Maple Hills Elementary E-News
April 29th, 2020
In This Weeks Issue:
From your Principal, Parent Input Info, Staff Appreciation Week
Social Emotional Theme - Mindfulness
Updates from your Librarian, Music, PE & Reading Zone Teachers
PTA – Staff Appreciation, General Membership Meeting, Maple Hills Award
Elementary Responsible Use
News from the Issaquah PTSA
Parent Wiser
MHE Award Winning School
MHE Staff Video
Student Art Calendar
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From the Principal
Dear Soaring Eagles,
We can do it! I know that this experience has been nothing that any of us have ever experienced before and students, parents, and teachers are all learning new things but what a great way to teach our children that we are all in this together! As Ms. Bryant and Ms. Grassley always remind us, keep up that Growth Mindset. I am certainly not always my best as a “home” principal and a “teacher” to my son at the same time but I can definitely tell him that we are learning how to do this together and some days are better than others! Guess what? I am going to think positively that we will be back in the school building in the fall and our community will do what it always does. We will accept every student at whatever point he/she is. So whether your student is getting every Must Do and optional activity completed and becoming a tech whiz or barely making it through the reading, writing, and math each week just know that they will all be planned for in the fall! And the best news… we will assign your child a teacher who is someone other than you. Ha ha!
Speaking of teachers, remember that the teachers know your child extremely well in the academic setting and work very hard to place him/her in the best situation possible for the following year. However, some parents may have some unique information that the teacher may want to share in a parent input letter. If this is the case, please read this Parent Input Letter carefully and follow the instructions for sharing your input by May 8.
Lastly, the staff and I are working very hard to make the weekly lesson plans as clearly organized as possible, especially in the area of technology. Each teacher has their Seesaw class that students log into through Clever where the majority of teacher lessons and activities reside as well as where students often post their responses. In addition, our PE, Music, Library, counselor, and student support staff also have a Seesaw Class entitled, “Enrichment” which is found in Seesaw as well. Remember to check throughout the week by clicking out of your teacher’s class to see what great activities and lessons these teachers have posted in their Enrichment Class. Finally, if your student receives additional services, like Special Education, Speech, SAGE, or TITLE, he/she will have another Seesaw class listed to click on as another place to find activities specifically created for him/her. If you need any help, check out our Maple Hills website quick tips page for At-Home Learning Resources.
Hopefully this glimpse into the life of a teacher has given all of us a great appreciation for school and all of our teachers and staff members. Staff appreciation week will look a little different this year but please help us celebrate as we move it a little later (May 25-30) so that our students can mail notes, letters or drawings to the PTA for our staff. Check out the PTA message below! I know staff still love your appreciation from afar!
Take care of yourselves!
JoEllen Tapper, Principal
Ms. Bryant
From the Counselor & PBSES Coach
Mrs. Grassley
This Week's Theme: Mindfulness
Hello MH Families,
This week’s theme is Mindfulness.
Purpose: Mindfulness is the act of intentionally focusing your thoughts and feelings to connect with the present moment. Mindfulness practices help increase the ability to regulate emotions and decrease stress, anxiety and depression by helping students become aware of their inner and outer experiences. It can also help focus your student’s attention when their mind starts to wander.
Parent Resource: Check out the Huffpost's 8 ways to teach mindfulness to kids. It outlines the benefits of mindfulness, how to set up mindfulness within your family, and various mindfulness strategies you can try.
Student Activities: This week’s student activities will be on their Seesaw account. Have your child log on to their Enrichment class and search for the social/emotional folder. There you will find this week’s videos and activities. We can’t wait to see which breathing strategies your student will be practicing!
Sincerely, Ms. Bryant https://sites.google.com/site/professionalwebsiteamberbryant/
And Mrs. Grassley http://grassleya.weebly.com/
Librarian - Mrs. Stempson
Hello families!
This week you will find my lessons and videos in the Enrichment Class in Seesaw. Be sure to check out The Maple Hills Library class in Clever too. I have lots of great websites linked there. One, I really love is The Kids Should See This. It’s full of short videos geared toward kids on a wide range of topics. They are fun, quirky, interesting, and always informative. Check it out.
How are you getting books during the school and library closures? Are you checking them out through KCLS? Are you using an app like Audible to listen to books? If you have suggestions for others or questions for me, please email me. Stempsonc@issaquah.wednet.edu.
Smiles,
Christina Stempson
Music Blurb Week 5
Hi Everyone,
I've created some very fun activities for you to participate in this week and I am so excited to see what you share! You can find the music activities in the Enrichment class in Seesaw or visit my website.
Next week, in honor of May 4th, the music activities will be all about the famous John Williams, who composed the songs for Star Wars and many other movies. I can't wait!
Music Activities Week 5: http://maplehillsmusic.wixsite.com/mhmusic
Kindergarten, 1st, & 2nd Grade: Storytime with Pig the Pug, Rhythm Reading, Music Scavenger Hunt around the house
3rd, 4th, & 5th Grade: Instruments of the Orchestra, Videos, Guess the song, Games, Print out Coloring pages
Musically,
Miss Wilkinson wilkinsonk@issaquah.wednet.edu
PE Teacher – Abby O’Brien
Hi everyone!
I hope our location change in Seesaw to the Enrichment class helps everyone stay more organized. Thank you all for being so flexible in trying this with us!
This week in Seesaw there are three physical activities to choose from: a mindful moment, obstacle course, or work it out. Do one or all three! It’s up to you. Also, look for the video in our PE folder in the Enrichment class on the last three Skill Related Components of Fitness. Watch the video, and explore how you use those skills in your day.
I would love to hear from you! Respond to the activities in our PE folder to tell me what activity you choose and how it went. Have fun with it! Remember to check out the fitness calendars on my website and send a picture of your completed fitness calendars to me at obriena@issaquah.wednet.edu.
I miss your smiles! Stay healthy, stay happy :)
Ms. O’Brien
Message from Mrs. Watts
Hello Reading Zone Readers
Lets work on some fluency skills this week.
Check out my web page at: https://connect.issaquah.wednet.edu/staff/maplehills/mrswatts/
Try somethings out and see if it works within your schedule and family time.
Happy Reading!
Mrs. Watts
Reading Zone
wattst@issaquah.wednet.edu
From The PTA
Staff Appreciation
Jenny Kuspert is working on a special way to show our School family how much we appreciate them. This year we are asking for handwritten notes or handrawn pictures from families. Jenny will organize and forward to Staff members. You can include a gift card but must fit inside a regular envelope. Please mail by Friday, May 8!
Please mail cards to:
Jenny Kuspert
15739 203rd Ave SE
Renton, WA 98059
List of Staff Members at Maple Hills.
General Membership Meeting
Maple Hills Eagle Award
We are so fortunate to have such a dedicated, supportive community here at Maple Hills. Each year we like to take the opportunity to recognize those individuals who make a difference in our students’ lives. A vital group of people who are often overlooked but do a great deal to help our school run smoothly and have a positive impact on your child, are our classified staff and volunteers. These support members, like our custodians, office personnel, paraeducators in the classroom, on the playground and in the lunchroom, kitchen, Eagle Club and health room staff, work all throughout the building to make Maple Hills a great place to be. Please take a moment to ask your child and/or think about one of these staff members or one of our many volunteers who spend countless hours supporting our building and nominate them for a 2020 Maple Hills Eagle Award.
Please submit by May 22.
Elementary Responsible Use
Dear Families,
As we continue our journey in remote teaching and learning from home, your student may be using both new and familiar technology-based tools and resources. For new learning to be most successful it will be important for students stay focused on learning and act responsibly during remote learning activities.
Now would be a great time to review with your student the District’s Responsible Use Agreement that you signed in the fall. This agreement spells out the ways your student should use technology to be safe and productive in their learning.
The Responsible Use Agreement applies to digital technologies, tools and learning environments established by the school or accessed using school owned networks or systems including (although not limited to):
· School owned devices (e.g. desktops, laptops, printers, scanners)
• Mobile phones
• Email and instant messaging
• Internet and Intranet
• Social networking sites (e.g. Facebook, SuperClubsPLUS)
• Video and photo sharing websites (e.g. Picasa, YouTube)
• Blogs
• Micro-blogs (e.g. Twitter)
• Forums, discussion boards and groups (e.g. Google groups, Whirlpool)
• Wikis (e.g. Wikipedia)
• Vod and podcasts
• Video conferences and web conferences
The Responsible Use Agreement applies any time a student is engaged in remote learning activities.
The Responsible Use Agreement might also apply when using any of the above digital technologies at home, during school excursions and extra-curricular activities depending on the school-related nature of use.
The Elementary Responsible Use Agreement is found with the following link:
In addition, please be aware that some of the District approved programs span grades K-12. Some of these programs may contain information on topics that while appropriate for secondary students, may not necessarily be appropriate for elementary students.
Thank you for your support for making remote learning as effective and as positive an experience for your student as possible.
News from the Issaquah PTSA
These days we are looking for silver linings wherever we might find them. More time at home means more time to create! Each year the National PTSA sponsors an art competition for writers, composers, dancers, photographers and visual artists.
Next year's Reflections Theme is "I Matter Because..." and with extra time at home, we want to encourage kids passionate in these areas to get to work on a fabulous piece of art to share at your school in the fall.
Directions and guidelines can be found at https://www.wastatepta.org/events-programs/reflections/.
Questions can be emailed to Kristen Allen-Bentsen at kallenbentsen@hotmail.com.
News from ParentWiser
Parent Wiser is pleased to present 2 timely, exclusive WEBINARS for all Issaquah School District parents of K-12! Offering LIVE discussions with interactive Q&A by experts, register for your FREE webinar video links at http://ParentWiser.org/events!
- Parenting Through the Pandemic - April 23 at 3pm by Seattle Children's Hospital anxiety director, Dr. Kendra Read, and school counselor, Lauren Hutchinson LMFT. Learn how to deal with daily routines, keep kids motivated, and manage overwhelm while sheltering-in-place.
- Navigating Remote Learning - April 29 at 4pm by Challenge Success. Concerned about the impact of remote learning on your child's academic journey? Explore practical tips & guidelines to best support student well-being and learning engagement during our stay-home school closure.
Please share this video our amazing Maple Hills staff put together for our community!
Click this link to view:
Maple Hills - Award Winning School
Please help me congratulate all of our students and teachers on all of their hard work over the past years. Maple Hills is being recognized by the State Board of Education in the Washington School Recognition Program for our high growth with students who receive Special Education Services. Based on the Washington School Improvement Framework, the state looks at every school’s test scores each year using multiple measures to see which schools are closing the gaps, making high growth, or strong achievements compared to others. Next week Maple Hills will be recognized during Washington State School Recognition Week for the high growth that our students receiving special education services achieved during the 2018-2019 school year! A big shout out to Ms. Deaton, Ms. Chase, Ms. Vaughan, Ms. Disney, Ms. Frances and all of our teachers and students for their immense work! Check out the Press Release.
Art
Student Art Calendar 2020-2021 - Now Accepting Artwork
Thanks to the support of the Seattle Times, every family and staff member in the Issaquah School District will once again receive a free print copy of the Student Art Calendar in the 2020-2021 school year—easy to hang on the wall to keep track of important school dates! Every current student in the district is invited to submit artwork to fill the pages for thousands of homes and offices. Get your creative juices flowing! The deadline to submit artwork is Friday, May 1, 2020 at midnight.
You may submit up to three pieces of student artwork by email. E-mail high quality, high resolution digital images as attachments—not embedded in the e-mail—of any size—preferably landscape or wide format to art@issaquah.wednet.edu and include the words "ART CALENDAR" in the subject line. Be sure to include student's name, grade, school, and teacher AND parent name and e-mail in your e-mail message. Make sure your digital pictures are taken straight on (eye level, not crooked) and without flash/lighting irregularities.
· Important note about emailing digital art: If the artwork is high enough resolution for printing (preferably 300 dpi resolution), your digital files will likely be 1-4 megabytes (MB) in size. Our email server will not accept emails larger than 9-10 MB, so you may have to send multiple entries (no more than three per student, please) in separate emails.
· Artwork will be accepted until midnight on Friday, May 1, 2020.
· Art selections are finalized in late May or early June.
· Due to the high number of submissions received each year, only selected artists' families will be notified.
Visit our Call to Art Page for Full Details! or Email art@issaquah.wednet.edu.