Five Ways to Motivate Your Child to Read

When children like to read, they do it more often—which boosts their reading skills and overall school success. To ignite your child’s love of reading:

• Celebrate. Instead of simply checking out books at the library, make an event of it. Select interesting books, then choose a special place to enjoy reading together.
• Explore. Help your child find an appealing book series. He may not be able to resist picking up the next book.
• Investigate. If he doesn’t know what a word means, have your child take a guess. Look it up together and see if he is right.
• Play. Turn something you just read together into a fun challenge: Ask your child to summarize the story using only three sentences. Or, ask him to use the characters from the story in a new story.
• Experiment. Try new kinds of books with your child. If he’s used to reading fiction, have him try a biography or how- to book, for example.

Reprinted with permission from the February 2020 issue of Parents make the difference!® (Elementary School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2020 The Parent Institute®, a division of PaperClip Media, Inc.

Celebrate These Famous Birthdays in the month of February

February is filled with birthdays of notable people. Plan some fun activities to help your child learn about these heroes, writers, inventors, scientists and artists:

• February 4—Rosa Parks. Go online to learn more about this heroine of America’s civil rights movement.
• February 7—Laura Ingalls Wilder. Read one of the books from the Little House on the Prairie series, which is based on Wilder’s childhood in a family of settlers and pioneers.
• February 8—Jules Verne. Read one of his science fiction stories with your child.
• February 11—Thomas Edison. Ask your child what he would like to invent to improve daily life.
• February 12—Abraham Lincoln. Challenge your child to memorize the Gettysburg Address.
• February 19—Nicolaus Copernicus. Take a walk together and look at the stars.
• February 21—Nina Simone. Listen to some of her music with your child and learn more about her life.
• February 22—George Washington. Ask your child what she would do if she were president of the United States.
• February 25—Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Check out a book with reproductions of his paintings. Ask your child to paint one of her own.

Reprinted with permission from the February 2020 issue of Parents make the difference!® (Elementary School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2020 The Parent Institute®, a division of PaperClip Media, Inc.

It’s February…JUST ASK!

Sponsored by Husky PALS: Parents of Alternative Learners

• Be Different • Be Brave • Be You •

• Include • Inspire • Ignite •

“…by seeing yourself or your friends in this story, you will understand that we’re all different, and you will find that notion comforting and empowering. I hope too that you will recognize what we have in common. Instead of fearing our differences or ignoring them, we can shed light on them and explore them together. If you ever wonder why someone is doing something different from other kids, Just Ask.” -Sonia Sotomayor

One of the many things that makes Hill a special place to learn and grow is that we are all so different. Different shades…different needs…different experiences…different learners…

and many more. This February we want to celebrate and embrace what makes us different--we have designed activities, lessons and experiences that will help us learn about each other. During this month you will notice we are also raising money. The money raised during this month will be used to create two sensory paths in our school that ALL learners can use and benefit from. Not sure what or how a sensory path could help your child?…JUST ASK!

Sensory paths give students a chance to spend a few minutes of their school day walking, jumping, bouncing and “pushing themselves through their distractions”. Experts say sensory paths can also help students develop motor skills, including balance, hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness. Sensory paths are designed to help students learn how to channel stress and cope with anxiety.

This year we will use the book Just Ask by Sonia Sotomayar as our mentor text along with connecting this work to having Husky P.R.I.D.E.Please check out the calendar for the events we have planned each day in the month of February. We hope that our activities, lessons and experiences also serve as a platform to have discussions with your children at home. If you need more information about any of the ideas, we cover…Just Ask!

Upcoming Calendar of Events

• Wednesday, February 5 - Early Release Day for Students (Dismissal at 12:39 PM)
• Monday, February 17 - Tuesday, February 18 - No School / Mid-Winter Break
• Wednesday, February 26 - Early Release Day for Students (Dismissal at 12:39 PM)
• Friday, March 6 - No School for Students / End of the 2nd Marking Period

TSD Outdoor Weather Policy

The Troy School District outdoor recess policy has been aligned with research by the National Weather Service. We use the The Weather Channel app to make this decision. We will still use the 15 degree threshold for outdoor lineup decisions in the morning.

Outdoor Recess Policy - Troy School District Elementary Schools access weather.com to determine if students have indoor or outdoor recess. If it "Feels Like" 10 degrees or warmer, recess is held outside. If it feels like 9 degrees or colder, recess is held inside.

Food Service Employment Opportunities

The Troy Schools Food Service Department, which is contracted by the Chartwells K-12, is gearing up to expand our Food Service Staff by seeking friendly people willing to fill various vacancies that are responsible for providing lunches to the students of the Troy School District. Not to worry if you haven’t had previous experience, as “on the job” training will be provided!

Depending on the school, the hours would primarily be during the middle of the day and would range from 3 to 4 hours a day. And you would be earning some extra money while your students are in school! We are especially seeking elementary cooks, which does have more hours. So, come join our team by calling 248-823-5089, or email Nicole Gervais at ngervais@troy.k12.mi.us, or come into the office at the Service Center, 4420 Livernois, Troy 48098 for more information. I look forward to hearing from you!

Gayle M. Moran - Food Service Liaison - Troy School District

Opportunities for Parents of Children with Special Needs

Troy School District Special Education Department has established a partnership with Celebrate Hope, LLC (celebratehopellc.com) to provide an enrichment series open to parents of children with an active IEP or 504 diagnosis. The upcoming events include:

• Celebrate Hope facilitated Parent Support Gatherings (Feb. 26th 6:30-8pm) to discuss topics relevant to caring for a child with special and unique needs. This event will be held at TSD Services Building, 4420 Livernois.
• Celebrate Hope facilitated Parent Social (Mar. 18th 6:30-8pm) providing an opportunity for you to make time for yourself as well as connect with others who are caring for children with special and unique needs in a relaxed atmosphere. This event will be held at Joe Kools, 1835 E. Big Beaver Rd.

Shari Pawlus - Principal - Hill Elementary