Pen and ink drawing of the Hajjar School by Paul Couvee
General School Boundaries Northeast Between Rt. 3a & 129
North: Boston Rd. Rt. 3a from Heritage Rd. to Chelmsford line.
Northwest: Rt. 3a & 129 to the Chelmsford Line.
Northeast: Rt. 129 Salem Rd. / Gray St. / Andover Rd. / Tewksbury line.
Our Mission
We believe all children can learn. A healthy school climate will promote in our children respect, responsibility, cooperation, compassion and an understanding of their obligations to their community.
With the help of parents and the community, we shall teach our children and serve the community by integrating academic skills and social values. These values will contribute to the development of citizenship skills as well as life skills needed to become an effective member of the community.
We envision a school that is clean, well equipped and well maintained where children are engaged in learning activities using up to date technology and where children will be seen working cooperatively, resolving conflicts and demonstrating respect for each other.
Hajjar School Council
Since the passing of the 1993 Education Reform Act, each school has established a School Council. The purpose of the Council is to provide advice and to assist the Principal.
The Hajjar School Council is made up of the principal, parents of students currently enrolled, teachers and community representatives. Parent and teacher members are elected to the council.
The responsibilities of the Council are to assist the principal in:
1.Adopting educational goals for the school that are consistent with local
educational policies.
2.Identifying the educational needs of students.
3.Reviewing the annual school building budget.
4.Formulating a school improvement plan.Members of the School Council
Gianna Dagenais, Teacher
Bonnie MacNeil, Teacher
Anthony La Rosa, Principal
Christine Donaghue, Parent
Sandra Giroux , Parent
Allen Metivier, Jr., teacher
Toby Marshall, Parent
Anthony Lucasio Jr., Community Rep.
Reading is our primary emphasis and we are making progress on our initiative. All children will be able to read and write on grade level by the end of third grade. There is a school wide commitment to enhance our reading and writing program. Our Staff Development Team continues to plan and design the long range plan for our school. The school based Civic Committee will continue to provide faculty and staff with review activities and displays on cooperation and resolving differences. The values all Americans share such as: honesty, fairness, respect for others, self-control, responsibility, loyalty, teamwork, etc. will also continue to be our monthly themes.
We are in the process of adopting a safe school plan that includes provisions for the management of a school crisis. We have established a crisis response team made up of ten staff members, whose duties will include the compiling a safe school manual for our staff.
The following are our School Improvement Goals;
Goal 1. Children will be able to demonstrate their responsibilities and obligations as effective citizens, by continuing to learn about how to resolve differences while appreciating and showing an understanding of human characteristics .
Objective: The school based Civic Committee will continue to provide faculty and staff with review activities and displays on cooperation and resolving differences. The values all Americans share such as: honesty, fairness, respect for others, self-control, responsibility, loyalty, teamwork, etc. will also continue to be our monthly themes.
Strategies
The Civic Committee will:
Recognize students for demonstrating citizenship.
Provide opportunities to students for community service.
With the assistance of the librarian set up a literature section for children and staff based on the monthly themes.
Publish a semi-annual newsletter for parents.
Develop additional community activities such as Citizenship Day.
Develop a video library for staff.
Review Character Manual to develop a brochure for staff.
With the assistance of the Hajjar Parents Association secure outside speakers and pro
Goal 2. To adopt a safe school plan that includes provisions for the management of a school crisis.
Objective: Establish a crisis response team made up of ten staff members.
Strategies
Crisis Response Team will:
Create a manual of procedures for distribution to all staff.
Design crisis response procedures as well as guidelines for the following:
Fire/emergency evacuation
Playground safety
Building Security system
Bomb threat
Armed intruder
Serious injury to a child
Death of child or staff member
Violent behavior (child, parent, staff member)
Goal 3. All children will be able to read and write on grade level by the end of third grade.
Objective There is a school wide commitment to enhance our reading and writing program. Our Staff Development Team continues to plan and design the long range plan for our school.
Strategies
Teachers will work on developing specific goals to implement the following:
1. Students learn to read more easily and enjoy it more when instructional techniques match their reading styles. Teachers will continue to accommodate reading styles such as: visual, auditory, tactile, kinesthetic, global and analytic.
2. To increase the number of volunteers, teachers will include parents of their students. Contact with outside groups will be made to seek additional volunteers.
3. Our school wide reading and writing incentives as well as community outreach programs will continue. We will enhance our relationship with the local media to increase Reading and Writing awareness in the community.
4. We will increase parent participation in our reading program by helping parents to be "reading helpers" at home. A monthly newsletter on reading will continue to be published and sent home to provide suggestions and helpful hints.
5. Reading Styles Inventory Tests and others, as well as portfolio assessments will be used to measure student progress.
School Contract
A Home and School Contract was developed by the Staff Development Team with input from the entire staff and School Council. The purpose was to foster communication between home and school and work towards common goals. The contract was sent home and returned signed by every parent. (see last page) In addition, a Code of Conduct was posted in every classroom and in other areas throughout the school.
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Contact Numbers
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History
Who was Dr. Solomon Gunther Hajjar?
Solomon G. Hajjar was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, the son of Anton and Wardia Hajjar. He graduated from Lawrence High School, Boston College at St. Louis University's School of Medicine. Shortly after, he established a medical practice at 2 Talbot Avenue in North Billerica. On January 4, 1939, Dr. Hajjar married Elizabeth Morris, R.N. from Lowell.
In World War II he served in the Medical Corps as a captain and a Medical Unit commander. He was awarded the Legion of Merit for his services in the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater.
The doctor served on the Billerica Board of Health from 1940 to 1942, but was more commonly known in town as School Physician, a position which he held from 1954 until his death. A communicant of St. Andrew's Church, he held memberships in numerous religious, fraternal and professional organizations. He was on the staffs of St. John's and St. Joseph's Hospitals in Lowell serving also as the physician for the Middlesex County House of Correction, the North Billerica Mills and Johns Manville Company.
Dr. and Mrs. Hajjar were the parents of five children, Jane, Martha, Philip, Richard and Paul. As their family increased, they moved to 49 Mount Pleasant Street, North Billerica which was their home at the time of the doctor's untimely death at the age of 59 on December 29, 1966.
Throughout his 28 years of practice, Dr. Hajjar had established a close relationship with the townspeople, making himself readily available for house calls in time of need. Having gained the respect of a large number of residents, he was naturally in their thoughts when a new school was proposed for North Billerica in 1966.
The following year the Town acquired 15 acres of land off Rogers Street. As the construction proceeded the Town responded to a request that the new school be name the Dr. S.G. Hajjar Elementary School, which opened its doors in September of 1970. A formal dedication took place on October 18th of that year with members of the doctor's family, friends, and town officials attending. The portrait hanging in the school's library was presented by Mrs. Hajjar at this ceremony.
Margaret B. Ingraham
Town Historian
June 15, 1994
Teachers
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