03/15 Kindergarten Field Trip

03/15 FAMILY FUN NIGHT 6:00-7:30 at Helendale - Please join us!

03/20 Music in Our Schools Assembly

03/26 First Grade Fire Safety Presentations

03/27 First Grade Concert

03/28 Report Cards Come Home

03/28 Spring Picture Day

03/29 Spring Break starts

04/23 HR PTA Meeting 7:00 (Zoom link https://zoom.us/j/98755842313)

Our Helendale Women's History Month mural, inspired by Faith Ringgold features student renditions of important and influential women in their life. As we continue to celebrate women, like Faith Ringgold who had big dreams and who created art and made change in her community for girls and women everywhere, we will take time to learn about women in our own families, school, and community who are creative, caring, change makers, and role models.

On March 27 Helendale will be holding our first grade concert. Please note the show for families is now at 2:15. We hope you can join us!

PreK: We are continuing to work on recognizing letter and letter formation. This week we focused on nursery rhymes. We have been counting within 20. We have also been working on patterns and recognizing numbers.

Kindergarten: Our students are working hard to learn about the concept of SUBTRACTION, we are learning to look at a total, take some away and share the number that is left! We are learning to write short narratives and blend cvc words to read independently. We will also introduce digraphs this week! Two letters that work together to make 1 sound (th/sh/wh/ch). In science we will be starting a new unit on weather this month!

First Grade: We continue to work on learning about creature features, and how they use their features in unexpected ways. We are writing informative paragraphs and giving reasons to support the author's main point. In math, we are beginning to add double digits and learning how to draw pictures to represent 2-digit numbers. 4H visited first grade and taught us about Maple syrup. We learned where it comes from and even got to taste some!

Second Grade is working hard in math. Students are making line plots and analyzing measurement data. In science, students have been working on their earth's features maps.

New York State will be one of 11 states in the US which falls in the path of totality for the total solar eclipse, happening April 8, 2024. Please remember, students do not have school on that day. Please see the link below for some ways to enjoy the eclipse.

Please take a moment to provide your input on Helendale Road Primary School. I value your input and partnership as we continue to make HR a wonderful place for students! Please scan the QR code or clink the link to fill out the form.

Many parents ask, “When should I keep my child home from school” This is not always an easy question to answer, we hope the information listed below helps 😊

• Fever (temp of 100 or greater) in the past 24 hours. Child must be fever free and not using fever reducing medication (Tylenol, Advil, Motrin) for a full 24 hours before returning to school.
• Vomiting in the past 24 hours (last episode of vomiting 24 hours prior to return to school).
• Diarrhea in the past 24 hours (last episode of diarrhea).
• Sore throat- that is severe or has fever and feeling ill for more than 48 hours.
• Strep Throat (Must be on antibiotics x 24 hours before returning to school).
• Bad cold, with a very runny nose especially if the nasal discharge is discolored or bad cough, especially if it has kept the child awake at night or could disrupt learning.
• Head lice – until your child has been treated according to the nurse or doctor’s instructions- no live lice present (please notify your school nurse and discuss re-entry procedure).
• Eyes- if your child has crusty, runny, or sticky drainage along with redness to the eye your child may have “pink eye” and will need to be cleared by your doctor before coming to school. (Must be on antibiotics x 24 hours before returning to school).
• Unexplained rash/ rash with fever and itching- Need to see primary doctor and have them write a note that student is not contagious with rash and may return to school.
• Impetigo (honey- crusted sores by mouth or nose), Scabies, Ringworm- need to be seen by the doctor and start treatment following doctor instructions (on medication for 24 hours before school re-entry).

If your child has any of the above, they will need to stay home until the symptoms subside or the doctor says it is okay to return. Sending them back to school while still contagious puts other children and staff at risk of acquiring illness.

If your child becomes ill at school and the school nurse feels the child is too sick to benefit from school or is contagious to other children, you will be called by the school nurse to come and take him/her home from school. It is expected your child be picked up within 30 minutes from being called. Please be sure that arrangements can be made to transport your child home from school and that childcare is available in case of illness. If your daytime or emergency phone number changes during the year, please notify your school nurse or main office immediately. Only people you have listed on your child’s emergency list will be allowed to pick up your student.

Attendance Line: (585) 339-1349

Health Office: (585) 339-1349 or email: azaffuto@eastiron.org

Cold and flu season is upon us. Please read the message from Nurse Zaffuto to know when to keep your child home.

Please make sure to call your pediatrician to schedule a yearly physical if you have not done so already.

New York requires all school age children to be up to date on immunizations. Students have 14 days from the first day of school to have immunizations completed. All children who will turn 5 years of age during the school year will also need to follow these guidelines and have 14 days, starting on their 5th birthday, to have updated immunizations completed.

Please see the attached link and flyer for more information.

If your child needs to have emergency or daily medication here at school, contact the health office for further information. Please do not send any medication in with your child, a responsible adult needs to be present for all medication drop-offs/pick-ups.

https://www.health.ny.gov/prevention/immunization/schools/school_vaccines/

For information on how to set up your parent portal account please visit here: https://eastironcsd-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/sdabreu_eastiron_org/EW9Q2VGlRp1Oh_pd2MLeaEkBeP-7CJMPj4yc0sntrML15A?e=vDusF6

This year, East Irondequoit has provided your student(s) with schools supplies free of charge.

At some schools, pick up and drop off is harder to do than getting tickets for a Taylor Swift Concert! We aim to make it a quick and safe experience for everyone. Please follow the directions below and help us out!

• Students may be dropped off beginning at 9:00 A.M. There is no supervision before 9:00 AM. If a student is dropped off before then, we will contact you and invite you back to pick them up. Thanks for your help with this!

• When dropping off your student, please do not pull into the drop off area until the cars ahead of you pull out. We have had buses unable to turn the corner due to cars blocking the road.
  
  

• Please stay in your car if you use the drop off loop. We are happy to help your student get out and into the building. Do not get out of your car, nor should students open the car doors.

• Do not park on Westchester Avenue by the school (other part of Westchester is ok!) Cars pulling into the drop off area should be coming off of Westchester Ave. and not making U-turns.

• PRE-K - 2nd Graders: We begin the dismissal pick up process at 3:20. Last year, we had the whole pick-up process complete by 3:26. We have a few additional students this year, but the line should still move quickly.
  
  

• Due to student safety and supervision, pickups between 2:45 and 3:20 are difficult and would only be considered on a case-by-case basis.
  

Please let the Office know of early pick-ups with a note or a call in the morning of the pick-up. You may also e-mail hr_attendance@eastiron.monroe.edu

Messaging teachers on talking points or e-mail is great, but because teachers are usually teaching or may have substitutes, a note, phone call, or direct e-mail to the attendance line is much appreciated so we don't miss anything!

Please always have your ID when visiting Helendale. I ask our staff to check everyone's ID, every day - regardless of how well we know you. Please don't take it personally or think it's excessive, I believe this routine is important for consistency and safety.

Please keep toys, trading cards and electronics from home at home. They often get lost, stolen or more often than not traded - and then wanted back! There will be special days to bring these in if you choose to do so, but as a general rule, we ask that they stay at home.

Students are not permitted to have cellphones or electronic devices during the school day. If you would prefer your student have a cellphone/smartwatch etc.. it will need to stay in their backpack for the duration of the day.

There are many chances to be involved at Helendale! The level of commitment is completely up to you! To get started, you may want to join our PTA Facebook page, or reach out to our PTA: helendale.pta18@gmail.com

East Irondequoit Helendale Road PTA | Facebook

We love visitors! All classroom visitors must first be approved by their student’s teacher and sign in at the Main Office with their ID.

You are welcome to have lunch with your student on Fridays beginning 9/29. Please see your child's teacher for lunch schedule.

If you’d like to come on a day other than Friday, we are happy to accommodate, we just try to stick to the Friday routine. Please call the main office if this is the case, no worries 😊

At HR we participate in non-food celebrations for most events. Our school does not support bringing in food-related items for classroom celebrations, with occasional exceptions.

Please keep the following suggestions in mind when offering to contribute to a holiday or birthday celebration in your child’s classroom:

· A craft activity

· Reading with your child’s class

· A book donation in your child’s name for the classroom library

· Colorful pencils or markers

· Stickers or other age-appropriate surprises

We expect all those on school property to adhere to our code of conduct and values - including visitors and volunteers.

Our Code of Conduct Values and expectations are:

· H - Honesty

· E – Empathetic

· A – Acting Safely

· R – Responsible

· T - Thinkers

Violations to the Code of Conduct and Character are addressed on a case-by-case basis.

Email: jlegere@eastiron.org

Website: https://www.eastiron.org/Domain/10
Location: 220 Helendale Road, Rochester, NY, USA
Phone: 5853391330
Facebook: facebook.com/helendaleprimary
Twitter: @helendaleschool