12-03-2025

Dear Hawthorne Families,

I am excited to announce the launch of Coffee with the Superintendent, a new opportunity for us to connect in a relaxed and informal setting. These gatherings are designed to foster open communication, strengthen relationships, and provide a space where you can share your thoughts, ask questions, and learn more about the great work happening across the Hawthorne Public Schools.

This month I will be hosting a series of Coffee with the Superintendent sessions at each of our school buildings. These events will rotate throughout the year so that all families and community members have multiple opportunities to attend.

A QR code will be shared on our district Instagram and Facebook pages for quick sign-ups. Building principals will also send periodic reminders with location and times. We invite you to register and come by for conversation, collaboration, and connection.

I look forward to hearing your insights, celebrating our successes together, and partnering with you as we continue to move Hawthorne Public Schools forward.

Thank you for your ongoing support and engagement.

Sincerely,

Matt Mignanelli
Superintendent of Schools
Hawthorne Public Schools

click here to download the full letter

Ask questions, share ideas, and learn more about what's happening in Hawthorne schools!

Please mark your calendar and join us! Coffee will be served.

(Attend any session regardless of your student's attending school.)

Please RSVP - Click HERE

*Note that the original date at Washington Elementary School has been rescheduled to December 17th.

Each year, Al Iannacone from the Hawthorne Shade Tree Commission visits our Hawthorne students to teach them about planting daffodil bulbs. Students enjoy getting hands-on experience as they plant the bulbs in our front garden. This annual tradition helps them learn about nature and community care. A big thank you to Mr. Iannacone for sharing his knowledge and guiding us through the planting process. We can’t wait to see the daffodils bloom in the spring!

3rd Graders Plant Daffodils at Jefferson

Ms. Palmer's & Ms. Mohre's class at Roosevelt Plant Daffodil Bulbs!

• 12/23 - One Session Day; Winter Recess
• 12/24 - 31- Winter Recess; Schools Closed
• 1/1/26-1/2/26 - New Year's Day Observed; Schools Closed
• 1/5/26 - Schools Reopen for Students and Staff
• 1/19/26 - MLK Jr. Day; Schools Closed

• 12/4 - Winter Concert RES
• 12/4 - Holiday Concert WES (grades 3-5)
• 12/5 - Spirit Day WES
• 12/5, 6, & 7 - Fall Production HHS
• 12/9 - Holiday Boutique RES
• 12/9 - Winter Concert LMS
• 12/10 - Holiday Boutique RES
• 12/10 - Winter Concert JES
• 12/11 - Holiday Boutique WES
• 12/11 - Holiday Dance HHS
• 12/12 - Holiday Boutique WES
• 12/12 - Senior Activity Day HHS
• 12/15 - Santa Visit RES
• 12/17 - Band Winter Concert HHS
• 12/18 - TREP$ Marketplace
• 12/19 - Performing Arts Club Performance HHS

The 2nd grade students of Jefferson School brought the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade to life after reading Balloons Over Broadway, the story of puppeteer Tony Sarg. With the help of Mrs. Shea, Mrs. Knesevitch and Mrs. Mazzacca, students engaged in extension activities focusing on character traits, main idea, sequencing and creative writing. Inspired by his creativity, they used innovation, engineering, and artistry to design their own parade balloons. After carefully sketching their ideas, the students transferred their designs onto foil, laminated them, and inflated them to create real-life balloons, now proudly displayed above the New York City skyline outside their classrooms.

Thomas Jefferson School held its annual Turkey Trot, where students collected pledges over two weeks and earned fun prizes for their efforts — including the grand prize of Dr. Droske wearing a turkey costume for an entire day! Under the wonderful coordination of Mrs. Phiefer, our PE teacher, the event ran smoothly and brought tremendous school spirit. We are grateful to the PTO and parent volunteers for their support, including providing a bagel breakfast on the morning of the race. Thanks to the generosity of our families, we raised over $10,000, which will fund exciting upgrades to our backyard facilities.

Our kindergarteners did an amazing job at their parade! Each kindergartener designed their own balloon and showcased it for all of our Roughriders to see. Huge shout-out to Ms. Dalessandro for putting together such a fantastic parade!

Math sure can be SWEET! Fifth graders made rectangular prisms out of sugar cubes to find their volume!

We always love when Dr. Trabona visits our classes! Our kindergarteners were busy with their writing assignments, and she got to see them shine. We also practiced our teen numbers and learned how to decompose them. We can’t wait for her next visit!

Congratulations to our Washington Wildcats who were recognized by their teachers as showing great EMPATHY, our Character Education theme of the month for November! We are so proud of you, and keep up the great work!

The LMS PTO hosted a fun-filled celebration, “The Best Day Ever,” on November 18th! This year’s Laps for Lincoln fundraiser featured an exciting Ninja Warrior theme, bringing tons of energy and school spirit to the event.

Laps for Lincoln is one of our largest annual fundraisers, helping the PTO support a wide range of student experiences throughout the year. Funds from this event contribute to school assemblies, field trip assistance, Respect Program prizes, a portion of 8th-grade dues, and the purchase of a new display board for the front lawn of Lincoln Middle School.

Students who raised $25 or more enjoyed two class periods of fun, featuring inflatables, games, and music. Thanks to the incredible generosity of our families and the hard work of our volunteers, the LMS PTO will bring in over $17,000 from this year’s event.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who donated and to our amazing parent volunteers who helped make the day such a success!

The 2025 LMS Girls Soccer Team finished their season with an amazing record of 8-0. This season the girls scored 35 goals for LMS with only 11 scored against LMS. Overall, this is the LMS Girls fifth undefeated season out of twelve since the program was reinstated back in 2013.

Twenty-one seventh and eighth graders played seamlessly together and fought hard against some challenging opponents and every time they came out on top. The team represented Lincoln Middle School and the Hawthorne School District well throughout the season demonstrating great sportsmanship each time they put on their uniform.

Undefeated Seasons 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2025

Overall Record for Past Twelve Seasons (92-16-7)

The boys’ soccer team wrapped up an impressive season at the end of October with an 8-1-1 record. Their only loss came in a hard-fought battle against Glen Rock, falling 1–2 in the final seconds.

Throughout the season, Vincent Ahne, Andrew “Chino” Diaz, Danny Gonzalez, Skye Ihim, Charlie Jordan, Adam Khalil, Paul Pandel, Parker Ratleff, and Liam Rosario combined for a remarkable 40 goals, with Parker Ratleff scoring half of them to lead the Bears’ offense.

On the defensive end, Tristan Preiskines anchored the team with over 30 saves, consistently protecting the net and keeping the Bears in control. Meanwhile, Charlie Jordan, Daniel Cabale, Larry Gallagher, Blake Vargas & Gabe Ferreira played consistent and solid defense.

The boys played a fantastic season all around—great job, Bears!

The Student Council at Lincoln Middle School successfully completed its annual Thanksgiving Food Drive. This year, students collected and filled over ten bags of food and two crates with donations. All items were delivered to the Hawthorne Food Pantry, where they will help support community members in need during the holiday season. The Student Council extends its sincere thanks to all students and families whose generosity made this year’s food drive such a meaningful success.

Hawthorne High School's Heroes & Cool Kids program recently brought leadership and life lessons to Lincoln Middle School! High school students attended a conference at Ramapo College and prepared a lesson for 6th graders on Building Resilience, sharing personal stories of overcoming obstacles. Meanwhile, our Lincoln Middle School Sidekicks (8th graders) visited 4th grade classrooms across the district to talk about setting goals and persevering through challenges. Together, they’re inspiring students and strengthening our school community!

Hawthorne High School Presents "Radium Girls" - December 5 -7, 2025 (Click Here)

• Fri. Dec 5th 2025, 7:30 pm
• Sat. Dec 6th 2025, 7:30 pm
• Sun. Dec 7th 2025, 2:00 pm

PURCHASE TICKETS NOW

Alyson LaSpisa and Kristen Maher

We are excited to recognize Ms. LaSpisa, 3rd grade teacher, and Ms. Maher, BSI teacher, as our Washington School Spotlight Staff Members! These two dedicated educators work tirelessly behind the scenes to keep our Instagram account vibrant, engaging, and full of the wonderful moments that make Washington School such a special place. Thanks to their creativity and hard work, our community gets to see how much our students learn, grow, and celebrate together each day. Be sure to check out @hps_washington, “like” their posts, and follow along all year to share in the joy and spirit of our school!

Demi Constantino

Demi Constantino, grade 2, is a shining example of kindness, leadership, and positivity at Thomas Jefferson School. She is exceptionally empathetic and goes out of her way to include others, making her classmates feel welcomed and valued. In the classroom, Demi is the type of student every teacher hopes for—hard-working, enthusiastic, and always eager to take on new challenges. She approaches each day with a bright smile, a strong work ethic, and a genuine love of learning. On the playground, her natural leadership continues to shine as she guides her peers, organizes games, and makes sure no one is left out. Demi is also admired for her responsibility and the cheerful greetings she shares with everyone in the hallway. She brings both strength and kindness to every class, offering a positive energy that lifts those around her. Demi is truly a role model for her peers, and we are proud to recognize her as this month’s Spotlight Student.

Fiona Bartell

Fiona is an exemplary student in Mrs. McErlean's 2nd grade classroom. She loves skateboarding, drawing, dancing and gymnastics. She has a brother named Oliver, a dog named Lucy and two guinea pigs (Smudge & Pudge) Her favorite Roosevelt School memory is reading "NO David!" in Ms. Verrone's class!

Aislin Amaro

The Washington School family is so excited for Aislin who will be going to Disney World as part of the Make A Wish Foundation. Aislin is a fantastic student and a great friend who truly deserves this amazing trip with her family. Have a MAGICAL time Aislin! We cannot wait to hear all about it!

Benedetto Provenzano

Lincoln Middle School is proud to recognize Benedetto Provenzano, a 7th grader, known to everyone in the hallways as “Benny,” as this week’s Spotlight Student. Benny recently earned a place on the High Honor Roll for this marking period and continues to impress his teachers with his cooperative, positive nature.

Benny is an exemplary student who consistently demonstrates outstanding collaboration skills. He excels at working with his peers, thoughtfully giving others the space to share their ideas while also helping guide discussions to deepen his classmates’ understanding. His ability to balance leadership with teamwork sets a wonderful example for others.

Outside the classroom, Benny is already looking forward to trying out for the LMS Basketball Team and is considering joining the LMS Track Team this spring. He is also enjoying one of LMS’s newest extracurricular offerings, the Sports Debate Club, where his enthusiasm and sports knowledge shine.

Thank you for continuing to represent what it means to “Be A Bear” at LMS. Keep up the fantastic work!

• Kindergarten - 2nd grade
• Boys Grades 3 - 8

Click on the links or flyers below for more information on all Boys & Girls Club of Hawthorne activities:

• Breakfast with Santa! 9am seating & 11am seating on Saturday, December 6:

• Winter Athletics/Social Rec Program Registration for K-8th Grade

~STEM Club starting 1/5

~K-2 Grade – Monday Nights 6:15-7:15

• Holiday Dance for K-5th Grade – Friday December 12 - Join us for our annual Holiday Dance for K-5th grade members and non-members. Music, Dancing, Games & Holiday Sweater Contest. Pre-register! $5 fee at the door! Snack is included!
• Sensory Friendly Movie Day! – Saturday December 13 - We are pleased to announce the second annual MOVIE DAY, a special movie showing of "Zootopia 2" for children with disabilities and their families. This event is designed to be inclusive and accommodating, featuring "Zootopia 2" adapted to be sensitive to auditory and sensory needs.