Dear Parents,

I hope you are well and adjusting to our new reality as we make preparations to protect our families. My focus has been more on modelling calm for my children, as they look to me for guidance and assurance.

Please note that starting tomorrow, teachers will be sending out digital assignments, primarily through email to you and/or your children's email address.

We have decided to alternate the assignments, as listed in the table below, in order to help reduce the volume of emails you and your children receive, while still sustaining as qualitative of an educational as possible within our digital means. These will consist of 2 days worth of assignments.

Schedule for the week:

​Monday, March 16- A Day

​Tuesday, March 17- B Day

​Wednesday, March 18- A Day

​Thursday, March 19- B Day

​Friday, March 20- A Day​

Teachers will send alternate day assignments out to you and/or your child by 9:30 AM daily, and then be available to respond to you and your child's questions and submissions throughout the school day, which will be maintained from 8:00 AM to 2:50 PM daily.

For the first day, Monday March 16, expect your first assignments to be received later, as we are holding a digital faculty meeting to go over everything together. All assignments will be delivered for the classes scheduled by 2:50 PM Monday and then 9:30 daily starting Tuesday. The only exception to this is if a teacher has an unforeseen circumstance, and then we will adjust accordingly.

​Students do need to acknowledge to teachers in an email response that they have received assignments to check attendance.

If you or your child send a question or comment to a teacher before noon, requesting a response it is reasonable to expect a response the same day. If you send a message after 12:00 PM, you may hear from them the same day, or if not by the next morning on a given school day.

Please bear with us as we adjust to this new normal. We want to continue communicating with you, and providing as quality an education as possible and while that may look different over the next week or so, we will work with you and your child to make this happen.

Kindly,

Mike Gaskell, Hammarskjold Principal

MATH PLACEMENT

During grades six and seven, students transition to pre-high school mathematics starting with sixth grade math. Some sixth-graders are placed in Math Prime, an advanced course.  Multiple measures determine Math placement for 6th grade students. The following criteria is considered for Math Prime eligibility:

• Grade 5 Math NJ Student Learning Assessment (formerly known as PARCC)
• Grade 5 Math Mid-Year Assessment
• Grade 5 Math End-of-Year Assessment
• Grade 5 Math Problem-Solving Average

The typical student entering Math Prime in Grade 6 has earned a PARCC score of 810, scored 96% on the Grade 5 Math Mid-Year Assessment, scored 95% on the Grade 5 Math End-of-Year Assessment and has achieved a Grade 5 Math Problem-Solving Average of 96%.

The study of pre-algebra then follows in seventh grade. Some students qualify for Algebra I in seventh grade, an advanced course.  Multiple measures determine Math placement for 7th grade students. The following criteria is considered for Algebra I eligibility:

• Grade 6 Math NJ Student Learning Assessment (formerly known as PARCC)
• The Algebra Aptitude Assessment
• Grade 6 Math Midterm
• Grade 6 Math Final Exam
• Grade 6 Math Course Grade

The typical student entering Algebra I  in Grade 7 has earned a PARCC score of 810, earned an Algebra Aptitude Assessment score of 181, scored 95% on their Math Prime or 98% on their Math 6 midterm, scored 95% on their Math Prime or 98% on their Math 6 final exam, and has achieved an overall course grade of 94% in Math Prime or 98% in Math 6.

Just a reminder about our procedure for dropping items off for your child:

Please be sure to drop items off before your child's scheduled lunch so we can announce for them to pick up their item at their lunchtime. 

*If you are unable to get to the school before their lunch, kindly contact your child at their lunch time when cell phones are permitted, to let them know the time you'll drop the item off and they can come pick it up  between periods in the afternoon. 

We do not call into classrooms and disrupt instruction at Hammarskjold, which is why your communication with your child is important to convey this message.

Thanks for working with us to make Hammarskjold as disruption free to your child's learning as possible.

Kindly,

Mike Gaskell, Hammarskjold Principal