Hillcrest Hawk Happenings
The official newsletter of Hillcrest Elementary Staff
Supporting, empowering, & championing every single student, every single day, in every single way.
November 10, 2019
IMPORTANT DATES
TO ACCESS THE MONTH-BY-MONTH CALENDARS for the whole year, click HERE. Please know that these are still works-in-progress, so check back often to see the updates. October has been updated with the mandatory morning meetings -- calendar invitations to follow!
MUST READ
IMPORTANT LINKS
Hillcrest Classroom Sign-out Sheet
Hillcrest Reading Log/Response Choices
NEW!! Updated HAWKS matrix
Coming soon: 2019-20 Assessment Pacing Calendar (stay tuned)
Principal's Parking Spot: Al Ferony
This week, November 12-15, that honor goes to AL FERONY. We could likely write a novel about why Mr. Ferony deserves this honor, but suffice to say, Mr. Ferony gives of himself to benefit our students each and every day, and he makes many contributions to our school community, from tending the tiny garden, to volunteering for evening events, to making meaningful connections to students who need him most, and more. Thank you, Mr. Ferony, for all that you do for our students, families and staff!
To nominate an individual for this special privilege, click HERE.
Multi-cultural Night November 4
MORNING ARRIVAL CHANGES
We have begun the new morning arrival procedures with rotational recess. This week we will invite certain groups to have morning recess outside from 8:00 - 8:20 (weather permitting). There will be a sign posted on the bulletin board across from the main office so students know who is invited for outdoor recess, and what other options may be available for students. Beginning sometime soon -- perhaps as early as later this week -- we will have other options for students as well. We hope this will help students start the day off on a better note without requiring all students to be confined only to the cafeteria or the gym. With morning activity options, students will be broken up into smaller groups, and on recess days, students may have a chance to exert excess energy before starting their day so they can focus better in class. Stay tuned for more information and for instructions for students.
PBIS HAPPENINGS
- ASSEMBLY ASSISTANCE
We need 4 classes (2- 4th and 2-5th?) to present for next month's assembly!
The monthly theme is Kindness and Gratitude and classes can present a song, skit, poem, book, etc. that can enhance our understanding of the monthly themes.
- POINTS UPDATES!
Check for updated PBIS points on this excel sheet!
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Um5jYVMmhhrh4swo6LXYGpcN-zNLUjeyO_2eu8PV2As/edit?usp=sharing
*Check the "BRAVO BOARD" outside the office for the classes that receive the most PBIS points for the week! KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK! :)
- Reminder about "Cafeteria Crew Members of the Month"
Each month we are going to recognize 2 "cafeteria crew members of the month" that have shown they have done an outstanding job of supporting our students during lunchtime.
This month we are recognizing Ms. Jasmine and Ms. Ana Maria!
*Let's remind our students to acknowledge the monitors and kitchen staff and recognize the importance of being kind and respectful to all adults. (Greeting them, using manners, going to them for help, listening to directions etc.)
- MORNING MEETINGS
After hearing feedback from may teachers about the start to the day, students' needs to ease into the morning and the challenges with starting the instructional day as currently written into the schedules, we'd like to formally return to the practice of conducting brief morning meetings at the start of each day. From 8:20 - 8:45, please take the opportunity to connect as a class community. To begin, you can follow the Andrus Sanctuary model that we have been trained in as a staff, or another format with which you feel most comfortable. We would like each classroom to start by reviewing a value a day from the NEW HAWKS matrix so that we can ensure all students have been exposed to the new matrix. For example, pull up the new matrix on the screen and review what it means to be Honest in different areas of the school, and ask students to consider what that would also look like at home and in the community.
Adjustments will be made to the official schedules, but it will not impact any of the transitions, etc. that are already in your schedule. It will simply take a few minutes from your other instructional block, because if we do not intentionally plan to take a few minutes proactively to help our students, we will have to take that time (or more!) when we have to react to problems and behaviors which might have been prevented.
- MORNING MEETING LIGHTHOUSE CLASSROOMS
Our clinical staff will be adopting a few classrooms to lend their support for morning meetings as a way of establishing some Lighthouse Classrooms for Morning Meetings, who will then be able to host other teachers and serve as some examples of the many ways in which you might choose to format your morning meetings. Watch for more information on that in the days and weeks to come.
A reminder for those who wish to build upon the Sanctuary training:
Sanctuary Morning Meeting Questions to Review:
1.) How are you feeling today?
2.) What is your school goal?
3.) Who will help you?
This should not take longer than 5 minutes or so
OTHER OPTIONS FOR MORNING MEETINGS/BRAIN BREAKS:
Go Noodle- https://www.gonoodle.com
Calm- https://www.calm.com (free for educators when you apply)
MIND YETI- https://www.mindyeti.com/v2/s/
Headspace- https://www.headspace.com/
Calming Youtube Music with Scene:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlWiI4xVXKY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7e-GC6oGhg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77ZozI0rw7w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Q634rbsypE
PBIS MATRIX:
Everyone should have received an updated PBIS matrix on Friday!
Please review the matrix and try to incorporate the HAWK Acronym into your daily common language to enforce explicit teaching and modeling.
Examples:
"I am so proud of you for telling me the truth, you are being HONEST
I love that you took out your notebook and got right to work, you are being AMBITIOUS."
"When you were frustrated I loved how you asked me to get a drink of water and not put your hands on someone. Thank you for making a WISE decision."
"When you used your manners when you spoke to the lunch monitors, you were being KIND."
"Thank you for walking in the hallway, you're being SAFE."
Specials Teachers- Please review the PBIS Matrix as well before starting your lesson.
HAWKS "KIND" Bracelets-
If you receive a Kind bracelet in your mailbox please continue to reward students for demonstrating acts of kindness for this month! :)
LITERACY HAPPENINGS
- UNIT ASSESSMENTS
We should build upon the good work which has already been started in terms of formalizing and expanding our common assessments in each unit of Reading Workshop. If you use rubrics, checklists, unit-specific conference notes forms, etc., be prepared to bring them with you to the ELA meetings this week so we can share and upload to Rubicon ATLAS.
- By now you should have received some books for your classroom library that were received through a grant from City National Bank, thanks to Peekskill Police Chief Don Halmy! We hope you and your students enjoy the books -- thank you Chief Halmy and City National Bank!
- FISH IN A TREE/COMO PEZ EN EL ARBOL
The schoolwide Book Study, being done via read aloud and class discussion, shall begin! Here are a few resources that can assist you in your work with your class. We will also be asking questions periodically to students, and they can submit their answers for possible inclusion on our large bulletin board in the main hallway.
Resources:
Author website with resources https://www.lyndamullalyhunt.com/
Penguin Study Guide CLICK HERE
Novel Study Preview Click this link
MATH HAPPENINGS
Grade level math meetings with Dr. Sobrin are listed on the monthly calendars (see link in calendar section above). Be prepared for each meeting by having your most recent student math data available and accessible. This is especially important with the pre-, mid-, and end-of-module assessments. We should be following the same protocol as last year when we completed the item analysis for our practice assessments.
- SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES WITH ZEARN and ST MATH!
Let us know how it is going with Zearn and ST Math as you integrate it into your classrooms! Share photos and stories with us! If you would like to see it in action in another teacher's classroom, request a Lighthouse Visit using the Lighthouse request form.
SOCIAL STUDIES/SCIENCE/STEM HAPPENINGS
SPECIALS HAPPENINGS
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS HAPPENINGS
The focus is on behavior, and how parents can help their children at home. We will discuss Zones of Regulation, our own PBIS matrix and how families can create their own, and home-based behavior plans and incentive charts. We are looking for volunteers, so please email me to express interest in volunteering!
Upcoming Holidays
Also, remain mindful that not all families celebrate the way that you celebrate, so let's do our best to be inclusive of all traditions -- or that some students may have no traditions at all -- and value them all equally so that students don't feel that their family's situation or tradition is inferior to or inconsistent with our own or what we might see as typical.
I have not been able to check out all of the links within this document, so I can't vouch for all of them, but here are some ways to expand our thinking around Thanksgiving: A Racial Justice Guide to Thanksgiving.
Staff Celebration
If you accessed this document before 5:20 November 11, you read that it will be less structured and formal, but I was not correct in that.
You will get more information soon, but for now, save the date: Dec 13.
PROFESSIONAL GROWTH HAPPENINGS
WE NEED YOU! for our Soaring Hawks After School Program
Reminder: LIGHTHOUSE VISITS
Along with the required visits of new teachers to Lighthouse Classrooms, we want to encourage others to visit their colleagues to share best practices. Request a Lighthouse Classroom visit by signing up using this form.
Deadline this week: NOVEMBER/DECEMBER FAMILY NEWSLETTER
ICYMI: MORNING ANNOUNCEMENTS
We are exploring some new ways to submit your announcements for the morning announcements. For the time-being, if you have something you would like to add to the morning announcements, click on this calendar doc and add it to the morning you would like it announced. Be careful not to type over someone else’s announcement. I know some people had difficulty accessing the document, but I have changed the settings to make sure everyone can edit the file.
Who's That??
In response to last week's "Who's That Girl?", I'm surprised to say that only ONE person had the correct response. While several people thought the girl in the red dress was Candida, the correct response belonged to Tara Guerrero, who guess the correct response of Ms. Tara King.
Who do you think is pictured in the photo below?After checking out the photo, Click here and make your best guess -- we will pick a winner at random from the correct responses to win a special prize! (oooh! ahhh!)