Jaguar Journal 9-23-24

Updates from Ms. Martin

Dear Silver Hill Community,

Happy Autumn! I hope you all are having a nice weekend despite the rain. Let’s hope we get some dry weather to head outside for recess this week!

Speaking of the seasons, we are entering cold and flu season! Many families ask us what they can contribute to their children’s classes and/or the school. Here are some suggestions:

Tissues
Disinfectant wipes
And from the nurse, boys’ underwear (new) sizes 5-12

Thank you!

***Wednesday, September 25 – Early Release – Dismissal is 11:35 am***

Cookie Dough Fundraiser – starts this week! See more information below in the PTO section.

Morning Car Drop Off – Please do NOT get out of your car to help your child out. This slows down the line; the staff will help your children out of the car and with their backpacks, etc.

Also, please do NOT park in the parking lot and have your child walk to the front door. There are several buses and vans running at that time and it is not safe for them to be crossing. Please drop off your child at the back of the school.

Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions. Be well and take good care of one another.

Sincerely,

Donna Martin, Principal

Additional Information

Cross Country (4th grade only) begins this Tuesday, September 17th at 8:00 a.m.

Discovery Club – Student applications are now open on the Discovery Club page on the Haverhill Public Schools website. Discovery Club is expected to begin on October 7th.

SEPAC Meeting – Their first meeting is a joint venture with the Special Education Department! They will be having a meet and greet of departments and overall review of procedures etc, but also an introduction to the new IEP form.

The meeting is Monday, September 23rd at 6:00 pm at Haverhill High School, and RSVP is required (and closes at 4pm the day of the event – 9/23).

Their goal for the 2024-2025 is to raise awareness on special education issues/topics, and spread/share whatever useful information they can to the Special Education community in the City of Haverhill. All are welcome!

Silver Hill School Site Council

The Silver Hill School Site Council is a representative, school building-based committee established by the school pursuant to Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 71, Section 59C. Teachers, parents/caregivers, and community members can become more committed to improving the school and more supportive of the public school system when they enjoy the opportunity to serve or be represented on a school council that has a role in shaping the goals and programs of the school.

School councils enhance site-based decision making because they expand the participation of the school community in its schools’ decision making. The involvement of different groups on the council — teachers, parents, and non parent community members — provides the school with different and mutually complementary perspectives on its improvement goals and plans.

In addition, by involving people who work in and support the school in the development of the school’s improvement plan, the likelihood will increase that the plan will be successfully implemented.

Site Council meetings will typically be held monthly on the second Tuesday of the month. Due to the PTO Corn Maze event, however, the first meeting will be Tuesday, October 22nd. All meetings will be at 6:30 pm and they will be held virtually.

Get Involved! – Please send me an email at donna.martin@haverhill-ps.org if you are interested in serving on the Silver Hill Site Council or if you have any questions. We welcome all parents! If you would like to join but need translation, please let me know and I’ll arrange it!

Picture Day

Friday, September 27th is Picture Day! – Forms came home with your students this week.

Families can preorder by having their child bring in the flyer on picture day with order information filled out and payment (cash/check) enclosed.

Please note that the school’s unique order code that is on this notice and also on the paper flyers, is for preorders only. This code expires at midnight on picture day. Families that missed preordering will have another ordering opportunity when they receive their child’s proof photo (approx. 4-5 weeks after picture day).

Silver Hill Facebook Page

Please stay additionally connected with Silver Hill by joining our Facebook page at this link: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086197211945

Get Involved – Silver Hill PTO!

Silver Hill families! It is the kick-off for our annual cookie dough fundraiser!

We are working with Rebecca’s Nut-Free Cookies to help raise funds that go straight to activities at school for the kids. These cookies come all ready to be baked and last up to a year in the freezer! Think of those chilly fall or winter or lately rainy nights where turning on the oven and smelling cookies baking is one of the best things ever!

What’s even better is that they are all nut free and have a gluten free option!

Paper order forms should have come home or will so in the next couple days. You can use the paper forms or use the link to have your family and friends order: (https://shop.rebeccasnutfree.com/silverhillpto/fall2024?a=17#cart)

Please join us on Facebook to ask any questions you may have through this or email us at: SilverhillPTO@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/groups/345946078876391

Meetings will be the 1st Monday of the month; starting in October virtually via Zoom.

We look forward to seeing you on Monday, October 7th!

Important Upcoming Dates

Wednesday, September 25 – Early Release – Dismissal is 11:35 am

Friday, September 27 – Picture Day

Monday, October 7 – PTO Meeting – 6:00 pm

Tuesday, October 15 – Term 1 progress reports issued

Tuesday, October 15 – PTO Corn Maze event (more information to come)

Wednesday, October 16 – Grade 4 Cross Country meet 3:30 pm

Thursday, October 17 – Parent/Teacher conferences

Friday, October 18 – K Fire Safety field trip – 12:45 pm

Thursday, October 24: Trunk or Treat 5:00-6:30 pm (more information to come)

Wednesday, October 23 – Early Release Day – Dismissal at 11:35 am

Wednesday, October 30 – Fright Night at Consentino 5:00-7:00 pm

Tuesday, November 5 – No school for students – PD day for staff

Monday, November 11 – Veteran’s Day – No School

Wednesday, November 13 – Haverhill YMCA Educator of the Year event

Thursday, November 14: Wit and Wisdom Night 5:30-7:00 pm (more information to come)

Device Waiver Fee for Chromebooks

As part of the District’s 1:1 initiative, every Haverhill Public Schools student receives a HPS-issued Chromebook. HPS offers the opportunity to protect school-issued devices for the school year by paying a Device Waiver Fee. As outlined in the HPS Student Technology Device Policy, this $20 fee will help to cover the costs of potential damage, repair, or loss for the school year for the assigned device. Please note: issues of theft should still be reported to the police.

The Device Waiver Fee is available for purchase throughout the school year.

For addtional information, please click this link: https://www.haverhill-ps.org/technology/device-waiver-fee/

September is National Attendance Awareness Month!

We will be having our annual Attendance Awareness Breakfast at Silver Hill again this year! This will take place in early October.

For those who are new to this event, each September, the homeroom with the best attendance for the month has a breakfast with a “Special Guest” (School Committee member, Superintendent, Mayor, etc.) along with their famiies. These breakfasts occur at every school in the district, and they want to honor and thank families for making school attendance a priority in their homes.

School attendance is crucial for several reasons: academic success, skill development, social interaction, routine and structure, emotional well-being, and future opportunities. We encourage you to ensure your child attends school every day unless they are sick. Regular attendance is fundamental for maximizing educational outcomes and supporting personal growth and development. If you need any support helping to get your child(ren) to school, please reach out to us; we are here to help!

Contact info

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us. You can reach out via the following links:

Silver Hill Main Office – (978) 374-3448
Donna Martin, Principal – donna.martin@haverhill-ps.org
Maureen Gray, Assistant Principal – mgray@haverhill-ps.org
Kelli Fetty, Nurse – kfetty@haverhill-ps.org
Elizabeth Billings, Special Education Team Facilitator – elizabeth.billings@haverhill-ps.org
To report an absence – silverhillabsences@haverhill-ps.org

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Jaguar Journal 9-23-24