DAVIS HILL COMMUNITY UPDATE
September 3, 2018
On Our Way!
Thanks to our AMAZING DH Dragon students and families, and our AWESOME staff, we enjoyed a wonderful first week of school. The heat definitely made things a little more 'uncomfortable' than we are used to during school; however, everyone did a great job of keeping things as 'cool' as possible.
I hope that everyone is enjoying a fun and relaxing long weekend. Week 2 is coming quick! Please note that during the second week of school we often see some tears and tiredness in our younger students. The reality that work expectations slowly increase and that school is 'everyday' may tire some students and make their emotions a little more fragile than typical. Stay consistent with your routines, stay positive and this little bump in the road should be a thing of the past soon.
Kindly,
Jay C. Norton, Principal
*Don't forget to read through the entire update... there are always more dates in the Upcoming Events Section. If you have any questions/ concerns- please don't hesitate to contact me/ the office.
Highlighted Events/ Information
Summer Weather
5th Grade Fundraising Meeting
Wachusett Food Pantry Donation Day
Suggestions: "Back to School" Snacks, Granola bars, pudding, crackers, think 'Lunch box' treats
We are excited to continue our Davis Hill tradition of supporting the Wachusett Food Pantry and helping our neighbors who might need an extra bag or two of groceries to get by. Your monthly generosity makes a HUGE difference! The 'suggestions' on this list are JUST THAT-- suggestions. We will happily take any non-perishable, non-expired items. Collections are held the first Wednesday of each month from 8:45-9 am. Dressing up is always optional and should honor the school's dress code policy in regards to modesty and safety.
See Link HERE for all dates/ themes for year.
School Store Open Friday
ICE CREAM SOCIAL
MISC. ITEMS OF NOTE
EMERGENCY CARDS-PLEASE RETURN
A general reminder to all families to please return your Emergency Cards that were sent home this past week. If you don’t believe you received one-please contact your child’s teacher. It is important that these are returned as soon as possible.
CORI
A reminder that any non-employee adult that enters school to volunteer/ chaperone (except for assemblies) must have a current CORI (Criminal Offense Records Information) completed. (CORI’s expire every 3 years.) Please ensure that when you are in the building, you are wearing your badge and it is visible. We appreciate your support in keeping our school safe!
HANDBOOK/ POLICIES
Please make sure that you have reviewed Davis Hill’s Handbook and signed off that you have reviewed it on the PowerSchool Parent Portal.
I have attached a link to the Handbook for convenience:
http://www.wrsd.net/handbooks/DHHandbook.pdf
OFFICE DISMISSALS
We respectfully request that all afternoon office dismissals occur prior to 3:10. The reason for this request is that it is difficult to balance end-of-the-day needs and the upcoming school-wide dismissal in the office.
POLICY REVIEW/ LOST ARTICLES*
The school will not assume responsibility for any items (brought to school by students), which are lost or stolen. A Lost and Found area is maintained in the cafeteria. On a monthly basis, unclaimed clothing will be donated. Pupils are encouraged to turn in any article found to the Lost and Found Area. Items coming to school, including lunch boxes, book bags, coats, hats, boots, and mittens should be clearly labeled with the student's first and last name.
*We respectfully request that students do not bring toys/ cards (Pokemon/ etc.)/ stuffed animals or personal possessions from home. These items can easily become lost, damaged or be ‘traded’ with friends.
Meet 'n Greet
This year we are trying something new at Davis Hill in place of the Curriculum Night. Instead of a formal meeting for parents only- we are asking families to come meet your child’s teacher, classroom friends, and other parents.
Your child can give you a tour of their classroom, chat with other parents and students, and introduce you to their teacher.
Please be aware that there are many students and families that the teachers will need to meet and this is not the time to conduct a conference.
Grades K-2 Meet 'n Greet will be held on Wednesday, September 12th from 6:00-6:30PM.
Grades 3-5 Meet 'n Greet will be held on Wednesday, September 19th from 6:00-6:30PM.
Message from the Library
Our library still needs volunteers for 5P-Tuesdays, 5A-Wednesdays, 5W-every other Thursday, 5S-every other Friday, 1C-every other Friday, KA-every other Wednesday & KM-Fridays in order to have at least one "librarian" for each class each week.
Additionally, the following K-3 classes could use more volunteers to have double-coverage helping the kids: KA-PM-1st Monday each month, 1S-every other Wednesday, 1CO-every other Thursday, 2M-Wednesdays, 2S-every other Friday, 3S-every other Tuesday & 3O-every other Wednesday plus 1S, 1N & 1CO on their rotating Mondays.
Please e-mail Laura Rosbach, lcrosbach@yahoo.com and/or Candice Prevosk, jaycan@charter.net if you are interested in helping or would like more information.
We hope your child(ren) opened a book (or two or three or more) this summer & went on many great reading adventures!!! Summer reading logs are due on Wednesday, September 5th. All students that turn in a summer reading log will have the chance to win a prize.
TRANSPORTATION/ DROP-OFF/ PICK-UP/ ETC.
TRANSPORTATION REMINDERS
Bus: Times
A reminder that buses District-Wide may continue to experience delays in both picking children up and dropping them off in the upcoming days. If a bus is significantly delayed, I will use social media accounts and/ or school messenger to provide information to the community. Thank you!
Bus: Student Expectations
I ask that all families who have a student riding the bus please take a moment to remind them that the bus is an extension of our school and the expectation is that students are maintaining our core values of Pride, Respect, Responsibility and Excellence while riding the bus. More specifically, it is important that students:
-stay seated while the bus is moving
-use their indoor voices while talking on the bus
-have safe bodies/ keep their hands and feet to themselves
-are not eating/ throwing objects while riding
Note: Students are expected to ride the bus to which they are assigned. Our buses are quite full and we do not have the capacity to transport students on different buses for playdates/ practices/ etc.
PARENT PICK-UP/ DROP-OFF/ WALKING LINES
Davis Hill is unique in that we have a large population of student walkers and a large number of parent drop-off/ pick-ups. Our parking lot is a very busy place both in the morning and in the afternoon during the transition to and from school. Please review the below reminders regarding student safety during arrival and dismissal.
A reminder that students should not be left unattended in the front of the building prior to 8:50 when staff takes position to open the building. I ask that parents who drop students off in cars are all using the parent drop-off area*. In the morning, please do not circumvent the parent drop-off area by pulling up to the front of the building and dropping students off and pulling away. This is not fair to the other families who are waiting in line. If your child has a need that requires that they be dropped-off/ picked-up in a unique manner, please contact the office.
It is challenging for staff to manage the parent pick-up area and ensure child safety if there are other parents/ adults in the area. Please refrain from walking through the parent drop-off/ pick-up area during transition times.
Please drive slowly through our parking lot at all times. Younger children take a few minutes to get out of car seats or get buckled up. Sometimes new drivers are unsure of routines or need guidance; subsequently, we ask that you please be patient and follow the lead of the staff at the curb. Thank you for your patience and support in keeping our students safe.
*Parent Drop-Off/ Pick-Up Area: Please pull to the right when entering the driveway and pull up to the curb in front of the cafeteria. If you are new to the building, follow the traffic flow and/ or ask a staff member for help.
Health Office Notes
Please see the link attached HERE for reminders from the Health Office.
PARENT INFORMATION
Helping Kids Manage Anxiety
9/3-Labor Day/ No School for Students
9/5-Summer Readings Logs Due (For summer reading if participated)
9/5-Food Pantry Donation Day (See above for Theme/ Suggestions)
9/5-Fifth Grade Fundraising Meeting (6:00PM)
9/7-Ice Cream Social (6:00-8:00PM)
9/12-Kindergarten, First and Second Grade Meet 'n Greet (6:00-6:30PM)
9/19-Bus Evacuation Drill Scheduled for AM entry (May cause delays in parking lot)
9/19-Third, Fourth and Fifth Grade Meet 'n Greet (6:00-6:30PM)
9/18-PTA Meeting (6:30PM/ Community Room)
9/20-Professional Development Half-Day of School (12:20 Dismissal)
9/25, 9/26 and 9/27-Hearing and Vision Screening
9/28-Spaghetti Supper (5:30 and 6:30 Seatings)
10/4-Picture Day
10/8-Columbus Day- No School
10/14-Dragon Dash (12:00)
10/23-10/26-Ecology School Trip for 5th Grade
10/25-Professional Development Half-Day of School (12:20 Dismissal)
10/26-Fall Festival (More info TBA)
11/6-No School for Students (Election Day)
*Information related to community fundraisers/ activities/ events for the Davis Hill Community. Inclusion in the update does not indicate an endorsement or affiliation with Davis Hill Elementary School or Wachusett Regional School District.
Davis Hill Elementary School
Email: jay_norton@wrsd.net
Website: http://www.wrsd.net/davishill/
Location: 80 Jamieson Road, Holden, MA 01520, United States
Phone: 508-829-1754
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DavisHillDragons/
Twitter: @DHPrincipal