September 2019 Newsletter

Hillcrest Newsletter 

September 2019

Important Dates:

• Friday, Sept. 27 – Potluck & Game Night, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
• Saturday, Sept. 28 – FOH Bottle & Can Drive, 10 a.m.-Noon
• Wednesday, Oct. 2 – HALF DAY IN-SERVICE
• Thursday, Oct. 10 – Hillcrest Open House, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
• Monday, Oct. 14 – No School (Columbus Day)
• Wednesday, Oct. 23 – HALF DAY IN-SERVICE

From the Principal

Dear Hillcrest Families,

This morning we all enjoyed our first All School Meeting of the school year.  All School Meeting is a treasured tradition here at Hillcrest and it is based on Responsive Classroom. Responsive Classroom is a research-based approach to social-emotional learning and academic instruction which focuses on four key domains: Engaging Academics, Positive Community, Effective Management and Developmentally Responsive Teaching. 

Today at All School Meeting, our teachers and students shared the work they’ve been doing to create Positive Community in their classrooms and throughout our school. Our preschoolers and first graders presented their Hopes & Dreams for the school year and their teachers explained how those Hopes & Dreams lay the groundwork for classroom rules.  Our kindergarten students shared a poem about teamwork which reflects the ways in which they have gotten to know one another and have learned to work together in these first weeks of school.

You may have already read about Responsive Classroom in our Hillcrest Directory and Family Handbook,  but in case you haven’t had a chance, I am including that information here for your review:

All elementary schools in the Gill-Montague Regional School District incorporate the practices of Responsive Classroom. The Guiding Principles of Responsive Classroom (Center for Responsive Schools, 2017) lay the foundation for our school culture:

1. Teaching social and emotional skills is as important as teaching academic content.
2. How we teach is as important as what we teach.
3. Great cognitive growth occurs through social interaction.
4. How we work together as adults to create a safe, joyful, inclusive school environment is as important as our individual contribution or competence.
5. What we know and believe about our students -- individually, culturally, developmentally -- informs our expectations, reactions and attitudes about those students.
6. Partnering with families -- knowing them and valuing their contributions -- is as important as knowing the children we teach.

(2017, Center for Responsive Schools, Inc.)

If you would like to learn more about Responsive Classroom, I encourage you to visit the Responsive Classroom website at https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/. You may also be interested in this Parent Q & A which can be found at https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Info-for-Parents-Updated-2016.pdf.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend --

Sarah Burstein

Preschool 

We have had an exciting beginning to our school year! Our classes have been busy learning and adjusting to our new routines and schedules. We are learning to say goodbye at the door and get ready for our day.  Most children come with a smile and enjoy their day. Many of us participate in the school breakfast and lunch programs. The breakfast is a great way to start our day.

          In preschool, we learn ways to share and build friendships. We learn so many things through our play. Often at the beginning of the year, we need to focus on ways to interact with new people. This is a time to adjust to new ways of interacting. We learn about waiting for our turn, and listening to what others may have to say. Often we share ideas, and at times we learn new words to express our feelings and ideas.

          We have been having a variety of experiences with apples. We are so lucky to have them grow near us. Our new Bridges Math program has included many activities with apples. We have been looking at number relationships with apples, sorting by color and size, and even learning ways to graph our information.

          We look forward to more experiences with pumpkins and falling leaves as the seasons change. Please remember that we spend time outside, so be sure to dress for the weather. In New England, the weather changes often, layers are always best.

          As we investigate pumpkins, each of the preschool classroom would welcome donations of pumpkins. We will be looking at size, how they grow, and hopefully even taste pumpkin in a cooking project.

Screenings have begun. We look forward to getting a closer look at your child’s abilities. This is a simple snapshot of their strengths and will help us in our planning. The PreK team,

Chanda, Teresa and Sarah

Kindergarten

Dear Families,

          We have had a wonderful start to our year in Kindergarten! Students are becoming more independent & confident in themselves every day! We have been learning the routines & rules of both the classroom as well as other parts of the school. Another important part of the start of the year is getting to know each other and building a community within the classrooms.

          We have begun our fairy tale unit in Kindergarten. Each week, every class will be reading a different fairy tale. We work on retelling the stories and learning the important parts of any book: the characters, the setting, and identifying the beginning, middle & end. At the end of the week, we read a different version of the fairy tale and compare how the two versions are similar and different. Check in with your child about what fairy tale they are currently reading in their classroom J.

          Some Kindergarten reminders:

• Please make sure your child is bringing their blue folder in their backpack to school daily. This is important to ensure that your child is getting all the notices & paper sent home to them.
• Water bottles from home can come in the classroom to be filled with water at school & used throughout the day. They will be sent home on Fridays.
• Kindergarten is a long, busy day – expect that your child might be especially tired at the end of it until they start to comfortable with the routine. Early bedtime does help with this!

Sincerely,

Ms. Hirst, Mrs. Fox & Mrs. Lesenski   

First Grade

Happy Fall!

October brings a new science focus on the season of Fall. We will be going on  wonderful “Wonder Walks” around the school where we look for different “signs” of fall. We are starting to learning about the different ways that plants and animals adapt to the changing seasons. We will look at how animals prepare for Winter as well. There are many great activities and opportunities for learning about the fall season.

In Language Arts we will be working on short vowel words. The children have learned word families that contain short vowels such as hot, pot, spot. They will continue to build, read and write these words daily. We are also learning about diagraph such as ch, sh, wh, th and ck which have 2 letters that only make one sound. The children will start to identify the sound and the letter combinations and using them in their reading and writing.

In math we have a new math program – Bridges In Mathematics. We are learning about math in many different ways. During our Number Corner we have learned  how to count using tallies, tens frames and dots, popsicle sticks and using a number line. We are finding out about how to find two numbers that make 10 using hands on materials such as unifix cubes, rekenreks and tens frames. We have begun to do work job centers that reinforce these lessons and allow children to work with a partner or independently.

Homework will begin after Open House. Every week you will receive a book bag with books that the children can read independently, or with a little help, along with a reading log. On Thursdays there will be a comprehension sheet that you can complete with your child.  Be on the lookout for book bags. Your children are looking forward to reading to you. Please return the signed reading logs and comprehension on Friday so that we can send home more books!

Miss Matrishon, Ms. Smith, Mrs. Saylor

English Learner News

Ms. Wulfkuhle's groups have been exploring who we are and how we're both alike and different from others. We're using this information as we create self-portraits to decorate the class. Kindergarten students are beginning to learn norms for having academic conversations, while first graders are expanding on skills for focused listening in conversation, such as nodding and smiling, making eye contact, and responding as your partner talks.

Ms. Wulfkuhle has also been visiting some classes for Morning Meeting to share some books, sing songs, and teach new greetings. This month we practiced saying greetings in 42 languages with the help of the book Hello, World! and did our own greeting in Spanish.

Ms. Wulfkuhle

The Counselor’s Corner

Welcome to the new school year! This is Ms. Halina, the school adjustment counselor. What exactly does a counselor for ages 3 – 7 do you might ask. Throughout the year all Kindergarten and First Grade students will participate in classroom safety lessons through our Keeping Kids Safe curriculum. Your student may also receive a permission slip to participate in a ‘lunch bunch.’ These are fun opportunities for small groups of 4 students to have lunch in my room. Through games and discussions lunch bunches help children improve self-esteem and self-confidence as a learner, better understand and manage emotions, and build positive social skills. All students benefit from the skills taught in these groups whether your student is a peer model or needs a little more practice. I am also available for individual and small group counseling for social and emotional skill building, behavioral support, peer conflicts and short-term counseling for specific needs. Counselors do not just support your student we are here for you! If you have questions or concerns about your child or need assistance with identifying available resources, I am available to help. I can be reached at 413-863-7414 or halina.radosz@gmrsd.org
~ Halina Radosz, Adjustment Counselor

Community Resources

Several agencies in the community provide counseling and other support services to children and families.  Most agencies below can provide outreach services.  Outreach means they may be able to come to your home or your child’s school to provide counseling support.

If you are interested in learning more about available services, you should contact the community agency’s intake department directly. The intake worker will be able to answer your questions about insurance coverage and the availability of services.  If there is a waiting list, please sign up anyway.  It is okay to be on more than one waiting list!

  COUNSELING

CSO        (413) 774-1000 (Enter “0” at the prompt and ask for Intake/Referral)

• (Clinical & Support Options, One Arch place, Greenfield)
•         Provides Counseling & Family Support Services

CHD        1-844-243-4357 (Intake/Central Registration)

• (CHD Outpatient Behavioral Health Services, 102 Main St., Greenfield)

ServiceNet        (413) 584-6855 (Press “1” at the prompt for Intake/Registration)

• (Child & Adolescent Services at Sites in Franklin & Hampshire Counties)

NELCWIT            (413) 772-0806 (Hotline/Intake) or (413) 772-0871 (Office)

• (Services for Women & Children, 479 Main St., Greenfield)

OTHER SUPPORT SERVICES & RESOURCES

      Community Action Family Center   (413) 475-1555

• • Provides free services, advocacy, workshops, play groups, and more!

     www.Look4Help.org

• • A free, one-stop, web-based resource directory for information

              about supportive services in our community

Art News

The art room is a busy happy place to be this September! It is so nice to see so many happy faces engaged in creative play. Our youngest artists, PK students, listen to a story each week while we come to know each other and the art room expectations. They have been enjoying process art with a focus on shapes and have engaged in painting circles, mixing colors, stamping circles and using glue to create collage; all in the first month.

Kindergarten artists have listened to the story of "The Dot" by Peter Reynolds and completed dot drawings and self-portraits. They have also begun an introduction to line and completed a drawing and a painting of 'Lines that Wiggle". First grade has also completed a self portrait, after listening to the story "Sky Paint". Together we discussed the sky and the many colors it can be beyond blue. Each child drew themselves as an artist and painted the sky!

I can't wait to see what they do in the month of October!

Mrs. Castro-Santos

Five Acre Farms Mums Fundraiser

Thank you to all the families and Hillcrest staff who helped sell mums this year.  Together we raised over $2,200 for FoH to use towards the school!  What a wonderful way to kick off the school year.  We want to give a huge shout out to Amanda Edson, Julie Nolet, Abby Pease, Steve Lepore, Joni Lepore, Jen Lively, Josh Weld and Mia Burek for sorting and organizing 2 truckloads of mums!

Family Potluck & Game Night

Please join us for this fun event on Friday, September 27th from 5:30-6:30.  The goal of this event is to make memories and connect families with each other while enjoying a nice meal and playing games.  If you would like to attend, please do the following: 

• Bring your favorite dish with a serving utensil and enough food to feed up to 10 people. 
  
  • If you would like to see what others are bringing, please go here: https://tinyurl.com/y49ycdo6
• We request that items be labelled with your name and phone number in case something gets left behind. 
• Label your dish if it contains any allergens such as gluten, nuts or dairy. 
• If you have a fun board game to share, please bring it!
  
  • If you just want to come play games, you can do that too!

Bottle & Can Drive

Please support Friends of Hillcrest by donating your empty **bottles and cans** on Saturday, September 28^th from 10am-12pm.

• Drop-off around the circle at Hillcrest Elementary
• Please only provide bottles & cans from beverages that were carbonated and had a deposit collected when purchased

Save the Date

• Clothing Drive – Begins, Friday, October 4^th until Thursday, November 6th
  
  • Be on the lookout for our flyer in backpacks in the coming weeks for more details
• Yankee Candle Fundraiser – To be sent home Monday, October 16^th
  
  • Forms with money will be due back on Wednesday, October 30^th
  • Online ordering will be available
  • Product to arrive before Christmas and will make great gifts!
• FoH Meeting in the Hillcrest Library – Thursday, October 17th from 5:00-6:00 PM
  
  • Free childcare will be provided

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Friends of Hillcrest at friendsofhillcrest2015@gmail.com. You can also find us on Facebook!