The Hopkins School Hawk Squawk
Principal's Updates - 6/23/22
From the Hopkins' Office...
Dear Hopkins’ Families,
We've come to the end of another eventful school year! Last September, we began our year-long journey together. Teachers and staff welcomed fourth and fifth graders with an important message that Linda Krantz champions- that there is "Only ONE You!" As staff, faced with all the difficulties of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, we focused on finding our JOY with your children. We celebrated all of our differences as began to form our school community for the year. We talked about the importance of recognizing each person's unique identity through Ms. Krantz's messages, "Find your own way. You don't have to follow the crowd." Our building quickly became a vibrant family, full of diverse and compassionate learners- adult and child!
It was so wonderful to close out our time with your children yesterday and today - celebrating with a Memory Book Signing Party for each grade in the gym. This is the FIRST time since December 2020 that we've gathered inside Hopkins with a full grade of our students. I must say, it felt incredibly special to see all of the students and staff (masked and non-masked!) look through the Memory Books, smile and laugh with each other and remember the year together. Today, there was more than one set of tears on faces as we danced to music in the hallways, thanked each other for support and friendship, and waved goodbye one last time.
To our incoming families- we can't wait to meet all of your children and welcome them into our Hopkins family! We enjoyed meeting briefly with them two weeks ago at Elmwood and can't wait to add their energy, enthusiasm and unique gifts to our community in the fall. Mr. Cotter and I also look forward to meeting the adults for our incoming 4th grade class at a "meet and greet" information session in mid/late August - we will share out the date/time later in the summer. That slideshow will also be available on our website. There will also be a video shared with you to watch with your child and those same Principal's Cabinet members look forward to giving incoming students tours in August, too! Watch some of our school videos below to learn more about what makes Hopkins so special (hint: it is the humans!).
Below, you will find a brief survey from Mr. Cotter, who is gathering information about digital use of our students for some future presentations we are planning around digital citizenship and digital safety- please take a few moments to fill out this anonymous form. I've also included information on summer reading opportunities for entering HMS 6th graders and from the Hopkinton Public Library for incoming 4th and 5th graders, as well as access information about our Elementary Math Director, Shelly Moran's, summer math opportunities for ALL of our students. In addition, I will be sending out several updates over the summer to keep all incoming 4th and 5th grade families informed of important dates, as well as sharing school supply lists and other critical information. In the meantime, I wish everyone a very happy, rejuvenating summer vacation! As important as it is to keep up skills, taking the time to slow down and enjoy time together as a family is much more so!
In closing, I'd like to thank all of the families of our 4th and 5th graders for helping us make this year such a special one. All of us at Hopkins feel so lucky to share time with your children. Your support in our work is much appreciated! End of year report cards ARE currently available to view in PowerSchool. The PowerSchool Portal will be disabled for several weeks this summer as we prepare for the next school year, so we encourage families to download or print these for your records, if needed, once they are available for viewing.
Now, for one last time this school year I repeat, “Hopkins School- Be better today than you were yesterday. Work hard. Have fun. Be Kind! Listen to others. And always remember, there is only one you!"
Warmly,
Vanessa Bilello
Principal, Hopkins School
Memory Book Signing Party!
Important Hopkins' Dates
HOPKINS' UPCOMING IMPORTANT DATES
- Thursday, June 23rd - Final Principal's Cabinet Spirit Day - TROPICAL WEAR!!!
- Thursday, June 23rd - Last Day - Early Dismissal (NO LUNCH SERVED, students leave @ 12:20 PM)
- Thursday, June 23rd - 1 PM Report Cards available for viewing in PowerSchool Parent Portal
Email: hoffice@hopkinton.k12.ma.us
Website: https://hopkinselementary.hopkinton.k12.ma.us/
Location: 104 Hayden Rowe Street, Hopkinton, MA, United States
Phone: 508-695-5839
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HopkinsElementarySchool
Twitter: @HopkinsSchool
Digital Life Survey
Dear Hopkins Families,
As we prepare for a restful and fun filled summer, Mr. Cotter and I are asking you to take a few minutes to complete this brief “Digital Life Survey.” This anonymous survey asks you to think about what your children do online and the conversations and rules you have about tech at home. We'll use the responses of this survey to inform our instruction in media literacy at Hopkins School and provide resources to parents in coming years.
Thank you for your support!
SUMMER!!!!
4th Grade Field Day!
FIFTH grade field day!
New "ONLY ONE YOU" Mural Into the Cafe!
Principal's Cabinet for Effort
Highlights - 5th Grade Talent Show
Social Emotional Learning Resources
Social-Emotional Resources - Parenting in the Pandemic... and Beyond
Resiliency in Children:
- Helping Kids Face Obstacles
- Six Ways to Help Your Child Deal with Social Exclusion
- Podcast: Helping Kids Deal with Stress & Anxiety While Facing Adversity w/ Katie Hurley
- How Kids Learn Resilience
- A Different Way to Respond to When Your Child Does Something Wrong
Parenting in a Digital World:
Quick Links
Communication
Our school website has static information, but it is also updated with current news, photos and bulletins. Every other week, you can expect a school-wide update from the Principal’s Office, the Hawk Squawk. This is distributed to families via email and can also be found on the school’s webpage. You can also follow us on Twitter: @hopkinsschool, Instagram (hopkins_elementary), and Facebook (HopkinsElementarySchool).
In addition to the above school-wide methods, please communicate openly with your child’s teacher(s). Each teacher has an email address and voice mailbox. Many also utilize a website and/or Twitter to share news. You can find their contact information on our school website or you can call (508)-497-9824 to reach teachers’ voicemail.