Hope Valley School Weekly Update
March 4, 2022
Masks Optional at school and on buses - Effective March 7, 2022
Antigen Testing Will Be Available
With the mask mandate being lifted tonight, I wanted to offer families the opportunity to get your child COVID-19 tested using the antigen (or rapid) test when a child has symptoms at school. This will only be done if a child has symptoms AND if parents give consent. This is NOT part of our weekly PCR testing for those who have opted in (more info below if families want to opt in for PCR testing as well).
If a child is already on the weekly PCR testing list and you want your child to be part of the antigen testing, you will also need to complete this form.
BY COMPLETING THE GOOGLE FORM LINK BELOW, YOU ARE GIVING CONSENT FOR YOUR CHILD TO PARTICIPATE IN ANTIGEN COVID TESTING AT SCHOOL IF SYMPTOMS DEVELOP WHILE IN SCHOOL. CLICK ON THE LINK TO ACCESS THE GOOGLE FORM TO OPT-IN TO ANTIGEN TESTING.
Superintendent's Message
Dear Chariho Community,
As I mentioned in the letter placed in the E update sent out on 2/28, facemasks/coverings are no longer required on school buses or in schools as of today, March 4th after 5 pm. Please keep in mind there are members of our community who will continue to wear masks and we ask that everyone respect individuals' personal decisions on mask-wearing.
Please continue to do the following as your personal responsibility:
Monitor for symptoms and do not send children to school sick
Review the importance of handwashing and sneezing and coughing into elbows to avoid spreading germs
Review the importance of personal space
Individuals who test positive for COVID will isolate at home for 5 days and can return to school on day 6 with the recommendation to wear a mask, as long as symptoms have improved.
RIDOH has explained that universal contact tracing is no longer an optimal strategy to limit COVID 19 and as a result schools will not be contact tracing. This means that it is important that you continue to monitor your child every day for symptoms. Our schools will continue to conduct regular COVID-19 tests of students and staff who have already opted-in for testing to help prevent outbreaks and ensure we can keep our students in school. If you would like to be added to the regular testing list, please contact your child's school for directions on how to opt-in.
If you would like to monitor cases by school please click this link.
Please reach out to your school administrator if you have any questions. Thank you for your continued support of our school community.
Sincerely,
Gina Picard
Superintendent
A link to past issues of the newsletter can be found here as well:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1grxKQ2ZjeBENC4UTdO1b8SwStqKmFqPL?usp=sharing
Chariho Budget Information
Please click here to review our FY 23 School Budget Flyer. You will find the top 3 questions for this year's budget, a link to our frequently asked questions document, and a google form to submit any additional questions you may have.
Survey Works Message
Dear Families,
My name is Caleb Grant, and I am a parent here at Hope Valley Elementary School.
Like you, my schedule fills up quickly. There aren’t enough hours in the day for everything I would like to get done, and I know my child often feels the same way, given the many demands on our time.
But our perspective is so important. School leaders need to hear from us, and our voices need to be represented at the table when decisions are being made that impact our kids.
That’s why I’m asking you to please take 20 minutes to do SurveyWorks, Rhode Island’s school culture and climate survey. It’s completely anonymous, but the results can make a huge difference for our school.
The survey window runs through March 31, and here at Hope Valley School, we are encouraged to fill our surveys. You can access the survey at bit.ly/ridefamily and choose Hope Valley School from the dropdown menu.
SurveyWorks asks important questions like how much your child enjoys school, whether or not teachers treat students with respect, and how much the school values diversity. This is information that Hope Valley may not get otherwise, so don’t miss this opportunity to have your voice heard.
Join me in filling out SurveyWorks, and be a partner in your child’s education.
Thank you for your support, and if you have any questions, please reach out to our SurveyWorks Site Coordinator, Cristina D’Agostino at cldag@chariho.k12.ri.us.
Caleb Grant
Hope Valley School Parent & SIT Member
Calendar of Events
MARCH 2022
3/4 - Mask Mandate in school ends at 5:00pm
3/7 - PTO Meeting (6:30 in the library)
3/7 - SIT meeting (5:00 in the library)
3/8 - PCR Collection Screening Event
3/14 - State PD Day for teachers (Asynchronous day for students)
3/14 - Kindergarten Registration will be live (more details next week)
3/15 - PCR Collection Screening Event
3/18 - Trimester 2 ends
3/22 - PCR Collection Screening Event
3/23 - Early Release Day (AM PreK attends)
3/25 - Report Cards Distributed
3/29 - PCR Collection Screening Event
APRIL 2022
4/4 - PTO Meeting (6:30 in the library)
4/5 - PCR Collection Screening Event
4/5 - Chariho Budget Referendum (Voting will be at the 3 Town Halls)
4/6 - RICAS ELA Testing Session 1 > Grade 3
4/7 - RICAS ELA Testing Session 2 > Grade 3
4/12 - PCR Collection Screening Event
4/12 - RICAS ELA Testing Session 1 > Grade 4
4/13 - RICAS ELA Testing Session 2 > Grade 4
4/15 - No School for students and staff
4/18-4/22 - Spring Recess - No School
4/26 - PCR Collection Screening Event
MAY 2022
5/3 - PCR Collection Screening Event
5/3 - RICAS Math Testing Session 1 > Grade 3
5/4 - RICAS Math Testing Session 2 > Grade 3
5/5 - RICAS Math Testing Session 1 > Grade 4
5/6 - RICAS Math Testing Session 2 > Grade 4
5/9 - PTO Meeting (6:30 in the library)
5/9 - SIT meeting (5:00 in the library)
5/10 - PCR Collection Screening Event
5/11 - State PD Day for teachers (DL day for students)
5/17 - PCR Collection Screening Event
5/18 - Early Release Day (PM PreK attends)
5/24 - PCR Collection Screening Event
5/30 - No School for students and staff
JUNE 2022
6/20 - LAST DAY OF SCHOOL (as of 2/11/22)
PTO Meeting
PTO AGENDA – MARCH 2022
- Welcome and introductions
- Mr. G’s Report
- Treasurer’s Report
- Bingo Night (end of March)
- Teacher Appreciation Week
- Field Day
- 4th Grade Send Off
- End of the Year Picnic
- Kids on the Run
- Family Event
- 2022 -23 Fundraiser Ideas
- Officers
Monday, Mar 7, 2022, 06:30 PM
Hope Valley Elementary School, Thelma Drive, Hope Valley, RI, USA
March Madness Math Challenge
In collaboration with the NCAA basketball March Madness Tournament, HVES will hold our own March Madness starting on Monday, March 7th through April 8th. I am very excited for this challenge. Classes will compete against classes to see who can earn the most stickers. Each week classes can earn up to 3 stickers. Teachers have the ground rules. We are using our current math program to keep track of the data. The bulletin board going to the gym has been decorated for this activity. Thank you Mrs. Fran Smith for your creativity! A picture of it is below.
At the end of the month, the class with the most stickers will get a special character cut out outside the classroom door, a fancy banner or flag to hang in the classroom, extra recess with Mr. G, and the teacher will get a special surprise for winning. Let's see who comes out on top! Stay tuned for updates.
Reading Week: Catch Hope Valley’s Reading Wave!
We had a great Reading Week. Here is a recap:
On Monday we kicked off the week having Chariho High students read a book to all the classrooms. Always great having Hope Valley alumni students coming back to read.
On Tuesday, students listened to Mrs. Pastore reading We are Grateful: Otsaliheliga and students created gratitude jars and filled them with things they are grateful for.
On Wednesday, the students listened to a video of Mr. G reading The Electric Slide and Kai which is a read across America title. The highlight of my week was being DJ Jazzy G for the children and staff at recess. We had a blast dancing to The Electric Slide and other fun songs.
On Thursday, students worked with Mrs. DiFranco on a special project that is under construction. Stay tuned.
On Friday, students are reading "on the beach" enjoying a book of their choice. Also, today, the gym was set up with tons and tons of free books for children to take. Classes got to go down and choose books to take home. They loved it.
What a great week. Thank you Mrs. Ward and Mrs Tiexiera for all your help making Reading Week a success!!!!
Wordle Challenge
In conjunction with Reading Week, I created Wordle puzzles for teachers this week. Feel free to solve them as well. Hint: the words are related to reading. :-)
Monday: https://mywordle.strivemath.com/?word=bosop
Tuesday: https://mywordle.strivemath.com/?word=pvvpp
Wednesday: https://mywordle.strivemath.com/?word=pwkop
Thursday: https://mywordle.strivemath.com/?word=ohfuj
Celebrations Change
Langworthy Library Presents...
How to register for weekly covid testing
I wanted to share how you can register your child to participate in the weekly COVID testing that we conduct at school (typically on Wednesdays). Our testing company (Concentric by Ginkgo) now offers a way to register digitally. Thank you to those who have already consented. Our population of students being tested more than doubled this week. See directions on how to register below:
How do I provide consent for a child?
Please navigate to https://testcenter.concentricbyginkgo.com/minor-consent/ and complete the consent process if you wish to allow your child to participate in testing.
The access code you will need is HVES2321. If you need to provide consent for more than one child, please complete the process for each child.
Attached are additional instructions to guide you through the consent process. Click directly below for the instruction.
Important Reminders
Students Late to School - If you are bringing your child to school late, the expectation is that you come to the front door of the school to sign your child in. For safety reasons, please do not leave your child at the school to walk to the front door by themselves.
Absences - If your child is going to be absent, please call the school office at 401-539-2321. If your child happens to test positive for COVID, PLEASE be sure to email Nurse Tara, Ms. Donna, and Mr. G with that information.
- Nurse Tara: Tara.McAloon@chariho.k12.ri.us
- Ms. Donna: Donna.Sunderland@chariho.k12.ri.us
- Mr. G, Principal: giuseppe.gencarelli@chariho.k12.ri.us
Student Devices - Students in grades 1-4 have devices that MUST go back and forth to and from school everyday. Please ensure your child has his/her charged chromebook on a daily basis.
Snow/DL Day Information - Devices will need to be used if there is a snow day. Please see information regarding DL days for inclement weather days here. The emergency plan used as last resort is linked here as well. In case of a DL day I will be sure to inform parents like I did for the Jan 7th DL day.
Dismissal - Parent pick up for students in K-4 are arriving while prek dismissal is happening. PLEASE be mindful of our pre-school population and do not arrive prior to 3:10. The entire dismissal process for K-4 takes roughly 10-12 min. We have some amazing staff getting our students out quickly and safely.
Peanut & Tree Nut Free School - We continue to be a nut free school which means no peanut butter and no tree nuts including Nutella.
TOYS - Please make sure that your children do not take any toys from home to school. We continue to see an uptick in this and it is causing problems at school.
Identification - PLEASE be sure parents who are picking up children early from school have proper identification with them when they come to the front door. Ms. Donna is not always the one in the office and we must verify who is picking up the children. Thank you for your undivided attention to this request.
Parking at HVES - The parking spots that are numbered in the school lot are for staff ONLY. We are having issues with parents dropping off children in the morning and taking up a staff parking spot which is causing staff members to be late which is becoming problematic. Also, some staff end up getting blocked since we have double parking at the end of the day. If parents need to come to the building, PLEASE either park in front of the school or at Langworthy Field and walk up the stairs to the main front door.
We Are Chariho Newsletter
Hello members of the Chariho community,
Please find a copy of the February issue of the We Are Chariho newsletter here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TnXw86Qyt5J_83Z5aI9qkgjSJdrzw88S/view?usp=sharing
A link to past issues of the newsletter can be found here as well:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1grxKQ2ZjeBENC4UTdO1b8SwStqKmFqPL?usp=sharing
PTO & School Information
Here are the PTO meeting dates for the rest of the year. All parents are welcome to attend any of the PTO meetings. Hope to see you there!
March 7th at 6:30pm
April 4th at 6:30pm
May 9th at 6:30pm
PTO Members
Co-President: Kristin Clarke > kristinc49@aol.com
Co-President: Leah Sousa > leah.sousa@hotmail.com
Treasurer: Stephanie DaPonte > sdaponte14@gmail.com
Secretary: Chloe Morgan > cmako28@yahoo.com
Communication: Chelsea Vandeveer> chelseabaker101@yahoo.com
School Contact Information
School Principal: Giuseppe Gencarelli – Giuseppe.Gencarelli@chariho.k12.ri.us
School Secretary: Donna Sunderland – Donna.Sunderland@chariho.k12.ri.us
School Webpage: https://hopevalley.chariho.k12.ri.us/
School Contact Info: Phone - 401-539-2321 Fax - 401-633-7099
Social Media Outlets
@CharihoRegional
use #HopeValleyHawks
About Hope Valley Elementary School
The mission of the Hope Valley Elementary School is to work in partnership with our colleagues, students and families. We are committed to creating a learning environment where children are expected to achieve their full potential.
Email: ggen@chariho.k12.ri.us
Website: hopevalley.chariho.k12.ri.us
Location: 15 Thelma Drive, Hope Valley, RI, United States
Phone: 401-539-2321
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mr.Gencarelli/?ref=br_rs
Twitter: @MrG_HVES