Hollywood Hill Happenings
January Edition
From the Principal
Happy New Year!
Following a well deserved Winter Break, students and staff returned to school this week largely renewed, refreshed, and ready to take on the challenges of the new calendar year. We at Hollywood Hill Elementary remain enthusiastic and honored to be able to continue to partner with families and caregivers as we work together to foster growth in our students as whole people.
January Events
iReady Testing (January 3rd-February 3rd). Please encourage your child(ren) to expect to get questions they don’t know how to do, and simply to do their best. Please see below for more information.
No School (January 16th) - Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday.
Martin Luther King Jr. Assembly (January 20th) - part of the program entails students and possibly also community members in sharing their thoughts and feelings regarding justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and MLK. If you are interested in being considered to participate, please fill out THIS FORM.
Missoula Children’s Theater (week of January 22nd-28th ) - Thanks, PTA!
No School (January 30th) - grading day.
Dr. Gregory E. Cox
Principal
Hollywood Hill Elementary School
(425)408-4700
Pronouns: he, him, his
Positive Office Referrals
What is it like to be sent to the principal’s office? These students found out, but it might not be what you have in mind. Staff members recognized these students making an extra effort to make some students new not only to the school but to the country feel welcome and included. At Hollywood Hill we want to make sure that students’ efforts that go above and beyond our expectations are recognized, so we have introduced what we are calling Positive Office Referrals. When staff notice students exceeding expectations (students cannot ask for this recognition), they will write such a referral. Who will be our next shining stars?
iReady Informantion
iReady Winter Diagnostic
Your child will be completing the iReady Diagnostic Assessment in both reading and mathematics over the course of the next month. The district has allocated an assessment window from January 3rd – February 3rd. Each teacher will schedule time for their class within that window to administer the diagnostic in both reading and math.
What iReady is and what it isn’t
Northshore administers the iReady Diagnostic Assessment three times per school year in both reading and mathematics. Upon completion of the diagnostic, teachers can gather information such as overall class growth, individual student growth, as well as level of mastery for concept specific skills. The purpose of this assessment is to provide teachers with insight for planning core instruction, small group interventions, and enrichment opportunities.
iReady is a snapshot of a moment in time to provide teachers up-to-date data for planning purposes. Teachers can use this information along with other data and information to best tailor their instruction to the needs of their class and individual students. iReady is an adaptive diagnostic assessment that will adjust questions to suit your child’s needs. A series of correct answers will result in slightly harder questions, while a series of incorrect answers will yield slightly easier ones. Therefore, each student will receive different questions based on their real time performance on the assessment.
Additionally, the assessment will likely include concepts students have yet to learn because students must be pushed and challenged to determine what their current learning boundaries are. Many teachers discuss this with students by comparing this assessment to a game of “Twenty Questions” where players must get some of the questions/guesses wrong in order to find the right one. During the iReady Diagnostic, it is expected that students will get questions that are too hard, questions that are too easy, and questions that are just right.
The purpose of iReady is to determine how to best support student learning. It is not intended give your child a score or grade. They should not be anxious or stressed going into the diagnostic, nor should they be discouraged when they encounter questions that are too challenging. Additionally, “prepping for the test” is unnecessary and discouraged.
Emergency Preparedness
From the Nurse:
Our monthly drill for January was a fire drill. It went well, without any issues and it was a nice sunny day which always helps.
This is what the fire drill protocol looks like here at Hollywood Hill. Happy new Year!
Darleene Matheson RN
School Nurse
Care Team Liaison and Emergency Prep Coordinator for Hollywood Hill
Office phone: 425-408-4706
From the Gym
Muddy, rainy days look like they are here to stay. Boots are a great choice for recess on such days, but unfortunately, they are not a safe choice for PE. We wanted to remind families that students have PE class twice a week (4 times a week in Kindergarten). For PE it is important to arrive prepared for an active lesson! Please remember to either send your student to school in PE shoes or pack them in their bag on their PE days. Don’t know which day your student has PE? Either email us or ask your student’s classroom teacher.
Thank you for your attention to this safety matter!
HH PE Department
Karina Dydell karinadydell@nsd.org
Milena Westford mwestford@nsd.org
Victoria Gray vgray@nsd.orgFrom the School Counselor
Hello Hollywood Hill Families!
Happy 2023 and welcome back! I hope your winter break was filled with everything that brings you peace and joy and that you feel refreshed in the new year. From this point until the end of the school year, each day will bring more and more daylight! In January, I will wrap up the Second Step Bullying Prevention units in grades 3-5 and Kelso’s Choices units in grades K-2. The next rounds of classroom lessons that I plan to provide will be needs-based SEL lessons.
As we near the school year's second half, it is an excellent time for you and your student(s) to reflect and reprioritize mental wellness. January is Mental Wellness Month! Mental wellness is not something that occurs independently; it is a muscle that needs to be strengthened daily. If your family still needs a self-care practice, the new year is a great time to incorporate one into your everyday routine. Small changes can turn into wellness habits that increase our happiness and health.
Mental Wellness Tips
Tip #1: Take time to do the things you enjoy, especially outdoors. Research shows that being in nature helps reduce stress. Breathe the fresh air (and maybe feel some sun)!
Tip #2: Take care of your spirit. This can mean different things depending on the individual, but it essentially means connecting to whatever you find meaningful!
Tip #3: Take some ‘me’ time. Take time to focus on yourself at least once a week. Try to embed these smaller ‘me’ moments into your day: a moment for intentional laughter, a mindfulness practice, an expression of gratitude, the chance to read a positive and hopeful story, taking the time to adjust your expectations, or planning an alternate relaxing activity.
Tip #4: Get moving! Physical activity has many benefits for your mental health. Movement can help relieve stress, tension, and anger, boost overall mood, and reduce anxiety and depression. Set a timer to remind yourself to take small daily breaks to stretch, move, and walk!
Tip #5: Connect with others and create joy. Social connection is crucial to mental health; laughing decreases pain and promotes muscle relaxation. The good feelings we get from being around others can boost our ability to bounce back from stress. We can make time to connect with family through eating together, playing games, enjoying common interests, going on a walk, creating something together, and making time for conversation.
Tip #6: Take care of yourself. Drink water, eat a nutritious breakfast, get plenty of sleep, take breaks from screen time, and keep your medical/dental appointments. Think of how you may want to take better care of yourself and set a goal to incorporate new habits into your daily routine. Modeling these habits will encourage your children to do the same.
Tip #7: View setbacks as an opportunity. Try to list the good things that could come from the problem you are facing. Creative problem-solving can expand your options. Remember to focus only on the things you have control over.
Tip #8: Avoid negative self-talk. If you find yourself engaging in negative self-talk, challenge yourself to focus on your strengths instead. Foster a growth mindset by recognizing that mistakes are necessary for growth. Post some positive affirmations where you will see them each day. Here are some sample affirmations and a description of how to use them.
Tip #9: Seek professional help. Knowing when you need to seek professional help for anything is a strength rather than a weakness. It is important to know when you cannot help yourself anymore and need some extra guidance.
To help get your child thinking more about self-care, you can ask them to do the following challenges:
- Jot down ten ideas for self-care
- Name five people that make them smile
- Sketch themself doing something fun for them
- Find and share a favorite joke
- Write down a compliment for someone and then share it with them
- Write down why someone inspires them and then share it with them
- Go outside and take or draw a photo of something beautiful that they see
- Think about what makes them laugh and set aside 10 minutes to laugh as much as possible https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAmZucyzyZM
- Create a gratitude list and write down five things that they are thankful for
Here is a list of phone apps from Common Sense Media to assist children with their mental wellness goals.
Sources: Columbia River Mental Health Services, Lifeline Connections, Triumph
I hope you all have an incredible 2023 year ahead of you, and as always, I appreciate your partnership!
With care,
Hayley Azadmanesh
Hollywood Hill Counselor
Wellington PACE Program
PACE Application Deadline For The 2023-2024 School Year
PACE (Parents Active in Cooperative Education), a choice educational enrichment program offered through the Northshore School District, is currently accepting applications for the 2023-2024 school year. All applications are due prior to the February 9th PACE lottery drawing deadline, and a site tour is required prior to application.
The hallmarks of PACE include an enhanced educational experience due to high parent involvement, enrichment activities, encouragement for students to become self-motivated learners and a strong sense of community among families. Families commit to a minimum number of volunteer hours per year of program support. PACE is located at three elementary school sites in the district with feeder patterns from all Northshore elementary schools.
A tour is required prior to applying to the PACE program. To register for a site tour hosted by PACE at Wellington Elementary, please email enrollment@PACEWell.org.
For more information about the PACE program, please visit http://www.nsd.org/PACE
From the PTA
From the President
Happy New Year, Stars! I'm happy to report that your PTA Board & Committees have had a very productive start to 2023 planning out events and programs for the rest of the school year. Please take a few minutes to read through everything below as a few deadlines are soon approaching and we don't want anyone to miss out! Hope to see you all at our next hybrid PTA Membership Meeting on 2/7 at 6:30pm either in the library or via Zoom.
All the best in 2023,
Nicolette
Missoula Children's Theatre School Play, Aladdin!: 1/23-1/28
All HHE students are invited to audition for this year's school play! Each and every child in our school community is encouraged to consider participation as the school is able to provide additional support if needed.
- AUDITION REGISTRATION is OPEN NOW through 1/19 and space is limited.
- Audition is in a group format - no advance preparation necessary - with on-stage & off-stage roles are available.
- After-school rehearsals from 1/23-1/27 with 2 performances on Saturday, 1/28.
Winter Before & After-School Enrichment Classes: 1/30 - 3/31
REGISTRATION is NOW OPEN through 1/20 for winter before & after-school enrichment classes!
This session runs from 1/31-3/31 and includes many new options like Ukulele, Mandarin, Basketball & Coding among other regular favorites. Register through our website today as class sizes are limited. Please email Ms. Robb at jrobb@nsd.org if you are interested in a scholarship.
We at Hollywood Hill Elementary are committed to inclusive educational experiences for all children. Accordingly, each and every child in our community is encouraged to consider participation. The school will provide whatever additional supports needed for enrichment programming that students receive during the school day.
Dance Week & All School Glow Dance: 2/13 - 2/17
Ready. Set. GLOW!
Mark your calendars for Dance Week at HHE! For the week starting Monday, 2/13, your Stars will be getting their groove on with dance lessons during their specialist times! These lessons will be provided by Gaylen Suave," The Dance Dude", from GSC Productions for students in all grade levels.
At the end of Dance Week on Friday, 2/17, the PTA is hosting a GLOW DANCE from 6-8pm in the school gym. This event is free to attend and open to all HH families, including staff and their families. Wear neon clothes and glow under the lights! Stop by the Glow Booth and accessorize! Get your face painted with (body-safe) neon paint! This exciting community-building event is one you don't want to miss! Get out your dancing shoes and get ready to GLOW!
Can you help? Please CLICK HERE to volunteer!
Questions: Sarah Nelson, VP Events, at events@hhillpta.org
Save the Date! HHE PTA Dinner & Auction: 4/21/23
It's been many years since we we've been able to get together in support of our school in this special way. Please save this date to join your community for An Enchanted Evening of fun, food and funding the future of HHE. More details to come.
STEM & 5th Grade Celebration Committee Chairs Needed
Upcoming
- 1/31: End of the Winter Hats, Gloves & Mitten Drive - you can still donate unused items of all sizes to the front office. Thank you to those of you who have been able to help our Stars stay warm so far!
- 2/7: PTA Hybrid Membership Meeting 6:30pm in the library or via Zoom. Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85040112131
- 2/14: Room Parent Valentine's Day Classroom Celebrations (check with your teacher)
- Coming Soon: final Staff Grants cycle of the school year