Season's Greetings!

Yesterday we had our second round of CODE assemblies presented by Officer Brand. Students learned about a variety of topics, ranging from self-esteem, to peer pressure, to internet safety. Please ask your child what they learned in the assembly.

I hope you were able to come out and enjoy East Hill’s 4^th and 5^th grade concert at the high school last night. They did such a nice job! Thank you to Mrs. Mercer and Mrs. Causer for doing such a great job preparing them in such a short time! All of the students in the school were able to watch the performance that they gave at the school during the day. The students are learning to be a good concert audience.

Today the fourth grade classes, with the help of their teachers and Mrs. Causer, presented this month’s character education trait, which is Compassion and Caring. They made up their own lyrics to Alicia Key's song, "We Are Here." It was very moving. 

Speaking of compassion and caring, thank you to everyone who participated in the PTA’s giving tree this year. Because of your generosity, the holidays will be much happier for six of our local families. Yesterday, members of the 174th Fighter Wing came to retrieve the Salvation Army Food Drive barrels that were overflowing. Thank you to everyone who donated to this great cause as well!

This Thursday we will hold holiday parties in the classrooms at 2:15. Please remember that younger siblings should be kept at home, and only those parents who have been contacted previously by the room parent should be in attendance. As a reminder, in classrooms where there are food allergies, all food items must be store-bought and contain a label that can be checked by our school nurse.

On a side note, our students and families seemed to have grown accustomed to the fact that we no longer celebrate birthdays with food. We really appreciate your cooperation with this. Students love getting books and wishes made by their classmates, and they also love the surprises that the birthday child sometimes brings in, whether it be pencils, tattoos, stickers, or even, as shown in the picture below, moustaches for the entire class!

Enjoy the time off with your family and friends, and I’ll be back in touch next year!

- Lisa

Fit Friday Returns!

Fit Friday has returned to East Hill thanks to our fifth grade student council. Two student council representatives take turns coming up with a fitness routine each week that they share with the rest of the student council representatives. Then, on Friday morning immediately following the announcements, one representative leads each of the classes in a quick routine. As you can see from the pictures below, it's a lot of fun for both the student council representatives as well as the rest of the students.

It’s been another busy week at East Hill. The kindergarteners loved going to see the Nutcracker last Friday. They were fortunate to have one of the teachers from the production come talk about it and read the book to the whole kindergarten class before they went so they had a better sense of what was happening. The first grade classes are enjoying their trips to Hospital Land. Mrs. Deegan's class will be rescheduling their field trip to Hospital Land. 

The Merry-Go-Round Youth Theatre was here last Friday presenting, “There Once Was a Longhouse” to our fourth graders. We have been so impressed by this theatrical group this year. This presentation was interactive as it allowed the students to actively participate in a simulation of life in an Iroquois village.

This Thursday we will have another round of CODE assemblies presented by Officer Brand. Please ask your child what they learn that day.

As a reminder, yearbooks are now on sale. You can order online at ybpay.lifetouch.com (ID Code: 10705615) or get another order form from the school. The deadline is Friday, December 19^th.

Don’t forget to come out for our 4^th & 5^th grade concert next Monday night at the High School. The concert starts at 7:00 p.m.

Enjoy the rest of the week!

-          Lisa

'Tis the Season!

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving with their family and friends. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, hosting 16 people and 6 dogs! It was a lot of fun. Shown below is a picture and explanation of how one of our kindergarteners would cook a Thanksgiving turkey.

The text reads: First, go hunting and get a turkey. Then, cut up the turkey and put barbecue sauce on it. Then, put it in the oven on high speed for a couple of minutes. Finally, take out and put on a dish, put pepper on the turkey. Eat with a fork, knife, and spoon. Happy Thanksgiving!

One of East Hill’s 1^st grade Girl Scout Troops donated a whole Thanksgiving meal to one of our families. This was a great project for them, and very much appreciated by the family. They each brought in an item or two to donate and helped to decorate the box in which all of the supplies were delivered.

The Salvation Army barrels are near capacity. They will still be out in our lobby for another week or so. Thank you to everyone who has donated to this cause so far. Items on the food drive wish list include canned beans, canned fruit, canned meat, canned vegetables, canned soup, jelly, milk (dry or canned), and tuna fish.

The PTA put up their annual Giving Tree in the lobby. Information was sent home yesterday with your child. The tree is decorated with gift tags for the families that the PTA is adopting this year. I am always amazed at the generosity shown by our East Hill community to those that may be more in need at this time of the year.

Please mark your calendars: Our kindergarteners are headed to see the Nutcracker this Friday. Next week our first graders will be visiting Hospital Land. Our 4^th and 5^th grade concert will be held on Monday, December 15^th at 7:00 at the high school. Holiday parties will be held on Thursday, December 18^th at 2:15. There is no PTA meeting this month. The two-week holiday break begins on Monday, December 22^nd.  Let the festivities begin!

Enjoy the week!

- Lisa