to be changed, and that Dr. King’s dream was for all people to be treated equally. We learned that who you are on the inside is what counts. We are all the same, we are all different and both things are wonderful! We honor Dr. King on the third Monday in January every year!
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ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEWS Magical Snowman 1st Graders have enjoyed creating a magical snowman. First, our students enjoyed listening to snowmen stories. They designed their individual magical snowman and used parts to “build “ their snowman. They have begun writing their first narrative. Initially, our students needed lessons on how to tell a story with sequence words such as first, next, and last. Our students will continue to put forth great effort to describe each event, and if possible, to include what happened afterward. The final step will be the editing of spelling and punctuation, and the adding of more details. We are so proud of our students’ efforts!
Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Second Grade Second Grade celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday by reading and learning about the great work of Dr. King. In the spirit of Dr. King’s peaceful way of making the world a better place, the children wrote “Peace Poems”. Each poem reflects how peace can connect to the five senses. Common themes included how peace is calming, loving, and joyous.
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ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEWS Grade 3 Mystery Readers Continue In January On Friday, January 7th, 3rd graders were lucky enough to have a mystery reader join us. It was Miraya’s mom, Dhvani Shukla! She read us a wonderful story entitled When I Grow Up by Al Yankovic. It is about an eight-year-old named Billy who has an active imagination and a host of interests. So, when it’s time for show-and-tell, he can barely contain himself as he describes, nonstop, what he’d like to be when he grows up. His career choices include chef, snail trainer, lathe operator, gorilla masseuse, an artist whose preferred medium is chocolate mousse, sumo wrestler, pickle inspector... and on and on. Mrs. Krupp’s attempts to call “time up” are unsuccessful. He’s just getting started. Billy is still pondering vocational choices at lunchtime when he comes up with one more possibility—a great teacher like Mrs. Krupp. Third graders enjoyed the story virtually on a snowy Friday afternoon. Thank you, Miraya’s mom!
On Friday, January 21st, Third Graders were treated to a special mystery reader. It was Samarth’s Dad! He joined us virtually on Zoom to read a book entitled The Story of Albert Einstein: A Biography Book for New Readers, written by Susan B. Kartz. The chapter book discusses the life of the scientist and the students were fascinated with learning about his early life. So often we only hear about his accomplishments in the science field, but not as much in his personal life. Thank you for entertaining us on a Friday afternoon! Third graders welcomed yet another mystery reader on this cold snowy afternoon. Mrs. Aysha Waseem, Daanyal’s mom, read us The Boy Who Never Gave Up. The book is the inspiring true story of NBA superstar Stephen Curry. It tells the story of a young boy who many said was too short to play in high school, too weak to play in college, and not good enough to play in the NBA. Against all odds, this small boy who follows his dream not only makes it to the NBA, but becomes one of the greatest players to ever play the game of basketball. Thank you, Mrs. Waseem, for your animated reading! The students love to hear the books that parents choose for them. We look forward to many more readers this year.
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ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEWS 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 January. Nehemiah - Nehemiah did a beautiful job on his Super Student poster, using bright, vibrant colors. He describes himself as a tip-top team player, an amazing athlete, and a stunning scientist. To make the world a better place, he would use science to clean oceans, rivers, and lakes. Anya - Anya truly showcased her artistic ability through her poster. She describes herself as an awesome artist and her catchphrase is “respect others the way you would want to be respected.” She would make the world a better place by feeding the homeless. Ayaan - Ayaan had a nice theme of red and blue colors throughout his poster. He described himself as an amazing athlete, which rings true through his basketball skills. He would like to make the world a better place by picking up trash.
Grade 3 Celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” — Martin Luther King, Jr. During the month of January, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, Third Grade students created hearts that illustrated their dreams for the world. Students thought about how the world could be a better place and the improvements that could be made. Dreams included no more littering, finding a home for all of the animals, and ending climate change. Children are extremely sensitive to the current issues we face as a nation, and we are looking forward to seeing what they will accomplish in the future.
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ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEWS January 2022... a Busy Month in Grade 4! January was a busy month for birthdays in Grade 4! When we began virtual classes after Winter Break, we celebrated Samaira’s late December birthday. Once we returned to campus, we continued the birthday celebrations. Happy Birthday to Tanish, Mason, Colin, Aaliyah, Samaira and Mrs. Yurman!
Congratulations to Grade 4 students for putting forth their very best efforts during our two weeks of remote learning! What a wonderful way to begin the New Year! In Social Studies, Grade 4 has been learning about the early settlers in the Americas; their reasons for leaving their homelands and the contributions they have made to American culture. Currently, Grade 4 students are collaborating as they conduct online research to further refine this study and focus on the early settlers in New Jersey and New York. The beginning of each New Year is a time to reflect on the past year and what we hope the New Year will bring. Grade 4 students’ reflections and wishes include: improving their study habits and eating habits; improving their skills in various academic, musical, and sports-related areas; reducing the amount of time spent on the Internet; taking trips; seeing more snow; writing a book; hoping that more people will join the fight against COVID and get vaccinated; convincing parents to bring a dog into their family; and to spend more time with family and friends. We hope all of these goals are realized… and wish all 4th graders and their families a healthy and happy New Year!
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MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS Back to School with Bird Beaks Grade 5 was welcomed back from virtual learning with a lab to discover why all birds do not have the same beaks. They tested different tools on a variety of food and nest materials. What tools were sharp and made good holes? What tools could scoop things out of water? What tools were good to pinch materials and carry them? The lab culminated with the students each designing their own ultimate bird beak, labeled with the characteristics and purpose. The class celebrated with a gallery walk in which they visited other bird beaks and gave constructive feedback to their peers. Our nest of young scientists learned so much and it was a great way to come back into the classroom.
Spread Their Wings On Thursday, January 27th, Grade 6 spread their wings at iFly Flying Center. The students learned about physics, math, and gravity with demonstrations as well as physical flying experience. They each were put in a tube of wind set at 80 to 105 mph in order to practice moving their body into positions of balance, turbulence, and drag. This trip was anything but a drag. They all flew to new adventures.
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AROUND THE SCHOOL CHP Response to Omicron Cedar Hill Prep is committed to the safety of our students and faculty and, in order to mitigate the spread and impact of the Omicron variant on our community, have implemented the following guidelines and precautions around our return to in-person schooling as of Tuesday, January 18th: ● A negative test was necessary to enter the campus on the 18th. • Daily temperatures will be taken at the entrance to the lower school and the gate to campus used by the older students. • Masks (preferably N95) will be worn in all rooms at all times, including during physical education and recess. • Masks will be taken off only for snack/lunch, which will take place in the classrooms in order to limit unnecessary movement around the campus. • A UV air filtration system is in place, which includes equipment to ensure indoor air quality and fresh air being fed into the classrooms, in addition filters are being changed frequently and fans kept on at all times. • Staff and students are encouraged to wash their hands frequently throughout the school day. • The entire CHP community is making a commitment of truth and trust to each other so that the daily mymedbot survey can be used as an accurate gauge of the health of our community. We thank you for your cooperation and understanding as we get through this latest development of the pandemic together. CHP is here to help maintain the status quo for our students and to provide a source of information for our students’ families.
Pizza with the Principal Every month one student in each homeroom is selected to join Mr. Seeley for Pizza with the Principal. The January students sat down for a round of pies and discussion. Mr. Seeley led them in a conversation ranging from pets to favorite classes to school uniforms.
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SPECIALS DRAMA Improvisational Group Storytelling During our remote engagement following the return to school after CHP’s winter break, the drama students practiced group storytelling using both critical listening and improvisation skills in order to tell an original story a few lines at a time. The setting and character were established in each class by a volunteer and the students then took turns filling in the action of the narrative, as well as pertinent details or backstory they wanted the rest of the class to know about the story’s invented characters. This was a great exercise in group collaboration, as well as a fun and creative way to practice presence and mindfulness while working alongside their peers.
ART
Elements of Graphic Design
Elementary and Middle School Students learned the skill of graphic design. Students started by observing examples of past and present graphics, from Victorian book covers and posters to modern-day magazines and websites. They practiced important graphic composition concepts of layout arrangement such as relative size, shape, color, balance, contrast, negative space, focus, and flow. Middle School Students used the digital software Canva to create covers and presentation graphics for next month’s Living History celebration. Third and Fourth Graders created original front pages and spreads of their own imagined magazines. Some of the imagined magazine themes included cars, jewelry, animals, the English language, travel, luxury hotels, snacks, fashion, and an end to Covid. Any of these sounds like it would make a great magazine! Click Here to See Artwork Presentations
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WILDCATS SPORTS The Wildcats’ boys and girls basketball teams kicked off a new year with some exciting matches against local rivals. The boys team played and lost to Morristown Beard and Metuchen Christian, but pulled off two awesome victories against Wilberforce, leading 42 to 30, and Princeton Charter, with a razor thin margin of 29 to 28. The girls team, meanwhile, lost to Princeton Charter, but won against Stuart, with a victory of 29 to 14, and Methuchen Christian, with a very close score of 14 to 12. Congratulations to all of our players and thanks to our competition on the field for giving us a challenging game and extending their sense of athletic etiquette!
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Our next PTO Meeting is February 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.
CEDAR HILL PREP SPORTSWEAR All proceeds help support CHP PTO
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Wharton Annual Gala The Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts is a creative partner of CHP, providing the school with its music program and giving our students the opportunity to express themselves through music. Their annual gala is approaching and tickets are available for purchase. Click Here For More Information
Staff Birthdays Happy Birthday to Ruth Sulitzer, Courtney Tierney, Karen Yurman, and Mary Sheridan who celebrated their birthdays in January. Hope they enjoyed their birthdays!
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152 Cedar Grove Lane Somerset, NJ 08873 Phone: 732-356-5400 Fax: 732-356-5409 Email: admissions@cedarhillprep.com Web: www.cedarhillprep.com
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