DAVIS HILL COMMUNITY UPDATE
September 17, 2018
I hope that everyone is enjoying their weekend! Perfect weather for family activities. Busy week ahead at Davis Hill. Check out the update below.
Have a great Sunday!
Kindly,
Jay C. Norton, Principal
*Don't forget to read through the entire update... there are always more dates in the Upcoming Events Section. If you have any questions/ concerns- please don't hesitate to contact me/ the office.
Highlighted Events/ Information
BUS EVACUATION DRILL
Meet 'n Greet
This year we are trying something new at Davis Hill in place of the Curriculum Night. Instead of a formal meeting for parents only- we are asking families to come meet your child’s teacher, classroom friends, and other parents.
Your child can give you a tour of their classroom, chat with other parents and students, and introduce you to their teacher.
Please be aware that there are many students and families that the teachers will need to meet and this is not the time to conduct a conference.
Grades 3-5 Meet 'n Greet will be held on Wednesday, September 19th from 6:00-6:30PM.
NOTE: I will be sending out a survey for families (we will also be surveying our staff) to gather feedback about this change. Keep a look out next week.
PTA MEETING
Reminder, please attend our first PTA meeting of the year on Wednesday, Sept. 19, at 6:30 pm in the Community Room (note the correct date is the 19th - right after the grade 3-5 Meet&Greet). Babysitting will be available.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT HALF-DAY ON THURSDAY-12:20 DISMISSAL
HALF-DAY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY
Thursday, September 20th is a half-day for Davis Hill Students. All Davis Hill Teachers will be taking part in building based Professional Development focused on emergency planning and supporting differentiated instruction through our WIN (What I Need) schedule block.
Please note the following:
-Dismissal will be at 12:20 for all students (AM kindergarten will dismiss at 12:20).
-There is NO PM kindergarten on Thursday.
-There is NO Holden Recreational Department After School Program on Thursday.
-For students who typically attend the After School Program, I do request that parents send a note in with their child confirming their dismissal plans for the half-day. This is incredibly helpful for the teachers/ office staff and reduces our need to make phone calls verifying dismissal plans. Students who typically attend the After School Program will be sent home according to their assignment in PowerSchool if no notification is received.
-Notes should also be sent in for any students who will have a change to their typical dismissal routine for Thursday.
-AM Kindergarten students will be dismissed with all students and go home at 12:20. If you have a question regarding dismissal for your AM Kindergarten child, please contact your child’s teacher and/ or write a note regarding the dismissal routine for Thursday.
*NOTE
The WRSD and Davis Hill will once again be serving lunch on half-days this school year. Please see the lunch menu link on our website if you are interested in purchasing lunch on these days. All students (whether buying lunch or not) will be provided a time to eat in the cafeteria on half-days.
MISC. ITEMS OF NOTE
LAST CALL FOR THESE REMINDERS
EMERGENCY CARDS-PLEASE RETURN
A general reminder to all families to please return your Emergency Cards that were sent home the first week of school. If you don’t believe you received one-please contact your child’s teacher. It is important that these are returned as soon as possible.
CORI
A reminder that any non-employee adult that enters school to volunteer/ chaperone (except for assemblies) must have a current CORI (Criminal Offense Records Information) completed. (CORI’s expire every 3 years.) Please ensure that when you are in the building, you are wearing your badge and it is visible. We appreciate your support in keeping our school safe!
HANDBOOK/ POLICIES
Please make sure that you have reviewed Davis Hill’s Handbook and signed off that you have reviewed it on the PowerSchool Parent Portal.
I have attached a link to the Handbook for convenience:
http://www.wrsd.net/handbooks/DHHandbook.pdf
OFFICE DISMISSALS
We respectfully request that all afternoon office dismissals occur prior to 3:10. The reason for this request is that it is difficult to balance end-of-the-day needs and the upcoming school-wide dismissal in the office.
POLICY REVIEW/ LOST ARTICLES*
The school will not assume responsibility for any items (brought to school by students), which are lost or stolen. A Lost and Found area is maintained in the cafeteria. On a monthly basis, unclaimed clothing will be donated. Pupils are encouraged to turn in any article found to the Lost and Found Area. Items coming to school, including lunch boxes, book bags, coats, hats, boots, and mittens should be clearly labeled with the student's first and last name.
*We respectfully request that students do not bring toys/ cards (Pokemon/ etc.)/ stuffed animals or personal possessions from home. These items can easily become lost, damaged or be ‘traded’ with friends.
WELLNESS SCREENINGS/ MEDICAL FORMS
WELLNESS SCREENINGS
Davis Hill will be conducting mandatory screenings on Sept 25th, 26th, and 27th. Please let your child know that they will be having their eyes and ears checked and some will have their height and weight done. Please have your child wear their eye-glasses if they have them. Any child with hearing aides should also wear their hearing aides.
1st and 4th graders will be screening for BMI ( body mass index) This is done by getting a height and weight for your child. This is done for a DHPH report that is done yearly. If you wish to opt your child out of the BMI screening please send in the opt-out form found on the health website under screenings or send in a note to opt-out your child.
LINK HERE TO FORM ON HEALTH WEBSITE
Please call the health office with any questions or concerns.
ATTENTION 5TH GRADE FAMILIES: REMINDER- PHYSICALS AND MEDICAL FORMS FOR ECOLOGY SCHOOL TRIP
If you have not completed and sent in your medical forms for the Ecology School Trip- Please make that a priority. Additionally, if a physical update was not sent in last year (when your child was in 4th Grade), please ensure that is completed ASAP. Please contact the Health Office with any questions/ concerns.
SIMCO
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT COUNCIL (SIMCO)
The School Improvement Council (SIMCO) is an advisory committee that every school in the Commonwealth must have in place. We are looking for a combination of school staff, parents and community members to serve on our SIMCO. There will be approximately 6 meetings during the school year. These meetings are expected to be held from 4:00-4:45 on Thursdays. Our first meeting will be on Thursday, September 27th. Some areas of discussion include MCAS results, our School Improvement Plan, school goals, parent survey planning and results, among other items. Please contact me if you are interested.
PARENT INFORMATION
Building Resiliency In Kids
9/19-Bus Evacuation Drill Scheduled for AM entry (May cause delays in parking lot)
9/19-Third, Fourth and Fifth Grade Meet 'n Greet (6:00-6:30PM)
9/19-Spaghetti Supper Ticket Pre-Orders Due
9/19-PTA Meeting (6:30PM/ Community Room)
9/20-Professional Development Half-Day of School (12:20 Dismissal)
9/25, 9/26 and 9/27-Hearing and Vision Screening
9/27-SIMCO Meeting (4:00/ Community Room)
9/28-Spaghetti Supper (5:30 and 6:30 Seatings)
10/1-10/5-Fall Book Fair (More Info TBA)
10/4-Picture Day
10/8-Columbus Day- No School
10/14-Dragon Dash (12:00)
10/23-10/26-Ecology School Trip for 5th Grade
10/25-Professional Development Half-Day of School (12:20 Dismissal)
10/26-Fall Festival (More info TBA)
11/6-No School for Students (Election Day)
*Information related to community fundraisers/ activities/ events for the Davis Hill Community. Inclusion in the update does not indicate an endorsement or affiliation with Davis Hill Elementary School or Wachusett Regional School District.
Davis Hill Elementary School
Email: jay_norton@wrsd.net
Website: http://www.wrsd.net/davishill/
Location: 80 Jamieson Road, Holden, MA 01520, United States
Phone: 508-829-1754
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DavisHillDragons/
Twitter: @DHPrincipal