From the Principal . . . Mr. Vanderloop
It is with great sadness that I write the last newsletter of the school year. It is hard to believe, but we are in the final stages of the 2012-2013. The end of the (school) year is fast approaching, which signifies a time for closure, saying to goodbye, and preparing is for what the future holds. This may mean an exciting family trip, a summer move, or just getting ready for playing outdoors and welcoming the sun! Whatever it may be, we wish each family the best as they move forward. In fact, the entire Hillcrest staff wants to say “thank you” for the efforts of all the parents who have helped create a positive and productive atmosphere in the home and school settings. We acknowledge it is critical to have parental support within our school to create the best experience for your child.
Before school is out, we do need your support with one more thing. We are planning the end of the year PBIS celebration on June 10th and we know we cannot do it without your help. We will be asking for help in the coming weeks. Please look at that date, and pencil in Hillcrest as a part of your day! More information will be coming.
May is Literacy Month at Hillcrest! We are doing a number of things to promote literacy with our students before summer begins. Our entire school is teaming up with Scholastic for our Hillcrest Summer Reading Challenge. More information is shared in this newsletter. It starts May 6th. Also on May 6th, we are collaborating with Parents4Learning to hold a book drive. This book drive will then turn into a P4L Summer Mobile Library. One event you won’t want to miss is our May 14th Hillcrest Family PBIS/Literacy Night. We will be teaching parents about PBIS, completing a home matrix, and sharing more information about our literacy focus. We will be concluding Literacy Month with a dress like your favorite book character. This month is specifically focused to help students realize the power and excitement about summer reading. We hope to have a large number of participants.
The end of the school year is very exciting for our students, and our staff. There are so many positive things happening for everyone here! Our fifth grade is getting ready for the middle school, but also enjoying the last few weeks here (a number of fun field trips can’t hurt). Our fourth grade has some exciting field trips coming up and is planning for their increased responsibilities for next year (safety patrol, RCU, etc.). Third grade classes can’t wait for the end of the year party. Second grade students will be seeing a play in Eau Claire. First grade and kindergarten have some field trips planned and some end of the year singing presentations! Please look inside this newsletter for the dates of these special events!
With all of these worthwhile things happening, I want parents to know the focus on schoolwork becomes even more important. Students love warmer weather and playing outside, but please remind them that we have five more weeks of school and we need their positive participation until the end. This first week in May brings along the final AIMS Web assessment for the year. We are excited to see the progress made with each child. We need to remember that individuals who focus on the positives and say “goodbye” to the negatives are the people who are the happiest and most productive in school and in life endeavors.
As we transition into summer, I encourage setting some goals with your child to continue building on the gains they made throughout the school year. Focus on reading! Shoot for 100% of the goals, but don’t dwell too much on the negative if you don’t achieve each and every goal. We believe the educational opportunities provided to all students, along with the guidance and support of their parents, produce successful students who will not say only “goodbye,” but “hello” to a bright and successful future! I look forward to seeing you in the weeks to come!
Yours in Education,
Robert J. Vanderloop
Hillcrest Elementary School-Principal
