Principal Pattiey's Post

Our Patriot Day ceremony was a beautiful success. I could not have been prouder of our students as they honored our first responders, military members, and all those affected by September 11 with remarkable respect and gratitude. Please see below for photos and highlights from this meaningful morning.

Family-teacher conferences are coming during the final week of September. To prepare, talk with your child about how school is going and jot down any questions, celebrations, or concerns you would like to share. These conferences are a wonderful opportunity for families and teachers to work together in support of every child.

It Takes A Village.......

Principal Pattiey

Our Sierra Hills School PTC is truly the heart of our school community. This dedicated, all-volunteer team works tirelessly behind the scenes to provide the programs and experiences that make Sierra Hills so special—including Art Docent lessons, the Discovery Garden, Running Club, assemblies, family events, the Book Fair, Fall Carnival, staff appreciation, classroom support, and much more.

Through thoughtful fundraising efforts such as the Jog-a-Thon—which has raised more than $111,000 in five years—the PTC ensures that every dollar raised goes directly back to our students, teachers, and classrooms. Their impact is tremendous, but this important work cannot continue without the support of our entire school community. Whether you can volunteer for an hour, attend a meeting, share a skill, donate supplies, support a fundraiser, or simply lend a helping hand at an event, every contribution matters.

Please join us in supporting our incredible Sierra Hills School PTC—because when we support our PTC, we strengthen our school and create brighter opportunities for every Sierra Hills student.

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.

On September 11, 2026, at 8:25 a.m., the entire Sierra Hills student body and staff gathered at the flagpole for a meaningful commemoration of September 11 and to recognize the extraordinary contributions of our first responders and members of the United States military.

Together, we recited the Pledge of Allegiance, sang our National Anthem and school song, and observed a moment of silence in honor of those who have lost their lives or been injured while serving and helping others.

It was incredibly moving to witness more than 350 students stand together in genuine silence, gratitude, and respect for the courageous people who serve our communities and our country. Our students demonstrated tremendous maturity and patriotism, and we could not be prouder of them.

It was a heartfelt and truly memorable tribute.

Our Discovery Garden Is Officially Open! 🌻

On Friday, Amber Ambrahamsen, Jenna Denzin, Lindsey Nefzger, and their very special helper, Henry, welcomed Miss Kay’s second-grade class into our Discovery Garden. Together, they shared their love of gardening and the natural world as students planted seeds, explored the garden, and experienced the joy of learning with their hands in the soil.

It was truly heartwarming to watch our children discover how seeds grow and learn to care for the world around them. Classes will now visit the garden on Mondays and Fridays for 30-minute sessions filled with stories, lessons, exploration, and plenty of little hands in the dirt!

This beautiful outdoor classroom exists because of the extraordinary generosity of our Sierra Hills families and Meadow Vista community. Many of our volunteers worked throughout the summer—and continue to give up their weekends—to transform this space into a living place of learning. We are deeply grateful to our Garden Crew: Jenna and Mathias Denzin, Kelly Altamirano, Julie Garen, Amber Ambrahamson, Jane Doe, and all the families and friends who arrived with shovels, drills, garden gloves, and willing hands.

A huge thank-you also goes to our garden-bed sponsors: The Local Cafe, sponsor of the Sensory Herb Bed; Heat and Air Solutions, Inc., sponsor of the Pumpkin Patch; and MV Bottle Store, sponsor of the Sunflower Bed. We are also delighted to be growing a partnership with the UC Master Gardeners of Placer County, who toured our garden this summer and generously shared their knowledge and expertise.

Our gratitude extends to Dick Sciaroni and Jackie Finley of the First Congregational Church of Auburn. Although they are not Sierra Hills parents or grandparents, they heard about what our children were growing and chose to become part of it. They arrived with a wheelbarrow, garden cart, rakes, and a child-sized workbench that Dick built with his own hands—and then gave an incredibly generous $500 donation. Jackie even shared our garden’s story in her church newsletter, inviting their entire congregation to cheer on our students.

There is now a little workbench in our garden, built by a neighbor’s hands and waiting for little hands to use it. That is what makes our community so special.

Every garden bed, bench, seed, and sunflower has a story of generosity behind it. To every volunteer, sponsor, family member, neighbor, and community partner who helped bring our Discovery Garden back to life: thank you. You built this—and our children will grow because of it. 💚

Garden weekends will be open to everyone, so whether you have a green thumb, a brown thumb, or simply a willingness to dig, we hope you will join us. Mrs. Hoot and our head gardener—who happily works for sunflower seeds—wholeheartedly approve! 🦉🌻

If you are interested in volunteering with the garden club on Fridays, please email president@sierrahillsptc.org