Campus News
Message from the School Head
From all of us at NHSP, I welcome you all back to school after the winter break. We begin 2013 with hopes and prayers for peace and prosperity for our families, our communities, and our world.
Security
As most schools around the country have done, we have taken time to reflect on the school's level of security. Through administration, faculty, parent, and Board meetings, we have developed an inventory of areas to examine in making decisions on what steps are necessary to improve security at the school. This past Monday, on our Professional Development day, the Pasadena Police Department provided specialized training for the staff to be better prepared to respond to what they refer to as an "active shooter," and they conducted a general survey of the school's physical premises providing recommendations for improvement.
With this inventory, we will be reviewing the items and determining feasibility and priority. We hope to schedule an evening parent meeting within the next couple of weeks to provide an update on the decisions and the potential cost to the school. We look forward to working together with the school community to create an even safer, more secure environment for our children.
One of the comments made by the officers conducting the survey was that they were impressed with our school's level of security and found it to be "ahead of the game" compared to most schools they have visited.
Traffic Safety
Many of you have already seen the physical changes at the Lower School campus in terms of the new fencing and pedestrian walkway. The idea for this plan derived from the administration's ongoing concern about student safety during drop-off and pick-up times, and recently, one of our Board members, Talaat Sabih, Facility Committee Chair, facilitated the implementation of this plan. We are grateful for his support and oversight on this important project.
We ask that parents cooperate with our new pedestrian system by only using the pedestrian walkway and not the driveway when walking your students to school. Also, please follow the crossing signs from the MS parking lot to the LS sidewalk, and do NOT cross diagonally from the neighbor's driveway to the school driveway.
Singapore Math
As we continue to support the students and teachers in the area of Singapore Math, we are pleased to be able to offer a parent session next Tue., Jan. 15 from 8 to 9 a.m. in the Aldeen Library. This meeting will be conducted by Sherri Adler, one of our Singapore Math consultants and the co-founder of Smart Training which specializes in Singapore Math training. Although she will be here that day to visit the classrooms and model lessons for the teachers, she has kindly agreed to make additional time available in her day to offer this parent meeting. If you are interested in learning more about the program and methodology behind Singapore Math, we encourage you to join us for this meeting. Starting at about 9 a.m., Ms. Adler will be following a strict schedule of going to the classrooms.
Annual Giving Campaign
We have posted the final results of our 2012 Annual Giving Campaign and thanks to all of our NHSP supporters, we can report a successful campaign.
The total raised will enable the administration to purchase many of the items listed in our campaign wish list to enhance STEM literacy school-wide. We thank our students, staff, parents and Board of Trustees for their support.
Congratualtions to Mrs. Hajjali and the 3rd grade class for winning the
2012 Grand Prize. Also, we want to congratulate the first, second and 5th grade classrooms for reaching our classroom goals of 100% participation and $3,000 per classroom. Well done and enjoy your rewards!
Grade Participation % Amount
Prechool 75% $1,124
PK 93% $2,140
K 79% $2,105
1st Grade 100% $3,052
2nd Grade 100% $4,855
3rd Grade 100% $5,870
4th Grade 100% $2,828
Lower School $21,974
5th Grade 100% $3,355
6th Grade 83% $413
7th Grade 100% $1,165
8th Grade 100% $940
Middle School $5,873
Staff 86% $3,065
Board 73% $5,800
Total Raised $36,712
Grandparents and Special Friends Day
Our students look forward to Grandparents and Special Friends Day all year long. Please join us on next Wed., Jan. 16, visit your student(s) in their classrooms from 10 - 11:30 am, and then join us immediately afterwards for a luncheon in the Adaya Auditorium hosted by the PTO. Please RSVP to Rana
Itani at 626-795-5186 ext. 1126 or ritani@newhorizonschool.org by Mon., Jan. 14. See the flyer for more details.
Fresh & Easy Receipts
Please turn in any Fresh & Easy receipts dated through December 31st to the Lower school or Main office. The deadline is this Friday, Jan. 11.
JUM'A at NHS
Jum'a at NHS begins at 1:55 pm and ends at about 2:20 pm. Below is the list of scheduled khateebs for the month of January:
Jan. 11 Hanie Nasser
Jan. 18 Ali Al-Sarraf
Jan. 25 Yusif Lee
Yearbook Ads
All yearbook ads must be submitted by Monday, Feb. 4. Please note that only COMPLETE forms with payment AND all necessary text or photos will be accepted. Text and photos may also be submitted via e-mail to Miss Ahlam Abdallah (Mrs. Fernandez's substitute while she's on maternity leave) at , aabdallah@newhorizonschool.org, and the payment can be submitted to the lower or middle school office. Click here to see the yearbook order form, which is also available on the school's website on Parents page.
Yearbook Cover Contest
Students interested in participating in our annual NHS Yearbook Cover Contest should turn in their submissions by January 31. The design should be completed on a white 8 ½ x 11 paper. Students should leave a blank 1/2 inch border around the entire design and use pen, color pencils, and/or markers. Lower and middle school students are encouraged to participate. Please submit covers to Ms. Suad in the lower school office or Miss Abdallah at the middle school.
