Hill Happenings
February 2026
Dear Hill School Families,
February is here, and our intersession break is just around the corner. This Friday, our youngest learners will be celebrating the 100th Day of School! Additionally, the PTO's Little Caesars fundraiser pick-up will take place in the gym from 3:30 to 5:00 PM.
Next week, we’ll wrap up our week with Valentine's Day celebrations before heading into the intersession break. Be sure to check out all the important details in this newsletter about upcoming events and activities.
In an effort to continue spreading kindness and positivity throughout our school, I've created a Staff Shout-Out Form. The link is directly below. This short Google Form can be filled out by anyone, at any time, to recognize something a staff member is doing that makes you smile. Shout-out will be shared with the full staff so we can celebrate each other! I'm so excited to hear the many ways our AMAZING staff is positively impacting you and your family!
We are truly grateful for your ongoing partnership in supporting your children’s education, and we look forward to the continued learning and growth in the weeks ahead. Thank you for all that you do for our school community!
In Partnership,
Mrs. DuPrey
Proud Principal
MTSS Interventionist/Coach
Mid year testing is complete. The students have given so much effort to show what they have learned thus far. It has been rewarding for all of us to see just how far they have come. This time of year is when the teachers and I will analyze the data to make informed decisions about your child’s education. We will work on refocusing their needs and plan our lessons accordingly. We will adjust both math and reading groups in the classroom as well as intervention groups. Although it is a time to celebrate, we know there is much work to be done. We are excited to help all of our students reach their full potential.
Comprehension
Comprehension is the ability to understand and draw meaning from a book or printed work. This includes:
Paying attention to important information
Identifying the main idea
Answering questions
Retelling the story
Using information learned from reading
Think Aloud: When you read aloud to your child, talk
about what you are thinking. It is your opportunity to show your child that reading is a lot more than just figuring out the words. Describe how you feel about what’s going on in the book, what you think will happen next, or what you thought about a character’s choice.
During Reading: Stop every now and then to ask your child to tell you what has happened so far or what he/she predicts will happen. You might also ask for your child’s opinion. “Do you think the character did
the right thing? How do you feel about that choice?” Explain any unfamiliar words. As your child reads, ask questions that start with who, what, where, when, why, and how. If your child does not answer with an appropriate response, redirect by saying, “I think you mean a person because it was a ‘who’ question,” then
restate the question. After you read a few pages, ask, “What do you think will happen next?
Counselor's Corner from Mrs. Demo
This month we celebrate Valentine’s Day and showing love and kindness towards each other. I will be visiting each classroom and talking with the students about showing kindness and respect towards others by being an AntiBully. Students will learn how they can be “upstanders” and stand up against meanness and bullying behavior. A great way to be an AntiBully is to show kindness towards others. “Random Act of Kindness Week” is celebrated February 15th- 21st, while we are on intersession. Check out the website: www.randomactsofkindness.org and see how many acts of kindness you can do, not just over intersession, but every day!
(810) 591-0842 or mdemo@davisonschools.org
Music Notes from Miss. Drinkert
Hello Hill families! There have been many wonderful things going on in the Music/STEM room! Kindergarten and 1st graders are learning how to build block code through code.org; 4th graders are reviewing code.org (and teaching me about it along the way)! 2nd and 3rd graders are working on an engineering unit in STEM right now. In music, we’ve all recently learned a hello song in Spanish called “Hola Niños”! (3rd/4th Grade Spring Concert) Our 3rd/4th grade concert will be on Tuesday March 17th at 7 pm (students need to arrive no later than 6:40)! Entitled “What Music Means”, our 3rd and 4th grade concert will explore the ways that music is tied into creativity, history, storytelling, and other art forms. Students with speaking parts/instrument parts will be taking home a participation form next week, which needs to be signed and returned by Friday, February 13th. Here is the link to our YouTube practice video playlist (for your kids to practice for fun at home)! *PLEASE only use these videos/recordings for practice. We are performing kid-friendly/elementary versions of “Bye Bye Bye” and “7 Years” (do not use the original recordings). Feel free to email me with any questions or concerns at mdrinkert@davisonschools.org All of our concerts are hosted at the Davison High School Auditorium (PAC), and students are asked to dress in their “Sunday best” (no distracting hats/headwear). Feel free to dress in green for this concert! MMEA Honors Choir Participation and T-Shirt Donation/Sponsorship Opportunity: Davison has the privilege of hosting the Michigan Music Education Association (MMEA) Region E Honors Choir once again this year on Saturday, March 21st and Sunday, 22nd! 3rd-5th grade students from Genesee, Huron, Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, Sanilac, St. Clair, Tuscola, Washtenaw, and Wayne counties will be able to make music together, learn from a guest conductor, and make new friends. MMEA is hoping to make student participation more accessible for families by seeking out sponsors/private donations for concert t-shirts (we’re estimating about 150 student participants—business sponsors will be featured on the concert t-shirts/through advertising at the concert). There is absolutely no pressure to donate or sponsor, and a donation is not required for participation! If you would like to contribute at all, you can do so at this link . 3rd and 4th graders who expressed interest in participating in the honors choir will be taking home an informational letter about the event and registration (parents/guardians are responsible for registering their students online). (We’re already learning some of the honors choir music for our OWN concert, to make things a little easier)! If your child is interested in being in the honors choir and did not get an informational letter, let me know so that I can get you the information! Thank you, Hill families, for all of your support and making Music/STEM an important part of your students’ lives! Musically yours, -Ms. Drinkert
PE News From Mr. Whitman
We’re off and running in a new year in PE class! During the month of January, we completed our volleyball and striking unit. Students worked on serving and bumping skills. We also used badminton racquets and lollipop paddles to practice hitting badminton birdies. Third and fourth graders were able to play a few games of volleyball to wrap up the unit.
As we transition into February after intersession, we will begin a bowling unit. Please remember to send appropriate shoes on PE days so students can participate safely!
-Mr. Whitman
jdwhitman@davisonschools.org
Library Corner
Hello from the Library!
We had a busy January. The kids read and discussed books about snow, the northern lights, and a fiction/non-fiction combination book about penguins. We read and talked about Groundhog's Day too, so that we could make our predictions ahead of time. The kids also made awesome Northern lights pictures for our library window.
In February we will be reading and learning about Valentine's day and President's Day.
As usual we will not be checking out books the week before intersession. Please help your child/children remember to return their books before break. Thank you for your help with this!
Looking ahead: We will be having another book fair in March. Please keep an eye out for more information on dates, times, and volunteer opportunities.
Happy Reading!
Melissa Tersigni
Watch D.O.G.S. (Dad's Of Great Students) is back at Hill Elementary! Please be sure that you have a valid volunteer application and sign up following this link- https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4EADAD2BA3FFC70-58722170-watch
