Hidden Valley Hawk Talk Newsletter, Issue #6
Friday, September 23rd, 2022
Sep 24-26
Reminder to order your student's October Lunches with LunchMaster
Sep 27
Site Council Meeting 3:15 pm
Oct 10
No School - Professional Development Day for Staff
Oct 14
HV Fun Run
Oct 19
School Tour for Prospective Families 9:15 am
Oct 26
School Picture Day
And that's a wrap, y'all!
Last Friday's Boots & BBQ was an enormous success! What a way to kick off a new school year! We are so grateful to our event leads Gina Davis & Yo Yoshida for their vision and execution of this wonderful community building event that has been sorely missed during the pandemic years. A huge thank you also to our sub-committee leads (Val Wingfield, Lisa Brethauer & Amir Efrati, Leigh Burkey-Fong, Lindsey Koelman, Nicole Blacksburg) and to all our volunteers who contributed before, during and after the event. Thanks also to the thoughtfulness of the Boots crew and our Staff Appreciation Committee, we were also able to hold a wonderful HV Staff BBQ on Thursday! See below a final message from our incredible Boots & BBQ team. Also don’t forget to check out the PTO site to see the video of a special surprise that was planned by 1st Grade teacher Mr. Sidney Velasquez and his current/past HV students - thank you for the treat Mr. V!
Now we turn to the Fun Run, our school’s one and only fundraiser and it’s only weeks away! See below for more details on why and how you can support your students and join the fun!
The good times keep on rolling with grade socials just around the corner. These parent only events are a great way to build stronger connections and meet new parents. Stay tuned for dates and times from your Room Parents!
Happy Friday,
Team PTO
Wow! Thank you for joining us at Hidden Valley last Friday for a successful and fun Boots & BBQ. It was great to see so many new and returning families on campus.
With nearly 600 attendees, we could not have accomplished this event without the help of our parent, teacher and student community. With over 75 volunteers, we would like to do our best to acknowledge everyone’s efforts in making Boots & BBQ a reality:
-
Thank you to our Boots & BBQ Committee: Co-Chairs, Gina Davis and Yo Yoshida; Nicole Blacksburg (Décor); Lisa Brethauer & Amir Efrati (Games & Entertainment); Leigh Burkey-Fong (Set-up/Takedown); Lindsey Koelman (Vendors); and Val Wingfield (Communication & Volunteer Management)
-
Thank you to Christina Minutoli! You hit it out of the park with your design expertise. Thank you for creating eye-catching collateral for this event.
-
Thank you to our amazing parent volunteers: Jenn & Spencer Adams; Deb Alan; Aya Andrews; Jen Barstow; Michael Blacksburg; Jonathan Bleier; Lyn Blodgett; Matthew Briggs; Jonathan Briggs; Bryan Burkey Fong; Ash Cheriyan; Zoe Cook; Oliver Dameron; Ryan Davis; Lydia Duraisamy; Lisa Dyakovski; David & Kristin Ellis; Joy Forbes; Virginia Foxton; Galina Ganeva; Llana Giovara; Jesse Gross; Nilli & Pasan Hapuarachchi; Katherine Hatch; Sydney Higgins; Corbin Howes; Amber Johnson; Jill Kelly; Kelly Kosiek; Zach Lawryk; Dodge, Jason & Mariposa Lewicki; Eveli & Ryan Loveman; Wendy Lu; Jamie Mackie; Pete Mayer; Fiona McLaren; Jason Miao; Joe Minutoli; Colleen Moore; Colleen Morrison; Mike & Sandra Murtagh; Jill Nail; CC Keefe-Sally; Jana Pastorkova; Doug Roosevelt; Hannah & John Safanda; Allison & Dylan Saloner; Anna Sellenriek; Gina Singleton; Brian & Valerie Six; Devin Smith; Clara Soares; Adrienne & Teague Sterling; Creek & Johnny Van Houten; Anna & Justin Welch; Annie Winship; Frances Yiu
-
Thank you to our 5th Grade Student Volunteers: Aubrey Andrews; Adelyn Burkey-Fong; Ava Cook; Addy Davis; Sloane Jackman; August Mullen; Zoe Singleton; Landyn Smalling; Julia Smith; Ella Wands; Claire Welch; Ellie Winship; and Shelby Wise.
-
Thank you to Mr. Brandt & Ms. Horky’s classes for setting up all of the chairs for the event.
-
Thank you to Mr. Velasquez! The student performance was a wonderful surprise.
-
Thank you to the Pera Family! Thank you for bringing your culinary expertise to this event and providing an extra special treat of pulled pork sliders. They were delicious!
Want to be a part of something special? Come join us at Hidden Valley!
TK Aide 4 hours/day
K Aide 2 hours/day
1st-5th gr Aide 3 hrs/day
Noontime Supervision 1 hr/day
Recess Enrichment Coordinator
Do you have a passion for art, legos, or an interest working with kids? Do you have a special skill you’d like to share such as knitting or origami? Help us bring back enrichment options for students at lunch recess.
Yard Duty Volunteers
While the school remains short staffed, we need parent volunteers to fill in with lunchtime yard duty. This ensures that our teachers get a much needed lunch hour. On days when we don’t have enough staff and volunteers for yard duty, teachers have to fill in during their lunch hour. Help us help them!
We need more weekly help with upper grade (1st-5th, 12:00-12:30) yard duty Tuesday through Thursday. Additionally, we’d love to add you to our substitute list! This is an opportunity to help out occasionally when we have emergency needs. You would be notified by email of open opportunities as they arise.
If interested, please email Jill Nail, or speak with Mariposa Lewicki in the office!
Garden Work Party
Garden Work Party is proposed for September 30th 3:00pm - 4:30pm. We are looking for volunteers. Please sign up here.
Thank you!
We have completed our first week of fundraising and we have a nice starting pace. Schoolwide participation (everyone creates a page) is our goal this year and today we are at 38%.
If you have not set up your student’s Personal Fundraising Page yet, do so NOW: https://hiddenvalleyfunrun.myevent.com.
Then send out the link and ask those distant relatives and long lost friends to support our lovely school. All money raised goes right back into HV in the form of library books, landscape upgrades, student council, and teacher grants, and PE equipment!
If your student hasn’t informed you, there are plenty of contests going on at school to encourage participation!
Week 1 Contest winners are:
Mrs.Hirsch’s class, won the homework pass with 84% of their pages set up!
The most creative Fun Run Page goes to Ziggy Caporicci (Saunders) who will get to pick a joke for the Friday PA message! A few honorable page mentions are Shelby Wise (Brandt), Piper Wingfield (Schnell), Jules Anderson (Hirsch) and Eoin McElligott (Hirsch)! Take a peek through these and other creative Team pages here.
Raffle winners of the Hawk Goodie bag are:
Oliver Hutchison (Velasquez)
Amelia Todorescu (Hirsch)
Now for Week 2’s contests…
-
Everyone who has at least one donor by the end of week 2, will be entered into a raffle for a Scoop/Swirl gift card.
-
The best class motto or # (as voted by Mrs. Fish) will win a class PJ day.
-
The first class(s) to 100% participation at the end of the week will win a class movie/popcorn day.
If you’d like to volunteer for the day of the run on Friday, October 14th we have two shifts. Please find the Sign Up HERE . Thank you for your support!
Zones of Regulation Update
It was a delight to be back in the classrooms with the Hidden Valley kiddos and teachers. Hidden Valley is a very special place!
The next two weeks students will be focusing on recognizing what zone they are in and what zone others are in. We will also be working on strategies to help move from one zone to another. Be sure to check in with your child what zone you are in at various times throughout the day. Check this link out to learn more about the zones.
This is a glossary of terms that will be used throughout the lessons on the Zones. Please reach out if you have any questions or check this link out to learn more about the zones.
Walk and Roll Wednesdays are in full swing! It isn’t too late to return your Active4Me form to obtain a scan tag! Pick up extra forms in the office. We hope to have the form available online soon.
Join us on Wednesday mornings to help scan tags! It is easy and is done through an app on your phone. Join us once or join us several times. Sign up here.
In this issue, we explore Latino and Hispano Americans' contributions to U.S. society and culture. But where to start?
Maybe with ¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States at the National Museum of American History in Washington, DC. This exhibition uncovers hidden and forgotten stories, connects visitors to Latino culture, and lays the foundation for understanding how Latinas and Latinos inform and shape U.S. history and culture.
Can't go to D.C. right now? Visit the exhibition virtually.
Hispanic/Latino history is rich, diverse and long, with immigrants, refugees and Spanish-speaking or Indigenous people living in the United States since long before the nation was established, here is a timeline of the Hispanic history milestones. The National Park Service tells Latino Heritage Stories of the people and the places linking past and present in its dedicated American Latino Heritage webpages.
Have a specific subject in mind? The Exhibits and collections webpage offers an extensive collection of resources about the Latino and Hispano Americans' contributions to History, Economics, Art, Architecture, Music, and more from the Library of Congress, the National Archives and Records Administration, the Smithsonian Institution, and others.
By the way, maybe it is that time of the year you tell your children about the origin of the piñatas that they happily destroyed at their last birthday party, don't you think?
Wikipedia is here to help. Diane Selkirk from BBC led a special investigation, aka family vacation, to unfold the mystery surrounding the piñatas' origin. Here's her (travel) report.
Want to experience it instead? Here's a list of 66 books to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. The Diego Rivera exhibition at SFMOMA is waiting for you. Why don't you enjoy some Latin dance performances during your Youtube break? Here are the names of the most popular Latin dances to type in your Youtube Search bar.
So much to say in such a small space. We are reaching the end of the section space.
But you should continue to explore: find out what the Hispanic and Latino Americans and culture bring to your favorite hobby, crafts, sport, recipe, or any other area of interest such as politics, economics, sciences or activism. Share it with us.
Oh, because we're nice, a tip to get you started.
Remember, there is always a way to celebrate Hispanic heritage month. Enjoy!
If you purchase your yearbook by Sept 30th you can receive a 10% discount! Take advantage of the discount and order now! If you have not purchased a yearbook yet, here is the link to do so: TreeRing Yearbooks. For families who have purchased before, simply re-log into your account. Yearbooks will be delivered to your home this year!
Yearbook is also looking for pictures (kids only please) to be used for HV yearbook. If you have any pictures that you would like to share with the yearbook team please email to hvhawkphotos@gmail.com.
Hidden Valley Spirit Day Wednesdays
Hey-Hey-Hey Hawks! Show your Hawk spirit every Wednesday! Students are encouraged to wear Hawk gear or sport our school colors, orange and blue. If you wish to purchase our amazing Hawk gear, go to our online store here: https://apparelnow.com/hidden-valley-hawk-spirit-wear-apparel
Let’s show everyone how Hawktastic we are!
Did you know we have a lost and found at Hidden Valley? It is filling up fast! The location is in the entrance to the multipurpose room. Please encourage your children to check there for lost items. Parents should check regularly, as well, and please label everything.
Hidden Valley PTO
Parent Square
Interested in Hawktalk or if you have any feedback, please use this link