NEWS
June Newsletter
As we approach the end of the school year, we wish to thank all of you for your consistent support over the year. As parents and teachers, we have a joint responsibility to raise and educate our children, helping them grow to become loving and conscientious adults. In a world where family values are under challenge, this task is more critical than ever. Thank you for helping to make New Hope School a safe haven where our students can receive the best possible instruction—morally, spiritually and academically.
As we approach the end of the school year, we wish to thank all of you for your consistent support over the year. As parents and teachers, we have a joint responsibility to raise and educate our children, helping them grow to become loving and conscientious adults. In a world where family values are under challenge, this task is more critical than ever. Thank you for helping to make New Hope School a safe haven where our students can receive the best possible instruction—morally, spiritually and academically.
Our Virtue-of-the-Month for June is Wisdom. Wisdom has often been deemed the amalgamation of knowledge with love and caring developed through years of experience. Students, of course, being still at the dawn of their lives, have limited experience, but our hope can be that they will use the experiences they do incur to learn, add to their knowledge, and develop their sense of care and concern for others. In this, they will grow in wisdom as they grow older.
We wish to thank everyone for their participation and strong support for our spring fundraiser, the Race for Education. Today is the final day for receiving donations. As of now, we have reached a total of $7,346 with 145 donors. This is well above previous times we have held this fundraiser. Top donors of $50 or more have been recognized with running shoes on the walls of our hallways. Kudos to everyone!
This month our main event will be our End-of-the-Year Concert combined with a Graduation Ceremony. Due to ongoing COVID concerns, this year’s event will be held outdoors in the student playground from 3:00 to 5:00 pm. We will begin with the graduation of our five 8th graders. This will be followed by the presentation of awards to students for academic excellence and achievement, citizenship, character, and attendance. Next, each class will offer a musical presentation led by our music teacher, Ms. Stephanie. The program will end with a grand finale with the students singing together.
If your child took the Terra Nova test, we hope the result will be back in time to include in his/her final report card. Look for it.
This summer please be sure your child(ren) read every day so as not to fall behind in their reading skills. Your child(ren) are welcome to attend our Summer Enrichment Program where they can receive quality instruction in reading, writing, and math.
Please note that June 17 is the final day of school. School will finish at 12:30 pm with no after care. You are also welcome to attend our Field Day events on Tuesday, June 15, at Richardson Oval Park where we had our Race for Education. We plan to hold a picnic/barbecue from 12:00-2:00pm that day at the park.
We look forward to a good finish to the school year and wish you all a safe summer.
New Hope School Staff
“Turn your wounds into wisdom.”
Oprah Winfrey
May Newsletter
The Virtue of the Month for May is Wonder. A great deal in our culture and media has the potential to turn our children to cynicism, contempt, and despair. The “get real!” and “so what” tone of much of popular culture is a very real threat to the innocence and promise of our children. This tendency must be actively combatted with its opposite—wonder at the great gift of life. We need to cultivate and nurture in our children the virtue that gives spring to their step and joy to their hearts—the gift of wonder.
We are now well into warm weather season (Wednesday’s temperature was in the mid-80s!). Sooner than we think the school year will be over and we’ll be on into summer. Let us hope that in the next school year we will see a return to normalcy.
The Virtue of the Month for May is Wonder. A great deal in our culture and media has the potential to turn our children to cynicism, contempt, and despair. The “get real!” and “so what” tone of much of popular culture is a very real threat to the innocence and promise of our children. This tendency must be actively combatted with its opposite—wonder at the great gift of life. We need to cultivate and nurture in our children the virtue that gives spring to their step and joy to their hearts—the gift of wonder.
As you know, this week our students have been taking the Terra Nova exams. Due to the pandemic last year, we were unable to hold them last spring. For those students who having been taking them, we expect to get the results back at the start of June.
On Friday, May 14, 10:00 am-12:00 pm, New Hope School will have its annual Race for Education, which also we were unable to have last year due to the pandemic. Thank you for all the support you have been giving in finding sponsors for our spring fundraiser. That day students will run or walk around a quarter-mile track for one hour. Students in each class with the most laps will receive a medallion. The student with the most laps in the whole school will receive a trophy. Clifton mayor James Anzaldi will be on hand to kick off the race for us. Parents are welcome!
Later in the month will be having our two-day Science Fair, which will be held outside. Starting at 9:30 am, kindergarten through third grade will present their projects on Thursday, May 27, and the fourth through eighth grade the following day. On the second day you are invited to a Family Barbeque from 4:00-6:00 pm.
Finally, I wish to remind you that registration is open for the 2021-22 school year. If you are happy with your child’s progress during the past school year, I encourage you to reserve your child’s place for next year if you have not yet done so. You are also welcome to register your child for our summer program, which will run from June 28-August 13.
Stay safe and healthy!
“Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man’s desire to understand.”
Neil Armstrong
April Newsletter
Winter has ended and the air is warming. Springtime signifies rebirth as trees begin to bud and flowers bloom. We are grateful to God for the life-sustaining environment he/she continuously provides for us. Spring break is arriving just in time to take advantage of the warm weather. We hope that you and your children will be able to spend some time together.
Winter has ended and the air is warming. Springtime signifies rebirth as trees begin to bud and flowers bloom. We are grateful to God for the life-sustaining environment he/she continuously provides for us. Spring break is arriving just in time to take advantage of the warm weather. We hope that you and your children will be able to spend some time together.
This year Easter falls on the first Sunday of April. Let us remember the example of sacrificial love demonstrated by Jesus, not only on the cross, but throughout his life. His resurrection signifies the glorious affirmation of a life lived for the sake of others, teaching us that true love transcends even death. In these times of materialism, crass commercialism and threats of violence, Jesus’ life remains a supreme example for our children to understand and emulate. More than ever, our children need to see examples of unselfishness and moral decency.
The above coincides with April’s virtues of the month of Gentleness and Humility. In today’s world, it is not so easy to find stories that speak to the importance of saying “forgive me,” “after you,” “I was wrong,” or “I forgive you.” These are self-effacing virtues, which are often lost in a culture as individualistic and self-ambitious as ours. To speak with our children in this way and to model these virtues for them is not to mold weakness but to cultivate people of deep inner strength that make for better people and a better world.
As you know, report cards will be sent out April 9, the Friday after spring break. Wednesday and Thursday of the following week, April 14-15, virtual parent-teacher conferences will be scheduled to give you a chance to consult with your children’s teachers about their progress this school year.
Please note that Terra Nova tests are scheduled for April 27-29. This annual standardized test helps us to see how our students are doing academically in comparison with children all over the country. They also provide you with an understanding of your child’s academic development year-by-year. Due to standards imposed by Terra Nova, students must take the tests at the school. We will be in touch with you about this process.
New Race for Education instructions will be sent out after the spring break to accommodate those parents who wish to participate online rather than through the traditional mailers we send out. The latter will still be an option for those who have sent in their labels.
Finally, don’t forget to re-register your own child for the next school year! You will receive a 50% reduction in the registration fee if you do so by April 15.
May God bless you and keep you safe and healthy!
“And God saw everything that was made, and behold, it was very good.”
Genesis 1:31
Enjoying the Great Outdoors
In the age of technology, many parents remain concerned about the amount of time their children spend using digital devices and looking at screens rather than playing outside. Those concerns are well-founded: A lack of time outdoors can lead to nature-deficit disorder and poor mental and physical health. Here at New Hope School, we encourage children to appreciate God’s gift of the great outdoors. We offer these resources if you need help making more time for outdoor fun with your children! Click the picture above to see more…
Enjoy the Great Outdoors: How Families Can Prevent Nature-Deficit Disorder
In the age of technology, many parents remain concerned about the amount of time their children spend using digital devices and looking at screens rather than playing outside. Those concerns are well-founded: A lack of time outdoors can lead to nature-deficit disorder and poor mental and physical health. Here at New Hope School, we encourage children to appreciate God’s gift of the great outdoors. We offer these resources if you need help making more time for outdoor fun with your children!
Fun Activities for Your Backyard
When the family is staying close to home, look to the backyard for outdoor experiences.
Six Times Tag: Six Different Ways to Play Tag
9 Best Trampoline Games for Kids
The Benefits of Installing a Backyard Playground
How to Safely Observe Wildlife from Your Home
Playing Sports Outdoors
Enjoying outdoor sports is another great way to stay active and get some vitamin D.
6 Fun Basketball Games to Play
How Kids Can Benefit From Running as Exercise
4 Tips When Mountain Biking With Your Child
Into the Wilderness
Find new ways to explore the great outdoors together.
The Most Awe-Inspiring National Parks to Visit With Kids
Why Your Kids Need to Go Birding
Five Tips for Fishing With Small Children
Conservation for Kids: Top Tips and Tricks
Many of us feel detached from nature these days, but this doesn’t mean nature-deficit disorder effects can’t be reversed. Whether you want to head out to a national park, encourage your kids to play outdoor sports, or buy some fun new equipment for your backyard, you can find plenty of ways to get your family outside!
Source: Pexels
March Newsletter
This month we are coming up to one year since COVID-19 began to rain havoc upon New Hope School, indeed all schools throughout the country and most of the world. It was March 16, 2020 when we had to go completely virtual. Who could have imagined a year ago where we would be today, with over 500,000 coronavirus deaths in the U.S. alone? With vaccines being rolled out, let us pray that a sense of normalcy will be restored soon.
This month we are coming up to one year since COVID-19 began to rain havoc upon New Hope School, indeed all schools throughout the country and most of the world. It was March 16, 2020 when we had to go completely virtual. Who could have imagined a year ago where we would be today, with over 500,000 coronavirus deaths in the U.S. alone? With vaccines being rolled out, let us pray that a sense of normalcy will be restored soon.
This Friday we held the first round of our annual spelling bee. Nine finalists were chosen. The finals will take place on Friday, March 19. Due to pandemic concerns, New Hope School will not be participating in the regional spelling bee this year.
The Virtue-of-the-Month for March is Mercy. Mercy acts not only to end the distress of those in need, but also to those who may have wronged us and, strictly speaking, “deserve” much less. Forgiveness and service to others is the natural expression of mercy.
Next week we plan to kickoff our thirteenth Race for Education, our spring fundraiser. Being an outdoor event, we feel we can safely conduct the race, which will be held on Friday, April 23. Look for the folder that will be given to all the students. We appreciate your support of past events and look forward to a great success in this year’s effort as well. This year the results for this activity will be used to continue to improve our facility, both inside and outside.
We wish to invite you to re-register your child(ren) for the next school year starting the month of March. A folder will be sent out early next week. Those who do so by April 15 will receive a 50% discount off the $100 registration fee.
In addition, our next Open House will be tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 27, 11am-12pm. This is a good chance for you to invite any prospective parents you may know who are looking for a good quality private school for their children for the next school year, whether they be your relatives, friends, neighbors, or work colleagues. Tell them about the best kept secret in Clifton: your child’s school! The Zoom link for the virtual event can be found under “Events” on our website: newhopeschoolnj.com.
God bless you all!
“I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.”
Abraham Lincoln
February Newsletter
Welcome to the month of February, the month where we celebrate Valentine’s Day, Presidents Day, and snowstorms!. With COVID-19 still raging, I hope that you and your families are keeping some semblance of normalcy even as many of your children still are engaging with their classes virtually. As you know, we re-opened the school building on January 19 with a little more than half of our students on-site. We are working hard to keep the building safe so that we may continue to be open. We appreciate so much your cooperation in helping us do so.
Welcome to the month of February, the month where we celebrate Valentine’s Day, Presidents Day, and snowstorms!. With COVID-19 still raging, I hope that you and your families are keeping some semblance of normalcy even as many of your children still are engaging with their classes virtually. As you know, we re-opened the school building on January 19 with a little more than half of our students on-site. We are working hard to keep the building safe so that we may continue to be open. We appreciate so much your cooperation in helping us do so.
The Virtues-of-the-Month for February are Honesty and Justice. February invites us to think about the civic virtues of loyalty, love of country, and honesty as good ultimately if they are in the service of justice. Justice is the greater good and the end that is not to be compromised. If patriotism ends up become oppressive, such as in Nazi Germany, then “love of country” has become perverted. Justice always takes precedence.
Similar things can be said of honesty. Honesty and truthfulness are necessary for the flourishing of just communities but are too often compromised in politics and contemporary life. We can inspire children with “honest Abe” walking miles in the rain to return the proper change to a shopkeeper who overpaid him. To do so is noble, involving self-sacrifice and self-giving, but it also supports the virtue of justice, rendering the other his due. However, there are also times and situations in which honesty, if taken literally, can support injustice. If, for example, children inquire about the dishonesty of those who hid Jews and lied about it to Nazi soldiers, they should be reminded of the larger virtue of justice, which demands respect for the dignity and rights of all human beings.
Open House
Wednesday, January 27, was our first Open House of the year—this one in connection with National School Choice Week. Due to pandemic concerns, the event was held online as we started doing last year. Four prospective parents attended and seemed well engaged. Dr. Beebe began by giving the parents a PowerPoint presentation, overviewing the school. I wish to appreciate Mrs. Lawrence for her support by sharing her experiences with the school and answering parents’ questions. In the coming months New Hope School will be holding similar Virtual Open Houses on a monthly basis, the next being Saturday, February 27, 11:00am-12:00pm. If you know of any parents who might be interested in sending their child to New Hope, please invite them to this valuable information session where they can find out about our education program and extra-curricular activities.
Upcoming Events
We hope that sometime in February we will be able to hold the Scholastic Book Fair and Spelling Bee, which we postponed from last December. Stay tuned for further news on this.
May God be with you and your family!
New Hope School Staff
“Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.”
Benjamin Franklin
January Newsletter
Our virtue-of-the month for January will be Courage. This is a major virtue—with physical, moral, intellectual, and civic dimensions. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose life we commemorate this month, showed tremendous courage in fighting for the civil rights of African-Americans in the face of physical injury, imprisonment, and eventually even giving his very life. Our teachers will be addressing different dimensions of courage in their classrooms.
As we approach the new year, we would first like to say “good riddance” to 2020! Due to the coronavirus pandemic, all of our lives were disrupted in so many ways. Some of us may have lost jobs or had our hours cut back. Many have had to work from home, while at the same time taking care of at-home children, making sure they were “zooming” into their online sessions on time, with school uniforms on and books and other necessities at hand. At the school we were unable to conduct many of our usual activities, including field trips, Harvest Festival, Scholastic Book Fair, our choir caroling at City Hall for the mayor and his staff, and our Winter Concert. Fortunately, we were able to hold our annual clothing drive and the Read-a-Thon fundraiser for which we are so grateful for your support.
We know that it has not been easy to juggle all of the many changes in our lives. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our parents as well as staff for their heroic efforts to keeping things moving forward in terms of your children’s education. We appreciate so much your support and understanding. As always, parental engagement is so important to children’s educational achievement. Whatever the new year brings, let us continue to work together for the academic and character development of your children.
Speaking of the new year, as you see from our January calendar, following 14 days of precautionary quarantine after the winter break, during which many families may have traveled or been visited by relatives or friends, we intend to reopen the school building for on-site classes the day following Martin Luther King Day, i.e., Tuesday, January 19. At the same time, we will continue to offer the option for students to zoom into the classroom virtually for parents who may feel uneasy about sending their children to the school.
Our virtue-of-the month for January will be Courage. This is a major virtue—with physical, moral, intellectual, and civic dimensions. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose life we commemorate this month, showed tremendous courage in fighting for the civil rights of African-Americans in the face of physical injury, imprisonment, and eventually even giving his very life. Our teachers will be addressing different dimensions of courage in their classrooms.
Our hope is that, assuming everything proceeds smoothly with the re-opening of the building, we will soon be able to hold two of the events we have so far had to postpone: the Scholastic Book Fair and our school spelling bee for students in the 3rd grade and above. Please stay tuned for further notice about these events.
May the new year bring many blessings to you and your family!
December Newsletter
Our virtue for the month of December is Service. Even as children and entire families are once again homebound, there are still many opportunities to serve, whether around the house, in the yard, or elsewhere. Perhaps you could take your children to a local park and do a clean up of litter and other items. Back at home, it is always good for children to take on household responsibilities such as cleaning their room, taking out the garbage, doing the dishes, helping with the laundry, vacuuming, etc. Serving others is an important part of character development which can be learned and encouraged in a variety of situations. Be creative!
After skirting the COVID-19 pandemic in September and October, amidst rising numbers in Clifton, New Jersey, and most of the nation, New Hope School registered several cases among staff and families in November, causing us to close the building temporarily. While the building itself is closed, our teachers are continuing to instruct their students, either online, through packets, or a combination of both. We appreciate so much your support and understanding as we had to take this step in order to insure the safety of our entire school community. Our hope is to be able to reopen on January 4th after the winter break.
Our virtue for the month of December is Service. Even as children and entire families are once again homebound, there are still many opportunities to serve, whether around the house, in the yard, or elsewhere. Perhaps you could take your children to a local park and do a clean up of litter and other items. Back at home, it is always good for children to take on household responsibilities such as cleaning their room, taking out the garbage, doing the dishes, helping with the laundry, vacuuming, etc. Serving others is an important part of character development which can be learned and encouraged in a variety of situations. Be creative!
As you know, in November we launched our third annual 99Pledges fundraiser. With your support, this year New Hope School raised a total of $3,935 with 55% of families participating—both new school records! On behalf of our staff and the entire school, I wish to extend my heartfelt appreciation to all of you who gave so generously in support of this year’s fall fundraiser.
In line with promoting reading, we originally planned to have our annual Scholastic Book Fair this coming week. However, due to the school closure, we have had to postpone the fair until sometime in January or beyond depending on developments with the ongoing pandemic. We will keep you informed.
If your child is in 3rd grade or above, we hope you will support his/her involvement in our annual Spelling Bee, which we plan to hold once school resumes in January. We will be choosing ten finalists who will then compete for the honor of becoming this year’s spelling champion. New Hope School will not be competing in the usual regional spelling bee due to the pandemic.
Also, due to COVID, we will not have our annual Winter Concert. Instead we are looking into putting together an online celebration featuring students performing class by class. Stay tuned!
Whatever happens, we wish you Happy Holidays and pray for a Happier New Year!
“The thing that lies at the foundation of positive change, the way I see it, is service to a fellow human being.”
November Newsletter
This month’s virtue of the month is Stewardship. This rather old-fashioned word asks students to recall that true gratitude not only entails the thankfulness that surrounds the annual holiday of Thanksgiving, but also involves appreciation and taking good care of the gift received. One who is truly grateful for a gift from Grandma, for example, does not misuse it, but takes extra care to honor both her and the gift she gave. Let us take time to reflect on how we can best express our gratitude by acting as good stewards for the many gifts given us in life. It’s also a time to reflect on using our natural resources responsibly and, in general, to respond lovingly to the gifts of others.
A big thank you to all the parents who gave to our October clothing drive. The clothes will be donated next week to the Salvation Army for distribution to needy families.
This past week our students took the school’s biannual reading assessment. In addition, as you know, we are conducting a survey to understand how much reading students are doing outside of school. Please return the survey to the school if you have not yet done so. The promotion of reading is one of the core aspects of our curriculum.
In line with this, in November we will be holding our 3rd annual Read-a-Thon, a school fundraiser which also doubles as an encouragement to our students to read more. Each student will be asked to read at least 5 books during the month and we ask parents, related family, and friends to sponsor them in this task. Each child will be given a separate web page to which sponsors can indicate their pledges of support. Our overall goal for the fundraiser is $5,000 as a school. We will appreciate any support you can offer which will be counted towards the $200 we ask each family to donate to the school during the course of the school year. Look for an e-mail on this over the weekend.
This month’s virtue of the month is Stewardship. This rather old-fashioned word asks students to recall that true gratitude not only entails the thankfulness that surrounds the annual holiday of Thanksgiving, but also involves appreciation and taking good care of the gift received. One who is truly grateful for a gift from Grandma, for example, does not misuse it, but takes extra care to honor both her and the gift she gave. Let us take time to reflect on how we can best express our gratitude by acting as good stewards for the many gifts given us in life. It’s also a time to reflect on using our natural resources responsibly and, in general, to respond lovingly to the gifts of others.
Please note on the November calendar that parent-teacher meetings are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 18-19, 3:30-5:30 pm. Your child(ren)’s teacher(s) will be in touch with you to set up a virtual 15-minute call to discuss your child(ren)’s progress. We hope that all of our parents will use this opportunity to meet with their child(ren)’s teacher(s) to understand their performance so far this school year and how you may better support them in their education.
Finally, we wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!
“The earth will not continue to offer its harvest, except with faithful stewardship. We cannot say we love the land and then take steps to destroy it for use by future generations.”
Pope John Paul II
October Newsletter
Our school year got off to a great start with about 75% of our students onsite and 25% attending virtually. I wish to thank all of you for your support during this challenging time as we seek to provide your children with the best possible educational experience despite the ongoing COVID-19 reality.
In the past two weeks we have been working with Marco Technologies to get our new audio-visual enhancement system up and running for those students who have been at home. There are still a few bugs to work out, but it seems that things are improving step-by-step. Thank you for your patience.
Our school year got off to a great start with about 75% of our students onsite and 25% attending virtually. I wish to thank all of you for your support during this challenging time as we seek to provide your children with the best possible educational experience despite the ongoing COVID-19 reality.
In the past two weeks we have been working with Marco Technologies to get our new audio-visual enhancement system up and running for those students who have been at home. There are still a few bugs to work out, but it seems that things are improving step-by-step. Thank you for your patience.
I also wish to thank everyone who attended our first ever Virtual Back-to-School Night. It seems that most of our families were represented. We look forward to a good collaborative relationship with you throughout this year. We invite you to be part of New Hope’s Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) which will have its first meeting of the school year on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 7:00-87:00 pm. In addition, we hope that you will find time to volunteer to help us in some of our school’s activities which we will strive to have within the limits imposed by the pandemic.
For example, in October we plan to kick off our first service project of the year—a clothing drive. Please bring in old (but in good condition) shirts, pants, hats, gloves, coats, blankets, shoes, sweaters, sweatshirts, etc., and drop them off in a box that will be in the hallway starting Monday, Oct. 5. The clothing will be given to St. Peter’s Haven for distribution to needy families.
October’s Virtue of the Month is Perseverance. This is the virtue that calls us to push ourselves, especially in the face of adversity—and through such efforts ultimately free ourselves to realize our full potential. Please note that we will announce our Students of the Month for October this Friday.
Friday, Oct. 9, will be Picture Day when individual, class, and whole school photos will be taken of the students. Be sure your child is dressed extra nice that day.
Although this year we will not be having a schoolwide Harvest Festival, children are still welcome to come in Halloween costumes Friday, Oct. 30 (but not too scary!).
Let’s have a great autumn together!
“The greatest oak was once a little nut who held its ground.”
Anonymous