HILL HAPPENINGS
#HillHasHeart Edition - September 2022
A Note from the Principal
Hello Hill Families,
It's hard to believe that we have been in school for nearly three weeks. We are off to a great start at Hill School. Our students have settled in amazingly well. I'm really proud of all of them!
You can expect a monthly Hill Happenings newsletter from me. Don't forget to also watch for a weekly newsletter from your child's teacher. Please review classroom newsletters weekly for information or questions regarding school activities.
Parent drop-off and pick-up is running smoothly and we appreciate everyone's patience and cooperation! In the morning, it would be helpful if your child was unbuckled holding their backpack, ready to get out of the car to keep our line running smoothly. As a reminder, we ask that you do not get out of your vehicle in the pick-up/drop-off line. This slows the process down. Thank you for using our car signs at dismissal, it certainly helps with expedite our system. Kudos to our Hill School Families!
As we head into the Labor Day weekend, I want to remind you that there is no school on Friday, September 2nd or Monday, September 5th. I hope that you all enjoy the holiday weekend with family and friends.
I sincerely appreciate all of your support as we embark on a wonderful school year together!
Respectfully,
Mrs. Burke, Proud Principal
Welcome Officer Steve Howe
Counselor's Corner
My name is Karen Thompson. I am excited to be the full time counselor at Hill this year! Previously, I was at Hahn Intermediate and taught Art from 1999 to 2018, after which I moved into a counseling position at the middle school. I was also split between the middle school and Hahn as a counselor, then split between Hill and Hahn last year.
Do you want health, happiness and a long life? We all do!
*Social support, being around people, helps us counter stress.
*Being a good friend who listens and helps out when a friend needs assistance can benefit the helper as well.
*Connections with others can give you the confidence you need in a stressful situation.
*Surround yourself with people who are positive and inspire you, the positive benefits go both ways!
Mrs. Thompson
Hill Counselor
MTSS Interventionist/Coach
I’d like to take a moment to introduce myself for those of you who don’t know me. My name is Julie Buzzell and I will be the MTSS (multi-tiered systems of support) interventionist at Hill this year. In this role, I will be analyzing building, classroom and individual student data to determine academic support needs.
Students that come to work with my team and I will attend a reading intervention session outside of regular classroom instruction in a smaller group setting. During these lessons, the children will work on literacy skills at their instructional level. Your child will participate in guided reading, phonics, fluency, comprehension and writing activities. We will be using a RISE model based on Jan Richardson’s framework of study. If your child will work with me for the first session, you will be receiving a letter that states more details about the program.
I am looking forward to the opportunity to work with Hill children at all levels. We will get started as soon as all incoming assessments have been completed.
Mrs. Buzzell
Music Notes from Mrs. DuPrey
My name is Lisa DuPrey and I am the music and STEM teacher here at Hill. I have been teaching at Hill for 16 years. I have two daughters and one son and my oldest two children attend Hill as well. My favorite part about my job is getting to work with the kids and families year after year, and watching the kids grow during their time here.
We are off to a great start in music!!! This week we will begin our aptitude testing in first – fourth grade. Students will take two tests, one focused on tonal passages and the other focused on rhythmic passages. Test scores will not be used for a grade but are used only by me to know how each individual child is progressing in music class. This test is given at the beginning and the end of the year. At the end of the year, I look to see if the scores improved from the start of the year, to see if the kids are absorbing the content in music class. So far, the scores have been outstanding!!! After all aptitude tests are completed, kindergarten, first, second, and third grade will continue working on tonal patterns and rhythm improvisation, and fourth graders will begin their first composition unit!
It's great to be back!
Mrs. DuPrey
Fitness Fun with Mr. Whitman
Welcome back. My name is Mr. Whitman, and I’m excited to be at Hill Elementary for a 9th year teaching Physical Education.
The first few weeks have been spent establishing routines and reviewing our Cardinal Code. First and foremost, I always ask the kids to give their “best effort.” We have spent a lot of time these first few weeks talking about what trying their “best” means and what may cause it to be different from day to day. We also talked a great deal about safety, and what students can do to keep themselves and others safe in the classroom.
Speaking of safety, for the safety of your child and others around them, gym shoes are required for PE class (see class schedule at bottom). Gym shoes are classified as those with either laces, velcro, or some other way that keeps the shoe securely on their feet. Casual slide on shoes or crocs, even if they have a rubber bottom, are not allowed. We hope the students are able to have a shoe that both supports and doesn’t mark the floor up. This has always been a district policy at Davison, so I appreciate your support on this simple matter.
This fall you can expect to hear your child talk about football, soccer, ultimate frisbee, and golf since those are the sports we are focusing on while we can still go outside. I’m excited to be working with your child this school year! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at any time.
2022-2023 PE SChedule
Mrs. Galbreath- Wed/Thurs
Ms. Robertson- Mon/Tues
Ms. Fulcher- Mon/Tues
Mrs. Wright- Wed/Thurs
Mrs. Schaepkens- Mon/Tues
Miss Wheaton- Thurs/Fri
Miss Richards- Thurs/Fri
Mrs. Halverson- Mon/Tues
Mrs. White- Mon/Tues
Ms. Turkovics- Thurs/Fri
Go Cards!
Mr. Whitmanjdwhitman@davisonschools.org
Library Corner - Mrs. Crystal
My name is Denise Crystal, and I am the Media Paraprofessional. Welcome back to school from the Hill Media Center! This week your child checked out their first library book. During library time, we have learned how to take care of our library books.
Along with their library book, your child brought home a note providing book care guidelines, book due dates, etc. Please help enforce these guidelines at home. Also, please help your child remember to return their book(s). They will not be able to check out another book(s) until they return the current book(s) they have checked out.
I look forward to sharing my love of reading with your student!
Happy Reading!
Mrs. Denise Crystal
PTO Updates
- 2022-2023 Officers:
- President: Danielle Wenzel
- VP: Lindsay Brandon
- Treasurer: Autumn Spears
- Secretary: Haily Willford
- Our next two PTO dates are noted below . We'd love for you to join us, and we encourage and welcome any and all ideas/feedback!
- Monday, Sept 12 @ 5:30pm - Hill Elementary
- Wednesday, Oct. 5th @ 5:30pm - Hill Elementary
- Walk-A-Thon update!
- This is our biggest fundraiser of the year! ALL funds collected support classroom/teacher needs, educational programs and apps, field trips, assemblies and programs like Science Alive, and much more! We are continuing to save for new playground equipment (our goal is $50k) for a great piece of new playground equipment and installation! Just a few weeks left to collect your donations, and there are some amazing prizes up for grabs! All money is due by September 14th to qualify for prizes!
- Upcoming Dates/Events:
- Walk-A-Thon: September 16th
- First Popcorn Day: September 30th
- Harvest Day (more info TBA): October 7th
Cardinal Code Expectations
The start of each new school year brings a review of school and classroom procedures. In Davison we teach our students the Cardinal Code. The Cardinal Code is a positive behavior support for students in which certain behaviors are expected, taught and insisted upon. For those students having difficulty following the Cardinal Code, teachers and staff work with students and parents to assist in learning and following the code.
For those new to Davison Community Schools, the Cardinal Code “CARDS” stands for ... Courteous, Attentive, Respectful, Dependable, and Supportive of Our School.
A matrix of the code and behavior expected in specific areas of the school can be found in the DCS Student/Parent HANDBOOK.
Birthdays
Intersession 1.0 is going to be out of this world!
Intersession 1.0
Walk~A~Thon
ALICE Drill and Training
Davison Community Schools has implemented a federally endorsed safety protocol called ALICE to train staff and students in what to do in the unlikely event of an armed intruder. This training encourages staff and students to respond based on their situation, rather than rely on centralized instructions in dynamic times of crisis.
ALICE stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate:
● Alert – inform people of the threat, giving as much information as possible.
● Lockdown – Students and staff can choose to lockdown and barricade the room that they are in if they determine that it is not safe to evacuate.
● Inform – pass on as much information as possible to others and to First Responders, including calling 911.
● Counter – an effort of last resort, if an armed intruder is able to get into the space they are in, individuals can counter with distraction or other tactics. Staff are being trained to use every effort, instead of relying on the traditional lockdown and hide response.
● Evacuate – If it is safe to do so, all are encouraged to evacuate the building, and remove themselves from the threat.
ALICE is not intended to be a checklist of things to do. It is a list of choices, with accompanying strategies that are options for our staff to help themselves and students stay safe in the highly unlikely event of an armed intruder. We believe that all of our school buildings are the safest place for our students to be. Just like practicing what we should do in a fire, we want to be sure that we will know what to do if an armed intruder is in the school. All of Davison schools are equipped with a number of safeguards, some seen and others unseen, to keep our students safe. Hill staff and students are scheduled for a Lockdown (ALICE) drill on September 14th. State law requires all schools to conduct three lockdown drills a year. The first drill of the school year is always announced. Davison Community Schools Liaison Officer, Matt Giguere assists in conducting these drills at Hill. Staff will share what they have learned with our students in an age appropriate way, and teach them the ALICE procedures through the course of the year. We want our children to be prepared for everything, including if an unsafe person was to enter our school. Teachers and staff will take the principles and tactics taught in the ALICE training and present the information in non-fearful, empowering ways. We will take into account a children’s developmental readiness to ensure that students feel safe and have opportunities to talk about their feelings and reactions. There is no plan to have simulated shooters in our buildings while students are learning about ALICE. All learning will be staff directed and student-centered. It is our recommendation that parents engage in age appropriate conversations with their child or children following all safety drills. Should a parent have a specific question please contact your child's building principal.
Attendance Line - Available 24/7
Transportation Tags
Recess
Trading Items
Mark your calendar:
Friday, September 2nd - No School
Monday, September 5th - Labor Day
Monday, Sept. 12 - 16 - Homecoming Spirt Week
Monday 9/12: Space Jammy: PJ day
Tuesday 9/13: Black Out the Universe Day
Wednesday 9/14: Wear your favorite Outer-Sports Team Jersey
Thursday 9/15: Shine like a Star Neon /Tie-dye
Friday 9/16: Paint the Galaxy Maroon and Gold
Monday, September 12th - PTO Mtg in our Media Center
Wednesday, September 14th - Walk-A-Thon fundraiser forms and money are due to qualify for prizes
Friday, September 16th - Walk-A-Thon
Wednesday, September 21 - Early Release Dismissal @ 1:28 PM
Friday, September 23 - Progress reports sent home
Wednesday, September 28 - Table of Honor, Science Alive
Friday, September 30 - Intersession Registration Ends, Popcorn Friday (Free to all students)
Safety Patrol
Safety Patrol is an important leadership role for our 4th grade students at Hill School. In order to be selected as a member of safety patrol, students must be a model of Cardinal Code behavior. They need to keep up on their school work, have good attendance, lead by example, maintain a positive attitude, show respect to others, and follow directions the first time. Congratulations to our Team 1 of students who have been selected as safety patrol for the first marking period: Brooks Horwath, Kaylyn Piger, Brooklyn Lambaria, Noah Wheaton, Margaret Cournoyer, Charlie Thompson, Joaquin Ascensio, Niah Minto, Paige Oliver, Jayden Spaunburg-McLilly, Aiden Bruce, Nova Verdusco!
Positive Office Referrals
Congratulations to the winners of the 2022-23 City of Davison Ground Water Protection Calendar
Capturing Sweet Moments
Davison Community Schools: "Where kids come first and futures begin"
Connect with Hill Elementary
Email: jburke@davisonschools.org
Website: https://www.davisonschools.org/
Location: 404 Aloha Street, Davison, MI, USA
Phone: 910-591-0839
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DavisonCardinals/
Twitter: @proud_principal