Roland Hayes School

Our North Star

“When children and teachers feel engaged, safe, and supported we have room to grow and learn through collaboration and risk-taking with our peers.”

Previous "Community Notes" can be found here: https://www.brookline.k12.ma.us/domain/718

The "Community Notes" is sent every other week. Thanks for reading!

For many, it's the most wonderful time of the year! Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and

las Posadas are here! The new year fast approaches. We hope that however you celebrate, that your time away is filled with abundant goodness and joy.

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PTO Thanks: Grants

Recently, many staff and families received news that their PTO grant had been funded. Thank you!!!! Funding the myriad grant requests – ranging from inclusive play equipment to our spring play to digital countdown clocks in our middle school wing ... and many, many more! – will continue to enhance our work with and for students for years to come.

We thank all of you who support our annual appeal and other critical fundraising efforts in the school. It really matters!

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Our Variety Show - Massive Talent on Display!

Our student performers played to a packed house this past Wednesday; the variety Show is always a crowd pleaser! Our students dazzled with magic tricks, individual and ensemble dances, musical performances (piano, violin, viola and ukulele), and sang pop songs.

60+ performers from pre-K to 4th grade made the event the success it was – imagine the courage it takes to stand before a packed house with lots of parents and classmates cheering you on!

HUGE thanks to the organizers: Annabelle Skalleberg, Ana Maria Ramos, Ardasha and Jon Rittenberg. Your commitment to this joyful event is appreciated!

December attendance statistics are in!

• Our December daily attendance rate is 95%, slightly up from last month; the District average is 94.9 for December, so we are apace with the rest of PSB schools. This data set includes all absences, excused (illness/medical appointment) and unexcused (vacations, no excuse).
• Remember: if you are sick, stay home!
• Grade 7 has taken the mantle with the strongest attendance this month. Grade 8 attendance dipped and now that grade has the lowest rates of attendance school-wide this month.
• Shout out to Kindergarten and Grade 5, both right behind Grade 7 with super strong daily attendance this month. Woot woot!

Here is our data on tardies:

An interesting data point: girls here are less likely to be tardy than our boys. Overall, we still have long daily tardy sign-in lines. This is problematic. The bell rings at 8:00; that is truly when instruction begins. At 8:01, we start logging students as tardy. Please have children to school on time and plan your mornings accordingly. Students can arrive as early as 7:30, so plan to drop students off early to help start their day off right.

When your child is not at school, who notices? We all do! When your child is not at school, they are missed. AND they are missing learning opportunities. Schools is where children grow as whole people, gaining knowledge and strengthening their social development. It is really challenging for kids to make up miss work while also trying to jump back in to ongoing social interactions.

I recently read that many families keep their kids from school because they believe their child is doing well in school. "Bibb Hubbard of Learning Heroes [shared the] misconceptions among many families, with nearly 9 out of 10 parents believing that their child is performing at or above grade level in reading and math. When children appear to be doing well in school, she explained, parents may feel less urgency to prioritize attendance." (via email; December 6, 2024; Sierra Sanchez, Campaign for Grade-Level Reading). Let me reiterate: steady academic growth requires steady attendance, regardless of student achievement levels.

I often get questions from families about how to be more supportive and inclusive in party planning so that all children in the class can attend. Here are some tips!

Question: I’d like to set up a playdate with a friend in the RISE program, or invite them to a birthday party … but I’m not sure how. Help?

As a public school, we welcome all kinds of learners into our fold. Indeed, we take great pride in being the kind of place where each can get exactly what they need. That said, it takes a village and the family community plays such a huge role in being a part of that welcoming vibe. Birthday parties, playdates, outings … each of these moments creates a space where we can invite another kid to join in on the fun. Let’s be real: some of our students need a little extra to join in, especially our RISE students. It might take a wee bit more effort to include students who need extra support, like:

• Reach out to all of the families to ask, “Who needs some extra support in order to have fun at the party?”

• Invite any family of a kid that does need that support to stay at the party even if it is a “drop off” event

• If you are having a birthday party at a location, ask the owners if a few families can come the day before to check out the scene so that they can prepare their child for what’s in store

• Provide as much detail about the event as possible beforehand, so families can preview what to expect with their children

• Use that classroom directory to phone or email the family and ask how you can help the party feel like fun for their kid!

• Invite the family to come a little earlier so they have more time to settle in

• Allow the family to bring their own food, limit their stay, or take a break from the fun other kids seem to be having

• Read this awesome article: Link

The effort will pay off big time for that student who needs the extra tender loving care to fully participate. The effort will also pay off for your child, as they solidify the sense of community they are experiencing and learning about in school. So, when considering who to invite, will you consider making the circle a bit wider?

Read more about RISE and our inclusion practices and hot tips here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rBXecQ_Zu8wlbIm18j3SZlIkwFsP7Ko4VJzJntM_nls/edit?usp=sharing

If you are planning to apply to private schools, please be aware of three things:

• The PSB uses our own forms for the recommendation process. Please send the requests to the appropriate staff via the independents school's portal (ie, Ravenna). That will alert us to your request. We will then use our forms to communicate with the private schools to which you are applying.
• Please provide addressed, stamped envelops to the front office for every school to which you are applying. We will send the completed forms directly to the schools.
• The firm deadline for staff to complete recommendation forms is Friday, January 10th, 2025. After this date, staff will not be able to complete letters of recommendation.

For more PTO news and events, please visit our website:

https://www.hayespto.org/

Did you know we are also on Facebook?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/hayesschoolpto

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Upcycling @ Hayes

Check out the PTO's brand-new (or maybe upcycled...) "Upcycling at Hayes" page! https://www.hayespto.org/upcycle

Before discarding like-new belongings, check with our list to see if someone at Hayes may need them. Follow the steps on the site to find a new home for your items!

When: Sun. Jan 26th

Time: 11:00am-12:20pm

Where: Warrior Ice Arena (90 Guest St, Boston, MA 02135)

Details: Everyone is welcome! The PTO has paid for the rink rental so the skating will be free, but families will need to bring their own ice skates or rent them for $6/pair. There is garage or street parking that families will be responsible to pay for. PLEASE reach out to the PTO (contact@heathpto.org) if any of these costs would be prohibitive. We want everyone to be able to come!

*Garage Parking: 80-90 GUEST STREET GARAGE:

(Access behind building under large Warrior Ice Arena sign. Parallel to Guest Street.$15)

Brookline SEPAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Committee) Summer Camp Fair

January 11 @ the Florida Ruffin Ridley School, 9am-11am

The fair will feature a variety of camp and program representatives who specialize in supporting children with special needs, providing families with valuable resources and opportunities to explore meaningful and fun summer options for their children.

Do you have time over the break for a podcast? Check this one out (recommended to me by a trusted colleague): Harvard Psychologist Shares 6 Words That Will Change Your Family by Mel Robbins. Happy listening!

See you all very soon; again, my warmest wishes this holiday season!

~ Asa

This parcel of land that our school sits upon is a special and sacred place.

Before this place was a Town, before our school was here, before this neighborhood was called “The Settlement” or “Chestnut Hill,” and before this land was a farm, this land was held by the Massachusett, the people Indigenous to this place. The Massachusett were the caretakers of this site, living full lives, raising families, and burying their dead right here. We recognize and honor this history, and seek to create thoughtful land stewards and citizens for generations to come.

As a public school, our primary objective is to ensure access, membership, and participation of all community members in our care; with this land acknowledgment we state our willingness to work towards that vision where all feel a true and abiding sense of belonging.

Roland Hayes School

The Public Schools Of Brookline | A METCO Partnership School

Dr. Asa Sevelius, Ed.D. | Principal

Email: asa_sevelius@psbma.org

Pronouns: he/him

Mr. Kirtan Patel | Vice Principal

Email: kirtan_patel@psbma.org

Pronouns: he/him

Website: https://www.brookline.k12.ma.us/Page/17
Location: 100 Eliot Street, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467
Phone: 617-879-4570