Talk of the Hawks

May 6th - PSSA Make-up week

May 6th @ 7:00 pm -PTO meeting at WHP

May 8th - WHI Art Show/Guest author starting at 5:30 pm

May 9th - 6th grade field trip

May 14th - 5th grade field trip

May 17th - 4th grade field trip, 5th grade trout release, 6th grade field day

May 20th - 4th and 5th grade field day

May 21st - 6th grade promotion ceremony

May 23rd - Last day of school (3 hour early dismissal)

• Attention 6th Grade Parents: All 6th grade students are required to have the following completed. Please submit documentation to the School Nurse.
• A physical exam
• Tdap and Meningococcal vaccinations

• Attention 5th Grade Parents: It is not too early to start sending in required physical and immunization reports for the next school year.

Hello West Hills!

Happy May to all of you! You finally made it to the end of the school year! You all should be proud of your hard work and effort throughout the 2023-24 school year. Summer vacation is almost here. We all here at West Hills wish you the best summer yet! Take some time to spend with your friends and family enjoying life.

Take some time to talk and to listen. Talk with your parents, grandparents, and anyone close to you that you feel comfortable with. Others can teach us so much and we can learn so much just by listening. Some of my greatest memories are just sitting down and talking with a loved one.

Stay organized. We will be at home a lot more. This will mean more time to make a mess of things. Keep your room cleaned, your clothes washed and in your dresser drawers. Keep your belongings where they are supposed to be. It takes very little time to clean up each day than if we leave everything laying on the floor. It is good practice as you get older to teach yourself to stay clean and organized. Organization skills will always come in handy. Don’t make your parents do everything for you!

Read books. I am sure that our Title 1 teachers in the newsletter will be giving you many options and advice on reading over the summer. I personally still enjoy a hard copy book in my hands, but you may choose any way that you like as long as you are continuing to read. You will be amazed by how much you will learn just by reading a little bit each day.

Get out and play. Staying active is not only healthy for our bodies but our minds as well. Limit video game and TV time. Interacting with others on a regular basis is a great way to relieve stress. Get some exercise and enjoy a few laughs. Play fair and be respectful of yourself and others. Whatever you are doing this summer, please take appropriate precautions to make sure what you are doing is safe.

To our 6th graders moving on to Armstrong Junior High School. This is the most difficult newsletter for me to write each year. It has been an absolute pleasure to spend the last seven years with you. I hope that the knowledge that you leave here with serves you well in your future. I am not just speaking of academic knowledge, but your knowledge of life and yourself as you grow into young adults. I am certain that it will! It is amazing how much you all have taught me. I’ve learned so much. Not only about each of you, but about myself because of you. I honestly remember each of your faces as you walked in 7 years ago for your first day of kindergarten. Think about how much of your life you have been through since then. It truly seems like just yesterday. You are a great class and you will do wonderful things in life. You all can and will be whatever it is that you want to be. As people and as students. Continue to work on making yourselves the best you that you can be. No matter how old you are, or your current grade level, Mr. Walters will always be here for you. Good Luck and enjoy the next chapter of your life, but never forget your time and your experiences here on our West Hills campus.

Thank you all again for a great year! Have a great, happy, and safe summer! We will see most of you in a few short months!

Remember to ALWAYS CHOOSE KINDESS

Mr. Walters

Meetings: PTO meetings are normally held the first Monday of each month at 7:00 pm at West Hills Primary. May's meeting will be held on Monday May 6, 2024.

Our final concert of the year will be on May 16th at 7:00p.m. in the Armstrong High School Auditorium. Jazz Bands from Lenape, West Hills and Armstrong High School will perform. Jazz Band members should report to the band room area between 6:20-6:30. We will wear our normal concert clothes like we did for the Spring Concert. All family and friends are welcome!

See you there!

Mr. C

Thank you all for a wonderful year of singing! The 5th and 6th grade choir had a wonderful spring performance at the high school on April 18th and then again at West Hills Intermediate Friday morning. We also had an incredible performance at the Altoona Curve game on Sunday April 28th! What a beautiful day it was for a baseball game! We are so proud of all of your hard work this past year in choir. Thank you for your continued commitment to make our choir sound amazing! Best of luck to our 6th grade students in the junior high choir next year! 5th graders: We can't wait to make awesome music with you again next year! Have a wonderful summer! #RIVERHAWKPRIDE #WHIPROUD

Fifth grade is excited for two field trips in May!

On Tuesday, May 14th, we will be going to Zone 28.

• Zone 28 will be loading $5.00 on a Game Zone card for each student. Students are permitted to bring additional money to add to their card to play games in the arcade. Please do not send any more than $20.00 to school with your child for the field trip.
• Wear appropriate and comfortable clothing and shoes. Students must be wearing socks or they will not be allowed to bowl.
• Zone 28 will be giving each student pizza and a drink. When we return to school, we will be eating lunch. If your child did not order lunch from the school cafeteria, please pack a lunch that day.
  
• Students are not permitted to take any form of electronics with them on the field trip.

On Friday, May 17th, we will be going to Buffalo Valley Sportsmen's Club for the fish release.

• Students are encouraged to wear or bring boots or waterproof shoes.
• Please send in an extra change of clothing as a precaution.
• Check out Mr. Walter's fish updates on the WHI Facebook page!

As we finish out this school year, it is time to think about how important it will be for you to read with your child this summer.

On average, children loose about 20-25% of what they learned about reading during the school year. Younger children tend to lose more knowledge because what they know is not as “solid”. They haven’t been practicing their reading skills for as long as upper elementary children. Basic reading skills and strategies aren’t hard to maintain over the summer or during any time away from school when children continue to read.

Here are six simple summer reading reminders:

1. Access e books through the library as often as you want. This is a free service but there are some limits to how many books you can check out at any one time. Since it doesn’t involve a trip to the library, you can rotate books often.

2. As soon as the library reopens, get your child to the children’s section of the library and let them choose books to read. Choose is an important word! It doesn’t matter if your child is reading easy picture books or books you wouldn’t pick for them. Reading doesn’t always mean reading books either. Children can check out magazines too. What matters is that your child reads! Your child can chat with the librarian virtually or in person for some ideas of fun things to read. Keep in mind that using e books doesn’t need to stop when the library opens.

3. Children need to see their parents reading, so get some books or magazines for yourself too. Especially younger children want to do things that grown-ups do. Lead by example!

4. Talk with your child about what you are reading… “Did you know that Disney is having another sing along on Saturday? I read that today in my news-feed. We need to be sure and join in. What did you read about today?”

5. Take a short bit of time each day to read aloud to your child. Read things to your child that he is interested in but may not be able to read easily himself. There is great information on the back of the cereal box! Make comments as you read, modeling what you are thinking. Simple comments like “WOW, I didn’t know that falcons can fly faster than cheetahs can run” spark further interest in new topics.

6. Listening to your child read is important too. Read aloud books should be easy but occasionally there will be a word your child doesn’t know. Here are some quick things to say or do when your child comes to an unknown word:

Wait! Give your child 5 or 10 seconds to think about the word on his own. Your child needs to know you won’t just tell them an unknown word every time, that you have confidence he has some ways to figure it out.

Ask “What do you think the word could be?” if you get the age-old shoulder shrug then say, “What would make sense and sound right to you there?” Or, “Maybe rereading will help.”

Or ask, “What word would make sense and start with those letters?” Then say, “See if that works.” Notice that saying, “Sound it out.” is not on the suggestion list. There are many words that can’t be sounded out and as a parent you don’t really know the phonics skills that have been taught at school. Avoid that comment unless you are sure the child knows the phonics skill to apply.

If a word is particularly difficult, just tell the word so that your child doesn’t lose track of what the reading is about. After all, the reason we read is to make sense of the story.

Last, praise for a good try is always important. Start with the language “I like the way you (put in whatever the child tried to do).” This will encourage the independence you are looking for in your child as a reader!

Happy Reading!

The West Hills Intermediate Title I Team

Email: bpetras@asd.k12.pa.us
Website: https://wis.asd.k12.pa.us/
Location: 175 Heritage Park Drive, Kittanning, PA, USA
Phone: (724) 543-1121
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/West-Hills-Intermediate-111184674071872