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August 23, 2007 Dear Parents and Guardians: We have had a fantastic start to our school year. It is our goal each year to achieve excellence as a school. This means that students, parents, teachers, administrators and support staff work closely together to have the very best school possible. At Hill school our motto has always been: Soaring to New Heights. This speaks to the commitment we have to maximize learning for all students. To do this we need to have a safe and orderly environment, we need to have high expectations for both academics and behavior, and the school and home have to work together in a spirit of support and collaboration. At Hill we value parent involvement. There is a tremendous amount of evidence to support the fact that when parents/guardians are involved in supporting their child and the school in positive ways it has a positive impact on school climate and student performance in the classroom. Many parents at Hill have the opportunity to volunteer in the classroom, the library, and the PTA. We are grateful to those who can spend the time to do that. Many parents have schedules that hinder their ability to volunteer....we completely understand. I was not able because of my profession to spend as much time at school. I was however able to be involved in a variety of other ways. I was able to attend (most of the time) school activities after school hours or at night. Most importantly, I was able to daily ask my boys how their day was, share how my day was, stress the importance of homework completion and the enjoyment of reading (when they were little I was able to read aloud to them). Finally, I was able to establish routines such a bedtime and homework time that allowed them to perform better at school. A couple of things I would ask that you keep in mind: • We both want your child to do the very best they can at school. • We both expect that Hill staff will get to know each child, have a positive relationship with them, and work with you to provide the best possible experience. • You should not have to use anger to get help when needed....again we are on the same team. • School and home routines are critical to student success. • None of us are perfect as educators, as parents, or as students. Making mistakes is part of life, it should be our goal to learn from the mistakes we make and make better decisions the next time around. How we approach each other when mistakes are made, makes all the difference in building positive relationships. Thank you for entrusting us with your children. Together we can build the best school possible. Respectfully, Don V. Rangel Principal "Reminders" from the Student-Parent Handbook. ARRIVING AND DEPARTING SCHOOL Arrival time at Hill school should not be before 8:03 a.m. It is important to understand that Staff supervision outside or inside (on inclement weather days) will not start until that time. Students will be allowed to enter the building at 8:10 a.m. Students can be at school prior to 8:03 a.m., only under the following circumstances: • They have a prearranged meeting with a teacher. • They are accompanied by a parent/guardian and are here for a specific pre-arranged meeting. • They are part of the Hill breakfast program. (Seating for breakfast starts at 7:40a.m.) • They are registered with the Family Services Before School Program. • They are at school to participate in Chorus or Band. Arrival time for these programs is 7:25a.m with rehearsal starting at 7:30a.m. Dismissal time is at 2:53p.m., Monday - Friday. To avoid unnecessary confusion at dismissal time, please plan to meet your child in a designated area outside the school building. Students should be picked up on or shortly after 2:53 p.m. unless prior arrangements have been made. We understand that circumstances develop that make it difficult to pick a child up on time, but this should be the exception rather than the rule. Students will be allowed to be at school after dismissal time only under the following circumstances: • They have a prearranged meeting with a teacher. • They are accompanied by a parent/guardian and are here for a specific pre-arranged meeting. • They are part of a school sponsored club or activity (such as Student Council or Orchestra) or club or activity with an organization that utilizes the Hill building. • They are registered with the Family Services After School Program or Parks and Recreation After School Program. Note: If your child is part of a school sponsored after-school program, please make sure to pick the student up at the designated time.
VISITORS, PARENT VISITS AND VOLUNTEERS Parents and other community members are encouraged to visit school. Visitors need to call the school office before visiting to check school and classroom schedules. To make sure we have a safe and secure learning environment for all children, staff, and visitors, you are required to sign in and put on a visitors pass at the office. This is the policy for all visitors no matter how well we know you or how long you plan to stay. Hill school and all schools and program sites in the Lincoln Public Schools now have standardized procedures for checking in and checking out. Each school front entrance will be staffed by a full time Secured Entrance Monitor. The monitor (Mr. Vic Wright) is trained in the check-in/check-out procedures for each school. Children not enrolled in Hill school may not visit unless accompanied by an adult. Parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their child's education. Opportunities are provided for parents to volunteer for a variety of activities throughout the year. If you are planning on visiting your child's classroom, we ask that you check with your child's teacher to make sure that it is a time conducive to you and your child. We also ask that classroom visits be no longer than 25-30 minutes to prevent interruption to the instructional program, unless it has been prearranged with the teacher to help with a planned classroom activity. In addition, most children love to have their parents visit them at school. It can however, produce some anxiety that may cause your child to act differently than they usually do at school. PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES During the 2006-07 school year the Lincoln Public Schools implemented a new school improvement model called Professional Learning Communities (PLC's). This is being implemented in all LPS schools because we believe it is so important in our efforts to help all students be more successful learners. The implementation of (PLC's) will result in nine early release days this school year. I want again to share information about those days and why they are important to the overall success of each student in each school . Professional Learning Communities involve collaborative teams of teachers who focus on individual and overall student learning. The teams look at individual student performance and the development of timely intervention to support individual student achievement. This dialogue explores four questions: What do we want each student to learn? How will we know when each student has learned it? How we will respond when a student experiences difficulty in learning? How we will respond when a student has already learned essential knowledge and skills? Professional Learning Communities require time dedicated for such dialogue to occur. Research clearly illustrates that effective collaboration must occur through structured processes that are separate from the traditional teacher planning time. These collaborative teams need an extended period of time in order to focus on individual student needs. Nine dates have been selected in the current school year for educators to meet in Professional Learning Communities. To help parents plan ahead, here is the schedule: PLC MEETING TIMES FOR 2007-2008 August 28 1:33 dismissal February 26 1:33 dismissal September 25 1:33 dismissal March 18 1:33 dismissal October 30 1:33 dismissal April 29 1:33 dismissal November 27 1:33 dismissal May 27 1:33 dismissal January 29 1:33 dismissal In order to ensure that there is not a loss of instructional time, a day has been added to the student calendar. The schedule that Ruth Hill School and all other LPS early start schools will be following is: - For Students Grades 1-5 the school day will be from: 8:10AM-1:33PM. - For Morning Kindergarten Students the school day will be from: 8:15AM - 10:29AM - For Afternoon Kindergarten Students the school day will be from 11:19AM - 1:33PM The school district recognizes that early release on these days may be a disruption in your family's schedule. At Hill school both Family Services and Parks and Recreation will be hosting after school day care as usual for registered families on these days. Care will start at dismissal time or 1:33PM. For students in other day care situations you will need to make arrangements with them. I want to assure you that I believe this time is very important for our teachers to work together to help each student be a better learner. I appreciate your support of our teachers in this work. Girls on the Run Seeks Hill Coaches Great news! Girls on the Run is headed back to Hill this fall! We're looking for two or three women to help coach this innovative, valuable and FUN after-school program! Girls on the Run of Nebraska is part of a national program that combines exercise, education and mentoring to promote healthy lifestyles and self-esteem in third- through fifth-grade girls. The Hill team will meet from 3 to 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays from Sept. 4 through Oct. 18. The season-ending 5K will be the Ghouls on the Run 5K at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28 at Holmes Lake . Coaching is a blast! The girls' energy and enthusiasm are contagious and you'll have just as much fun as they do. You do not have to be a runner to coach or help with our program. We're looking for positive women who would serve as good role models for the girls. The total time commitment for first-time coaches is about 22 hours and includes a short coach training session (to be arranged); 14 one-hour lessons/practices with the girls; three hours on 5K day; and CPR training if necessary (we can provide training). The practices feature physically active games (to train for a 5K run/walk) that incorporate lessons on valuable life-skills, including communication, healthy habits, stopping gossip, teamwork and goal-setting. We have many opportunities to get involved. Please call Amy Cyphers at 610-5355 or e-mail girlsontherun@neb.rr.com for more information on volunteering. Visit www.girlsontherunofnebraska.org to learn more. |
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(c) 1999 Hill
Elementary, Lincoln Public Schools, Lincoln, Nebraska |