Hawthorne Families and Community:

We are in our final stretch of the school year. With around 30 days of the year remaining, we hope you take some time to reflect on all the growth and positive gains your students have made this year. I continue to be so impressed with the endurance and resiliency our students demonstrate each and every day. Hawthorne continues to shine brightly because of our staff, our students, and the strong community which works to support all our efforts on behalf of students. I look forward to ending this year strong and proud! Thank you for your support over the last few years. We have endured some difficult times together and I truly believe the community has grown close and strong as a team.

This past week we celebrated our teachers with Teacher Appreciation week. Parent Council arranged for; Sunday evening-decorating outside, Monday-sweet breakfast treats baked by Camila (yum), Tuesday-TACO TRUCK! (yum again), Wednesday-flowers, Thursday-Dine and Drinks sponsored by Parent Council, Friday-parade. We love our Parent Council and the family support. Thank you for honoring us all this week.

Students in grades 3-5 have worked so diligently on the SBAC assessment over the past two weeks. Near the end of the month, all students will complete their spring assessments in iReady and/or Acadience for grades K and 1. This final benchmark measure will give us a great final picture of how much growth our students have made over the year. We are excited to celebrate with them and will be sending home Report Cards the last day of school, June 8th. Remember, students are out at noon the last day of school.

Finally, I continue to hold high expectations of students joining us at school each day and on time. Attendance matters and the habits we form now will support us in the future. It will be important to stay involved and aware of all the happenings this month. It is sure to go fast and be busy!

Hang on tight. Thank you for another wonderful year and for sharing your student(s) with us!

Respectfully,

Justine Alberts

We are still in need of volunteers for the Hawthorne Carnival! We hope you are able to join us and help out with this evening of Family Fun.

STAFFING UPDATES:

• At the end of this year we will say goodbye to Miss Hannah, Ms. Torske, Ms. A, and Miss Shea as our paraprofessional supports. They were hired as overage/temporary positions. We are thankful for all they did to make Hawthorne home this year.
• Corissa Hamper has taken a position at Capital High School in the Counseling Department. We wish her all the best as she moves into her new role- the CHS team is so very lucky and we will miss her so much. I am working with Mrs. Klock on filling this position and this will be announced once we do.
• Shelly Maag has taken a position with the County Health Department and will be leaving us at the end of this year. Shelly has been such a great addition to our staff and will be missed. No announcement has been made regarding who will fill this position.
• Tara Ferriter-Smith has served Hawthorne as our Instructional Coach this past year and has done a stellar job. Because non-title schools will say goodbye to their coaches, Tara will pursue personal interests as a consultant. She will still be supporting schools and districts, which is such important work. We will miss her support and seeing her smile each day.
• Finally, Mrs. Morrison will transfer to Smith Elementary and Hawthorne will go back to a half time librarian position. Mrs. Morrison has done so much to support our Hawthorne community these past three years. She is another face that will be deeply and dearly missed. At this time, no announcement has been made regarding who will fill the position.

MOVING? As we look into planning for next year, please notify Ms. Mitchell in the front office if you are moving and/or if you child will not be attending Hawthorne next school year. Additionally, we respectfully request you update addresses and phone numbers if this is something which applies to your family. Thank you for keeping us informed.

CLASSROOM PLACEMENT REQUESTS- As I start looking into classroom placements for students next year, I recognize that families may have information which merits consideration and can be relevant to classroom assignments; I welcome your input. This being said, parental requests based on personal preference or without direct bearing to the educational process, will not be considered. I will be considering information regarding your child's learning style, strengths, needs, and other pertinent information. There are class placement request forms in the front office- please ask Ms. Mitchell for the form and submit them for consideration no later than May 19, 2023. Class lists will be finalized over the summer and posted in August and I will not be making any changes to the lists after they are posted. Please also know that staffing is subject to enrollment changes, so requests should always be made based on your student, not the teacher.

CLASSROOM SECTIONS: 2 straight Kindergarten classes, 2 straight first grade classes, 2 straight second grade classes, a straight third grade class, a 3/4 combination class, a 4/5 combination class, and a straight fifth grade class. Our teacher assignments will stay the same.

• Playground Supervision- Supervision begins at 8AM each day and ends at 2:45 on Monday and 3:30 Tuesday-Friday. We understand this may be problematic for some families with work schedules, but ask you do not drop your child off on the playground before that time as we will not have supervision due to contractual hours of staff.
• Monday is early release- Students are released at 2:30 for teacher PLC time.
• Contact Information- Please ensure your contact information is up-to-date. Contact Ms. Carly in the front office if you have a change in address, phone numbers, or emergency contacts throughout the year. Also, give us a call to report your child's absence- cmitchell@helenaschools.org or 324-1370
• Inclement Weather and Air Quality- We continually monitor the air quality for unhealthy conditions and subzero temperatures. When "unhealthy for all groups" or "red" status is reached OR weather below zero, we refrain from spending our recesses outdoors. http://svc.mt.gov/deq/todaysair/AirDataMap.aspx
• Transportation- First Student provides transportation services for the Helena Public Schools. Please register via their link or visit them to discuss transportation needs for the upcoming year. https://helenaschools.org/departments/transportation/parent-portal/
• School begins promptly at 8:30 AM! If you are arriving after 8:30, please walk your child to the front office to sign them in. This is required.
• If a student arrives after 8:30 until 9:00am they will be marked tardy
• Between 9am-noon they will be absent for the morning
• If a student is checked out before 2:45pm they will be marked absent for the afternoon.
• If your child will be absent for a full day or any portion of the day, please call the main office.
• If we cannot verify a child’s absence, then you will receive an automated phone call letting you know your child has an unverified absence.
• Finally, you must sign out your student if they are leaving for any reason and sign them back in if they return during the school day.

Thanks to Miss Florence for the wonderful idea. The last week in June's "Chef Choices" will be decided by our Hawthorne 5th graders 😊

MAY

• 1-5th- Teacher Appreciation Week
• 5th-School Lunch Hero Day
• 5th-Vigilante Day
• 10th- School Nurses’ Day
• 10th-Hawthorne 5th grader family night at CRA
• 10th- Parent Council at 12
• 12th-School Carnival
• 14th-Mother's Day
• 16th-Day of Awesomeness 1-3
• 15th and 17th-Kinder Jumpstart
• 18th-SLP Day
• 29th- NO SCHOOL

JUNE

• 2nd- BBQ 11:45-12:35
• 6th- Field Day 1-3
• 7th-5th Grade Celebration Day
• 8th-Last Day of School

Parent Council will have their final meeting of the year on May 10th. We will be voting in new board members, welcoming our new Hawthorne Principal, Mrs. Klock, and finalizing all the end-of-year activities.

The Lewis & Clark Library presents the 2023 Summer Library Program (SLP), June 1st – July 31st. Sign up online for the Reading Challenge! There are numerous craft and STEM activities throughout the summer for all ages. More information and a calendar of events can be found at: https://www.lclibrary.org/455/Summer-Library-Program

The first official event is a Bike Parade on Saturday, June 3. Decorate your bike, scooter, or stroller with ribbons, streamers, and more! The Book Bike will lead the way through the Walking Mall to celebrate the start of the 2023 Summer Library Program. Snacks and drinks will be provided. Don't forget your helmet! Decoration supplies will be available in the Large Community Room starting at 11:00 AM. The Parade begins at 2:00 PM.

Summer SACC Registration Lottery:

Starting May 1 email Jamie at jmerrill@helenaschools.org with 1. Parents’ name and contact information 2. Child’s name, grade in Fall 2023, and school 3. Which weeks you would like to register for.

Lottery application is open May 1-12. You will be notified of your spot starting on May 17. You will have one week to accept or decline your offer. Emails sent before May 1 will be deleted.

For more information please see the SACC page of the District website.

Consider following our Facebook page for photos of our Hawks in action.

https://www.facebook.com/hawthorneelementaryparentcouncil

Email: jalberts@helenaschools.org
Website: https://hawthorne.helenaschools.org/
Location: 430 Madison Avenue, Helena, MT, USA
Phone: 406-324-1370
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hawthorneelementaryparentcouncil

Hawthorne Elementary- Home of the Strong Minds and Gentle Hearts

Mission Statement -- Our Purpose

Hawthorne Elementary collaborates with students, staff, and the external community to provide a vibrant and robust education for all students by working to educate the whole child through infusion of culturally responsive teaching and learning. In addition to providing a safe and inclusive environment for students to grow, Hawthorne highlights each student’s abilities as a unique learner and individual person with the ultimate goal of instilling a love of learning and a sense of belonging that will follow students in future educational endeavors.

Vision and Guiding Principles

• Hawthorne honors the needs of students and provides opportunities for children to be children- to play, work through social encounters with support, and keep active learning a part of the academic day.
• Hawthorne staff and students collaborate with all stakeholders to build a sense of community, so students connect learning to real-world experiences.
• Hawthorne staff, students and community members work together to support our neighborhood school in building active and productive citizens of the future.
• Hawthorne students are engaged in high-level thinking and supported in accessing rigorous content to help students reach proficiency in all content areas and standards.
• Hawthorne supports student’s social-emotional learning and growth, providing them with many tools to support their independent sense of belonging, self-awareness, and ability to self-regulate.