December 2019 Newsletter
Hillcrest School Newsletter
December 2019
Important Dates:
December Break begins Friday, Dec. 20 at dismissal
School resumes Thursday, Jan. 2, 2020
Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020 – Early Release/In-Service, Noon Dismissal
Monday, Jan. 20, Martin Luther King Day – No School
Thursday, Jan. 23 - Hillcrest Family Math Night, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 24 – Turn Around Day, No School for students
From the Principal,
Dear Hillcrest Families,
As always, it was a treat to see so many Hillcrest family members and friends here at school for our December All School Meeting! Thank you for making the time in the middle of this busy season to join us. Ms. Chase’s preschoolers delighted us with the Gingerbread Hokey Pokey all while demonstrating their knowledge of positional works such as “front” and “back.” Mrs. Lesenski’s kindergarten students have been studying multiple versions of the classic Gingerbread Tale and they shared their understanding of the story elements by retelling the story with a lively song. And, Ms. Smith’s first graders have been working in partnerships to study how mammals and insects make adjustments in order to survive during the winter months. Each learning partnership presented one key fact about their chosen creature. Each month at All School Meeting, I am always so impressed by our students’ confidence on stage and their excellent behavior in the audience. I am equally impressed by the expertise of our teachers in implementing engaging curriculum and in supporting our students to share their learning with the community. Bravo!
When we return to school in January, we will be getting ready for an exciting Hillcrest Family Math Night featuring our new Bridges math program. This fun evening event will feature Bridges math games at each grade level as well as program information for families and take-home bags of math activities. You’ll have an opportunity to play math games with your children, to learn more about key mathematical models such as the Rekenrek and the ten frame, and to connect with other Hillcrest families. Please be sure to mark your calendars for Thursday, January 23rd from 5:30 - 6:30. We cannot wait to celebrate mathematics learning at Hillcrest Family Math Night!
Due to this week’s snow storm, the Superintendent Search Forum has been rescheduled to Tuesday, January 7th at 5:30 in the TFHS/FFMS cafeteria. I hope that many Hillcrest families will participate in this process. You can also offer input through an online survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GMRSD19. If you are seeking additional information about the search process, you can review the letter from the School Committee that was included with our Friday News on December 13th. You can also find that information on the GMRSD website.
I hope all of our Hillcrest families enjoy some fun family time over the school vacation week! As an educator, I cannot resist encouraging you to carve out some screen-free time with your children each day. Don’t forget about the joys of a simple board game, a fort made from couch cushions and blankets, or a simple trip to the local library to stock up on picture books. Those classic family activities are so delightful. Happy holidays to all of you!
Wishing you a wonderful week of family time --
Sarah Burstein
Sarah Burstein, Principal
Preschool
This has been a busy month! It started with our field trip to BIG Y! We were able to develop background knowledge for our upcoming Grocery Store Theme. We will start with new areas in our rooms when we come back in January.
We have been looking at snowflakes and how they are formed. We count them, sort them and have been using them in various AABB patterns. One pattern we’ve noticed is that sometimes snow falls in the daytime and sometimes at night.
We have also been thinking about what animals do in the colder weather. Bears hibernate, they eat a lot of food to get ready for a long winter’s nap. We also learned about what other animals do or don’t hibernate.
We have begun our take home bags with our math games. Families have enjoyed them, and your comments are very helpful. It is important to return the bags so that everyone gets a turn.
Enjoy Our Winter Break, See you in January!
Ms.Teresa, Ms. Chanda and Ms. Sarah
Preschool Team
Kindergarten
During the month of December, we spent time learning about Egypt and reading our third Jack and Annie book, Mummies in the Morning. We continue to work on learning the names of the letters, the sounds they make and the proper way to write them. Students are working on hearing the first sounds in words & we are starting to listen to the ending sound in words as well. The week before our holiday break we spent time reading different versions of The Gingerbread Man. This is a fun way to compare and contrast stories.
In math, kindergarteners are beginning to solve addition and subtraction with manipulatives. We continue to practice counting by 1’s to 100 starting at different numbers, counting backwards, writing the numbers 1-20, counting objects one at a time up to 20, identifying shapes, and putting numbers in the correct order.
During these cold months remember that we still go outside to play. Children should come to school with everything they need to play in the snow or they will have to stay on the blacktop during recess. They need boots, snow pants, winter coats, hats, mittens, and shoes to change into. Kindergarteners are expected to dress themselves independently so please have your child practice this at home.
Have a wonderful holiday break and we look forward to seeing you in 2020!
Mrs. Fox, Ms. Hirst, & Mrs. Lesenski
First Grade
December has been a very busy month. The first grade has started working our non-fiction chapter books during our Writer’s Workshop writing program. The children are having a wonderful time writing non-fiction facts about topics that they are “experts” at like basketball, castles, etc. The kids will begin doing a research book about an animal or another topic that interests them.They will learn about their animal/topic, write facts, use pictures to teach, add labels and zoom-ins to give more information and add a table of contents to their book.
In math we have learned about 3D shapes and telling time to the hour during our Number Corner time. We have been adding and subtracting numbers to 10. We have been working on using rekenreks, tens frames, unifix cubes, and counting on to solve addition and subtraction equations and story problems. We are beginning to learn how to solve equations and story problems that have missing numbers (ex. 4 + __ = 10). Please practice different addition and subtraction problems with your student at home.
Our Fundations program has been focusing on the “floss rule” or bonus letter rule. This is when a word that has a consonant, vowel, consonant pattern and end with an f, l, or s and sometimes z and we have to double the last letter or add a “bonus letter”. We have also worked on the “glued sounds” of –am, -an and –all. We will begin learning about the ending s that can be added onto both nouns (people, places and things) and onto verbs (action words). The comprehension focus has been on story problems and solutions, noticing details, and summarizing the story’s beginning, middle and end and comparing and contrasting characters and events.
Now that the weather has become cold and snowy please make sure your child has all their snow gear – hats, mittens, warm coats, snow pants and boots. We want to make sure everyone is able to play in the snow! Make sure to mark you child’s clothing with your last name to make sure their belongings don’t get mixed up with someone else’s or get put in the lost and found.
Have a wonderful, safe holiday and vacation! See you in the New Year!
Physical Education
Winter reminder from PE: Please have your kiddos prepared with sneakers on their PE days. This will allow for safer movement on the All Purpose Room floor. Thanks.
Mr. Wood Ron
Physical Education Teacher
December News from Nurse Melissa
Our first snow storm has already come and gone but winter weather is only just beginning, so it’s time to start preparing. There are a lot of fun things to do outside in winter. However, it is important to consider safety.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has provided us with some helpful winter health safety tips:
Outdoor Winter Activities:
Ice skating, skiing and sledding are great ways to get exercise on a cold winter day.
Remember children should be supervised with these activities.
Safety Tips:
It is safer to sled feet first or sitting up, instead of lying down head-first.
Sled on slopes that are not too steep and are free of obstructions like trees or fences.
Skate only on approved surfaces. Skate in one direction with the crowd and never skate alone.
Wear a helmet when skiing.
Please continue to send in outdoor winter clothing, (hats, jackets, snow pants, mittens/gloves and boots), for your child. Consider keeping an extra outfit in their backpack in case they get wet during recess.
**For a fun family winter activity, see the website below to learn how to make cool decorative snowflakes. https://www.origamiway.com/how-to-make-paper-snowflakes.shtml
Nosebleeds:
If your child suffers from winter nosebleeds it may be from the dry air. Try using a cold air humidifier in the child’s room at night. Saline nose drops or petroleum jelly may help too. If severe, consult your pediatrician.
School Nurse Notes:
We will be finishing up with vision and hearing screenings during December. A referral note will be sent home for those students having difficulty with either the vision or hearing screening. If you received a referral letter, please let us know when your child was seen by the eye doctor or audiologist and the results of the exam. Because vision and hearing can affect learning, it is important that students who have difficulty during the school screenings have a full vision or hearing exam by a doctor. If you need assistance in finding either an eye doctor or audiologist, please let us know.
Wishing you all a fun and relaxing school vacation. Stay safe and healthy!
Melissa Bednarski BSN, RN