From Hamilton To Home

The end of the 3rd quarter was March 21st, and we have officially started the final quarter of the school year. Report cards will be sent home via School Messenger on Friday, April 5th. Students are continuing to grow the skills needed to transition to the next grade level. Please make sure you are checking PowerSchool to stay current on grades and academics. Continue to talk with your child about what they are working on in school and work with them on any areas that they made need help with. If you are unsure of how to help, please reach out to your child's teacher for strategies and activities that will help your child grow.

If your student participated in the popcorn fundraiser, order pickup will be on Wednesday, March 10th from 3:30-4:30 P.M. the main entrance. If you are unable to pick up your order during that time frame, please call the main office at 440-284-8007 to arrange pickup.

This month's newsletter contains information on attendance, parent request for assistance, Ohio State testing schedule, Counselor Corner, Notes from the Nurse, Solar Eclipse Safety Sheet, April Happenings, Hamilton Marco's Pizza Day information and building reminders.

Please follow us if you are not already: Elyria's Hamilton Elementary:

https://www.facebook.com/ElyriaHamiltonElementary

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to the main office at 440-284-8007 and choose option 0.

Thank you,

Mr. Melvin

Regular attendance is crucial for learning and building on academic, behavioral and social emotional skills. It is important for your child to attend school each day. Some things you as parents can do at home to promote school attendance is:

• Set a regular bedtime and morning routine
• Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
• Keep your child healthy and make sure your child has the required shots.
• Introduce your children to their teachers and classmates before school starts.
• Develop backup plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, a neighbor or another parent.
• Try to schedule non-urgent related medical appointments and extended trips when school isn’t in session.
• If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to teachers, school counselors and other parents for advice on how to make your child feel comfortable and excited about learning.
• If your child must stay home due to illness, ask the teacher for resources and ideas to continue learning at home.

Parents/Guardians,

Please use the button below to request behavior assistance if you feel your child may need support to increase positive behaviors during their time here each day at Hamilton Elementary. This request will help us to provide interventions with your student's teacher as needed. There is no need to fill this form out if your child is already receiving supports, those will continue as usual.

Reading:

• Tuesday, April 16th: 3rd Grade Reading Part 1
• Wednesday, April 17th: 4th Grade Reading Part 1
• Thursday, April 18th: 3rd Grade Reading Part 2
• Friday, April 19th: 4th Grade Reading Part 2

Math:

• Tuesday, April 30th: 3rd Grade Math Part 1
• Wednesday, May 1st: 4th Grade Math Part 1
• Thursday, May 2nd: 3rd Grade Math Part 2
• Friday, May 3rd: 4th Grade Math Part 2

Check out the below link for resources for parents and students prior to testing: Parent Resource Toolkit

Testing Tips For Parents

• Encourage Your Child
• Remain Positive
• Communicate With Teachers
• Make Sure Your Child Eats Breakfast In The Morning
• Take Practice Tests
• Get Healthy Sleep
• Adopt Positive Thoughts
• Know The Testing Dates
• Make Sure Your Child Is At School On Time
• Use Relaxation Techniques

In our Second Step lessons during the month of March, we completed our Problem Solving unit. We learned the importance of naming the problem so that we can get help, thinking of both solutions and their outcomes, and then using that information to pick a good solution with a calm mind. In our lessons, we also talked about the importance of taking time to calm down before picking a solution with counting to ten, taking a deep breath, or walking away so that we do not make a choice that could hurt someone, whether that is with our words or actions.

April begins our Child Protection unit through Second Step where your students will be presented a series of lessons regarding Personal Safety, Touching Safety, and Assertiveness. During our lessons, students will be presented with developmentally appropriate songs, videos, and examples through our Second Step curriculum to guide our conversations.

Below you will find a link for the Committee for Children to help guide any conversations that you would like to continue at home with your student along with a preview of the Never-Never Rules and Ways to Stay Safe. This is the same organization that is connected with our Second Step curriculum. You can also go online to SecondStep.org and log in with the activation key for your student’s grade below:

Kindergarten: CPUK FAMI LYGK

1st Grade: CPU1 FAMI LYG1

2nd Grade: CPU2 FAMI LYG2

3rd Grade: CPU3 FAMI LYG3

4th Grade: CPU4 FAMI LYG4

Please see link detailing Connecting for Kids April & May programs. You can also access it by using this link: https://www.connectingforkids.org/MonthlyFliers/

April is recognized as National Stress Awareness Month to bring attention to the negative impact of stress. Managing stress is essential for a healthy lifestyle. Knowing how to manage stress can improve mental and physical well-being as well as minimize exacerbation of health-related issues.

The Mental Health American (MHA) provides some tips on how to reduce your stress by utilizing a Stress Screener. Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website and familiarize yourself with strategies for stress management.

It is important to recognize and counter signs of stress. Your body sends signals when it is stressed. These include difficulty concentrating, headaches, tight muscles, nervous stomach, clenching teeth, feeling on edge, fidgety, irritable or withdrawn. Deep breathing, stretching, going for a walk, journaling, and taking quiet time can help you relax and reduce tension.

Make taking care of yourself a daily routine. This might require saying “no” to invites or other responsibilities. Work in time to exercise, eat healthy foods, enjoy relaxing activities, and sleep. Take time to do something that you enjoy, such as reading a book or listening to music, which can be a way to shift your attention and focus on the positive rather than the negative. Seek help with problems. Talk to a health professional if stress is affecting your well-being, you feel you cannot manage the stress you’re experiencing, or stress has caused you to engage in or increase substance use. If you have suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Lifeline chat is a service available to everyone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you need help locating a mental health provider, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) offers a site that can assist you at https://findtreatment.samhsa.gov. People who have experienced traumatic stress (directly or indirectly experiencing life-threatening and dangerous events) should find a treatment provider who practices trauma informed care — see https://go.usa.gov/xvydm for details.

3rd:

• Paraprofessional Appreciation Day
• Hamilton PTO Meeting 3:30 P.M.

5th:

• 3rd Quarter Report Cards Go Home via School Messenger

8th:

• Conference Make-Up Day-No School For Students

10th:

• Popcorn Fundraiser Order Pick Up 3:30-4:30 P.M.

11th:

• Pre-K Field Trip
• Hamilton Marco's Pizza Day

16th:

• 3rd Grade Ohio State English Language Arts Test Part 1

17th:

• 4th Grade Ohio State English Language Arts Test Part 1
  

18th:

• 3rd Grade Ohio State English Language Arts Test Part 2
  

19th:

• 4th Grade Ohio State English Language Arts Test Part 2

22nd:

• Kindergarten 3rd Quarter Awards Ceremony 9:30 A.M.

23rd:

• Bus Driver Appreciation Day
• 1st Grade 3rd Quarter Awards Ceremony 9:30 A.M.
  

24th:

• Administrative Professionals Appreciation Day
• 2nd Grade 3rd Quarter Awards Ceremony 9:30 A.M.

25th:

• 4th Grade 3rd Quarter Awards Ceremony 9:30 A.M.

26th:

• 3rd Grade 3rd Quarter Awards Ceremony 9:30 A.M.

30th:

• 3rd Grade Ohio State Math Test Part 1
  
• PBIS Ice Cream Sundae Bar Incentive

Our next Marco's Pizza Day is on Thursday, April 11th. Congratulations to Mrs. Huffman's class for winning the March pizza party!!!

With your help and appetite, we can raise funds for our school by sponsoring a competition to win a FREE PIZZA PARTY for your classroom. Order a Marco’s pizza from ANY of the Elyria Marco's Pizzas and make sure to tell the person taking the order your teacher’s name or if you are ordering online, be sure to click "Fundraisers" under the menu. Look for Hamilton Elementary, then click "Add Button" to the right of Hamilton's name. Checkmark the box with your child's teacher(s) name, then click "Done". Check your cart and you should see Hamilton Elementary and your child's teacher's name(s).

The classroom that gets the most orders on that day will win a FREE pizza party. Marco’s will also donate a portion of the sales generated by the school back to the school. Unable to purchase a pizza on April 11th? That is ok!!!! You can still help us out by sharing our Facebook post!!

BE RESPECTFUL

BE RESPONSIBLE

BE READY TO LEARN

School hours are 9:10 A.M.-3:10 P.M.

Doors do not open until 8:55- please do not drop off early or allow students to walk early.

If you are dropping off, please hold your child in the car with you until 8:55am.

Please call the office to report your child(ren)’s absence at 284-8007 before 9:30AM. Our phone has 24-hour voicemail so that you may call and leave a message anytime. Please leave a voicemail if no one answers the phone in the office; voicemails are frequently checked and the office will receive your message.

Please make sure you always have a photo ID with you, when you come to the school, this is for the safety of our students.

The Main Office of any school building is a hub of activity. Students and staff are always on the go, in and out of the space throughout the school day.

It’s an active place for regular check-ins and meetings with students, as well as staff conferences and daily interactions with school principals and counselors. The Main Office is also a confidential space at times for conversations and interactions between school personnel and students.

Parents and caregivers are part of the equation, too. For any number of reasons, parents may be asked to come to their child’s school during the day. When that happens, parents should follow the district’s visitor procedures by using the school’s main entrance buzzer and intercom system to gain entrance to the school, and then signing in at the front desk.

If parents/caregivers do not have a meeting at the school but still need to come to the school during the day to see their child or to speak to a staff member, call-ahead notice or an appointment is required.

This ensures parents will be seen in a timely manner and upholds the safety practices of the school. To contact the Main Office, please call 440-284-8007 and choose option 0.

At Hamilton, we believe in teaching students to be confident young people. Every morning, we start the day by reciting the Hamilton Affirmation which states:

I am SOMEBODY

I and CAPABLE and LOVEABLE

I am TEACHABLE

Therefore, I can LEARN

I will not waste TIME

Because, it is too VALUABLE

And I am too PRECIOUS and BRIGHT

I am SOMEBODY

Please practice the affirmation with your child and review what it means. I am also looking for students who can proudly recite the affirmation during the morning announcements.

• Learners thrive when school is engaging and personally meaningful
• All Pioneers have a voice in decisions that affect them
• Excellence is achieved through vision, commitment and moral leadership

Email: melvinjoel@elyriaschools.org
Website: https://hamilton.elyriaschools.org/home
Location: 1215 Middle Ave, Elyria, OH, USA
Phone: 440-284-8007
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElyriaHamiltonElementary