Hidden Valley Hawk Talk Newsletter, Issue #3
Monday, September 18th, 2023
Sep 18
Fun Run campaign begins!
Sep 25
No School - school holiday
Oct 3
School Tour for Prospective Parents 9:15 AM
Oct 4
International Walk and Roll to School Day
Oct 6
PTO meeting at 8:20 AM
Oct 9
No School - Professional Development Day
Oct 13
Hidden Valley Fun Run
Oct 25
School picture day
On your mark... get set... fundraise!!
Help your student sign up for a free Fun Run profile page on our online fundraising platform. Students are entered into weekly contests just for creating a page. Fundraising is as easy as:
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Go to Hidden Valley Fun Run 2023 (https://hiddenvalleyfunrun.myevent.com/3/fundraiser.htm)
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Register and create a page for your student by filling out the online form
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Insider Tip: All students should create a new 2023 fundraising page. Get started on this week’s contest by adding an updated Hawk Selfie a picture taken by your Hawk) or a quote on why your Hawk loves HV.
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Send the page and an update on your student’s year to all your friends and family near and far. Here is some sample wording you can use to reach out.
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Read the weekly Hawk Talk and communications from your Fun Run room representative to hear about the weekly contests and contest winners.
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Run: On Friday October 13th, we will culminate with our Fun Run out on the field with all the students. We want everyone to wear his or her wackiest Hawk gear and school colors for the run!!!
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Optional Parent Participation: Want to get in on the fun? Mark Friday, October 13th (9AM-12PM) on your calendars and sign up for a day of volunteer shift here: Volunteer Sign Up Genius. Additional day of cheering opportunities will be sent in future Hawk Talks and through your Fun Run Rep.
The Fun Run is Hidden Valley’s one and only fundraiser and the money goes directly to the school. Think student clubs, school garden, PE equipment, special assemblies, social emotional learning, library books and much more.
This year our goal is $70,000 and for every student to create a Fun Run page. Your classroom Fun Run reps will send you more information on classroom progress and contests. Insider Tip: Review the website Weekly Contests tab to get the low down on weekly contests and incentives.
Deadline for donation incentive winners is noon on 10/13. Thank you so much for your support of our school! Your involvement makes a difference.
Week 1 contests are as follows:
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Set up a page this week and be entered into a raffle for a bag of Hawk Gear
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The class that has the most % of pages created will earn a free homework pass/or extra class choice time
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Most creative student Fun Run page with the best Hawk Selfie (picture taken by your Hawk) or “Why I love Hidden Valley” quote will get to pick a joke, that will be broadcast over the school PA system
Winner’s will be announced over the PA and in the Monday Hawk Talk newsletter and by your Fun Run rep.
#WhenISayFunYouSayRun!
-Your Fun Run Crew (Mike Cassin and Sandra Murtagh)
Hello Hidden Valley Families,
Hidden Valley teachers and I have noticed that students aren’t always greeting one another. Greetings are a basic act of human acknowledgement and help to connect and fulfill our desire to be seen. Yet, it is not something we see our students commonly practice. You may notice this too, when your child says ‘hello’ to someone, the other child may walk by, not responding. It could be because the child didn’t notice, was ‘in their own world’, or was looking down. Whatever the reason, we’ve noticed that there is less engagement or acknowledgement between students when passing one another. We want to change that behavior by encouraging:
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Look up when you are walking so you can have eye contact
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When you near someone, ‘friendly face’ or smile
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Give a quiet wave
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Nod your head
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Say hello
We are explicitly teaching this and rewarding these acts of acknowledgement with Hawk Tickets. More importantly, we are working to role model this ourselves, which is the greatest influence of all. Students are the first to call out others, especially their parents, who are ‘always on their phone’ and ‘not listening’ and know how that makes them feel ignored. If you find that you might be guilty of this (I know I am), be aware of it, apologize, and make efforts to do better next time. Your child is watching and learning.
The interesting thing about extending a Hawk Hello and sharing a connection, is that it boosts our levels of dopamine and serotonin so it’s good for our mind and body. Kindness is contagious and is easy to pass on. Take a moment to start a wave of kindness. Even if you’re the only one who benefits, it’s all good! Read more about the benefits of kindness here.
For fun, I shared this video that shows Animal Greetings. Because raising children in an ever-changing world is challenging, the Child Parent Institute offers Parent Support Workshops that are great, check them out.
In partnership,
Kristi
Photos Needed: Yearbook needs your photos! If you have photos from Boots & BBQ please send to hvhawkphotos@gmail.com. Please help us capture as many kids as possible for the yearbook! Thank you!
SO MANY WAYS TO SUPPORT ARTS & MUSIC EDUCATION AT HIDDEN VALLEY
Did you know that there is no state supplied funding for arts and music education at California public schools including HV? Hard to believe, but true. Your YES support directly finds art and music at our school including teacher salaries. Luckily there are so many ways to support YES!
Consider a recurring donation of $90 a month per student (or any amount). Click here to set up your donation and don’t forget to check if your employer supports corporate matching. Local business owner? Consider our Business Partner Program and market your company while also doing something good for your community. A win win!
Already donated but want to continue to support YES? Join us for an upcoming event to benefit HV!
YES Bake Sale @ Live On The Ave Friday, September 22nd 5:30 PM where HV parent and songstress Victoria George & the High Lonesome band will be performing.
Want to support a local artist while also supporting art and music at HV? Save the date for the Creekside Tommy Breeze YES Collab on Tuesday, September 26 - 5:00 - 7:30 PM at Creekside Park. Tommy Breeze will be sewing custom patches on the hat of your choice, Amy's will be selling shakes, and Creekside Pizza will be donating 10% of proceeds to YES.
Lastly, don’t forget to use your handy YES loyalty card when you shop at Good Earth and United Market to have 3% of your grocery bill donated to YES! If you don’t have a card, please stop by the front office and pick one up.
Do you know how to sync the Hidden Valley calendar with your own calendar?
Please see below to learn how.
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Sync the school calendar with your:
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Put your best foot forward this fall! EVERY WEDNESDAY is Walk and Roll to School Day. Join thousands in Marin who WALK, (PARK AND WALK), BIKE, CARPOOL, or BUS to school. EVERY STEP YOU TAKE, even if it's once per week, even if you walk a few blocks to school, helps reduce traffic and invigorates your student for a day of learning. Students are invited to come to the Safe Routes to Schools welcome table on the morning of September 13th to receive a prize for walking and rolling to school.
BUDDY UP is a contest to get students to walk (park and walk), bike, carpool, or ride the bus together. Now through October 31, sign up your group of two or more students from neighboring families to travel to or from school together. Tell us your success story! Habits are more likely to stick when families support each other. There’s safety in numbers and groups are more easily seen by drivers. Best of all, friendships and fun memories are formed! There will be a $50 award for 5 winning groups. Notifications will be sent out in early November.
Every week we will have a question of the week spanning varied subjects sometime including the content within the newsletter. The first one to respond gets a callout next week.
Week 3 Question:
The World Cup is happening now for which sport?
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1) Fencing
2) Rugby
3) Cricket
4) Bowling
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Please post your answers here
Last week's quickest responder was: Melissa Wallerich
The answer was: Michael Phelps
Congratulations, Melissa!
