September Newsletter 2022

CEDAR

September Newsletter

P iC N WiC ELC M E

Cedar Hill Prep opened its campus to the students, staff, and their respective families in a celebration of the return of CHP’s annual Welcome Picnic. Each year, this event provides an opportunity for the entire CHP community to come together, get to know one another, and enjoy some great fun, food, and games.

CHP’s usually health-conscious catering options were altered a bit as the campus and classrooms were transformed into temporary carnival attractions with yummy treats as cotton candy, snow cones, and popcorn machines none of which compared to the bouncy house, however!

Parents had the opportunity to meet CHP’s newest teachers and discover what each of them brings to the school that enables our educational village to prosper. Tables were set up to present the various after-school clubs that are offered by many of CHP’s teachers during extracurricular hours. This includes such past favorites as DnD Décor Woodshop Club, Reading & Writing Club, and Art Club. In addition, parents were able to meet some of the PTO Board members and learn about the many opportunities for parent involvement at CHP.

It was truly a fun-filled and memorable day for all! The faculty at CHP are overjoyed at the enthusiasm of our extended community to join us for such an important school-wide event!

PRESCHOOL - KINDERGARTEN NEWS

Welcome to Preschool

We welcomed our new group of Preschool students to the 2022-2023 school year. The students entered school with apprehension and excitement as they gave their parents a hug goodbye. Their backpacks were larger than them and filled with supplies ready to begin their Preschool journey. Each consecutive day brought more smiles, friendships, sharing, playing, and laughter. We all are happy to come to school to play and learn with our new friends!

Apple Galore

Apple season is upon us! The children in Preschool had a sampling of red, green, and yellow apples, then decided which one was their favorite by placing a colored paper apple representing their favorite on the appropriate colored tree. Most chose the red apple as their favorite! Tasting apples turned into using our creativity to make torn paper apples, apple men, and apple stamping. Did you know that there is a star in the center of the apple that makes designs when you stamp? Preschoolers found this out after listening to the story, The Little Red House. If you cut an apple horizontally, you will see the star! We enjoyed our apple day!

World of Color

Our week in Preschool was all about colors. Each day the children wore specific colors to school. Everyone, even the teachers, participated in wearing blue, white, black, and red on the designated day. The children experimented and learned that mixing colors is magical!! They were so excited when we mixed red and yellow paint to make orange, blue and yellow paint to make green, and red and blue paint to make purple. As the class chanted, “magic, magic,” the new colors were revealed! We also went on a Color Hunt outside. First, we identified a variety of colored paper placed in a file folder. We then took that file folder outside to see if we could find things to match our colored paper. To our surprise, we found every color that we were looking for! Some of the things we found were flowers, grass, leaves, a balloon, and a ribbon. The children had a great time hunting for these colorful objects. We even had some 5th grade girls join us for the hunt!

PRESCHOOL - KINDERGARTEN NEWS

Pre-Kindergarten A: Apple Tasting

The Pre-Kindergarten A class loved learning all about apples. We learned the different parts of an apple, talked about the different colors an apple can be, and worked on an apple craft. In addition, we had a discussion about all the delicious food and drinks that come from apples! After our discussion, we had an apple tasting which the students loved – they kept asking for more! Lastly, we worked together to create a graph that shows what color apple our class likes best.

Pre-Kindergarten B: Learned All About Apples

The Pre-Kindergarten B class loved learning all about apples. The students learned that there are different varieties of apples with different names and different tastes. They also learned the parts of an apple and made an apple graph showing which apple our class enjoyed the most. They found out that the red apple was better liked than the other colors. The students did another fun activity called “How many apples tall am I?” They thoroughly enjoyed it. Pre-K students also did an art project of our favorite colored apple and later decorated the class bulletin board with them. It was applesolutely awesome!

Johnny Appleseed

The Kindergarten children enjoyed learning about the true story of Johnny Appleseed. He lived over 200 years ago and loved eating apples, planting apple seeds, and growing apple trees!! He ended up planting thousands and thousands of apple trees all across America. Because of him, people always had fresh fruit to eat and the land grew more beautiful! The Kindergarten children made a pot to wear as a hat just like Johnny Appleseed. In celebration, we read a Johnny Appleseed book and ate delicious apples!

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEWS

September is an exciting time for First Graders!

It’s been a special time of bonding for first grade after the summer’s ended and we get to reunite, learn more about each other, and appreciate our differences while also welcoming the new members into our classroom family. Laughter and joy could be heard in the hallway as we played our syllable name game to learn new names, interviewed our friends, drew portraits of ourselves, completed spelling jumping jacks, read relatable and comical literature, and got used to the new classroom routines and rules for the year. We are looking forward to a successful and fun year at CHP!

“Find A Friend Bingo” in Grade 2

Second graders are learning cooperation and communication through games and activities. One example is when all second-grade students gathered outside to play “Find a Friend Bingo” during the first full week of school. Students asked each other a variety of questions to try to obtain Bingo. They worked together to read the question and find a friend. The challenge was to only use a name one time. We learned a lot about each other’s likes and dislikes while having fun together!

Welcome to Grade 3

Third graders were welcomed into their classrooms by their teachers, Mrs. Kotasthane and Mrs. Martinez. The students enjoyed becoming acquainted! They each wrote and colored an ‘All About Me’ pennant which they shared with their classmates and participated in various ‘getting to know your classmates’ activities. It was a very exciting first week of school for the third graders as they were ushered into their third grade traditions.

Service Dog Visit

On Friday, September 30th, third graders had a visit from Koko the service dog! Kristine Smith, a former CHP parent, was gracious enough to share her therapy dog with us for the day. The students learned about what service dogs do, why people use them, and the training they go through. The best part was that the students got to pet and play with Koko! This special visit certainly made our Friday afternoon a lot more fun!

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEWS

Grade 3 Super Students

Every month, third grade students are selected as Super Students. These are students who exhibit exceptional behavior both inside 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 Super Students for the month of September were Aadiv and Isra. Aadiv described himself as a ravenous reader and an awesome athlete. He enjoys reading in his spare time and wishes he could fix the impact Covid-19 has had on the world! Isra described herself as an amazing artist! She loves to create art in her spare time and enjoys being silly with her friends. We look forward to seeing what masterpieces Isra will create in the future!

Grade 3 Science

Third graders worked on an inquiry activity in their science class. They worked in groups, using materials given to them to create a ramp that would cause a marble to move in a curved path. First, they made predictions based on the discussion in class and prior knowledge to determine how an object on a curved path moves. They brainstormed a few ideas and tested a few of them. They recorded their data in a table along with the direction that the marble moved on the curved ramp. Then they revisited their predictions and wrote their observations in their science journals.

Grade 4 Welcomes the 2022-2023 School Year!

In Grade 4, the new school year has been bustling with enthusiasm and activity! We are excited to welcome three new students and their families to our Grade 4 community: Alexander Peng, Kaleb Porter, and Ridham Thakwani! We were excited to meet our new and returning families during the Welcome Picnic!

During September, three 4th graders celebrated their birthdays. Happy Birthday to Colton Bristol, Daanyal Ghafoor, and Quinton Ngo! What a wonderful way to begin the new school year!

As the students have settled into their new classes, they have begun to adapt to their new grade and realize how much they can accomplish each day! They have been putting forth a tremendous effort and have demonstrated how successfully they can work in their cohort groups as they began to research the earliest people to live in New Jersey.

Each year, Grade 4 students learn about the events of September 11, 2001. The students were quite moved by the story, “This Very Tree…A Story of 9/11, Resilience and Regrowth.” Through much discussion, they understood that although this was a tragic day, the survival of this one tree provided a symbol of hope for all. This inspired the students to reflect upon, and then write about, their individual feelings of hope. These reflections included hopes to go to various Ivy League Universities,

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NEWS

to become Prime Minister of Canada, that their families have a healthy life, to work at the government level of the U.S., to see the end of homelessness and world hunger, to see COVID end entirely, and to experience people helping make the Earth a healthier place. Such moving reflections certainly indicate that our Grade 4 students are quite introspective.

The warm, sunny days of September found our 4th graders enjoying outdoor recess playing Four-Square, basketball, soccer, and tag.

Grade 4 was thrilled to learn that one of our students has become a published poet!

Congratulations to Alayna Han for her success in the nationwide 2022 Young American Poet contest! Alayna’s poem was selected and published in the Young American Poetry Digest!

The last day of September was marked by a special visit from Koko, a therapy dog, and her handler, Kristine Smith, whose daughters were members of CHP’s first graduating class!

Students in grades 3 and 4 had an opportunity to interact with Koko and learn about the various ways she helps others.

The House Scavenger Hunt helped to round out a terrific first month of school!

MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS

Middle School Journals

CHP Middle School had a great first month of our 2022-2023 school year!

All students grade 5-8 used their knowledge of recycling to create upcycled journals for their monthly trips to the NJIN Farm in upper New Jersey.

In the journals, they will record observations and complete activities in the areas of science, social studies, language arts, math, and art. The journals were a great way to start their sustainability education by having students recycle materials to make books that are both water resistant and sturdy. Each book is a wonderful showcase of the student’s interests and will be a personal treasure for years to come.

Grade 5 Scientist

In 5th grade, our young scientists are already discovering many new lessons. They tested each other on new vocabulary words and used their safety goggles to clear up any mixed meanings. Way to go, 5th graders!

AROUND THE SCHOOL

Teacher In Service

As Cedar Hill Prep teachers prepared for the 2022-2023 school year, they had an opportunity to attend professional development workshops that included use of the XenEd Learning Management System that has been implemented by CHP. In concert with Ms. Nandini Menon, Chief Education Officer of CHP, a team of instructional designers from Sydney, Australia, had been working to design a system that would be specific for CHP’s needs and vision. Two of the instructional designers, experts in blended learning methods, traveled to the U.S. to facilitate the week-long training sessions.

In preparation for a safe 2022-2023 school year, faculty and staff had an opportunity to review CHP’s updated security precautions and protocols. In addition, the staff celebrated Mrs. Karen Yurman, Vice Principal and Grade 4 teacher, for her 10 year Anniversary with CHP. Congratulations, Mrs. Yurman!

We greatly anticipate all the excitement and accomplishments of the year as we begin our Fall trimester of 2023!

New Parent Orientation

On September 7th, 2022, Ms. Nan Menon and Mr. Donald Seeley welcomed parents to Cedar Hill Prep School with a New Parents Orientation. During this meeting, to help ensure a smooth transition to their new school, Mr. Seeley explained the various protocols of the school day and opportunities for families to become actively involved in the CHP community. Ms. Menon then inspired all with a slide presentation that included reaffirming the CHP mission and the collaborative culture of the community, as well as sharing how CHP will connect the classroom content with real life through the New Jersey Institute of Nature. Following the meeting, the new parents had an opportunity to meet their children’s Home Room teachers to help jump-start the new school year.”

From September 20th-22nd 2022, Cedar Hill Prep School parents attended Back to School Night. This is an important moment at the start of the school year for parents to learn about the upcoming curricula, field trips, and volunteer opportunities and get to collaborate with teachers on ideas for the year. On September 20th, parents of our Kindergarteners and Preschoolers got to walk in their children’s shoes for the evening, visiting their classrooms and meeting their teachers.

On September 21-22 parents of grades 1-8 got to experience the same. Our teachers introduced the evening by explaining how CHP fosters a nurturing environment where students feel comfortable learning and implementing effective organization and study habits. Parents then visited their children’s classrooms, were introduced to teachers, learned about the upcoming curricula, and discussed CHP’s methodologies and learning goals. Each Back to School Night was a huge success with parents and teachers working together to discover how to best curate a successful learning experience for our students.

Thank You to all our Parents Who Attended Back to School Night!

AROUND THE SCHOOL

House Ceremony

Our annual House Ceremony is a beloved tradition at Cedar Hill Prep! Our student body applauds and welcomes each new student as they are assigned to one of our four houses: Cherokee Bears, Lenape Owls, Ramapo Falcons, and Shawnee Beavers. We love seeing how the houses create their own unique and supportive communities each school year. The CHP family supports one another!

CHP Community House Event

CHP’s Kindergarten through Grade 8 Community House Event took place on September 28th. There were twenty random questions created by Coach Frankie for the Scavenger Hunt based on the CHP House System and the history of CHP. The questions were given out to each House and the student groups had to answer the questions and find the hidden items throughout the school that were related to each House. The activity promoted team building, communication skills, leadership skills and it brought our CHP community closer together. Mrs. Parab and Mrs. Kotasthane helped to pair the Lower School students with the Middle School students so students of different ages could interact and work together. There was a total of 100 points and the results were as follows: Ramapo led with 85 points, Lenape and Shawnee came second with 80 points, and Cherokee came third with 70 points. It was truly a fun time for all!

SPECIALS

Landscape Drawing

After students reviewed Art and Drawing concepts, each class went out to CHP’s beautiful wooded area to observe and sketch pencil landscapes. Concepts included: horizon and terrain lines, relative spatial measuring, negative space, and geometric shapes of composition, shading, and color theory. Some classes drew interior scenes when weather kept us indoors.

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Art

Welcome Back CHP Community!!

It was so great to see everyone at the Welcome Back Picnic and at our first PTO meeting on Sept 14th . Our Next PTO meeting will be on October 12th at 7:00pm. If you have signed up or if you still would like to sign up to help the PTO our PTO Committee meeting kickoff will be this week on October 5th at 7:00 pm. Come join us and see how you can help out our school community and our children this year. 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:

Thank you for your continued support!!

Thank you for all the continued donations as we were able to refresh the inventory. Remember, all of your donations for the resale go back into the school to help pay for events for our children and teachers/staff.

Click Here for Uniform Resale Link

WILDCATS SPORTS

CHP Soccer Team

CHP CROSS COUNTRY Team

CHP TENNIS Team

Pep Rally

On Wednesday, September 21st, the Cedar Hill Prep community gathered in the gymnasium for a pep rally in support of the school’s tennis, soccer, and new cross country Wildcats teams. The rally kicked off with music and cheering as CHP’s mascot, Chip the Wildcat, entered the gym. Chip had the kids cheering and laughing at his dance moves and physical comedy!

Coach Tierney, Coach Francavilla, Coach Yollia, and Coach Deisher introduced each team member as the students cheered them on.

At the close, students filed out a grade at a time, still dancing, with big smiles on all their faces. There is not a question that school spirit and student morale are very high as we move into this new year at CHP!

Our New Cross Country Track Team

Cedar Hill Prep expanded its track and field program that started with sprinting in the spring to include long distance running this fall. The school debuted its first cross country team of 8 athletes on September 23rd! Cedar Hill Prep competed against Green Brook Middle School and Long Hill Middle School. Contestants ran over a distance of 1.81 miles. Green Brook who hosted the event had 55 athletes, Long Hill had 20, and CHP had 8 athletes competing.

The following students represented CHP: Jacob Toler (Team Captain), Arjun Kalapala (Co-Captain), Ananya Metha, Narayan Lekhi, Ayaan Joshi, Ethan Sandbeg, Nico Garofalo, and Colin Lande. These 8 athletes made CHP so proud! Ananya secured 3rd place in the field for girls and Jacob Toler 9th place for boys. Narayan, Ayaan, Ethan, and Arjun all finished ahead of 50 - 75% of the rest of the players on the field! Nico and Colin (brand new 5th graders) crossed that finish line with an unparalleled display of determination. Kudos CHP Cross Country Team!

About the Coaches

Coach Yollia launched the program for sprinting in the spring and Coach Deisher has been integral to the long distance component this fall. Coach Yollia hails from Jamaica which is known as the sprint capital of the world. She has a rich heritage in track and field. As an athlete, she has secured several gold medals in the 100m, 200m, and 4X100m races over her athletic career. As an athlete, Coach Deisher participated in the ½ mile, 1 mile, and 2 mile races. As coach, he won the Ed Scott Invitational at Pingry twice.

CHP’s track team has several meets lined up for the remainder of this season and we expect to keep the red and blue jersey on top!

First Soccer Game of the Season

Our CHP Wildcats had their first soccer game on September 29th! The team came out with lots of energy and determination and everyone was involved in the action. They finished with a win of 10-2. The Wildcats athletes leading with goals were Shameek, Revant, Motun, Valentina, and Gabe. Go Wildcats!

Pizza with the Principal

On Friday, September 30th CHP had the first Pizza with the Principal for the school year. Each homeroom teacher nominated a young person at CHP who has shown themselves to be a kind, caring citizen of our school. Chosen students then enjoyed a private pizza lunch with Principal Seeley where they were able to share their personal experiences at school and talk about any changes they thought were important. CHP’s Pizza with the Principal happens monthly and is one way that we create a school atmosphere where our faculty members listen to and mentor our young people. Thanks to this month’s chosen students who have been such giving members of our community!

Grades 1 -2

Grades 3 -4

Grades 5 -8

Holiday of Onam

Thursday September 8th marked the start of the 10-day Hindu Harvest Festival of Onam. This festival is celebrated annually by the Southern Indian state of Kerala and is their state festival. Traditional celebrations include boat races, ornate flower displays known as pookalam, and LOTS of delicious traditional dishes. Ms. Nan cooked us a few of these and set out a beautiful spread at Cedar Hill Prep in celebration of Onam! Some of our favorite dishes were the Indian goulash, the ash gourd and red beans in coconut milk, and yam and raw banana in tangy yoghurt sauce. What an amazing opportunity to get to experience and celebrate a taste of Kerala’s Harvest Festival!

Join the Alumni Instagram and Facebook Page

Stay connected and network with the CHP Community. You will receive invitations to events as well as 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!

Staff Birthdays

Happy Birthday to Sangeeta Lekhi and Lori DeVito who celebrated their birthdays in September!

Preschool- - Kindergarten