October 14, 2013

I hope you enjoyed the long weekend. If only all of the days in October could be like this past Saturday! The leaves always seem so much more vibrant with the sun out.  I am going to try to start sending out my blog on a weekly basis rather than on a monthly basis when my schedule (and my memory) permits. Don’t worry – they will be short and sweet and give you the latest happenings in the school as well as inform you about upcoming events.

This past week the PTA held their fall Scholastic Book Fair. Thank you to all of the people who volunteered their time to work at the fair. Students love going to this event each year. Another Book Fair will be held in the spring.

A big thank you goes out to the Camillus Fire Department for providing each of our 1st grade classrooms with such a great presentation on fire safety and fire prevention. The firefighters spent about an hour in each classroom explaining what they do and what students should do in an actual emergency. In the picture to the left you can see one of the firefighters showing students in Mrs. Reina’s first grade class how they stay low to the ground when looking for people or animals in a burning building. The students were all able to go outside to see the fire truck close up, as well as all of the tools that are housed inside it. The presentation was very informative.

Each year our 1st and 5th grade classrooms team up for our Peer Partners Program. In the picture below you can see students from Mr. Meaney’s 5th grade classroom reading to students in Mrs. Bergan’s first grade classroom. The students from both classrooms love opportunities such as these to get together. 

Our math words for this week are round (T), addition (W), plus (Th), and subtraction (F). Students are enjoying hearing and learning about the word of the day. They are eager to tell me what it is when I enter their classroom. I hope we are able to keep the momentum going! 

Enjoy the rest of your week!

-          Lisa 

We're Off and Running in October!

September seemed to fly by extremely quickly this year (although I think I may have thought the same thing about last year). Many great things took place at East Hill in September.

We started out the year with the PTA’s Annual Ice Cream Social which is always a big hit.The Fall Curriculum Night was very well attended. If you were unable to make it to Curriculum Night, please contact your child’s teacher to set up a parent conference for November. East Hill Family Handbooks were handed out that night so please contact me if you didn’t get a copy. Our 4^th graders kicked off our character education assemblies for the year; the theme was responsibility. Students talked about how they show responsibility at home, at school, and in our community. Kindergarteners took a trip to Beak and Skiff Apple Orchards. We ended the month with the annual Jogathon, our PTA’s only fundraiser. The Jogathon symbolizes our commitment to healthful choices. Instead of selling candy, we jog!  It was a beautiful day which made it all the more fun. The PTA is still accepting donations for this event.

Safety is always a priority at East Hill. Our Fifth Grade Safety Patrol began the third week of September. Safety Patrol Officers are receiving a monthly training session led by our instructional specialists. Officers help to make sure that all of the students walk in a safe and orderly fashion out to the bus. Bus safety drills were conducted by the bus drivers, and all of our drills for the fall have been completed. This week is Fire Prevention Week. Members from the Camillus Fire Department will be visiting our first grade classrooms to discuss fire safety, fire prevention, how and why to make a 911 call, etc. They will be bringing one of their fire trucks and one of the firefighters will suit up for the students. It should be very educational and exciting!

There’s a lot going on in October, too. Last Thursday we were fortunate to have Keith Munslow, a storyteller, artist, and musician, come to our school for an assembly. The kids loved him! Tonight (Monday, October 7^th) is our first PTA meeting of the year (see below regarding information about November’s PTA meeting.) Please join us in the library at 6:30 p.m. The Book Fair will be held Tuesday through Thursday this week in the back half of the gym. There will not be any school on October 14^th in observance of Columbus Day. October 25^th will be a half-day with an 11:30 a.m. dismissal. Our Halloween Parade will be held on October 31^st at 2:00 p.m.

Our Shared Decision Making committee (SDM) met this past week. Our SDM goal for the past three years has been aimed at promoting Healthy Minds and Healthy Bodies. While we will always promote healthful choices at East Hill, we have decided to have an academic goal for this year: we will focus on math this year. As part of our goal we hope to have two math nights – one for parents and one for families. The tentative date for our parent night is Tuesday, November 5^th. We have other ideas that we are working on, including strengthening our students’ math vocabulary. As part of this effort we will have a math “Word of the Day” that will be announced and posted. Please try to use these words with your child: number (M), even number (T), odd number (W), digit (Th), and place value (F).

If you have been following Dr. Brown’s blog and/or other District communications, you are aware that West Genesee residents will be voting on a Capital Project on November 12^th. Dr. Brown will be attending our November PTA meeting on November 4^th to provide an overview of this project and to  answer any questions you have. This project will address security, technology, energy efficiency, repairs, updating, and new construction. At East Hill the project will include addressing the following areas:

·         A library addition/cafeteria reconstruction

·         Technology upgrades

·         Air conditioning

·         Restroom upgrades

·         General repairs and upgrades (plumbing, electrical, etc.)

·         Building security

·         Emergency generator (if funding is available)

Another important part of the Capital Project for us at East Hill is the replacement of the current playground. The playground has served us well since parents helped to build it in 1988 but it has reached the end of its usable life. The wood is over 25 years old and needs to be replaced by more modern materials and with a design that is more in compliance with the playground standards of today.  When the time comes we will celebrate the closing of our current playground and the breaking of ground on our new playground.  One thing that I found to be exciting is that our superintendent likes to have the students involved in picking out pieces of equipment and how the playground can be laid out. This will help them to "own" a new chapter of East Hill history! Please stay tuned for more information regarding this project. Please come to our November PTA meeting to hear more, and please come out to vote on November 12^th!

Have a great October!

-          Lisa

Fun, Fitness, and Field Trips at East Hill!

This year has just flown by so quickly! Our 5th graders will be graduating next week – hard to believe! This month our 2nd graders went to Beaver Lake and had a great time even though it poured all day. Our third graders will be going to Baltimore Woods, our 4th graders will be boating on the Erie Canal, and our 5th graders will have one last field trip together to the Ultimate Goal next Tuesday. As a reminder, next Thursday and Friday are ½ days. AM kindergarten will come on the 20th and PM kindergarteners will come on the 21st. Dismissal will be at 11:30 each day.

Last Thursday was the final Battle of the Books for our 5th graders. Thank you to Mrs. Barrett for all of the hard work she put into organizing this great event. A team from Mrs. Galaska’s class won, but it was a very close and exciting competition.  Last Friday was our final character education assembly for the year. Mrs. Butkowski’s PM class and Mrs. Devereaux’s 1st grade class taught the school about cooperation. Our teachers then demonstrated each of the character education traits while playing basketball. It was fun (and educational) for all!

Last Saturday many of our 5th graders participated in a mini triathlon at the high school. It was so much fun watching the students swim, bike, and run with the assistance of their personal coach, often an older sibling. Thanks to the physical education teachers at Split Rock, Onondaga Road, and East Hill for organizing this worthwhile yearly event.

Due to tomorrow’s predicted rain, Field Days will now take place on Monday, June 17th.  A bright pink flyer will be coming home with your child today; please look for it in the backpack.

I hope you can make it to our Flag Day Parade this Friday at 1:00. The middle school band will be here to play patriotic songs along with our 5th grade band. I hope you all have a wonderful summer!

-    Lisa

Thank You!

Thank you to all of you that came to support our students and our teachers last night at Open House. We had 100% attendance in several of the classrooms which is just fantastic!

Thank you to the PTA for providing our staff with a delicious luncheon today. It was very much appreciated! It was especially nice for the staff to not have to prepare lunches the day after Open House.

Thank you also to those of you that supported the PTA’s Book Fair this month. It was very well attended.

Next Friday morning is a half-day. We will again be devoting this day to anti-bullying activities. Miss O’Keefe could use some parent helpers to help her in the gym in the morning. If you are willing to help, please contact me. Help would be needed from 9:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.

Fifth Grade Parents: By the end of the day today you should have received three very important letters. One letter is from the middle school principals regarding Interaction Time, one letter is from me regarding upcoming health lessons for 5th graders, and the last letter, also from me, details all of the events that our 5th graders will be participating in for the remainder of the year. Please make sure you have received all three letters – if not, please give me a call.

Have a nice weekend!

- Lisa

Happy May!

April is finally behind us, the sun is finally shining, and the weather is finally warming. What more could we ask for?

April was a very busy month with all of the NYS testing that took place. I think the students did their best and the teachers did their best to prepare them. Fourth graders will be taking one more New York State assessment. They will take the performance part of the science assessment on Wednesday, May 22nd and the written portion on Monday, June 3rd. They are well prepared for this assessment as well.

There are a several important events coming up for you to note on your calendars:

This month’s PTA meeting will be held from 6:15 to 7:00 on Tuesday, May 7th in the WGHS LGI room. The PTA will be voting on officers as well as a few other items so your presence is needed!Dr. Brown’s budget presentation for East Hill will immediately follow.

East Hill’s Open House will be held next Thursday, May 9th from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. We highly encourage you to take the shuttle bus from the high school as you know that parking at East Hill is so limited.

I sent out a letter regarding placement for 2012-2013 on April 29th. In the letter I indicated that we do not take specific requests for teachers, however if you have additional information about your child’s personality or learning style that you would like taken into consideration during the placement process, please send or email me that information no later than Friday, May 10th.

On Thursday, May 16th at 7:00 p.m. our 4th and 5th grade spring concert will be held at the high school. Friday, May 17th is a half-day for students. PM kindergarten will attend on this day in the morning. AM kindergarteners will not attend. We will devote the morning to anti-bullying activities. Students will be dismissed at 11:30.

Looking ahead to June, Field Days will take place on June 13th and our annual Flag Day Parade will take place on June 14th. Fifth graders will visit CMS on the 17th, the Ultimate Goal on the 18th, and will have their graduation ceremony at 9:30 a.m. on the 19th. June 20th and 21st are both half days with an 11:00 dismissal. AM kindergarteners will attend on the 20th and PM kindergarteners will attend on the 21st.

And we thought April was busy! Have a good weekend!

- Lisa

BINGO!

This past Friday night East Hill’s PTA held their first ever Family BINGO night at CMS. It was a huge success! A big thank you goes out to Mary Kay DeVore and Michelle Hess for coordinating the event, and to everyone else involved in the planning of the event. Thank you to those of you who were able to donate prizes and baked goods as well. Almost everyone walked away with a prize.

Also last Friday we held our character education assembly for the month. Miss Kolis’, Mrs. McDonald’s, and Mrs. Galaska’s 5th graders talked to our school about Citizenship. They presented many ways to be a good citizen, including being a good neighbor and friend, picking up after yourself, and recycling, just to name a few. West Genesee residents will be able to exercise their citizenship rights on May 21st by voting on the school budget. Polls will be open at the high school from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Come hear Dr. Brown present the budget on May 7th at 7:00 p.m. in the high school Large Group Instruction room.

The next two weeks will be busy administering NYS assessments to our 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. Please make sure your child is present for these tests and is well-rested and well-fed. They are very well-prepared!

I hope to see you at tonight’s PTA meeting which will be held in the East Hill Library at 6:30 p.m. Have a great week!

Lisa

Happy Spring

It is spring according to the calendar, but it certainly doesn’t look or feel like it, that’s for sure! Hopefully it is right around the corner.

Last Friday we were treated to our annual Irish Dancing Assembly with dancers from the Johnston School of Dance. Some of our own East Hill Irish dancers from the Harrington School and the Montague School were also able to join them for a couple of dances. This assembly is always a treat for the entire school.

We held our 3rd annual science fair last night. What a great turnout we had! Thank you to all of you who worked with your child(ren) to complete a project. The kids were so proud of their work, as they definitely should be! The science fair is always my favorite event of the year.

Next Tuesday night our 3rd graders will perform their concert in the gym. The concert begins at 7:00. Spring break begins on Friday, March 29th and students will not return until Tuesday, April 9th. April 8th is now a staff development day. Because students will not be in attendance on April 8th, the April PTA meeting has been moved to Monday, April 15th at 6:30 in the East Hill library. The PTA will be holding a BINGO night at CMS on Friday, April 12th at 6:00. Be looking for more information about this exciting event.

As mentioned in a previous update, the NYS ELA assessments will be administered April 16th, 17th, and 18th, and the NYS Math Assessments will be administered April 24th, 25th, and 26th. The teachers have worked hard to make sure the students are well prepared for these exams. If you could avoid appointments on these days it would be appreciated. A good night’s sleep and a good breakfast would also be helpful!

In looking ahead to May there are a couple of important dates to mark on the calendar. Open House will be held on Thursday, May 9th from 6:30 – 7:30. The 4th and 5th grade concert will be held on Thursday, May 16th at 7:00 at the high school, and the school budget vote will take place on Tuesday, May 21st.

Enjoy the rest of the week. Think spring and Go SU!
-       Lisa