Hamlin Happenings - 6.12.17
We learn. We grow. We soar.
2016-2017 School Theme:
"Children grow into the intellectual life of those around them." -Lev S. Vygotsky
Upcoming Events
Jun 14 - Final Hawks' Nest
Jun 14 - 5th grade Farewell at Adventure Park in West Bloomfield
Jun 16 - 5th grade Clap Out at 11:10 am (Parents are welcome to join us for the clap out)
Jun 16 - 1/2 day - Last Day of School 11:25 dismissal
Reflecting on 2016-17 - another great year at Hamlin
In our final week of the 2016-17 school year - reflecting - you've had an amazing school year
- 4th graders directly impacted the new Innovations Hills Park
- 3rd Annual Hamlin vs. Hampton Volleyball fundraiser was a success
- Another successful Field Day
- Evergreen status (Michigan Green Schools - highest status possible, 2nd year in a row)
- Hamlin moved up to 77th out of 1533 Elementary Schools in the state of Michigan on SchoolDigger.com
- Earned $2,500 through RecycleBank for recycling containers throughout (2nd year in a row)
- Earned $1,000 as i9 Sports 'I love my school' Essay Contest (2nd year in a row)
- Moved up to the 93rd percentile in Michigan's Top to Bottom ranking (6th consecutive year of improvement)
- Christine Larkins established a partnership with Jersey Mike's subs that resulted in two soft fundraisers netting over $1,500 for Hamlin
- Our students raised $1,000 in a Penny War for a family in need (INCREDIBLE!)
- New Peace Pole in front of the school and New Peace Pole in our courtyard
- Our courtyard has undergone new concrete sidewalk, new sod, picnic table
- We had the most student, parent, staff participation in the Hometown Hustle than we've ever had
- We Lit it Up Blue for Autism this year!
- Our 3rd Annual International Fair was a huge success again drawing around 500 people
- Students sang 'We are the World' at this year's International Parade - beautiful
- Our teachers embrace a 'Growth Mindset' through the building
- The PBIS Team established monthly multi-age 'Hawks' Nest' for the first time
- A team of teachers learned about Socio-Emotional Learning and the impact emotional regulation has on learning
- A Hamlin 4th grader was chosen to read his speech at the RCS MLK Celebration at RHS
- Katie Bateman incorporated MakerSpace into her media/library lessons for upper elementary
- Katie Bateman collaborated with Barnes & Noble for this year's Book Fair
- Karen Carter from CBS visited and spoke to our 4th graders
- Dede Read installed two new Buddy Benches near our new playground
- Sarah Kirby collaborated with local organizations to host the grand opening of our new playground
- Kristin Zagula made an incredible video displaying the student excitement for the new playground that has been shared throughout RCS and the Board of Education
- iReady student growth for Reading is 126% (one year's growth is 100%)
- iReady student growth for Math is 120%
- Some of our ESL students have demonstrated over 200% growth!
- 86% of students were reading at grade level at the end of the 3rd MP
- Hamlin was nominated by the State of Michigan as a National Blue Ribbon School (results will come out in September and ceremony will be in Washington D.C. in October)
Summer Reading Opportunities
It’s only two weeks until summer break, and there are a plethora of ways to keep your students reading over the summer. Reading independently, and as a family, has been shown to help children retain skills gained over the school year and to increase their reading fluency and comprehension. Here are a few programs and resources to help get your students on the summer reading track to success!
Rochester Hills Public Library is having their summer reading program kick off on June 10th with a birthday party to celebrate Rochester’s bicentennial. The kick off will be a blast, and the summer reading program is a great way to keep your kids engaged with reading! Check out details at http://bit.ly/2svprNt.
Barnes & Noble also has a free program that only requires students to read eight books over the summer and return a reading journal to the store to pick a free book from their list of available options. The journals can be found at the store, in the Media Center, as well as on their site. There is more information listed here -
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/kids/celebrate-summer-reading-barnes-noble/.
There are also many great lists of books to get your students reading if you’re looking for great places to start. The librarians at the Rochester Hills Public Library are always happy to recommend books. Also, the American Association of School Librarians have compiled recommended books for students of all ages. For our Hamlin Hawks, the lists are available here -
For Kindergarten through Second Grade Students -http://bit.ly/2s1yVCM
For Third through Fifth grade - http://bit.ly/2rjZjqf
For any questions, recommendations, or clarification, feel free to contact Mrs. Bateman! Have a great summer everyone!
Media Center (plans for new seating, carpet, paint, bookshelves)
Below is the Annual Report from the Media Center
Check out the Hamlin Playground Video (Thanks to Mrs. Zagula) - click on link below
Hamlin Network News
Hamlin is a 'Culture of Thinking' School
- Hamlin is a school where a group’s collective as well as individual thinking is valued, visible, and actively promoted as part of the regular, day-to-day experience of all group members.
- Learning is a product of thinking.
- Learning and thinking are as much a collective enterprise as they are an individual endeavor.
- Learning occurs at the point of challenge.
- Learning is an active process and involves getting personally involved.
- Questions not only drive learning but also are outcomes of learning as well.