Hillcrest Hawk Happenings
The official newsletter of Hillcrest Elementary Staff
Supporting, empowering, & championing every single student, every single day, in every single way.
March 22, 2020
MUST READS:
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED COLLABORATION!!!
It's been awe-inspiring to witness how, during this difficult time, so many of you have come together to work together more frequently and in better ways than you ever have before. I think that during challenges like this, we come to understand and treasure the people in our lives, and we can put aside our own egos and focus on what's best for kids. We've seen exemplary practice as special education and ENL teachers have supported whole class lessons to make those lessons more accessible to ALL students, really leveling the playing field for all students, rather than making a virtual "self-contained table in the back of the room" where students who are designated ELLs or have IEPs get their instruction. Making our main lessons more accessible helps everyone, and then there is less differentiation needed after the fact.
Trimester 2 Math Assessment/Mock Math Test MONDAY MARCH 9
Revision: HERE are the proctor directions for the Math Assessment.
THINKING ABOUT REMOTE LEARNING
TO-DO: APRIL/MAY Family Newsletter
LITERACY HAPPENINGS
F&P Assessment Period
Timeline- F&P's will end on 3/18. Please make sure that ALL F&P data is in Infinite Campus in the F&P tab and on our Master Data Sheet in Google by 3/18. Christine McCourt suggests that everyone review pages 22-23 of the Assessment Guide prior to beginning your assessing.
Also, she suggests everyone have these rubric pages from the 3rd edition of the Assessment Kit next to you while you assess: Levels A-K and Levels L-Z.
CHRISTINE McCOURT MILTON to begin WRITING WORK on WEDNESDAY
Christine will be here on Wednesday. Please watch for a complete schedule coming soon.
COUNTDOWN TO THE ELA
11 instructional days until the ELA; what are you doing to make sure each and every day matters? This number includes the mock assessment dates, and the days you will be administering AIMSWEB+, so it will feel like even fewer. Who are the students, and which are the skills, that you will be focusing on in these short days?
MATH HAPPENINGS
STUDENTS ACCESSING ST MATH FROM HOME
Please make sure that students are aware how they can access ST Math from home. Here are directions, and we will send home the instructions in our Thursday folders.
LEGO MATH
Should we buy legos for all Math Classrooms? Check this out, and let your Math Leaders know if we should buy legos for all math classrooms.
COUNTDOWN TO THE NYS MATH ASSESSMENT
18 instructional days until the Math Assessment; what are you doing to make sure each and every day matters? This number includes the mock assessment dates, the two days of the ELA, days we will be doing F&Ps....so it will feel like even fewer. Who are the students, and which are the skills, that you will be focusing on in these short days?
MOCK MATH/TRIMESTER ASSESSMENT
We will be administering the 2nd Trimester/Mock Math Assessment on March 9. We will be simulating testing conditions with all modifications.
If you are having any issues with Zearn, ST Math, or Problem Attic, please let us know.
- Whenever possible, please have students log on to Zearn through Clever, as that is how we can see data on their progress/challenges/setbacks, and how much we are using it.
PBIS HAPPENINGS
The SEL theme for the month of March is COURAGE AND PERSEVERANCE. Please look for opportunities to connect classroom learning to the district's monthly theme, and teach our students the value of being brave and sticking with things, especially when it is challenging.
INDIVIDUAL REWARDS: HILLCREST DOLLARS
Thank you for showing the explantory video about our new HAWKS Dollars Initiative, and thank you for incorporating them in to your systems!
THIS WEEK:
- Try to hand them out to students NOT in your class (hallways, cafeteria, etc.) which will show students that theyare accounytable to all adults in th e building.
- Try to reward SAFETY and KINDNESS and WISE thinking in the hallways at arrival, throughout the day, and at dismissal.
Please be sure to:
- Hand them out liberally during the initial rollout.
- NAME THE BEHAVIOR you are commending and CONNECT IT to the HAWKS acronym. (Circle the letter on the HAWKS BUCK or have the student circle it)
- Have students write their names on the back.
- Listen for the announcement for the first Friday Redemption Day.
Here is a link to the slides from the faculty meeting with additional details.
CAN READS: (reminders, last chances, frivolities, etc.)
REMINDER: APRIL PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES
REMINDER: SPECIALS HAPPENINGS
To submit something for this section of the Hawk Happenings in the future, submit it by clicking HERE and it will appear in the next Hawk Happenings.
WHO'S THAT?!?!?!
Last week's picture was of LAUREN BATISTE -- and it was correctly guessed first by Shannon Connor! Julia Levy originally made a different guess and changed it to Lauren, and Gladys Fajardo also correctly guessed Lauren's identity.
For this week, I have no photo. Stay tuned for next week!