Simmons Elementary School
October 19, 2022
Dr. Robert Campman, Assistant Principal (rcampman@hhsd.org)
Simmons is feeling the Phillies spirit as the team battles the San Diego Padres. Students and staff are invited to dress in their favorite Phillies gear or wear red and white to celebrate the hometown team on Friday, October 21st. Also on Friday, we will be participating in our annual school walk-a-thon at the high school stadium.
Families of students currently in grades 4 and 5 who took the Spring 2022 PSSAs at Simmons will be receiving the student score report this afternoon. The reports are coming home with students in sealed envelopes. The report provides information about student performance on state assessments of English Language Arts and Mathematics. For students who were in grade 4 last year, they also took the Science assessment.
On October 24, Diwali, the Festival of Lights, begins. This holiday is the most important holiday of the year in India. The Hindu festival gets its name from the row of clay lamps that people light outside their homes to symbolize the inner light that protects from spiritual darkness. To families in our school community celebrating Diwali, we wish you a Diwali that brings happiness, prosperity and joy!
School Safety Drills
In May 2022, the Hatboro-Horsham School Board approved Run/Hide/Fight, a nationally recognized best practice emergency response. Run/Hide/Fight allows staff and students to choose the option or combination of options that best fits the emergency circumstances. At our school last spring, we practiced the “Hide” option by locking the classroom doors and creating barricades to prevent an intruder from entering.
Next week, we will be practicing the “run” option, which means that students and staff will evacuate the building by the nearest exit and go directly to a designated rally point. At the rally point, staff will take attendance and ensure that all students are accounted for. After confirming that everyone is accounted for, we will return to the building and continue the instructional day.
For any of our emergency drills, we follow these protocols:
· We will not do anything during our Run/Hide/Fight drills that compromises the safety of students and staff.
· All Run/Hide/Fight drills will be announced prior to their start. There will be no surprise or spur- of-the-moment drills.
· There will no “live actors” in any of our drills.
· We will not present to the students and staff any scary, violent, traumatic, stressful, or disturbing scenarios to further the drill.
· Our drills will never involve/include any real, fake, or simulated dangerous weapons.
· We will never fire, or simulate the firing of, any dangerous weapon (real or fake) during our Run/Hide/Fight drills.
· During Run/Hide/Fight drills, and when age appropriate, students may be encouraged to assist teachers/staff with barricading doors.
· When appropriate, students may be encouraged to evacuate the building with their teacher/staff member.
· The HHSD Director of Safety, Rick Kerrigan, will oversee all building Run/Hide/Fight drills to ensure that they are done safely and properly.
Upcoming Events
Today - Early Dismissal for students at 1 p.m.
Tomorrow, Thursday, October 20 - HSA meeting (virtual) - Link below
Thursday, October 27 - Family STREAM Night, 6:30 - 8 p.m.
Monday, October 31 - Halloween Parade (PK, K, and Gr. 1) and Classroom Parties (all classes)
Tuesday, November 8 - Election Day - No School for Students
Halloween 2022
On Monday, October 31st, Simmons Elementary School students will be having Halloween activities and parties in their classrooms. Your child’s teacher will send home more specific information about their class activities. Please take a moment to review the information below regarding our holiday plan.
2:15 – 2:30 p.m. Preschool, Kindergarten and Grade 1 Parade in the gym
For the Halloween parade, family members are invited to come to the school gym and sit on the bleachers. Please leave extra time to park in a legal parking space, then enter the gym through the exterior door under the overhang. The students will parade around the gym a few times, then return to their classroom for their parties. The exterior gym doors will be open beginning at 2 p.m.
2:30 p.m. Preschool through Grade 5 classroom parties
The Simmons Home and School Association will again provide Halloween snacks and a bingo game to each classroom. We will not need classroom volunteers for the parties this year.
Costumes
If your child’s class is dressing up for Halloween, please remember that all costumes need to be appropriate for an elementary school setting. No face paint, hair dye or weapons should be brought to school as part of a costume. Thank you for helping us make this event fun and safe for everyone.
Help for the Holidays
The holiday season is quickly approaching, as our economy continues to prove challenging for so many. The faculty at Simmons Elementary School would like to help! Please use the link below if your family could benefit from some assistance in the upcoming months.
News from the Simmons Home and School Association
Microsoft Teams meeting
Join on your computer, mobile app or room device
Click here to join the meeting
Meeting ID: 275 817 668 558
Passcode: KucFXr
Download Teams | Join on the web
Or call in (audio only)
+1 412-634-6281,,651308742# United States, Pittsburgh
Phone Conference ID: 651 308 742#