August/September Edition
8/30/2024
Ranger Families,
What a great start to the 2024-2025 school year! We appreciate all you are doing to start the year off strong, helping students get into positive routines, and communicating with our staff to ensure we are meeting every child’s needs. Our partnership throughout the school year will be the difference in what our youngest Rangers can achieve. Thank you for working alongside our team to create that from day one.
You may have noticed your students talking about tickets, Ranger Bucks, and PBIS Rewards Points. These are all part of our PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) incentives at Hamilton Elementary. Students can earn tickets throughout the day for exemplifying good choices that match our building expectations. Multiple days each week, we pull two tickets from each grade for a small reward and recognition of their positive choices.
In the lunchroom, students work together with their classmates to earn positive recognition as a class for following directions and making positive choices during lunch. These points are totalled at the end of each week, and the highest earning class in each grade level chooses a whole class reward.
Ranger Bucks and PBIS Rewards Points are individual recognitions students can earn for making expected and positive choices. These can be used later in the school year to purchase items or experiences. If your child tells you that they earned tickets, Ranger Bucks, or PBIS Rewards, celebrate their good choices with them!
In September, all students will participate in diagnostic testing to help us get a full picture of their academic skills. These are not graded assessments, but they do help us in creating student small groups, intervention plans, and provide our teachers with essential planning information.
We look forward to the days ahead and the opportunity to work with you and your child. We take very seriously the trust you place in us each and every day, and we are committed to having a successful and productive school year. Do not hesitate to contact us should you have any questions, suggestions, or concerns.
Thank you,
Mr. Rush and Mrs. Seiler
Anne Snyder-District and Elementary Teacher of the Year
Position: Cross Categorical Intervention Specialist
Years Working at HES: This is my 11th year teaching!
What is your favorite thing about working for HES? I love the people that I work with. It's easy to come to work everyday knowing you're surrounded by your friends!
What inspired you to become a teacher? My father was a teacher. He taught for 36 years for the Stark County Board of Developmental Disabilities before retiring. I remember when I was younger going to "Take your kid to work day" and I knew from then that wanted to become a special education teacher when I grew up.
How do you engage and motivate students in the classroom? I think building a fun and inviting classroom environment goes a long way. Also, finding out what motivates each student and really honing in on that.
What is a memorable teaching moment or achievement that you're particularly proud of? Getting the elementary and district teacher of the year award! I truly never expected it and and being recognized for the work that I do was a really great feeling.
Katie Hughes-Staff Member of the Year
Position: Educational Aide
Years Working at HES: I'm excited to be starting year 4!
What is your favorite thing about working for HES? Our mission statement -Every Ranger! Every Reason! Every day! For me this means Every Ranger is family, we love, support and care for each other. At HES we really are family!! Every Reason- For me this means whole child education, meeting each individual need no matter the need. Going beyond expectations and building lasting relationships with the students and staff. Building connections with students and encourage their futures. Every day-For me this means I am lucky to live in the district and see our students outside of school. Taking time to go to events or saying hi while grocery shopping.
What inspired you to work in this position? My love for children! There is nothing in this world as wonderful as seeing their smiling faces every morning when they walk in the doors, hearing their laughter fill the halls and witnessing their joy at assemblies.
How do you engage and motivate students in the classroom?It is all about building a relationship! Every student has different needs and will need different motivators. Knowing your students and being able to adapt is key. I like to think I engage by providing a safe loving environment for each student.
What is a memorable teaching moment or achievement that you're particularly proud of? My first year I worked with kindergarteners who had trouble with their letter sounds. Towards the end of the year one of my students came running up to me and read a note to me that he had written on his own saying "thank you for teaching me to read". I will never forget him for showing me my purpose in life!
Classroom Bracelets with Miss Kowalski
Fire Safety with Mrs.Maynard
Mrs. Maynard's kindergarten class learned all about fire safety. They watched a video, made hats, and practiced their first fire drill!
Music with Miss Matheny
We are so excited to be in a new music room this year and are already loving all of the space that we get to use for all of our songs and games! Here is Mrs. Geary's first grade class doing the dance, Syvspring (also called Seven Jumps), a folk dance from Denmark and they have to follow along without any verbal instructions from Miss Matheny by listening to the song and watching what she does.
We are beginning our wonderful adventure through the 2024-2025 school year! Throughout this journey, our children need to develop social skills to be successful in school and life! In our Counselor’s Corner newsletters, there are discussion topics and free resources to help your child(ren) learn more about basic social skills to help foster peer relationships. In this edition, we are focusing on communication skills.
PBIS Matrix
Over the next several week students will be learning about how to be a Ready Ranger in all areas of the school building using the three expectations defined in our PBIS Matrix: Responsible, Respectful, and Safe. Students can earn tickets as teachers spot them showing these positive behaviors for a chance to win a prize.
In our Successful Habits special we will be using The Leader in Me program. This program is based upon the Seven Habits of Happy Kids to teach 21st century leadership and life skills to students and creates a culture of student empowerment based on the idea that every child can be a leader. These habits help students learn and apply communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and character education skills.
Habit 1: Be Proactive (I’m Responsible for Me)
Habit 2: Begin With the End in Mind (Have a Plan)
Habit 3: Put First Things First (Work First, Then Play)
Habit 4: Think Win-Win (Everyone Can Win)
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood (Listen Before You Talk) Habit 6: Synergize (Together Is Better)
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw (Balance Feels Best)
Habit 8: Find Your Voice and Inspire Others to Find Theirs (Discover Your Talents)
Arrival and Dismissal Procedures
Hamilton Elementary is committed to the safety of our students and families. This is why we have clear, set procedures during our arrival and dismissal times each day. Please become familiar with our traffic patterns, drop areas, and expectations here.
Bark Alerts
Please sign up for Bark alerts if you have not done so already. This is how we monitor safe internet use. Click here for more information.
Interim Reports
Reports will be available September 19th online. Please login to Progress Book to view your child's interim grades.
Immunization Records
Please make sure we have an updated immunization record for your child. You may send a copy in your child's green folder or email to kbennett@hlsd.org
Kindness Comes in Every Language!
Every Ranger, Every Reason, Every Day!
EVERY RANGER. This phrase is meant to include everyone—every student, every staff member, every graduate and every community member. All of us working together.
EVERY REASON. The primary focus of every school system is the academic achievement of all students. Our staff and, by extension, our community take on the challenge of doing even more for our students. We educate the whole child. Whatever the need, whatever the issue, whatever the REASON we are going to work together and do the best we can for each other.
EVERY DAY. Thank you to our HLSD community for making our students a priority every day, and for always pitching in to help one another