Hall-Dale School District

Dear Parents of 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students,

Please watch your child’s backpack for a bright yellow SPARK packet. SPARK,  (Strategic Plan for Arsenic Research in Kids), is a collaborative project between Columbia University and the University of New Hampshire. Working with the elementary school, we are in the process of recruiting families to participate in the study for the 2010-2011 academic year.
WHY? In this area more than half of the wells have higher than acceptable levels of arsenic.  Columbia is collecting data from 500 families to see if there is a correlation between arsenic in well water and children’s abilities in New England. Anyone who participates will receive a free well test that reports 22 possible contaminants.  New this year, we will have field kits that will approximate arsenic levels during the home visit!

Municipal water systems are required to test the water supply regularly to ensure that arsenic levels do not exceed the EPA’s cutoff level of 10 parts per billion. However, private well owners are responsible for testing their own wells and may not be aware of the importance of testing regularly.

The project is conducted in two steps—a home and a school visit.  During the home visit, Carol Ladd (former MCS German teacher), meets with a parent to interview and take some water samples and toenail clippings from the participating child.  At school, the child is given the WISC-IV intelligence test and parents will receive the results within 2 weeks .
In addition to the free water test results, participating families receive guidance about how to treat problems with private wells, if necessary and a full report explaining the child’s intelligence assessment, a project t-shirt, and $25 for participating. You will be asked to return the yellow card to school to indicate your interest.

If you have any questions please contact Carolyn Ladd at Carolyn.ladd@unh.edu

Dear Parents and Caregivers of all Hall-Dale Elementary School Students,

Welcome back to school!  Can you believe our summer vacation is over?  Our school community has grown quite a bit since June.  Hall-Dale Elementary School has 408 students enrolled. As always, our goal is to help all the children of the Hall-Dale School community to experience the greatest level of school success, satisfaction, and growth they possibly can.  Over the summer months our staff has been preparing to help each student maximize their academic and personal potential.  The Hall-Dale community is fortunate to have an elementary school staff that goes out of their way to help each student achieve to their greatest potential.

As has been done in the past, on the first day of school teachers will greet and collect students outside on the school grounds to make the transition into school as smooth as possible for both the students and the parents.  We recognize that it will be difficult for some parents to leave your student(s) with us.  We are committed to ensuring the safety and security of all students.  In the past parents of Pre-K and Kindergarten students have been allowed to walk their students to class.  We ask that you support your student(s) walking down to their classroom on their own as soon as possible, preferably within the first few weeks of September.  As of the beginning of October it will be expected that all Pre-K and Kindergarten students will independently walk down to their classroom on their own.

Last year, we developed a more comprehensive and clear discipline system for our school.  Please make sure to read this section of the handbook carefully and go over it with your student(s) as it has changed.  We will also make sure to have the classroom teachers go over this with their students at the very beginning of the new school year. 

Another change is in our attendance practices; specifically students will receive a warning for the first three late arrivals to class or school during each trimester.  After the third late arrival a parent meeting will be set up to make a plan to insure that the student in question will be able to report to class or school on time and to prevent habitual truancy from occurring.  Also, if your student is tardy to school, please walk your student into the office to let us know why they were late. This will allow us to record the most accurate reason for the tardiness and to insure that we mark the tardiness as excused or unexcused.

Please complete and return the forms enclosed in this packet as well as the forms included at the end of the handbook, such qthe School/Student/Parent Agreement and the various permission forms, as well as the Free and Reduced Lunch form.  The Free and Reduced Lunch form is particularly important to our school as that is the way that we qualify for federal, Title 1 funding.  We ask that if you qualify or not to please review the form and sign it.

Finally, I want to thank the combined efforts of the Hall-Dale Elementary School’s PTO and RSU #2’s Maintenance and Facilities Department for installing the swing set from our former school.  The expansion of the younger students’ playground is just one example of the effective partnership we enjoy with the families of our students.  We look forward to continuing to develop this partnership throughout the school year.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the handbook or any of the changes to our discipline or attendance practices please feel free to call the school or come in and see me. 

In service,

Thomas R. Leonard

2010-2011_concert_dates.docx

Inst._music_letter_.doc

Hall-Dale Youth Soccer_Registration Form

Newsletter_April_2010.pdf

FREE BOOK! Be Well: Messages from Moms on Living Healthier Lives is a collection of stories compiled by the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. The book showcases moms who are working to establish life-long, healthy habits in their kids with the hope that their stories will inspire other parents to help their children establish healthy eating and exercising habits. Intended to be a resource for parents everywhere, Be Well is available at no or low cost in physical and digital form as well as in English and Spanish.

Hall-Dale Elementary School to hold a H1N1 Flu Clinic for its Students on January 13th, 2010!

There will be a H1N1 Flu Clinic on January 13th, 2010 at Hall-Dale Elementary School.  If you want your child to receive the H1N1 vaccine please complete the attached 2010 H1N1 Vaccine Record and Consent Form and return it to school before the day of the clinic.

Children 9 years old and younger who have not received H1N1 vaccine in the past will need two doses of vaccine given to be sure they are fully protected from the H1N1 virus.  Current data suggest that children six months to nine years of age have little to no immunity to the H1N1 virus.  The second shot is to help boost the body’s response to fight off sickness.  Maine General medical Center is again assisting our school by offering a booster H1N1 vaccination or first doses for children who missed earlier clinics.

There will be no charge for the vaccinations your child receives at school.  The vaccine clinics are specifically meant for children who attend Hall-Dale Elementary School.

At the Barnes and Noble book fair this year everyone has the opportunity to purchase “Cheesecake Factory” cheesecakes & carrot cakes from the Barnes N Noble Café and a percentage of the sales from the cakes will be given to HD Elementary School.  These are the most incredible cheesecakes!  If anyone has ever had the pleasure of dining at one the Cheesecake Factory restaurants around the country…it is a wonderful experience.  Attached is a flyer, which describes this information in a little more detail along with an order form.  Remember…this is a great dessert to order for your holiday gatherings!  If you have any questions, feel free to contact Jen Bechard at the number on the flyer.

School districts are being asked not to schedule second dose clinics for H1N1 at this time.  Now that many schools have completed the first dose clinics, there are other high risk populations that need first dose vaccine including pre-school/day care children.  There is no maximum time limit for second dose influenza vaccine (either seasonal or H1N1).  The Maine CDC is in hopes that supply will eventually meet demand, but to date Maine has received only 60% of what was originally allocated.

When and if we are granted the opportunity to hold a second dose clinic, we will let parents know as soon as we do.

Hall-Dale Elementary School PTo invites you to the Barnes and Noble Book Fair on Wednesday, December 9th, 2009 from 1-7 pm.
Enjoy an afternoon and evening of fun with activities like a scavenger hunt with prizes and story times with Hall-Dale Elementary School Staff.
You will have an opportunity to pre-order Cheesecake Factory Cheesecakes for the holidays and get your gifts wrapped too. 
Also, all all-online purchases between DEC 9TH AND THE 13TH will benefit Hall-Dale students as well, so please make those wish lists now.

A percentage of your Barnes and Noble purchases will benefit Hall-Dale students too!

parking_ciricle-letter-Nov09.doc

November 09 Lunch Menu & important Dates