Dear Silver Hill Community,
I hope you all are having a nice Veterans’ Day weekend. A heartfelt thank you to all Veterans – your service is appreciated for sure.
CONGRATULATIONS to our Amazing Grade 4 teacher Ms. Melissa Burns! She will be recognized this week at the YMCA’s Educators of the Year event!! (see more information below)
Literacy and Math BINGO!!! – Last week, an at home literacy and math BINGO board was sent home. Students are encouraged to complete different activities on the bingo board and mark off the square once they have completed an activity. The goal is to get as many BINGOs in the month of November as they can. At the end of the month, we will collect boards from those who got BINGOs and students will be entered to win a prize! The more BINGOs they complete the more entries they will receive! A copy of the BINGO board is below.
Holiday Help 2023:
We understand that the holiday season can be especially challenging and stressful and we would like to help our families as much as we can. The Silver Hill community will once again put on a gift drive to assist families that need a little extra help at this time. If you would like to sign up for assistance, please complete the below google form by November 15, 2023. Please only fill out this form if you are truly in need and are not already receiving help from another organization (DCF, Ozzie’s Kids, etc.) in order to allow us to help as many families as possible. If you have any questions or concerns or need the form in a different language, please reach out to Miranda Blanchette or Amanda Columbus.
English – https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfatCwNH7VZStxcwCrhESW9QIcIq22sPga3XKA5Fh_29Pox3w/viewform
Spanish – https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe5-MzR199lW_jCipDrONN13IY5aQAZ3qx_xe9HV1vSCPH3Tg/viewform
Wellness Caregiver Series – Please see the attached flyers. The virtual training on mental health literacy is scheduled for November 15, 2023 from 7-8:30 pm. The registration link is below as well.
Wellness Caregiver Series November-English
Wellness Caregiver Series November- Spanish
Wellness Caregiver Series November- Portuguese
REGISTRATION LINK: https://tinyurl.com/y7333wm6
School Device Insurance – Haverhill Public Schools has chosen School Device Coverage (SDC) to insure the devices that will be given to your student as part of this year’s 1:1 device program. For only $20 per student, this insurance program will protect you and your student(s) in the event that your device is lost, stolen, or damaged accidentally over the course of the school year. This will only be available until December 1, 2023 for current students. Students new to the District will receive a special code at registration. For more information, click this link: https://www.haverhill-ps.org/technology/device-insurance/
Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions.
Sincerely,
Donna Martin, Principal
UPCOMING EVENTS/INFORMATION/REMINDERS
Lost and Found – Our Lost and Found is already growing rapidly! Please be sure to LABEL EVERYTHING – water bottles, lunch boxes, backpacks, jackets, hats, etc. That way if they are misplaced, we can return them right back to your children. Thank you for your help with this!
Attendance – If your child is tardy, please walk them into the office to be signed in. If your child is going to be absent, please call the school at 978-374-3448 or email us at silverhillabsences@haverhill-ps.org.
Thank you!
Haverhill Promise Movie and Panel Discussion
Here is the link to the event and tickets.
Haverhill Promise, the city’s grade level reading campaign, is excited to present the film The Right to Read on November 13th at 6:00PM at HC Media at Harbor Place. This eye-opening 2023 documentary by Jenny Mackenzie and executive produced by “Reading Rainbow” host LeVar Burton addresses the literacy crisis across the nation. Come learn more through this passionate film and enjoy free snacks and refreshments.
Nationally, and in Haverhill, we are seeing students continue to struggle with reading. Research reveals alarming statistics: a significant percentage of children in our community struggle with basic reading proficiency, while an even larger percentage fall below grade level. These challenges disproportionately affect children from low-income families, further exacerbating the problem.
The Right to Read depicts the compelling story of an activist, a teacher, and two American families who are tirelessly fighting to ensure our youngest generation receives the essential foundation for lifelong success: the ability to read. It unravels the dire consequences children face when they lack this crucial skill, including increased risks of incarceration, homelessness, and unemployment.
Following the screening of The Right to Read, we have a dynamic panel discussion to explore how we can tackle and are addressing this issue in Haverhill. Panelists include:
- Andy Vargas, Massachusetts State Representative
- Dr. Margaret Marotta, Superintendent of Haverhill Public Schools
- Tracy Fuller, Executive Director of the Haverhill YMCA
There is no charge for this event but we encourage you to get tickets prior to the event, though walk-ins will be allowed space permitting.
ATTENDANCE MATTERS!
***In order to continue to promote the importance of students attending school daily and on time, we will be having weekly prizes starting November 1st until the end of the year! Please be sure your children are in school, and let us know if you need any help getting them here! We are more than willing to work with you and help!***
For Elementary/PreK/K School Parents:
Showing up matters for R.E.A.L because it is an opportunity to:
- Build Routines
- Increase Engagement
- Provide Access to resources
- Support Learning
Routines: Daily attendance routines can reduce stress, increase your child’s self-confidence, and lay a foundation for good attendance in later grades.
Engagement: Participation in school helps your child connect with other children and adults and get excited about learning.
Access to Resources: Schools can give you access to meals, physical and mental health care and other supports, and fun enrichment activities (sports, clubs, music, afterschool, and summer programs, etc.).
Learning: Children learn best from hand-on activities and through meaningful interactions with their teacher and other students.
A reminder that it is very important for your child to be on time to school each day! Please reach out to your child’s teacher or school adjustment counselor if you need any support with getting your child to school.
PTO CORNER
Thank you to all who attended the PTO meeting on Monday, November 6th. The next meeting will be Monday, December 4th. All are welcome!! We would love to have many new members, even if you can only be involved a little bit! **I will work to be sure there is a Family Liaison in attendance to help with Spanish translation!**
NOVEMBER LUNCH MENU
IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES
Tuesday, November 14 – School Site Council meeting 6:30-7:30 pm (virtual)
Google Meet: meet.google.com/dmm-zdbi-pew
Wednesday, November 15 – YMCA’s Educators of the Year Event! 5:00 pm (see info below)
Friday, November 17 – ROARS Assemblies – parents will be notified if your child is receiving an award – K-2 will be 9:30-10:00 am and 3-4 will be 10:10-10:40 am
Wednesday, November 22 – Early Release Day – 11:35 am dismissal – Thanksgiving Break
Thursday, November 23 and Friday, November 24 – NO SCHOOL – Thanksgiving Break
Wednesday, November 29 – Early Release Day – 11:35 am dismissal
Monday, December 4 – PTO Meeting – 6:00 pm in the library
Tuesday, December 12 – School Site Council meeting 6:30-7:30 pm (virtual)
Google Meet: meet.google.com/dmm-zdbi-pew
Wednesday, December 13 – Early Release Day – 11:35 am dismissal
SILVER HILL NOVEMBER CALENDAR
- Please do not begin to line up for Car Drop Off before 8:30 am due to the new Consentino Traffic Patterns.
- Students may be dropped off beginning at 8:45am. Unless they attend the YMCA program before school, students should NOT be dropped off before 8:45 am as there is no supervision at that time. Thank you for your cooperation with this.
- 8:45 am – Students enter the building and proceed to their classrooms. Breakfast is available (free of charge) for all students.
- 9:00 am – Instruction begins
- Students arriving after 9:00 am will be considered tardy and MUST be signed in at the office by a Parent/Caregiver.
Morning Drop Off
- For safety reasons, we are asking parents to pull to the right side of the road once entering the parking lot. Cars will drive around to the back of the school and will be met with school staff to escort students into the building. Please be mindful of staff that are helping to direct traffic – their priority is student safety!
- Reminder – ONLY buses pull through the bus loop – no exceptions. Please remember that buses have the right of way.
- Drop off is a moving line, please no parking.
After School Car Pick Up
- You will NOT be able to line up for Car Pick Up before 3:00 pm due to the new Consentino Traffic Patterns.
- Pick up students and walkers get dismissed starting at 3:15 pm. Walkers are dismissed from the front of the school. Kindergarten will be dismissed first and then all other grades. Please make sure to check in with one of the teachers that is supervising so they know when a student is picked up.
- Our parking lot is a busy place and your child’s safety is our top priority. Please be patient and do not block the buses or other vehicles. Please DO NOT park in the Staff Parking Lot to pick up your children.
- Follow the same procedures as the morning routine – pull to the right once you enter the parking lot. Form two lanes – Cars picking up grades K-2 (along with older siblings) should be in the inner lane and cars picking up grades 3-4 only should be in the outer lane. Drive around to the back of the school and staff will be available to support students getting to their cars.
- Each student will be assigned a number that will be attached to their backpack – and the Parent/Caregiver will get a matching number for the car. A staff member will call into the gym where students will be waiting to be picked up.
***We would like to know how your child is getting home/to aftercare each day so we can help with the process and keep everyone safe. Please be sure to let your children’s teachers know how they are getting home.
Consentino Traffic Patterns Update – To see how the pending construction is affecting Consentino traffic patterns as well as Silver Hill traffic patterns, and to view the recording of the meeting from Tuesday, August 15th, please click here: https://consentino.haverhill-ps.org/2023/08/18/updated-traffic-pattern-arrival-dismissal-procedures/
COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS
