Thursday, May 28, 2020

Hello Hoover Rockets,

Plan for picking up Student Belongings  (6/8-6/10)
We would like to give families an opportunity to pick up your child's personal items from Hoover. We have established the following schedule and protocols to pick up these items while maintaining social distancing and safe procedures.
  • This will be a curbside pick up for families. Parents/students WILL NOT need to get out of their vehicles.
  • At this pickup, there WILL NOT be an opportunity to enter the building for our families. 
SCHEDULE
Date
Time
Grade
06/08/2020
10:00-1:00 p.m. or
3:00-6:00 p.m.
K,1st students and siblings if applicable
06/09/2020
10:00-1:00 p.m. or
3:00-6:00 p.m.
2nd, 3rd, 4th and siblings if applicable
06/10/2020
10:00-1:00 p.m. or
3:00-6:00 p.m.
If you missed other days

Library Books/Browsing Books/Textbooks

If you have a school library or classroom browsing books or textbooks at home please return at this time.  A blue bin will be available to collect your library books at curbside drop off



Message from Mrs. Jungwirth:

We know it's been awhile, so if you are not sure which books have been checked out by your child, please watch this quick 5 minute video by Mrs. Jungwirth to find out how to access that information!  As I stated in the video, the teachers are finding library books in lockers and desks, so if you're having trouble finding them at home, check back again using the method in the video after June 5th to see if the books were found at school.  Hope you've been enjoying reading!
Mrs. Jungwirth


Medications
If your student still has medication at their school, notify the main office and we will make arrangements to have the medication delivered to your vehicle during curbside pick-up. Mrs. Bice will have the 20/21 medication paperwork ready for you to pick up also.

Chromebooks
At this time Chromebooks will not be collected.  Lessons continue until June 12th.

Placements

As we enter the final days of the school year, thoughts regarding planning for the upcoming school year begin to enter our conversations. I would like to take this opportunity to share with all of you the careful process we will be using to place students into grades 1-4 for the coming school year. First and foremost, please trust that all that we know about your child as a unique individual and as a learner will be taken into consideration. Many hours of discussion, review and consideration on the part of our teachers and myself, go into the creation of classes and teacher placement with those classes. Here are some details regarding this important process:

Class lists are developed by classroom teachers and myself, with input from our support staff members as appropriate (i.e.: EST, RCR, and Special Teachers). Many different factors are taken into consideration, including but not limited to: students ability levels; district benchmark assessments in math, reading and writing; behavior and learning patterns; peer relations; gender; work independence; special learning or behavior needs and supports.

We work diligently to create heterogeneous classes which are balanced and include groups of students who can be combined in such a way that the group dynamics maximize the learning process for all children.

Each year, the possibility of creating a combination class exists. Combination classes (i.e.: 3rd and 4th grade “split”) may be created due to the number of students at each grade level. All children will be challenged and are expected to achieve whether they are in a combination class or a straight grade level class. Over the years, we have had extremely successful results with combination classes, thanks to the great efforts of our staff in working to provide meaningful and highly effective instruction to all children, and the strong support of our parents.


We are in the initial stages of staffing and cannot be certain of assignments until school actually opens in the fall. This includes the designation of how many and which teachers are assigned to our school and to which grade level they will be assigned. Some teachers may change grade levels. Please do not speculate with your child who he/she may have. It would be unfortunate if your child anticipated a certain teacher, especially if that teacher were moved to another grade level or assigned to another school within our district, and he/she were to be disappointed.


If you, as a parent, feel that there is significant or unique information about your child about which we are unaware and which may affect his/her placement, you are always welcome to share this information with your child’s current teacher and with me. We ask that you please do so in an email. This would not include a request for a specific teacher, as requests for teachers will not be granted. I ask that you please do not approach your child’s current teacher with a request for a specific teacher for next year. Thank you for respecting this process.

The June Climate Character Trait is Reflection.
Reflective: relating to or characterized by deep thought; thoughtful.

As we approach the end of our school year, it is important to be reflective in where we were and how far we have come. Be thoughtful in your reflections; look for things you can change, improve upon and areas of growth. Take a moment to breathe, reflect and move on.

Self-Reflection Questions for Learning
Now that it’s over, what are my first thoughts about this overall experience, project, class, etc? Are they mostly positive or negative?
If positive, what comes to mind specifically? Negative?
What were some of the most interesting discoveries I made while working on this project, class, etc? About the problem? About myself? About others?
What were some of my most challenging moments and what made them so?
What were some of my most powerful learning moments and what made them so?
What is the most important thing I learned personally?

Reflective listening is also an important skill to develop. Be like a mirror - reflect back what you think, feel and sense that the speaker is saying and feeling.

Work to clear the mirror so that you can reflect more clearly.

KG Orientation

We are so excited to share with you our very first Virtual Hoover Kindergarten Orientation.  Please watch the video to learn about Hoover Kindergarten and what you can do to prepare your Hoover Rocket for the 20/21 School Year.   We will be passing out Goodie Bags and Folders with some Kindergarten Readiness Activities on Friday, June 5th from 11:00-1:00.  Plan on staying in your car and driving through the bus loop!  
KG Orientation Video (click on the blue)
If you still have questions after watching the video, you have a couple options:

1.  You can type your questions in this FAQ for Incoming KG Hoover Families (click on the blue) and I will answer the questions as best as I can at this time.  Please review the previous questions in case your answer is already there.

2.  We will be hosting optional Zoom Meetings for those interested on Wednesday June 3, 2020 at 9:00 AM3:30 PM and 6:30 PM.  Some of our staff will be popping in to introduce themselves and I will be available to answer questions.  

Here are the links for the Zoom Meetings:

9:00  Join Zoom Meeting

3:30  Join Zoom Meeting

6:30 Join Zoom Meeting

We are hoping to have an in person KG Orientation on August 27th (depending on the state guidelines).  Mark your calendars and plan on bringing your future KG child to Hoover that day.  


Did you know that Hoover has a butterfly garden?  Did you know that your family can come visit the Hoover Outdoor Classroom all summer?  Bring some bird seed and fill the bird feeders.  Check out the rings and look for critters.
We realize that not everyone is familiar with the Eco-Schools program or the pathways that Hoover is working on, so we created an Eco-Action Google Classroom that everyone is welcome to join in order to learn more. You can find all kinds of information about the program, including slideshows describing our work, videos we made, descriptions of each pathway and how we’ve achieved it, and also current activities to engage in such as gardening and virtual field trips/camps with local parks and nature centers. There is a discussion board where students can comment on activities they are engaged in during this time apart from each other. We hope that you check it out & find some fun activities for your family!

The code to join the classroom is hv6nzfp.

Click on the following links for information about how to join a Google Classroom & an overview of the Eco-Action Google Classroom.

For more information, please also join our FaceBook page called Hoover Eco-Action Community!
HELLO HOOVER ROCKETS,
Two weeks left of school and counting!  Hope you are all healthy and happy!  

"The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.”
~Abraham Lincoln   

LAST PTA MEETING FOR 2019/2020 SCHOOL YEAR!
The end of the school year is closing in and we want to invite you all to join us for our last PTA Zoom meeting.  So plan to get comfy at home and join us as we recap the year, discuss upcoming ideas and introduce the new PTA Board for the 2020/2021 school year.   Together we can share thoughts about this unique journey.  Hope you can join us!   

Topic: Hoover PTA Meeting
Date: Tuesday, June 2
Time: 7:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88372881858?pwd=eG9kenJiWVJqVGc4RWhBNlVRcDlZQT09

Meeting ID: 883 7288 1858
Password: 7v7B9H

FACEBOOK
Join us at Hoover Rockets PTA. It’s a fun and positive place to post pictures about your adventures at home. 

2020/2021 SCHOOL YEAR PTA BOARD NOMINATIONS
Nominations for Executive Board positions are accepted until tonight, Friday, May 29 at 7:00pm.  If you are interested in running for any position, please send an email to Tracey Schenk at tracey@tours-eti.com.  The election for the new board will run from May 29 (after 7pm) through June 2 (at 7:00pm) when the PTA meeting begins.   In order to vote, you must be a paying PTA member for the 2019/2020 school year.   Voting will be handled through the Hoover Memberhub store at: https://hooverrockets.memberhub.store   

Here are the parents who have been nominated for the PTA Board: 

2020-2021 Board Nominations
President: Christina Testa
Vice President: Monica Robinson
2nd Vice President: Beth Ann Hall
Recording Secretary: Stacy Curtis
Corresponding Secretary: Rebecca Bowring
Treasurer: Carmin Haylock
Asst. Treasurer: Colleen Matz

4TH GRADE FAMILIES
Our 4th graders are closing in on their last days as a Hoover student.  The PTA and Principal Linn are discussing creative ideas to make their last days at Hoover special and memorable.  We delivered special signs for our 4th grade students yesterday!



SPIRIT WEAR
Don’t forget to keep the Hoover Rockets spirit alive.  If you are looking for a creative gift idea, check out all the new items for spring.  Due to the current circumstances, orders will take a bit longer than usual.  If any order cannot be processed due to limited supplies, Sports Hut will contact you directly.  Any orders over $50 get free shipping.  Click here for details:  www.hooverspiritwear.com

6/3 Virtual KG Orientation Meetings
6/5 11-1 New KG Families Curbside Pick Up Folders and Bags
6/8-6/10 Student Belonging Pick Up Days
6/11 Half Day 
6/12 Last Day of School