Hello HDES Families,

I hope this letter finds you well and you are enjoying the frigid 2021 Maine winter! As the outside temperature drops, please be sure to send your child(ren) to school with snow pants, jackets, boots, hats and mittens/gloves. Also, students should bring sneakers or other shoes to wear inside and extra socks are always a good idea to send in as well. Please let our guidance counselor, Ms. Wilcox, know if your child doesn't have these items. The top of this hill gets very chilly in the winter and we want to keep our students warm and safe during recess and outdoor education classes.

In the event we have inclement weather and the roads are not safe to travel, then Superintendent Arnold will announce one of three things:

* A snow day which will not be made up

*A snow day which will be made up in June (typical of snow days in the past)

*A remote learning day (not made up). If remote, she will indicate if students should participate in live teacher instruction via Google meets or work on the snow day packets that have already been sent home. The snow packets would be used in the event of widespread power outages.

Our PTO is hosting this fantastic event from Feb 8-19 for students in grades PreK through fifth. As most things this year, the Read-a-thon will look a little different. It will be completely online and students will have an individual online read-a-thon page. It's really simple and user-friendly. Through the students’ read-a-thon pages parents will be able to share the website with family and friends and ask for donations to support our school and students. The students will be awarded for sending out emails and achieving reading and donation goals. Prizes include picking from the prize bin, tech time, PJ day, and even lunch with the principal! The class that reads and earns the most wins bragging rights and a book. The top reader and top earner will each win a $100 lego set!

Here is the link to our school Read-a-Thon page: https://www.read-a-thon.com/school/Hall-Dale-Elementary-School_39210?fbclid=IwAR2PIDkCLxyrT2ZCFh4EOn4vQgk-Pt8etUkMuwuo91CFM8ygMnkzgCErcog

To date we have already raised over 6,000!

February 15-19~ No School! Winter Vacation

February 22~ PTO Meeting 6:00pm (via Zoom)

March 9~ Special Election Day- HDES 4th and 5th grade students will be remote on this day. PreK-3 students will not have a schedule change. More information will be sent out soon.

March 18~ Parent/Teacher Conferences (via Google Meets)

March 19~ No School

This month, our schoolwide theme is problem solving. In our morning announcements and virtual school assembly we’ll be reminding students to use the Second Step Problem-Solving Steps:

• S: Say the problem
• T: Think of solutions
• E: Explore consequences
• P: Pick the best solution

As you can see, the first letter of each step spells the word ”step.” Remembering “step” helps students solve problems with each other in safe and respectful ways.

Second Step lessons specifically teach students to use each step and reinforce the message that solutions need to be safe and respectful. Your child will participate in Seesaw activities through Guidance about the steps that describe why solving problems are important and including fun activities to do with your child to help him or her learn and practice the steps. We hope the steps will be helpful for you and your child when there are problems at home.

Please tell your child’s teacher if you would like more suggestions about how to use the Problem-Solving Steps at home.

*School begins at 8:00am. Students should not be dropped off prior to 8:00am, as there is no student supervision prior to the start of the school day.

*Students aren't considered tardy until 8:20. Parents are encouraged to drop anytime from 8:05-8:15 (instead of right at 8:00). This will help with the traffic congestion in the mornings. Thank you for your help with this!

*Please continue to use the RSU#2 Daily Health Screener every morning before sending your child to school. We have been very lucky so far with limited contact tracing. This is due to your diligence in keeping sick children out of school.

*If you are notified that your child is a CLOSE CONTACT or has a POSITIVE COVID TEST, please keep him/her home and call or email Nurse Beale here at HDES. Her email is sbeale@kidsrsu.org

Email: kputnam@kidsrsu.org
Website: kidsrsu.org/o/hdes
Location: 26 Garden Lane, Hallowell, ME, USA
Phone: (207)623-8677
Twitter: @HDESrsu2