May 2023 Hawk Talk

Hello Maple Hill Families,

I can't believe it! We have made it to the last month of the school year. This year has flown by! It has been wonderful watching your children grow and learn this year. During this last month of the school year, your child will have a chance to have a lot of fun and reflect on their learning. Look for information about end-of-the-year activities from your child's teacher.

On another note, we used the money we raised from selling Valentine Grams to purchase new items for our SEL Room, including puzzles, chess boards, kinetic sand, new games, and more. See the pictures below of all the awesome things we were able to get. Each class will be able to visit the SEL room again this year and interact and play with these new items. We hope this new space becomes a well-loved area for all students to access and use.

Lastly, we will be celebrating Staff Appreciation Week May 8th - 12th. During this week, you should share your appreciation for any staff member on campus. Below are suggestions for making a staff member feel special that week.

I hope you all enjoy this last month of school. Let's finish off the school year strong and on a positive note.

With Love,

Mrs. McNeil

Principal at Maple Hill

New SEL Room Items

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Important Dates in the Month of May

Last Week of State Testing May 1st-5th (see below)

May 3 - MHCC Virtual Meeting (see below)

May 4 - Early out day - TK/K dismissed at 11:30 am and 1st-5th dismissed at 12:40 pm

May 5 - Outdoor Movie Night (see below)

May 8-12 - Staff Appreciation Week (see below)

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

May 12 - 5th Grade Spring Music Concert

May 12 - 2nd Grade Performance and Carnival for parents

May 16 - 4th Grade Field Trip

May 18 - 5th Grade Field Trip

May 18 - Early out day - TK/K dismissed at 11:30 am and 1st-5th dismissed at 12:40 pm

May 23 - Kindergarten Carnival

May 23 - 5th Grade Play

May 24 - 5th Grade Promotion and Awards Ceremony

May 25 - Staff vs 5th Grade Kickball Game

May 25 - 5th Grade Goodbye Parade

May 25 - Last Day of School Minimum Day - ALL grade levels get out at 11:35 am

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Maple Hill Community Club VIRTUAL Meeting

Please join the principal and the Maple Hill Community Club Exec Board to learn about the wonderful things we do to make school fun and give back to our students. We will be sharing details about our Spring Movie Night and more opportunities to get involved in this amazing organization. We need more parents to come and be a part of our Community Club, and that starts with you joining our meetings. We would LOVE to have you all come.

MHCC Meeting

Wednesday, May 3 · 8:30 am – 9:30 am

Video call link: https://meet.google.com/rjm-itov-rbw

State Testing Schedule

May Hawk Character Trait: Diversity

This month's SEL enrichment lesson will focus on diversity and how beautiful it is that everyone is unique. The most important thing you can do to raise socially tolerant and kind individuals is to model the behavior and actions you would like to see from your children. Monitor language and conversations, and openly discuss issues respectfully and in a way that validates other people’s cultural identities. Some families in America have been in the States for many generations and are far removed from their ancestors in their countries of origin. Many families represent a mixture of different ethnicities and backgrounds. Celebrate your family’s ancestors and the current traditions in place by teaching your child about their background. The first place to start is to teach your child about his or her culture, identity, and traditions and explore ways in which your family is different from others. Then, branch out and discuss how your culture differs from others in your community or country, and model the concept of respecting others even if their culture is different.

Here are some literature suggestions for your family to read and discuss:

I Am Enough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_l4jeZH84k

Eyes That Kiss In The Corner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPj7PyIBgqU

Last Stop On Market Street: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zk6CWvW_5-s

The Proudest Blue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zk6CWvW_5-s

Same Same, But Different: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qdcn39f_NOA

Family Activity Ideas:

Eat at an ethnic restaurant & try different foods popular in different cultures. Discover why some foods are eaten regularly while some are eaten intermittently or even on special occasions.
Together, as a family, check out https://www.penpalworld.com/. You can connect with people your age from around the world & learn about their culture, and teach them about yours!
Listen to music from all over the world & have a dance party!
Make a homemade passport. As you research and learn about different countries, you can draw pictures and write about what you’ve learned. There are 195 different countries around the world! You can learn about cultural awareness, traditions, and how their culture is similar and different from yours.