Principal Pattiey's Post

We have a couple of important dates coming up, so please mark those calendars!

**Picture Day is Tuesday, September 8!** Remember that Monday is a school holiday, which means we will return from a three-day weekend and jump right into Picture Day. Please help your kiddos come to school Tuesday ready to share those wonderful smiles!

Also, don’t forget about the upcoming **PHEF BBQ & Brew on Saturday, September 19**. This is always a fun community event and an important fundraiser supporting students throughout the Placer Hills Union School District. We hope you will join us, enjoy the evening, and support the wonderful work PHEF does for our schools.

As we settle into the school year, I also want to acknowledge something we all know: **parenting and caregiving may be the hardest—and most fulfilling—work any of us will ever do.** Whether we are raising our children, grandchildren, foster children, nieces, nephews, or other young people who have been placed in our care, the responsibility is enormous. The love is enormous, too—but some days, so is the weight!

None of us begins this work already knowing everything. Our firstborn children are often the brave little people with whom we learn almost everything—frequently through trial and error and, occasionally, the hard way! Just when we think we have figured out one developmental stage, our children grow into another one and hand us an entirely new puzzle.

That is why helpful, trustworthy resources can make such a difference. They may not provide a perfect answer for every child or family, but they can offer ideas, encouragement, reassurance, and a better understanding of what may be developmentally appropriate at different ages.

When I was raising my own three children, my available reading time was extremely limited. I would have appreciated the wealth of podcasts and other listen-while-you-drive, fold laundry, exercise, or make dinner resources that families have today.

I recently discovered a free podcast called **Voices of Your Village**. It brings together parents, caregivers, teachers, and experts to discuss child development, behavior, emotions, relationships, and the wonderfully complicated work of raising children. The episodes cover many different topics, so families can simply choose the conversations that feel useful or relevant to them. It is not about finding one “right” way to parent—it is another resource to add to your toolbox when you need ideas, encouragement, or a reminder that you are not doing this alone.

You can listen for free on:

* [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/voices-of-your-village/id1347757659)

* [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/6u4aGMiShMSDS9OQXzNtiX)

* [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLscDJLDaMXHTeahV6SSEIeRE7OdyKZ2Fe)

Raising children truly does take a village. Please remember that our Sierra Hills staff is part of yours. We are here to learn alongside you, celebrate the joyful moments, work through the challenging ones, and help every little Woodsy Owl thrive.

It Takes A Village.......

Principal Pattiey

As part of our continued commitment to keeping every child safe, PHUSD is asking our school volunteers to complete Mandated Reporter/Child Abuse Prevention Training each school year. California strongly encourages school volunteers who work with children to receive this important training, and we think it is another great way to make sure everyone on our campus has the tools to recognize and respond to concerns about a child's safety. Please use this link to complete the training and the new volunteer form. When finished, save or print your certificate of completion—a digital copy is perfectly fine—and bring it to the office or email it to kbrittner@phusd.org. Isn't it wonderful that we are making sure everyone is looking out for the welfare of all of our kiddos? It takes a village, and thank you for being such an important part of ours!❤️

We are excited to begin a new TK–Kindergarten Recess Docent Volunteer Program—and we are looking for fun, kind, fingerprint-cleared adult volunteers to help make recess even more engaging for our youngest Woodsy Owls.

Recess Docents will play alongside students by leading simple games such as tag, Duck Duck Goose, catch, and other age-appropriate playground fun. Having additional adult volunteers will allow our TK and kindergarten students to enjoy both the concrete playground and the grass area behind the gym.

Each volunteer commitment is just 25 minutes: about five minutes to set up, 15 minutes of playtime, and five minutes to clean up. You do not need to plan a lesson—just bring your energy, encouragement, and willingness to have fun with kids!

We are seeking two volunteers for each weekday shift:

• Before School: 7:40–8:15 AM
  Supports all TK and kindergarten classes.
• Morning Recess: 9:50–10:40 AM
  Supports kindergarten and TK recess times.
• Lunch Recess: 11:15 AM–12:20 PM
  Supports kindergarten and TK lunch recess times.
  
  

Please use the THIS FORM to choose one day of the week and one shift that works for you. You are welcome to sign up for more than one shift if you would like!

To keep this program safe, successful, and consistent for students, all volunteers must be fingerprint-cleared through the school volunteer process. We will begin the program once we have a full cadre of volunteers signed up for every shift.

Thank you for considering this wonderful way to support our youngest students. It takes a village—and a few great recess games—to help our little Owls have a joyful school day!

Our Placer Hills Education Foundation’s annual BBQ & Brew is coming up,

and it is always such a wonderful celebration of our beautiful small-town foothill community!

Please consider purchasing tickets to join the fun. If you cannot attend,

you can still support PHEF by purchasing tickets as a gift for your child’s teacher,

a neighbor, or a friend—or by making a direct donation.

Please help spread the word about this great event, too!

I will be there and hope to see many of our

Sierra Hills families out enjoying a fun evening together.