Frank K. Hehnly Elementary School

Hehnly School is comprised of students in grades kindergarten through five. We currently have 541 students enrolled within four classes at each grade level with five classes at grade two. We have dedicated teachers and staff whose primary goal is to provide each student with a quality education within a safe and caring environment.  Our school motto, “Opening Minds, Touching Hearts, and Believing in Our Future” is rooted in the belief that students’ success is directly related to feelings of acceptance and positive self-esteem. 

There are programs in place to promote a bully-free, caring learning environment.  The Hehnly  H.E.R.0.s. Club has been instrumental over the last seventeen years in spreading an anti-bullying message.  The club meets twice monthly and student representatives from grades 3 – 5 share the anti-bully messages with their peers and buddies.  The “Making a Difference” Recognition Program recognizes students nominated for making a difference within or outside of the school community. The Buddy Class Program is a school-wide program that increases students’ opportunities to work together and make connections with other students in the community.  Third grade classes are “buddied” with first graders, fifth graders with second graders, and fourth graders with kindergarten students.  The best way to start the day is to make connections with your classmates and teachers.  At the start of each day classroom teachers facilitate classroom-based, community-building meetings called the “Morning Meeting,” during which SEL is emphasized. We instituted  the “I Got Caught” program last year to recognize individuals for acts or words of kindness. Staff nominate students for being Hehnly Heroes. The student council also serves an important role in promoting a caring community through their school-spirit themed days. The K-Kids Program, sponsored by the local Kiwanis, coordinates service projects to give back to the community. Another service-oriented program, Mentor Links, is comprised of fifth grade students. Mentors create a welcoming environment for our special needs population by building friendships and engaging in fun, social events.

Our caring school environment nurtures the inspiration for academic excellence. It complements our strong academic program that is based on the New Jersey State Standards, rich in language arts literacy experiences, math, and content-area curriculums, designed with the end in mind.  Visit our district website to access curriculum guides. Through a comprehensive language arts program, our students participate in guided reading and interactive reading experiences, within a technology-integrated program.  Using the Orton-Gillingham methodology, K – 2 students’ reading foundational skills are taught and practiced daily. Writing, grammar, and spelling literacy skills are developed within the Reading Wonders language arts program, as well as science and social studies non-fictional texts, in a literature-based anthology.  Kindergarten through fifth grade students’ math instruction is implemented with the EveryDay Math Program’s spiraling approach.  Pull-out and push-in support and enrichment programs are available that provide differentiated learning experiences.  An academic-based enrichment program for selected third, fourth, and fifth graders and grade level S.T.E.A.M. enrichment programs for students in grades K-5 enrich our regular education program.  We offer a variety of other special academic programs as well, such as guidance, speech, ESL, and SEL, using the Caring School Community Program, along with monthly lessons for grades 3 – 5 students on making appropriate social decisions.  Art, music, and physical education lessons provide students with opportunities to appreciate the cultural arts, good health, and good sportsmanship.  Frank K. Hehnly School is not only opening students’ minds for academic excellence, as evidenced by the variety of learning experiences available to our students, but it is also preparing them to believe in themselves as lifelong learners and active, informed citizens, as our future.

No school community is complete without the support of an active parent community.  Hehnly School is so fortunate in this regard!  The PTA sponsors cultural arts programs, family events, and student activities to further promote our goals and to bridge the home to school connection.  It is one that makes a positive impact on the school community. 

Thank you for visiting our site. Please contact me at 732-381-8100 or sbergin@clarkschools.org to learn more about Hehnly School.  Shirley J. Bergin, Principal