Hilltop Headlines Volume 4 Issue 28 Hilltop Elementary School 202 Cameron Rd Rice Lake, WI 54868 715-234-4998 Natalie Springer, Principal ext. 5340 Chris Panasuk, Secretary ext. 5039 Important Dates: January 22nd NO SCHOOL all levels in-service day February 15th Morning with Mom (save the date; more information to come) Inside this issue: RCU School Sense 2 Holiday Activities 2 Benjamin House Thank you Holiday Program Pics 3 PBIS Update 4 Minute to Win It 5 Head Lice Information 3 6 Mrs. Springer s Note: Dear Families: Happy New Year! January 2018 Hopefully you had the opportunity to attend the Holiday Concerts in December. The arts are another avenue for our students to shine and showcase their talents, and the staff members do a wonderful job of working with the students to bring those out. Check your email and the district Facebook page for information about viewing the performances at the HS online. This is a great way to share your child s concert with relatives who could not attend. With January upon us, students will be taking either the STAR Reading and Math assessment or the PALS assessment. Each of these assessments are meant to provide teachers with a snapshot of how each student is doing in each of these areas. We look at the amount of growth our students have made since the fall assessment and adjustments are made to the instruction or interventions the students receive. Free and Reduced Breakfast and Lunch- Each year we ask families to complete the application. The Department of Public Instruction uses the information from our families for more than offering meals to students. The funding our school receives from the Free and Reduced Student count also funds our Title I Reading program. The more families that qualify, the more money we receive to increase the reading services we can provide. Your income information, and whether or not you qualify, is not shared with anyone at our school. The Food Service Director, Callie Hackel, is the only person in the district who has access to that information and she does not share it with anyone. There are two ways to fill out the family form, 1) fill out an application online through Skyward family access or 2) complete the paper application by going to: http://ricelake.k12.wi.us/userfiles/servers/server_783167/file/quicklinks/ Lunch/FreeReducedFormEnglish17-18.pdf If you have questions about Free and Reduced Meals or if you want a paper copy sent to you, please contact Callie at 715-234-2181 Ext 5184. Please feel free to contact me if you ever have questions or concerns regarding your child s education at Hilltop Elementary. Our staff is truly dedicated to ensuring each child receives the instruction he or she needs and deserves. Warm wishes, Natalie Springer springern@ricelake.k12.wi.us 715-234-7341 *5340
January 2018 Happy New Year from your Royal Credit Union School $ense Team! The Super Savers of Hilltop have started out strong practicing the saving habit with Royal Credit Union School $ense. Let s keep up the good work as we kick off 2018! Now is a great time to talk with your child to set a saving goal. Help them think of how rewarding it will feel to look back at the amount saved over the school year. Remember that Royal donates $150 to Hilltop for every 300 deposits made. Think of it as a fund raiser that also helps teach your child to be smart with their money! Your Royal School $ense location is open on Wednesday each week to help your child get excited about saving and helping their school. As a special incentive, we will have a Double-Stamp Day on January 17! Savers will receive two stamps on their Super Saver cards instead of one, helping them earn prizes more quickly! If you have questions or want to know how to start saving at school with Royal School $ense, please contact Jackie Molden at jackie.molden@rcu.org or by calling 715-234-3319 ext 6954. Pajama Day 1st grade During the week prior to winter break Hilltop students enjoyed some holiday fun by having pajama day, holiday parties, Grinch drawing and lots of other activities. Below are a few snapshots from the week. Perfect drawing of the Grinch Thank you to all the Hilltop Families that participated in the donation drive for Benjamin house! Pajama Day Kindergarten Christmas Bingo
Holiday Program Pictures
Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports = P.B.I.S Hilltop Way How are we doing at Hilltop? How Many Office Discipline Referrals in December? -161 That is 96 fewer than last year at this same time! The data shows that most of our behavior issues in November are minor disruptions (34 ODRs). These are behaviors which disrupt learning in the classroom. ODRs for disruptions have decreased by 8 from those in the month of November (42) to those in the month of December. How Many Cards Were Filled for Positive Behavior? Wheel of Solutions This month, Hilltop students learned about our Wheel of Solutions. This problem solving wheel helps students find a peaceful solution to a problem they may encounter during a recess or classroom activity. Please continue to reinforce these strategies at home, when a problem arises. The WARRIOR WAY We will be acknowledging kids ALL year for positive behavior. With a filled Warrior Way card (10 acknowledgements), students can vote for positive consequences for the entire school. This month the students voted to have Freezie Friday. Hilltop also kicked off the New Year in a positive way by having whole school Minute to Win It activities. The children moved from classroom to classroom competing in different events run by Hilltop staff. The children traveled in mixed grade level groups. It was an awesome way to get excited about the Warrior Way! See page 5 of this newsletter for some pictures of the Minute to Win It activities.
Minute to Win It PBIS Activity January 3rd After a morning of PBIS refreshers the whole school participated in Minute to Win It activities. Moving cereal with chopsticks Marshmallow Toss Moving sand through a straw Cup/plate stacking Moving cereal with chopsticks
Head Lice Management in Schools Since 2009, the RLASD has followed the recommendations of the Center for Disease Control, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Association of School Nurses for its management of head lice. The following information is taken from the CDC website regarding management of head lice in the school setting. http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/head/schools.html Current evidence does not support the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of classroom or school-wide screening for head lice to reduce the number of head lice infestations among school children. No-nits policies that require a student to be free of nits before they can return to school are not recommended. Students diagnosed with live head lice should not be sent home early from school; they can go home at the end of the day, be treated, and return to class the next day. Excluding children from school because of head lice is not recommended. Thomas Lundquist, MD, Family Practice Physician at Marshfield Rice Lake Center and Medical Advisor to the Rice Lake Area School District reviewed our head lice management protocol, and is in agreement with our guidelines. When a student is suspected of having head lice (ie scratching head, visible nits in the hair, etc) the student is sent to the office for evaluation. If a head lice infestation is noted, the school nurse contacts the student s family, recommends shampooing with an effective head lice shampoo and reviews household cleaning recommendations with the parent/guardian. The student may remain in school until the end of the day or parents may opt to pick up their child and begin treatment if they so desire. We do not check entire schools or classrooms. The school nurses work with families to provide information and resources so that treatment is complete and appropriate. Children with known head lice will be checked at school once treatment has been done at home. Notes to other parents will only be sent out if the nurses notice a pattern developing in a classroom or grade. Since there isn t a season for head lice, it is recommended that parents check their own children s heads weekly throughout the year. FACTS: Anyone can get head lice. Head lice are small grayishwhite to brown wingless bugs, about the size of small ants (1/8 inch). Head lice can live up to 48 hours off the body. They are contagious as long as they remain alive and until the eggs (nits) in the hair have been destroyed and removed. Head lice lay tiny, oval, whitish eggs that attach to the hair shaft with a gluey substance. They do not fall off the hair shaft with a flick of the finger, as does dandruff. Nits stay attached to the shaft of the hair. They are often seen in the hair at the back of the neck. The eggs of head lice hatch in a week and the head lice are able to reproduce in approximately two weeks. Symptoms of head lice are itching and scratching of the scalp. Head lice cannot hop, jump, or fly but are passed along by close contact with persons who have had lice or with things they are using that have become infested (hats, scarves, brushes, pillows, chairs, car seats, etc.). IF YOU FIND HEAD LICE IN YOUR FAMILY, FOLLOW THESE STEPS: Obtain an effective shampoo at a drugstore. Remove the child s clothing which will be washed. Shampoo the hair according to the directions on the label. Read the label carefully. Some shampoos require application on dry hair. After shampooing and rinsing the hair as recommended, comb well with a fine-tooth comb to get rid of the nits. Special nit combs are available metal combs seem to be most effective. Make sure that you remove all nits as shampoos do not seem to kill the eggs. Leaving one egg behind could result in a re-infestation from your own child s hair. Have your child put on clean clothing after shampooing. Launder all clothing and bedding in very hot water (at least 20 minutes). Dry at high heat for at least 30 minutes. Nonwashable items should be dry cleaned or sealed in a plastic bag for 2 weeks. Other items such as combs and brushes should be boiled or soaked one hour in a mixture of insecticide shampoo and water. The backs of upholstered furniture, car seats, carpets, etc., should be thoroughly vacuumed. A hot iron may be used on the bed mattress or the child s favorite chair. Lice sprays may be used, but do not inhale this insecticide. Examine other family members for head lice. Treat only those infested. Advise your child to never share hats or combs. Check your child weekly throughout the year for head lice. If parents need assistance, please contact your child s school nurse. Paula Kodesh, RN Pre-K and Elementary School nurse 715-234-8065 x 5192 Trisha Neuser, RN Middle and High School nurse 715-234-2181 x 5110