Volume 6 | 20 September 2020
Better Resolution Hillview Hawk
Middle School Newsletter
This Week
Sunday, September 20
One Community Campaign continues here

Tuesday, September 22 
Hillview School Site Council, 3:30 - 5:00 pm, via Zoom

Wednesday, September 23
Standards Based Grading Parent Engagement Event, for parents of students enrolled in Math 6, Math 6B/7A, Math 7, and Math 7B/8, 6:30 - 7:30 pm, via Zoom here

Friday, September 25
Hillview Parent Coffee, "How to Support Your Child During Distance Learning," NEW TIME, 10:00 - 11:00 am, via Zoom webinar format here
Looking Ahead
Sunday, October 2
One Community Campaign through today here

Friday, October 9
PTO Executive Board Meeting, 9:00 - 10:30 am, via Zoom
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Hillview School News
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Dear Hillview Families, 

I hope this message finds you well. This week saw some really positive news for our community. First, we’ve all noticed the welcome change in air quality; we are all literally breathing easier these days! Also, those of you who follow San Mateo County COVID metrics will have seen that as of Tuesday, the state-reported numbers in our county are now in the red tier. The county still remains in purple tier status, but should our numbers stay in the red zone, we can graduate to red, and then a return to modified in-person instruction is possible in mid- to late October. Let’s all stay vigilant and adhere to proper precautions! Finally, it was lovely to host so many of you at our various academy and specialized class Q & A sessions last week.

The key information I want our parent community to understand this week is Hillview’s expectations for off-week learning in literacy, numeracy, fluency (in world language), music, and physical fitness, effective Monday, September 21. These expectations also address a concern we saw in our survey results about how students use their Work Block period. Off-week learning expectations and Work Block time go hand in hand. Many of you will have already received communication from your academy teachers. Please refer to the section below for more details.

Thank you, and be well.

All the best,

Willy
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Hillview Off-Week Learning Expectations

Hillview’s Steering Committee has developed the criteria for off-week learning. Here’s what you need to know:

1) Those classes that require off-week learning are ELA (literacy), math (numeracy), world language (fluency), music, and physical education (activity). There may be times when social studies or science will “host” the literacy; this will be coordinated within the academy.

2) The time commitment for off-week learning will be 30 minutes per day per class (music is the exception, at 20 minutes of practice per day). The expectation for students will be to complete the work daily, but it will be submitted once a week, by 11:59 pm Fridays. This deadline is not to encourage late night submissions, but is reflective of a deadline if a teacher sets a Friday due date in Schoology.

3) Learning tasks will be assigned and awaiting students by the start of their school days on Mondays in Schoology in a folder entitled, “Off Week Work - Week of M/DD - M/DD.”

4) Off-week learning is a requirement, not an option. It will be assessed weekly. The work will be practice, application, or preparation. Teachers will provide clear guidelines so that students can complete the work independently. For the advanced high school-level courses of Algebra 1 & 2, Geometry,
French 2, Spanish 2, and Spanish for Spanish Speakers 3, students can expect new material during the off week.

5) Students should prioritize off-week learning for their Work Block time. If students complete their required off-week learning, they may utilize the remaining Work Block time for on-week homework.
 
Because the coming week is an A week, students should expect the following:
  • GOLD students will have off-week learning in literacy (ELA), music (if applicable), and a daily physical activity log.
  • BLUE students will have off-week learning in numeracy (Math), fluency (if they take a World Language), music (if applicable), and a daily physical activity log.  

A note about physical activity: All students, whether or not they are enrolled in PE this hexmester, will be enrolled in a Schoology course called “Daily Activity Log.” All students, whether or not they are enrolled in PE, will submit their log weekly. For those students enrolled in PE during a given week, they can submit their class activity to fulfill the requirement.

To visualize how a hypothetical 6th grade student would organize his weekly learning, see Moe Hawk’s sample planning template here. Academy teachers are creating templates for their students, and please note that student schedules do vary and your child’s template will be unique to their schedule. Teachers will orient students to these expectations next week, and we will be reminding students daily during Launch of their off-week learning requirements.
Scholastic Reading Inventory

Over the next few weeks, all Hillview students will be taking the SRI, Scholastic Reading Inventory. This online assessment is designed to track student reading growth and progress. Your student will take this assessment at the end of each trimester this year, as they did in elementary school.
Health Screening Flowchart

Many Hillview parents have had questions about what the process will be like for checking for symptoms when students return to campus.

See the district flowchart pictured or a larger version attached here that details our protocol for inquiring parents.
Hillview Site Council Meeting
Tuesday, September 22, 3:30 - 5:00 pm, via Zoom

The Hillview Site Council comprises Hillview parents, teachers, staff, and students.The site council meets monthly to develop and evaluate progress on school-wide goals.

All parents in our community are welcome! Email Karen Dearing, site council chair here, if you would like the Zoom link to join the meeting.
VOTE!

One Community Campaign Principal's Challenge
Click on the video to hear the challenge options!

While raising money is serious business it can also be fun! This year our school principals are inviting the students to vote on what challenge they will do if we hit 60% participation.

Kids: Vote here
We need 708 more families to donate to hit our goal! The suggested donation is $2,000 per child. Give at whatever level you can here.  
PTO News
Each week a staff member will be randomly selected to share a little bit more about themselves so the Hillview Community can get to know them better.

Cathy Garagozzo
Is our office manager and has been at Hillview for 10 years.
 
When not in the office Cathy enjoys reading, gardening, hiking with her husband and her dog Cooper.
 
Favorite Quote: “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.”
Favorite Movie: Mars Attacks!
Favorite Ice Cream: Salted Caramel
Favorite Subjects as a Middle School Student: English

Words of Wisdom for Hillview students: Learn to self advocate, it will serve you well at Hillview and in life.
What you probably didn’t know about me: I used to live in Anchorage, Alaska

One more thing: I really miss my Hillview family during this distance learning time!
 
Programs & Activities
Hillview Service Team
RelayForLife
Hillview Relay for Life
Saturday, October 3, online

The annual Hillview Relay for Life event was cancelled last spring due to COVID-19. Hillview students are now invited to participate in the city of Menlo Park's virtual event on October 3.

Relay for Life may look different this year, but more than ever, cancer patients and researchers need your help to sustain the fight against cancer. 

Register and join Hillview's Relay for Life virtual team here, or to donate to the American Cancer Society as part of the Hillview community. Email here with questions.
Upcoming Service Team events

We are planning a card collection for Cal Fire. Stay tuned for more details coming soon!
Hillview Music & Notes
Before and After School Music Classes

Hillview Musicians and Families, for those students who were unable to fit music into their schedule, the Music Department is offering some additional classes. These will be set up as "clubs" while we are in the distance learning mode.

Jazz Band will be meeting on Tuesday and Friday mornings. There will also be extra classes for the 7/8 Orchestra and 6th Band.
Note that these classes will meet every week until we begin the Hybrid Schedule. 

7/8 Band or 6th Orchestra have the opportunity to create clubs as well. Clubs can be created with a minimum of three students.

Reach out to Mr. Vaughan here with any questions or if you would like to sign up!
Hillview Library
Keep reading, Hawks! 

  • Students can check out four books at a time 
  • Books are checked out for two weeks and can be renewed on the Hillview Library Catalog here
  • Log into the Hillview Library Catalog here with student's username and password (same as PowerSchool and Schoology) and put a book on HOLD
  • Students can have five books on hold at a time 
  • Books can be returned to the Hillview Office and students can pick up new books 
  • Email Aimee Mathenia here if you have questions 
Sora! Hillview's Digital Library 

  1. To get ebooks and audiobooks on Sora
  2. Add Sora app to your iPad here
  3. Log in to Sora first to Explore and Borrow eBooks and audiobooks
  4. User ID: 62+iPad Passcode
  5. Need a video on how to access Sora? Check it out here.
MPSCD News
MPCSD - Phase 1, 2 and 3 Students Prepare to Return

MPCSD is moving forward with a phased-in reopening of its campuses to certain groups of students. The School Board has defined three phases of students:

  • Phase 1 are those with IEP “moderate to severe” level services and a small 8th grade at-risk cohort
  • Phase 2 are those with significant IEP services and Level 1 and 2 EL students who are also low SES in grades 2-5
  • Phase 3 are students in kindergarten and first grade enrolled in the Hybrid model. Phase 1 students are already attending school and Phase 2 and 3 students are scheduled to return on September 28.

The district has messaged directly to affected families about the return process. If you are the parent of a Phase 1 or 2 student and have not received a message from the district, email here. If you are the parent of a Phase 3 student and did not receive the message from the district, you may read it here.

As our county data here improves, we look forward to the possibility of moving into the "red" tier and potentially returning more grade levels without a waiver in the next few weeks. If you have any questions about MPCSD's phased reopening, email here
Hiring Yard Duty

The district will be hiring more yard duty staff at each elementary school. If you would like to join the MPCSD family in this role, see the job posting here. Over the years, many district parents have enjoyed working in this capacity. Check it out!
Community News

CIRCLE, The Center for Informationand Research on Civic Learning and Engagement 2020 Election - Why The Youth Vote Matters Join a conversation with Kristian Lundberg here, researcher at CIRCLE here, to discuss the latest research in youth political engagement, what needs to happen for youth to show up to vote, and what actions we can take to be a more civically engaged generation. This event is free and open to the public, Thursday, October 1, 4:00 pm. Details and RSVP here.  

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