The Howler March 6th, 2020
Newsletter for the Shadow Hills Elementary School Community
Principal Point
Make Read-Aloud Time More Successful
Want to strengthen your child's vocabulary, improve his reading scores and have fun—all in only ten minutes a day? Then plan a regular read-aloud time and follow these hints to make reading aloud easier and more effective:
- Pick a regular time—and stick to it. There is no bad time to read aloud. Some busy families even plan reading time during baths or breakfast.
- Read the book yourself before you read it aloud. Reading aloud is performing. You give a better performance if you're familiar with the text.
- Read books you like. If you like the book, it is going to show on your face and be heard in your voice.
- Leave them wanting more. Stop a day's reading at a point when your kids are eager to hear what happens next.
Brought to you by
Boise School District
Educating Today for a Better Tomorrow
Copyright © 2020 The Parent Institute, a Division of PaperClip Media Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Shadow Hills Elementary School
We are PK-6th Public Elementary School in Boise, Idaho! We serve the community of NW Boise and parts of Eagle and Garden City. We have excellent community support for our outstanding teachers and staff! Thank you!
Mission
Inspiring curiosity and building integrity to cultivate a positive learning community.
Vision
We believe the most promising strategy for achieving the mission of Shadow Hills Elementary School is to develop our capacity to function as a professional learning community. We envision a school in which staff:
Inspire curiosity
Build integrity
Cultivate a positive learning community
Unite to achieve a common purpose and clear goals
Work in collaborative teams
Seek and implement best practices that result in student growth and achievement
Monitor student progress
Demonstrate a personal commitment to the overall success and well-being of all students
(Vision based on P. 135 of the following book - Eaker, DuFour & DuFour. (2002). Getting Started: Reculturing Schools To Become Professional Learning Communities. Bloomington, Indiana: National Educational Service.)
Values
We live the values of: Respect - Dignity - Honesty - Responsibility - Teamwork
Purpose/Goals
SMART Goals updated annually
Email: gale.zickefoose@boiseschools.org
Website: https://shadowhills.boiseschools.org/
Location: 8301 West Sloan Street, Boise, ID, USA
Phone: 208-854-6060
Facebook: facebook.com/ShadowHillsWolves
Twitter: @ShadowHillsElem
EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROCEDURES
August 2019
Dear Parent/Guardian:
In the event of a school emergency, please understand that each school in the Boise School District has an Emergency Response Plan that has been carefully developed and addresses a multitude of emergency situations. All of these plans have been developed through a coordinated effort with Ada County Emergency Management. If there is an emergency at your child’s school, your cooperation is necessary to help us respond effectively to such situations.
In the event of an emergency, please help us by doing the following:
Please do not call and do not go to the school.
In an emergency, onsite staff are focused solely on getting everyone to a safe location. Showing up to the site can create unnecessary traffic, preventing emergency vehicles from responding quickly. You could also put yourself or others in danger.
If you get a call or text from your student, help him or her remain calm. Remind your student that school staff know what to do in an emergency situation, and will work to keep everyone safe.
Please know we will communicate with parents/guardians about reunifying you with your child and that this reunification site may not be at the school.
Check the Boise School District homepage at www.boiseschools.org, the District Facebook page or our Twitter feed.
We will provide credible, accurate and useful information to the public as soon as possible. Please be aware that information received from sources other than the school administrator or Boise School District may be inaccurate.
Expect to see our posts updated as necessary. We will also provide updates to local news media, but emergency situations can change rapidly. Typically, multiple agencies are involved, so communication is coordinated through the “lead agency,” which may cause a delay in notification.
Sign-Up for Emergency Text Messaging:
We will use our emergency text notification system to contact parents and guardians. Please make sure your emergency contact information is always up to date at your child's school.
Parent/guardians whose contact information is on file with your child’s school may sign-up for emergency text messaging.
Simply text SUBSCRIBE to the number 67587. You'll know you were successful if you receive the following reply message in English:
“You're now registered with School Messenger notification service. Reply STOP to cancel, HELP for help. Msg&data rates may apply.”
Repeat the opt-in process for any wireless numbers that you wish to include.
In addition to performing the opt-in process above, please ensure that the District has your wireless number(s) in our student information database. If you haven't already provided that information to your school please contact them as soon as possible.
Non-parents may receive emergency text messages by downloading the Boise School District’s Mobile app. The app is available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Familiarize yourself with the terms that can be used during any emergency situation:
Shelter-in-place: Used to secure the building from a potential threat outside the building, such as when an unauthorized person is loitering on school grounds or when there is criminal activity in the neighborhood. Exterior doors are locked, but normal activities continue inside the building. Used during severe weather or other environmental threats (e.g., air contamination due to a local fire) to keep people safe while remaining indoors.
Lockdown: Used when there is a perceived danger inside the building. Doors are locked, windows are closed and locked, blinds are closed. People are directed to move away from windows and doors. Hallways are cleared of students and school staff.
Evacuation: When students and staff are moved out of the building to a pre-designated safe location.
Reverse Evacuation: Used when there is a perceived danger outside the building. Students are brought in from outside. Lockdown procedures may be followed once inside.
Reunification Site: An alternative site other than the school where school administrators will check-out students to the child’s parent/guardian. Students will only be released to authorized parents/guardians with proper identification (e.g. driver’s license, state identification, etc.)
All Boise School District staff members, parents, students and community members are encouraged to report anything they see, hear or are made aware of that may impact a school or school program. If you see or hear something, say something: call 911 or Boise Police Department at 208-343-COPS.
Please discuss these matters with your immediate family. Planning ahead will help alleviate concern during emergencies. Thank you in advance for following these steps to ensure our students, staff members and public remain safe and secure.
Sincerely,
Gale Zickefoose
Principal
ATTENDANCE INFORMATION
Annual Notification Regarding Public Release of Student Directory Information
The Boise School District complies with federal law (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) as it relates to the release of student directory information to the public. To learn more, log on to www.boiseschools.org and navigate to Parents & Patrons > Parent Information > FERPA Form. Or, you may pick up a FERPA form at your school, or call the Clerk of the Board at 208-854-4123 to obtain a copy of the FERPA form.
Winter Weather Information
WINTER WEATHER PROCEDURES - KEEPING STUDENTS & STAFF SAFE
TO: Principals, Administrators, Supervisors, Staff & Parents/Guardians
FROM: Coby Dennis, Superintendent of Schools
DATE: November 20, 2019 & January 10, 2020
Education is important and every missed day of school represents lost learning opportunities. However, the Boise School District’s primary concern is for the safety of all students, including students riding busses and walking or biking to school. If students cannot safely travel to school or if schools are not able to operate safely because of citywide dangerous weather conditions, school may be cancelled.
We will not cancel school on days with normal wintery conditions. Light snowfall, cold mornings or areas of ice are not sufficiently dangerous to force the closure of schools. With proper precautions including appropriate clothing, road deicing, and careful driving, students can travel to and from school safely.
The Boise School District covers over 450 square miles of Ada County. We recognize that conditions vary throughout the District, even from street to street, in some cases. Conditions may be extremely dangerous in one area, while perfectly safe everywhere else. If parents believe it is too dangerous for their children to travel to school they have the option to keep their children home. If school is cancelled, it will be cancelled for the entire District.
The most frequent dangerous weather conditions facing Boise schools are:
SNOW: Snow levels within the City of Boise are typically light or moderate. However, there is always the potential for a heavy snowfall to make traveling by vehicle or on foot dangerous. Historically, most snowfall only results in slow traffic and minor accidents throughout the City. Normal snowfalls would not result in school closures.
COLD: Frigid temperatures are more serious than snow when making school closure decisions. On bitterly cold days our concern is for students walking to school. Extremely cold weather also impairs our ability to get busses running, which causes delays in pickup routes, delays which are much more dangerous to riders because of the low temperatures.
ICE: Ice is our most dangerous winter weather condition. Freezing rain and/or refreezing of melted snow make our roads, streets and sidewalks extremely treacherous for pedestrians, and vehicles. Icy conditions may force us to close, even if it appears that no other dangerous conditions exist.
How is the decision made to close or not to close school? Representatives from transportation agencies, the weather bureau, the highway district, city and county law enforcement agencies, and school administrators, including the Superintendent, check the roads and monitor information throughout the night and early morning hours. We confer by telephone early in the morning to reach a decision.
If school will be closed, we will communicate in a number of ways to spread the word. In addition to notifying local radio and television news stations, we will send text & email messages to parents/guardians, send an emergency alert via the District’s mobile app, post closure information at www.boiseschools.org, on each school’s website, and on our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram accounts. Parents/guardians can sign-up to receive emergency text messages by texting “Y” or “YES” to the number 67587. Non-parents (e.g., other family members, staff, news media, etc.) can also receive emergency text alerts via the Boise School District's mobile app (available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store). View a brief video further explaining our Inclement Weather Procedures on our Emergency webpage.
READ-A-THON IS HERE!!
Shadow Hills Elementary is holding its first Read-a-thon to improve our playground!
Students log reading minutes between Monday, March 9th, through Spring Break, ending on Monday, March 30th. Prizes will be awarded to individual students and classes based on minutes read as well as donations collected.
To get ready for Read-a-thon, please use your child’s Read-a-thon handout to set up a personal Read-a-thon webpage. From there, you’ll find several helpful tools for requesting donations from relatives, and friends. Starting Monday, March 9 your child will log their reading minutes.
Click here for more information regarding the Shadow Hills Elementary Read-a-thon, or email your questions to Sandy Hambalek at shambalek@deloitte.com.
Please see the attached newsletter for more information!
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION!
If you have a child who will be attending Kindergarten at Shadow Hills next year, please register them online as soon as possible through your existing parent portal (username and password). If you are unsure of your username or have forgotten your password, please call the office for assistance (208-854-6060). Thank you!
PLEASE TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS ABOUT KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION IF THEY LIVE IN OUR SHADOW HILLS BOUNDARY!!
What's New in the Library?
Shadow Hills Library
Is Now On
Instagram!
Follow us and keep up to date
on all the happenings in our library!
BOX TOP INFORMATION
Clip and send Box Tops with your students to school! Just download the Box Tops app. Shop as you normally would, then simply scan your store receipts to find participating products. The app will automatically credit our school's Box Tops earnings online!
LOST and FOUND
NEWS FROM THE HEALTH OFFICE
GUIDELINES FOR KEEPING SICK CHILDREN HOME
Each day many parents are faced with a decision: should they keep their sick child at home or send them off to school? Often the way a child looks and acts can make the decision an obvious one. Please consider these guidelines:
- Colds: Please keep your child at home if he/she has a fever over 100 degrees or is experiencing discomfort that would interfere with his/her ability to perform in school. (i.e. uncontrollable coughing, severe lack of energy). If your child experiences green nasal discharge that continues throughout the day, or a cough lasting longer than ten days, or is accompanied by fever or chills and is productive of discolored sputum, consult with your physician.
- Conjunctivitis (Pink-eye): Following a diagnosis of bacterial conjunctivitis, the child may return to school after the first dose of prescribed medication. Students with viral infection may return when eyes are clear.
- Diarrhea/Vomiting: A child with diarrhea and/or vomiting should stay at home and return to school only after being symptom-free for 24 hours.
- Fever: A child should remain at home with a fever greater than 100 degrees. The child can return to school after he/she has been fever free for 24 hours (without fever-reducing medicine such as Tylenol or Motrin).
- Impetigo: A child with impetigo may return to school 24 hours after treatment has begun. A doctor's note of proof of prescription is recommended.
- Rashes: Common infectious diseases with rashes are most contagious in the early stages. A child with a suspicious rash should return to school only after a health care provider has made a diagnosis and authorized the child's return to school.
- Strep Throat: A child with strep throat may return to school 24 hours after antibiotic treatment has begun.
A sick child cannot learn effectively and is unable to participate in classes in a meaningful way. Keeping a sick child home prevents the spread of illness in the school community and allows the child an opportunity to rest and recover.
ORDER YEARBOOKS NOW!
The PTO has been working hard on the Shadow Hills Yearbook! It's time to place yearbook orders now! An order form has gone home with your student this week. Orders are due by March 9th.
This year the PTO has offered an online option to make it easier to order (please note there is a small service charge to order online).
To order online, visit:
https://commpe.pictavo.com/PictavoSchool/FindSchool
Once there, enter the state, city, and school and follow the steps.
Price is $15 per yearbook until March 2nd; $20 until March 9th.
No orders will be accepted after Monday, March 9th.
Yearbooks will be handed out on the last day of school. If your child will not attend class the last day, please let the teacher know in advance and we will make other arrangements for your child. There will be a limited number of yearbooks available for purchase on the last day of school, on a first come, first served basis. Don't wait until then!!
Yearbooks are a great memento, order today! DEADLINE IS MARCH 9th!
MARCH TO END HUNGER!
BEST SELLING AUTHOR COMING TO SHADOW HILLS
W. Bruce Cameron Is Coming To Shadow Hills!
The Best-selling Author of the book series “A Dog’s Purpose”
is visiting Boise and is coming to speak to our 3rd-6th graders on Monday, March 30th.
To pre-order a signed & personalized copy of Mr. Cameron’s newest book for children,
“Lily to the rescue”
Please return this form to the library by Friday, March 20th (before Spring break!)
**************************************************************************************
Student’s name:___________________________ teacher:____________________________
# of hardcover copies (@$15.99 each)___________
# of paperback copies (@$5.99 each)____________ Total:_______________
(checks made out to shadow hills or exact change only)
***************************************************************************************
Mr. Cameron will also be at Barnes & Noble on Monday, March 30th at 6:00 p.m.
The evening event is geared towards families. He will be discussing all of his books and also doing a book signing. For more information visit:
WALKING CLUB NEWS
25 Miles:
Evelyn S. (Plies)
Stacie B.-D. (Amoureux)
50 Miles:
Roderick F. (Bogdanoff)
75 Miles:
Joel N. and Reagan T. (Bogdanoff)
Millie A. (Wamhoff)
Great job, kids!
♫ Music Dates at Shadow Hills 2019-2020
March 13th: All-School Talent Show
March 19th: Capital Quad Choir Festival
May 7th: Spring Band/Orchestra Concert
May 13th & 14th: Spring Program (4th-6th Grades)
THE ANNUAL SHADOW HILLS BOOK SWAP IS COMING!
KIDS! PARENTS! FAMILIES!
START COLLECTING YOUR USED BOOKS!
THE ANNUAL SHADOW HILLS
BOOK SWAP IS COMING!
THURSDAY, MARCH 12TH
DURING LITERACY NIGHT (IN THE GYM)
SWAP BEGINS AT 5:00pm
*******************************************************************************************
GUIDELINES:
*KIDS: Start bringing books into your classroom
Thursday, March 5th - Thursday, March 12th
(books can be brought in during the Book Swap,
but we prefer to have them brought in beforehand)
*For every TWO used books you bring in, you will receive ONE ticket
*At the Book Swap, one ticket = one used book
*Books must be in good shape
(please no used coloring books, torn pages, scribbles, etc)
*Age-appropriate books are wanted! This is an opportunity to find a book
you want to read. Nursery rhyme books, book for babies, etc are fine
but not exactly what we are looking for
#Grown-up books are welcome. We will have a table for books for adults, but it will be visible to all children so please be aware of the book’s content, cover art, etc
*Books will be sold for .50¢if you don’t have tickets
DECA's 7th Annual Daddy Daughter Dance
What: 7th Annual Daddy Daughter Dance
Where: Capital High School Main Gym
When: March 14th 2020, from 6:30 PM-9 PM
Ticket Pricing
$20 All-Inclusive Bundle: Daddy and daughter entrance, photo booth, flowers, games and refreshments
$10 Princess Bundle: Princess entrance, photo booth, flowers, games and refreshments
(for dads with multiple daughters)
$5 Single Admittance
Pre-Order: Capital High Business Office (208)854-4498
Chess Club at Shadow Hills!
FAMILY STRENGTHENING SUPPORT GROUPS
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!
Mark your calendars for these upcoming activities:
SHADOW HILLS ELEMENTARY DRAMA CLUB is back! Drama Club is offered weekly, Feb 19th-April 22nd, 2020 by Treasure Valley Children's Theater. Students in grades 3-6 are invited to enroll! Drama Club meets on Wednesdays, 3:50-4:50pm. See the attached flyer for information and registration.
The Garden City Library has begun a new program called "Tween Zone" on Monday afternoons for youth ages 9-12! See the flyer below for additional information.
North Boise Little League Spring Baseball & Softball: Registration is going on now! Please see the attached flyer for information and registration.
Is your student caught up on vaccines?
Get your student caught up on any school-required vaccines. Flu shots also available | No appointment needed!
Boise School District is hosting an immunization clinic provided by Central District Health in April. Please see the attached flyer for information.
THURSDAY, APRIL 9 • 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM
WHITTIER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
301 N 29TH ST, BOISE
IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Please bring a copy of your child's immunization records, and insurance/Medicaid card. Central District Health will bill insurance, including Medicaid. No child will be denied vaccines based on ability to pay.