CEDAR HILL PREPARATORY SCHOOL
May Newsletter
Cinco de Mayo Celebration
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PRESCHOOL - KINDERGARTEN NEWS Poetry Day in Lower School Preschool May 10th was Poetry Day at Cedar Hill Prep. Our Preschool wore headbands with pictures that reflected each poem they recited while their parents watched excitedly via Zoom. The first poem recited was “I Have a Little Frog” and the second was “Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear.” The third poem was called “Spring Planting” and the final poem was “I’m a Star.” The children did an amazing job and everyone was so proud of their little stars!
Pre-Kindergarten The Pre-Kindergarten students had fun learning their poems for poetry day! For several weeks, they each practiced four poems and were very excited to finally recite them in front of their family and friends. The names of the poems they recited were “Everybody Has a Name,” “May,” “All of Me,” and “Kindergarten, Here We Come!” The children looked and sounded great while reciting their poems. Their favorite poem to recite was “Kindergarten, Here We Come!”
Kindergarten Both Kindergarten classes joined together in the multipurpose room and amazed everyone with their beautiful poetry. The children performed their pieces via zoom with proud families watching. They were articulate, adorable, and poised as they stood and recited their poetry together.
In addition to this, some students also chose some of their favorite poems and recited individually. The lower school children at Cedar Hill Prep are AWESOME!!!
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PRESCHOOL - KINDERGARTEN NEWS
Caterpillars to Butterflies Our preschoolers had the awesome experience of watching caterpillars transform into beautiful butterflies right in their classroom. The class received 5 little caterpillars in a jar with food already provided, and over a period of several weeks, they learned about and observed each stage of the caterpillar’s metamorphosis. They watched as the caterpillars ate and grew and transformed into a chrysalis. The chrysalises were cautiously moved to their nets and the children eagerly waited for the next transformation. Our preschoolers were ecstatic to see their newly transformed butterflies a few days later! After releasing the butterflies into their natural habitat, the class made their own indoor butterflies out of paint and coffee filters. What an exhilarating journey!
Butterflies in Pre-Kindergarten During the month of May, the Pre-Kindergarten class learned all about butterflies. The children got to experience the complete life cycle in the classroom, watching as the caterpillars entered their pupa, hibernated, and came out as beautiful butterflies! It was a special moment getting to release the Pre-K butterflies onto campus.
Kindergarten Sets Butterflies Free The Kindergarten children were amazed and excited to get to watch the journey of their caterpillar’s metamorphosis into butterflies. Today, with mixed emotions and love in their hearts, kindergarten “A” and “B” gave a cheering farewell as they set their butterflies free! www.cedarhillprep.com | 3
PRESCHOOL - KINDERGARTEN NEWS Magic Bob Visits Lower School Laughter could be heard throughout our school today as the Preschool, Pre-Kindergarten, and Kindergarten classes gathered together to enjoy the show presented by Magic Bob. He delighted us with fun tricks and surprise visitors such as a beautiful dove. The children were mesmerized as Magic Bob pulled fun objects from hats and did amazing card tricks. After the show, we were joined by two magician assistants who made a variety of balloon art creations including butterflies, flowers, and Disney characters.
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PRESCHOOL - KINDERGARTEN NEWS
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PRESCHOOL - KINDERGARTEN NEWS Kindergarten Celebrates Memorial Day In Kindergarten, students learned about how Memorial Day in the U.S. honors the memory of soldiers who died in military service. The children read a book, had discussions, and watched a video explaining the Memorial Day tradition, all of which explained how Americans put on parades, church services, and other social events to commemorate the day. When they learned how some people decorate soldiers’ graves with flowers and flags, the Kindergarten students made their own special American Flags to show their appreciation to American solders for keeping us safe!
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEWS First Graders Investigate the Amazon Rainforest During the month of May, our 1st graders have been busy investigating the Amazon Rainforest. First, we read The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry and worked on sequencing skills by placing the book’s events in the correct chronological order. Afterwards, our students created a display of the rainforest.
Memorial Day Second grade learned all about the meaning of Memorial Day and how we honor those who sacrificed their lives for our country.
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ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEWS
Second Grade Peer-Reading Program This year, 2nd graders participated in a peer-reading program with the middle school. The children enjoyed a weekly visit from 7th graders, Anaya and Rashmika, for peer-reading time. The children were excited to share their reading skills by playing literacy games with the middle-schoolers – a great way to enhance oral reading fluency and comprehension skills in a way which benefited both grade levels. We appreciate the great work by Anaya and Rashmika and hope to continue this program next year!
Congratulations Arnav! Second-grader Arnav competed in a long-course swim meet that was held in a 50-meter pool instead of a standard 25-yard pool. He competed in events in the 10 and younger category and was the only 7-yearold to compete alongside the older swimmers. Arnav swam in the 50 Fly, 50 Back, and 100 Free events at the meet. Way to go, Arnav! Click Here to Watch Meet
Third Grade Celebrates School’s Final Weeks To celebrate the last few weeks of school, our third graders participated in popping a balloon each day. With the stresses of final exams and Terra Novas, the end of the year can feel daunting to students. This is a fun activity to blow off some steam while counting down the days left in the school year.
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ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEWS
May Finds Grade 4’s A-Buzzing! The month of May found Grade 4 students pulling out their craft supplies to create Mother’s Day gifts such as keepsake boxes and coupon booklets. Our students enjoyed coming up with gift ideas that could help their mothers. We hope all of our Grade 4 mothers enjoyed a wonderful celebration of their special day! Grade 4 also had a chance to celebrate two more double-digit birthdays this May! Happy birthday to Sufyaan and Avya! Everyone is growing up beautifully. Grade 4 students have been blooming along with the May flowers. It was during this month, as the students were taking their graduation photos and completing each day’s classwork, that they began reflecting on all that they have accomplished since September! “Remember when” became their common phrase. The students share an awareness and recognition of all that they can now successfully accomplish in one day and how much more independent they have become since September. Congratulations Grade 4! And good luck as you are heading towards middle school!
MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS Environmental Gardening Club The permaculture and gardening electives in the middle school teach students how to most effectively curate Cedar Hill Prep’s beautiful 9-acre campus. Permaculture stands for “permanent agriculture.” In this elective, students learn the ethical framework and guiding principles of permaculture to create regenerative designs that make the most of the land. In the gardening elective, students plant a wildflower/ pollinator garden in the raised beds. The succession planting continuously produces annual wildflowers throughout the entire summer. Some of the flowers include milkweed, lavender, and daisies. Be on the lookout for butterflies throughout the summer season!
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MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS CHP Student Awarded both the Pop Warner & “All American Scholar!” In March ‘22, Demitria R. was named a “First Team Scholar” for the Pop Warner Eastern Region of the United States! The Eastern Region is composed of approximately 25,000 Pop Warner athletes in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. This award, bestowed upon the top 2% of Pop Warner athletes in the Eastern Region, was awarded to Demi for her academic achievements. Upon earning this honor, Demi’s academic and extracurricular credentials were forwarded to the Pop Warner National Headquarters for consideration in the National Scholastic Honors’ “2021-2022 All American Scholar” award. Demi had the distinct honor of winning this award which represents the academic achievement of being amongst the top 2% of approximately 165,000 Pop Warner athletes nationwide! Congratulations to Demi, CHP’s very own Pop Warner “2021-2022 All American Scholar!”
Junior Solar Sprints The Junior Solar Sprints program is an annual STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) competition where students design, build, and race solar-powered model cars. The event is sponsored by Avenues in Motion, a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote alternative energy and sustainable transportation. After weeks of building, testing, and experimenting, students compete in five divisional races. Judges award prizes based on the vehicles’ speed, innovation, and engineering prowess. Cedar Hill Prep is proud to announce that the 7th and 8th grade students competed in the Junior Solar Sprint’s virtual division competition this year. In the Craftsmanship category, the team “Batmobile” comprised of Motunrayo Odukoya , Sharon Kim, and Ananya Mehta took second place. In the video journal category, the team “Smurf” comprised of Siana Mupidi and Reina Fontaine took fourth place. These two teams were invited to participate in the regional finals held on May 23rd, 2022 at New Providence Middle School. Many thanks to the parents as well as CHP’s science teachers, Mr. Deisher and Mrs. Galiano, for all the help and support throughout this project!
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MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS Refugee Drive! This Spring, the Cedar Hill Prep House Student Leadership donated to support the many refugees who have fled to New Jersey due to political unrest, persecution, and/or natural disasters. They collaborated with a staff volunteer from the IRC (International Rescue Committee) who is in direct contact with the US government agencies and refugees when they enter New Jersey.
CHP House Leaders planned and implemented a schoolwide drive to collect 100 Children Backpacks with school supplies and 100 Tote Bags for Families containing blankets, hygiene kits, etc. To raise funds, the eighth graders also hosted a bake sale entirely on their own, raising almost $400! With the donation of time, items, and funds, the CHP community proved that together, we can truly make a difference! Watch CHP Refugee Donation Drive Announcement
Great Adventures Students in Mr. Deisher’s 7th and 8th grade science classes visited Six Flags Great Adventure for a field trip on May 19th. The students were able to utilize their highly developed observation skills to understand the physics of roller coasters. Earlier in the school year, the 8th grade students built upcycled roller coasters and performed energy calculations while they were studying different forms of energy. Observing the Six Flags rides allowed students to experience the real-world application of the energy units they learned about. Building off this exciting field trip, the 7th grade scientists will get to build their own roller coasters, performing potential and kinetic energy calculations for their summer homework!
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MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS
House Leadership The CHP House Leadership Team attended Global Youth Service Day on April 30, 2022, a program organized by the Community Food Bank of New Jersey. Upon arrival, they engaged in interactive workshops where they and other teens learned about food inequities and insecurities as well as ways to support our community by participating in youth outreach and leadership initiatives. After lunch, they participated in a two-hour volunteer shift assembling food boxes to be distributed to partner agencies and members of the community. It was a long day but very enriching and fulfilling for everyone.
Math Scale Factor Projects
Every year in Mrs. Lekhi’s 7th grade math class, students learn about scale factors and ratios as well as an appreciation for the importance of scale models in the design of products, structures, and systems. So they could see for themselves how to accurately scale real-life objects, students were asked to choose an object, pick a scale, and decide either to scale it up or scale it down. Using basic materials and tools such as cardboard, card stock, construction paper, foam core board, markers, paint, toothpicks, papier-mâché, tape, and hot glue, they made their scaled creations. Each one was unique, and the dimensions of every detail were accurately calculated and built. Here are pictures of this year’s outstanding projects!
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SPECIALS
Cinco de Mayo Celebration The CHP Cinco de Mayo celebration of 2022 was hosted by the Spanish department. Spanish students from grades 1-8 worked diligently to create a colorful Cinco de Mayo program! The celebration started with second grader Aarush Somidi leading us in El Prometo de Lealtad (The Pledge of Allegiance). Aarush delivered the pledge with impressive eloquence and fluency. The third graders then took over with their performance of a Cinco de Mayo play. Kyle Parks from 3B performed the role of the former president of Mexico, Benito Juárez, who presided over Mexico during the events that led to the holiday. Parks depicted a president burdened with the financial crisis of a nation whose economy was crippled by multiple wars. The president’s decision to suspend payments to European creditors – Great Britain, France, and Spain – triggered the eighth graders into their roles. Avi Nath played the prime minister of Great Britain, Daniel Yuh acted as the president of France, and Riya Gujral depicted the president of Spain. These leaders came to the consensus to seize Mexico’s resources as payment for outstanding debt. The president of France, however, had plans to colonize Mexico. He dispatched 6,000 French soldiers, represented by students in grades 5-8, in an attack against the Mexican city of Puebla. Samarth Dakerah from class 3A acted as the Mexican military’s messenger and urgently handed a telegram to Colton Bristol from 3B who depicted the Mexican army General, Ignacio Zaragoza. Zaragoza, in response, dispatched 2,500 Mexican soldiers played by CHP third graders to defend the Mexican city of Puebla. The Cedar Hill Prep gym was converted into the embattled city of Puebla for the reenactment. Grades 5-8, acting as the French army, stormed the gates of Puebla with handmade cardboard swords and shields. Our third graders, dressed in the Mexican colors, valiantly fought back and conquered France. They celebrated, shouting repeatedly ¡Viva México! President Juárez (student Parks) declared Cinco de Mayo a national holiday and ushered in the next phase of the celebration – dance, music, trivia, food, and art! Lower School Spanish Teacher, Señora Soto, got us dancing to the Latino beat of Baile Tapatio. Music teacher, Ms. Joyce, had Grade 6B decked out in large sombreros with maracas, tambourines, drums, sand blocks, triangles, sticks, cabasas, and other instruments. They thrilled us with the song “Fiesta.” (article continued on page 13) 12 | May Newsletter
SPECIALS (Cinco de Mayo Celebration article continued from page 12) Grade 6 Spanish students then created teams Salsa and Guacamole from the audience and quizzed them on the fun facts about Cinco de Mayo, distributing Mexican keepsakes as prizes. The assorted Mexican decor were created by all lower school students under the direction of art teacher, Karen Wright Borkowski. To top the day off, Grade 7 performed the Final Desk Cooking Competition moderated by Tanvi Potluori. The first team of chefs consisted of Motunrayo Odukoya and Rishabh Dagli versus Jasmine Hanna and Ananya Mehta. The dishes were fajitas and tacos. Judges Basava Kethineni and Akhil Brahmandam judged the dishes on taste and presentation, declaring a tie between the two teams! The aroma of Mexican spices and vegetables filled the school. We transitioned into lunch time with a special treat sponsored by Principal Donald Seeley of salsa, queso, and chips from Moe’s Restaurant. Cinco de Mayo 2022 was a fun-filled day for all of CHP. We look forward to continuing this tradition in the years to come!
ART
Garden Design Paintings Students learned about famous, historic botanical gardens and applied Garden Design concepts as well as Art and Design concepts in their renditions. The aim for the paintings was to include at least 5 shapes of trees and bushes, 5 different shapes and types of flowers, and 3 different green tones. Students enjoyed applying artistic concepts such as relative size, variety, shape, color, texture, contrast, balance, and negative space to create their own paintings.
Clay Sculptures After studying the works of famous 16th century clay sculptors such as Lorenzo Bernini and Michelangelo, as well as the famous Chinese Terracotta Soldier sculptures, our 3rd – 8th graders practiced sculpting techniques. Grades 3 – 7 used Air Dry Clay while 8th Grade used firing clay to create figures. They were encouraged to build up their sculptures by molding, pinching, and squeezing them, then applying a mix of clay and water called “slip” to connect joins of their pieces. By practicing additive and subtractive sculpture, students were able to use precise clay tools to carve and blend, then completed their works by painting them.
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SPECIALS
ART Cinco de Mayo Arkwork Lower school students brightened the celebration of Cinco de Mayo with the addition of festive decorations around CHP. During art class, students in Preschool through Grade 2 participated in coloring, painting, and constructing paper maracas, birds, flowers, ~ sombreros, guitars, blankets, and pinatas. Students learned about the mediums of tempera and Dot Art paint, oil pastels, and markers which were used to create their whimsical array of colorful papercrafts. Hats off to the young artists of Cedar Hill Prep!
WILDCATS SPORTS Tennis The CHP Boys Tennis Team had their final match against The Pingry School on May 11, 2022. Hunter Terborg played a strong match and won! It has been Coach Frankie’s pleasure to coach the boys and be part of the first CHP boys’ tennis team. Despite not winning a team victory, the boys’ personal accomplishments are greatly commended. We are proud and excited to see their continued growth in skill, strategy, and performance!
Volleyball
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Our CHP Wildcats Volleyball Team finished the season with two matches in early May. We first played against Metuchen Christian Academy, winning 2:1 matches. All of our athletes played skillfully and with a lot of heart! To finish the season, we played against Princeton Academy and had a tough, wellfought match. We lost 2:1 matches, but we showed a lot of toughness and teamwork which allowed us to come back and win the last set. We are looking forward to next year. Go Wildcats!
Our next PTO Meeting is June 8, 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.
Teacher Appreciation From Our Staff Thank you for the wonderful breakfast spread yesterday as well as the Amazon card. The CHP community’s generosity is amazing. Thank you to the entire PTO and to all the families of CHP. —Donald Seeley, School Principal Good Afternoon CHP PTO! I wanted to share my gratitude for the amazing Teacher Appreciation Week you provided. Your kindness and generosity go above and beyond! I truly feel valued and proud to call CHP my “family.” Wishing all the moms a very happy Mother’s Day! —Dawn Francavilla, Health/Physical Education Thank you for all of the gifts, lunch, and breakfast last week. It was very thoughtful and appreciated. Thanks again! —Carol Gadaleta, Grade 4 Teacher I wanted to thank the CHP PTO for all the wonderful gifts and treats during Teacher Appreciation Week. This is my first year teaching at CHP and it’s so lovely to be appreciated. I hope you all had a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend and were treated yourselves! —Yasmeen Villafranca, 7th and 8th grade Language Arts Teacher
Thank you to Cedar Hill Prep PTO for hosting a much-needed blood drive. The results are: 27 presented, 6 deferred, 0 power reds, 21 precious pints collected = about 63 lives saved! A BIG THANK YOU to everyone for their hard work and effort in coordinating the drive and recruiting donors. As you can see, the results of your drive will go a long way in meeting patient needs. It was a pleasure to work with you on this important community event. www.cedarhillprep.com | 15
Alumni Spotlight Arjun Agrawal, CHP class of 2018 Congratulations to Arjun Agrawal, CHP class of 2018, on receiving the Wintersteen Prize in Computer Science! The Roy Wintersteen Prize, established by Reverend Rescott B. Wintersteen and his sisters in memory of their father, Roy Brown Wintersteen, is awarded to the most outstanding student in Computer Science. Arjun is a graduating senior at Peddie School and will be attending The University of Pennsylvania this fall.
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Staff Birthdays Happy Birthday to Julie Ginns and Brent Deisher who celebrated their birthdays in May!
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