Hope Valley School Weekly Update
Friday, January 31, 2020
Calendar of Events
February 2020
4 - After School Drama Club - Full Cast (3:30-5:00)
6 - After School Drama Club - Imps group only (3:30-5:00)
10-13 - School Spirit Week (see details below)
10 - PTO Metting at 6:30 in the library
11 - After School Drama Club - Fairies & Nymphs groups (3:30-5:00)
13 - After School Drama Club - Trolls group only (2:00-5:00)
13 - Early Release Day (No PM preschool)
14-17 - Winter Recess
18 - URI Basketball Tickets are due (see flyer below)
March 2020
3-6 - Book Fair in Library (details as we get closer)
3/5- Reading Week Assembly
3/6- Possible Movie Night (stay tuned)
3/9- PTO Meeting at 6:30 in the Library
3/17- Kindergarten Registration 10-6 in library (see flyer below)
3/18- Kindergarten Registration 10-6 in library (see flyer below)
3/19- Early Release Day (No AM preschool)
3/21- ARTESSY at CMS
PTO Meeting
Monday, Feb 10, 2020, 06:30 PM
Hope Valley Elementary School, Thelma Drive, Hope Valley, RI, USA
Spirit Week
Important Information
1. SNACK CONCERN - I just want to remind families that classrooms are peanut and tree nut free. Please do not send in any snacks that contain peanuts and tree nuts. We have children with severe allergies in the school. I think sometimes we get lax about it (me included) and we forget but it is very important that we adhere to this school policy.
2. Valentine's Day is Friday, February 14 which is a day there is no school. If teachers decide to do a Valentine Day celebration in the class, I want to remind parents that there is NO FOOD or NO CANDY allowed to be distributed. Hate to be the “Cupid Grinch” but students will not be able to give out food or candy. Non-food items are fine. I suggest home-made or store-bought Valentine cards. In the past, students have attached non-food/non-candy items like pencils, erasers, stickers, temporary tattoos, etc. I appreciate your undivided attention with this request!
Drama Club Information
I am so excited to be back for a second year at Hope Valley working on the after school drama program! The students did such an amazing job bringing to life the characters that the high school writers imagined for this year’s production! Here is a rehearsal schedule through Feb 13. Please note that not all students will be called to every rehearsal (see schedule). You can view the rehearsal calendar here: rehearsal calendar. Looking forward to getting started!
REHEARSAL SCHEDULE
Tuesday, February 4 at 3:30-5
- Full Cast
Thursday, February 6 at 3:30-5
- Imps Group only
Tuesday, February 11 at 3:30
- Fairies Group AND Nymphs Group
Thursday February 13 at 3:30 – 5
- Trolls Group only
Langworthy Library News
Yearbooks For Sale
RICAS Testing Information
Dear Parents and Guardians of Students in Grades 3 and 4:
State assessments are an important component of Chariho’s Comprehensive Assessment System. These assessments provide us with information to measure the effectiveness of our curriculum and programs, and identify areas where students may need extra support. Your child’s results provide information about his/her progress towards being on the road to college and career readiness.
This year, your child will participate in the online RICAS (Rhode Island Comprehensive Assessment System) assessments in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics.
RICAS assessments will be administered on the following dates:
Grade 3 & 4 ELA - Tuesday, April 7 and Wednesday, April 8
Grade 3 & 4 Math - Tuesday, April 28 and Wednesday, April 29
The school will provide a complimentary breakfast to students before tests are administered. We appreciate your support in making sure your child:
Has a good night’s sleep;
Attends school; and
Arrives to school on time.
Thank you for your continued involvement in and support of your child’s education. Please contact your child’s teacher or myself if you wish to learn more.
School Calendar for 2020-2021
Breakfast and Lunch Information
This week, a small team of people (principal, parent, lunch staff) met with Cindy Buxton who is part of the Health and Wellness committee for Chariho. I learned some rather interesting facts about food nutrition during our time together. Most notably, did you know that children should not consume more than 25 grams of added sugars per day. Added sugars are sugars or caloric sweeteners that manufacturers put in foods or drinks. Food packages are now including this information on the labels. See the information below according to AHA guidelines which differs for men, women, and children regarding added sugars.
- Men - Men should consume no more than 38 g or 9 teaspoons (tsp) of sugar.
- Women - Women should consume nor more than 25 g or 6 tsp of sugar.
- Children - Children between the ages of 2 and 18 should consume no more than 25 g, or 6 tsp, of added sugar daily.
Other facts I learned:
- Our school lunch program follows the RI Department of Education (RIDE) lunch program guidelines which is actually more strict than the National School Lunch Program guidelines.
- Chocolate Milk vs White Milk - At HVES, the majority of children will take chocolate milk over white milk. While watching students have breakfast the other day, most children were using chocolate milk for their cereal which was very surprising for me. I always assumed everyone used white milk for cereal. I'd like to state that chocolate milk contains 7 grams of added sugars while white milk contains no added sugars. So, if a child has chocolate milk for breakfast and chocolate milk for lunch, that is already 14 grams out of the 25 grams recommended of added sugars for the day and that is just from chocolate milk.
- NEW RECOMMENDATIONS! Research shows that what children drink from birth through age five has a big impact on their health – both now and for years to come. The nation’s leading health organizations agree that for most kids, the recommendations can help to set children on a path for healthy growth and development. As always, consult with your health care provider about your child’s individual needs. information comes from https://healthydrinkshealthykids.org/
Information of what is offered to students for both breakfast and lunch:
To create a meal, students must take at least 3 food items. (See "Create a Meal" attachment below). For best nutrition, children are encouraged to choose all 5 food groups: Grains, Meat, Milk, Fruits, Veggies. Students must:
- Select a 1/2 cup of fruit or vegetable (or both)
- Pick a second serving of fruit or some other foods like: Whole Grains, Lean Protein, or a serving of Milk
- Take a minimum of 3 food items
This is a link for the breakfast and lunch menus:
https://chariho.nutrislice.com/menu/hope-valley-elementary?mode=browse
Breakfast costs: $1.25 and Lunch costs $2.70
Parent Pickup Issues
Every year we tend to go through safety issues at the K-4 parent pickup and every year I end up calling for the police to come and monitor the parking lot. If there are no open spots in the visitor spots, DO NOT PARK in a numbered spot as these are staff parking spots. DO NOT PARK in the stacking lane along the outside of the parking lot where buses enter and exit because this causes congestion. Lastly, DO NOT BLOCK the one-way circle or double park near the Kindergarten room. This area needs to always remain passable for emergency vehicles. I understand it is just a few minutes but I have been told numerous times that this needs to be clear at ALL TIMES.
In the end, it is not worth it when the congestion ends up causing an accident or god forbid worse. There are children and parents walking through the parking lot. Hate to be so blunt but it's a disaster waiting to happen. SAFETY IS MY TOP PRIORITY! There is nothing more I can do about the parking. I'd appreciate it if we can all be mindful of this policy.
1. Park on Locustville Road (in front of the school) and walk up the stairs to pick up your child.
2. Park at Woodriver Pre-school and walk up Thelma Drive (between 3:00-3:30 only). I called today and asked for permission if parents can use their parking lot. They know how important safety is and instantly approved.
3. Parents always have the option of utilizing the bus. If you need a new bus transportation form, you can get it on the Chariho website under the parent/student tab or contact Donna in the office at 401-539-2321 or by clicking here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfvF_vp87I9kbeUzt-jvOIbI3UgN_hNaegjRO1KCN2xO5VBCw/viewform
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS IMPORTANT SAFETY CONCERN!
URI Family Night
Kindergarten Registration
I know this is early to start thinking about but I wanted to get the information out sooner rather than later. Included on Kindergarten Registration Day will be school tours, play centers, light refreshments, and a special gift for our newest students. Parents will have an opportunity to speak to the principal and a kindergarten teacher. No appointment will be necessary on March 17 or March 18.
What should I bring with me? It'll be important for parents to bring immunization records, birth certificate, and a locator card. These three things are a must to complete your registration packet. There will be a flyer coming home out soon. Stay tuned and please pass along news to those who have an incoming Kindergarten student. Much appreciated.
Survey Time...Need your Help!
The Rhode Island Department of Education is currently administering its yearly SurveyWorks Parent Survey, which is an opportunity for parents to provide feedback about our school and our children’s opportunities to learn. The survey results are most useful when all parents participate, so I am writing to ask you to participate in this survey.
Your views on matters like the safety of your child at school, the way students are taught, the condition of the school, and how connected you feel to this school are important. By taking this short survey you can help our school leadership and our parent-teacher organization to make improvements to our school. Responses are anonymous and cannot be linked to any individual; no one can tie your responses back to you.
You can take the short survey online anytime between now and March 31st. To take the survey, visit: surveys.panoramaed.com/ride and enter one of the access codes below:
- For students in grades Kindergarten through 4th grade, enter 98107family
- For students in pre-school, enter 98109family
HVES Blogs
There are tabs you can click on on the home page:
- Home tab - for a variety of games, coding, resources, etc.
- Kicking it with the Arts Blog tab - It's an Arts Spotlight which ties into our school specialty.
- Mrs. Ward's Blog tab - on what's going on in the library
- More tab - to access blogs written by some talented students
Reminders
- Payment for the Morning Program is due at the beginning of each month. If you need a form, stop or call the office.
- Also, the Morning Program STARTS at 7:30. Technically it starts at 7:35 because everything is programmed through our time clock. Staff punch in at 7:30 so they need time to get to the gym to set up. At Hope Valley, we have always allowed students to come for 7:30 but we cannot let children in before 7:30 because no one will be in the gym.
- We have many students with negative lunch balances. Please be sure parents are taking care of any balances ASAP. Checks can be made out to Chariho Regional School District
- If your child comes in at 8:00 for Dreambox with Mr. Mulvey or reading support with Mrs. Pastore or Maker Morning/Green Screen with Mrs. Ward, students must not be coming before 7:55 or they will be charged $3.50 per day.
Social Media Outlets
@CharihoRegional
use #HopeValleyHawks
The PTO Corner
Next meeting February 10, 2020 at 6:30 pm in the Hope Valley School Library
PTO Board Members:
- PTO President: Becky Champlin
- PTO Vice President: Leah Sousa
- PTO Treasurer: Stephanie DaPonte
- PTO Secretary: Chloe Morgan and Kristen Clarke
- PTO Communication: Chelsea Baker
- PTO Contact Email: hopepto15@gmail.com
- School Principal: Giuseppe Gencarelli – Giuseppe.Gencarelli@chariho.k12.ri.us
- School Secretary: Donna Sunderland– Donna.Sunderland@chariho.k12.ri.us
PTO meetings are typically the second working Monday each month. If you’re not able to make the meeting but still want to be involved please send an email to our PTO to make sure you receive a copy of the meeting minutes hopepto15@gmail.com.
Meeting dates for the year are as follows:
- Feb 10, 2019 @ 6:30
- March 9, 2019 @ 6:30
- April 13, 2019 @ 6:30
- May 11, 2019 @ 6:30
About Hope Valley Elementary School
The mission of the Hope Valley Elementary School is to work in partnership with our colleagues, students and families. We are committed to creating a learning environment where children are expected to achieve their full potential.
Email: ggen@chariho.k12.ri.us
Website: hopevalley.chariho.k12.ri.us
Location: 15 Thelma Drive, Hope Valley, RI, United States
Phone: 401-539-2321
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mr.Gencarelli/?ref=br_rs
Twitter: @JoeGencarelli1