Volume 3 Issue 21
Hilltop Headlines Hilltop Elementary School
202 Cameron Rd
Rice Lake, WI 54868
Natalie Springer, Principal
715-234-4998 ext. 5340
Chris Panasuk, Secretary
715-234-4998 ext. 5039
February 2017
Important Dates:
February 2nd Parent
Group Meeting
7:45am
February 9th
Daybreak with Dad
7am-8am
February 22nd Jump
Rope for Heart Event
during PE classes
February 24th NO
SCHOOL Elementary
Level Only-Teacher
In-service day
March 7th and 14th
Elementary Parent
Teacher Conferences
March 9th
Morning with Mom
7am-8am
Family Literacy Night
School Store
PBIS Update
2
From the Guidance
Counselor 3
Misc. Information
RCU School Sense 4
Backpack Safety 5
Inside this issue:
Mrs. Springer’s Note:
February 2017
Greetings to Our Families!
We are beginning the second half of the year and that means our students are showing
some nice growth and gains with the mid year assessments they completed. Our teach-
ers met last week to discuss the progress our students are making and strategies we
can use to help them be successful. An important piece, for a child being successful in
school, is for families to actively engage in a child’s learning by reading at home. Stud-
ies have proven that children who read at home perform at a higher level in school. If
your child watches TV at night, you can incorporate reading by turning on the closed
caption feature on your TV so your children can be reading along as they are watching
their programs.
Our third and fourth grade students will again be participating in Junior Achievement
this spring. Junior Achievement is a volunteer-delivered program where students work
to develop work readiness, community awareness, and entrepreneurial skills. We
would not be able to do this without the help of local volunteers who take the time to
develop lessons and work with our students. In addition, without the financial support
of our local businesses, we would not be able to provide the materials needed for the
program.
Free and Reduced Breakfast and Lunch- Each year we ask families to complete the
application and we thank you if you have already completed the form. The Department
of Public Instruction uses the information from our families for more than offering
meals to students. The funding our school receives from the Free and Reduced Student
count also funds our Title I Reading program. The more families that qualify, the more
money we receive to increase the reading services we can provide. This year, Hilltop
was able to add a ½ time reading teacher because we had more families qualify for Free
and Reduced Meals.
Your income information, and whether or not you qualify, is not shared with anyone at
our school. The Food Service Director, Callie Hackel, is the only person in the district
who has access to that information and she does not share it with anyone.
There are two ways to fill out the family form, 1) fill out an application online through
Skyward family access or 2) complete the paper application by going to: http://
ricelake.k12.wi.us/UserFiles/Servers/Server_783167/File/QuickLinks/Lunch/
FreeReducedFormEnglish16-17.pdf If you have questions about Free and Reduced
Meals or if you want a paper copy sent to you, please contact Callie at 715-234-2181 Ext
5184.
Please feel free to contact me if you ever have questions or concerns regarding your
child’s education. We must work together so we can provide the best education for all of
our children.
Regards,
Natalie Springer
715-234-4998 *5340
Family Literacy Night
Thursday, March 30th at
Tainter School
6:00pm—7:30pm
February 21st will be the
Grand Opening of
The Hilltop School Store!!
Store Hours:
Tuesdays 11:30-12:30
THE WARRIOR WAY
Hilltop Elementary students this year have displayed positive behavior by being Respectful, Responsible and Safe through-out our building having turned in 3,440 Warrior Way cards. That means the “Hilltop Ninja Warriors” have had their cards ini-tialed by teachers in the building a total of
34,440 times!
When looking at this number in com-parison to the number of O.D.R. Forms (Office Discipline Referrals), Hilltop stu-dents are 29 times more likely to be acknowledged for displaying positive be-havior than negative. This data shows that we have great students and staff who are working hard to display and encourage the
Warrior Way!
We are also acknowledging students
who have been exceptional examples of the
Warrior Way by posting the pictures of stu-
dents who have filled 25 or
more Warrior Way Cards.
These students will be
known throughout the
building as “Hilltop Ninja
Warrior Masters,” and have
their picture displayed on
the bulletin board outside
the library. In the month of
January, we have had three
students reach the 25 card
mark; Hailee Lindow, Lucas
Roux and Grant Paholke!
Great job kids!
Teasing
Everyone is having fun
No one is getting hurt
Everyone is participat-
ing equally
Conflict
No one is having fun
There is a possible solu-
tion to the disagree-
ment
Equal balance of power
Mean Moment
Someone is being hurt
on purpose
Reaction to a strong
feeling or emotion
An isolated event (does
not happen regularly)
Bullying
Someone is being hurt on
purpose
Repetitive (happens reg-
ularly)
Imbalance of power
Is it Bullying? What is it?
From the Guidance Counselor...
This is a nice reference that I use often with the students at school. Feel free to use
at home if your child comes home and says they are being bullied. Many times it
could be a conflict, teasing or a mean moment. In all grade levels during guidance
we talk about being assertive by standing tall, look the person in the eye, speak in an
important voice to say what you need. If you feel your child is being bullied do not
hesitate to contact Mrs. Springer or myself. We want all children to be safe and suc-
cessful at school. Hilltop 715-234-4998 Mrs. Springer x5340 Ms. Neuman x5223
We LOVE seeing students save at Royal Credit Union School $ense!
Teaching young people to save money on a regular basis is an exciting and rewarding experience for both you and your child. Once the habit of setting aside money for special goals is formed, your child may be ready for the next step in creating a solid financial future – wisely investing a portion of the money saved.
One easy way to do this is by opening a certificate of deposit (CD). The mini-mum amount is only $100. The Royal Credit Union website, rcu.org, has an easy to use Savings Calculator that illustrates how interest rates and time affect savings growth. It’s a fun way for your child to see how their money can increase over time and build a solid financial foundation they can devel-op for the rest of their lives!
The Hilltop Royal School $ense is open every Wednesday from 11:35-12:35 to help your child develop good saving habits.
Our reward this February will be a prize bag randomly awarded to a saver depositing on February 15!
If you have any questions about the Royal School $ense program please contact Jackie Molden at [email protected] or by calling 715-234-3319 ext 6954.
Do you worry about your kids being unin-
sured or are you buried in medical bills or
medical debt? The Wisconsin Coverage Con-
nections Project might be able to help. Call
to have a private conversation with a health
care navigator today! 1-800-472-5522
3rd and 4th Grades
will be swimming on
February 14th from
1pm-3pm...Please
remember a suit,
towel, and plastic
bag!
Daybreak with Dad!
February 9th
7am—8am
Hilltop Gym
Students should bring dad, grandpa, uncle or any other special person to
share a morning snack with.
Backpack Basics
for Healthier Kids
Facts About Backpacks
To Wear it:
• Face the backpack, bend your knees, hold the backpack
with both hands, and straighten your knees to lift it to
waist height.
• Apply one shoulder strap at a time.
• Be sure to always use both shoulder straps.
• Snugly adjust it between your neck and the curve of
your lower back using the shoulder straps (the closer the
backpack is to your body, the less strain it will cause).
To Load it:
• Keep it light – pack only what is needed for the day.
• Place the heaviest objects so they will be closest to
your back.
• Use compartments to distribute the weight and keep
things from sliding.
• Hand-carry heavy books to avoid excessive weight in
the backpack.
• Clean it out daily
Backpack Weight:
If a backpack forces the wearer to lean forward, it is
overloaded and some items should be removed. Carrying
an overloaded backpack can cause discomfort and, over
time, lead to back injuries and other problems.
If the backpack weighs more than 15 percent of the
carrier’s weight, it is too heavy. To determine the proper
maximum weight for a backpack, multiply the user’s body
weight by 0.15. If a heavier load is unavoidable, consider
using a backpack with wheels.
Carrying too much weight or wearing a backpack the
wrong way can lead to:
• Muscle fatigue
• Poor posture
• Painful shoulders
• Back and neck pain
• Injuries from tripping and falling
The Proper Backpack is:
• No wider than the user’s chest
• Worn no higher than the base of the neck
• Worn no lower than 2 to 4 inches below
the waist
• Supported by a waist or chest strap
• Made of lightweight material
A Good Backpack has:
• A padded back
• Several compartments
• Side compression straps
• A waist or chest strap
• Reflectors
• Two wide, padded shoulder straps
How to Use a Backpack
Shriners Hospitals for Children is committed to making sure children stay as healthy as possible and develop good habits. Providing parents and children with some facts about backpacks can help eliminate some potential health problems.
Used correctly, backpacks can be a good way to carry all the books, supplies and personal items needed for a typical school day. Backpacks are designed to distribute the weight of the load among some of the body’s strongest muscles. However, backpacks that
are too heavy or carried incorrectly can injure muscles or joints and contribute to back pain and other problems.
Shriners Hospitals for Children has created a convenient backpack fact card that includes these helpful safety tips and recommenda-tions to protect children’s back and bodies from backpack misuse, along with a word search game kids will enjoy.
To order these fact cards to share in your community, or to download a PDF file to print, please visit our secure online ordering site at shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/education/backpacksafety