Panther Post
January 16th-20th
Panther Post Week 19
Principal's Message
Hello Panther Family,
Happy Friday! What a fantastic week for us at Hilliard! Our building is back to life after a two week break. The second semester brings us all an opportunity to create new goals and push to higher levels of achievement.
- Semester 1 Report Cards- Beginning on January 11th, semester 1 report cards will be viewable for all families in your parent portal through Infinite Campus. Please reach out, if you have not set up access or are having difficulties logging in. Additionally, we will be sending home paper copies this time for families to review on Friday, January 13th. If you did not receive a hard copy of the report card, please call the school.
- Upcoming School Holidays- On Monday, January 16th, all Fulton County Schools will be closed in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Then on Tuesday, January 17th, our teachers will come in for a day of professional development while our scholars will be learning remotely. Please be on the lookout for information from your child's teacher about that day. Our scholars will return to face to face learning on Wednesday, January 18th.
- Atlanta Community Food Pantry- Please stop by on Thursday, January 19th from 4:00-6:00 for our monthly Food Pantry.
- Hardship Transfers- Applications for a hardship transfer will open on January 1st and remain open through February 28th. Applications are reviewed annually by the Student Assignment Office. Through this process, parents can seek a transfer for medical reasons, curriculum differences, child care situations or if they are an employee of the school system. Parents may also request the renewal of an existing hardship transfer. The Hardship Transfer Policy as well as the Hardship Transfer Guidelines (see below) will be used to determine student eligibility. https://www.fultonschools.org/cms/lib/GA50000114/Centricity/Domain/335/SABrochure2.pdf
Of course and as always, please don't hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or concerns at lillym@fultonschools.org..
Your Proud Panther Principal,
Maureen Lilly
Upcoming Dates to Remember
- January 9th- Semester 1 Report Cards post in Infinite Campus
- January 16th- M.L.K. Holiday- No School
- January 17th- Professional Learning Day- Remote Learning Day for students
- January 26th- Family Math Night 6PM
- February 10th- 4.5 Progress Reports
- February 16th- Atlanta Community Food Pantry- 4-6pm
- February 20th- Schools Closed- Presidents Day
- February 21st- School's Closed for a Student Remote Learning Day
- February 23rd- Black History Program- 6PM
- February 28th- Hardship Window Closes
SUPPORTING YOUR SCHOLARS AT HOME
5 Ways Parents Can Help with Math
Here are some ways parents can help their kids connect and practice math in “real life.”
- Have your child count down the time (weeks, days and/or hours) to a special day or holiday
- Have your child measure ingredients for a recipe you are making
- Encourage your child to track or graph scores or stats for a favorite sports team
- Ask your child to count the change at the grocery store, or to estimate the total cost while you are shopping. Or, with older kids, to help track the family budget.
- Explain what you’re doing whenever you use a measuring tape, a scale, or a ruler. Ask for your child’s help.
At Home Literacy Strategy
Ever wondered how to select books for your scholar? Here are 5 tips to consider when choosing a good book!
1. Good books are easy to relate to
Choose books that allow your child to explore different worlds and lives but are still familiar enough that they can see themselves in the characters. Even if it's a story set in an imaginary world of monsters and fairies, if the characters have hopes and desires that are easy to relate to, your child will be more interested in reading it until the end.
2. They teach us important things
Whether it's learning a timeless moral in The Tortoise and the Hare or learning about numbers, fruit and days of the week in The Very Hungry Caterpillar, the best books often teach things without us even realizing it. Choose books that deliver an important message or subtly teach essential skills such as the alphabet, counting, colors, or seasons.
3. They may not be your personal pick
Children's author Libby Gleeson suggests that when choosing a good book for children, parents should “resist the desire only to feed their children the books they loved when they were young”. Your child may not share the same passion for your childhood classics, and, as Gleeson notes, “The world has changed and children have changed.”
4. They are not too difficult to read
Use the Five Finger Rule if your child will be reading on their own. If the book has a few difficult words, read aloud together with your child. There's nothing wrong with exposing children to more complex language in context. But if you know the language and concepts will be too difficult for them to enjoy the story, avoid putting them off reading altogether by choosing a simpler book.
5. They have strong illustrations
Vivid and clear imagery that supports the story is powerful for early readers aged 4–8. Choose books that have good illustrations that correspond with the storyline. Wordless books are also a great way to develop your child's language skills, as they require readers to interpret the illustrations as the story progresses.
COMMITTING TO SAFETY AND SECURITY AT AGHES
Here at AGHES, we focus on safety and security everyday. We practice drills, use sign in procedures, and check visitors coming into our building. However, safety and security is a joint effort with the school and our community. Each month I will share information related to our safety and security procedures.
This month our focus is helping our scholars create and own a safe school environment. We reviewed all of our drills to ensure we are prepared for an emergency. Below you will find a description of each drill we had this week.
Soft Lockdown – Soft Lockdown is called when there is a threat or hazard OUTSIDE of the school building. Whether it is due to violence or criminal activity in the immediate neighborhood, or a dangerous animal in the playground. Soft Lockdown uses the security of the physical facility to act as protection. During Soft Lockdown all interior and exterior doors are locked and student movement inside school is limited. The education process may continue but with heightened sense of awareness. Any outside activity is ended and all students must report inside immediately. Staff should be prepared to quickly transition to Hard Lockdown if needed.
Hard Lockdown—Hard Lockdown is called when there is a threat or hazard INSIDE the school building or when school personnel determine appropriate. From parental custody disputes to intruders to an active shooter, Lockdown uses classroom security to protect students and staff from threat. Hard Lockdown, all learning stops, and students and staff take immediate actions to lock and secure doors, and make all efforts to hide in classroom, away from windows or doors. During Lockdown, no students are allowed out of the rooms, and students and teachers outside when lockdown is called should use their best discretion as to return to the school or evacuate to offsite location.
Evacuate-- Evacuate is called when there is a need to move students from one location to another. This includes evacuation for fire, bomb threat, chemical odor smell or other condition determined by staff. This drill should incorporate the random initiation of the fire alarm system using a random pull station for each drill opportunity.
Shelter-- Shelter is called when the need for personal protection is necessary. This drill also supports spontaneous events such as tornado, earthquake or hazardous materials
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school.