The Howler January 24th, 2020
Newsletter for the Shadow Hills Elementary School Community
Principal Point
Promote Reading By Making It a Social Activity
Many children get so wrapped up in organized activities that they have little time for reading. But reading for pleasure is important. Children who only read what is required for school can fall behind in their reading skills.
A good way to keep reading on your child’s schedule is to make it a fun, social event. Think of creative ways to blend friends and books. Try having a:
- Book swap. Have your child invite friends over to exchange and talk about their favorite books.
- Book club. Organize it around a favorite series. For example, have a Diary of a Wimpy Kid themed meeting.
- Write-a-story party. Arrange the children in a circle. Give each child a sheet of paper. Begin by having each child write a sentence on his sheet of paper. Then have him pass the paper to the next child to write the second sentence. Have them continue passing their stories around until all group members have written a sentence for each story. Then have them read their stories aloud.
- Joke night. Invite children to bring books with jokes or riddles. Let them take turns reading aloud to the group.
- Play-reading party. Give a copy of a short, easy-to-read play script to all attendees. Encourage them to be dramatic and ham it up.
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Boise School District
Educating Today for a Better Tomorrow
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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
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.
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!
Author Annie Barrows is coming to Shadow Hills!
Mrs. Cecil arranged this special presentation with Rediscovered Books. Please see the attached flyer if you would like more information.
STUDENTS OF THE MONTH
Kindergarten: Mason C., Connor W., Emmie M., Jayna H., Gage L., Mustafa A., Harley P., Sailor L. and Annabelle H.
First Grade: Violet H., Arianna J., Vienne R., Atreyu B., Charlotte B., Mason L., Colton R. and Lilly T.
Second Grade: Coleman G., Leah A., Lily E., Abigail A., Hallee H., Case C., Sammy D. and Adri W.
Third Grade: Hayden F., Brantly S., Keelie B., Chloe R., Bella R., Sophia H., Charley L. and Ginny S.
Fourth Grade: Logan A., Charli V., Presley R., Maddox S., Briley D., Libbie L., Marley C. and Lydia B.
Fifth Grade: Jaeda W., Taif A., Amira I., Tristan W., Leyla O., Charley M. and Alyssa F.
Sixth Grade: Sysilee S., Ellie F., Makayla C., Aaron H., Preston H., Ryan K. and Teighlor W.
Shadow Hill Spelling Bee
Nate J. is the Shadow Hills Champion! Congratulations, Nate!
The students who participated are pictured here:
Back Row: Shawn W. (Phillips- 5), Daiken L. (Arnzen), Sophia R. (Schwehr), Kymberleigh N. (Irwin), Nate J. (Carstensen) and Raina L. (Roberts)
Front Row: Symeon W. (Amoureux), Marlee O. (Cullen), Lydia B. (Jeffries), Romy T. (Vines), Hudson M. (Diehl) and Bentley L. (Erb)
Great job!
PTO is planning for Teacher Appreciation Week!
PTO is currently recruiting members for the Teacher Appreciation Week committee and would love to have more parent involvement!
Anyone interested can email Shauna Stonehocker at spencershauna@gmail.com
Please let Shauna know if you have any questions. Thank you!
WALKING CLUB NEWS!
50 Miles:
Taylor B. (Bogdanoff)
Leah A. (Plies)
100 Miles:
Nasta H. (Amoureux)
Keep up the great work!
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.
♫ 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)
JR. OULA is HERE!
Calling all 4th through 6th grade students, teachers, and parents!
THURSDAY AFTERNOONS FROM 4:00-4:30 p.m.
W h a t is j r .OUL A ?
jr. OULA is one of four fitness programs created by OULA Fitness. Geared toward ages 4-11, jr. OULA focuses on child-appropriate music and movement while honoring the basic choreography and inspiring energy of OULA. The goal of jr. OULA is to cultivate confidence, strength, and a healthy lifestyle in our youth and our community.
MUSIC
Music is the foundation of the jr. OULA experience. We use a combination of appropriate OULA songs, favorite movie soundtracks, Kidz Bop, and more! For example, Let it Go from Frozen is a major hit...It’s a kid dance party!
MOVEMENT
Instructors keep movements animated and exciting while also being easy and flexible. Kids move in a way that feels good to them. Every move is the right move!
FUN
Most kids don't take jr. OULA for fitness - they take it for the fun!! It's a perfect combination of dancing, singing and games.
How does jr OULA work?
Focusing on fun rather than fitness, jr. OULA helps kids develop self-confidence through movement. During a 30-45 minute class, the simple choreography improves balance, coordination and control while dancing, singing and playing games. jr. OULA empowers kids making them feel strong and more confident in moving their bodies.
See the attached flyer for information! Come check it out!
Chess Club at Shadow Hills!
PARENT NIGHTS: Charting Your Student’s Academic Path
What Are Your Student’s Goals? What Courses Should Your Student Take? What Options Does the Boise School District Offer for Math, Science, English and Social Studies?
Why: To help parents make informed decisions about what option is best for their student.
Where and When: Parents may attend any of the curriculum meetings at these locations and times:
Location: Riverglen Jr. High cafeteria: January 28, 6:00 - 7:00 pm
FAMILY STRENGTHENING SUPPORT GROUPS
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!
Mark your calendars for these upcoming activities:
GRIZZLY BASKETBALL CUB CAMP - Riverglen Junior High Cheer Squad is hosting cheer camp on Saturday, February 1st! See the attached flyer for information and registration.
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.
The Capital Wrestling Club is for young athletes interested in competing in the sport of wrestling. The season begins on January 14th at Capital High School. Attached is a flyer with 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 two immunization clinics provided by Central District Health in February and April. Please see the attached flyers for information.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20 • 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM
GARFIELD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
1914 B ROADWAY AVE, BOISE
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.