FROM THE DESK OF: MS. FLANAGAN HI-LIGHTS

FROM THE PRINCIPAL… Ms. Mary Flanagan

December 2009/January 2010

The results of the October 2009 third grade Ohio Reading Achievement Test have been received and 75% of our students scored a proficient rating. Teachers will continue to prepare students for the April 2010 test and parents are asked to continue their support at home. Our goal is 100% passage in the spring and we will work hard to meet that goal.

During the month of October, our school practiced a lockdown drill. The lockdown drill was conducted with a Westlake police officer observing our procedures. PreK- 4 students practice lockdown drills just as we practice safety drills for fire and tornado. According to our police officer, we received a good evaluation for carefully carrying out all procedures. Safety and security is a priority at all of the Westlake Schools. Did you know that at Hilliard every classroom is equipped with a telephone and an intercom P.A. system? We have several 2-way radios for internal and external communication and several back-up bullhorns if needed. The Westlake City Schools have had a District Safety Plan in place since 2000 and it is updated every fall. There are a great number of surveillance cameras operating daily in our building. As every parent and visitor to our building knows, there is a buzzer system to monitor access to our building and a required sign-in sheet in the main office. There is a District Safety Committee (Mrs. Cooley is Hilliard’s representative) and every effort is made to maintain a safe school environment. Remember, safety is everyone’s concern and vigilance is an ever-present part of effective safety and security plans.

Thank you to all of our parents who attended their child’s Parent Conference as scheduled. Conferences are a valuable opportunity to share information between parent and teachers for the express purpose of increasing student learning. Parent/Teacher conferences are one of the keys to continued success in school.

As we move through our 2009-10 school year here are a few other suggestions to help your child be successful.

1. Read to your child every day and have them read to you. Help with difficult words and check for understanding as you read.

2. Have your child retell stories that they’ve read. The retelling should be accurate and include details.

3. Practice sight words and math facts daily. A quick 10 or 15 minute daily review is excellent.

4. Connect math concepts and problems to real life situations.

5. Stress the importance of quality work – whether it is homework or daily school work.

6. Provide a consistent homework time and place. Set the expectation that homework is important practice and necessary for learning.

7. Teach your child to resolve conflicts peacefully. Use words to express feelings and talk through problems. Ask them about Hilliard’s DeBug strategy and know that the last step is “get adult help”. As adults, we must help them to a peaceful and thoughtful solution.

8. Teach your child good nutrition – eat healthy, get enough sleep and exercise often.

Our next Hi-Lights is not published until the end of January 2010. I hope you and your families have wonderful holidays. From the entire Hilliard staff – we thank you for your continued support and wish all of you the very best in 2010.