Deer Families
Deer Hill School News . January 10, 2020
Dear Deer Hill Families,
Happy New Year! It was wonderful to welcome our students back to school last week as we enter a new decade.
On a personal level or even publicly on social media, many practice a New Year’s ritual of choosing a word to help define their path in the new year. Similar to a New Year’s resolution but more broad, choosing this word can help achieve focus and purpose in many aspects of life. For many years I’ve made a choice, yet I’ll be honest that I’ve always landed on the exact same word, “grace”. However, this year I’ve decided to shake things up a bit and have selected “joy” as my word. On a professional level, this was in part inspired by and article entitled Leading with Joy: The Influential Role of a Principal by William L. Sterrett and Sabrina Hill-Black. Their article highlights the many ways that a principal can engage staff, students, and the community in creating a positive school culture where everyone is swimming in the same direction. By taking a few minutes to read this article, I hope that you’ll have more insight into what I value as a principal and how I navigate my days. To me, seeking joy does not mean wearing rose-colored glasses but rather accepting challenges with a positive mindset and collaborative spirit. I am grateful every day for the opportunity to work with such talented staff, such bright students, and such a supportive community. There is much joy to be found in that.
I wish you a wonderful 2020!
All the best,
Alex Sullivan
Principal, Deer Hill School
P.S. Our next newsletter will be published on January 24, 2020.
The Read A Thon Blasts Off!
Today we launched our Read A Thon with a kickoff assembly. Whether you choose to swing, twist, disco, moonwalk, or Macarena your way into a good book, students brought down the house with both their talents and enthusiasm for reading. Acts included MC Hammer's blockbuster hit "Can Read This" and the 1950's classic, "Read Around the Clock." Even staff got into the act (The Backstreet Girls have limited engagements in the area however, so it was a one-night only event!) We look forward to many minutes read over the remaining weeks in January. Our closing ceremonies will be held on February 5th.
Rosie's Place Update
As mentioned in our last newsletter, Deer Hill students continued a long tradition of knitting hats to donate to Rosie’s Place. This week, Mrs. Berman received a handwritten, heartfelt thank you from the director of this program. What a wonderful way for students to be recognized for the contributions to others. While the clothesline may currently be bare, students are already busily at work on hats for next years donation!
PSO and CEF Grant Awards
Deer Hill School is incredibly grateful for the generosity of the grants awarded to our school through our PSO and CEF. Six PSO grants were funded this year including books and supplemental materials for our Health class curriculum, resources to support our SEL program, Zones of Regulation, and materials for the projects related to the town-wide 250th celebration. Students will also benefit from new playground equipment and a well-organized and stocked STEAM lab. Lastly, the PSO granted partial funding of Story Pirates, an interactive assembly that creates plays from student writing. Two CEF grants were funded this cycle as well: “Sensory Paths” which will support opportunities for students to take structured movement breaks in our hallways, and “Connecting Coding in the Classroom” which will provide curriculum integrated opportunities for students and professional development for teachers in the area of coding. Thank you to the PSO, the CEF, and the staff members who submitted these grants and will implement them on behalf of our students!
PSO Meetings: Your Input Is Appreciated
The PSO and I would like to hear from you! If you are on the PSO email list, you recently received a survey asking for your input on the topics of our future PSO meetings this year. I’m happy to share the link with you here as well. Please click on the image below. We value your thoughts and want to ensure that we’re addressing topics that are important to you!
After School Enrichment
Our After School Enrichment Program (ASE) has been a huge success and the 2nd session will begin on January 22nd. Forms were due to school no later than today and students will be notified shortly if they have secured a spot in their requested activities. For your reference, here are the dates where ASE will meet this session.
Wednesday dates: January 22nd, 29th; February 5th, 12th, 26th; March 4th
Thursday dates: January 23rd, 30th; February 6th, 13th, 27th; March 5th
Deer Hill Dates
Read A Thon: 1.10.20 - 1.31.20
No School: 1.20.20; Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Deck Out In Your Favorite Decade Spirit Day: 1.24.20
Early Dismissal, Staff PD: 1.24.20, 12:40
Read A Thon Closing Ceremonies: 2.5.20
Early Dismissal, Staff PD: 2.7.20, 12:40
School Council: 2.13.20, 3:00
Read Your Heart Out Day: 2.14.20
February Break: 2.17.20 - 2.21.20
Flyers of Interest
Deer Hill School
Alexandra L. Sullivan, Principal
Email: alsullivan@cohassetk12.org
Website: https://www.cohassetk12.org/
Location: 208 Sohier St., Cohasset, MA, USA
Phone: 781-383-6115
Twitter: @DeerHillSchool