Hillcrest Hawk Happenings
The official newsletter of Hillcrest Elementary Staff
Supporting, empowering, & championing every single student, every single day, in every single way.
September 22, 2019
IMPORTANT DATES
Tuesday 24 -- District Bond Vote Referendum TOWN HALL at Central Office
Friday 27 -- PBIS Assembly 1:15
Saturday 28 -- Saturday Academy
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Monday 30 -- No School -- Rosh Hashanah
TO ACCESS THE MONTH-BY-MONTH CALENDARS for the whole year, click HERE. Please know that these are still works-in-progress, so check back often to see the updates. October has been updated with the mandatory morning meetings -- calendar invitations to follow!
MUST READ
IMPORTANT LINKS
NEW!!! Hillcrest Classroom Sign-out Sheet
NEW!!! Hillcrest Reading Log/Response Choices
Coming soon: 2019-20 Assessment Pacing Calendar (stay tuned)
Principal's Parking Spot
To nominate an individual for this special privilege, click HERE.
AIMSWEB update
MOCK LOCKDOWN
ALL SCHOOL ASSEMBLY FRIDAY 9/27 at 1:15
Important PBIS Updates (time sensitive)
PBIS Class Points Sheet: Teachers should leave their weekly class PBIS points sheet in Ms. Moczarski's mailbox by end of the day Friday or Monday morning!
Assembly will be at 1:20 on Friday, September 27th for the whole school in the gymnasium (Special guest will speak about Hopes and Dreams, review PBIS HAWKS matrix, and announce Honorable Hawks)
Honorable Hawk for September: Teachers please submit one student in your homeroom class by THURSDAY. A google excel sheet was created so that teachers can put it under September next to their name!
Here is the link:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1yVwxodcSD9yRNldBcKvAbPDZQxRFGj88SFmtcwjQ4_s/edit#gid=0
Bulletin Boards
On your bulletin boards, please provide the following information:
- A description of the Performance Task
- Teacher/Class Name
- Standards
- Content/language objectives (if applicable)
- Rubric for the assignment
- Each piece of student work should have the student's name
- Each piece of student work should have (at minimum) a GLOW and a GROW based upon the rubric
For this bulletin board, because of Back to School Night, we should make every effort to make sure that all students are represented on the bulletin board outside the classroom.
HOMEWORK
CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENTS
Classrooms where ELA is taught should include:
- A classroom library that is clearly labeled
- The library should be organized in ways that make sense for the students who will be using it: by genre, some bins by topics/areas of interest, some bins by author, some bins by levels
- A writing center that is clearly labeled and include the tools needed by writers: paper choices, erasers, writing implements, scissors, tape, glue sticks, dictionaries, thesaurus, etc.
- Experience charts that document minilesson teaching points/content and language objectives
- Rubrics/expectations for aspects of reading/writing workshop, reading responses, independent reading, partner discussions, etc.
Classrooms where Math, Science/Social Studies are taught should include:
- A Math Center that is clearly labeled
- The Math Center should include things young mathematicians would need to explore math: pencils, erasers, graph paper, scratch paper, dry erase boards and markers, calculators, manipulatives, rulers, protractors, compasses (?), flash cards, etc.
- Experience charts that document the content students have been exploring in their math, science and social studies classes
- A Science and/or social studies center (both if being taught concurrently, or it can be rotated based upon the unit rotation) with corresponding tools, resource books for science/social studies
- Rubrics/expectations for math responses, short/extended responses
CLASSROOM LIBRARIES
DADS BRING YOUR CHILD TO SCHOOL DAY
BEHAVIOR/DISCIPLINE TASK FORCE
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER FAMILY NEWSLETTER
SCHOOL COUNSELOR VISITS
ICYMI: MORNING ANNOUNCEMENTS
We are exploring some new ways to submit your announcements. For the time-being, if you have something you would like to add to the morning announcements, click on this calendar doc and add it to the morning you would like it announced. Be careful not to type over someone else’s announcement. I know some people had difficulty accessing the document, but I have changed the settings to make sure everyone can edit the file.
ICYMI: Self-portraits
Please remember the plan for all students to complete a self-portrait within the first few weeks of school. Taylor has crafted a plan to get us started, but it will likely mean that it will have to be completed in class (when they have extra time) or at home.
ICYMI: NEW LUNCH ROUTINES
We are still monitoring the efficacy of the new lunch routines; if you have feedback, please be sure to include it in your survey, The idea eventually is for it to allow teachers more time to teach and for their lunch because they won't have to transition the students. Let's watch this week and make a decision whether to continue or discontinue it within the next few weeks.
reminder: WIN BLOCK AND AIS READING Services
Partner teachers and teachers who share the WIN block should submit your plan for splitting students up to me via email for this first round of WIN.
reminder: Mandatory Compliance tRaining
- Hazardous communications
- Blood-borne pathogen
- Sexual harassment
- Prevention and Emergency Response in K-12 Schools -- Altaris.
- Digital Security & Protection
Please see Dr. Mosey's email; they all must be completed by October 4.
TECHNOLOGY TIME THIS WEEK: Class Web Pages
SPLIT LISTS
Please submit your class split list as soon as possible during the first week.
Reminder: HAWK SQUAWKS/POSITIVE CALLS HOME
Along those lines: consider setting a goal for yourself to make a few positive phone calls home by the end of the week. One person suggested making one positive phone call each day right after dismissal. Not only will this help you stay focused on what's right in your classroom (Remember the TEDx Talk?), but it builds bridges with students and families that you can leverage later on when you need support or to gently nudge the student. It's better to already have a positive relationship and to have shared a positive interaction that day when you have to call for something not-so-positive.
IMPORTANT: Literacy Night & BBQ RE-SCHEDULED!!!!!
Sign up HERE to volunteer and to lend a tent! Thank you SO MUCH -- this will be a FANTASTIC event with your cooperation and support!
Remember: AMAZING things are happening every day. celebrate what's RIGHT
To watch the TEDx talk again (and again and again), click the link: CELEBRATE WHAT'S RIGHT WITH THE WORLD
Here are links to two related articles:
7 Reasons Why Your Brain Goes Negative, and How to Go Positive Instead
Reminder: NEW TRIMESTER DATES
As you know, we are moving to trimester this year from quarters. Here are the dates on how those trimesters are being divided up:
1st Trimester: 9/3/19- 11/27/19
2nd Trimester: 12/2/19- 3/20/20
3rd Trimester: 3/23/20- 6/26/20
The assessment pacing guide should be finalizes this week, so stay tuned for more information on that soon.
Reminder: Looking Ahead: Back to School Nights
Grade 5 October 10 at 6:30 PM
We will follow a similar format to last year for our Back-to-School Nights. We will begin with the Meet-n-Greet Fair in the gym, with a brief introduction and welcome by administrators, and then time in the classrooms with teachers. Departmentalized teachers will have to plan to have fewer slides so that parents can move between both classes.