Hemlock/ACE Family Newsletter

Dear Families,

October was full of fun! Our students paraded proudly at our Halloween parade, families and students turned out in droves to enjoy the Harvest Festival, our students learned how to become Eco Warriors at a school assembly, and we had a great time at our October Fun Fest. (Check out photos of the fun below.)

November brings a change in the weather along with an opportunity to reflect on all that is good in our lives. Did you know that focusing on gratitude has been proven to improve relationships, mental health, and physical health? So consider joining our gratitude challenge: Try to express gratitude to at least one person each day; or challenge yourself to write down one thing you're grateful for every day during the month of November.

I'm grateful for the support and positivity of our staff and families as we work together to shape the culture of our school. I'm grateful to our students for all the moments of care and empathy among them that I get to witness each day. I'm grateful to all of you for sharing your wonderful children with us and I'm grateful to have this opportunity to contribute to our community as your Principal!

Our Assistant Principal, Ms. Ariza, is now full time with us instead of half time, at least through the end of December!

If you cross paths with any of our district leadership, please be sure to thank them for supporting our school!

Our staff and students have made "I Messages" the first step we try when there is a conflict. An I Message is a way of standing up for oneself while still treating others with respect. (For littles, we omit the "because" part of the message.)

Here are some examples of I Messages:

• I felt scared when you kicked me because it hurt. Can you please [use a gentle body; keep your body to yourself, etc.]?
• I felt angry when you grabbed the crayon because I wasn't done using it. Can you please [ask for it next time; take turns; go get some crayons of your own]?
• I felt sad when you told me I can't play with _____ because you are both my friends. Can you please [support my friendship with ___; be polite to ____ even if you don't like them; remember my feelings]?
• I felt sad when you called me a name because it isn't true. Can you please [call me by my name; use kind words; choose to say nothing]?

Students respond to an I Message by stating what they heard the other say, asking, "Is that right?" and stating whether they can commit to the action that was requested. Often the other student has an I Message to give too, because there was more that happened before.

I Messages solve most problems among young children. Older children's conflicts are more complex, but an I Message is still a good way to start the conflict resolution process. I Messages work for adults too; try it yourself!

Ms. Enriquez's class had to cancel their field trip to the pumpkin patch...

so Ms. Enriquez brought the pumpkin patch to the kids.

Ms. Duer's class dissected owl pellets.

Speaking of gratitude...

A HUGE thank you to parent Megan Power and Mr. Shirar for updating our staff lounge. Now it's worthy of our fantastically dedicated staff!

Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school -- and themselves. Start building this habit in preschool so they learn that going to school on time, every day, is important.

Good attendance will help students do well in school, college, and at work.

Strive to make sure that your student has less than 5 days absent this year.

1. A parent or guardian may phone the school to report an absence or send a note with the student when they return to school. Within 72 hours of returning to school the absence must be cleared. If there is no phone call or note returned, the student will be marked truant. Our office follows up with monthly attendance letters informing parents of truancy.

2. Notes need to have the following information

• Name of student

• Date(s) of absence

• Reason for absence

• Signature of Parent or Guardian

3. The student should ask the teacher for make-up assignments. Assignments not made up may be reflected in the student’s grades.

EXCUSED ABSENCES:

• Student illness

• Medical appointment

• Dental appointment

• Judicial appointment

• Funeral

Ms. Yanin Avila, Attendance Clerk

(707) 453-6245, yanina@vacavilleusd.org

If you know ahead of time that your student must miss school, you can get an Independent Study packet so your child doesn't fall behind, even if your student will only miss one day! Independent Study packets are available through Ms. Yanin in the front office.

Students who had 100% attendance in October (no absences, tardies, or leaving early) will receive a surprise gift this week. We plan to have a different prize each month.

November is a short month - so it will be even easier to achieve 100% attendance this time!

IT'S ALL ABOUT SAFETY

If you drive your student to school, remember that the driveway is the place to drop off your student. If you need to wait for your child at the end of the day or if you need to walk your child to class, use a parking space in the lot or on the street.

Students and adults should use the crosswalks to cross the street. Cars must drive slowly and keep an eye out for students walking or riding bikes & scooters.

School supervision begins at 7:45. Students can either wait in the MPR or line up at their lines. Please remind your student of appropriate before-school behavior. If your student walks or bikes to school, it's a good idea for them to walk with an adult or with a buddy and remind them to be aware of their surroundings for their safety.

Our school has regular safety drills (fire, evacuation, secure, earthquake, shelter in place, lockdown). It's important for students to practice the safety protocols when they're calm so that in the unlikely event of a true emergency, they know what to do.

This month we had a false fire alarm. The very best thing about that event is that the entire school evacuated within minutes, and every child and adult was accounted for. If it had been a real fire, every student and staff member would have made it out safely.

Next week, we'll have a lockdown drill. This is the scariest type of drill to talk about and practice. Know that our goal is for our students to be prepared, not afraid. We will not engage in extended discussions about the actions that could cause a lockdown, and we will stress that it is very unlikely that we will ever need to use the protocols that we're practicing. Our staff will say something like this to our students:

• "Today we're going to practice a safety drill called a lockdown. It means we will all go to a quiet place in our classroom and stay very still until we hear from our teacher that it's safe to come out."

• "Imagine if there was a loud noise outside, and we needed to stay inside our classroom to be safe. This drill helps us know what to do in that situation."

• "If you ever feel scared during a drill, remember to take deep breaths and know that your teacher is there to keep you safe."

Here are some tips for talking to your child about lockdowns.

https://parents-together.org/how-to-talk-to-kids-about-school-lockdown-drills-an-age-by-age-guide/

Cell phones and smart watches must be turned off and put away in backpacks during the school day. Students who choose to carry or use their devices during the school day will have those devices confiscated by staff. The first time, students may pick up their device at the end of the day. The second time, an adult family member must pick up the device.

When students use the Internet unsupervised, they may be exposed to adult content, may stay up all hours, may initiate or be the victim of cyber-bullying. Most importantly, if your student uses the Internet unsupervised, anyone on the web can have direct access to your student without your knowledge.

• Inform your child that one condition of having a phone or device is that you will randomly check their messages, social media, and emails - then do it. Require your student to provide you with their user names and passwords.
• Collect your student's device(s) at bedtime and store them with you until the morning.
• Turn off the Internet/wifi at night. Protect it with an adult password.
• Install parental controls that will filter what your student can access and will alert you to any inappropriate searches or content.
• Teach your student about cyber safety, cyber bullying, and responsible digital use.

Vacaville is growing, and so is our enrollment. VUSD has added 300 new students to our schools in the last two years alone. In the next five years, we are projected to add about 500 more. We have several elementary schools that are already experiencing overcrowding. If passed, Measure E will fund the construction of a new school and classrooms to accommodate overcrowding and meet the needs of our growing city.

After our Eco Heroes assemblies, our Hemlock lower grade students cleaned up every last scrap of garbage from second chance breakfast without any adult reminders. Way to be responsible!

Halloween and Harvest Festival Fun

October Fun Fest!