January 2023 Hawk Talk

Hello Maple Hill Hawk Families! Welcome to our January Hawk Talk. The staff and I are excited to welcome students back this Wednesday, January 4th. We hope you all had a wonderful winter break and were able to make some beautiful memories together as a family.

Just a reminder that routines are crucial for children. A solid evening routine can help your child succeed in school. Establishing regular dinner times, homework schedules, and shower routines allows your child's body to signal it is time to wind down and get ready to end the day. Along with a solid routine, it is beneficial to turn off all electronics at least 30 minutes before bedtime. This will allow your child's brain time to calm down before you put them to bed. They can read or color quietly with soft music during this time. This will help your child to fall asleep faster. Children ages 6-12 need an average of 9-12 hours of sleep. See the link below for more information on this topic from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Lastly, as a reminder, we open our gates at 7:45 am to allow students time to see friends and play before school begins. This is a great way to avoid traffic and give your child time to get out some energy before they start their school day. Gates close at 8:10 am. All students arriving after 8:10 am must enter the school through the front office and receive a tardy slip.

I am looking forward to a great start to the year 2023. Students will make new year's resolutions and learn about kindness this month. I hope some of these good habits spread to your homes as well!

With Love,

Mrs. McNeil

Principal

January 4- School resumes

January 4- MHCC Meeting (see below)

January 5- Early out day- TK/K dismissed at 11:30 am and 1st -5th dismissed at 12:40 pm

January 11- ELAC Meeting (see below)

January 11- SSC Meeting (see below)

January 12- Early out day- TK/K dismissed at 11:30 am and 1st -5th dismissed at 12:40 pm

January 16- NO SCHOOL- Martin Luther King Jr. Day

January 19- Early out day- TK/K dismissed at 11:30 am and 1st -5th dismissed at 12:40 pm

January 23- Fire Drill

January 26- Early out day- TK/K dismissed at 11:30 am and 1st -5th dismissed at 12:40 pm

January 30- Lockdown Drill

January 31- TK/K Minimum day ONLY- dismissed at 11:30 am

MHCC Meeting

Wednesday, January 4, 2023

From 8:10 am -9:15 am

In the Multipurpose Room at Maple Hill

Schedule

8:10 am - 8:25 am - Light breakfast and get to know other parents

8:25 am - 9:15 am - Hear from our MHCC Executive board, the principal, Mrs. McNeil, and the teacher representative, Theresa Rovira

SAVE THE DATE: Family Skate Night- February 16th. More information will be shared at the meeting.

During our last ELAC meeting, we discussed having our future meetings in person or online. We then sent out the Needs Assessment and based on the Needs Assessment, we had 43% say they preferred virtual, 25% said in-person, and 32% had no preference. Therefore this meeting will be held virtually to accommodate more families. We will have Mandarin and Korean translators available for families during the meeting. Below is the information for the upcoming meeting.

Next ELAC Meeting - Wednesday, January 11, 2023, at 8:30 am

We will be discussing the following topics and giving parents tips on how they can support their children:

• Reclassification Process- what do students need to do to exit the English Learner Program
• ELPAC Testing- The ELPAC test, resources, and timelines will be shared.

Virtual Meeting link: https://meet.google.com/ymg-rgzx-exb

Our School Site Council (SSC) meeting is open to all parents. The SSC reviews and develops the School Plan for Student Achievement and the comprehensive school safety plan. Please join us to meet other parents and guardians and learn more about Maple Hill. Maple Hill's third SSC meeting will be on:

Wednesday, January 11th, 2023

Location: Maple Hill

Time: 3:00 pm - 3:45 pm

During this meeting, we will be gathering input and sharing information on the following things:

• Comprehensive School Safety Plan
  

Our SEL Enrichment lessons this month will be on Kindness. We will learn about caring for others and ourselves, ways to show kindness, and the language used. Lessons will include engaging activities and thoughtful discussions, such as the power of words and completing a kindness calendar challenge. I hope your child will understand how to be kind to others and how one kind act can change someone’s entire day. I would love you to talk to your child about kindness at home.

Family Book Guide:

Reading books about kindness is a great way to have discussions with your child about identifying ways we can be kind to others and why being kind would make them and someone else feel good. It is also great to point out how people feel when others are kind to them.

Here are some literature suggestions:

TK/K: Be Kind: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjYOPNthEMQ

1st-3rd: The Invisible Boy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDMFX1__K2U

4th-5th: I Walk With Vanessa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MA9U_11iF4c

Book Discussion Ideas:

• Each act, big or small, can make a difference. What does it mean to be kind?

• How does feeling left out and alone affect a person's sense of belonging?

• Explore ways to stand up to bullying and inspire others to do the same.

• What do kind people say (and not say?)

• 
  

Family Kindness Activity Ideas:

Kindness is a type of behavior marked by acts of generosity, consideration, helping someone in need, or concern for others, without expecting praise or reward in return. Here are some activities you can do as a family that shows and promote kindness to ourselves and the community. Each activity can be modified to suit your personal needs:

• Kindness mail: Create a card for someone you know. Write inside why they are important to you or draw a picture that would put a smile on their face. Mail it to them as a surprise!

• Volunteer at the animal shelter, food bank, or elderly home or donate time/items to charitable organizations.

• Create a family kindness chain. Write down acts of kindness on paper strips and link them to create a chain. Each day, take one off and complete that random act of kindness.

Email: kmcneil@wvusd.org
Website: www.maplehillschool.org
Location: 1350 Maple Hill Road, Diamond Bar, CA, USA
Phone: 909-861-6224