Happy Friday Park Hill Families,
We have a couple of fun events next week for families:
On Wednesday, Oct 4 we will be celebrating National Walk/Roll to School Day. Our City Council member, Darrell Watson, will be our school’s special guest. Families that walk, bike, roll or bus to school are encouraged to stop by the crosswalk on the west side of the school to greet the council member and while you are there your student can grab a raffle ticket (we have a limited number) to win some fun prizes.
Our Direct Giving/Movie Night, which is one of our three PTSA fundraisers, will be Friday, Oct 6. Join other PHE families on the back playground for a free, fun-filled evening and consider supporting your teachers and favorite school projects. See all the details below in the PTSA section.
I hope everyone is enjoying this start of Fall. It is a busy time for all of our families. I encourage everyone to try and get their students to bed at a good time so that they are ready to go in the morning. Please take advantage of our free school breakfasts this year starting at 7:45am as well. Enjoy the weekend!
Ken Burdette
Principal
Health Information
The CDC and AAP are recommending COVID boosters of the 2023-24 formulation for all children 6 months of age or older. Check with your provider to see when these boosters might be available as they were recently released. The COVID booster can be administered with the flu shot during the same visit in most circumstances. Pharmacies have had more availability for adult doses.
Free at-home COVID tests can be ordered here.
5th Grade Talent Show!!
The 5th Grade Talent Show is a fun tradition at Park Hill. It is an extracurricular activity, and we rely on volunteers to organize, rehearse, and execute it. If you are interested in volunteering and being a part of the committee, please email Ms McClelland.
Lost and Found
We have many "lost" items in the lost and found area near the gymnasium that need to be picked up. Families are welcome to stop by during school hours to claim any lost items. All unclaimed items will be donated at the end of the school day on October 11th.
Mindfulness at Park Hill
This week we are focusing on "Anchor Breath", or Mindful Breathing - observing and then being able to return to a calming, abdominal breath. This is an excellent tool for improving focus, returning to centeredness after a triggering or upsetting experience, and winding down for bedtime.
As a supplement to the in-person sessions, you can watch the video "Find Your Anchor" with them. You can access the entire video library HERE. If you have questions or suggestions, reach out to me at SustainableThree@gmail.com or #303-898-9496. ~"Miss Liz"
Liz Rutledge
Reminder: October Count on Monday
Each student will receive special roar tickets if their class has perfect attendance. The children will be counted as present if they are in school for any part of the day.
Reminder: Vision, Hearing & Dental screen on Oct 4-6
DPS provides free vision, hearing, and dental screenings for all students in identified grades (ECE, Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th). The screenings do NOT replace professional exams. You must notify our school nurse, Wendy Harper (wendy_harper@dpsk12.org) directly should you wish to REFUSE/OPT OUT of any of the free screenings for your student. The health screening components of vision and hearing will be completed on: October 4, 5, 6 with a rescreen on October 9. Parents/guardians of students who were absent or who did not have optimal hearing, vision or dental screening results will be notified in writing regarding the results.
Reminder: Gifted and Talented Cognitive Testing
The fall nomination window is open for CogAT testing. You can use this link to sign up. Sign-up is available for all students except: Students in Kindergarten and 2nd grade (These students will take part in our GT universal screening this fall.); students identified HGT or ME (magnet eligible) or students who took the spring 2023 CogAT. The sign up window is open through October 13.
Reminder: Yoga for Kinder-2nd
During dance class, Kinder, 1st and 2nd Grade students will be doing yoga. Please make sure children have clean feet and shoes that are easy to take off and put back on during their dance days. Students will be helping with cleaning yoga mats regularly at the end of class.
PTSA
Direct Giving Party & Movie Night - Next Friday!
Our Direct Giving Party & Outdoor Movie Night on Friday, October 6th! This is also an opportunity to donate money directly toward your teacher’s wish list items, wish lists for Specials classes, and to donate toward our beautification fund! You should also receive a flyer via your room leaders if you haven’t already! The goal is not only to raise money, but also build community & relationships. We don’t charge admission or require donations to attend the party as we want to encourage everyone to come to the event.
The party starts at 5:30 pm with food trucks and bounce houses. The Super Mario Bros. movie will start when it gets dark enough, likely around 7pm. This is an event you don’t want to miss!
We’re still looking for volunteers! Sign up below to help with everything from set-up to manning tables! Early birds get the good field seats 🙂
How to give:
You can donate in person or online. We will be collecting online donations from today until next Friday, at which time we will have the Direct Giving Party & Movie Night. The link below allows you to donate and also outlines wishlist items submitted by our PHE staff:
Or
Text phegive to 919-626-3277
What are Causes? Why can’t I donate directly to a Special?
It doesn’t matter which page you hit the “give” button on. The money will go directly to the school (hence “Direct Giving”) to best accomplish everything on the wishlists, and the school will ensure items can be purchased in a way that meets the needs of all of the classes, including taking care of our Specials teachers!
We do like to start a friendly competition between grades by way of a cause leaderboard!
The “causes” are the grades. You can give credit to a grade by choosing it as a “cause”.
You can also divvy up the donation in the check out. For instance, If you want to donate on behalf of both of your kids' grades, you can put in $100 as a contribution amount, and during check out it will allow you to choose a giving cause, where you can also break up that $100 into 50% for each cause (grade).
If you have more questions, find a PTSA volunteer at the PTSA table that night!
Call for Committee Service!
Been wondering how to get involved? We’ll be using October to bring our committees together to plan our work for the school year! Interested in volunteering, or even just learning more? Fill out the Microsoft form below and we’ll be in touch!
Reminder: Park Hill Night at the Rapids; October 21
Enjoy a night surrounded by your friends and neighbors where you cheer on our Rapids! A portion of all ticket sales will go back to the school. One of our easiest fundraisers that also doubles as a great social and community building activity!
Get your tickets here: https://rapids.ksetickets.com/ParkHill
School Directory - Information needed!
Fill out this form to help us generate class lists and a school directory. You get to choose how and where your info gets shared.
There will be NO PTSA Meeting in October, but we will be setting up Committee meetings.
2023 - 2024 PTSA Calendar
Friday October 6th: Direct Giving and Movie Night
October 9th: Auction meeting, 7pm
October committees - TBD
Saturday October 21st: Park Hill Night at the Rapids Friday,
Feb 23rd 2024: The Park Hill Elementary School Auction!
Members’ corner:
The past-year Budget Audit was completed this week.
The current year Budget will be sent out this week for final approval. You’ll receive a budget summary and a fillable form for voting.
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