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Hope Valley School Weekly Update
Friday, May 31, 2019
Calendar of Events through June
June 2019
June 4th - Field Day (Rain date is June 5th)
June 6th - Kindergarten Field Trip to Kettle Pond
June 7th - 4th grade chorus concert, moving up ceremony, and sendoff - see information below
June 7th - Chariho High School Graduation at the Ryan Center
June 8th - DStrong 5K Obstacle Run (flyer is above)
June 10th - Poetry Out Loud @ Chariho High School
June 12th - HV Talent Show
June 13th - HV End of Year Cookout
June 14th - LAST DAY OF 2018-2019 SCHOOL YEAR!
Field Day Update
Screen Time/Physical Activity Challenge
Your child has until Monday to hand in the challenge sheet. I will not be taking them after Monday.
PTO Members Leaving HVES
Goodbyes are never easy. In just 2 weeks, I will be saying goodbye to 3 PTO board members who will be moving onto the middle school. Those ladies are Catherine Giusti, Anna Pruitt, and Kim Vuono. These gals have been by my side since day one when I started at Hope Valley School in 2011. I can sit here and tell you story after story about these amazing individuals. I want to thank you each for holding my hand as a rookie principal, telling me things will be ok, giving me guidance, and for supporting the students, teachers, other parents, and me. People come in our lives for a reason and I will always cherish my unique relationship with each of them. They are like those special family members we all know:
- Catherine is like that older sister (even though she is younger than me) who is always about me me me. Just teasing Cath! She is the older sibling that has so much to offer and she does everything with a smile on her face. When Catherine speaks, everyone drops what they are doing to listen what she has to say. I get mesmerized by how articulate she is and love her witty personality. I have the utmost respect for Catherine.
- Anna is that vocal sister-in-law who is embarrassing because she is always talking or should I say screaming but when push comes to shove there is no else I want in my corner. She has the heart of a saint always wanting what is best for the students and school. Anna was at the school every day keeping track of the PTO budget, or setting up the school store, or just volunteering and offering her time. I always considered her that "school mom."
- Kim is that spunky, fun-loving “cool aunt” who comes into the room from rushing somewhere with her kids by her side. Not sure everyone knows this about Kim but she is funny, intrinsic, and always so engaging to talk to. I consider Kim the unsung hero of our PTO who doesn’t get the recognition she deserves because she is constantly capturing all the PTO notes and has never once complained about it. All she cares about is making the kids happy. Who can fault her or anyone for that?
Winnie-the-Pooh said it best, “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” -A.A. Milne (Winnie-the-Pooh). Obviously, it’s goodbye for now but I know these ladies will be in my life for forever and ever. I can call any of them at any time and they would jump at the opportunity to assist. So, from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU for everything you have done for our students, parents, and faculty!!!!! You have all helped make Hope Valley a better place.
RICAS News
As far as testing for next year (2019-2020 school year), we already have testing windows dates. The English Language Arts (ELA) window will be March 30-May 1 and the Math window will be April 27-May 22. With that said, I am already targeting April 7 and 8 for ELA testing and April 28 and 29 (or possibly April 30) for Math. This would be for the current 2nd and 3rd graders since they will be in 3rd and 4th grades next year. These are early planning stages but wanted to at least get the information out.
Library Update
Check out the Hope Valley Library Webpage, under "Highly Capable" http://hopevalleylibrary.weebly.com/highly-capable.html
Here are the YouTube links of 2 Hi-C projects that were presented today. So adorable. Enjoy!
Hippo & Fox: https://youtu.be/Au8bQGPQktUhttps://youtu.be/Au8bQGPQktU
Turtle & Frog: https://youtu.be/z-69p-fLniA
Please follow the Book Finders link and check out the NEW books that Mrs. Ward's Book Readers chose for next year's collection with screencasts on each slide! Each page has a screencastify link that explains the book of choice. It is adorable. Thank you Elyse, Christian, Jacob, Charlotte, Martin, Tucker, Aila, and Gus for helping Mrs. Ward select the new books for the library. Check it out! Below is the library post:
Garden Time!
4th Grade Events
The day of June 7, 2019 will be jam packed with 4thgrade events. We will be having a chorus concert at 9:00 am followed by a moving up ceremony at 9:15 am. All parents of the 4th graders are welcome to attend. Please limit guests up to 3 people per family since the gym will be packed with the students from preschool to third grade. Plus, we must obey the fire marshals request with the number of people in the gym. I appreciate your assistance with this request. Following the ceremony, the 4th graders will get to enjoy the annual 4th grade sendoff. Although, all are invited for the chorus concert and moving up ceremony, ONLY those who have a BCI check and those who signed up to volunteer will be allowed to partake in the outdoor events. Thanks for your cooperation.
Halloween Parade Meeting Outcome
Thank you to everyone who attended the meeting this week and to those who have expressed interest in keeping the parade and trunk or treat moving forward. The decision was based on safety, finance, and longevity. I say longevity because this parade has been happening since the 1960's and I am not going to be known as the principal that single handily got rid of the parade. Therefore, the decision is that Hope Valley School will continue to coordinate the parade and trunk or treat. The back of the school will continue to be the location where the parade ends and trunk or treat begins.
The location will remain the same to keep the area more confined and secure than other alternatives as Langworthy and/or Dow Fields. Since the fire dept is not strictly Hope Valley, others will not be turned away if they live in Wyoming or Richmond. Like we did last year, we will request a strong police presence (from Hopkinton and Richmond) based upon the RSVPs received for the event.
There will not be a fee for families for the 2019-2020 school year. The Fire Association has offered to help offset some of the cost. We will ask for donations from businesses in the form of a cash donation or having a “trunk” (or table or tent) and give out items. We decided to try it out this way for a year to see how it goes. We will send a flyer home and put on social media that we request RSVPs to ensure we have an adequate supply as well as the fact we will have donation buckets at the event for those who would like to contribute with a reminder that in order to continue the event in the future we rely on those donations.
There was also an idea that was brought up to do a few “fundraisers” (not school fundraisers but via the fire department) over the summer (lemonade stand, bake sale etc) with proceeds going to the event which we will inquire about after we see how the parade/trunk or treat event goes next year. Planning for next year's Hope Valley Annual Parade and Trunk or Treat has officially started. If you are interested in helping out with this event please email HopePTO15@gmail.com.
Check out our new school website
District/School Flyers
Grit `N Wit Obstacle Run
Bus Transportation Message from Mr. Ricci
Bus routes are created to serve students who need transportation. To that end, we ask that parents/guardians register for transportation services each year. As of May 1, registration is open (see link below). Regardless of the option you choose, it may be changed at any time in the future. Our transportation system operates most efficiently when we transport those who need transportation, as opposed to those who are eligible, but may not use it.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfvF_vp87I9kbeUzt-jvOIbI3UgN_hNaegjRO1KCN2xO5VBCw/viewform
Class Placement Information
Each spring, there is considerable discussion about placing children for the next school year. The staff and I spend countless hours developing well-balanced classes in which all children have an opportunity to learn and develop their academic and social skills. It is my hope that offering a review of our procedures would reassure you that your child’s placement for next year is in good hands.
There's a clear set of guidelines followed when classes are developed. Heterogeneous groups are formed with the following in mind: even balance of boys and girls, full range of aptitudes, even proportion of abilities and learning styles, an equal number of students per class, individual student needs, physical needs, school behavior, and peer relationships. In some circumstances, we need to do what is best for an entire grade level. Once these factors are considered, the classes are formed. Regardless, there are a ton of conversations that take place to create class lists. At this time, attempts are made to match student and teacher personality and approach. These decisions are based upon observations made by teaching staff during the course of the school year. Current teachers also discuss placements with the previous year’s teachers as well as myself. Specialist teachers and other service providers also give input.
The entire placement process takes several weeks involving some very detailed conversations and in-depth consideration. This process has already started and is completed by the first week of June. We trust that you understand there is a lot of consideration in forming well balanced classes. Due to the difficulty of placing children, parent requests are not accepted and the final decision on class placements resides with the school. Thank you for your trust and continued support.
Mental Health Corner
Here are the Monthly Mental Health Newsletters! This month's topic: Psycho-Social Stressors at school. Please click on the link as it has many helpful live links for parents.
(Parent) May 2019 - Psycho-Social Stressors at school
(Parent) April 2019 - Autism Spectrum Disorder
(Parent) March 2019 - Gender and Sexuality
(Parent) February 2019 - Grieving a Loved One’s Passing
(Parent) January 2019 - Behavioral and Emotional Regulation
(Parent) December 2018 - Depression
(Parent) November 2018 - School Refusal and Avoidance
Copy of (Parent) October 2018 - Anxiety
Child Outreach Screening Info
The PTO Corner
PTO Board Members:
- PTO President: Becky Champlin
- PTO Vice President: Catherine Giusti
- PTO Treasurer: Anna Pruitt
- PTO Secretary: Kim Vuono
PTO meetings are typically the second working Monday each month. If you’re not able to make the meeting but still want to be involved please send an email to our PTO to make sure you receive a copy of the meeting minutes hopepto15@gmail.com
Vocabulary Calendars
About Hope Valley Elementary School
The mission of the Hope Valley Elementary School is to work in partnership with our colleagues, students and families. We are committed to creating a learning environment where children are expected to achieve their full potential.
Email: ggen@chariho.k12.ri.us
Website: hopevalley.chariho.k12.ri.us
Location: 15 Thelma Drive, Hope Valley, RI, United States
Phone: 401-539-2321
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mr.Gencarelli/?ref=br_rs
Twitter: @JoeGencarelli1