Happening at East Hill

It's hard to believe we are already half-way through the school year! Thursday is February already! As this week's character strength is prudence, I thought it would be prudent of me to update you on things happening this coming month as well as things happening this past week. If you want to learn more about the character strength of prudence, click here to read the character card from the people at the Positivity Project. Our learning target is I can plan for the future and achieve my goals by making careful everyday choices. Please share with your children how you show prudence at home.

On Monday Miss O'Keefe led our January Positivity Project assembly which highlighted the character strengths of Perseverance and Hope/Optimism. We had two student speakers, one via video, that highlighted how they have had to persevere despite obstacles. They were very inspiring; bravery must also be one of their top strengths!

This Saturday will be the PTA's annual Enrichment Day. It is a great morning for all of the students thanks to all of the generous volunteers that donate their time and talents. Please bring your child to the lobby no earlier than 9:00 a.m. and sign him/her out of the second session classroom at 11:30 a.m.  Speaking of PTA, our next meeting will be held in the East Hill Library on Monday, 2/12 at 6:30 p.m.

Our fourth and fifth graders will be going to see a preview of the WGHS musical, Anything Goes! next Wednesday. Look for a permission slip to be coming home with your student. This is a great experience for our students and good practice for the performers.

School will be closed for winter break beginning 2/19/18. School will resume on Monday, 2/26.

Have a great week!

- Lisa 

Positivity Project Co-Founder Visits East Hill!

We were very honored to have Jeff Bryan, one of the Positivity Project co-founders, visit East Hill this morning. Students prepared for his visit by making cards for him, writing about what they have learned about the Positivity Project, drawing pictures, and, of course, wearing their t-shirts! Thank you to Molly O’Keefe, East Hill's PE teacher and greatest proponent of the Positivity Project, for arranging this visit to East Hill!

Jeff Bryan and Molly O'Keefe

Jeff w/Mrs. Ciciarelli's class

Jeff talking to 4th graders in Mrs. Barry's room

Jeff holding his cards from Mrs. Kirk's/Catalino's room

This week’s character strength on which we are focusing is Hope/Optimism. Our learning target is: I can expect the best from the future and work to achieve it.  According to the Positivity Project (posproject.org), hope and optimism represent a state of hopefulness and confidence about the future, both short and long term. People with this strength are future oriented, have a positive vision of what the future holds and maintain confidence that they will get there. To learn more about hope and optimism, click here. Students are really enjoying learning about all of the character strengths. We hear them use the terms and make connections throughout the day. 

Speaking of hope and optimism, I am hoping that you are casting your vote daily for East Hill to win $25,000 in state of the art fitness equipment. They have, unfortunately, extended the voting through February 15 so I apologize in advance for the repeated reminders about this contest! Here is the link again: http://danimalsshopriteschoolcontest.young-america.com

Mrs. Butkowski's/Bush's Class

Our PTA is in the process of putting together another great Enrichment Day for our students on Saturday, February 3, 2018. Look for more information about this event to come home on Monday. They are still looking for volunteers to help out in the classrooms. If you are willing to help, please contact Becky Tully at b2tully@gmail.com.
  

Our next PTA meeting is Monday, 1/22 at 6:30 in the library. I will be presenting the results of the Thought Exchange in which many of you participated. I hope you will be able to join us!

Have a great rest of the week!
- Lisa

Vote for East Hill!

As some of you may recall, last summer East Hill applied for a grant through the Dannon/Danimals Back to School Grant Contest. We were one of 20 schools selected to go on to the final round. The company then decided to re-open the grant to other schools, but we are still in the running!

We need your help! Voting starts today for the contest and runs through midnight on 1/31/18. You can vote one time per email address each day. This link will take you to the website where you can cast your vote.

Dannon will award four schools $25,000 which will include state of the art outdoor fitness equipment, indoor fitness equipment, curriculum, lesson plan supplies, and a stipend to install the outdoor equipment.

Please pass along the link to your family, friends, and co-workers and vote each day. Go East Hill!

Happy New Year!

Happy 2018!
I hope you and your family had a nice holiday break and were able to spend some quality time together.

Positivity Project
On the Friday before the break we held our December Assembly where we focused on the character strengths of kindness and self-control.  Unbeknownst to most of the staff, Miss O'Keefe taught the entire school a dance to do at the end of the assembly, featuring students exercising self-control at different points of the dance. Check out this video below:

This week and next week we will focus on the character strength of perseverance. Click here to read the Perseverance Character Card from the Positivity Project. Our learning target for these two weeks is: I can complete what I start despite obstacles. I never give up. Some of us will have to persevere to follow through with our New Year's Resolutions! Speaking of perseverance, our server was down yesterday so we couldn't access the internet using our computers. Our first grade teachers persevered, however, and hooked up their phones to the Promethean board. We couldn't let a day go by without a GoNoodle break!

Reminders and Upcoming Events:

Report Card Survey

If you didn’t get a chance to take the brief survey regarding our new report cards and parent conference dates, please click here. We appreciate your honest feedback!

Dialogue with the Superintendent

Next Wednesday, 1/10, Dr. Brown will be available to answer your questions about anything and everything related to the District. Please join us from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. in the Large Group Instruction room at the High School.

No School

There will not be any school on Monday, 1/15 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. There will also not be any school for students on Friday, 1/26 due to Staff Development Day.

Parenting Wisely

As a reminder, our school counselors put together a wonderful evening for parents on Tuesday, 1/16 at Stonehedge. Online registration is required by 1/8. Click here to register!

                                  

Thought Exchange

Please consider attending our next PTA meeting which will be held on Monday, 1/22 at 6:30 in the East Hill Library. I will be sharing East Hill’s results from the Thought Exchange that many of you participated in a few weeks ago.

Have a great rest of the week! Stay warm!

- Lisa