Welcome to the 2017-2018 School Year!

I am so excited to be beginning my eighth year as principal here at East Hill. I am especially excited about three things: welcoming new staff, welcoming the class of 2030 (can you believe it??), and beginning the Positivity Project.

Kindergarten Orientation
Kindergarten Orientation took place this morning. Thanks again to the PTA for organizing this annual event. The students appreciate the goodie bags and activities that are planned for them. Students met their kindergarten teacher, completed activities in the gym run by PTA members and older students, and then took a ride on the school bus.

New Staff
We will be welcoming seven new staff members to East Hill: Tara Powless will be joining us as our new psychologist. Mary Kay DeVore will be returning as an early literacy teaching assistant working in both kindergarten and second grade. Jessica Hubbard is coming on board as a special education teaching assistant working in second grade. Colleen Shewchuk is our new second grade teacher, taking over for Ginny Wolbert who retired in June. Katie Bernius will be our new music teacher, filling in for Leah Causer during her maternity leave. Jennifer Wademan will be joining us as a lunch aide this year, and MegCarolyn Remesz, our new District math coach, will be housed here at East Hill. We are excited to have all of these fresh new faces as part of our East Hill family!

The Positivity Project
You should have received an informational letter about the Positivity Project in your summer mailing. The PTA has offered to purchase Positivity Project T-Shirts for all of the students that will be kept at school and worn during assemblies.

Staying Informed
As I have in the past, I plan to communicate via this blog on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. This is where you will find the most up-to-date information. I also added a new twitter account for East Hill. If you are on twitter, please follow the school @EHElementary. Additionally, we have a new Facebook page (East Hill Positivity Project) where we will be posting information and pictures related to the Positivity Project. The PTA also has a Facebook page where you will find important information and timely reminders (East Hill Elementary PTA). Family Handbooks, which are filled with a lot of important information about the school, will be given out at Curriculum Night.

Mark Your Calendars!
Please note the following important dates in September:
1st Day of School (This is a full day): Wednesday, 9/6
Ice Cream Social: Thursday, 9/7, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
K-1 Curriculum Night (for parents and guardians): Tuesday, 9/12, 6:00 - 6:25
2-3 Curriculum Night (for parents and guardians): Tuesday, 9/12, 6:30 - 6:55
4-5 Curriculum Night (for parents and guardians): Tuesday, 9/12, 7:00 - 7:25
PTA Meeting: Tuesday, 9/19, 6:30 - 7:30, East Hill Library
Jogathon: Friday, 9/29 (schedule TBD)

Miscellaneous
The school day runs from 9:00 - 3:20. Please do not drop your child off before 9:00 as there is not adequate supervision. If your child arrives late to school, please walk your child into the building to sign in with the nurse. If you are picking your child up at the end of the day, the building will be unlocked at 3:10.  During Curriculum Night I will be giving 20 minute presentations on our new grading and reporting system at 6:05, 6:35, and 7:05.  Please try to attend one of the sessions. The presentations are identical so you only need to attend one. The PTA's annual Ice Cream Social is always a great way to start the year - I hope to see you there!

- Lisa

A Race to the Finish!

It's hard to believe that school year is over next week! We have a lot going on in these next nine days so please mark your calendar for these special events!


Tuesday, June 13
Mrs. Mercer's piano recital will be held in the library at 10:00. Fifth grade's Battle of the Books final battle will be held at 11:30 in the library. It should be a good one!

Wednesday, June 14
On Wednesday we will hold our annual Flag Day Parade complete with the Camillus Middle School band! The parade begins at 1:00. After we walk through the neighborhood we meet at the flag pole where we listen to students present information about Flag Day and then sing patriotic songs along with the band.


Thursday, June 15
Thursday is Field Days at East Hill. Third through fifth graders will participate in relays and water events from 9:30 - 11:30. Kindergarten, first and second graders will join in the fun in the afternoon from 1:00 - 3:00. Additionally there will be a 3rd grade kickball tournament at 1:00, a 4th grade kickball tournament at 1:30, and a 5th grade kickball tournament at 2:15. Information was mailed home earlier, but as a reminder, students are able to wear bathing suits for this event, however boys must also wear a t-shirt and girls must also wear a t-shirt and shorts. Please make sure they bring a change of clothes for after the water relays. Grade levels are asked to wear t-shirts as follows: Kindergarten - tie dye; First - yellow; Second - orange; Third - green; Fourth - blue; and Fifth - gray. Friday is the rain date for the field days if necessary.

Tuesday, June 20
Our fifth graders will go to the Ultimate Goal for a field trip. This is always a favorite event of the fifth graders.

Wednesday, June 21
This will be a half-day with an 11:30 dismissal. If you are picking up your child, please plan to arrive after 11:15 as they will be dismissed at 11:20.

Thursday, June 22
Our Fifth Grade Recognition Ceremony will be held in the gym at 9:30. This will also be a half-day with an 11:30 dismissal. This is the last day of school for elementary students.

Unlike in past years, we will not be sending home packets for students to complete over the summer. Instead we ask that you read to your child and ask your child to read on a daily basis. There are so many ways to make reading enjoyable - follow a recipe together, take turn reading the pages of a book, bring some books along to a picnic, visit the library to choose high interest books, etc., etc., etc. I recently read that when children don't read over the summer they can fall two years behind by fifth grade. It's always important to support your child's learning at home, and over the summer this is critical.

Enjoy these last two weeks of school and have a fantastic summer!

- Lisa

A Busy Week Ahead

I hope everyone had a relaxing and enjoyable Mother's Day weekend. It's hard to believe that we are already half-way through May. We have a busy week ahead of us so please mark your calendars!

Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 16, is the annual budget vote at the High School. Polls will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Please try to get out and exercise your right to vote.

Wednesday, May 17 is East Hill's 4th and 5th grade spring concert. We will have an assembly during the day for the students and an evening performance, at 7:00 p.m., at the High School.

Thursday, May 18 is East Hill's Open House. The event runs from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. This is an evening to bring the children; let them show you around their school. Let them tell you about and show you their projects, their writing, and their art work. It is always a special night. The PTA will also be holding their family BOGO Book Fair Night from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

We will be running two shuttle buses throughout the evening from the high school parking lot to East Hill. These buses will begin running at 5:45 and the last shuttle will leave East Hill at 7:05. Please park in the lot between the high school and Applebees. Buses will be waiting at the curb. The children especially enjoy taking their family for a ride on the school bus. There will be very limited parking at East Hill.

Also on Thursday several of our classes will be attending the Special Olympics to cheer on their classmates. It's looking to be a very hot day so please make sure you send your child with plenty of water and apply sunscreen to them prior to getting to school. It is one of my favorite events of the year. 

Here are some other dates to get on your calendars:

5/29    No School, Memorial Day

6/1      Lemonade Serenade Volunteer Reception and PTA Meeting

6/14    Flag Day Parade and Celebration

6/15    Field Days (rain date 6/16)

6/21    Half Day, 11:30 dismissal

6/22    5th Grade Recognition, 9:30; Half Day, 11:30 dismissal

As a reminder, there is no supervision at school for students before 9:00 so please do not drop your children off before 9:00. The one exception is if they are having breakfast, in which case they can enter the building at 8:50. Additionally, at the end of the day, please do not arrive before 3:10 to pick up your children. Thank you for your cooperation.

Have a great week!

- Lisa

Happy Spring!

It looks like spring has finally sprung! While all of the spring flowers have not yet bloomed, we do have an impressive display of blue flowers, actually pinwheels, outside of East Hill. Each student in the building, currently 375, "planted" a pinwheel in front of East Hill to support Child Abuse Prevention Month, sponsored by the McMahon/Ryan Advocacy Center. The pinwheels represent a happy and healthy childhood. #GoBlue4Kids!

As you may recall, our fifth grade Student Council collected money to purchase fleece to make blankets for an organization called Project Linus that distributes blankets to critically ill children. After school yesterday about half of the fifth grade class, along with several volunteers, worked together to make 35 no-sew blankets to benefit this worthwhile cause. It was so nice to see these students collaborating on this project. They had a great time and were able to feel good about helping others in need.

As a reminder, Dr. Gleason will be here tonight to discuss students who worry. The presentation will be held in the library from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. 

Don't forget that there is no school this Friday, April 14. Students will return after spring break on Monday, April 24.

This week's words of the day are habitat (M), saliva (T), prehistoric (W), and opposition (Th). 

Have a great rest of the week and a nice spring break!

- Lisa

Important Notices

A flier will be coming home tomorrow with four important dates on it. They are as follows:

1. No School Friday, March 17 due to Staff Development Day

2. The Education Fair is next Tuesday, 3/21 from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. Students will view the projects during the day. Project drop-off will be held on 3/20 from 3:30 - 5:30 p.m. and on 3/21 from 7:20 - 8:20 a.m. We ask that you take your projects home the night of the Fair if you are attending.

3. The 3rd Grade Chorus Concert has been rescheduled to next Wednesday, 3/22 at 6:45. I apologize that this means two nights in a row for our third grade parents.

4. Dr. Aaron Gleason, PhD, will be here on 4/11 from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. to discuss students who worry and what can be done about it. More information about this important evening will be sent home soon.

In addition to the above, and as indicated in a previous letter, the New York State English Language Arts assessment will take place on the mornings of March 28, 29, and 30 for our third through fifth grade students. Please help us out by making sure students arrive to school on time, are well-rested, and are well-fed.

Student Council is continuing to accept donations to purchase fleece to make blankets for Project Linus. All interested fifth graders will be invited to stay after school one day in April to help make no-sew blankets. Please let me know if you would be willing to help with this endeavor.

5th Graders Create Posters to Advertise their Community Service Project

This week’s words of the day are pollination (K, M), and gravity (3, Th). Next week’s words of the day are descend (4, M), obstacle (5, T), deciduous (K, W), contented (1, Th), and immigrated (2, F).

Hopefully you’re not too sore from shoveling. It has to stop sometime! I'd much rather have students in the building than empty hallways. Here are a couple of cool things I got to see earlier this week. I love seeing students work together to solve problems!

Students work with Makey Makey's to build electrical circuits in the library.

Students program robots with Mrs. Ritch and Mrs. Tuttle.

Enjoy the rest of the week!

Lisa

March Madness

It’s a good thing there are so many days in March because we certainly have a lot going on here at East Hill. Please get out those calendars!

East Hill PTA

The March PTA meeting will be held tomorrow night (Wednesday) at 6:30 in the East Hill Library. Please come join us to hear about District events and other activities being planned for our students.

Music in our Schools

March is Music in our Schools month. Our third graders have been working on preparing for their spring concert which will be held on Tuesday, March 14 at 7:00 p.m. for third grade families. The rest of our school will get a preview of the concert that afternoon.

Teacher Workshop Day

Please note that there is no school on Friday, March 17 due to a teacher workshop day. During this day our teachers will be receiving professional development on a variety of topics.

Education Fair

The Education Fair is just two weeks away. At this point students should have completed the majority of their packet and requested a display board from the main office. Projects will be on display during the day for students on Tuesday, March 21. Projects will be displayed for families that evening from 6:30 to 7:30. This is the seventh year we have held this event (recently changed from the Science Fair to the Education Fair) and it is shaping up to be the biggest year yet! Completed projects can be dropped off after school on Monday, March 20 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. or before school on Tuesday, March 21 from 7:15 – 8:20 a.m.

East Hill Art Exhibit        

East Hill student artwork will be on display in the Maxwell Memorial Library from March 28 through April 6.  The exhibit will feature a variety of artwork from kindergarten through fifth grade artists.

BINGO!

The PTA’s annual BINGO event will be held at East Hill for the first time! Now that we have our own cafeteria, we no longer need to use the facilities at Camillus Middle School. BINGO will be held on Friday, March 31. Look for more information about this exciting event soon!

A couple of other March events have already occurred. Today we had our fourth CODE assembly of the year with Officer Brand. A letter will be coming home that outlines the topics that were discussed at each grade level. Last Friday our first graders taught our school about the March character education trait of the month which is patience and acceptance. They did a nice job explaining how to appreciate our differences. When they were done presenting, our student council discussed the community service project that they have started. They will be collecting money through March 22. At that point we will purchase fleece to make No-Sew blankets for Project Linus, an organization that provides blankets for critically ill children. Interested fifth graders will be able to stay after school one day in April (date TBD) to make the blankets.

This week’s words of the day are fantasy, immigrant, atmosphere, climate, and witty.

Have a great rest of the week!

-          Lisa

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!
Fortunately the weather is cooperating in time for the Valentine's Day parties today! Thank you to all of the room parents who make the parties possible for our students.

Mary Poppins

Last Wednesday, thanks to our District’s Director of Fine Arts, Bill Davern, we were able to take the entire fourth and fifth grade classes from the whole district to a preview of Mary Poppins. Our students were a very respectful audience and really enjoyed the opportunity.

Mrs. Banks (Grace Craig) and Miss Andrew (Amelia Ryan)

Education Fair

This year’s Education Fair is shaping up to be the biggest yet! The event will be held on Tuesday, March 21. It’s not too late to submit an application. A big thank you goes out to our PTA again this year for supplying display boards to every participating student.

Chase McGraw, File Photo

East Hill Student Work on Display

If you're looking for something to do over winter break, stop down to Provisions Bakery in Armory Square to see selected artwork from East Hill fourth and fifth graders on display. You will not be disappointed! The bakery is located at 216 Walton Street and is open Tuesday - Friday from 7:30 - 3:00 (closed for President's Day Monday). Also on display this month until February 24th at Maxwell Library in Camillus are dioramas from students in Mrs. Devereaux's class. Maxwell Library is located at 14 Genesee Street and is open from 10:00 - 8:00 Monday - Thursday, 10:00 - 5:00 on Friday, and 10:00 - 3:00 on Saturday. They are closed on Sundays.

East Hill Student Artwork at Provisions Bakery

Words of the Day

This week’s words of the day are uncharted (T,5), boycott (W, 2), gradually (Th, K), and surface (F, 1). This year the word of the day posters are being created by our Fifth Grade Student Council using Google Draw. They are displayed in the hall across from the gym.

Winter Recess

Please remember that winter break is next week. We will return on Monday, February 27. Please encourage your children to keep reading over the break and to get a start on the Education Fair projects!

- Lisa