Thank You!

Thank You!
As you are aware, our Student Council organized a fundraiser last week to benefit two students that graduated from East Hill that are suffering from kidney disease. Students were asked to wear orange and contribute a dollar if they were able. Our staff and students, along with a generous donation from the Onondaga County Sheriff's Department, raised over $1600! Thank you so much for your contribution.

Community Giving
I am always amazed at the generosity of our East Hill community. Again this year, with the help of our wonderful PTA, the Skaneateles Student Council, and donations from our East Hill families, we were able to help out six local families in need during the holidays this year. Thank you so much for all that you do. It is truly heart-warming.


Standards-Based Grading and Reporting
We are hoping that you have found our new report cards to be informative as well as easy to read and understand. We would like to get your feedback regarding our new report cards. Please take a minute to complete this short, five-question survey about the report cards as well as the timing of parent conferences. Your honest feedback is appreciated.

Character Strengths
This week we continue learning about self-control which is ever so important during the holidays! When we return in the new year we will focus on perseverance. Click here to read more about perseverance from the Positivity Project.

Spirit Week
Today is pajama day as you can see from the pictures below. Tomorrow is festive clothing day, Wednesday is formal wear day, Thursday is hat/headband day, and Friday is red and green day.

Enjoy the rest of the week and have a great holiday break! I will see you in 2018! As a reminder, there is no school next week; school will resume on Tuesday, 1/2/18.

- Lisa

'Tis the Season for Self-Control!

Self-Control
Self-Control is appropriately the character strength on which we will focus for the next two weeks. Our learning targets are: I can control my emotions and behaviors. I can think before I act. It is certainly the time of year when many of us need to exercise self-restraint, that's for sure! To learn more about self-control, click here.


Save the Date!
On Tuesday, January 16th the Prevention Network in conjunction with the elementary school counselors will be offering a night on parenting. Prevention Network educators will offer sessions derived from a researched-based program called Parenting Wisely. Three different topics will be offered. The evening will be hosted at Stonehedge Elementary. Pizza and child care will be provided. More information on this important night will be sent home soon.





Go Orange for Hannah and Nathan!
Tomorrow (Wednesday, 12/13) we will be wearing orange to honor Nathan and Hannah VanHorn, two East Hill graduates who could use some of our help. Students are asked to wear orange and donate a dollar if they are interested.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

As a reminder, this Thursday and Friday are half-days at the elementary schools for parent conferences. Next week I will be sending out a link to a short survey about our new, standards-based report cards. If you can take a minute to complete the survey when you receive it, we would appreciate it! If you ordered artwork from the Square One Fundraiser, we are hoping it will be here in time for you to pick it up at your conference this Thursday or Friday.

Kindergarten Snowy Villages

4th Grade Mandalas

Holiday Spirit Week
Monday, 12/18: Pajama Day
Tuesday, 12/19: Festive Sweater and/or Socks Day
Wednesday, 12/20: Formal Wear Day
Thursday, 12/21: Holiday Hat or Headband Day
Friday, 12/22: Green and Red

Holiday Parties
Classroom parties will be held on Thursday, December 21 at 2:15. Please remember that all food brought in to our nut-free classrooms must be store bought and contain a label so that it can be checked by the nurse and/or teacher.

Have a great week!

- Lisa

Bravery, Gratitude, and Kindness (Oh My!)

Bravery and gratitude were the character strengths on which we focused the past few weeks. Our monthly Positivity Project Assembly that was held last week highlighted these strengths. Lance Corporal Curtin and Officer Gucciardi spoke to the students about bravery. Students also talked about all of the things for which they are grateful.

Speaking of gratitude, thank you to everyone who was able to take a tag from the PTA's annual Giving Tree in the lobby. Please bring your wrapped gift in by this Friday, December 8. Because of your generosity, six local families will be able to have a much happier holiday!

Kindness is this week's character strength. Our Fifth Grade Student Council wrote notes of kindness to every single student in the school. Students were surprised to see these notes on their locker when they came in this morning! To learn more about the strength of kindness, click here.

Fourth grade students at East Hill showed their character strengths of curiosity, creativity, and teamwork as they created textured ceramic ornaments for the Everson Museum's Annual Festival of Trees. Their tree will be featured as the "Children's Ceramic Tree" in the Everson's Monumental Gallery from December 1-10. Parents and teachers of East Hill have been offered the reduced admission fee of $5.00 during this time. Children under 12 are admitted free.

Are you wondering about your own character strengths? Feel free to take this free survey to find out more! All of the staff at East Hill (and most of the district) have already taken it.

I hope to see many of you at the 4th and 5th grade winter concert this Thursday at 7:00 p.m. at the high school. Also, please remember that report cards will be distributed this Friday. Parent conferences will take place next week on Thursday and Friday, December 14 and 15. Please remember that both of these days are half-days with an 11:30 dismissal.

Enjoy the week!

Standards Based Grading and Reporting

As you are likely aware, we have changed how we we grade and report on student progress. This new standards-based approach will give you more accurate, detailed information about your child’s performance in relation to State and District Standards. It will allow teachers to better meet the needs of individual students, and will give students a clearer picture of their strengths and areas in need of growth.

Report Cards:

Our report cards are aligned to the Common Core Learning Standards. You will find:

1. Category titles and descriptions reflecting the NYS Common Core Learning Standards.
2. Grading keys reflecting student progress toward State and District Standards.
3. Behaviors of the learner that reflect student skills necessary to be a successful learner (Behaviors that Support Learning).

Standards-Based Report Cards:

1. Describe what a student should know and be able to do at an identified point in time.
2. Reflect grade-level standards and expectations so families gain a clearer understanding of student progress.
3. Provide consistent evaluations throughout the year based on individualized instruction information.

Academic Achievement Key:

Key	Grading Guidelines
3	Meeting New York State and District Standards
2	Working toward New York State and District Standards
1	Not meeting New York State and District Standards
NA	Standard not assessed at this time

Behaviors that Support Learning Key:

C	Consistently Meeting Expectations
W	Working Toward Expectations
D	Experiencing Difficulty with Expectations

Special Area teachers in Art, Music, Library and Physical Education will also use this same rating scale when reporting on student progress.

Report cards will be sent home on Friday, December 8 and our Parent-Teacher Conferences are scheduled for Thursday, December 14, and Friday, December 15. Both of these days are half-days with an 11:30 dismissal. Your child’s teacher will be the best source of information regarding any questions you have about the report card. Please contact your child's teacher, or the East Hill Office, if you need to be reminded of your conference time.

Have a good week!

- Lisa

Gratitude

The Positivity Project

Although the text I sent out yesterday said that we are learning about bravery this week, we are actually learning about the character strength of gratitude both this week and next week. Bravery was last week. Oops! Gratitude means you are aware of and thankful for good things that happen. To learn more about gratitude, click here.

Spelling Bee
Last week five fifth grade students represented East Hill in the District Spelling Bee. Congratulations to Isabella Dickson, Amara Choe, Dante Santiago, Anthony Reed, and Evan Lentz. We are proud of you!

Reminders from the PTA

Don’t forget to collect and save those Box Tops while shopping and cooking this holiday season for our annual box top collection held in March. The Box Tops for Education program helps earn money for East Hill PTA. Spirit Wear orders must be placed by Wednesday, 11/23 at 3:00 p.m. Also, you should have received a letter about Community Giving this week. If you are in need of additional assistance at the holidays this year, please contact Mrs. Craig today if possible. We would love to help you out. All information is kept confidential.

Square 1 Art
Just a reminder - If you are planning on ordering any of your child's artwork from this fundraiser, orders are due on November 20th. Proceeds from this fundraiser will be used to buy display boards for Open House.

Upcoming Dates

Thanksgiving Recess: 11/22 - 11/25

End of Marking Period 1: 12/1

CODE Assemblies: 12/5

Fourth and Fifth Grade Concert: 12/7, 7:00, WGHS

Report Cards Distributed: 12/8

Parent Conferences (Half-Days for Students): 12/14 and 12/15

Holiday Parties: 12/21, 2:15

Winter Break: 12/23 - 1/1

School Resumes: 1/2

Here's a few pictures of things happening around the building this week. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family!

- Lisa

Happy November!

It's been a busy couple of weeks here at East Hill! We concluded our two week Pick a Reading Partner (PARP) Celebration, Wild About Reading, with a visit from author Cynthia DeFelice. We combined her presentation with our monthly Positivity Project Assembly. She spoke about how she uses her strength of creativity as she writes books. It fit in perfectly with what the students have been learning about in school. Thank you again to the PTA for sponsoring the author, bringing in guest readers, and providing PARPsicles for the celebration.

Cynthia DeFelice discussing creativity

Students donning their Positivity Project T-Shirts

Mrs. Butkowski's and Mrs. Bush's class also had a visit from the Fairmount Fire Department as part of Fire Prevention Week. Thank you to Mr. O'Neal and his partner for taking the time to discuss fire safety, show the students the different features of the fire engine, and handing out fire hats!

Mr. O'Neal from the Fairmount Fire Department

We were happy that the weather cooperated yesterday so that we were able to hold our Halloween parade! Thank you the all of the parents that planned such great activities in the classrooms for our students.

East Hill's "Social" Butterflies

Aislenn as a Hot Air Balloon

Grace as a Scarecrow

The snack station in Mrs. Thome's class 

Snake contest in Mr. Meaney's room

Positivity Project: This week and next week we are learning about bravery. Click here for more information about this character strength.

Upcoming Events:
11/7     Half-Day, Teacher Workshop Day, 11:30 Dismissal (11:20 pick-up)
11/8     East Hill PTA Fundraiser at Chipotle (East Hill PTA gets 50% of profits, 4:00 - 8:00 p.m.)
11/10   No School, Veterans Day
11/13   PTA Meeting, 6:30, East Hill Library
11/17   School Picture Make-Up Day and Group Photos
11/22   Thanksgiving Recess Begins

Have a great rest of the week!

- Lisa

East Hill News

Positivity Project

Students have spent the last two weeks learning about perspective and why it’s so important to be able to see the world from another person’s point of view. Starting today, we are learning about teamwork & citizenship. According to Postivity Project co-founder Jeff Bryan, "These two words are grouped together as one character strength because they are inextricably linked, which is important to understand. Teamwork is the ability and willingness to place overall group success as a higher priority than individual achievement. Citizenship is a willingness to work towards the common good as opposed to one’s own self-interest." Click here to learn more about teamwork.

Book Fair

The PTA’s annual fall Scholastic Book Fair will be held this Wednesday and Thursday. Students will visit the Book Fair during the day with their class. There is also a family night on Wednesday, 10/18 from 6:00 – 8:00.

PARP

Pick a Reading Partner (PARP) kicked off today. This year’s theme is Wild About Reading! Thanks to the PTA we were able to bring in two zookeepers and several animals from The Wild Animal Park in Chittenango, including a bearded dragon, a kangaroo, a python, a sugar glider and a tortoise.

Student Drop-Off

As many of you have discovered, we have made improvements to our student drop-off system. If you walk your child into the building, please park in one of the available, legal parking spots. There should be plenty in the Ski Hill parking lot. If you plan to just drop them off, please pull into the Ski Hill lot, turn around, and drop them off at the bottom of the hill. They will walk up the new sidewalk that has been fenced off. If you are dropping your child off in the morning, and the buses have already left, you should pull up to the front of the school.

Halloween is Coming!

The Halloween Parade is scheduled for 10/31 at 2:00. If there is inclement weather, the parade will be cancelled. If the weathery is iffy, I will send out a notice by 1:40 that day to let you know of the status. Please remember that only parents who have been contacted by the room parent in advance will be allowed to come into the building. Additionally, please avoid wearing any type of mask, and please make sure your child wears an appropriate costume for the elementary level (no scary masks, blood, weapons, etc.). If your child is in a nut-free room, all treats must be store-bought and contain a label that can be checked by the nurse and/or teacher. I appreciate your cooperation in these matters of safety. In addition, you should have received a flyer about the annual Halloween Carnival held at the high school. If not, here it is!

I hope to see you at tonight’s PTA meeting which will be held at 6:30 in the East Hill Library.

-          Lisa 

Arrival and Dismissal at East Hill

Dear East Hill Families,

As many of you are aware, there is very limited parking at East Hill which makes the drop-off and pick-up situation less than ideal. Please know that we are working together with the Town of Camillus to try to remedy the situation.  We have come up with a plan that will improve, but not completely resolve, the issues with the student drop-off area. Beginning this weekend we will be adding fencing on the school side of the ski area parking lot. On the school side of the fence we will add a walkway for students. This walkway will lead students up to the current crosswalk where a staff member is always present. It will be important that students are dropped off down in the parking lot so that they can walk up the walkway, versus dropping them off at the entrance.

It is likely that we will add a new parent drop off area in a future capital project. In the meantime, I ask that you please follow the posted signs and park only in legal parking spots. We have less than 25 available parking spots at dismissal and anywhere between 50 and 80 parents picking up on a daily basis. Given this information, it is likely that you will need to park down the road. I apologize for the inconvenience and I appreciate your patience and consideration in this matter. The safety of our students is of the utmost importance to all of us. Thank you!

Sincerely,

Lisa Craig,
Principal

Thought Exchange

Dear East Hill Community,

Every year, the West Genesee Strategic Planning Team asks all stakeholders to provide feedback on areas of strength and areas for potential growth. This year, Dr. Brown has partnered with Thought Exchange, a web-based organization that will help us reach more of the community to maximize input. 

Using the email you have shared with us already for SchoolTool, you will be given a link to take part in the first stage of this survey, the Share Stage. You can tell us what we are doing well and what can we improve. This step will take approximately 5 - 10 minutes. A few weeks after that, you will be asked to take part in the Star phase where you will see others’ responses. You have the opportunity to “rate” the comments that resonate with you. The final stage, Discover, is where you will have a chance to see what concepts are most important to all participants.

Please know that your submissions are confidential, but not anonymous to Thought Exchange. Thought Exchange will not share the authors of comments with the District. Your name will not appear on your submissions. This allows you to answer fairly and honestly. However, responses that are demeaning to any individuals will be removed by Thought Exchange.  

The members of the Strategic Planning Team will use this information in evaluating our successes as well as our areas in need of improvement when we begin planning for 2018 - 2019 school year.  Please take the time to complete the survey when it is sent to you. Although the link cannot be forwarded, there are directions on how to get other community members on the list if they don’t receive an invitation. We truly want to hear from as many people connected to West Genesee as possible. Thank you!

On a different note, this week and next week will be devoted to teaching our students about the character strength of perspective. Click here to read more about this strength. Our learning target for these two weeks is, I can appreciate that people see things in different ways. I have the ability to understand the world from multiple points of view.

Our PARP (Pick a Reading Partner) committee has met and has decided on the theme of "Wild About Reading" for this year's reading celebration. Thanks to the PTA, our kick-off ceremony will include a visit from The Wild Animal Park in Chittenango, and our closing ceremony will feature author Cynthia DeFelice whom many of us are wild about! We can't wait! Thank you to those of you that signed up to be a guest reader in one of our classrooms during the reading celebration.

Upcoming Dates: 

• Wednesday, 10/4: School Pictures (Make-ups are scheduled for 11/17)
• Friday, 10/6: Jogathon Donations Due
• Monday, 10/9: No School, Columbus Day
• Monday, 10/16: PARP Reading Celebration Begins; PTA Meeting @6:30p.m., East Hill Library
• Wednesday, 10/18: Book Fair; Family Night is from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
• Thursday, 10/19: Book Fair
• Tuesday, 10/31: Halloween Parade, 2:00 p.m.

Enjoy the rest of the week!

- Lisa