Hope Valley School Weekly Update
March 11, 2022
Survey Works Update
Chariho Budget Information
Our next PTO meeting is on Monday, April 4th and we will have the Director of Administration and Finance for Chariho, Ned Draper, there to review the budget that is set to go to vote on 4/5/22 at the Hopkinton Town Hall from 8 am to 8 pm. Please come listen and ask questions. Overall, there is a 1.95% increase for next year's budget. It is 1.20% for Hopkinton which is the lowest it has been in years.
Please click here to review our FY 23 School Budget Flyer. You will find the top 3 questions for this year's budget, a link to our frequently asked questions document, and a google form to submit any additional questions you may have.
Antigen Testing is Available
Families have the opportunity to get your child COVID-19 tested using the antigen (or rapid) test at school if your child develops symptoms. This is NOT part of our weekly PCR testing. Therefore, if a child is already in the weekly PCR testing, you will also need to complete this form for antigen testing. What is great about this option is that we get the results within 15 minutes.
BY COMPLETING THE GOOGLE FORM LINK BELOW, YOU ARE GIVING CONSENT FOR YOUR CHILD TO PARTICIPATE IN ANTIGEN COVID TESTING AT SCHOOL. CLICK ON THE LINK TO ACCESS THE GOOGLE FORM TO OPT-IN TO ANTIGEN TESTING.
Calendar of Events
MARCH 2022
3/14 - State PD Day for teachers (Asynchronous day for students)
3/14 - Kindergarten Registration will be online (see flyer below)
3/15 - PCR Collection Screening Event
3/17 - Spirit Day for St. Patrick's Day (wear green or festive clothes)
3/18 - Trimester 2 ends
3/21-3/25 - School Spirit Week (see flyer below)
3/22 - PCR Collection Screening Event
3/23 - Early Release Day (AM PreK attends)
3/25 - Report Cards Distributed
3/29 - PCR Collection Screening Event
APRIL 2022
4/4 - PTO Meeting (6:30 in the library)
4/5 - PCR Collection Screening Event
4/5 - Chariho Budget Referendum (Voting will be at the 3 Town Halls)
4/6 - RICAS ELA Testing Session 1 > Grade 3
4/7 - RICAS ELA Testing Session 2 > Grade 3
4/12 - PCR Collection Screening Event
4/12 - RICAS ELA Testing Session 1 > Grade 4
4/13 - RICAS ELA Testing Session 2 > Grade 4
4/15 - No School for students and staff
4/18-4/22 - Spring Recess - No School
4/26 - PCR Collection Screening Event
MAY 2022
5/3 - PCR Collection Screening Event
5/3 - RICAS Math Testing Session 1 > Grade 3
5/4 - RICAS Math Testing Session 2 > Grade 3
5/5 - RICAS Math Testing Session 1 > Grade 4
5/6 - RICAS Math Testing Session 2 > Grade 4
5/9 - PTO Meeting (6:30 in the library)
5/9 - SIT meeting (5:00 in the library)
5/10 - PCR Collection Screening Event
5/11 - State PD Day for teachers (DL day for students)
5/17 - PCR Collection Screening Event
5/18 - Early Release Day (PM PreK attends)
5/24 - PCR Collection Screening Event
5/30 - No School for students and staff
JUNE 2022
6/14 - Field Day (rain date of 6/15)
6/21 - LAST DAY OF SCHOOL (as of 3/1/22)
Kindergarten Registration
Welcome, Class of 2035!
The Chariho Regional School District is beginning Kindergarten Registration on March 14, 2022. Please see our flyer below for more information. You can begin the process by visiting our registration website linked HERE. We have transitioned to electronic registrations. Paper copies are available upon request. If you have any questions please contact Kerri Fisher at Kerri.Fisher@chariho.k12.ri.us or call 401-364-3260.
**For New Chariho Kindergarten Students NOT in a Chariho Preschool program**
For any new student registering for Kindergarten and is NOT in a Chariho PreK program, you will pre-register online starting on March 14th. You will register using our NEW online pre-registration website. Please see the flyer, share the flyer and call our office if you have any questions (401-539-2321).
**For students currently enrolled in the Chariho Preschool program**
Please do not Pre-Register your child if you are in a Chariho Preschool program. Instead, you will need to log into your Parent PowerSchool at PowerSchool Public Portal and complete the form called Intent to attend Kindergarten in Chariho. See the PDF file directly below for directions. If you need assistance with your Parent PowerSchool account, please contact Donna Sunderland at 401-539-2321.
PTO Information & Spirit Week (March 21-25)
Volunteers & Chaperones
The Volunteer Policy states:
The School Committee recognizes that one of the resources of a school is to be found in the people of the community who have interest, time, knowledge, and talents to contribute to school programs. The Committee, therefore, encourages the use of community resources and citizens to assist in improving academic, extracurricular and athletic programs. The Chariho Regional School District screens volunteers to evaluate potential risk of harm to students or staff. Information obtained is not an automatic bar to volunteer work, but is considered in view of all relevant circumstances. All volunteers in the Chariho Regional School District must be at least 18 years of age and must agree to an annual Rhode Island Bureau of Criminal Identification background investigation. Screenings will be conducted at no cost to the volunteer. Also required is a signed Volunteer Protocol form. A list of approved chaperones will be available in each of the District schools and each principal/director shall coordinate the use of school volunteers in his/her building.
School Improvement Team (SIT) Applications
For any community member who is interested in being part of the Hope Valley School Improvement Team, please complete the SIT application by March 31 (link is below).
The purpose of the SIT is to provide input and monitor the School Improvement Plan for continuous improvement based on the District Strategic Plan, data, and feedback provided by school and district-based teams. The SIT will provide voice and an avenue for communication from each building to their school community and the larger district community regarding progress toward the schools strategic goals and objectives. The SIT will also be integral to the participatory governance of the school. You can find more information by reading the policy on the Chariho website.
Click on the link to apply >>>> https://forms.gle/xpy6yY19v8av46QMA
RICAS Testing for Grades 3 & 4
Below is the RICAS testing schedule. A letter went home to all grade 3 and 4 students on March 1st. Please have your child attend school on time on the dates that they test. We will start testing promptly at 9:00 am. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated!
Practice Dates for both 3rd and 4th grades
- March 29 (ELA)
- March 30 (Math)
3rd grade
- ELA April 6th and 7th
- Math May 3rd and 4th
4th grade
- ELA April 12th and 13th
- Math May 5th and 6th
Survey Works Message
Dear Families,
My name is Caleb Grant, and I am a parent here at Hope Valley Elementary School.
Like you, my schedule fills up quickly. There aren’t enough hours in the day for everything I would like to get done, and I know my child often feels the same way, given the many demands on our time.
But our perspective is so important. School leaders need to hear from us, and our voices need to be represented at the table when decisions are being made that impact our kids.
That’s why I’m asking you to please take 20 minutes to do SurveyWorks, Rhode Island’s school culture and climate survey. It’s completely anonymous, but the results can make a huge difference for our school.
The survey window runs through March 31, and here at Hope Valley School, we are encouraged to fill our surveys. You can access the survey at bit.ly/ridefamily and choose Hope Valley School from the dropdown menu.
SurveyWorks asks important questions like how much your child enjoys school, whether or not teachers treat students with respect, and how much the school values diversity. This is information that Hope Valley may not get otherwise, so don’t miss this opportunity to have your voice heard.
Join me in filling out SurveyWorks, and be a partner in your child’s education.
Thank you for your support, and if you have any questions, please reach out to our SurveyWorks Site Coordinator, Cristina D’Agostino at cldag@chariho.k12.ri.us.
Caleb Grant
Hope Valley School Parent & SIT Member
Superintendent's Message
Dear Chariho Community,
As I mentioned in the letter placed in the E update sent out on 2/28, facemasks/coverings are no longer required on school buses or in schools as of today, March 4th after 5 pm. Please keep in mind there are members of our community who will continue to wear masks and we ask that everyone respect individuals' personal decisions on mask-wearing.
Please continue to do the following as your personal responsibility:
Monitor for symptoms and do not send children to school sick
Review the importance of handwashing and sneezing and coughing into elbows to avoid spreading germs
Review the importance of personal space
Individuals who test positive for COVID will isolate at home for 5 days and can return to school on day 6 with the recommendation to wear a mask, as long as symptoms have improved.
RIDOH has explained that universal contact tracing is no longer an optimal strategy to limit COVID 19 and as a result schools will not be contact tracing. This means that it is important that you continue to monitor your child every day for symptoms. Our schools will continue to conduct regular COVID-19 tests of students and staff who have already opted-in for testing to help prevent outbreaks and ensure we can keep our students in school. If you would like to be added to the regular testing list, please contact your child's school for directions on how to opt-in.
If you would like to monitor cases by school please click this link.
Please reach out to your school administrator if you have any questions. Thank you for your continued support of our school community.
Sincerely,
Gina Picard
Superintendent
A link to past issues of the newsletter can be found here as well:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1grxKQ2ZjeBENC4UTdO1b8SwStqKmFqPL?usp=sharing
Nurses Niche
Langworthy Library Presents...
https://langworthylibrary.org/lpl/events/star-reader-challenge/
Invitations for Celebrations Change
Important Reminders
Students Late to School - If you are bringing your child to school late, the expectation is that you come to the front door of the school to sign your child in. For safety reasons, please do not leave your child at the school to walk to the front door by themselves.
Absences - If your child is going to be absent, please call the school office at 401-539-2321. If your child happens to test positive for COVID, PLEASE be sure to email Nurse Tara, Ms. Donna, and Mr. G with that information.
- Nurse Tara: Tara.McAloon@chariho.k12.ri.us
- Ms. Donna: Donna.Sunderland@chariho.k12.ri.us
- Mr. G, Principal: giuseppe.gencarelli@chariho.k12.ri.us
Student Devices - Students in grades 1-4 have devices that MUST go back and forth to and from school everyday. Please ensure your child has his/her charged chromebook on a daily basis.
Snow/DL Day Information - Devices will need to be used if there is a snow day. Please see information regarding DL days for inclement weather days here. The emergency plan used as last resort is linked here as well. In case of a DL day I will be sure to inform parents like I did for the Jan 7th DL day.
Dismissal - Parent pick up for students in K-4 are arriving while prek dismissal is happening. PLEASE be mindful of our pre-school population and do not arrive prior to 3:10. The entire dismissal process for K-4 takes roughly 10-12 min. We have some amazing staff getting our students out quickly and safely.
Peanut & Tree Nut Free School - We continue to be a nut free school which means no peanut butter and no tree nuts including Nutella.
TOYS - Please make sure that your children do not take any toys from home to school. We continue to see an uptick in this and it is causing problems at school.
Identification - PLEASE be sure parents who are picking up children early from school have proper identification with them when they come to the front door. Ms. Donna is not always the one in the office and we must verify who is picking up the children. Thank you for your undivided attention to this request.
Parking at HVES - The parking spots that are numbered in the school lot are for staff ONLY. We are having issues with parents dropping off children in the morning and taking up a staff parking spot which is causing staff members to be late which is becoming problematic. Also, some staff end up getting blocked since we have double parking at the end of the day. If parents need to come to the building, PLEASE either park in front of the school or at Langworthy Field and walk up the stairs to the main front door.
We Are Chariho Newsletter
Hello members of the Chariho community,
Please find a copy of the February issue of the We Are Chariho newsletter here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TnXw86Qyt5J_83Z5aI9qkgjSJdrzw88S/view?usp=sharing
A link to past issues of the newsletter can be found here as well:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1grxKQ2ZjeBENC4UTdO1b8SwStqKmFqPL?usp=sharing
PTO & School Information
Here are the PTO meeting dates for the rest of the year. All parents are welcome to attend any of the PTO meetings. Hope to see you there!
April 4th at 6:30pm
May 9th at 6:30pm
PTO Members
Co-President: Kristin Clarke > kristinc49@aol.com
Co-President: Leah Sousa > leah.sousa@hotmail.com
Treasurer: Stephanie DaPonte > sdaponte14@gmail.com
Secretary: Chloe Morgan > cmako28@yahoo.com
Communication: Chelsea Vandeveer> chelseabaker101@yahoo.com
School Contact Information
School Principal: Giuseppe Gencarelli – Giuseppe.Gencarelli@chariho.k12.ri.us
School Secretary: Donna Sunderland – Donna.Sunderland@chariho.k12.ri.us
School Webpage: https://hopevalley.chariho.k12.ri.us/
School Contact Info: Phone - 401-539-2321 Fax - 401-633-7099
Social Media Outlets
@CharihoRegional
use #HopeValleyHawks
About Hope Valley Elementary School
The mission of the Hope Valley Elementary School is to work in partnership with our colleagues, students and families. We are committed to creating a learning environment where children are expected to achieve their full potential.
Email: ggen@chariho.k12.ri.us
Website: hopevalley.chariho.k12.ri.us
Location: 15 Thelma Drive, Hope Valley, RI, United States
Phone: 401-539-2321
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mr.Gencarelli/?ref=br_rs
Twitter: @MrG_HVES