Friday, December 22, 2017

12.22.17

Hello Hoover Rockets,

Thank you so much for all those amazing cookies.  It is such a treat for the staff to be able to take home a couple dozen cookies ready for a holiday meal.  Thanks for thinking of us and taking the time to bake or buy the sweet treats.  We appreciate your act of kindness.



Holiday Concerts
All of the concerts were a huge hit!  Thank you to Ms. Sato and Mr. Turner and our staff for all their hard work to showcase the musical talents of our Hoover Rockets.




Santa Visit

Santa came to Hoover on Tuesday and visited the office and our first graders.  Mrs. Holmes and Mrs. Park shared their list with Santa.

Outdoor Winter Recess


It was warm enough on Tuesday that we were able to go outside for recess and play in the snow.  The students had a great time building snowmen and sliding on piles of snow.  Please remember to send in those warm clothes, snow pants and boots in January.  Once the snow returns, the students must have snow boots on to play in the snow.  Some of the girls have been wearing "fashion boots".  These are not waterproof and they are slippery in the snow.  Please try to send in warm, winter boots.  If students forget their boots they will be playing on the black top only.


Did you know that your children should not be the most important people in your family?  Please click on this link for a great article to learn why and who is the most important:
Your kids should not be the most important John Rosemond
PTA NEWS
YEARBOOK COVER CONTEST
All Hoover Students are invited to enter our yearbook cover design contest. Hoover staff and PTA will vote on the winner. The winning design will appear on the cover of our 2017-2018 yearbook! Entries due Jan 8th, 2017.
Please email Nancy Gregg at nancyjgregg@gmail.com with any questions.
All entries must include:
1. Our theme for this year! What do you think of when you hear “Hoover Rockets - Reaching for the Stars”? Show us in a creative way how you would represent Hoover and this theme and what it means to you.
2. Our school name Hoover Elementary should be incorporated into your design as well as the year 2017-2018.  You do not need to include the words “Reaching for the Stars” but you can if you wish.
Tips for a good design: You can use crayons, colored pencil, markers or pens, but keep in mind the BRIGHTER the better!
How to submit your artwork:
1. Please submit your artwork on an 8 1/2 x 11 white sheet of paper or card stock.
2. Artwork should be done with a VERTICAL orientation - NOT horizontal.
3. Write students name on the BACK of the design in pencil along with grade and teacher name.
4. Do not fold your paper, it must be wrinkle free for submission as well as free from staples or tears.
5. Bring you design back with you when you return from break and give it to your teacher.
**We are excited to see all of your creative ideas! Reach for the stars Rockets!!

Youth Making a Difference
Youth Making a Difference is a program that encourages and recognizes volunteer efforts by K-12 students. Livonia PTSA Council recognizes the efforts of these students at the annual Youth Making a Difference celebration in April. Some students, among other things, visit senior citizens, help collect money for the Livonia Goodfellows, or rake leaves and pick up trash outside their schools or community. This program and celebration is a great way for our children to learn how important it is to give back to our community. The commitment forms are due back Jan 30th. Projects are due 2/28 and the ceremony is 4/24 @ Franklin High School.
Winter Blast
Hoover’s Winter Blast will quickly be approaching after the holiday break. Friday, February 2nd from 6pm-8pm, come and have some indoor fun with your Hoover family at our Winter Blast. Tickets can be purchased in advance to play carnival type games, food, and entries for baskets raffles. Some of the themed baskets to be raffled off are: Disney (complete with park tickets), Michigan State, University of Michigan, Sports, Family Game Night, Movie Night, Lottery Tickets, Money Tree, and Arts & Crafts to name a few.  At the end of the night turn your prize token tickets into our prize room and pick from a variety of fun prizes. Last year full size basketballs were a huge hit from the prize room.
This FUN event will not be able to happen and run efficiently without our AMAZING Hoover community coming together to make this night a success for our Rockets. There will be many opportunities to help from donations, set-up, helping throughout the event, to clean-up. If you have children in 7th grade or higher who need service hours or just want to make a difference in their community, we would love to have them help with running the games. Also volunteers must be 18 or older to work in the kitchen. Please stay tuned for more information as well as a signup genius to come out for volunteers and donations.  
Thank you so much to our AMAZING HOOVER COMMUNITY for making the first half of our school year such a success. We are truly grateful and appreciate your continued support. From donating items to our PTA events, volunteering your time during Hoot-n-Howl and Holiday Shop, donating coats to our coat drive, generously giving money to the Hoover Helping Hearts Fund, signing your students up for Nuts About Science, and being a parent helper in the science class, volunteering at our Welcome Table and in the lunchroom as a PAL, to helping in the library. These are just a few of the many things YOU do as a community to help make Hoover such a fantastic school for our ROCKETS. We want these precious years at Hoover to be a memorable experience for all. We hope you all have a wonderful and RELAXING holiday break with family and friends. We will see you all in 2018.

Happy Holidays from your Hoover PTA

Dec. 25-Jan 5        Winter Break
Jan. 8                    School Resumes
Jan. 9                    PTA Meeting 1:00 p.m.
Jan. 11                  Nuts About Science
Jan. 11                  Reflections Celebration Stevenson 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Jan. 12                  Spirit Day PJ Day
Jan. 15                 No School MLK
Jan. 16                  Hoover Highlights
Jan. 16-Jan. 18     Vision Screenings KG, 1st, 3rd
Jan. 18                  Lockdown Drill, Nuts About Science
Jan. 22                  Star Lab
Jan. 24                  Star Lab
Jan. 25                  Nuts About Science
Jan. 26                  Skatenight
Jan. 26                  Vision Rescreening KG, 1st, 3rd
Feb. 1                   Kindergarten Registration 2018/19
Feb. 2                   ACAT Applications Due
Feb. 2                  WINTERBLAST 6-8:30 p.m.
Feb. 6                   Hoover Highlights
Feb. 9                   Spirit Day Career Day
Feb. 13                 PTA Meeting 7:00 p.m.
Feb. 13                 Family Fitness Night
Feb. 19                No School Midwinter Break 


Friday, December 15, 2017

12.15.17

Hello Hoover Rockets,

Hoover has become a Winter Wonderland.  Thank you to our wonderful lobby decorators and window painters!  








Kids Night Out

Kids Night Out was another huge success!  We had over 100 students attend this year!  They enjoyed dinner, bowling with Mr. "O", a craft and a movie with popcorn.  Thank you to our PTA for another amazing event.

Holiday Shop

Our Hoover Rockets enjoyed shopping for loved ones last week at the Holiday Shop.  Thank you to all the volunteers who made this possible.
Mrs. Flak's class shopping.
Ms. Fortier's class shopping
Did you know that Hoover has 30 Student Council students that take turns working in the Rocket Pad (School Store)?They were busy this week with our Candy Cane Sale.  The funds from the Candy Cane sale will be donated to a good cause.  The students will vote on an organization that is special to Hoover.  Thank you for supporting the Hoover Student Council.
PTA NEWS
Thank you for all of your support for Kids Night Out! We had about 100 Hoover Rockets participate in this fun night consisting of crafts, bowling, dinner and a movie.
Staff Cookie Exchange
Show your appreciation for our hardworking Hoover staff by donating cookies for the Hoover Staff Cookie Exchange on Thursday, December 21. We provide the sweets - the teachers and staff get to take home the treats to share with their families. We are looking for donations of 3 dozen homemade or store bought cookies (but, ANY amount would be greatly appreciated) Please send cookies in disposable or labeled containers. Cookies can be dropped off at school on Tuesday and Wednesday, December 19 and 20 - all day, or Thursday, December 21- before school only. If you are able to donate, please sign up at www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C0A48AEA62AAA8-hoover11  or contact livoniahooverpta@gmail.com.
The Hoover staff and their families LOVE this annual event! We usually have large participation from our Hoover families! Please consider baking (or buying) some cookies and sending them in next week! They truly do appreciate it! 
Dearborn Meat Orders
Your purchased items will be available for pick up on Wednesday, December 20th from 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm at Hoover Elementary.
Thank you for supporting your Hoover Rocket with this PTA fundraiser.

Youth Making a Difference
Youth Making a Difference is a program that encourages and recognizes volunteer efforts by K-12 students. Livonia PTSA Council recognizes the efforts of these students at the annual Youth Making a Difference celebration in April. Some students, among other things, visit senior citizens, help collect money for the Livonia Goodfellows, or rake leaves and pick up trash outside their schools or community. This program and celebration is a great way for our children to learn how important it is to give back to our community. The commitment forms are due back Jan 30th. Projects are due 2/28 and the ceremony is 4/24 @ Franklin High School.

Dec. 19                 Hoover Highlights
Dec. 20                 Dearborn Ham Pick Up
Dec. 21                 Nuts About Science
Dec. 21                 PTA Cookies for Staff
Dec. 22                 9:30 2nd & 3rd Music Performance
Dec. 22                 10:30 KG & 1st Music Performance

Dec. 25-Jan 5        Winter Break
Jan. 8                    School Resumes
Jan. 9                    PTA Meeting 1:00 p.m.
Jan. 11                  Nuts About Science
Jan. 11                  Reflections Celebration Stevenson 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Jan. 12                  Spirit Day PJ Day
Jan. 15                 No School MLK
Jan. 16                  Hoover Highlights
Jan. 16-Jan. 18     Vision Screenings KG, 1st, 3rd
Jan. 18                  Lockdown Drill, Nuts About Science
Jan. 22                  Star Lab
Jan. 24                  Star Lab
Jan. 25                  Nuts About Science
Jan. 26                  Skatenight
Jan. 26                  Vision Rescreening KG, 1st, 3rd
Feb. 1                   Kindergarten Registration 2018/19
Feb. 2                   ACAT Applications Due
Feb. 2                  WINTERBLAST 5-8:00 p.m.
Feb. 13                Family Fitness Night and PTA Meeting 7 pm
Feb. 19                No School Midwinter Break 


Monday, December 4, 2017

12.8.17

Hello Hoover Rockets,

Report Cards will be coming home today in back pack mail.  We have also included a letter explaining the new Standards Based Grading.  Please make sure you read this letter along with the report card.  If you have a question please open the Hoover Highlights from last week and refer to the Frequently Asked Questions page at the end of the Hoover Highlights.  If you still have a question feel free to email either your child's teacher or myself (jlinn2@livoniapublicschools.org).




Kindness
Our Climate Character Trait this month is KINDNESS.  Kindness means being friendly, generous or considerate.  We teach our Hoover Rockets to use kind words and actions with others.  They could say something to make someone feel better, help a classmate with a task, offer to play with someone at recess, and they could check the Buddy Bench to see if a student is sitting there.  Each morning during announcements we share a small act of kindness that our students could do that day.

Holiday Shop
Our Hoover Rockets had a great time shopping for loved ones in the Hoover Holiday Shop.  They were so excited to show their kindness towards others.  Thank you to the PTA for providing this wonderful holiday experience.

Merry and Bright Parade
Waiting for the start!

The Merry and Bright Parade was a lot of fun last Sunday.  Hoover had a lot of students in the parade between the Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Daisies, Falcons and Livonia Pom.  Thank you to the parents and families that walked and represented Hoover.
Cub Scouts Getting Ready before the Parade


Daisies and Girl Scouts


Did you know that according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a divison of the U.S. Department of Education, children who read frequently develop stronger reading skills.

  • According to the National Education Association, having kids read a lot is one of the crucial components of becoming a good reader. Young readers need to become practiced at recognizing letters and sounds. The only way to get good at it is to practice.
  • The U.S. Department of Education found that, generally, the more students read for fun on their own time, the higher their reading scores. Between 1984 and 1996, however, the percentage of 12th grade students reporting that they "never" or "hardly ever" read for fun increased from 9 percent to 16 percent.
  • A poll of middle and high school students commissioned by the National Education Association found that 56 percent of young people say they read more than 10 books a year, with middle school students reading the most. Some 70 percent of middle school students read more than 10 books a year, compared with only 49 percent of high school students.

Other facts

  • The substantial relationship between parent involvement for the school and reading comprehension levels of fourth-grade classrooms is obvious, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Where parent involvement is low, the classroom mean average (reading score) is 46 points below the national average. Where involvement is high, classrooms score 28 points above the national average - a gap of 74 points. Even after controlling for other attributes of communities, schools, principals, classes, and students, that might confound this relationship, the gap is 44 points.

So what can we learn from all these statistics?  The more students read and the more parents are involved with school the more academic success are Hoover Rockets achieve.  So read those report cards when they come home, talk about areas for growth, encourage reading, check those planners, buy books that your kids are interested in and get involved by volunteering at Hoover.
PTA NEWS

We had a BUSY weekend for our Hoover Families. Thank you to everyone that came out to support Hoover during the Hockey Night event. It was nice to spend time with our Hoover family! Also thank you to all the families that walked in the Merry and Bright Parade. We had great weather and it was so nice to see our Hoover Rockets and their families represented in such festive attire.

Dearborn Ham Orders are due by Friday, December 8th DEARBORN BRAND MEATS ARE BACK! If you are interested in ordering a variety of delicious meats, such as ham, sausage, turkey, hot dogs (and much more), catalogs went home in backpack mail last week. All order forms and payments must be turned in on or before Friday, December 8th. Checks are to be made payable to the HOOVER PTA. Your purchased items will be available for pick up on Wednesday, December 20th from 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm at Hoover Elementary.
Thank you for supporting your Hoover Rocket with this PTA fundraiser.

Tuesday, December 12th and Friday, December 15th Kids Night Out
Hey Hoover Parents, it’s time for KID’S NIGHT OUT!  Need to do some holiday shopping, wrapping or simply need a night out?  Your Hoover student(s) is welcome to join us for a festive night of holiday fun! The evening will include dinner, games, activities, snacks and a holiday movie!  

There are 2 nights to choose from…..Tuesday, December 12th or Friday December 15th.  The time is 6-8:30 pm and the cost is $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Starting at 5:50 PM, you are welcome to drop off in front of the school. We will greet your vehicle, check in your student(s), and then walk them in. PROMPTLY at 8:30 PM, please come inside to pick up your student(s). Friendly reminder that children must attend Hoover to participate
Food includes: Pizza, carrots, juice, chips, pop, and water. Make checks payable to the HOOVER PTA.  Flyers will arrive in your students backpack very soon!  Just a friendly reminder that children must attend Hoover to participate in the event.

Friday, December 22nd Staff Cookie Exchange
Save the Date: Friday, December 22nd
Wow, how time flys, we are already getting ready for our holiday break. We host a cookie exchange every year for our AMAZING Hoover Staff.

We are looking for donations of homemade cookies and a sign up genius will go out next week. The exchange will happen on Friday, December 22nd, and cookies can be dropped off on the 21st.


Youth Making A Difference
Youth Making a Difference is a program that encourages and recognizes volunteer efforts by K-12 students. Livonia PTSA Council recognizes the efforts of these students at the annual Youth Making a Difference celebration in April. Some students, among other things, visit senior citizens, help collect money for the Livonia Goodfellows, or rake leaves and pick up trash outside their schools or community. This program and celebration is a great way for our children to learn how important it is to give back to our community.  More information will be coming home with your Hoover Rocket.

Thank you!
Your Hoover PTA

Dec. 12                 Kids Night Out 5-8:00 p.m.
Dec. 14                 Nuts About Science
Dec. 15                 4th Grade Performs with the Stevenson Symphonic Choir 9:15 a.m.
Dec. 15                 Kids Night Out 5-8:00 p.m.
Dec. 19                 Hoover Highlights
Dec. 20                 Dearborn Ham Pick Up
Dec. 21                 Nuts About Science
Dec. 22                 9:30 2nd & 3rd Music Performance
Dec. 22                 10:30 KG & 1st Music Performance
Dec. 22                 PTA Cookies for Staff
Dec. 25-Jan 5        Winter Break
Jan. 8                    School Resumes
Jan. 9                    PTA Meeting 1:00 p.m.
Jan. 11                  Nuts About Science
Jan. 11                  Reflections Celebration Stevenson 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Jan. 12                  Spirit Day PJ Day
Jan. 15                 No School MLK
Jan. 16                  Hoover Highlights
Jan. 16-Jan. 18     Vision Screenings KG, 1st, 3rd
Jan. 18                  Lockdown Drill, Nuts About Science
Jan. 22                  Star Lab
Jan. 24                  Star Lab
Jan. 25                  Nuts About Science
Jan. 26                  Skatenight
Jan. 26                  Vision Rescreening KG, 1st, 3rd
Feb. 1                   Kindergarten Registration 2018/19
Feb. 2                   ACAT Applications Due
Feb. 2                  WINTERBLAST 5-8:00 p.m.
Feb. 19                No School Midwinter Break