CEDAR HILL PREPARATORY SCHOOL
October Newsletter
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HALL WEEN Spooktacular Halloween! The month of October brings along with it a sense of spookiness and Halloween fever, and CHP's annual Halloween celebrations did not disappoint. Parents and families went all out to make this one of the most celebrated days of the school year. From princesses to superheroes and Disney characters, the costumes were creative and impressive. The morning started with parents lining up their creatively decorated car trunks in the school parking lot. CHP's PTO committee hosted the annual Storybook Pumpkin Decorating Contest, with families taking inspiration from characters like Tin Man, Cinderella, Dinosaurs, Hello Kitty, Peppa Pig, and Moana. The parade included students from Preschool through 2nd grade who excitedly waited behind the entrance to start parading. Parents brought their most creative side to celebrate the spirit of Halloween, with costumes ranging from the wizarding world of Harry Potter to Star Trek, Spiderwebs, and Skeletal Grounds. Homeroom teachers were seen proudly cheering their students who looked like real-life fairytale characters. As parents admired CHP’s very own Spiderman, Batman, Little Mermaid, Super Mario, Harry Potter, and several adorable Halloween favorites parading our parking lot, some of our amazing teachers were seen handing out candies to the students, even Nurse Loretta! It was heartening to see the enthusiasm that our lower school parents brought to celebrate one of the most anticipated days in CHP. The event was a huge success and left everyone with a sense of joy and excitement. Click Here to see More Images
No Tricks, Just TREATS! Trunk or Treat with our students from grades 3 through 8 was Fa-BOO-lous! Parents truly worked their magic with decorating their trunks and the Halloween parade was a treat to the eyes! We couldn’t have been more proud of our amazing community that came together to celebrate yet another Fang-tas-tic Halloween! Click Here to See More Images
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PRESCHOOL - KINDERGARTEN NEWS
Fall Fun Galore It’s officially pumpkin picking season and what better way to ring in fall festivities than a trip to the farm! Preschool-Kindergarten school students visited Von Thun Farms on October 17. An excited group rode on the school bus along with their teachers to the farm. They toured the beehive and learned many facts about bees. One of the best parts of the trip was the petting zoo and spotting different farm animals. The kids were thrilled to spot the pigs, goats, horses, and sheep. Next was the talking pumpkin show and the students enjoyed watching and learning about these animals. The highlight of the trip was the hayride. Children toured the cornfields as well as the apple orchard. The final stop was the pumpkin patch where they were able to pick a pumpkin of their own pumpkin. What a beautiful sight it was to see all the children carrying their great, big pumpkins!
Fire Prevention Week Children in preschool learned the importance of knowing the emergency number 911. After reading the book, 911 What is Your Emergency? each child had the opportunity to pretend to have an emergency by saying and identifying those numbers on the book. When the operator came on, the children explained their ‘pretend emergency’. Children enacted situations where they would need to use this information. Stop, Drop, and Roll was also introduced to the children through our fire safety books. It is a safety procedure taught to the children if clothing happens to catch on fire. Each child learned and practiced the procedure.
Cutest Pumpkins at the Parade! What a beautiful day for Trunk or Treat with the lower school classes. The children dressed in their Halloween costumes and paraded in the parking lot to get some delicious candy. Parents beautifully decorated their car trunks as they gave each child candy. After our parade, we danced to Jack Hartman’s Halloween Dance and Freeze music. We also played pin the nose on the pumpkin using a blindfold. Children did their best to find the correct spot to pin the nose without looking. Then we played monster bowling using toilet paper rolls and a ball. Our final activity was hammering golf tees into a pumpkin. The children had a fabulous Halloween at school. www.cedarhillprep.com | 3
PRESCHOOL - KINDERGARTEN NEWS
Surprise visitors in the Admin Office! As part of learning about different occupations, CHP’s little superstars from Pre-Kindergarten A and B visited the administration office for a ‘field trip’. The Creative Curriculum® focuses on meaningful applications of concepts in real-life situations and engaging learning experiences. The first stop was at our admissions director Donna Jones’s office. Ms. Jones walked them through how she talked to parents about enrolling in CHP and handed out stickers to all the kids. The little ones were thrilled to watch Ms. Kane work on the newsletters and their eyes lit up when they watched her design a layout in Adobe Indesign. Ms. Iyengar explained how she uses her laptop to teach the older kids coding and Ms. Rajagopal showed them pictures of the students in the previous newsletters and the preschoolers went back to their classes with big smiles on their faces!
Too Cute to SPOOK! The Pre-Kindergarteners enjoyed a grand Halloween class party. Our classrooms were filled with Halloween decorations along with a ‘Boo-tiful’ photo booth for the students to pose in their costumes. The students then enjoyed yummy Halloween-themed treats and snacks in family style. From bat-shaped pretzels to colorful Halloween cupcakes, a big shoutout to all the parents who contributed to the class party. Some parents even sent in creative pumpkin decorating kits. All in all, it was an unforgettable Halloween celebration!
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEWS Color Changing Celery! In first grade Science, students have been learning about the different plant parts and their functions. In class, we observed what happens when a celery stalk is in colored water for about one day. Because of the function of the stem, something really neat happened with the celery when we observed it the next day! The leaves had actually turned red/blue depending on the color of the water. So fascinating! 4 | October Newsletter
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEWS Great Day at the Farm! On Thursday, October 12, second-grade students visited Mellick’s Town Farm. They pressed apples to make cider, took a hayride around the farm, and even picked apples from trees! The students had a wonderful time and even got to pick their pumpkins! All in all, a great time was had by all - teachers and parents included!
Fun with Measurements on National Pumpkin Day Third graders celebrated National Pumpkin Day on October 26 with a Math measurement activity. Pumpkins really do make awesome tools for hands-on learning! The objective was for the students to use Math skills to make predictions, of the circumference, height, and weight of pumpkins. Students made a table with estimated and actual measurements. Students estimated the circumference and height in centimeters, and weight in kilograms and grams for their own pumpkins.
Superheroes of Third Grade! Chase describes himself as a ravenous reader. He loves to play sports with his friends outside and wants to fix the problems of littering in the world. Christian described himself as a mighty mathematician. He enjoys playing Taekwondo and reading Dragon Masters and Dogman. Meera C. describes herself as a wonder writer. She enjoys helping others and playing on her iPad during her free time.
Bringing Lessons to Life at the Farm! Third graders had an exciting day at the NJIN farm. The objective is to bring the classroom outdoors for students - allowing them to enjoy the natural surroundings and free space on the farm - making spontaneous learning an everyday experience. The students enjoyed learning about horses and had many questions about ‘Chompy’, the youngest of the horses on the farm. They enjoyed a nature scavenger hunt and loved interacting with their peers and their natural surroundings. The culmination of the beautiful day was quiet reflection time by the pond. The students cannot wait to go back and experience the outdoors again!
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ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEWS Of Folklore and Frogs! On Friday, October 6th, 3rd graders were treated to two mystery readers- it was Shamit's mom in the morning and Atreya's dad in the afternoon. Ms. Shwetha read short stories from the Akbar Birbal series. The stories of ‘Akbar and Birbal’ are the most cherished folklore of India that have been passed from one generation to another, enthralling both young and adult readers. This book is a beautifully illustrated compilation of several tales of wit and wisdom, built upon the themes of loyalty and friendship. Students were engaged with the silly stories that also had important messages at the end. In the afternoon, Atreya’s dad, Mr. Anand Narayanan, read A Spoonful of Frogs. A witch’s favorite treat is frog soup. Luckily, it’s healthy and easy to make. To give it that extra kick and a pop of color, the key ingredient is a spoonful of frogs. But how do you keep the frogs on the spoon? They hop, they leap, they hide . . . and they escape. What is a poor witch to do? Students throughly enjoyed both the reading sessions! Thank you to both Shamit and Atreya’s parents for taking time off on a weekday to come and read to our students!
Wizards and Witches In yet another interesting reading session, Ms. Karen Simmonds, Justin’s mom volunteered as a mystery reader. She read Witches by Roald Dahl. Grandmamma loves to talk about witches. Real witches are the most dangerous of all living creatures on Earth. There’s nothing they hate so much as children, and they work all kinds of terrifying spells to get rid of them. Her grandson listens closely to Grandmamma’s stories—but nothing can prepare him for the day he comes face-to-face with The Grand High Witch herself! The students were spellbound as Ms. Simmonds read the book, which was perfectly apt for the month of October! Thank you, Ms. Simmonds!
Infinite love for reading! Third Graders welcomed Agastya’s mom, Dr. Vanashri Nargund-Joshi, as a mystery reader this week. She read ‘The Boy Who Dreamed of Infinity’. Children were awestruck as Ms. Joshi read through this picture book biography that focuses on a young mathematical genius from India who searches for the secrets hidden inside numbers — and for someone who understands him. In 1887 in India, a boy named Ramanujan was born with a passion for numbers. He saw numbers in the squares of light reflected on his thatched roof and in the beasts dancing on the temple tower. He wrote mathematics with his finger in the sand, across the pages of his notebooks, and with chalk on the temple floor. “What is small?” he wondered. “What is big?” Head in the clouds, Ramanujan struggled in school — but his mother knew that her son and his ideas had a purpose. As he grew up, Ramanujan reinvented much of modern mathematics, but where in the world could he find someone to understand what he had conceived? The third graders loved the animated reading by Agastya’s mom. Thank you for reading to us! 6 | October Newsletter
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEWS Pledge of Allegiance in Spanish In Honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, CHP’s 3rd and 4th graders recited the Pledge of Allegiance in Spanish. The students were excited to contribute and take part in celebrating the Hispanic Heritage Month. This is the third consecutive year of celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month and the daily recital of the Pledge during morning assembly was implemented this year with the intent of this becoming an annual tradition. Nyle Thaver and Nikhil Paladugu of grade 3B led the Pledge recital. Mr. Seeley and the homeroom teachers were also present. We have more exciting events lined up to celebrate the amazing Hispanic tradition at CHP! Click Here to Watch Pledge of Allegiance
3rd Grader Agastya Joshi makes U.S.A. Proud! Agastya Joshi, a third grader recently went to Germany representing Team USA Mallakhamb. Mallakhamb is Indian pole and rope gymnastics/ martial arts. He was one of the two kids under age 8 to qualify for a demonstration in Munich, Dusseldorf, and Frankfurt. The team also got coverage in the local German newspaper. Mallakhamb will be a demonstrative sport at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. Good luck, Agastya!
CHP Student wins Guinness World Record Akhil Kota, from Grade 3A, and a team of volunteers, including many young participants, achieved a remarkable feat by setting a new Guinness World Record for the Longest Line of Batteries at Woodbrook Elementary School. They placed 31,204 batteries in a single line, breaking the previous record. Akhil is a member of Recycle My Battery, a non-profit organization that aims to raise awareness about the importance of recycling batteries. Recycle My Battery is a commendable organization that tackles the crucial issue of battery waste by encouraging responsible battery disposal and recycling. As a non-profit entity, it has already recycled more than 300,000 batteries. Let’s congratulate Akhil and the team for their impressive accomplishment!
Farewell and Good luck Ms. Martinez! October 12th was particularly emotional for Grade 3 students since it was Ms. Jessica Martinez’s last working day at CHP. Ms. Martinez will always be a part of our school and her dedication and love for teaching will never be forgotten. Since she joined CHP five years ago, Ms. Martinez inspired students and colleagues with her passion for Language Arts and Social Studies. We wish her the best of luck in all her future endeavors! www.cedarhillprep.com | 7
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEWS Fabulous Fall Season in Fourth Grade Grade 4 has been busy celebrating several birthdays this month. Happy Birthday to Viraj, Alexa, Allison, Vallabh, Aaryan, Anandita, and Mr. Seeley! Thank you to the students’ families for sharing their birthday celebrations with our class! Throughout the month, Grade 4 students were busy working on their Science projects about Our Solar System. Each expert is presenting their topic with either a model and facts, a slideshow presentation, a Q & A game, or a mystery box. Excitement, fun, and discovery continue!
In their Social Studies cohort groups, Grade 4 students have been researching the early people who inhabited New Jersey and how the region’s natural resources affected their lives. The Grade 4 classroom was the hub of bustling activity. Dressed in awesome costumes, the students began the day with a pumpkin decorating contest; all winning points will go to the winners’ respective Houses. Thank you Ms. Iyengar for serving as the judge of the 4th Grade Pumpkin Decorating Contest! It was a tough decision for Ms. Iyengar to choose from all the creatively decorated pumpkins, but here are the winners! 1st Place - Dylan Lee - Most Creative - Cutesy Crab, 1st Place - Esha Kumar - Clean Presentation - Artsy Racoon, 2nd Place - Cecilia Santiago - Most Imaginative - Pretty Octopus, 2nd Place - Siyanna Jayasuriya - Most Crafty - Springy Cat, 3rd Place - Francesca Martinello Merrill - Most Innovative - Pinkalicious Dinosaur, 3rd Place - Mahalakshmi Krovi - Most Intricate - Entangled Octopus. Next on the agenda was the annual Grade 4 Mummy Wrap where teams of 2 - 3 students worked together to wrap one of their teammates while enjoying silly Halloween tunes. Sprinkle in a Halloween Logic Puzzle, Mazes, Halloween Math Puzzle, and an arts & crafts Halloween project on Halloween Eve - What a busy, funfilled time! Happy Halloween from the 4th Graders!
The day culminated with CHP’s traditional Trunk or Treating. Thank you to all of our CHP families who helped to make this event so very special!
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MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS Beautiful Day at the Farm On October 24, students from Grades 5 and 6 visited the New Jersey Institute of Nature. Upon entering the farm, we were greeted by the sheep that freely wandered on the property. The students then took in all the sounds, sights, odors, and tastes of the autumn season and felt the warmth of the sun on their faces. Then students talked about different kinds of maps and what a topographic map was. Students relayed how topographic maps help us to focus on the elevation of the land and why that is important to know. Each group of CHP students had a closed box and measured the heights of land hidden inside by use of colored probes. The colors were transferred onto a graph and then the boxes were opened to reveal how accurate their probes were. This was followed by topographic maps made in each student journal for a map of the farm. Then we discussed how it helps us understand the farm better and the students said they now see the farm from a different perspective, much more complex. The students had a great time thanks to the great weather, and the leaves glimmered in full color! We ended the day by journaling their feelings with poems, sketches, sentences, and so on. It was a great day for all.
Connecting Nature and Consciousness On October 25, 2023, the 7th and 8th grade students from CHP visited the NJIN. The day started with both grades in a circle while the teachers read from a book called Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, a distinguished Botany professor at the Environmental Science and Forestry School of SUNY. That set the intention for the day with the theme being reciprocity and “learning from nature, not just about nature.” Once the groups split up into their grade levels, the Social Studies and Language Arts teachers proceeded to do mindfulness activities and journaling. The mindfulness activity was related to the students connecting to their senses of seeing, feeling, and hearing. Once the students slowed down and paid attention to each sense individually, they listened to birdsong and paid specific attention to the changing foliage - a real treat this time of year. The Science and Math teachers led an interdisciplinary activity about carbon sequestration. Students were grouped up and needed to first identify the tree and then calculate its biomass. They needed to use geometry and algebra to calculate the circumference and diameter of each tree they observed. Then they used their highly developed Math skills to determine the pounds of carbon that each tree sequestered or absorbed.
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SPECIALS French Students of CHP Awarded Highest Honor On October 2nd Cedar Hill Prep held its second Induction Ceremony of the French Honor Society “Jeunes amis du Francais”, established under the auspices of the American Association of Teachers of French and the Société Honoraire de Français (SHF). The organization is affiliated with the American Association of Teachers of French and functions similarly to the French Honor Society. Its main goal is to cultivate a love for studying French while maintaining rigorous academic standards, nurturing an appreciation for Francophone cultures, and fostering a sense of community service within the school. It is an honorary society for middle and elementary school students. According to the association, induction into this society is “the highest honor for students studying French in the country.” The local school chapter provides a vehicle to focus activities around the French language and Francophone cultures and to encourage students’ leadership skills by participating in age-appropriate service activities and leading chapter events such as French National Week, and Mardi Gras.
New Inductees in the Hispanic Society of Friendships La Sociedad Hispánica de Amistad (Hispanic Society of Friendships), CHP Chapter, inducted seven new members at CHP’s annual World Language candlelighting Induction Ceremony which took place in the gymnasium on October 2, 2023. This honor is endowed to students who have met the criteria established by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP). Students attain an overall GPA of 88%, and a GPA in Spanish of 92%. They have completed service to the school, to the community, and ambassadorship projects. Existing members joined the chapter leader (Señorita Yollia) in welcoming new members and pledged to use the Spanish language for the betterment of the school, community, and the world at large. Click Here to See More Images
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SPECIALS
Marvelous Performance for Hispanic Heritage Month Our first and second-grade students put on a fantastic show to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month on October 11th. The students wore vibrant, flowy skirts and suits that beautifully represented Hispanic culture. The teachers also brought props and accessories that added to the theme, making it truly spectacular! As the first graders danced and sang to “Hola Hola”, the second graders performed “Asi es la vida”, a song choreographed by Ishani’s mom, a parent of a second grader. Ms. Smith shared about her native country, Ecuador, and the students were fascinated by its diverse cultures and geography.
A day dedicated to Hispanic Heritage Without a doubt, this event has now been ingrained in the fabric of the CHP’s annual calendar– the Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration. It's that time of year when Cedar Hill Prep joins the rest of the United States to observe a four-week period September 15 to October 15 that has been designated to highlight the contributions of Americans of Hispanic and Latino descent to the United States. Students from grades 3, and 5 through 8 celebrated Hispanic and Latino history and culture through an array of activities. Eighth graders performed a skit highlighting the initiation of the celebration in 1968. Our Music Teacher Joyce Alexander led the 5th graders in an enthralling performance of an original composition, It’s Hispanic Celebration Today.” This was followed by a performance by grade 3A students. They sang and danced to one of Latin America’s legendary hits, Guantanamera, written by Cuba’s José Marti and popularized by America’s folk singer, songwriter, and activist, Peete Steeger. The audience enjoyed this performance so much that the kids performed the song twice, with the crowd joining in the chorus! CHP’s third graders, wearing fancy suits, ties, and elegant dresses led the school community in the national anthems of Spain and Argentina. It was truly a solemn moment. Prior to the soccer game, cheerleaders from grades 5 and 6 wearing colors that represented the country flags, showcased a mesmerizing performance. Cheerleaders from grades 7 and 8 dazzled in blue and white representing Argentina. It was an absolute fanfare as the girls performed their cheers. Later in the afternoon, students played a soccer game. The teams were named after two of the strongest soccer teams in the world - Spain and Argentina. Sixth-grade referee Eli Bakenroth ensured that all soccer regulations were followed in the Spain V Argentina game. After a 4-4 tie between the teams, Principal Seeley called for penalty kicks. Spain won the game 5-4 in penalty kicks and received the CHP Latino Cup presented by the Principal. We look forward to continuing the tradition of celebrating America's brothers and sisters of Hispanic and Latino descent. Cedar HIll Prep is always proud to embrace cultural and ethnic diversity.
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SPECIALS Guest Presentation in 2nd Grade for Hispanic Heritage Month Maria Jalloh, a 2nd grade Mom, showcased a presentation about her home country Venezuela in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations. Ms. Jalloh also talked in detail about the Venezuelan fashion designer Carolina Herrera, which the students found very interesting. Thanks, Ms. Jalloh for taking the time to visit our school and talk about your cultural heritage!
A piece of France in CHP 7th graders studying French are learning the differences between a French breakfast and an American breakfast. They learned what a tartine is (baguette, jam, and butter) and expressed their preferences in a French dialogue. Students wrote a short essay on what each of their family members preferred to have for breakfast.
ART Inspired Artist Middle school and Grade 3 students celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month creating exquisite pieces inspired by six different artists of Latin American descent. Grade 4 and Grade 5 students’ artwork was inspired by world-famous artists like Gilbert Lujan and Carlos Almaraz. The drawings were done in pencil, black marker, and watercolors. The mixed-media technique allowed for a wonderful interplay of the complementary colors. The 6th, 7th, and 8th graders were drawn to the works of Emilio Sanchez, Jorge Jimenez, and Myrna Baez. Exploring the life and work of artists of different cultural backgrounds provided students with a unique learning experience. The artwork is now being shown at the entrance of the Fine Arts Building.
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SPECIALS Raise a Flag! In collaboration with Ms. Soto’s preparations for the Spanish Heritage Festival, all of the lower school art classes worked on creating their own colorful papel picado flags! We learned how these beautiful flags are used in Hispanic and Latino countries around the world, and then got to work making our own flags for our celebration! The students had a great time and learned a lot about celebrations in Hispanic countries!
Music Let the Music Play The 4th and 6th graders had an interesting musical session with percussionist Ms. Adrienne Ostrander from the Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts. Ms. Adrienne introduced instruments belonging to the percussion family which included congas, quiro, cowbells, djembe drums, hand drums, and other percussion instruments. Students took part in an interactive drumming session and drum circle while taking turns on each instrument assigned.
The room was filled with various rhythms playing simultaneously creating a polyphony of sounds that resonated throughout the music room. The goal was to have students focus on fun, creativity, and musical expression, encourage practice, explore different instruments and styles, and watch and listen to a professional percussionist for inspiration!
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WILDCATS SPORTS Sweeping Victories for Girls Tennis Team The CHP Girls Tennis Team had an outstanding season with a 5-2 record, sweeping most schools 5-0 during matches. Splitting a win with Princeton Day School and falling short 2-3 to Pingry, the girls played with dedication and determination throughout their season.
Coach Frankie is proud of her team and will definitely miss her eighth graders, especially the “Fab Four”- Sophia, Zahra, Jwala, and Nitara who started the program with her in sixth grade. A new addition at second singles, Aanya Vig, is an asset to the team this year. The future continues to shine bright for the CHP Girls Tennis Team!
Great Start to the Soccer Season On October 18, we played our first-ever indoor soccer match with Metuchen Christian Academy. It was a fun, competitive game and a change of pace from our usual outdoor soccer games. The game between Metuchen Christian and their opponent was a thrilling one that went back and forth until overtime. In the end, Metuchen Christian managed to secure a victory by scoring one goal more than their opponent. The players’ performances were impressive, and the game was a great display of skill and sportsmanship.
Record Wins by Soccer Team! Our CHP Wildcats CoEd Soccer Team completed their season on Tuesday with an exciting 5-1 win over Princeton Day School. Our Wildcats finished the season with a record of five wins and two losses! Led by our 8th graders, Valentina Garcia, Noah Evans, Aakash Mehta, and Ayaan Joshi, our athletes showed toughness, hustle, and teamwork in each game. Congratulations to our Wildcats on a great season! 14 | October Newsletter
Fast and Fabulous CHP Cross Country Teams are Unstoppable CHP’s cross country teams increased their level of competition during the second season. We competed in two invitational meets for the first time. Ed Scott Invitational at Pingry on 10/12 and The Pumpkin Run and Gil St. Bernards on 10/26, which was the largest Meet of the season. Our athletes played against some of the best athletes in all private and public schools in both these Meets. There were 15 schools in competition with 175 male athletes and 128 female athletes. Our male athletes finished in the top 21 percentile ranking and our girls in the top 30 percentile ranking. This was the culmination of two months of intense training and several other practice meets throughout the season.
At the start of the season, each athlete set personal goals and worked diligently toward accomplishing those goals. The level of improvement in each athlete’s performance was stunning - each dropped his/ her time over the 1.5 mile distance by one to two minutes. With the rigorous training in place and the enthusiasm among our athletes, the outlook for cross country at CHP is promising in the seasons to come.
Lil’ Cats Sports Club CHP’s Lil’ Cats are Stronger Than Ever! Preschool - 4th graders are training in skill-building sessions in different sports, including Soccer, Basketball, Tennis, Track, Softball, and Football! Our little athletes learned fundamental skills necessary for sports from our wonderful coaches and showed much improvement throughout the season! Everyone had a blast! We look forward to more fun training sessions with Coach Tierney in the upcoming seasons! Go Lil’ Cats! www.cedarhillprep.com | 15
AROUND THE SCHOOL Celebrating the Spirit of Socktober! In the United States, there are approximately 600,000 people living on the streets. This October, Cedar Hill Prep School wanted to show that even a small act of love, such as donating a pair of socks, can make a big difference in the lives of our neighbors who are less fortunate. Coach Frankie introduced CHP to ‘Socktober’ which is an initiative to help provide socks to those in need at our local shelters given that winter is almost here. As part of the ‘Socktober’ drive, we collected new socks that our CHP families donated through the month of October. We are proud of everyone who donated to this noble cause! Special mention to one of our CHP family who donated over 1700 pairs of socks for this initiative! This helped our school’s donation to exceed 2500 pairs of socks that will be sent to those in need. We are very grateful for this gesture!
Mindfulness Retreat Ms. Dawn Pensack, the 1st grade teacher organized an ‘Awakening Conscious Leadership’ for all the teachers and staff of CHP. At CHP, we put the students first, but above that come our amazing teachers and staff who bind the school together with love and hard work. Our teacherin-service days are meant for the staff to focus on selfawareness and improvement.
To summarize, Ms. Pensack’s workshop focused mainly on conscious leadership, converting stress factors into sources of strength and unified mindfulness. Her activity of giving out praises and words of encouragement to colleagues and co-workers definitely brought many smiles! Thank you for taking the time to organize a wonderful session for our staff, Ms. Pensack!
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AROUND THE SCHOOL Record-Breaking Collections At Book Fair The Scholastic Book Fair, organized by the PTO Committee, and headed by Ms. Carol Gadaleta, was a great success! We surpassed our record from last year! We sold books worth over $7,000! The Pencil Pull with prizes and the House Competition is helping to raise money for ALL for BOOKS, a drive that gives books to those less fortunate. This book fair also helps students at CHP expand their LOVE of READING! A special thank you to Ms. Gadaleta for chairing this annual CHP event, our CHP PTO for their assistance, and all the parents and faculty members who volunteered to help. It is our CHP team effort that makes this event so wonderful!
What’s Brewing at CHP? We are onto to Fall in full swing and the Coffee with Principal meeting on October 6 with parents of Kindergarten through 3rd Grade was very informative. Mr. Seeley has been hosting this popular Zoom event every year to meet with and discuss important school updates and events with the parents. This time we had a special appearance from Ms. Nan, who shared interesting links about ways to help your child’s academics and extracurricular activities.
Chit-Chat with Mr. Seeley The end of the month means it’s time for Pizza with the Principal! Students eagerly waited to see who the chosen ones were for the most exciting lunch date with Mr. Seeley. Conversations centered around Halloween costume plans, the sudden surprise with the warm weather days, and debate over the duration of recess break. Mr. Seeley was animated as always and the children were entertained!
Grades 1 - 2
Grades 3 - 4
Preschool - Kindergarten
Grades 5 - 8 www.cedarhillprep.com | 17
Welcome Back CHP Community!! Our Next PTO meeting will be on November 8h at 7:00pm. The meeting will be via Zoom and we will be discussing upcoming events and fundraisers for the year. Be on the lookout for an email with details regarding the meeting. If you have not signed up and wish to join one of the PTO Committees, please click the link below: CHP 2023-2024 Committee Sign Up
Storybook Pumpkin Challenge The CHP community sure knows how to celebrate Halloween! Not only did students get to dress up, but parents and students also got creative by decorating pumpkins to look like storybook characters. The competition was very close, with pumpkins painted and decorated to resemble Piggy, Tin Man, Cinderella’s chariot, and many other beloved characters. It was a close contest, and the level of skill and creativity on display was truly impressive! Watch out for the names of the winners, which will be announced soon!
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Don’t forget to buy tickets for our most awaited Annual Diwali Celebration which will be held in the school on Friday 11/17. Tickets are on sale. We will have a prayer and presentation, appetizers, Italian and Indian dinner options, beverages, dessert, music, dancing and lots of fun!
November is incomplete without holiday pies and our PTO is proud to collborate with the famous Griggstown Pies for the holidays. The Apple Crumble pie is said to be a crowd favorite! The pies will be ready for pickup on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving from the Multipurpose Room.
Scan QR code to pay via Venmo @CHPPTO Click Here to purchase tickets
Scan QR code to pay via Venmo @CHPPTO Click Here to Order Now!
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Spectacular Scarecrows! The Scarecrow decorating contest is one of the most popular CHP traditions. Parents and students began brainstorming creative ideas to decorate scarecrows. When it was time to display the scarecrows, everyone was awestruck to see the fascinating designs on each one! For those who are new to CHP, the contest winners help in acquiring house points and this is a very big moment of pride! While the competition was tough and the decision was hard, judges had to make the tough call and announce the winners as follows: 1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place
Travis Pensack - 2nd grade Anandita Gurjar - 4th grade Preston Fennell-Powell - 2nd grade
Lenape Lenape Cherokee
(85 pts) (55 pts) (30pts)
Congratulations to all the winners and a huge thank you to all the participants! See you all again next year with more amazing scarecrows!
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20 | October Newsletter
Staff Birthdays Happy Birthday to Loretta Koleser, Trevion Anglin, Pranali Parab, Yasmeen Villafranca, Donald Seeley, Priya Menon, Marisela Turcios who celebrated their birthdays in October!
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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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22 | October Newsletter