Monthly Memo from the Principal

Today we welcomed several new students to our campus and were happy to see so many excited (but cold) faces walk through our doors! It is GREAT to have everyone back and ready to tackle 2025 all together. Monday our teachers and staff spent the day organizing, collaborating, and planning to be ready for your student. We appreciated having this time to prepare!

For all of our new families, please see the "Communication at PHE" section below for ways to connect with us here at school.

Please let us know if you need anything or have any questions. We are here for you and happy to support your husky in any way we can.

Happy New Year!

Heather Robbins

Principal

Pleasant Hill Elementary

512-570-6400

heather.robbins@leanderisd.org

https://phe.leanderisd.org/

Follow us on Twitter: @hrobbinsPHE and @PHEHuskies

Students should not arrive on campus TOO early in the mornings. We have had some walkers and bike riders that are arriving before 7:00 AM and sitting or playing in front of the school. With temperatures dropping, our doors are not open and there is not a warm place for them to be until 7:10 AM. Also, there are NO staff members on duty to monitor our students until 7:10 AM. Teachers and staff do not arrive on campus until 7:00 AM. Also, we ask that students leave campus by 3:00 PM after school. Our outdoor duty stations (crosswalks, doors, bike rack, etc.) go back into the building at that time. Crossing guards go off duty and move to secondary campuses at 3:00 PM as well, so we ask that our students head home as quickly as possible to utilize safe crossing areas.

If you have just joined our PHE community, please be sure and check out our school website at www.phe.leanderisd.org to stay up to date and find valuable information about our school. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter.

We work each year to improve on our systems and procedures to communicate with our families. We have so many ways to connect with you and want to share the most up-to-date information as soon as possible.

Below are ways that we will continue to communicate daily/weekly/monthly:

• Phone Calls/Messages (from teachers and/or administrators)
• Weekly Updates (from your classroom teacher)
• Monthly Memo (from the principal)
• Twitter (follow us @PHEHuskies and @hrobbinsPHE; use the hashtag #get2PHE)
• Facebook (Pleasant Hill Elementary -Leander ISD)
• School Website (http://phe.leanderisd.org)
• Teacher Website (accessible through PHE website)
• District Website (www.leanderisd.org)
• Wednesday Folders (come home in backpacks each week)
• Emails
• Teacher Remind 101 accounts
• PHE Remind 101 accounts
• Leander ISD Remind 101 accounts

Please let us know if you are having difficulty with any of the above-listed modes of communication. We want to make sure you have access and the information needed for your Husky! Please note that the phone numbers/emails on file with us will be used when necessary to communicate. Please update in the front office as needed.

Please fill out this PHE staff recognition form and tell us why this staff member should be recognized. We will choose one or two teachers/staff members per week and they will be recognized at our weekly Husky Huddle and receive a certificate and treat!

You can also use this link to find out what your staff members favorite things are and grab them a snack or treat to say "thank you" for all of their hard work and efforts!

If you have an absence or doctor’s note that needs to go to the registrar for attendance purposes, please email it to plhattendance@leanderisd.org.

This is an excerpt from an online article about helping your child build healthy habits for life. The article was written by a pediatric physicians group. You can find so many wonderful resources online or on our district website as well to help guide healthy lifestyles!

New Year’s resolutions aren’t just for adults. Get the whole family involved!

Help your children start the year off right and teach the importance of goal setting by focusing on these five healthy habits for kids. But just remember, little eyes are watching and ears are listening, so one of the best things you can do to help these habits stick is to lead by example.

1. Get Enough Sleep

Getting a good night’s sleep is important at any age, but especially for children as they grow and develop.

The National Sleep Foundation recommends the following:

• Newborns (0-3 months): 14-17 hours each day
• Infants (4-11 months): 12-15 hours
• Toddlers (1-2 years): 11-14 hours
• Preschoolers 10-13 hours
• School-age children 9-11 hours
• Teenagers 8-10 hours

Keep in mind, these are recommendations. Talk to older children about the importance of listening to your body for times when you may need more rest.

2. Spend More Time Outside

Children today spend less time outdoors than any other generation. The average American child is said to spend 4 to 7 minutes a day in unstructured play outdoors, and over 7 hours a day in front of a screen. Spending time outdoors builds confidence, promotes creativity and imagination, and gets kids moving. Not to mention the sunlight helps ensure they’re getting enough vitamin D. Have your kids play outside after school before jumping straight into homework, go for an after-dinner walk as a family, or take a weekend hike. We promise the whole family will benefit from spending more time outside.

3. Read Every Day

When people hear the word health, they often associate it with physical health. But intellectual health is equally important to one’s overall wellness. An easy healthy habit for kids to start right away is to read every day for at least 15-20 minutes. If your child isn’t old enough to read independently, prioritize reading to him or her.

4. Limit Screen Time

If you encourage the health habits mentioned above this one will mostly take care of itself. Consider creating tech-free zones in your home, set a time limit on screen time and have regular conversations with your children about online safety. For more tips and help creating your own family media use plan, visit the American Academy of Pediatrics website.

5. Eat a Well Balanced Diet

Helping your kids understand the nutritional value of food incorporating a range of fruits and vegetables. For older children, teach them how to read and understand food labels to empower them to make healthy choices on their own.