Hope Valley School WEEKLY UPDATE
Friday, March 5, 2021
Calendar of Events
March 2021
3/8 - PTO Meeting at 6:30pm (Virtual) - PTO ZOOM Link
3/8 - SIT Meeting at 4:00pm (Virtual) - Agenda is on the HV webpage
3/9 - School Committee Meeting - Agenda Link
3/10 - Early Release Day (students dismissed at 12:45)
3/15 - State Professional Development Day (Virtual Learning for All)
3/17 - Early Release Day (students dismissed at 12:45)
3/19 - Trimester 2 Ends
3/23 - School Committee Meeting - Agenda Link (more info below)
3/24 - Early Release Day (students dismissed at 12:45)
3/26 - Report Cards Issued
3/31 - Last day to complete Survey Works (see information below)
Attestation Self-Check Site: https://ps.chariho.k12.ri.us/public/
Chariho Parent Virtual and Concurrent Learning Site
It is IMPERATIVE that families are monitoring their children for symptoms. We are still in the middle of a pandemic and we need to continue to be watchful. No one with any symptoms should be coming to school.
SurveyWorks
How to Complete the Survey: Visit http://bit.ly/ridefamily (click on the link) and choose your school from the dropdown list. Currently we are at 41% participation. We need to get more people to complete the survey to get to our target number of 60%. If we get to that magic number, the children will have an outdoor DJ party with the famous DJ Jazzy G.
Very Important: When you click on the survey link above, you will have to choose your child’s school from the dropdown menu. There will be two options for Hope Valley School. You will see Hope Valley Elementary School (Chariho) and Hope Valley Elementary School Annex (Chariho). All families of pre-school children MUST use Hope Valley School ANNEX and all families of children in grades K-4 will use Hope Valley Elementary School. RIDE had to separately identify the two schools a few years ago. Thank you.
Wednesday, Mar 31, 2021, 12:00 AM
Online - See link below
RI State Testing for Grades 3 & 4
Earlier this week teachers sent home a parent letter regarding RICAS State Testing. In case you did not see the informational letter, you can click on the link below to view it. Mrs. Pastore, Miss Girton, and Mr. G have been planning for RICAS testing since the end of January. It is very important that you take time to carefully read the parent letter (first link) which includes dates and times of testing. If you have any questions, please email Mrs. Pastore and Mr. G.
To DL Families only:
If you are a family with Distance Learners, please complete the quick survey link below. Your input is very much appreciated so we can plan ahead without any glitches. Thank you!
** DL Parents ONLY - Complete this RICAS Survey Link by March 12 (earlier the better)
Mr. G's Top 10 Reasons for In-Person Learning
For your child's social emotional health (this is my biggest worry). Holding kids at home will drastically increase their anxiety and decreases the way they communicate with peers and adults.
- Much easier for teachers to engage with your child in person than through a computer screen and actually allows your child to have LESS screen time.
Offers less distractions. In actuality, distance learning requires much more discipline and self-motivation to stay on task. Here are some of my observations with students on distance learning: students not as engaged, students not motivated, students not working to their potential, students eating or playing with their pet during live instruction, and lastly parents showing frustration with their child.
Helps the teacher see first-hand if the class is learning at the same pace and what he/she has to do to help any student who needs extra support.
Allows the teacher to help the student right there in the moment.
Allows for face to face interaction with teacher and students.
There have been very few cases at the school (less than 1%). We have great systems in place at school to mitigate the risk (i.e., open windows for ventilation, large HEPA filters, mask wearing, stable pods, and cleaning protocols)
Gives children the opportunity to play and interact with their friends.
Provides more hands-on experiences.
Allows the teacher to motivate, encourage, and supervise the children.
How To Register for In-Person Learning
Please complete the online form (link is below) by March 8th ONLY if you plan for your Distant Learning child to return to school for the third trimester (3/22/2021 or sooner if you prefer). If you want to leave things status quo then you do not have to do anything.
Click here to access the Link to the Google Form (complete by March 8th).
School Improvement Team (SIT)
School Improvement Team Application Link
Purpose of the School Improvement Team (SIT)
The purpose of the SIT is to provide input on and monitoring of the School Improvement Plan for continuous improvement based on the District Strategic Plan, data, and feedback provided by school and district-based teams such as the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support teams, the District Curriculum Planning Committee, and the Health and Wellness Committee. 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 our strategic goals and objectives. The SIT will also be integral to the participatory governance of the school.
Duties of the School Improvement Teams
- The SIT, including the principal, lead teacher, shall meet regularly and shall assist in the identification of the educational needs of the students attending the school; make recommendations to the principal for the development, implementation, and assessment of a curriculum accommodation plan; and shall assist in the review of the annual school budget and in the formulation of a school improvement plan (SIP), as provided below.
- The SIT will support the principal in establishing an interview team for vacancies of teachers and education support professionals assigned to the school. Interview teams shall include members of the school community related to the vacancy, and may include members of the SIT.
- The principal of each school, in consultation with the SIT established pursuant to this policy, shall, on an annual basis, develop and submit to the Superintendent a plan for improving student performance (SIP). The Superintendent shall review and approve the plan, after consultation with the School Committee. Plans shall be prepared in a manner and form prescribed by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and shall conform to any policies and practices of the District consistent therewith. If the Superintendent does not approve a plan submitted by the principal, the plan shall be returned to the principal who shall, after consultation with the SIT, resubmit the plan to the Superintendent who shall review and approve the resubmitted plan after consultation with the School Committee.
Kindergarten Registration
Information from Superintendent Picard
Superintendents March Update - click here
March 9- Health and Wellness Sub Committee 4 pm-Use this link to register to attend the meeting. Agendas are posted 48 hours prior to the meeting per the Open Meetings Act. Agendas can be found on our Website by selecting the District Information tab, clicking the Calendar Section, and locating the date of the meeting as well as on the Secretary of State’s website.
3/23 School Committee Meeting Agenda - As you are aware, the School Committee voted to pursue the first option to build one large elementary school for all of Chariho. At the 3/23 School Committee meeting, the Chariho Regional School District Committee is requesting an extension of time to submit its Stage II Application more than one year after preliminary approval specific to the Council on Elementary and Secondary Education Regulation pertaining to the submittal of the Stage II Application within one year of the preliminary approval. The capital improvement plan in Chariho’s Stage II Application is to replace four elementary schools with one regional elementary school. The agenda is directly below this section.
Life Changer Award
Life Changer of the Year!
Did you know that Hope Valley School has NOT 1, NOT 2 but 3, yes, 3 teacher’s who have been nominated for the life changer of the year award?!!!
This is a nationwide award with over 700 nominees. In the next few months those 700 will be narrowed down to the final 16. The 16 winners will get a stipend for the school and also for themselves! You can help our Hope Valley Community by taking a minute to see what people have to say about these amazing educators and perhaps leaving a comment of your own! Click on the nominees name or scan the QR code! You can also help by mentioning these teachers on twitter or facebook using the hashtag #LCOY
You can click right on the teacher's picture below and it will take you to the teacher's page so you can leave a comment or click on the links directly below.
Support Mrs. Mankoff
Support Mrs. Abbott
Support Mrs. Mello
When can a child access DL?
We are running into issues where families are trying to access DL for reasons other than what's listed below. There are district guidelines and expectations for Distance Learning. Students cannot simply just move to DL, there must be a valid reason. So, please know that if your child is registered for in-person learning, the ONLY time they should be accessing distance learning is:
- if they have symptoms,
- are in quarantine/isolation,
- the class/district/school is placed on distance learning per the district/school administration, or
- DL was the learning scenario they registered for T2.
If a student does access DL when they are an in-person learner, and it is not for one of the reasons noted above, the student will be marked absent for the day.
Social Media Outlets
@CharihoRegional
use #HopeValleyHawks
Tik Tok
Social Media
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: @JoeGencarelli1
Survey Works
Pleas take a few minutes to complete this important survey. Currently we have 38% participation. We need to get to 60% participation for students to have their outdoor live DJ Party with DJ Jazzy G.
- Visit http://bit.ly/ridefamily (click on the link)
- Choose your school from the dropdown list. (** See the important note below to make sure you are taking the correct survey for the grade level your child attends.)
- Complete the survey.
** Very Important: When you click on the survey link above, you will have to choose your child’s school from the dropdown menu. There will be two options for Hope Valley School. You will see Hope Valley Elementary School (Chariho) and Hope Valley Elementary School Annex (Chariho). All families of pre-school children MUST use Hope Valley School ANNEX and all families of children in grades K-4 will use Hope Valley Elementary School. RIDE had to separately identify the two schools a few years ago. Thank you.