Principal Pattiey's Post
Some thoughts for the starting school year
Edition #5
Principal Pattiey's Post
September 10, 2023
Hello Woodsy Owls!,
We are diving deep into our learning now and so excited to be doing it together. All classes have begun (and many have finished) the beginning of year assessments to determine just where each little brain is currently at on their path to learning.
I want to thank all of our volunteer moms, dad, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and community members. We realize that jumping through hoops of getting fingerprinted and completing a TB screening is time consuming, but keeping our children safe and tended to is priceless. I just want to say THANK-YOU. Your kiddos love seeing you there helping out, and the staff of SHS appreciate your helpful hands more than we can even express.
Attendance
Why Does Attendance Matter?
Every school day counts in a child's academic life...
A missed school day is a lost opportunity for students to learn. In this era of increased accountability for states, districts, and schools, the connection between student attendance and learning is being studied more than ever before. As a result, education agencies are asked with increasing frequency to report attendance data in a standard manner to allow comparisons across organizations and jurisdictions.
The primary rationale for high-quality attendance data is the relationship between student attendance and student achievement. Teacher effectiveness is the strongest school-related determinant of student success, but chronic student absence reduces even the best teacher's ability to provide learning opportunities. Students who attend school regularly have been shown to achieve at higher levels than students who do not have regular attendance. This relationship between attendance and achievement may appear early in a child's school career. A recent study looking at young children found that absenteeism in kindergarten was associated with negative first grade outcomes such as greater absenteeism in subsequent years and lower achievement in reading, math, and general knowledge.
This is the beginning of an article on the The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) website. This is the primary statistical agency of the U.S. Department of Education. You can read the entire article here https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2009/attendancedata/chapter1a.asp
For those times when you just have to have your kiddo out of school, please consider arranging an independent study. We can only do these for five or more days; however, we are always willing to put homework together for shorter trips. While you will still have an unexcused absence, your child will stay on track and not fall behind their classmates. This can help your child feel ready to return and not worried about all they have missed.
If you have any questions about independent study or the rules behind it, send me a ParentSquare, and I will be glad to answer the questions I can and to find out the answers for the questions I don't have answers to.
Campus Safety
Starting Monday September 11, we need all non-students entering the campus to check in at the office. We are hopeful that your student is back into (or into for the first time) the groove of school and ready to be a big kid and walk themselves to their classroom. If not or you are helping them carry something large to their classroom, please just pop in the office and get a visitor's sticker. This includes all parts of the campus including (but not limited to) the cafeteria, the kindergarten playground, and the general quad area. Thanks for understanding that we are doing this to keep all students safe at all times.
Remember, it takes a village and we are glad you are part of ours!
Principal Pattiey
First Responders Tribute - September 11, 2023
On Monday morning at 8:30, Sierra Hills School will briefly meet at the flagpole. The flag will be at half-mast. We will sing the national anthem, recite the pledge, observe a moment of silence out of respect for first responders everywhere, and sing the Sierra Hills Song. It will be brief, but it will help remind all of us how lucky we are to live in this great country that is taken care of by such brave people, both military and first responders.
Safety Drills
On Tuesday, September 12th, we will be practicing our schoolwide safety drills. We will have an earthquake drill, a lockdown drill (animal on campus drill), and a fire drill. These drills will be preceded by the teachers each giving very age appropriate explanations of these drills. Great care is ALWAYS given to keep the anxiety low and focus on safety and being prepared and not allowing it to breed fear in the children. You can help us by letting your child know that their #1 job in an emergency is always to listen to their teacher. "This is the adult that mommy, daddy, and the entire family trust to keep you safe, so always listen and follow their directions." If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me. These drills are practiced to ensure we all know what to do in case of emergency. The bus evacuation drill will be practiced some time in the coming days as well.
PHEF BBQ & Brew on September 30, 2023
SCRIP
What a fabulously easy way our PTC is helping us earn money for our students and all of the wonderful programs here at Sierra Hills Elementary. Add the RaiseRight app to your phone, register, and starting helping us raise money.
This is a great way to shop at all of your regular stores and have them contribute to us here at SHS. Simply register for Sierra Hills Elementary. Then prior to shopping at the store, purchase ELECTRONIC SCRIP through the app, and then use the app to pay for your goods.
If you are needing more information, just send Principal Pattiey a quick ParentSquare message with your phone number, and she will connect you with someone that can walk you through it. I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to use the first time I used it.
Staff Who Give a Hoot!!
Sierra Hills School Has the Best Parent-Teacher Club EVER!
Huge Kudos to our Woodsy Owl Parents for their safe driving.
Thank-you so much for all of your patience on student pick-up. We really appreciate those of you waiting in the sometimes very long line. Please make sure that if you are parking and walking in that you do not block cars, double park, or park in non parking areas. This can create quite a mess and frustrate people driving from the pick-up line that are trying to exit the parking lot.
Conference are coming up the first week in October. This is a different time than past years. Please keep your eye on this newsletter in the coming weeks for more information.
I hope you all have a great week.
Principal Pattiey