News – CONNECT After School Program

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USMA Sprint Football scores at CONNECT

March 15, 2024

One of the long-awaited events at CONNECT is the annual visit of Coach Mark West and his United States Military Academy Sprint Football Team. On Friday, March 15th CONNECT students were

West Point CLD STEM visits CONNECT

February 16, 2024

CONNECT welcomed back the United States Military Academy CLD STEM program for a lesson in electric conductivity. Students created play dough figures using conducting clay and insulating clay, and using

A baby kangaroo at CONNECT? Yes! But mum’s the word.

January 31, 2024

Beloved CONNECT teacher Mrs. Di Bianca was surprised on Wednesday when she walked into a CONNECT baby shower hosted by all her students. The event was a baby animal assembly

CONNECT welcomes the New Jersey Snake Man

January 6, 2024

On Friday, January 6th the New Jersey Snake Man visited CONNECT bringing nine reptiles including a 17ft 135-pound Boa Constrictor. The CONNECT students learned about reptile longevity when they met a 76-year-old Tortoise,

CONNECT’S Great Pumpkin

November 23, 2023

“You don’t believe the story of the Great Pumpkin?” Linus asked Sally over 50 years ago this fall on CBS. The Peanut’s story revolved around Linus’s wish for a visit

CONNECT’s 2023 Thanksgiving Celebration

November 20, 2023

November 23, 1621 marked the first Thanksgiving in the American Colonies. Pilgrims thankful for their first harvest broke bread with the local Wampanoag Tribe in a three-day celebration. From colonies

CONNECT Kids Complete the Circuit

November 17, 2023

This week’s field trip took us on an educating adventure where our students learned about electrical engineering. Our 3rd and 4th graders were invited to go to Thayer Hall at

Rocket Day at West Point

October 6, 2023

In the serene Highlands hills last Friday, the Army Rocket Yell could be heard. It was a fitting cheer “U.S.M.A. Rah! Rah!” children from the CONNECT after school program yelled,

CONNECTing to our Constitution

September 22, 2023

CONNECT started off the school year with a Constitution Day celebration. Students learned about our country’s history and the groundwork on which the government was formed. The Constitution is the

“Show Your Colors!” Tropical Birds at CONNECT

September 16, 2023

CONNECT’s first “Fun Friday” was “Show Your Colors!” a Tropical Bird Assembly. At CONNECT we strive to feed children’s instinctive yearning for nature and exploration. The opportunity to interact with

End of the Year BBQ at West Point’s Round Pond

June 22, 2023

CONNECT Celebrates its First Year with a barbeque at West Point’s Round Pond. While Mr. Michael cooked up our hamburgers and hotdogs, swimming, volleyball, paddleboats, and all sorts of outdoor

Bowling fun “Strikes” again at CONNECT!

June 16, 2023

Here’s a good West Point Bowling Pun: “I went bowling with a military general the other day. He started bowling before I even entered his name on the scoreboard. So,

CONNECTing with West Point’s History

June 7, 2023

Did you know that West Point is the oldest continuously operated Army post in the United States? Thomas Jefferson founded the United States Military Academy in 1802, but it was

Hudson Valley Reptile Rescue Visits CONNECT

June 2, 2023

What skills, abilities, and advantages help us adapt to our environment? In school it might help if you have a good sense of humor, are academically strong in a subject,

Family Fun Night at HFIS

May 12, 2023

CONNECT joined the Highland Falls Intermediate School community to celebrate Family Fun Night. Activities included making slime, face painting, and fun field games.

Cinco de Mayo Celebration

May 5, 2023

Friday, May 5th CONNECT hosted a Cinco de Mayo celebration. Students got to engage in a variety of fun activities including snack stations. The first station was quesadillas; where students

CONNECT Visits Senator Skoufis

April 25, 2023

Tuesday, March 25 CONNECT partnered with the Center of Highland Falls to bring twenty students from the Highland Falls Intermediate School to Albany to visit with State Senator James Skoufis

West Point CLD STEM Program Visits CONNECT

April 14, 2023

CONNECT welcomed the USMA CLD STEM Team to CONNECT on Friday, April 14. They were accompanied by Cadets from the United States Military Academy Prep School (USMAPS). Students split off

USMA NASA Student Launch Team Visits CONNECT

March 31, 2023

Cadets from the United States Military Academy at West Point visited CONNECT Friday to share their interest in space. These Cadets are part of the West Point NASA Student Launch

West Point Sprint Football Team Scores at CONNECT!

March 25, 2023

Friday proved a spectacular day at CONNECT. One of the first days to feel like Spring and the sun was not the only thing shinning. Every student at CONNECT awaited

ARMY-NAVY STEM Challenge

February 11, 2023

Not many students long to get up early on a Saturday morning but a group of CONNECT kids did! They were invited to the Army-Navy STEM Challenge this year hosted

LED Cards light up CONNECT with the help of the USMA Mathematics & Electrical Engineering Departments

January 20, 2023

Friday after school a group of 50 of our CONNECT students hopped on a bus for West Point. They were invited to make LED greeting cards with USMA Cadets and

“Countdown to a Dream”: Space Shuttle Astronaut Mike Mullane Visits CONNECT

October 27, 2022

USMA ’67 graduate Colonel Mike Mullane always dreamed of being an astronaut. Visiting West Point for his reunion, Colonel (Ret.) Mullane took time out of his busy schedule to share

Arts, Crafts, Challenges, and a lot of Fun

October 21, 2022

CONNECT students enjoyed a Friday full of four fun challenges. Students built a Pringles Single as an engineering challenge — only using Pringles chips they needed to build a full

CONNECT “Girls Who Game” Visit West Point Simulation Center

October 12, 2022

Dell Technologies and Intel have sponsored “Girls Who Game” a program that develops STEM and leadership skills while having fun through gaming. CONNECT is happy to be participating in the

It’s International Girls Day

October 11, 2022

CONNECT celebrates International Girls Day every day by providing STEM learning opportunities in such classes as Girls Who Game, Engineering, and Robotics. Nearly 1 in 4 girls aged 15-19 globally

CONNECT “Strikes” Happy Times at the West Point Bowling Center

October 1, 2022

Friday, 50 students from the Highland Falls Intermediate School participating in the CONNECT after school program joined the West Point Bowling Club to bowl a few rounds together. The event

Catapult Building with West Point CLD STEM

September 23, 2022

CONNECT welcomed the West Point CLD STEM faculty who visited us to teach us about simple machines and one specifically the Catapult. Using spoons, popsicle sticks, and rubber bands student

CONNECT welcomes the NASA Student Launch Competition Team from the United States Military Academy at West Point

September 16, 2022

To-date twenty one graduates of the United States Military Academy at West Point have been selected for astronaut training by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Helping to fuel

CONNECT celebrates Highland Falls Fort Montgomery Central School District’s New Mascot

September 9, 2022

Highland Falls – Fort Montgomery Central School District recently announced its new mascot — it is a Raptor! To celebrate and learn more about Raptor’s the CONNECT after school program

Pedro Salazar is CONNECT's Student of the week. He is a great student and an even kinder friend to everyone around him. Pedro aims to be a role model by being kind to others, helping his peers if they get hurt or feel down, and he always makes sure to include everyone and never leave anyone out. Both inside and outside the classroom Pedro is a great example of how to treat others and be a friend. Pedro’s favorite class at CONNECT is “Digitally Detailed” where he enjoys drawing on a tablet and creates art with Procreate. Outside of CONNECT he enjoys sports and video games. He loves all kind of sports including basketball, baseball, and soccer and likes to play with his friends when he gets the chance. We are also happy to announce that he will be taking on a leadership role at HFIS as the newly elected Student Council Secretary.

Kimberly Lerch is CONNECT's Student of the week. She joined CONNECT last year and is excited to be back. She has a positive attitude and enthusiastically participates in her classes. She is confident and a role model to her friends. The best part of the program for Kimberly is getting to make new friends and have fun playing together. Kimberly’s favorite class at CONNECT is “Girls Who Game” where she is currently playing creative mode in Minecraft Education and building a house. Her favorite project was completing a timed building challenge. Outside of the school she can be found participating in similar activities, she enjoys playing Minecraft and Roblox during her down time at home.

Nicholas Cotter is CONNECT's Student of the week. Nick shoots for the S.T.A.R.S. embodying the qualities we encourage here at CONNECT. He is a safe, trustworthy, accountable, respectful and a supportive student. He is attentive and engaged in his classes, listens to his teachers and excels in his projects. This is his second year at CONNECT and he loves that he has opportunities to try new things that he could not do at home. Nick’s favorite class is art. His favorite project was working on the “gigantic” wall mural last year. His art teacher Mrs. Suzanne shared how great he is at artist trivia and is the first to know about artists from the 1980s. In his free time Nick play on a flag football team and likes to listen to rock music.

Xavier Buckley is CONNECT's Student of the week. He has been at Connect since it's conception and shines as one of our star students. He is kind, helpful, and excels in every class he partakes in. The classes he prefers most are engineering, model making and outdoor sports. His favorite project was using robotics in engineering. Xavier also enjoys the field trips. His favorite one was when he had the opportunity to travel to Albany last week to meet with Senator Skoufis.

Abigail Rivas is Connect's student of the week. She embodies everything we believe makes an exemplary student . This her first year in this school district and at the Connect program. Abigail's favorite part of Connect is art class. Her favorite projects were making paper mache bunnies and decorating soup cans. She also loves going on field trips and trying new activities