“Hillside Catholic Academy An Old Building Full of New Tricks”
When the students return to Hillside Catholic Academy in September they will find it hard to believe they are in the same building. Over the summer the school has been under a gigantic make over which includes the following;
Hiring of a new Director of Technology Mr. John Rios
Creation of new computer laboratory complete with 23 lap top computers
An interactive SMART Board installed in the computer lab
Interactive SMART Boards have been installed in four classrooms
A new Science Laboratory Room
A faculty who has taken part in 6 hours of professional development in the integration of technology into the course of study.
A new fiber optic cable has been installed upgrading the overall computer capacity of the school.
The implementation of Discovery Science Program on all levels.
All of these changes have are part of the implementation of the school’s improvement plan from their Middle States Evaluation of Spring 2010. The first of which was need to increase the use of technology in the school. Part of this plan was the hiring of a new technology director Mr. John Rios. Mr. Rios who previously was Director at Technology at Our Lady of Liberia in Jersey City has been working since mid-July installing the lap tops , SMART Boards, and servicing the existing computers in the school library.
“I am very impressed by the quality of equipment we have here. This technology program will greatly compliment and enhance our overall academic program.” stated Mr. Rios.
On August 18 eight faculty members took part in a three hour in-service on how to use interactive SMART Boards. This was conducted by Mr. Mr. Steven Craven of Future Generations Inc. “The faculty all seemed very excited and are eager to get started” he said.
The new Science Lab is the creation of Mrs. Angela Vasil grade 5,6,7,8 Science teacher. The room, which is also equipped with an Interactive SMART Board, will allow for hands on Science experiments. It will be used by students on all levels.
The teachers are not the only one excited. So are the parents and students. “I am very excited about the upcoming school year,” said Mrs. Valerie Jacobs. “There will be numerous experiments and the students will love the Discovery Science with the Discovery channel online.”
“The new laptops and SMART Boards will help prepare us of high school . Our new Science Lab will should also be a lot of fun. I think we’ll receive the opportunity to discover things that we would not learn in a normal classroom environment. I am really looking forward to an exciting year at H.C.A.” stated Grade 8 student and Student Government head Kenya Jacobs.
Hillside Catholic Academy is a Pre-K 3 thru Grade 8 Catholic elementary school It is located at 397 Columbia Avenue in Hillside New Jersey. Interested parties are invited to to come and be, “Wowed on any Wednesday”.
Interested parties may also call and arrange a tour at any time by contacting Mrs. Linda Graca 908-686-6740 or by e-mail @ admin@hillsidecatholicacademy.org
