Below is a letter from Principal Timothy Wieland to students and parents:
Dear Students and Parents/Guardians:
We hope you all had a fun and relaxing summer and are looking forward to the start of the 2022-2023 school year. Pascack HIlls High School opens its doors to all students on Wednesday, August 31. Throughout the summer, our custodial, maintenance, guidance, and support staff have worked diligently to ensure we are prepared to welcome everyone back on the 31st. We know that you are eager to see your schedule and would like to inform you that they will be available later in the day on Genesis Parent Access. Since our schedule consists of a five-day rotation, attached is an Excel file to download and input your schedule. Please note that our rotation days will begin on Tuesday, September 6.
We continue to enhance our security systems at Hills to provide a safe learning environment. This summer, we added new strobe lights to identify when a lockdown is in place and upgraded our surveillance system. Our current lockdown system offers an automated audio message when a lockdown is issued. Adding strobe lights will provide a visual layer in areas where an announcement may not be easily heard.
We will continue to utilize the front entrance as our entry point into the building, and the front doors will be locked as soon as the school day begins. We have installed an intercom system at the front entrance to communicate with visitors before they enter the building. Our goal is to limit the number of unscheduled visitors, and with that in mind, we will have two bins outside the front entrance for items such as lunches, , athletic equipment, etc. The bins will be brought into the building each day at the beginning of our unit lunch period (11:02 am) for students to obtain their items. Students will not be permitted to have food delivered to Hills.
Many of you have a Pascack Period built into your schedule. During Pascack Period, you will have the opportunity to catch up on homework, study, visit your counselor, etc. Similar to last school year, we will continue to allow all students the chance to arrive at the school late (8:40 on a Monday's schedule and 8:55 on rotation days) if their day starts with Pascack Period. Students can leave early (2:08 on a Monday's schedule and 1:53 on rotation days) if their day ends with Pascack Period. As a senior privilege, 12th-grade students can leave campus for both lunch and Pascack Period with parent/guardian permission.
Please do not hesitate to contact your guidance counselor if you have any questions or concerns regarding your schedule. I cannot express how excited I am to welcome all of you back to Hills next week. Until then, I hope you enjoy the final week of summer break.
With Hills Pride,
Tim Wieland