Elm Hill School Newsletter

Welcome Back!

We hope everyone had a restful, fun-filled April break! It is wonderful to see our students back in the halls, refreshed and ready for the final stretch of the school year. With the sunshine returning and warmer days finally here, our classes are already making the most of the weather—enjoying outdoor adventures, exploring the woods, and soaking up the fresh air that springtime learning brings.

The Reading Challenge Continues

Our school-wide reading challenge is still in full swing! We are so proud of our students for hitting our last milestone. As many of you saw, Mr. Otis kept his promise and showed his school spirit by turning his hair bright blue to celebrate that achievement!

Our next sights are set even higher:

• Current Goal: 18,000 pages

• The Reward: A school-wide popsicle party!

Encourage your children to keep logging those pages at home so we can reach this goal together.

Looking Ahead to May

May is shaping up to be a vibrant month on campus. We are hard at work preparing for our upcoming Music and Art showcases, where students will finally get to share their creativity and hard work with all of you. Keep an eye out for specific dates and times coming soon.

It’s great to have everyone back. Let’s make these final weeks of the year the best ones yet!

April 30 - First Grade Field Trip to VINS

May 5 - Kindergarten Arts Night

May 7 - First Grade Arts Night

May 13 - Early Release @ 11:30

May 14 - Off to Kindergarten Night

May 15 - PreK Arts Show

May 20 - PTA Meeting

May 25 - No School, Memorial Day

May 29 - No School for Kindergarten

May 29 - Kindergarten Registration

If your student has lost an item please reach out to Ryan Seaver at rseaver@ssdvt.org. Ryan is the keeper of lost and found.

With warmer weather approaching we just want to remind you of our dress code.

Dress Code:
For PreK through 1st grade, dress code expectations focus on comfort, safety, and independence. Children should wear clothing and shoes they can manage on their own, especially for bathroom use and outdoor play. Since students are active and engage in hands-on learning, outfits should allow free movement and be durable enough for messes. Weather-appropriate clothing is important, as children typically go outside daily. Overall, the goal is to help students stay comfortable, safe, and ready to learn throughout the day.

Quick Guidelines for Parents:

• All children need to have a top that covers their torso, bottoms that are comfortable and allow for easy movement, toileting and activity engagement.
• Shoes that fit all types of activities including running, climbing, woods walks and in classroom learning.
• Dress for active play—running, climbing, and sitting on the floor
• Expect messes—pick durable clothes and pack a spare set if needed
• Provide weather-appropriate gear (sweatshirts, coats, boots, hats, gloves, etc.)
• Avoid clothing with inappropriate images or language, shirts that do not cover midriffs and bathing suits.

If you need support with clothing we have a good supply that has been donated and we are happy to help including sneakers. Additionally, the Springfield Area Parent Child Center in North Springfield and Northern Liquidators in the plaza both have expansive inventory of affordable second-hand clothing.

The children in Ms. Bonnie's prek classroom have been taking a deep dive into the funny and creative world of author/illustrator Mo Willems. We have read his many books and are learning so much about creating stories and pictures. We read: "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" and made a bus out of a large cardboard box. The children love acting out the story and pretending to drive. We also drew our own pigeons and duckling characters by following step by step directions, they came out great! We read: "The Duckling Gets a Cookie" and made a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies. We are so grateful for the warmer weather and to be able to once again enjoy our Forest Fridays. It's our chance to take some breaths and begin to reset from a very, very long and cold winter. We always have fun exploring the woods. We pretended to be beavers and made a dam for the stream, set up a "nature" store, looked for crystals, and turned over logs and to our surprise, found lots of bugs and even a salamander!

What an amazing couple of months it has been in PE at Elm Hill after coming back from February Vacation. Our students have been busy learning volleyball and badminton the past couple of weeks. They have excelled using their hands while striking and catching the ball. And they have been crushing badminton with the racquets. They have done individual matchups and team games. Also, we went to Maple Lanes Bowling Alley in Claremont at the start of the month to celebrate all of our hard work during the bowling unit. Field day is coming soon! Cannot wait! -Mr. Seaver

We have been very busy in Kindergarten lately! We spent some time with Mr. Corey from VINS who taught us about force and motion. We got to do some really cool experiments that had us making predictions and testing out those predictions. Thanks to Mr. Seaver we were able to practice the bowling skills we learned in P.E. at a real bowling alley! We had so much fun bowling! Everyone, even adults, had the biggest smiles on their faces the whole time! With the nicer weather we have been trying to spend a little more time outside. We’ve made obstacle courses and practiced the skills we have been working so hard on in the classroom.

Our little musicians and artists at Elm have been working hard all year to prepare for our Spring art and music showcases! We are very excited to share our artistic endeavors with our families and community, and hope we will see you at the above dates, times, and locations.

For Preschool families: This year’s inaugural preschool music and art show will be a chance to celebrate the creative process and give you a chance to see a day in the life of a preschool musician. Student artwork will be displayed in the classroom, and the two classes will take turns having a special Friday afternoon music class in which families are welcome to attend. This is more of an informance than a performance - a behind the scenes look at what a typical music class looks like for your students.

Ms. Heather’s class will have their music demonstration from 1:00-1:30, and Ms. Bonnie’s class will be 1:30-2:00. Enjoy student art in their classroom during the other time slot.

For Kindergarten families: The students have been working very hard all year long learning songs and rhymes (I’m sure you know from the ones that have made it home!) and are very excited to share a selection of them with you up on stage. Please join us on the 5th to see and hear all the kindergarteners singing together, and enjoy their artwork displayed throughout the school.

Students are encouraged to dress nicely, but there is no specific dress code. Doors to the school will open at 5:45 - students will go directly to their classroom, while families can find their seats in the gym. Seating will likely be tight, with standing room only at the end, so fill in all the seats!

For 1st grade families: As you know, first graders are always on the move! Taking advantage of this fact, 1st graders will be putting on a performance of the many folk dances they have learned in music class this year. Each class will share a dance, and at the end, there will be a gigantic mixer dance that EVERYONE can participate in - all the kids, teachers, families, siblings, EVERYONE!

This exciting event will take place outside on the Elm Hill blacktop. In the event of rain on 5/7, we will hope to do the concert the following Tuesday, on 5/12. There will be some seating available on the blacktop, but families are welcome to bring outdoor chairs or a blanket to enjoy the performance from the hill as well. Students may arrive as early as 5:45, at which point they may sit with their families, their class, or play on the playground - if you choose to let your child play on the playground, you are responsible for their supervision!

Students should dress nicely, but appropriately for moving around and dancing. Closed toe shoes are strongly recommended - flip flops while dancing on the blacktop are not encouraged. This year we will have special live music for the concert, provided by local musicians Naomi Morse, Amy Englesberg, and Emmet McGowan. Following the concert, head inside to view student artwork in the hallways. It should be a very fun evening of singing and dancing and we hope to see

Many families of students in special education may hear about Extended School Year (ESY) services, but aren’t always sure what it means or how students qualify.

Throughout the school year, special educators and related service providers collect data on student progress. This includes paying close attention to how students do after school breaks, when some may experience regression (a loss of previously learned skills). These skills can include academic abilities, communication, fine motor skills, daily routines, and functional life skills.

ESY services are designed to help students maintain the progress they’ve made during the school year. For some students with disabilities, long breaks—like summer vacation—can make it difficult to retain important skills. ESY provides continued support to help prevent this loss of learning.

These services are determined by a student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP), meaning they are tailored to meet each child’s unique needs.

What ESY Services Are Offered?

There are typically two types of ESY services available:

• Half-Day Program:
  This option is ideal for students who benefit from maintaining the structure and routine of a school day. Students may work on communication, social skills, behavior goals, and everyday life skills. The focus is on building confidence and increasing independence both in and out of school.

• Tutoring Services:
  Tutoring is available for students who need support maintaining academic skills. This may take place in a one-on-one or small group setting. Instruction is individualized and aligned with each student’s IEP goals.

ESY provides valuable opportunities for students to continue practicing and maintaining important skills during extended breaks.

If you have questions about ESY or would like to learn more about whether it may be appropriate for your child, please reach out to your child’s special education teacher.

For additional information, families are encouraged to visit the Vermont Family Network website, which offers helpful resources about ESY services. https://www.vermontfamilynetwork.org/

Special Education Team at Elm Hill

We’re happy to share our school is automatically reenrolled in the Hannaford Helps Schools program! The 2026 program will run from April 5 through May 30. During this time, our community can support our school by shopping for specially marked items. For every 4 participating products purchased, shoppers earn 3 School Dollars. At checkout, customers receive a School Dollar printout that they can redeem online and direct funds to our school.

Using Hannaford To Go? With Hannaford To Go, School Dollars are not provided at pickup. Instead, about a week into May and again a week into June, Hannaford will email you a unique code reflecting the total School Dollars you earned in the previous month from qualifying purchases.

To redeem School Dollars, simply enter the unique printout code and store number on the Hannaford Helps Schools website or app, then select our school. Each School Dollar printout also includes a QR code linking directly to the website, making it quick and easy to redeem School Dollars.

Happy Spring! “Hop” into some news from the Health Office…

Time to Go Outdoors and Get Physically Active this Spring!: Check out an article at

healthychildren.org to discover the many ways regular physical activity benefits children, and

how to encourage your child to be more active.

Ticks Are Returning!!: Some tips from the VT Dept. of Health/CDC to prevent tick exposure:

1. Tuck your shirt/socks inside pants when outside.

2. Apply up to 30% DEET Spray to clothing, exposed skin.

3. Check your body/clothing for ticks daily.

4. Shower soon after being outdoors.

5. Call your doctor for any fever, rash.

**For more information about ticks and tick-bite prevention, go to

https://www.healthvermont.gov/disease-control/tick-bite-illnesses.

Sunscreen/Insect Repellent at School: Spring has finally arrived! And with warmer weather, we spend more time outdoors, thus exposing our skin to the sun and many bugs. In order to protect our students’ skin from the sunlight and prevent insect bites, sunscreen and insect repellent will be allowed at school. In fact, a VT law recommending that sunscreen should be allowed in schools to prevent skin cancer became effective in July 2024.

Here are the guidelines:

• Both sunscreen and insect repellent must be brought in by a parent/guardian in its original container; and labeled with your child's name;

• Both sunscreen and insect repellent must be topical and non aerosolized, in other words, not in a spray form;

• Written parent/guardian permission for both products is required;

• Sunscreen and insect repellent must be labeled and stored up and out of reach from children;

• It is best for sunscreen to be applied first, followed by insect repellent. The sunscreen should be allowed to dry as much as possible prior to applying insect repellent.

• Because of the young age of our students, sunscreen and insect repellent will be applied by staff. To this effect, gloves will be available from the Health Office.

**If you are interested in your student having sunscreen/insect repellent applied at school, please drop off either sunscreen and/or insect repellent to your child’s classroom teacher; and please sign, date, and return the form that will be sent home to families soon.** Thank you!

April is Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Month : According to the CDC, one in 31 children are diagnosed with ASD by the time they reach eight years of age. ASD is a developmental disorder that can affect a child’s communication, social skills, and behavior. The number of children diagnosed with ASD has dramatically increased since the 1990’s. To learn more about ASD, diagnosis, therapies, and more, go to https://healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/Autism/Pages/Autism-Spectrum-Disorder.aspx.

National Take Back Day, 2026: If you missed National Take Back Day, 4/25/26, you can still

safely return any unused/ expired prescription medications you may have at the Springfield

Police Station or at Springfield Pharmacy.

Constipation: This is a very common issue among elementary school children. Constipation

can cause urinary incontinence (pressure of the bowel on the bladder) and can interfere with

potty training, since there can be increased discomfort when trying to have a bowel movement

on the toilet. For more information about constipation, see

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-

issues/conditions/abdominal/Pages/constipation.aspx

Extra Clothing, Please! Please continue to send your student to school with a spare set

of clothing each day for all of those unexpected accidents that may occur at school. In the

Spring, there are plenty of wet areas to be found on woods walks and after rain storms. We

have very limited clothing in the Health Office. Thank you!

Have a Fun and Safe Spring

With Warm Regards,

Nurse Mary