The Central Connection
HCRHS District Newsletter - April 2026
Check out our website calendar to stay up to date on the latest events and important dates!
DATES TO NOTE:
April 2 - Workforce and Career Expo for students, 12:45-2:30pm in the Commons
April 14 - Final Strategic Planning Session, 6:00-8:00PM in the Commons
April 16 - District Jazz Band Concert with Sending District Ensembles, 7:00PM in Auditorium
April 17 - Junior Prom, 6:00-10:00PM
April 22 - Parent Engagement Committee Meeting, 6:30PM in IMC
April 24 - Thespians Showcase, 7:00PM in Little Theater
April 27 - Board of Education Meeting and Budget Public Hearing, 7:00PM in IMC
April 28-30 - NJSLA Testing, Grades 9 and 11, see more information below
To Sophia Hoffman
For winning NJSIAA Girls Diving State Championship!
To Robotics Team
For winning Silver and the Quality Award at their first competition of the season!
To New Eagle Scouts
Recognized at Board Meeting on March 23rd for earning rank of Eagle Scout: William Boyce, Jackson Celmer, Michael Giannouris, Jonathan Harvey, Jason Snyder, Jr., Jayden and Jeffery Weiss.
To Girls Winter Track Team
For winning Group 4 State Championship!
As we move into the final quarter of the 2025-2026 school year, we are already busy planning for 2026-2027. Scheduling meetings with counselors have finished up and we are working on the 26-27 master schedule. Our Open House for 7th & 8th grade students and parents is on May 5th and we welcome the Class of 2030 for freshman orientation on August 26. Part of our future planning includes strategic planning. At the second planning session on March 11th, NJ School Boards Association guided 63 attendees through the “portrait of a leaner” activity designed to bring consensus around what all graduates of Hunterdon Central should achieve by the time they graduate. Across all groups, several clear themes emerged: the importance of strong critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills; the ability to adapt and demonstrate resilience in an ever-changing world; and the development of life skills such as financial literacy, executive functioning, and responsible use of technology, including Artificial Intelligence. Participants also emphasized the need for students to feel a sense of belonging, demonstrate empathy and cultural awareness, and engage as active, informed citizens. Supporting student wellness was identified as foundational, along with a love of lifelong learning. These priorities led to the development of four goal areas: student learning experience, future-ready, engagement, and health and wellness. Please join us for our third and final strategic planning session on April 14th at 6:00PM in the Commons. We will develop goal statements for each of our goal areas, as well as objectives for these goals.
Future planning has also included development of the 2026-2027 tentative budget, which was approved at the March 23rd Board of Education meeting. Identified as strengths during strategic planning sessions, the budget ensures that all academic and extracurricular programs are sustained, and in some cases, even enhanced. Additionally, we will maintain the highly qualified staff needed to teach and manage our programs. The approved tentative budget continues the district’s past practice of budgeting strategies that prioritize our goals, high quality of programs, and student learning experiences through disciplined financial planning and responsible long-term decision-making (proactive vs. reactive). The strengths and goal areas identified through our strategic planning process thus far are reflected in the 2026-2027 budget, ensuring that resources are intentionally aligned to support our highest priorities for student learning, engagement, and well-being. Over the next five years, we will continue to align financial planning with the final strategic planning goals, making thoughtful, sustainable investments that advance our vision while maintaining the district’s long-term fiscal health.
- Jessica Cangelosi-Hade, HCRHSD Superintendent
The second strategic planning session took place on March 11 with 63 volunteers in attendance. During this second session, attendees discussed attributes for the "portrait of a learner" in small groups, found common threads among their lists and then narrowed down general goal areas.
The third and last meeting for strategic planning is on April 14 at 6:00PM in the Commons. At the last meeting, attendees will draft specific goals and objectives for the next five years based on the goal areas determined at the second planning session. If you would like to be a part of the strategic planning process, please RSVP.
The strategic planning process is facilitated by the New Jersey School Boards Association. The Board of Education will use the consensus document developed after all three sessions are complete to help shape future goals for the district as we move forward.
For All Students in Grades 9 and 11, and any student taking Algebra I
Hunterdon Central will administer the N.J. Student Learning Assessment (NJSLA) on April 28, 29 and 30. On April 28, all freshmen will take the Reading unit. On April 29, all freshmen and any student taking Algebra I will take the Math unit. On April 30, all freshmen will take the Writing unit. All juniors will take the Science unit on April 28 and 29.
We will be running an alternate bell schedule on April 28-30 to accommodate testing, similar to the schedule we had for NJGPA testing at the end of March. More information will be sent out soon regarding the schedule.
Students will have the opportunity to explore careers and part-time employment or volunteer openings during the 3rd annual Workforce and Career Expo on April 2nd. Students in grades 10-12 can sign up to attend during block 4 using the form that was emailed to them, or students in any grade level can come between 2:03-2:30PM with no sign up required. Close to 30 businesses and organizations are signed up to attend. We hope students take advantage of this annual opportunity and may even find a part-time job!
Mr. Belsky’s Crime, Mystery & Media class recently evaluated crime reporting and podcasts before creating their own podcast on crimes of their choosing.
Mrs. Bousum’s freshmen created Book Bentos in the Makerspace for their independent reading projects.
With our Spring Break in April, March provided an opportunity for our school community to build strong and fruitful momentum in supporting our students’ learning and growth. As principal, I have the awesome ability to witness when our community comes together when that support is needed the most. I’d like to share two, of many, instances that took place this past March.
The first took place during one of the Music Department’s concerts. There was a song that included a violin solo as its focus. One of our students absolutely shined delivering a remarkable performance as the soloist. But a part of that performance that caught my attention was in the way the other students on stage supported their classmate with a higher level of focus in playing their part. When you observe students, and all people in general, day in and day out like a principal would, you notice the moments when behaviors are a little different, when the focus is heightened, and when we as a community are at our best.
The second example was in the way all members of our school community worked together to support our 11th grade students when they took the NJGPA in mid-March. With 99% of students in attendance that week, with the support from transportation and families in holding a later arrival time for non-testers, and with the care to detail by my colleagues in the preparation and administration of the graduation-required assessments, the 500+ students were able to focus and perform their best…demonstrating the knowledge and skills developed over their 11+ years of education.
As I said earlier, these are just two of the many examples. It is times like these when I am reminded just how powerful this school community of Hunterdon Central is and can be on a daily basis for the growth of our youth. We have many more of those moments ahead of us this school year. Thank you for being a part of that.
- Edward C. Brandt, HCRHS Principal
The new generation of Red Devil Ambassadors have been selected and trained! From our sophomore class, we welcome our newest Ambassadors: Ben Annese, Natalie Canonico, Jason Cebula, Ayaan Jain, Abraham Lizana, Madeline Prowker, Madilyn Rios, Rosalynn Swinson, and Nathan Urena.
Follow hunterdoncentralrhs on Instagram!
Like hunterdoncentralrhs on Facebook!
Follow HC_Athletics20 on Instagram
Contact Us
Looking for the house office or a specific staff member? Access our staff directory on our website:
https://www.hcrhs.org/contact-information.
General Email: communications@hcrhs.org
Website: https://www.hcrhs.org/
Location: 84 Route 31, Flemington, NJ 08822
Phone: (908) 782-5727