Hello Hill Families,
October has been filled with many activities and we couldn't have done it without you! I'd like to express my gratitude to our Hill families for outstanding attendance for our Fall parent/teacher conferences. It takes a partnership and we are grateful for your support and participation in your child's education.
We will celebrate Halloween with our students on Friday, October 25th. Students should wear their costumes to school.
In consideration of student safety, enjoyment, and school district expectations, some reminders regarding costumes follow:
Toy weapons are not allowed: this includes guns, knives, swords, pitchforks, laser swords, martial arts weapons, etc.
Costumes depicting violence, blood, or scary creatures are not school appropriate
All Hill families are welcome to attend the costume parade, weather permitting. If the weather is unfavorable, the parade will be canceled. In the event that the parade is cancelled, a message will be sent out to Hill families by 9:10. Our parade will be outside around our back track at 9:30 a.m. Please park and go directly to the back property and line the track! Our parade will last approximately 10-15 minutes, so be sure to be on time!
Activities will be scheduled throughout the day and students will celebrate with their classmates. Volunteers will be limited, teachers will communicate if volunteers are needed for specific classroom activities! PTO will also be running their pop can drive on this date. Information is included below.
Our first intersession break of the year is Monday, October 28th - Friday, November 1st. Also, there is no school for students on Monday, November 4th, as staff engage in professional development and records day for the end of the first marking period. Students return to school on Tuesday, November 5th.
Report Cards will be emailed to families no later than Wednesday, November 6th. If you do not receive one, please reach out to your child's teacher.
I hope that everyone has a restful intersession break whether you are going on vacation, having a "staycation", or your child will be attending intersession. It's hard to believe that we are wrapping up our first marking period and the holiday season is quickly approaching. As always please contact your child's teacher or our office with any questions. Thank you for sharing your children with us!
In Partnership,
Mrs. Burke, Ed.S.
Proud Principal
WATCH DOGS (DADS OF GREAT STUDENTS)
Watch DOGS is back! Officer Steve and Mrs. DuPrey are heading up this program for Hill again this year. Dads or father-figures interested in signing up should select 1 day- using the Sign-Up Genius Link. All volunteers must complete a volunteer form and have approval before your scheduled day. I've included a schedule so that you could choose a week day that works best for you!
Please review the available slots using the link on the button to sign up. We will have Watch D.O.G.S on most Wednesdays and Thursdays here at Hill. Please choose only ONE date. Thank you!
MTSS Interventionist/Coach
Hopefully, you’ve had a chance to meet with your child’s teacher to discuss their progress. Our reading interventions are definitely working. We have been able to release some of our students already. It is obvious that this early intervention makes such a difference. We are holding most of the first through fourth grade students so we can analyze their mid-year data. This will ensure that they are solid before being released from interventions.
Many parents would like to support their child at home with their learning. Included in the monthly newsletter will be simple activities that you can do at home to help your child.
Once children strengthen their phonics skills, fluency with reading becomes an important next step. Fluency is the ability to read with sufficient speed to support understanding.
This includes:
Automatic word recognition
Accurate word recognition
Use of expression
Home Activities:
☐ Repeated reading - Choose a passage that will not be very difficult for your child. Read the passage aloud to your child, and then read it together, helping your child figure out any tricky words. Next, have your child read the passage to you with a focus on accuracy. Finally, have your child read the passage to you again, paying attention to fluency and expression. The goal is to sound smooth and natural.
☐ Use different voices - When reading a familiar story or passage, try having your child use different voices. Read the story in a mouse voice, cowboy voice, or a princess voice. This is another way to do repeated reading, and it adds some fun to reading practice.
Counselor's Corner from Mrs. Thompson
Are you listening? Really listening?
We sometimes get caught up in the day’s hustle and bustle and forget to listen. Here are some suggestions from the book 1-2-3 Magic: the New 3-Step Discipline for Calm, Effective and Happy Parenting. Use openers, nonjudgmental questions, reflecting feelings and checks or summaries.
An opener is something you say to get more information, like: “oh?” or “tell me what happened.”
A nonjudgmental question could be: “what was going through your mind at the time?” or “what happened when you tried to…?”
Reflecting feelings could be statements like: “Boy, I haven’t seen you this mad in a long time.” or “That must have been really fun!”
Checks or summaries: “sounds like you are saying that our rules for chores favor your sister?” or “you felt like this was the worst day ever.”
These clarifying questions will help to get your child talking and help you stay connected with him or her.
Music Notes from Mrs. DuPrey
We are rocking and rolling in music class in all grades! In Kindergarten, we have been focused on using our singing voices and keeping the steady beat to the song. Ask your child to sing some of the songs we have done in music class (Ally Bally, Pumpkin Patch, or Grizzly Bear).
First and Second grade are working hard to prepare for their upcoming concert!! The concert is Tuesday, December 10th at 7pm in the NEW PERFORMING ARTS CENTER. Students should arrive at the band room no later than 6:40pm dressed in their "Sunday Best."
In third grade, students are learning about major tonic, and dominant patterns. These patterns will be very important when we begin to play ukulele in 4th grade.
Lastly, in 4th grade, students have finished their first composition. A composition is an original song that is written down. Each student created and wrote their own song. We have worked to learn the songs on xylophones and add a harmony part. I am so proud of the work they have done, and look forward to starting our second composition together.
*Important dates to remember*
December 10th – 1st and 2nd grade concert
March 11th - 3rd and 4th grade concert
Mrs. DuPrey
PE News From Mr. Whitman
The school year is off to a great start. We have worked on 2 units so far. We finished our soccer unit a month back and are wrapping up our football unit this week. The students also completed some of their fall fitness testing. Students in grades 1-4 took a half mile test and also completed a situp test.
As we return from break, please remember to send shoes with your students on PE days. Boots are not allowed for safety reasons, we don't want anyone to get hurt. Some of our favorite units are coming up with volleyball next followed by basketball.
I hope everyone has a great intersession.
Go Cards!
Mr. Whitman
Library Corner
Hello Hill families!
I want to give a special thank you to all the volunteers that helped me out with the book fair! I couldn't have done it without you! I also want to thank everyone for supporting our book fair. I can't wait for the kids to get a chance to check out all the news books that we earned!
October was a busy month! The kids did a great job on our Halloween project.
In November we will be reading and learning about Thanksgiving. We will also be sharing some of the things that we are thankful for and some of the traditions we have with our families.
As always please help your child to remember to return their library books on time.
I hope that everyone has a wonderful time with their families this Thanksgiving.
Happy Reading,
Melissa Tersigni
Connect with Hill Elementary
Email: jburke@davisonschools.org
Website: https://www.davisonschools.org/
Location: 404 Aloha Street, Davison, MI, USA
Phone: 810-591-0839
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DavisonCardinals/