Tiger Tales for Parents

Good luck to the NFL playoff teams this weekend!

January is flying by and we have a busy schedule this week---

Monday-We're celebrating 100 days of school! Dress like you're 100.

Tuesday-Montessori Open House at 6pm-Students and parents are invited to attend

Wednesday-Montessori Parent tour at 9am (for all interested parents)

Thursday-K-2 Tiger Buck Events; Grades 3-5 parents are invited--GA Milestones Parent Meeting (find out your child's current projection on the 2024 spring Milestones)

Friday-Young Author's submission due to Mrs. Madsen!

This week, teachers are looking at data and planning for second semester. If you ever have questions about your child's progress, you can set a parent/teacher conference after school. Can't make it? Ask for a zoom/TEAMS conference.

Additional school announcements are below.

Stay warm and safe!

Proud to Serve,

Mia Bradshaw, Principal

#AimingHigh

#WeRunAsOne

Twitter

There is a gingerbread house in the media center and is ready for kids! Ms. Madsen has given "Read in the Gingerbread House for 15 minutes" coupons to each homeroom teacher. The passes are to reward students!

So much fun! 😃

On Thursday, the school is hosting a Grades 3-5 GA Milestones parent meeting at 6:00pm. Students will be taking the GA Milestones in April. We are hosting an afterschool tutorial program through March on Tuesdays and Thursdays; 3-5pm

Hoodies, Sweatshirts, Fleece Vests, Sweatpants, and More!

Our Spirit Wear Shop is now taking orders! This chilly weather is perfect for our collection of cozy hoodies, sweatshirts, vests, and more! Visit https://hhspiritwear.itemorder.com/shop/home/ to make your online purchase!

To pay with cash, please email ptahhes@gmail.com for further instructions.

All orders due by January 31.
Thank you for your support!
- HHES PTA

Just a reminder that the Huntley Hills Young Georgia Author's Writing Contest is going on right now! This can be done at home! We would like to have as many students as possible to participate so you are encouraged to have your child submit their writing.

All entries are due to our media specialist, Mrs. Madsen by Friday, January 26. There will be one winner from each grade level and those students will receive a 🏅

Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s),

ACCESS/Alternate ACCESS for ELs is administered, annually, to all English learners in Georgia. ACCESS/Alternate ACCESS for ELs is a standards-based, criterion referenced English language proficiency test designed to measure English learners’ social and academic proficiency in English. It assesses social and instructional English, as well as the language associated with language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies within the school context across the four language domains.

ACCESS/Alternate ACCESS for ELs meets the federal requirements that mandate states to evaluate EL students in grades K through 12 on their progress in learning to speak English. Additionally, the ACCESS/Alternate ACCESS for ELs is used to determine the English language proficiency levels and progress of ELs in the domains of speaking, listening, reading, and writing. ACCESS/Alternate ACCESS for ELs serves five main purposes. These are:

• determining the English language proficiency level of students,

• providing districts with information that will help them evaluate the effectiveness of their ESOL programs,

• providing information that enhances instruction and learning in programs for English language learners,

• assessing annual English language proficiency gains using a standards-based assessment instrument, and

• providing data for meeting federal and state requirements with respect to student assessment.

Our school will administer the ACCESS/Alternate ACCESS as indicated below during the testing window of:

January 10, 2024-February 26, 2024

Every EL student enrolled in our school is expected to take the ACCESS/Alternate ACCESS.

Spanish

Estimados padres de familia(s)/tutore(s), El examen ACCESS/Alternate ACCESS for ELs es administrado anualmente a todos los aprendices del inglés en Georgia. ACCESS/Alternate ACCESS for ELs es una prueba del dominio del idioma inglés basada en criterios y estándares diseñados para medir el dominio del inglés social y académico de los aprendices del inglés. Evalúa el inglés social y educativo, al igual que el lenguaje asociado con las clases de matemáticas, lenguaje, ciencias y estudios sociales dentro del contexto escolar en los cuatro dominios del idioma.

El ACCESS/Alternate ACCESS for ELs cumple con los requisitos federales que ordena a los estados a evaluar a los alumnos aprendices del inglés en K hasta 12o grado en su progreso de aprendizaje del inglés. Además, el ACCESS/Alternate ACCESS for ELs es utilizado para determinar los niveles de competencia del idioma inglés y el progreso de los ELs en las áreas de expresión oral, comprensión auditiva, lectura y escritura. El ACCESS/Alternate ACCESS for ELs sirve cinco propósitos principales. Estos son:

• Determinar los niveles de competencia del idioma inglés de los alumnos,

• Proporcionar a los distritos con información que les ayudará a evaluar la efectividad de sus programas de ESOL,

• Proporcionar información que mejora la enseñanza y el aprendizaje en los programas para aprendices del idioma inglés,

• Evaluar las ganancias anuales de dominio del idioma inglés utilizando un instrumento de evaluación basado en los estándares, y

• Proporcionar información para cumplir con los requisitos federales y estatales con respecto a la evaluación de los alumnos. Nuestra escuela administrará el examen ACCESS/Alternate ACCESS como se indica a continuación: Todos los alumnos EL (Aprendices del idioma inglés) inscritos en nuestra escuela deben tomar el ACCESS/Alternate ACCESS.

Huntley Hills is a part of the DCSD School Choice for our Montessori program. The Montessori program and its diverse community assist in establishing a strong educational foundation for all students by providing a safe, nurturing learning environment. Montessori programs feature multi-age classrooms where children learn at their own pace through hands-on experience, using materials especially prepared for investigation. This environment enables our students to become life-long learners in a rapidly changing society. The Montessori program stresses the importance of adapting the child’s learning environment to his/her developmental level and of the role of physical activity in absorbing academic concepts and practical skills.

2024-2025 School Choice Open Enrollment

January 5, 2024—February 9, 2024

DCSD School Choice website

Lottery Notification | March 29

1st Round of Seat Expirations | April 15

Late Application Window | April 1—August 23

Last Date for Placement | August 30

Montessori philosophy is based on the work of Maria Montessori who was the first female physician in Italy. Each classroom is a lively and supportive learning environment that meets unique and growing developmental needs of each child. Age-mixed classrooms provide plenty of opportunities for the children to help others and learn from each other. The children learn by initiating and repeating activities followed by individual or group lessons given by teachers.

We offer tours every Wednesday in January. The visit begins with a welcome from Montessori students, followed by a tour of each classroom. The tour ends with a Q & A session with Dr. Bradshaw, principal.

Tours are for the following:

• DCSD K-5 School Choice
  
• Pre-K Bright from the Start Montessori (neighborhood families
• HHES Traditional parents interested in Montessori
  

**Note: Current Montessori families are highly encouraged to attend the Montessori Open House and/or the Silent o Journey through Montessori

Montessori Tour dates starting @9am

January 10

January 17

January 24

January 31

Huntley Hills Elementary and Montessori is hosting an Open House for Montessori education on Tuesday, January 23, 2024 from 6pm-7pm. This is a great opportunity for current and interested parents to learn about Montessori education. Parents are encouraged to come who have children in our Montessori program, parents of traditional students, parents of DCSD School Choice (K-5), upcoming Pre-K, and parents who are new to the neighborhood.

Open House will be a student led, tour of the Montessori program where parents can observe how our children learn and how their learning progresses from Primary through to Upper grades.

Experience the Montessori journey through each level and observe how the Primary experience carries forth into a child’s Elementary years, culminating as self-awareness, independence, and self-reliance. Step into your child’s shoes and explore the entire continuum of the Montessori curriculum offered at HHES!

• This is your chance to enjoy a hands-on experience of the beautiful Montessori materials that develop a deep conceptual understanding in our students.
• You will walk away with a rich understanding of what your child does at school every day.
• Learn more about the “spiral curriculum” that Montessorians talk about.

We will start our morning with a light breakfast and a short introduction, followed by a silent walk through each of the different Montessori levels. A silent journey gives participants an opportunity to observe and absorb all the details in the classroom environment at each level. The discovery portion of our day will include an opportunity for participants to receive a lesson, given by an HHES Montessori guide on the materials laid out at each Montessori level.

Please plan to participate in the entire journey (approx. 2.5-3 hours). It will not be possible to drop in for only a portion of the day. Wear comfortable clothing that allows you to move up and down with ease. We look forward to guiding parents as you explore and begin your own Montessori learning journey!

We have a new staff member to introduce! We are happy to have Mrs. Kristen Stay join our HHES family as a special education paraprofessional. She is a parent and has been substituting for us this year. She is a great addition to the team!

We have another staff member starting this month! Please help us welcome Ms. Breana Smith back to HHES! She is returning as a special education paraprofessional and has experience in this role. She starts 1/17/2024.

Thank you for having your child at school every day. Attendance is a major part of a student's education. We celebrate students each month with perfect attendance. Check out the grade level percentages for October. The goal is over 90% for each grade level.

K-91% (same as September)

1st-93% (down 1% from September)

2nd-95% (same as September)

3rd-92% (down 1% from September)

4th-94% (same as September)

5th-95% (down 2% from September)

Congratulations to 2nd and 5th grade the TOP percentage at 95%!

We appreciate your continued partnership.

Jan. MAP Testing

Jan. 10, 17, 24, 31-Montesori tours

Jan. 19-Principal Advisory Council (PAC) @7:30am-8:30am

Jan. 20-Silent Journey through Montessori 9am-noon

Jan. 22-100 days of school celebration! Dress like an older person

Jan. 23-Montessori Open House @6pm

Jan. 25-GA Milestones Parent Meeting @6pm

Feb. 1-Black History Month kick off!

Feb.6-Clas Pictures

Feb 9-PAC @ 7:30a-8:30a

Feb. 15-Valentines Dance @6pm

Feb. 16 & 19-No School

Mar. 1-Read Across America

Mar. 7-5th Grade Transition night @6pm

Mar. 22-Career Day!

Mar. 25-29-FUN RUN fundraiser

1. Join our PTA by making a donation here
2. Volunteer for a Leadership Role here
3. Sign up for Tiger Talk emails here
4. Explore our *updated* PTA website here

*NEW* Join our private Facebook GROUPS designed to unify and support our families! Choose your group(s) based on the grade your student(s) Find your groups here.

We welcome your support and look forward to serving our school together!

ptahhes@gmail.com

PTA President, Amanda Hall

SciGirls is a club that encourages girls to consider a career in science, technology, engineering and mathematics or STEM. Each month we will learn about a particular scientist and will experiment with materials related to their profession.

This year we will be meeting on Wednesday mornings from 7:00 until 7:45. We will begin in September and the club will go through February. Students will come once a month, during their grade level week. The schedule is as follows:

Jan. 10: K

Jan 17: 1st

Jan. 24: 2nd and 3rd

Jan. 31: 4th and 5th

Feb. 7: K

Feb. 14: 1st

Feb. 21: 2nd and 3rd

Feb. 28: 4th and 5th

I look forward to working with your girls!

Amy Chandler

If you plan to volunteer as a reading buddy, field trip chaperone, help in the media center this school year, you will need to be approved by public safety.

Level III volunteers must be approved by Public Safety AND the local school principal prior to the volunteer participation in activities involving direct, unsupervised interaction with students. Examples of Level III volunteers include chaperones on overnight field trips, chaperones or volunteers for local school events, volunteer tutors, office/media center volunteers, or any other volunteers who will have any unsupervised interaction with students. Level III volunteers shall be fingerprinted by the district and have GBI/FBI criminal background checks on file prior to rendering volunteer services.

Directions for Level 3 Volunteers!

DeKalb County School District’s Volunteer Training By signing on as a volunteer, you become a member of our team of professionals that proudly provides educational services to more than 93,000 students in our DeKalb County School District. This webpage is designed to assist you in registering to be a volunteer with the DeKalb County School District. Please complete the following steps to become a DCSD Volunteer.

1. Complete the Volunteer Application And Release Form (see qr code below, #1)

2. Complete the DCSD Volunteer Code of Conduct (see qr code below, #2)

3. Complete the Mandated Reporter Video & Quiz (see qr code below, #3)

Create an account (no cost)

Choose State: GA

Click Child Abuse and Neglect Course: Mandated Reporter

Click Start Course

Complete Quiz Save or print your certificate.

4. Send a Copy of your certificate to DCSDvolunteer@dekalbschoolsga.org

5. Attend Volunteer Training (either in-person or via Zoom) Weekly Face-to-Face Volunteer Training is available at the IMPACT HUB every Thursday at 1:00 PM. 1701 Mountain Industrial Boulevard Stone Mountain, GA 30083 OR Zoom meeting of your choice https://dekalbschoolsga-org.zoom.us/j/85757845773

Time: August 30, 2023, 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM

September 13, 2023, 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM

September 20, 2023, 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM

September 27, 2023, 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM

October 4, 2023, 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM

October 11, 2023, 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM

October 18, 2023, 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM

October 25, 2023, 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM

6. Background Check -Once you have completed the Volunteer Training (either face-to-face or zoom) you will be emailed a link that will direct you to get your background check (offered Tuesdays & Thursdays at NO COST). You will be given a picture ID badge that is to be worn when you volunteer.

Please contact Demone Gunter via email @ DCSDvolunteer@dekalbschoolsga.org if you have any questions

You may view Board Policy IFCD: School Volunteers by clicking below.

Afterschool Program "Tiger-Time"- Tiger time will have a table in the Cafeteria to register your child for after school care. After care is 2:45-6:00, M-F. The registration fee is $25.00 and $60.00 each week. Tiger time begins the first day of school, August 7th. Please bring cash, money order, or check for registration fee and first week of payment. Ms. Camille Harvey is the After School Director. Her email address is camille_harvey@dekalbschoolsga.org.

To register submit your application to the front office M-F; 7:30am-3:00pm.

MUST HAVES:

School Dojo: The school code is here to receive message from the school (text messages from Dr. Ford)

Weekly Tiger Talk: (https://hhespta.square.site/#ZEQvWw) emails from PTA/school)

School Messenger-See flyer below to opt-in to receive text messages/emails from DCSD (text messages/emails from DCSD)

Optional:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/huntleyhills?lang=en (follow me)

PTA Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/huntleyhillselementary/ (follow PTA)

If your child needs to take prescription medication at school, please complete the form below, notify your child's teacher and Nurse Faiza Khan at faiza_khan@dekalbschoolsga.org.

PTA President -Amanda Hall-ptahhes@gmail.com

Principal Advisory Council Chair-Yane Yoo

School Counselor (504's & SST)-Sonya Nelson sonya_nelson@dekalbschoolsga.org

Registrar (registration & withdrawals)-Brenda-brenda_zendejas@dekalbschoolsga.org

Title I Parent Liaison (Spanish)-Rebeca Arbona rebeca_arbona@dekalbschoolsga.org

Nurse-Faiza Khan faiza_khan@dekalbschoolsga.org

Assistant Principal & Testing Coordinator-Amanda Moss amanda_moss@dekalbschoolsga.org

Principal-Mia Bradshaw mia_ford@dekalbschoolsga.org