Construction Begins!

Exciting changes are happening at East Hill! As many of you have seen, the playground was taken down in December. The new one will be up in the spring. The gazebo has also been removed as well as a couple of large trees.The gazebo and trees were removed to make room for the new library and new classroom. A storage trailer has been placed at the rear of the faculty parking lot to store items during the capital project renovation. If things go as planned, and they have thus far, we should have a new library by the time school starts next fall and should be able to use the new cafeteria by November!

Changes are happening inside the building as well, most of which we can't see. Workers are completing electrical, heating, air conditioning and plumbing work in the basement during the day. Because work will soon begin on the new classroom and new library, Mrs. Wangsness' classroom will move to the computer lab this week. All of the computers were moved to the library over the holiday break where Mrs. Holzwarth is putting them to good use. It's hard to believe it's finally happening!

As a reminder, the PTA meeting has been moved to tomorrow night, Wednesday, January 13, 2016 at 6:00 p.m. in the WGHS LGI. Immediately following the meeting, Dr. Brown will have his annual, "Dialogue with the Superintendent" at 7:00. This is a great opportunity to hear from Dr. Brown and ask him questions about the state of the district.

As I mentioned in my blog last week, students in grades 2-5 are invited to take part in the vocabulary parade that will take place the first week in February. Students were given information about the parade to take home. They were asked to pick a partner, choose three possible words, and hand in their application by tomorrow. Please encourage your child to do this, it should be a lot of fun!

Olivia "parades" metacognition. 

This week's words of the day are numerator (M), voice (T), fiction (W), revolution (Th), and surprised (F).

Have a great rest of the week!

- Lisa

Happy New Year!

I hope you were all able to enjoy some quality time with family and friends over the holiday break and are ready to face the new year!

While the last week in December was only three days long, we certainly kept busy at East Hill. In the pictures below, you will see parent Jon Glass teaching our fourth graders coding using Scratch. They loved it!

In the library, students were challenged to build straw towers working in groups. Each grade level had a different challenge. In the picture below, third graders had to build a free-standing tower that would hold a lacrosse ball for five seconds. Some groups did it!

Parents also challenged students during the classroom parties. In the picture below, third graders are shown trying to see who could come up with the best toilet paper snowman!

The weather was so nice that our physical education teacher, Molly O'Keefe, and our music teacher, Leah Causer, paired up to take students carolling around the neighborhood and around the school.

Also in December second graders in Mrs. Thome's class worked on research projects with Mrs. Menges who volunteered her time to work with the students. They not only learned how to do research, they also learned how to present their research to their class.

On the last day before the holiday break, our Student Council put on a "Vocabulary Parade" for the rest of the school. They worked in pairs to highlight a vocabulary word of their choosing. While one student "paraded" the word, the other student talked about the word - the word's meaning, part of speech, synonyms, antonyms, etc. In the picture below Ella showcases brainstorming while Kevin highlights onomatopoeia. Many East Hill students will be given the opportunity to participate in a similar parade at the beginning of February. Stay tuned for more information!

Speaking of vocabulary words, the words for this week are fraction (M), research (T), community (W), rotation (Th), and perseverance (F.)

Our next PTA meeting will be held Wednesday, January 13, 2016 in the WGHS LGI at 6:00 p.m. We will meet prior to Dr. Brown's "Talk with the Superintendent." I hope to see you there!

Have a great rest of the week!

- Lisa

Happy Holidays!

Oh the weather outside is, well, unbelievable! It’s hard to believe it’s the middle of December.

Yesterday our second and fourth graders were treated to a planetarium show from the OCM BOCES Science Center. Our second graders saw the “Day and Night” program while our fourth graders learned more about moon phases. If you have a second or fourth grader, make sure you ask them what they learned!

This is an exciting time of year for many families, and a stressful time of year for others. Thank you again to everyone who helped out many of our local families these past few weeks. Thank you also for your contributions to the Salvation Army Food Drive. We continue to accept donations of canned goods until next Tuesday. 

Two years ago I came across this column in the On Board journal put out by NYSSBA, the New York State School Boards Association. I meant to include it in my blog last year but forgot. It was written by Thomas Perillo, superintendent of the Greater Amsterdam School District. He begins the article by explaining that some of the gifts we can give the children in our lives will last longer than trendy boot's or this year's latest toy; they don't have to cost a penny. Here is an abbreviated version of the column:

10 Gifts to Give a Child This Holiday Season

1.       Gift #1 – A love of reading. Reading is one of the most effective and inexpensive ways to spend time with your children that will promote literacy and help them do better in school.

2.       Gift #2 – A desire to learn. Being excited about learning is different from studying to earn a grade or please teachers and parents. Passion for learning begins at home.

3.       Gift #3 – A chance to learn something new. Kids need opportunities to experience new things so they can find out what they enjoy, what they are good at and what inspires them.

4.       Gift #4 – A challenge to do well in school. Children who do well in school have more opportunities available to them – whether it’s a better paying job, a chance to continue their education or simply enhanced self-esteem that helps them believe they can achieve any goal they set.

5.       Gift #5 – Acknowledgement of their individuality. Children have different personalities, possess different strengths, develop differently and require different kinds of support to meet their individual needs.

6.       Gift #6 – Involvement in their education. Research shows that when families are involved in their children’s education, children earn higher grades and receive higher scores on tests, attend school more regularly, complete more homework, demonstrate attitudes and behaviors that are more positive, graduate from high school at higher rates, and are more likely to enroll in higher education than students with less involved families.

7.       Gift #7 – Encouragement. There is a saying that, “A child needs encouragement like a plant needs water.” Encouragement helps a child grow and flourish.

8.       Gift #8 – Affirmation. Children need for us to be supportive, but they also need us to tell them we care about and value them. They need to hear that we love them – no matter what.

9.       Gift #9 – Laughter. Laughter is one way to connect as a family. Share jokes, play games or watch a movie together. Laughter also makes us feel good, and who doesn’t want to feel good?

10.   Gift #10 – One-on-one time. Time is not something you can wrap in a box or put a bow on. It’s not something you can get back or take back. But the value of time spent with a child is immeasurable.

This week’s words of the day are dividend (M), synonym (T), antonym (W), pedestrian (Th), and comfortable (F). Next week’s words are equation (M), infer (T), and predict (W).

Holiday parties will take place next Tuesday at 2:15. There will be a full day of school on Wednesday.

I hope you have a safe and happy holiday and a Happy New Year!

-          Lisa

Compassion and Caring

Compassion and Caring are the character education traits for the month of December. East Hill students and families have shown compassion and caring in many ways these past couple of weeks. Thank you to everyone who took a tag off of the Community Giving Tree and purchased a gift for a family in need. Thank you also to those of you who are helping to fill the Salvation Army barrels.

Earlier this week the Camillus Elk's Lodge brought our third graders dictionaries. This is just one of the ways our local Elks demonstrate compassion and caring for our community.

Mr. & Mrs. Chesneski from the Camillus Elk's Lodge bring
dictionaries to East Hill third graders. 

This morning the fifth grade class taught the school about compassion and caring. They acted out the story, "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein and talked about different ways they show compassion and caring as both safety patrol officers and peer partners.

Natalia and Chris act out "The Giving Tree." 

Students are learning to sign the school song. 

This past Monday our fourth and fifth graders put on a fantastic concert for the school during the day, and for their families at night. I think this winter concert was one of the best I've ever heard.

The fifth grade orchestra performs for East Hill.

The fifth grade band warming up.

Kayla and Emily singing their duet. 

This week's words of the day are divisor (M), summary (T), tradition (W), properties (Th), and considerate (F).

Have a great day!

- Lisa

Happy December!

I hope everyone enjoyed spending time with family over the Thanksgiving break. Thanks to the generosity of the East Hill community, we were able to provide Thanksgiving dinners to eleven very appreciative East Hill families. The fifth grade Student Council enjoyed working on this project in conjunction with our PTA.

We are continuing our canned food drive for the Salvation Army for the next two weeks. There are two big barrels in the lobby in which students can deposit canned goods, such as beans, tuna, evaporated milk, etc. Also in the lobby at this time you will find the PTA’s Community Giving Tree. Information was sent home with your child about Community Giving. If you are interested in helping to make the holiday a little easier for one of our local families, you can take a tag off of the tree and purchase the item listed on the tag. The PTA asks that the gifts are returned, wrapped, by December 8. The tag should be securely fastened to the gift. I am always amazed each year at how quickly the tags disappear as people are always so willing to help others in need.

In addition to the PTA’s Community Giving project this year, the Skaneateles Middle School Student Council is adopting two of our families and purchasing gifts for them. They are doing this courtesy of Todd’s Fund. According to the Todd’s Fund website, Christopher Todd Pitman grew up in Skaneateles. As a child, Todd’s warmth and radiance was coupled with a desire to succeed in every aspect of life. He was an ambitious hockey player, a gifted student, a steadfast friend and a loving brother and son.  On September 11, 2001, at the age of 30, Todd was at his desk in the World Trade Center and was unable to make it out of the building. In 2002, family and friends joined together to create an everlasting memory of Todd’s generosity and love of life.  The mission of Todd’s Fund is to provide hope and relief to children in need. We appreciate them thinking of East Hill at this time of year!

As many of you have seen, a fence has been erected around the old playground. It will be taken down soon. Ms. O’Keefe has taught the students many different group games they can play during recess, has put together a bucket of recess supplies for each wing, and has formed an area where students can walk or run laps. So, even without a playground, students will have plenty of chances to get in their fun and exercise.

Mark your calendar! East Hill’s fourth and fifth grade concert will be held at 7:00 p.m. December 8, 2015 at the High School. There will not be a PTA meeting this month. Holiday parties will be held on Tuesday, 12/21 at 2:15. We will have a full day of school on 12/23.

Fifth Grade Band Rehearsal

This week’s Words of the Day are quotient (M), symbol (T), compare (W), contrast (Th), and compassionate (F).

Have a great rest of the week!

-         -  Lisa

Math Night Tonight!

Please join us tonight for our K-5 Math Night. Teachers will be on hand to explain some of the strategies that your child is learning. Math Night is from 6:30 – 7:15 in the following rooms:

Kindergarten (Mrs. Cregan and Mrs. Bush) – Room 2

First Grade (Mrs. Wangsness) – Room 1

Second Grade (Mrs. Thome and Mrs. Wolbert) – Room 7

Third Grade (Mrs. Tynan) – Room 24

Fourth Grade (Mrs. McPeak) – Room 26

Fifth Grade (Mr. Meaney) – Room 28

Well, it’s almost Thanksgiving and that means it’s time for our kindergarteners to explain how a turkey is cooked. In case you need some advice, here are three different recipes:

Thank you to all of you who were able to contribute the Student Council/PTA Thankfulness Project. We are still accepting donations until this Wednesday. The primary classrooms were asked for a specific food donation while the intermediate rooms were asked to bring in a dollar or two if possible.

It’s time to order your East Hill Yearbook!  Orders are due by December 21, 2015 to get the Early Bird Special of $13.00 for a standard soft cover yearbook, or $18.00 for a standard hard cover yearbook. After December 21, the price with go up $2.00 for each yearbook, so order soon! December will be here before you know it. You can order online at www.ybpay.lifetouch.com. The yearbook ID code is 10705616.  You can see the variety of package deals on the flyers sent home earlier this month, or view them online. Contact Tonya Wilson, PTA Yearbook Advisor, with any questions at 440-4184.

Please remember that students are not allowed into the building until 9:00 a.m. as there is no supervision for them until that time. Students dropped off prior to 9:00 a.m. have to wait outside. The weather is getting colder so it would be appreciated if you not drop them off early. Students getting breakfast are allowed to enter the building at 8:50.

Parent teacher conferences are next Monday and Tuesday. Each day is a half day with an 11:30 dismissal. If you are unsure of your conference time, please contact the school. 

This week’s Words of the Day are product (M), gist (T), persuasive (W), adaptation (Th), and frustrated (F.) Our November PTA meeting is this Wednesday at 6:30 in the library. Please join us!

- Lisa

Happy November!

First of all, I'd like to thank all of the room parents and volunteers who helped to make our Halloween parties so much fun for all of our students. Shown below are just a few of the clever costumes that the students wore.

Last Wednesday five East Hill students represented our school at the annual District Spelling Bee. Nicolo Benenati, Ella Kemp, Avery Reina, Payton Voss, and Lilliana Corrigan (all shown below) earned the right to participate based on their written test results.They all did a fantastic job! Nicolo made it to the top twelve which means that he will move on to the next round. Good luck Nico!

Last Thursday our third graders presented a wonderful assembly on Thankfulness, which is the November character education trait. They reminded us that we all have so much for which to be thankful.

Speaking of thankfulness, our 5th Grade Student Council, in conjunction with our PTA, is working on a thankfulness project. Hopefully you received a half-sheet of paper last Friday explaining this project. The fifth graders explained it to each class after leading the classes in their Fit Friday routine. We are hoping to provide ten East Hill families with a Thanksgiving meal this year. Each class has either been assigned a food item or a dollar or two to donate. The student council will sort all of the food into meal boxes, and the PTA will shop for the turkeys, rolls, and pies. Families can take their meal home with them when they come for parent conferences. Thank you in advance for helping us out with this project. If we could help your family out with a Thanksgiving meal this year, please let me know. We would really love to help.

This week's words of the day are factor (M), fluency (T), democracy (Th), and angry (F.) Please remember that there is no school this Wednesday in honor of Veterans Day, and also remember that school picture retakes and group photos are this Friday. Lastly, if you have children in grades K-3 and are interested in learning more about the different math strategies that your child is learning, please join us next Monday night, November 16th, from 6:30 - 7:15. Have a nice week!

- Lisa