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

springern@ricelake.k12.wi.us

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 jackie.molden@rcu.org 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