Wednesday, November 6, 2019

11.8.19

Hello Hoover Rockets,

Helping Hearts
Unfortunately, the economy has presented challenges for many of our families. Please know there are agencies in the area that offer holiday assistance. While it may seem early many of these programs are already accepting applications. I do have applications available but if you prefer to contact them directly their information is listed below. Additionally, Hoover Elementary has the Helping Hearts Fund which is used to support our families in a time of need. Any information shared will remain confidential. We care deeply about our families and respecting their privacy. For more information, please contact Jan Bice at 734/744-2730 ext. 20120, Livonia Goodfellows 313-438-0862, Salvation Army 313-563-4457 or Toys for Tots Linda Rankin at 248-777-0510.
Canned and Boxed Food Drive
Hoover’s Girl Scouts are collecting food for the Livonia Goodfellows. Since 1936 the Goodfellows have been helping Livonia families and is completely run by volunteers. This drive will support their “No Child without a Christmas” campaign. All food goes to area families. Please bring non-perishable can or boxed food. There will be boxes in the lobby and in each hallway. We will be collected through November 25th. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Guidelines for Parent & Teacher E-Mail
E-mail has enriched communication opportunities between teachers and parents. There are benefits and drawbacks to these improvements in technology. In some ways, the new technology has added to everyone’s workload and led to an expectation for a turn-around response time that might not be possible. The guidelines for what is effective and appropriate in terms of e-mail communication need to be clarified.

Teacher Realities
The classroom environment does not allow teachers to check their emails regularly. In a best case scenario, they check and respond to emails once a day. Response time can be further delayed by teachers being unavailable due to illness, training sessions, meetings, workshops, and conferences before and after school. Teachers devote extra time learning new curriculum, standards, and assessments and then preparing for classroom instruction.

Issues to Consider Before E-Mailing a Teacher
*Timing: Remember the classroom environment and the complexity of each teacher’s day. If you don’t get an answer the same day, it doesn’t mean you’re being ignored.
*Purpose of Communication: Think about your goal in communicating with the teacher. If the goal is to merely share a piece of information or give the teacher some lead time to think about an issue you’d like to discuss, an e-mail is probably appropriate. If the goal, however, is to have two-way communication and meaningful dialogue, e-mail is not appropriate. The telephone or a face-to-face meeting is a better option.
*Sheer Volume: Each Hoover teacher has between 23-30 students. Think about the volume of e-mails this many parents could generate. Please Keep in Mind Teachers are interested in communicating with parents. Teachers want to know if a student is experiencing difficulty at home or at school. Communication, although important, needs to be controlled. Responding to e-mails takes time and thought. E-mails leave a lot of room for misunderstanding.

LOST AND FOUND…REMINDER

Fall is upon us and so is the cool weather. We have many items already filling the bins our Lost and Found.  Please make sure that your child's sweatshirts, sweaters, and jackets have a name on the label so that they can be returned to them.  If you are missing something, stop by the lost and found.  Every effort is made to locate owners.  Items not claimed prior to Thanksgiving Recess will be removed and donated to the Livonia Clothing Depot.

Outdoor Recess
We will go outside for recess as long as the temperature and wind chill combined are 15 degrees. We will be outside for 25 minutes, two times a day, so please make sure your child dresses for the weather.


Did you know that each school in Livonia Public Schools received large banners to share out our commitment to creating a school wide culture of excellence? I mentioned in an earlier post that we had the chance to hear the inspirational author and speaker, Jimmy Casas, talk about the four pillars of a strong culture. These pillars of "Be a champion for all students", "Expect excellence", "Carry the banner" and "Be a merchant of hope" are now hanging in our gymnasium for all to see. Great things are happening at Hoover!

PTA MEETING – Tuesday, November 12th at 6:30 pm
Come join us in the Media Center as we recap recent activities and share ideas for upcoming events here at Hoover. Enjoy light snacks and fun conversation. There is always a drawing for a small gift for all who attend. Everyone is welcome….come mingle with other Hoover parents!

HOOVER SPIRIT WEAR

Don’t forget Hoover spirit wear is available for purchase all year, and they will deliver right to your home. Great for holiday gift ideas! www.hooverspiritwear.com

Good for ONE MONTH ONLY! 10% OFF Banner Hoodies - Use coupon code NOV19E at checkout to take advantage of this great deal!

SQUARE 1 ART
We have partnered with Square 1 Art, to celebrate our Hoover Rockets' artistic accomplishments, while raising funds for our school. Your child's custom catalog, featuring their artwork, will be coming home soon. As a thank you for participating, each child will receive a sheet of stickers, of their artwork, which are FREE for you to keep, whether you order items or not. Order deadline will be Friday, November 22nd.

COLLEGE DAY/SPIRIT DAY – Friday, November 15th
Students can pay $1.00 and wear their favorite COLLEGE spirit wear for the day. A portion of the funds collected for Spirit days is used for Hoover helping hearts to support Hoover families in need.

DEARBORN BRAND FUNDRAISER
Dearborn Meats are back! Watch for the order form in backpack mail late November. Orders will be due Thursday, December 5th

HOLIDAY SHOP DATE CHANGE – IMPORTANT
The December Holiday Shop will be moved a week later, and run Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (Dec 10-12). More details to follow soon. 
 
PAJAMA-RAMA
Friday, December 13th will be our Pajama-Rama.  This will be a pre-paid event with a maximum of 100 Hoover students.  Watch for a flyer in backpack mail early December.


11/11 & 11/13 4th Grade Field Trip to Creature Conservancy
11/12 PTA Meeting 6:30 p.m.
11/15 Spirit Day UM/MSU, Reflection Projects Due
11/27-11/29 No School Thanksgiving Break11/29-12/15 Five Below Fundraiser
12/10-12/12 Holiday Shop
12/5 Trimester Ends
12/6 No School Work Day for Teachers
12/6 Skate Night
12/8 Holiday Parade
12/9-12/20 IREADY Diagnostics #2
12/13 Report Cards Come Home

Thursday, October 31, 2019

11-1-19

Hello Hoover Rockets,

NO SCHOOL November 5th
Election Day is on November 5th.  No school for students while teachers have a Professional Development Day.


Stevenson Marching Band Assembly
Yesterday the Stevenson March Band came to Hoover and performed for our Hoover Rockets.  The students and staff enjoyed hearing the Disney songs and learning the Stevenson Fight Song!  Go Spartans!

Halloween Obstacle
Thank you to Mr. O for a great week in
Physical Education.  The students enjoyed the Halloween Obstacle.









Mrs. Eckerle's Class
Halloween Parties
Thank you to the parents and grand parents that assisted with our Halloween Parties yesterday.  Fun was had by all!




Hoot N' Howl
Thank you to our PTA, staff and volunteers who made the Hoot N' Howl such a fun night.  We had great food, great games, live creatures including an alligator.











IREADY Instruction  
If you child received an IREADY license it is important for them to spend at least 45 minutes a week on IREADY. The research shows that students improve their IREADY diagnostic scores when they spend 45 minutes a week minimally on the IREADY instruction.  Please encourage them to try their best and stay focused on the lessons.  If you are having trouble getting your child logged on to IREADY try this:
1.  Go to clever.com/in/livonia 
2. Login with Google using their email address (Username@student.livoniapublicschools.org) and email password
So for example a student named Sydney Linn would use her email address sydney@student.livoniapublicschools.org and then enter her email password which is the same as her user name password that she should know from logging in the Chromebooks and computers in the lab.  If this does not work please contact your child's teacher or Mrs. Linn (jlinn2@livoniapublicschools.org).

4th Grade Team
My name is Kaiia McCurry and I am a 4th grade teacher at Hoover Elementary School. This is my fourth year teaching but second year teaching for Livonia Public Schools. Prior to this year, I have taught 5th and 1st grade, both of which I really enjoyed. I went to Eastern Michigan University for my undergraduate's where I focused in elementary education and mathematics. Currently, I am studying literacy and language at Michigan State University for my master's degree, GO GREEN! I have been married for a little over two years, and we have a yorkie named Simba. My husband and I are huge movie buffs, so in our free time we love to go to the cinema to catch the newest film. I spent this past summer traveling to visit my siblings around the United States, I have 7 older brothers and sisters, all of which live out of state. I am so excited to be at Hoover this year and I look forward to all of the fun that we're going to have this year!

HOOT & HOWL THANKS!
The Hoover PTA would like to send out a big THANK YOU for all our volunteers, donations and families who participated in our spooky annual fall event.  We always look forward to seeing our Hoover Rockets in their creative costumes having fun with friends.  We could not make these events happen with YOU

ELECTION DAY (11/5) / HOOVER BAKE SALE     ***VOLUNTEERS NEEDED***
The PTA is looking for baked good donations for the Election Bake sale.  We kindly suggest all donations be individually wrapped for convenience.  Please deliver all donations in the Hoover lobby by Monday.  We also need volunteers to help out at the bake sale table to accept donations.  There are 2-hour time slots available starting at 6:00am and ending at 8:00pm.  Your kids are welcome to join you. 
ALL PROCEEDS FROM THE BAKE SALE WILL BE DONATED TO THE HOOVER HELPING HEARTS FUND TO BE SHARED WITH HOOVER FAMILIES IN NEED.

CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN – family fundraiser / Tuesday, November 5th
On election day, treat yourself to a meal out, and they will donate 20% of the proceeds back to Hoover.   California Pizza Kitchen is located inside Laurel Park Mall facing Newburgh.  Besides pizza, they have a variety of other delicious options to choose from.  A half page yellow flyer came home in backpack mail.  Be sure to bring it with you and present it to your server to participate.   For parties of 8 or more, please call ahead (734) 591-0476

ZAP ZONE / Monday, November 4th
Don’t forget to join us for our first ZAP ZONE adventure from 5-8pm.  They are located at 31506 Grand River in Farmington.  No school the next day so take the kids out for a night of family fun!   
You can pre-order your tickets here: Book Farmington - Zap Zone - Once you get to the page, select the Fundraiser option and then select 5 pm Fundraiser - Hoover Elementary listed on November 4th.  Complete the required fields to purchase your tickets.  Tickets are $20.00 each and include unlimited laser tag, junior ninja area attractions, and all you can eat pizza and pop from 6-7pm. No need to worry about dinner!   Hoover will receive a 20% return from the sales.  Hope to see you there!

HOOVER SPIRIT WEAR
Don’t forget Hoover spirit wear is available for purchase all year, and they will deliver right to your home.  Great for holiday gift ideas!    www.hooverspiritwear.com

DON’T FORGET TO REFER TO YOUR HOOVER PTA MAGNET AS A GUIDE FOR IMPORTANT EVENT DATES!  PUT IT RIGHT ON YOUR FRIDGE OR ON ANYTHING MAGNETIC!
11/4 Zap Zone Fundraiser
11/5 No School, California Pizza Kitchen Fundraiser, Bake Sale
11/11 & 11/13 4th Grade Field Trip to Creature Conservancy
11/12 PTA Meeting 6:30 p.m.
11/15 Spirit Day UM/MSU, Reflection Projects Due
11/27-11/29 No School Thanksgiving Break
11/29-12/15 Five Below Fundraiser
12/4-12/6 Holiday Shop
12/5 Trimester Ends
12/6 No School Work Day for Teachers
12/6 Skate Night
12/8 Holiday Parade
12/9-12/20 IREADY Diagnostics #2
12/13 Report Cards Come Home

Friday, October 25, 2019

10.25.19

Hello Hoover Rockets,
2nd Grade Field Trip
The 2nd graders went to Ann Arbor Matthaei Botanical Gardens this week.  Thank you to the parents that joined them. This was a great learning adventure!



Healthy Hoover
It is the time of year, when cold, flu, and other “bugs” hit our homes and infect our bodies. This leads us to ask the question, “Should I keep my child home from school today?” While being at school can be a very enjoyable experience, it is also a lot of hard work! Children who are feeling miserable are often unable to participate and engage in learning. Here are some tips to consider when determining if a child should stay home:
First the easy ones …
· If your child is running a fever, or has run a fever in the past 24 hours, he/she should remain home. (The CDC states that children are fever free for 24 hours without fever reducing medicine prior to returning to school).
· If your child has vomited in the past 24 hours, or is very nauseous he/she should remain home.
· If your child has any type of infectious disease (i.e. pink eye, strep throat, head lice, influenza, etc.) he/she should remain home until under treatment according to Wayne County Health Guidelines.
· It is more difficult to determine whether your child should stay home when he/she has a runny nose, persistent cough, tummy ache, headache, etc.
Some rules of thumb to consider are:
· Will your child be able to manage his/her symptoms during the 7 hour school day? (Remember, the school district policy does not allow our staff to administer, or for children to bring and self-administer, “over the counter” meds, such as cough drops, cold medicine, Tylenol, etc.)
· Will he/she be able to concentrate on schoolwork, complete assignments, participate in class and participate in lunch and recess?
· Are the symptoms likely to infect other children who will be in close proximity?
· Would I want a fellow classmate with the same symptoms to be sitting next to, or across from, my child all day?
Certainly we encourage children to have excellent school attendance and are not expecting that children will be kept home with every sniffle. We simply ask that you do your best to gauge your child’s symptoms, especially those of the past 24 hours, and allow him/her time to recover when ill. Thank you for helping us to keep a healthy school environment for all who enter.


Typing Club
Mrs. Jungwirth has been working with our 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders on typing skills.  Students can access the program from home to practice typing also.
It is on our Kid Connections page which has a link from the Hoover website homepage or can be found at www.typingclub.com.  It is free to use and has nice tutorials.  If students want to log-in at home, they should use the following: 
                                                                                                                            username:  (their LPS username)@student.livoniapublicschools.org
                                                                                                                            password: (their LPS 4 digit number password)

Lunch in Classrooms due to Halloween Obstacle Course
Mr. O will have his famous Halloween Obstacle Course set up in the Multipurpose Room again this year.  Students will be eating lunch in their classrooms on Monday, October 28th, Tuesday October 29th and Wednesday, October 30thIf your child is in a classroom with snack restrictions due to allergies please try not to pack those items in their lunch (for example nuts, dairy, hummus etc).  Thank you!

Reading Buddies

Mrs. Lipinski and Ms. Charochak's class made Skeletons with their buddies last week.







Hoover School Improvement Goals
Math Goal:  
All students at Hoover Elementary will be proficient in math.
Objective:  75% of Hoover students will demonstrate a proficiency with problem solving in mathematics  by 6/1/20 as measured by state and district common-wide assessments.
Reading Goal:  All students at Hoover Elementary will be proficient readers of grade level content.
Objective:  65% of students will demonstrate a proficiency in reading comprehension in English Language Arts by 6/1/20 as measured by district and state-wide common assessments.
Writing Goal:  All students at Hoover Elementary will be proficient writers in all content areas.
Objective:  65% of students will demonstrate proficiency in writing opinion pieces to convey information clearly and accurately in English Language Arts by 6/1/20 as measured by the Hoover Elementary Opinion Writing Assessment.

Mr. Tony
Last weekend Mr. Tony visited the Falcons and saw some of our Hoover Rockets playing football and cheering.
Reminder NO School November 5th!  This is election day and a Professional Development day for staff.  


I am Ms. McAlinden, I am very excited to be teaching first grade as a Hoover Rocket this year. I completed a full year teaching internship through Michigan State (Go Green!) in the 2018-2019 school year in the Walled Lake Consolidated Schools District in a first grade classroom. Additionally, I grew up attending Livonia Public Schools and graduated from Stevenson High School. When I am not teaching I am at the ice rink practicing on an adult synchronized skating team or coaching figure skating! Figure skating is a sport that I fell in love with in first grade and still love to do. I also have two younger sisters, one who is at Michigan State University, and the other is at Holmes Middle School.

I am looking forward to a great school year as a member of the Hoover staff.  Go Rockets!
Masterworks
Masterworks is still in need of additional volunteers. As a volunteer, you would present a series of fine art prints in the classroom. No art experience or art history background needed. We will provide you with all of the information you need. Presentations are typically 30 minutes and are scheduled 6 time throughout the school year. Masterworks is a unique and enriching learning experience that our Hoover Rockets love! Please see the Sign-Up Genius link below. 


If you have any questions, please contact hoovermw@gmail.com to learn more!

Spirit Wear
Now through Halloween, visit our school spirit wear store and get 10% off of your order using coupon code TRICK10 at the check out.  
10/31 Halloween Parties, Stevenson Marching Band Assembly
11/4 Zap Zone Fundraiser
11/5 No School Professional Development Day, California Pizza Kitchen Fundraiser
11/11 & 11/13 4th Grade Field Trip to Creature Conservancy
11/12 PTA Meeting 6:30 p.m.
11/15 Spirit Day UM/MSU, Reflection Projects Due
11/27-11/29 No School Thanksgiving Break
11/29-12/15 Five Below Fundraiser
12/4-12/6 Holiday Shop
12/5 Trimester Ends
12/6 No School Work Day for Teachers
12/6 Skate Night
12/8 Holiday Parade
12/9-12/20 IREADY Diagnostics #2
12/13 Report Cards Come Home

Thursday, October 17, 2019

10.18.19

Hello Hoover Rockets,

Thank you for attending Parent Teacher Conferences this week.  We appreciate your time and commitment to teaming with our staff to improve our Hoover Rocket's academic performance.

Fire Safety
Last week our first graders learned about Fire Safety from Livonia Fireman Tim Eskin.  They learned that Firemen are helpful and not scary even when wearing all of their equipment.


Rocket Pad/Acts of Kindness
It was a successful first day at the Rocket Pad (School Store).  We pulled our first 15 tickets winners on Monday and they won a gift card to the store.  Every Monday we will pick more winners!  Keep up all the acts of kindness.  The Rocket Pad will be open on Mondays for 1st and 2nd grade shoppers and on Wednesday for 3rd and 4th grade shoppers.  

 Book Fair
Thank you for stopping by the Book Fair to support our library.  We will still be open on Monday during lunch and first recess.


Hiring Noon Monitors
We are looking for kind, compassionate, reliable, and fun parents to work as a noon monitor. We have part time positions (2-3 days) available. Noon monitors spend 30 minutes outside with students supervising the playground and 20 minutes in the lunchroom. Please contact either Mrs. Holmes or Mrs. Linn for more information.





Normal Conflict verses Bullying Behavior
October is Bullying Prevention Month. Developmentally children in elementary are learning a lot about social interactions and relationships. It is normal for conflict to arise as they share a classroom with their peers and a playground with many more children. We find the chart below very helpful in determining whether a situation might be a normal conflict or more serious.
Normal Conflict
Bullying Behavior
Happens once in a while
Is repeated behavior
Not planned – happens when someone is upset
Planned or on purpose
Both people are upset
Person being bullied is more upset than the bully
Both children try to work out their problem
The bully does not want to work things out, they want control

Unfortunately, in our technology driving world, children are actually playing less and less. This is causing some social delays in their development. Learning to compromise, negotiate, apologize, and communicate all takes practice. Finding time to arrange play dates and social experiences will greatly benefit your children.
When issues are brought to our attention, we do meet with the students to help them resolve and learn from the situation. We often call parents to include them in the process and make them part of the team. Thanks for working together to make our kids great!



Who:    Kindergarten-4th graders
What:   Hands-on STEM activities
When:   November 23, 2019  1:00-4:00 pm
             Check-in 12:30-1:00 pm

WhereMSU Engineering Building & Anthony Hall
Why:   To have fun learning about Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math!

Registration is required and students must be chaperoned. 
Chaperones may bring up to three students.
Registration deadline is November 8, 2019
OR until maximum capacity is reached.

Register Online at:
Questions? Contact us at wie-outreach@egr.msu.edu or 517-432-1273
Sponsored by: Fisher Scientific, Sparrow Health System, Eaton, MSU IT Services

Student Check-Out

Please remember that a parent must come into the office to sign-out his/her student for appointments or early exit. The office will then call down for the student, and the child leaves the office with his/her parent. Children cannot be dismissed directly from the classroom, lunchroom, or the playground to the parent.

We must have record of the adult picking up the child and be able to provide visual recognition of this adult, or check the identification of another adult who has been sent in the parent’s place. Please know that some of our staff who are new to Hoover may not recognize you and may ask for ID—this is for your child’s safety and well being. Thank
you for cooperating with this important procedure.

Going Home
Going home with another Student. Many of our students enjoy planning play dates with friends after school. If you have given permission for your child to go to a friend’s house after school, a NOTE from the parent of EACH student involved MUST be sent to school. The written
note documents permission and ensures safety without confusion. Also, when a bus is involved, the office is required to have students give the
bus driver a Guest Bus Pass.


HOOT & HOWL
It's almost Halloween time Hoover Rockets! Our annual HOOT & HOWL event is sneaking up soon (10/25 6-8), so plan to join us for a spooktacular night of fun. Everyone is welcome to dress up in costume. We kindly request no masks or weapons please. There will be guessing games, Halloween games, prizes, face painting, tattoo station, haunted obstacle course, music, dancing and Dan The Creature Man for some creepy crawly fun! Dinner will be available for purchase. Complimentary cider & donuts will be served later in the evening while we announce the winners of the guessing games.
Canned Food Drive
***The Girl Scouts will also be doing their annual "Cans For Candy" collection for the Livonia Goodfellows charity. Bring canned goods and receive a candy treat at the door.***

Thursday, October 24th is Picture Retake Day.  Students who need picture retakes should bring in their picture envelopes on Thursday, October 24th and they will get their picture taken.


I wanted to introduce myself and let you know a little about me.  I attended Western Michigan University where I received my bachelors in Elementary Education.  From there I went on to earn my Masters degree from Marygrove College in Detroit.  This will be my 25th year in Livonia teaching second through fifth grades and I am really excited to be working in 4th grade this year at Hoover.  I live in Monroe with my husband John and two children Nieko (12th grade) and Colleen (10th grade) and our Goldendoodle Stella.  Our family stays busy with extracurricular activities including friends, school, sports and of course homework!



HOOT & HOWL FRIDAY, October 25th 6:00-8:00 pm:  It’s almost Halloween time Hoover Rockets!  Our annual HOOT & HOWL event is sneaking up soon so plan to join us for a spooktacular night of fun.   Everyone is welcome to dress up in costume.  We kindly request no masks or (toy) weapons please.  There will be guessing games, Halloween games, prizes, face painting, tattoo station, haunted obstacle course, music, dancing and Dan The Creature Man for some creepy crawly fun!  Dinner will be available for purchase, and Dan The Kona Man will be selling his flavored freezies.  Complimentary cider & donuts will be served later in the evening while we announce the winners of the guessing games.  

The Girl Scouts will also be doing their annual “Cans For Candy” collection for the Livonia Goodfellows charity.   Bring canned goods and receive a bag of candy at the door.    
If you would like to volunteer your time or make a donation to the event, here is the sign-up genius linkhttps://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0f48acae2ba7f49-hoover4

NATIONAL PTA REFLECTIONS CONTESTCalling All Artists! Is your Hoover Rocket a visual artist, photographer, write, dancer, musician, or film maker? Then keep reading because the PTA has a program for them! Students make projects that are inspired by a theme. This year's theme is "Look Within”.  They can make a project in as many categories as they want. It is free to enter!  LPTSA will judge all the entries from Livonia Public Schools. They will choose four winners in each age range and category. Then they send those winners on to be judged at the state level. Top winners at the state level go on to national judging. Information and student entry forms went home this week. The deadline to turn in projects is November 15, 2019. The Reflections Ceremony will be held on January 30, 2020 at Stevenson High School in the Performing Arts Center.  All of the Livonia Public Schools entries will be on display. Please contact our Hoover PTA Reflections Chair, Christina TestaChristina.testa.80@gmail.com    A flyer recently went home in backpack mail.


PALS (Parents At Lunch) You can sign up to come in the lunch room and help students open items in their lunch so they have more time to eat. Click on the link and select the days that you are available. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0C49AFAB29A7FD0-pals2

Welcome Table If you would like to greet students in the morning and help with the late arrivals please click on this link and select the days that are available:

10/22 Flak and Harris Field Trip to Matthaei
10/24 Picture Retake Day
10/25 Peer and Vince Field Trip to Matthaei
10/25 Hoot N'Howl 6-8:00 p.m.
10/31 Halloween Parties, Stevenson Marching Band Assembly
11/4 Zap Zone Fundraiser
11/5 No School Professional Development Day, California Pizza Kitchen Fundraiser
11/11 & 11/13 4th Grade Field Trip to Creature Conservancy
11/12 PTA Meeting 6:30 p.m.
11/15 Spirit Day UM/MSU, Reflection Projects Due
11/27-11/29 No School Thanksgiving Break
11/29-12/15 Five Below Fundraiser