Week of 1/16/24

 Something Personal 

This week was quite hard, and I am confident that there will be tough days going forward. Thank you for being there for the Barton's, for one another, and for our larger community. There is not another school that does its work with such love.

As always, please reach out if you are in need of ANY support. 

Something Professional 

CBT Simulation Overview 

Thanks to all of you who had a hand in our CBT Simulation today. This was a great experience that will provide us with all we need to be organized and prepared for the actual CBT exams. 

A few reminders and notices that you can help with: 

• Student loaners need to come from command center, not the library. Message them if that need arises.
• If a student needs to move rooms, please call the office and we will move them. 
• Text (remind) the command center when your students have submitted. Wait for the all clear once you message them.

Guidelines for Cold Weather

Please follow the following guidelines.  When considering whether or not to take students outside, you should follow the “Real-Feel”, which would account for the wind-chill.

Green: 40 and above: Good to go.

Yellow: 39-0 degrees (use caution). Single digit feel like temp., please be very careful with this. Please contact the office before deciding to go out.  

Red: 0 degrees and below, No outdoor activity at all. 

CIA Next Tuesday

Please find location, strategy, and assignment for our next CIA meeting. Please let me know if you do not see your name or you have a repeat. 

Week of 1/8/24

Something Personal 

Thank you for all of those who participated in the staff meeting on Tuesday, and an extra thanks to those who shared some goodies with us. For those interested in checking out the resources shared at each session, check it out: 

Sticky Teaching: Learn more here!

Zones of Regulation: Learn more here!

Executive Functioning (thanks to Dr. Rudd!): Learn more here!

Tier 1 Interventions: John has various texts--see him if you'd like to review. 

Move and Learn: Learn more here!

Something Professional

From the Business Office

 Jim Barrett is having office hours for QUEST staff on 2/12 , 1-3 pm. Interested in discussing anything paycheck related? Taxes? Business office processes? Feel free to swing by! 

Staffing Swap

Just a heads up, we have officially confirmed that Annie Yensan will be doing Reading Recovery next year. A huge thanks to Judy for her time and commitment to our students. 

Week of 1/2/2024

 Something Personal

Resolutions or Habits? 

When I walked into the gym this week I was greeted by a gym full of new members. For those that frequent gyms, you come to expect the gym to be flooded with new members each January, all with the same goal as all of us: to be our best and to feel good. Gym or not, many of us start the near year filled with hope and inspiration, and we ride the wave of those emotions as we build resolutions; inspiration aside, the grim side of this is that only 9% of people actually achieve their resolutions! That doesn't feel too promising...

So what, then, is the solution? Many have suggested that we look at our habits. We are, after all, the sum of what we habitually do. What's the one habit you can try to build this month? Once you've mastered it, what could come next? And then what? Habits, which can be small behavior changes, can stack and, over time, you will be well on your way to achieving the life you desire.

Building habits is a thoughtful, strategic way to grow yourself, and a real incredible model for our students to see. 

Feel free to check out the article: Habits

Something Professional 

From HR/Business Office (updates)

click here!

Construction

Thank you for your patience, and a big thanks to Jim and Jess for their flexibility as a construction company works on the gym's air system. Speaking of which, please be aware that on Monday morning, there will be a large crane lifting items to the top of the school. They are set to leave by 8:15 am, however, please be aware that this is taking place should you see it on your ride in. 

Erin's Law, Bivona Schedule 

Bivona will be returning to our district this new year. Our school is slated for the dates and time below. Please note that these are grade level cohort assemblies (minus K who is doing in their classrooms). Please arrive to the aud. by the listed time, and use your math partners to divide students for these two sessions. 

With Miss Tippy

Tuesday

February 6 QUEST 9:00-9:55 Grade 4 Aud 10:-10:55 Gr 6 aud 1:00-1:55 Gr 5 aud 2:00-2:55 Grade 3 Aud

February 13 QUEST 9:00-9:55 Grade 4 Aud 10:-10:55 Gr 6 aud 1:00-1:55 Gr 5 aud 2:00-2:55 Grade 3 Aud

With Carla 

Thursday

February 1, LESSON 1 QUEST 9:00-9:55 Grade 2 Aud 10:-10:55 K- stanford Rm 233 12:00-12:55 K-Dibattisto Rm 220 1:00-1:55 K- Shurtleff Rm 251 2:00-2:55 Grade 1 Aud

February 8,  LESSON 2 QUEST 9:00-9:55 Grade 2 Aud 10:-10:55 K- stanford Rm 233 12:00-12:55 K-Dibattisto Rm 220 1:00-1:55 K- Shurtleff Rm 251 2:00-2:55 Grade 1 Aud

Enchanted Learning

Just a heads up for planning purposes, for the 24-25 school year, Enchanted Learning will not be offered as BOPCES isn't offering it for purchase any longer. 

Staff Meeting, CIA for 1/9/24

What: Choose Your Own Adventure (sign-up in the How)

When: 1/9 at 7:50 am

Where: Meet in the cafe. After the warm up, you will head to the session you signed up for. 

How: Sign up for your session here!

Overview: 

Preventing Slips and Falls

 

Week of 12/18/23

 Something Personal 

Wishing you and yours a fabulous break and a promising New Year! 

Something Professional 

DEI Staff Meeting for 1/23: 

On 1/23 we will have our second district organized staff meeting around DEI. Last year we did community circles, and this year we are doing breakout sessions based on an instructional strategy (that supports DEI). We need you to express your interest in breakout sessions. Please fill out the survey below so we can get it organized! 

CLICK HERE TO FILL OUT THE FORM!

Team Tre--Ordering extended until this Friday

As many of you know, this past spring the Barton Family learned that Tre, Michelle and Neil's son, has a cancerous mass growing in his brain.  He started chemo and radiation in May and just finished another treatment this week!  Please show your support for Tre and the Barton Family by purchasing a TEAM Tre t-shirt. Let's make this a great fundraiser for the family or one of the many local organizations supporting the family during this time.🤍

Tips when ordering... Enter your own address when you reach shipping so it matches with your billing address. Then in the comment section list your connection to the family (ex - Greece CSD Paddy Hill, Greece CSD Facilities, Hilton CSD Quest, Family, Neighborhood, etc.) as this will help us get shirts to the right location. The link will be open till 12/15 and shirts will arrive early to mid January.  Please reach out to anyone below with questions. Thank you for your support! 

 

Save the Date! 

From Jess Pignato for those Interested! 

Week of 12/11/23

 Something Personal 

I currently have the pleasure of co-leading a book study with the extended cabinet based on the book Radical Candor. Although this book has a heavy emphasis on leadership roles and how radical candor becomes a useful tool to communicate as a supervisor, there is a ton of carry over to the work we do with one another, as well as how we communicate in general with our students, our families, and one another. 

The book breaks down four types of communication: 

Radical candor (a warm demander would use radical candor, no??), which is the goal when communicating, occurs when you have a lot of care for the other person, and you intentionally make a lot of emotional deposits, but you can also be honest and direct regarding what you need. When you have to challenge, you are honest yet never make it personal. 

To learn more about radical candor, check out the video below: 

I'd encourage you to chew on this idea and consider what radical candor might look like within your job. 

Something Professional 

Student Action...Let's GO!

NEW Tues 12/19 Deadline for Girlbucks Slime Orderss

 Kayla Shaw and Lucy DiBattisto run a little non-profit called “Girlbucks”. They are selling customized homemade slime as stocking stuffers for the holidays.  All proceeds go to purchasing food for the Hilton Cadet Cupboard.  Below is the order form for slime. Please give cash to Kristen and either print out the order form or email her the details by the end of the day on Tues 12/19. All orders will be brought to school by Fri 12/22. There are so many choices!

 

Holiday Breakfast: CIA Reminder

When: Tuesday, December19th at 8 am

Where: Café 

What: Staff Holiday Breakfast...all are welcome! 

Link to sign up: CLICK HERE!

Need-to-Know:Most people enjoy warm items so consider a breakfast pizza, a casserole, or a quiche.

Please bring an empty mug for coffee, juice, tea, or cocoa.

MTSS Consultation Data

Current MTSS problem solving meeting data: 

Total Forms	27
Level Breakdown	K: 2 1-2: 11 3-4: 5 5-6: 9
Gender	M: 17 F: 10
Reasons	SEL: 8 Academic: 11 Screening: 4 504 Request: 4

From Office of Instruction

Interventionists will begin putting goals and progress monitoring data for some students into e-doctrina.  This will trigger emails to those associated in IC with those students.  Attached is a tip sheet for how teachers can set up a rule in their email to automatically route the eDoctrina notification emails to an email folder set up for this purpose. This would keep the emails from cluttering anyone's inbox but would also make them available to teachers who have the student on their roster. 

Week of 12/4/23

 Something Personal 

One of the harder conversations to have with our own children is that life can be really hard, quite unfair at times, and down-right tricky. Stress is everywhere and is there for the taking. But despite that, and with so much out of our control, we still can choose gratitude, happiness, and joy! Joy...this time of year that word pops up a lot! 

This week I stepped away for one day--just one day--and returned to my office looking like the elves workshop. I can be the Grinch, or so I've been told, but it was great how the fun of others quickly became my joy and laugh for the day. A place where we can have some fun and find some joy is the kind of place I want to be. 

Choosing joy is hard sometimes, but our learners provide us with the perfect example of what this can look like. As a building, and as a larger culture, I admire how we find time to play, joke, and take great care of one another. To me, that is joy--as wild as this month can be, I hope you find plenty of joy and laughter. It's there to notice! 

Something Professional 

Team Tre

As many of you know, this past spring the Barton Family learned that Tre, Michelle and Neil's son, has a cancerous mass growing in his brain.  He started chemo and radiation in May and just finished another treatment this week!  Please show your support for Tre and the Barton Family by purchasing a TEAM Tre t-shirt. Let's make this a great fundraiser for the family or one of the many local organizations supporting the family during this time.🤍

Tips when ordering... Enter your own address when you reach shipping so it matches with your billing address. Then in the comment section list your connection to the family (ex - Greece CSD Paddy Hill, Greece CSD Facilities, Hilton CSD Quest, Family, Neighborhood, etc.) as this will help us get shirts to the right location. The link will be open till 12/15 and shirts will arrive early to mid January.  Please reach out to anyone below with questions. Thank you for your support! 

 

Bivona Lessons (SEL)

Due to staffing issues at Bivona, lessons this year will not be held during health (minus one K room where we had to fit it in). The schedule will be shared out in the near future. 

Highlighting Students (IB)

Last year, we began a project to identify students within the district who exemplify the IB learner profile traits (inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open minded, caring, risk takers, balanced, reflective).

If you teach or know of a student who embodies one or more of the learner profile attributes through actions inside or outside of school, please contact Steve Cudzilo or Grace Scism so we can reach out to the student and family and highlight them!  Students would be highlighted with the posters you see hanging in the security entrance.  We hope to receive enough submissions that we can rotate these posters on a quarterly or semi-annual basis.  Thank you for helping us to highlight our students.

“Incredible things can be do​ne simply if we are committed to making them happen.”

-Sadhguru

Stephen Cudzilo

IB Middle Year Program Coordinator

Hilton Central School District

Remind? 

For some reason, those that were on Remind last year, and part of our Lead Learners class, did not all get transfered over this year. If you are not getting the reminders from me, and you would like to, please use the link below to join the class. 

CLICK HERE TO JOIN!

Furniture Reminder

If you have not done so yet, please fill out this spread sheet. Gracias! 

Click here to fill out!

 Vertical Teams

When: 12/12/23 @ 8 am

Where: QUEST Cafe 

What: We will go into our vertical teams, but before that, we will be taking a survey for our SIT team on communication and volunteerism. 

Need-to-Know: The One School One Book group will be using this time to form an additional adhoc group, so if you are interested in joining them, feel free to peel off of your current group to support their efforts. 

Another Need-to-Know: At SIT this week, it was discussed that TA's sometimes want to be part of this work. Please know this is open to anyone as the goal is to serve our incredible school. 

SIT Update

• SIT reviewed that we are in the process of working on budgets. Make sure your team and department is represented at the meeting in January! See last post for details!
• We are moving up the timeline for schedules this year. Our goal is to have the building schedule complete by the end of March, so that level leaders and interventionists can have a shot at building classroom schedules that fit with interventions and tier 1 instruction. 
• SIT unpacked the parent/family survey. Our hope is that we get a good number of staff also complete the survey. From there, we will share best practices, our findings, and our actions going forward. In the words of Brene Brown, "clear is kind!" 

Week of 11/27/23

 Something Personal

This is your brain on deep reading! This podcast was shared with me this week from one of our lead learners, and it was quite fascinating. Check it out! 

Something Professional 

Lockdown FYI

Next week we will have an unannounced lockdown.  

From our friends in tech

This week, Remind announced that they were joining the ParentSquare family. In the email Remind sent to communicate this, they shared that nothing would change for users, with RemindHub continuing to operate as usual for customers. Following the announcement, we reached out to our Remind representative and will continue to communicate with them regarding any implications for 2024-2025. 

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In alignment with other district account settings, we will be updating the password requirements for staff Infinite Campus accounts on December 14. Passwords for Infinite Campus will need to be 14 characters and will be required to be changed every 180 days. 

 

If your Infinite Campus password isn't currently 14 characters and/or hasn't been changed in the past six months, please log into your account and update your password. A tip sheet on how to do so can be seen here. If you don't do so by December 14, you will be required to change your password when first logging in on December 14.

 

If you need further assistance changing your password in Infinite Campus, please submit a ticket in incidentIQ ticket here. Thank you for your continued support in protecting student and staff data. 

Testing Dates! 

Budget Heads Up 

On January 19^th at 8 am we will have our official budget meeting. Because we do not have a formal management team due to the changes in SIT, please have a department or level representative plan to join this meeting in order to speak on behalf of the team. Mrs. Pickering, who is cc’ed on this email, is our BOE member assigned to our budget team and may be joining us if she is free (welcome, Nancy!). Like the past five years, we will review the requests that you have made for your level/department, talk about it as a group, and then will use that meeting to create our budget for 24-25.

A few need-to-know items:

• Here is the link to fill out your requests; please have this filled out a week before the January 8th: CLICK HERE FOR BUDGET FORM  .  Level leaders will be adding this to the agenda prior to this date!
• I will be sharing the budget expenses, by level, with level leaders at our meeting this Friday. If you do not have a level leader, please swing by to see Paula on Friday to get the amount (department).

• Our budget for this year will be frozen January 1. This mean spending should be in to Paula prior. On January 1, all money will go to a common line and we will make any larger, school-based purchases. In the past, we have purchased some larger items for levels and teams with remaining funds, so please know it’s okay to not spend it all…it gets put toward the common good.

From B and G 

Hilton Central School District

 

2023 Guidelines for Holiday Decorations

_________________________________

 

 

 

 

Holidays are a wonderful time of year!  

 

 

 

 

During this season of celebration, it is important to maintain the safest possible environment for our students, visitors, and employees. Please follow the guidelines below as you add your individualized touch to your classrooms or offices.

  

•        No combustible materials in stairways

•        Do not cover doors, or vision panel windows in doors with decorations

•        No more than 20% of walls in hallways can be decorated

•        No more than 50% of any classroom wall can be decorated

•        No decorations within 10 feet of an exit door

•        No decorations on or near safety devices such as: fire extinguishers, fire alarm pull switches, horn/strobe fire alarms, exit signs, emergency eyewash or safety showers, emergency lockdown switches, fire suppression systems.

•        Do not hang anything from the ceiling

•        Keep exit routes and exit doors clear and unobstructed

•        Do not block or cover electrical panels  

•        No open flames or candles

•        No heating devices or extension cords

•        No combustible products on unit ventilator – heating system

•        All electrically operated holiday decorations need to be visually inspected by your building custodian or a district maintenance staff member prior to use

•        No holiday lights up longer than 60 days as they also are considered temporary lighting by OSHA

•        Christmas lights must be UL approved, and light strands should not be strung together

Tech Update

FOMO?  Have you said "why didn't I know about that tech tool"? Do you wish you had signed up for one of the Tech ELITE (Empowering Learning in 1:1 Tech Environment) Classes?  There's still time that you can complete two 3.75 hour classes for ½ an in-service credit.  Starting now is one of our most popular classes, ELITE Webinar Choice Board. Where you get to choose from several curated videos to make your own learning path.  Starting in March is Tech Tools for retrieval practice, brain dumps, spacing, interleaving and other science-based ways to learn and retain information.  Also starting in March is Level up Learning with Library Digital Resources. Go to Frontline and sign up for them now.  

Week of 11/13/23

 Something Personal 

There will be no blog on the short week next week. Please know that there are so many kids, families, and colleagues that are grateful for you. I'm grateful to work with each of you. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! 

Something Professional 

Report Cards

Report cards get posted to parents on 11/22. The window closes on 11/20! 

Furniture Needs

We have some money to replace some furniture, however, our goal is to have  Please have this spreadsheet filled out for your room by 12/3/23. Click on the link, find your room, and share the current state of 

click here to fill out regarding condition of your furniture

MTSS Update

• We have officially closed out cycle 1. Thank you for your timely inputting of data in order to help the team form groups for the next cycle.
• K lab has officially started! 
• The next cycle begins after Thanksgiving. Interventionists will be reaching out to share new groups and to discuss scheduling--some of this has already begun.