Hillsdale Herald
Hillsdale Elementary School, September 2021
September 17, 2021
This is the theme for WCASD and Hillsdale this year. The district's goal, as set forth by Dr. Sokolowski is: To create a stronger sense of student and staff belonging in our schools. We have all been through a lot last year, and continue to have some bumps in the road this year related to COVID-19. Please know we are focusing on building relationships in our classrooms and making sure students and teachers are heard and supported. Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is one way we do this. There are several competencies of SEL: self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. For years, our students have been learning about this through our Second Step program. Mrs. DeWitt, our school counselor, and our classroom teachers deliver a series of lessons using this curriculum. We are also incorporating good reminders about taking care of ourselves in our morning announcements. So far we have explored music, nutrition & hydration, as well as sleep.
Safety and Security
Each year all WCASD schools practice a variety of safety drills which include monthly fire drills and two annual security drills as required by PA School Code. We had our first fire drill last week. Students did an excellent job of evacuating the building quickly and quietly. We all gathered on the playground in our line-up spots and then returned to the building.
Visitors and Volunteers
I know we were all very excited at the prospect of getting our volunteers back in the building. Please know we will re-start them as soon as WCASD permits it. In the meantime, please consider any and all outdoor volunteer opportunities that come up!
Patriot Day
Pack 110 Cubscouts
Attentive K-5 students
5th graders speaking about 9-11
International Dot Day!
On Wednesday, September 15th, Hillsdale Elementary celebrated International Dot Day. International Dot Day, a global celebration of creativity, courage and collaboration, began when teacher Terry Shay introduced his classroom to Peter H. Reynolds’ book The Dot on September 15, 2009. Today International Dot Day is celebrated in 6,642,914 schools/classrooms in 135 countries. Hillsdale had various ‘Dot Day’ activities ranging from art projects to writing activities and book readings. Did you see our pictures on Twitter?
-Mr. Hober
Art Educator
Friday Pretzels are back!!
Looking Ahead!
Thurs. 9/23 - PTO meeting 7:00pm, zoom
October
Sat 10/2 - Padres Latinos Resource Fair (see flyer below)
Fri 10/8 – Picture Day #1
Sat 10/16 – Trunk or Treat
Thurs 10/21 – PTO meeting 7:00pm
Fri 10/22 – PTO Move-a-thon during Specials
November
Tues 11/2 – No School - Teacher In-service
Thurs 11/4 – No School - Diwali
Thurs 11/18 – PTO meeting 7:00pm
Fri 11/19 – Picture Re-takes
Tues 11/23 – Wed 11/24 – Parent Teacher Conferences
11/24 - 11/26 - No School Thanksgiving Break
September 3, 2021
While it was a rocky first week of school, we hope your children are as excited as we are to be at Hillsdale! I have left a few key things from the August Newsletter here and moved them to the bottom for your convenience.
Thank you to all the parents/guardians that attended Open Houses in person or via zoom. We look forward to more opportunities to be together in the coming months. First chance will be the PTO Welcome Back Bash on Friday 9/10. We hope to see you there!
PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention & Supports)
The first week of school, the students had lessons about being Respectful, Responsible, Safe and Caring in all areas of our school. On Friday we had our kick off assembly. Ask your child about PAWS tickets, so many have already been received and put in the bin in the lobby. On Fridays, we draw names from every grade and announce the names that will be on our Husky Hall of Fame. Those students will come to the office to receive Bag Tags. Please see the button below for a summary of the program. Keep up the good work students!
Pick Up Patrol
You should have received an email from Pick Up Patrol to set up your account. If you have not, please let us know.
August Info Below
Car Lines - Morning Drop Off
*GREEN= Car Lanes
*YELLOW = Bus Loop
**Red Arrows=Pay Attention!!**
During Drop Off times in the morning, and Pick Up time in the afternoon, cars and buses share the same driveway. Be careful where you see the RED ARROWS!!
Please have your children use the passenger side of the vehicle. Children need to be able to do their own seatbelts and car seats.
Parents should not get out of the car.
- Drop off time runs from 8:30 am to 9:00 am.
- Class instruction begins at 9:10.
- Parents should follow the green arrow, and use the Car Line Loop only.
- Please drop off at the paws painted on the sidewalk. 5 cars can empty at the same time. You do not need to wait until you are first in line to drop off.
Car Lines - Afternoon Pick Up
*YELLOW = Bus Loop
**Red Arrows=Pay Attention!!**
During Drop Off times in the morning, and Pick Up time in the afternoon, cars and buses share the same driveway. Be careful where you see the RED ARROWS!!
Please have your children use the passenger side of the vehicle. Children need to be able to do their own seatbelts and car seats.
Pick up time runs from 3:30 to 3:50
- Class instruction ends at 3:25.
- There is crossover where the buses need to pull around the car line to get to the bus lane. As long as all drivers are cautious, everything will run smoothly.
- Please see the picture below. We use both aisles of the parking lot to weave cars together at the bottom. This allows us to get more cars off the road and avoid a dangerous situation at the Bradford Ave and Market St intersection.
- If you need to park in order to assist your child with the car seat, please attempt to park in the top parking lot right in front of the school.
- Remember, red arrow indicate places to pay attention to merging!
- We will try to load 5-6 cars at once in the afternoon.
- If the cars in front of you have not dropped off or picked up, it is ok to safely pass cars and exit the property.
- BE CAREFUL!!!
Counselor's Corner
I hope you and your family had a fun and relaxing summer! As Hillsdale’s school counselor, I welcome you to the 2021-2022 school year. I especially want to welcome any new families to the Hillsdale community—I look forward to getting to know both you and your children. It is my hope this year will be full of successful experiences for all students.
Returning to school after a long summer break is a big transition and all children respond differently. Here is a link to some helpful tips for you as parents to review in order to help support your child at home.
Please encourage your child to use this link to access my virtual school counseling office for mindfulness strategies, relaxation techniques, as well as social emotional videos, activities and books.
I hope everyone has a great start to the school year and I look forward to another year of working with your children! Feel free to contact me at any time during the school year if I can be of help to you and/or your children
.
Mrs. Kathy DeWitt
Hillsdale School Counselor kdewitt@wcasd.net
484-266-2011
NURSE NOTES
Please be reminded of the mandated health information that is required for students in particular grades. I want to be sure you have the information you need in order to comply with the state mandate.
Kindergarten and all newly registered students:
- Physical examination report dated after September 2020
- Dental examination report dated after September 2020. A blank dental form can be found below.
- Report of up to date PA state mandated immunizations. . The required immunizations include: Dtap, Polio, Hepatitis B, Varicella (chicken pox) and MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella). Immunization dates must be verified in writing by your Health Care Provider.
The Chester County Health Department will provide immunizations free to any child who does not have insurance covering immunizations. Please contact them at 610-344-6468 for information when they will reopen.
3rd Grade Dental Exams
If you have a child(ren) who will be in 3rd grade for the 21-22 school year.
PA State mandates require that all 3rd grade students have a dental examination. The report can be dated any time after September 2020, and can be sent to me via email at the address below or mailed to me at HDE via the U.S. postal service.
If you have any questions, please contact me at cdugan@wcasd.net.
Please be sure your clearances are up to date! Click above for details.
Spanish Language Phone Line
Si usted prefiere comunicarse en español por favor llame al 484-266-1690 para contactarse con personal escolar.
(If you prefer to speak to a Spanish speaking operator, please call 484-266-1690 to connect with school personnel.)
About Hillsdale Elementary
Email: pmerten@wcasd.net
Website: https://www.wcasd.net/Domain/602
Location: 725 West Market Street, West Chester, PA, USA
Phone: 484-266-2001
Twitter: @HDEelem