The chefs in Ms. Mulligan's 3rd Grade class are ready for a great school year!

Principal's Message

Dear Hill Families,

I would like to thank everyone for attending the curriculum night presentations on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Thank you for being invested in your child’s education as we work together as a home-school partnership to educate our Huskies. Week two was another smooth week!

Parent communication is very important to me. At the end of each week, I will send out the HUSKY'S HOWL with important information that will keep you up to date on school programs, student learning, upcoming events, district happenings, procedures, and policies. Please take the time to read the Husky's Howl each week to stay connected to our learning community.

Please feel free to contact me anytime with questions, concerns, feedback or staff compliments that may arise throughout the school year. I will strive to find a balance between working in my office and spending time in classrooms building relationships with students and observing learning and instruction. Therefore, if you contact me please know that I will do my best to get in touch with you as soon as possible but you can expect contact by the end of the next day. I can be reached best at spawlus@troy.k12.mi.us or 248-823-3500.

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Shari Pawlus

Parking Lot Safety

The parking lot and drop off lines will move quickly and safely if we all do our part. Thank you for driving safely and following our parking lot procedures. If you have not already, please watch the parking lot safety video created to illustrate how best to use our parking lot, and pick-up/drop off lanes.

Morning Drop Off Procedures

1. Do not park in the Student Drop-Off Loop.
2. Use the Drop-Off Loop only for dropping off students.
3. When dropping off students, pull up as far as possible.
4. Adults should stay in the car. Encourage students to exit your car quickly and safely (from the right side of the car only).
5. Please do not enter the building with your student. Drop them off at their classroom door or front door and I assure you we can take it from there. If you need to enter the building and walk down to the classroom please check in with the office first. This is for everyone's safety, we must be able to account for who is in the building.

Indoor Line Up Procedures

If it is raining or too cold, students will line up indoors. ALL students must enter the school through the front doors by the office. I ask that you drop your child off and know that we will take care of them from there (Please Hug and Go). Teachers will go over the Indoor lineup locations with students in school. We will have staff and fifth grade safeties in all locations inside the building to monitor the students until the attendance bell rings. In order to avoid traffic backups in the circle drive, I ask that you consider dropping your child off between 8:20-8:25 a.m.

Before & After School C.A.R.E.

Many parents work hours that do not allow them to pick-up or drop-off their child when school begins or is dismissed. If you are in this situation, child care is available before and after school through the C.A.R.E. Company. Full or part-time schedules are available. For more information, please call 248-823-5100 or visit their website at www.troyceonline.com.

TSD Student Birthday Celebration Policy

It has been the tradition for many elementary students to celebrate their birthday at school by bringing in cupcakes, cookies, or other food related treats. While the district intends to continue to celebrate the child’s special day, there is a need to do so in a way that is healthy for everyone involved. The reasons for this change are listed below:

• There are students in every elementary building who have severe, sometimes life-threatening, allergies, and in many cases they are unable to partake of the treat.
• Also, district staff learned in an Epi-pen training session this summer that 25% of all first time anaphylactic reactions occur in schools.
• Schools have been charged with promoting healthy eating habits inside and outside of school.
• Our schools are committed to preserving instructional time.

There is no obligation to recognize your child’s birthday at school. However, if you choose to recognize your child’s special day, please do not send birthday treats to school, as they will not be shared with the class. Instead of bringing or sending a food treat to celebrate your child’s birthday, parents may:

• Send in a favorite book for the student to share with the class on the child’s special day.
• Donate a book for the classroom in honor of the child’s special day.
• Send in for the day or donate a recess game for indoor recesses.
• Send in for the day or donate a piece of playground equipment (various balls or games) for outdoor recesses.
• If you have another idea of how to celebrate your child’s birthday, you may discuss this with your child’s teacher.

Our elementary buildings will continue to recognize and celebrate our students’ birthdays at school, even as that recognition takes new forms. The district appreciates your cooperation and hopes you will understand the reasoning behind this decision.

This procedure for celebrating students’ birthdays does not extend to the classroom holiday parties, though please note there may be allergy restrictions for those events as well. The food/treats that are provided at these events will be determined by the buildings.

New Husky Logo

Please visit our spirit wear website to get your Husky Spirit wear!! Please order your items on or before Oct 4th. If you have the items delivered to the school, it’s FREE shipping. There is a small fee to have it delivered to your home. We have updated the site to include so many new options! You can also have items monogrammed.

September Calendar of Events

• MONDAY 9/9/19 5th Grade Parent Information Night for Band & Orchestra at Athens HS
• MONDAY 9/16/19 (Mon - Fri) Oakland County Vision Screening for Grades PS, 1, 3, 5
• TUESDAY 9/17/19 7:00pm - PTO meeting (Media Center)
• THURSDAY 9/19/19 Kaiser Studio here for school picture day (see below)
• WEDNESDAY 9/25/19 Early release day - school dismisses at 12:39pm
• FRIDAY 9/27/19 Hill's annual Jog-A-Thon

Absences & Tardies

Whenever your child will be tardy or will not be at school due to illness, a doctor appointment, etc., please call the absence line at (248) 823-3501 and leave a voicemail message. When reporting an absence, please leave the day and date of absence, child’s first and last name (please spell the last name), and the child’s grade and teacher. It is not enough to just tell your classroom teacher that your child will be tardy or absent. The voicemail system is available 24 hours a day for your convenience. Homework requests should be emailed directly to the classroom teacher.

To ensure the safety of your child, we account for each child every day. If we do not receive a call from you on the absence line we must make our “safety check” and call to find out where the absent child is. You can help by making sure you phone the absence line when you know your child is not coming to school or will just be tardy. When you bring your student to school late (after the tardy bell which rings at 8:39am), please make sure to sign him/her in at the office before sending him to class. NEVER send your child in alone.

Point of Sale Lunch

You are encouraged to prepay for your child’s lunch. By prepaying, you will assure that money is always in your account on any day he/she chooses to buy lunch. Checks should be made payable to “Troy Food Services” and should be sent or brought to school in an ENVELOPE clearly marked with your child’s name and labeled “lunch money”. If you are sending one check for multiple children, please indicate how the money should be divided. This will ensure each child gets the appropriate credit. There is no set amount to pay; however, many parents find $30-40 is a good starting point. You will receive notification when the fund runs below $12.00 (5 remaining lunches). Free and reduced lunch applications were included in the first day folders

LUNCH & MILK PRICES FOR 2019-2020:

• Lunch (includes milk) $2.40
• Second Entrée $2.00
• Milk (as drink only) $.35
• Dasani Water or Juice (as drink only) $.50

Free & Reduced Lunch

School lunches for students are available for free, or at a reduced price of 40 cents, for families that qualify based on family size and income. Forms are available in the school office. This can be a big savings to you whether your child buys lunch once a week, or more often. Once the form is completed, we forward it to the Troy Food Service department where it takes 2 weeks to process. If you would like us to send a form home with your child, please call the office at 248-823-3500. Thank you.

My School Bucks

Parents can utilize this online program to pay for their child’s lunch using these three easy steps.

Picture Day

The school pictures are scheduled for Thursday, September 19 This is our annual Dress Up for School Day! Order forms will be sent home on Thursday, Sept. 19th. If you choose to order a picture package for your child, please send in the exact amount. If you wish to purchase a yearbook, please do so at this time. EVERY student will be photographed for yearbook purposes.

PREPAY ONLINE - You have the option to prepay by credit card at www.kaiserstudio.com with the Hill School Code ID: HILL2019. This is a nice feature so your child doesn't have to worry about turning in the envelope or losing the check or cash.

Early Release & Half Days

A Good Night's Sleep is Crucial for Learning

When your child doesn’t get enough sleep, it’s hard for her to learn in school. That’s because sleep affects a child’s ability to:

• Plan and organize.
• Solve problems.
• Control mood and behavior.
• Focus and pay attention.
• Retain information.

To help your child get the recommended nine to 12 hours of sleep she needs each night:

• Stick to a schedule. Enforce a regular bedtime and wake time. Establish times for meals, homework and recreation.
• Encourage her to get moving. Exercise and fresh air help children sleep better.
• Set a technology curfew. Kids should avoid bright screens for one hour before bedtime.
• Follow a bedtime routine. She could take a bath, enjoy a story and share her favorite part of the day. Then, it’s lights out.
• Make her feel safe. Put a night light in her room. Tell her you’ll check on her periodically.

Reprinted with permission from the September 2019 issue of Parents make the difference!® (Elementary School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2019 The Parent Institute®, a division of PaperClip Media, Inc. Source: “Healthy Sleep Habits: How Many Hours Does Your Child Need?” American Academy of Pediatrics, niswc.com/elem_get-sleep.

Hill PTO Meeting

The first PTO Meeting of the year is on Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 7:00 PM in the Media Center. Please join us to hear about what this organization does to support the students and teachers of the Hill Community. The PTO is a great way to stay connected and involved.

A Message from the Hill PTO

Dear Hill Parents,

We would like to invite you to join our PTO Facebook page, if you haven't already. It is a closed group for Hill families and you can find it at www.facebook.com/groups/hillpto. The official name of the page is Hill Elementary PTO. Request to join and answer the question, "Do you have a child that attends Hill Elementary?" An admin will then approve your request to join the group. If you have not joined this group, you are missing out on valuable information. Please join the page and you'll have easy access to contact the PTO board, committee chairs and many, many Hill community families.

-Nikke Bengry, PTO President

Begin the School Year With a Commitment to Attendance

Your child’s teachers will do their best to help your child learn and succeed in school. But there’s one thing that only you can do—get him to school every day. Children who don’t attend school regularly fall behind and score lower on tests. They can also have a hard time making and keeping friends—especially in elementary school. How often a child is absent in elementary school sets a pattern for absences in later school years. Lots of absences often lead to students dropping out of school completely. To reinforce the importance of school attendance:

• Tell your child that his education matters. His job is to attend school on time every day.
• Discuss some of the consequences of missing school: needing to do make-up work, missing friends, not understanding. Keep your child home from school only if he is sick or there is a family emergency.
• Don’t let him stay home to catch up on homework or sleep.
• Schedule medical appointments during non-school hours.
• Plan vacations for when school is not in session. Track your child’s absences.
• Look for any patterns that need to be addressed.
• Talk to the teacher or the school counselor if your child regularly doesn’t want to go to school.

Reprinted with permission from the September 2019 issue of Parents make the difference!® (Elementary School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2019 The Parent Institute®, a division of PaperClip Media, Inc. Source: “10 Facts About School Attendance,” Attendance Works, niswc.com/elem_attendance-priority.

Media Center News-Ms. Apol

Happy New School Year! Please visit our website to find the latest information about the library program--

• Media Curriculum
• List of Class Dates
• Lost Book Policies
• Upcoming Events

Interested in volunteering in the library this year? Please click the link below and fill out to form online.

Follow Hill on Twitter

Hill Elementary is on twitter. Follow @hill_huskies for a glimpse into our school. Your classroom teacher may also be on twitter, follow them as well for a glimpse into their classroom.

Late Policy Pick Up

Children not picked up in a timely manner after dismissal will be designated as a Late Pick-Up situation. Parents will be charged $60 for supervision of their child and be given a Late Pick-Up Packet that must be completed and returned to the school office. This C.A.R.E. Late Pick-Up Registration does not guarantee ongoing enrollment in C.A.R.E. This packet must be completed to comply with state licensing policy.

Make an Effort to Connect with the Teacher

Your child’s teacher will be a significant person in his life this year. So it’s helpful for the two of you to build a strong bond. That way, you can work together, share information and head off any problems that may come up. To make a connection:

• Attend curriculum night. While this isn’t the time or place for a long one-on-one talk, it will help each of you put a face to a name.
• Share information. Changes at home, such as the birth of a baby, loss of a job or pending divorce, can affect a child at school. Write a note, send an email or ask if the teacher can call you to talk. The more she knows about your child, the more she’ll be able to support his learning.
• Let your child know you respect his teacher. Your attitude will affect your child’s behavior in class.
• Stay engaged. Read the notes the teacher sends home from school. Fill out and return permission slips and paperwork in a timely manner.

Reprinted with permission from the September 2018 issue of Parents make the difference!® (Elementary School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2018 The Parent Institute®, a division of PaperClip Media, Inc.

Shari Pawlus - Principal - Hill Elementary