Haymarket Happenings
May 2020
Our success is measured by our partnership
Our teachers have been working tirelessly to provide optional learning/review experiences for your child(ren). We encourage you to reach out to them to set up an online meeting if your child is needs some additional help with his or her optional assignments. The structured and predictable routines that our awesome teachers orchestrated in the past when school was open is one of the reasons why our students did and are doing so well at HMES. I encourage you, if you haven't already, to have a visual schedule so your child(ren) knows what is coming up. It will make the transition from free play to school work easier! Please remember that family continues to be the most important thing. If you need any sort of assistance, please know that beyond your child's teacher we have counselors, a school social worker, us, and many more supports to help you through this challenging time.
Couple other general informational items:
- Our building is still closed! There is no timetable for when we will open our doors to parents and students to gather belongings. Please know what once we know, we will share with you. This decision is made at the County level, not the school level.
- PWCS is still planning on having Summer School at this time. It is subject to change based on many factors. Once we have more information about Summer School, we will pass onto families.
- Dr. Walts announced in March that PWCS will be utilizing Canvas as our online learning platform in the coming months. We were given flexibility to use this year at the elementary level. We decided that learning another system would add undue stress to students, parents and teachers at this already challenging time. We are planning an overview training for teachers in May and will have a more in-depth training come August.
- 5th grade promotion - We are extremely limited in our options for 5th grade promotion given our current situation. Administration and the 5th grade team are working together to develop a plan that provides flexibility for families to participate as well as still recognizing the hard work of our students in many areas. More to come...we are planning on late May/early June and planning like social distancing and limited "crowds" of 10 or more in prohibited.
Lastly, it is Teacher Appreciation Week this week! Please see below for some ideas to show your love of our teachers!
With Gratitude,
Mr. Baldwin and Mrs. Gazda
Teacher Appreciation Week is THIS WEEK!
Report Cards
Device Distribution
Private Magic Show for HMES students!
To preview the show, use this link: https://vimeo.com/406230412. The show is limited to 300 devices, so we are asking that everyone please limit their viewing to 1 device per household.
Thank you Pennel family and PTO!
Counselor's Corner
Dear Parents,
Your counselors are still here to support students! We have LOVED popping into class meetings each week and seeing our Bear Cubs.
We are also here to help connect you with resources and services within the community. We know family's individual circumstances can change so quickly, and we can help connect families with resources. Please do not hesitate to reach out!
Mrs. Vaneman - vanemarl@pwcs.edu
Mrs. Schenck - hudspern@pwcs.edu
Mrs. Plitt - plittar@pwcs.edu
Ms. Mallory (Social Worker) - mallorjr@pwcs.edu
At Home
Weekly lessons and resources are provided on our counseling webpage (link below). Lessons for the upcoming week are posted by 7:00 pm Friday of each week. Our topics of focus over the next few weeks are:
· Conflict resolution
· Coping skills
· Time management skills
· Internet safety
Weekly Counselor Lessons and Resources
We realize that screen time probably looks a lot different these days as so much learning is virtual. Here are some student-friendly sites for games, videos and activities that promote social/emotional learning:
We would love more school pictures! Maybe you visited the class...maybe you went on a field trip with your child's class...send in those pictures! You can send those pictures to hmesyearbook@gmail.com by May 15th for consideration (not all will be used). In the body of the email, please include the teacher's name or the event your picture is from so we can be sure it gets in the correct section. For example, if the picture is from an encore class, please include that teacher's name....if the picture is from a field trip, include your child's teacher's name and the field trip name.
Other Details:
- You will be able to personalize up to 4 pages for free!
- Yearbooks will be shipped directly to homes for an additional fee of $4.75 for the first yearbook and $0.99 for each one after.
- The final order date is May 22nd.
- Delivery is scheduled for mid-June.
Any questions, please email hmesyearbook@gmail.com.
Kids Online
We already know that research say students are more engaged in their learning when using technology. Technology can create many amazing opportunities for students, so picking the right online tools for your child (ren) is important. Prince William County Schools has many online applications available to assist parents with teaching at home. These applications can be found in your child's Clever account. In Clever, your child will find two fun and engaging Math applications that will help our teachers monitor student progress until the end of the year and through the summer. If your child(ren) has not explored them, only 20 minutes a day will ensure students stay on track in Math for the next school year. Those Math applications are:
- ST Math
- Dreambox
Additionally, to support all the reading and writing your child(ren) is doing daily, using Wixie will help them synthesis their learning while being creative. Writing daily in Wixie will give you and your child a diary of memories of this rare time in our lives that they can later share with their teachers, family, and friends.
All of these applications are in your child's Clever account. If you need help with them, you can contact your child's teacher or our Instructional Technology Coach, Regina King at kingrs@pwcs.edu.
Kindergarten Registration
Please spread the word about registration! It is VERY important for us for planning and budgetary purposes that we know how many Kindergarteners are out there and will be coming to us in August.
Due to the current COVID-19 outbreak, there will be no in-school Kindergarten registration. Online registration is now available to enroll children in kindergarten. Children who will be five years old on or before September 30, 2020, are eligible to enroll in kindergarten in Prince William County Public Schools for the 2020-21 school year. Parents may use the Find Your School site to locate the school their child will attend.
Please note: parents whose students are currently enrolled in any PWCS preschool program (preschool or special education) do not need to complete the online kindergarten registration process. Instead, once schools re-open, they should contact the registrar for the school where their student will attend for kindergarten for the 2020-21 school year.
If you are able, please upload all your documents in the system. All registrations are on hold until all documents are received. There is not waiting list for registration!
Here is the link to register your Kindergartener for next year! Any questions, please contact Mrs. Kennedy, our wonderful registrar, at dollcm@pwcs.edu.
http://www.pwcs.edu/cms/one.aspx?portalId=340225&pageId=775554
Two Exciting and Fun Activities!
BreakoutEDU
How do you play?
In order to play, visit BreakoutEDU.com/live at 11 AM PT (2PM ET) and wait for the game to start. There is no login required. When you complete a game, you can enter to win a prize.
Can students win prizes?
When a game is complete the player enters their parent’s or teacher’s email address. Winners must reside in the U.S. to win a prize (unfortunately laws and regulations keep us from offering prizes outside the U.S.).
How much does it cost to play?
100% FREE FOR ANYONE!
Can I play past episodes?
Yep! All past episodes can be found at BreakoutEDU.com/live. Please note: you can only enter to win prizes when you play a game the same day it is aired.
How difficult are the puzzles?
The puzzles start easy and get progressively more difficult. Starting with middle elementary going up to middle school.
How do I know what the topics will be?
Each Sunday we’ll send out an email with the next week’s topics and prizes. Prizes typically include Breakout EDU kits and Breakout HOME games.
Advisory Council Meeting
If you would like to participate in this meeting or would like to be considered for a neighborhood position, please email our Advisory Chair, Tim Kirkpatrick, at haymarket.parentadvisory@gmail.com.
Tuesday, May 12, 2020, 06:30 PM
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PTO Meeting
Tuesday, May 19, 2020, 06:30 PM
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Reminders for video conferencing...
- Be around and within earshot of the video conference. It is for the students, but you should be around to help with technology stuff as well.
- Participate behind the scenes if your child needs some help.
- Ensure you limit background noise so the focus can be on the students and teacher.
- Students should be in a common location such as the living room, kitchen, etc. Bedrooms are NOT permissible areas to video conference from. If a student is in a location that is not deemed "common" to adults, your child's teacher will ask student to move to another location to see/hear their parents.
- Consider background when preparing your child for a video conference call.
- This is not a time to do a house tour. Students should be in one location throughout the call unless directed differently by his/her teacher.
Haymarket Elementary School
Email: baldwisl@pwcs.edu
Website: https://haymarketes.pwcs.edu/
Location: 15500 Learning Lane, Haymarket, VA, USA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HaymarketES
Twitter: @haymarketcubs