HDES FAMILY and COMMUNITY UPDATE
12/02/22
Turkey Trot
On Tuesday November 22nd we held our very first Turkey Trot/Gobble Wobble! We all had a great time running!
3rd grade Wax Museum
On Tuesday, November 29th, 3rd graders hosted and visited a Wax Museum event! During our reading core, students focused on reading biographies and researching one person. Each student created a speech based on their research as well as a name poster that represented their person. During the Wax Museum, students presented to each other and other adults from school. Everyone worked very hard and the projects were a great display of their learning!
We ♥️ Historic Hillsborough Calendar 2023
In Art Classes this year, HDES 5th Graders created mixed-media ‘Story Quilts’ inspired by the work of American artist Faith Ringgold. Each student chose their favorite Hillsborough building as the focal point of their artwork.
Twenty-four of these Hillsborough inspired Story Quilts have been compiled in a 2023 calendar now available to purchase at the bargain price of $10! ALL proceeds from sales of the calendar will be donated to The Hillsborough Community Center Project. One goal of this Service Learning Project was to demonstrate to our students that they can have a voice and affect change in their community. This project was made possible through the support and generosity of the HDES PTO.
Please watch out for order forms coming home soon with your child/ren - these calendars would make a lovely Holiday gift for any family or community member. Everyone in my family is getting one!
Best wishes and TIA
Liz Brett, Art Educator K-5
Report Cards
Report cards will be available online on Monday December 5, 2023. Please notify your child's teacher if you have problems accessing the report card.
Afternoon Bus Drop Off
Please remember that you should be at your afternoon bus stop to greet the bus 10 minutes prior to the assigned drop off time. Students in grades K and 1 must have a familiar adult present at the bus stop or the driver can not allow them to get off the bus.
Winter Activities
As stated in our handbook, safety is very important, thus, all decisions regarding outside activities are made with safety in mind. The adults supervising outside recess make the final decision to allow play on the hill/field or to shut it down. Students in Pre K -3 must have boots and snow pants if they want to play on the snow banks or hill. They may go in the field as long as they are wearing boots. 4th and 5th grade students may play in the snow without snow pants or boots; however, they will not be able to get dry clothing or shoes from the nurse. We will be going outside as long as the temps, including the wind chill, are at or above 10 degrees.
Early Release Day 12/7/22
Please remember that next Wednesday 12/7/22 is an early release day. The students will be dismissed at 1PM.
Winter Car Pool Adjustments
Winter is coming, which is great for many reasons, but one negative impact it will have on parents is at our "Car Pick Up" at the end of the day. Snowy traffic with snow piles will limit space to maneuver, especially near the corner next to the exit.
Reminder: Car pick up is one lane until you are parallel with the flagpole, where you can head into either the Upper Grade Line or remain in the Lower and Prek track. Be on the lookout for traffic help and sign reminders in the next few weeks.
Thanks for keeping students safe and the lines moving in a predictable pattern.
HDES Thankful for Library Grant Funding
The Hillsboro Deering Elementary School (HDES) Library thanks the
Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) for its three years of
spectacular support. In June 2019, IMLS granted $50,000.00 to the HDES
library to fund STEAM programming. Students in grades 1 through 5
participated in five creative engineering projects from the prestigious
Boston Museum of Science. Students went on to participate in 19 shorter
projects based on books and building. This programming was directed by
elementary school librarian Meg Jones with the support of STEAM
Associates Deanna Neal and Emily Primrose.
The program was a huge success due to the creativity and hard work of the
wonderful students. They were able to complete their building projects in
diverse settings such as the library, or their classrooms, or even at home
during the pandemic thanks to materials kits. When you ask students
today about what they enjoyed about the projects, many students talk
about how fun they were. In their words, they liked learning new things and
are looking forward to more projects. They even have their own ideas for
the future, like creating an origami zoo or city.
Enriching projects like this continue into the future with the book and build
program, where students listen to a book and follow on with a project. In
November 2022, students created 289 Warrior Holiday Cards for troops
who cannot go home over the holidays. This generous grant accelerated
promising practices in our small library, and the learning has been very
agreeable to our students. Thank you to IMLS!
On Saturday, December 10th from 8:00-10:00 a.m. there will be a Holiday Breakfast at Hillsboro-Deering High School, hosted by the National Honor Society. There will be breakfast, kid’s crafts, music, a photobooth, and more! It is sure to be a fun time for all. The price of entry is $5 per person or $25 per family. We hope to see you there!
PTO Information
Parents and Teachers are encouraged to come to our meetings!
01/12/23
02/09/23
03/09/23
04/13/23
05/11/23
Meetings are in the Library, the second Thursday of the month (except December) at 6:30pm
Zoom option: https://hdsd-org.zoom.us/j/7817232799?pwd=YkJjZk5DcFVmcDZmbGgyVnB1aDM4UT09
The Learn to Sky program is not a school sponsored activity.
Important December and January Dates
Important December dates
12/7 - Early Release day
12/14 Family Education night - Cyber security
12/14 Drumming Circle
12/22-12/30 - Holiday recess