Monday, January 25, 2010
Hope for Haiti
If you've been asking yourself - What can I do to help? Here's an answer for the Holmes Student Council. Donate your loose change between now and February 5th. Each class has a collection jar. Donations will be sent directly to Hopital Albert Schweitzer. (hashaita.org) With your help, we can make a difference for those suffering from the unfathomable tradgey in Haiti.
Fun While Learning
Rocket into Reading
Settling in with a good book is one of my favorite pastimes. It seems many of our Holmes students share a passion for reading as well. The PTO Rocket into Reading program encourages independent reading along with a little friendly competition. Each class receives a book of their choice. The winning class in each grade level receives a popsicle party and the class with the most hours read overall receives a pizza party with Ms. Hackmiller. As of January 20th Holmes students have read 3,212.5 hours, thirteen classes have logged more than 100 hours and seven classes have reached the 200 hour mark. Rocket into Reading runs through January 29. Let's aim for 4,500 hours. Grab a book, get comfortable and read. Rocket into Reading culminates with Family Reading Night on January 30th from 6:00-8:00 pm in the school's multi-purpose room.
Geography Bee
Everyone talks about the world getting smaller, so it's even more important than ever to have a firm grasp of world geography.
Sixteen Holmes students participated in the school's National Geographic Bee last week. Peter Gonzalez, a fourth grader in Mr. McCauley's class edged out the competition.
How would you have done?
1. The port of Rotterdam is built on the delta of which major European river?
2. What is the term for a part of the ocean or sea that cuts far into the bordering landmass and may contain one or more bays.
3. Which Canadian island is the tenth largest in the world?
a. Queen Victoria b. Newfoundland c. Nova Scotia d. Eellesmere e. Baffin
4. Name the mountain range that extends from Maine to Georgia.
a. Rocky b. Sierra Nevada c. White d. Appalachian Rocky Balboa
5. Pick the answer that contains three Baltic countries.
a. Sweden, Denmark, Spain b. Greece, Italy, Malta c. Finland, Estonia, Norway
d. Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia e. Portugal, Spain, Andorra
Settling in with a good book is one of my favorite pastimes. It seems many of our Holmes students share a passion for reading as well. The PTO Rocket into Reading program encourages independent reading along with a little friendly competition. Each class receives a book of their choice. The winning class in each grade level receives a popsicle party and the class with the most hours read overall receives a pizza party with Ms. Hackmiller. As of January 20th Holmes students have read 3,212.5 hours, thirteen classes have logged more than 100 hours and seven classes have reached the 200 hour mark. Rocket into Reading runs through January 29. Let's aim for 4,500 hours. Grab a book, get comfortable and read. Rocket into Reading culminates with Family Reading Night on January 30th from 6:00-8:00 pm in the school's multi-purpose room.
Geography Bee
Everyone talks about the world getting smaller, so it's even more important than ever to have a firm grasp of world geography.
Sixteen Holmes students participated in the school's National Geographic Bee last week. Peter Gonzalez, a fourth grader in Mr. McCauley's class edged out the competition.
How would you have done?
1. The port of Rotterdam is built on the delta of which major European river?
2. What is the term for a part of the ocean or sea that cuts far into the bordering landmass and may contain one or more bays.
3. Which Canadian island is the tenth largest in the world?
a. Queen Victoria b. Newfoundland c. Nova Scotia d. Eellesmere e. Baffin
4. Name the mountain range that extends from Maine to Georgia.
a. Rocky b. Sierra Nevada c. White d. Appalachian Rocky Balboa
5. Pick the answer that contains three Baltic countries.
a. Sweden, Denmark, Spain b. Greece, Italy, Malta c. Finland, Estonia, Norway
d. Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia e. Portugal, Spain, Andorra
Math Con
MathCon, a PTO sponsored contest, will take place for ten days in February. Each day students will have fun, grade-appropriate math challenges to complete. the goal is to show how math is used in every day life. Students earn points and raffle tickets for participating. Raffles are help for small prizes throughout the ten days of MathCon. the class from each grade with the most points will win a class prize. Work together with your children to solve these problems. This is meant to be a fun activity - no pressure.
Answers to geography quiz.
1. The Rhine River
2. gulf
3. d. Ellesmere
4. d. Appalachian
5. c. Finland, Estonia, Norway
Friday, January 8, 2010
January 2010
Heavy Snow Forecast for the Chicago Area
Do you remember when you were excited by a news story like that? Thoughts quickly turned to sledding and fort building. You prayed for a snow day.
Well the snow came, just not the snow day. But that didn't dampen the excitement of the Holmes students. Nothing beats a snowy recess. PTO funds were used to purchase snow toys which are proving to be a huge hit with our students.
So next time your hear the forecast for snow, think like a child. It can be truly delightful.
The Holmes policy regarding outside recess is that we will be outside when the windchill temperature is above 0. Between 0-20, there will be a warming center available. Students are encouraged to go outside for at least ten minutes before heading into the warming center. Since we are outside on most days, please make sure your children are appropriately dressed. Children must have hands and head covered to go out for recess. Snow pants are greatly encouraged.
Please do not call the school office to enquire about a school closing. Call District 97 VoiceLink at 708.524.5830. Consult your school handbook for additional information on school closings.
First one down the hill is the winner!
Do you remember when you were excited by a news story like that? Thoughts quickly turned to sledding and fort building. You prayed for a snow day.
Well the snow came, just not the snow day. But that didn't dampen the excitement of the Holmes students. Nothing beats a snowy recess. PTO funds were used to purchase snow toys which are proving to be a huge hit with our students.
So next time your hear the forecast for snow, think like a child. It can be truly delightful.
The Holmes policy regarding outside recess is that we will be outside when the windchill temperature is above 0. Between 0-20, there will be a warming center available. Students are encouraged to go outside for at least ten minutes before heading into the warming center. Since we are outside on most days, please make sure your children are appropriately dressed. Children must have hands and head covered to go out for recess. Snow pants are greatly encouraged.
Please do not call the school office to enquire about a school closing. Call District 97 VoiceLink at 708.524.5830. Consult your school handbook for additional information on school closings.
First one down the hill is the winner!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
September
September 23, 2009
Dear Holmes Families:
The school year is off to an exceptional start. Our enrollment is up, we have hired a new teacher and a new teaching assistant since the year began and we are in the midst of planning some incredible, unique opportunities for you and your children.
This year one area of focus will be about getting you, the parent community, as involved as we possibly can in our efforts to make your child’s experience the best it can be. In order for this to be successful, we need a commitment from each of you to join us.
In collaboration with Response to Intervention (RTI) our School Improvement Team (SIT) and staff made a commitment to globally benchmark all of our students three times per year. This benchmarking information will give us details about our students progress so that we can meet their individual needs most successfully. If it is determined through benchmarking that a student is in need of instructional support either above or below grade level, our support team will work closely with classroom teachers to ensure that appropriate interventions are in place. Students who are below grade level will be progress monitored every 4-6 weeks to evaluate the effectiveness of the instructional changes.
Earlier this month, we successfully benchmarked every Holmes student. In grades K-2, DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) which is a standardized, individually administered test that provides a measure of risk in the areas of letter naming fluency (K-1), initial sound fluency (K), phoneme segmentation (1), nonsense word fluency and/or oral reading fluency (1-2) was given. In grades 3-5, AIMSWEB, a progress monitoring assessment in the area of oral reading fluency, was administered.
In the coming days you will be receiving your child’s benchmarking information. Your child’s teacher will be reviewing this with you and discussing support programs at conferences in October. If you have not signed up for a conference time, please be sure to do so soon. Many of you will also be receiving an invitation to our Family Literacy Night. I encourage you to partner with us as we work to help your children be successful readers. We can’t do it without you.
For those who will be involved in an intervention program, you will be notified of the support service for your child through the assessment information or by the support staff who will be working with your child. Our after school S.T. A. R.S program will be by invitation only and will begin in early October. If your child currently has an Individual Education Plan (IEP), the intervention program will support the need identified in the IEP.
We are fortunate to be a part of the Power of Partnership program, which is a guided study and after school enrichment program in partnership with OPRF High School, Dominican University and Holmes School and is led by Frances Kraft. More information about this program can be obtained by contacting Ms. Kraft at Holmes School.
As you can see, we are off to a busy and focused beginning. I look forward to seeing you in and around the building as we partner together for all of our kids.
If you have any questions about the information in this letter or want information about a specific program, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Stay Well,
Suzie Hackmiller, Principal
Dear Holmes Families:
The school year is off to an exceptional start. Our enrollment is up, we have hired a new teacher and a new teaching assistant since the year began and we are in the midst of planning some incredible, unique opportunities for you and your children.
This year one area of focus will be about getting you, the parent community, as involved as we possibly can in our efforts to make your child’s experience the best it can be. In order for this to be successful, we need a commitment from each of you to join us.
In collaboration with Response to Intervention (RTI) our School Improvement Team (SIT) and staff made a commitment to globally benchmark all of our students three times per year. This benchmarking information will give us details about our students progress so that we can meet their individual needs most successfully. If it is determined through benchmarking that a student is in need of instructional support either above or below grade level, our support team will work closely with classroom teachers to ensure that appropriate interventions are in place. Students who are below grade level will be progress monitored every 4-6 weeks to evaluate the effectiveness of the instructional changes.
Earlier this month, we successfully benchmarked every Holmes student. In grades K-2, DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) which is a standardized, individually administered test that provides a measure of risk in the areas of letter naming fluency (K-1), initial sound fluency (K), phoneme segmentation (1), nonsense word fluency and/or oral reading fluency (1-2) was given. In grades 3-5, AIMSWEB, a progress monitoring assessment in the area of oral reading fluency, was administered.
In the coming days you will be receiving your child’s benchmarking information. Your child’s teacher will be reviewing this with you and discussing support programs at conferences in October. If you have not signed up for a conference time, please be sure to do so soon. Many of you will also be receiving an invitation to our Family Literacy Night. I encourage you to partner with us as we work to help your children be successful readers. We can’t do it without you.
For those who will be involved in an intervention program, you will be notified of the support service for your child through the assessment information or by the support staff who will be working with your child. Our after school S.T. A. R.S program will be by invitation only and will begin in early October. If your child currently has an Individual Education Plan (IEP), the intervention program will support the need identified in the IEP.
We are fortunate to be a part of the Power of Partnership program, which is a guided study and after school enrichment program in partnership with OPRF High School, Dominican University and Holmes School and is led by Frances Kraft. More information about this program can be obtained by contacting Ms. Kraft at Holmes School.
As you can see, we are off to a busy and focused beginning. I look forward to seeing you in and around the building as we partner together for all of our kids.
If you have any questions about the information in this letter or want information about a specific program, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Stay Well,
Suzie Hackmiller, Principal
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Welcome Back
August 4, 2009
Dear Holmes Families,
I hope that each of you is enjoying the remaining days of summer. I have enjoyed seeing many of you around town during the break. Whether you are a new family or a returning family, I am confident that this will be an awe-inspiring year at Holmes.
Our teachers and staff have been busy all summer preparing for the new school year. We are all anxious to see the children, to touch base with parents and guardians, and to carry on with the implementation of some innovative programs that will benefit our entire community.
In early September we will forge ahead with a new partnership between Dominican University, Oak Park River Forest High School and Holmes School. This partnership will involve strategic tutoring, as well as mentoring, by trained OPRFHS seniors and Dominican University graduate students. Look for more information about this exciting new opportunity soon.
As we continue our efforts to be “green” this coming school year we will take the next step with our recycling efforts, continue Waste Free Wednesday lunches and reduce the amount of paper that comes home. Please check our district and school websites as well as my blog (holmeshackmiller.blogspot.com) for most school related information. Remember to pay school fees on line as soon as possible. If you haven’t been by to see the Holmes School garden, it is worthy of a visit. I have already enjoyed a hearty helping of green and wax beans and am looking forward to squash and fresh garlic soon.
With the addition of full day kindergarten we are changing our lunch schedules a bit. Please pay close attention to this information in the “Ready, Set, Go” booklets that were recently mailed home. If you did not receive a “Ready, Set, Go” booklet please call the school office and we will be sure to get one to you.
Lunch times will be the same every day…11:00 a.m.
As many of you are aware, we had an exciting evening with our newest friends last week. About 50 of our kindergarteners and their families joined me, our kindergarten teachers and a few other staff, for popsicles and fun in the park. We all had so much fun that I am confident that “Popsicles in the Park” will be a long standing tradition each summer.
Our Welcome Night is August 20, 6:30-8:30 in the Multipurpose Room. Class lists, bus passes and other important information will be distributed then. Our first day (1/2 day) of school is August 25. Please refer to the “Ready, Set, Go” booklet for more detailed information about the first days of school.
Please join me in welcoming the following new staff members at Holmes:
Courtney Dohman-Kindergarten
Anne Kelly-Kindergarten
Shannon Saliny-Kindergarten
Angela Peterson-5th grade
Deborah Mercer-Primary Developmental Learning Program
Sarah Chilton (Rose) - Special Education
Megan Libke-Speech
Jennifer Jaros-Teaching Assistant
Joy Hudson-Teaching Assistant
Keriaynn Strickler-Media Clerk
Margaret O’Malley, Administrative Assistant
Be sure to check my blog (holmeshackmiller.blogspot.com) for information regarding assignment changes among teaching staff.
Following are upcoming dates to keep in mind:
August 20 Welcome Night
August 25 First ½ day of school
September 10 Curriculum Night
September 12 Harvest Social
September 16 PTO Meeting
I am looking forward to another stellar year!
Stay well,
Suzie Hackmiller
Principal
Friday, July 31, 2009
Summer News
Good morning,
We had a terrific turn out for Popsicles in the Park last evening with our new kindergarten friends. It was so much fun meeting, playing with and enjoying a good Popsicle with friends.
I’m happy to share with you some information about new tutoring/mentoring opportunities for Holmes students beginning this fall. In collaboration with Dominican University and Oak Park River Forest High School we are piloting a program in the 09-10 school year that will have OPRFHS seniors working as tutors and mentors to students at Holmes Elementary School. OPRFHS seniors who participate will receive training in strategic tutoring, child development, and behavior management through Dominican University, and they will work with students at school, after school hours, on a regular basis over the course of a semester.
This opportunity for seniors is intended to provide additional leadership positions for OPRFHS students and valuable instructional assistance for other students. Tutor/mentor candidates will have demonstrated a commitment to their own academic success and will have a strong interest in helping and being a role model to younger students, particularly those who may struggle academically.
More information to come as the school year begins!
Stay well,
Suzie Hackmiller
Thursday, July 2, 2009
2009-2010
Dear Holmes Families,
I hope this finds you and yours well and enjoying the best of summer.
We have been busy interviewing and hiring for the 2009-2010 school year. It is with great pleasure that I introduce new staff to Holmes School and inform you of existing staff changes for the 2009-2010 school year.
As many of you know, we have two "looping"opportunities beginning this year with Ms. Jennings 3rd to 4th grade and Mrs. Merz 1st to 2nd grade. "Looping" is a term used to describe the educational practice in which a single grade class remains with the same teacher for two or more years. We are excited about these unique opportunities and are committed to exploring and offering other ways to enhance the educational experiences for our students.
As always, feel free to contact me with any questions, concerns or to simply say "hi."
Stay well,
Suzie Hackmilller
2009-2010
Kindergarten
Julie Bernstein
Courtney Dohman
Shannon Saliny
Anne Kelly
First Grade
Peggy Callahan
Jessica Colella
Rachel Griffith
Marissa Merz
Second Grade
Debra Holt
Ellen Johnson
Sue Merz
Third Grade
Michelle Anderson
Margaret Ndiaye
Stella Turi
Fourth Grade
Colleen Cushing
Jeff Gehrke
Marianne Jennings
John McCauley
Fifth Grade
Nancy Devito
Melissa Manuel
Angela Peterson
Deborah Mercer, DLP (K-2)
Sarah Chilton, Resource (K-5)
Also joining our staff:
Keriaynn Strickler, Media Clerk
Jennifer Jaros, TA
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