Elm Hill School Newsletter

Dear Families

What a spectacular year it has been! From day one, our school has been buzzing with incredible learning and big smiles. As your principal, I’ve loved watching everyone dive into new ideas and grow so much. But my absolute favorite part was seeing you build such wonderful friendships and practice being so kind to one another. From playground laughs to exciting classroom adventures, you have shown what a truly awesome school family we are.

Now, summer is finally here! While you’re out enjoying the sunshine and a well-deserved break, I have a fun little assignment for you: remember to read lots of good books, play fun games, and just enjoy being a kid! Whether you’re playing outside, tackling a board game with family, or diving into a great story, make sure your days are packed with laughter and fun.

Finally, a huge shout-out to our rising second graders! You are officially moving on up, and I am so incredibly proud of you. We are all going to miss your bright energy around here so much, but we wish you the absolute best on your next big adventure. Have a safe, happy, and totally awesome summer!

All my best,

Rachel

August 26 - First Day of School for Kindergarten

August 27 - First Day of School for All Grades

If your student has lost an item please reach out to Ryan Seaver at rseaver@ssdvt.org. Ryan is the keeper of lost and found.

"Students spent the month of April learning about different animals and writing an informational piece on them. They then went through the writing process and revised their work adding details to their writing before drawing an illustration. Their work was sent to Studentreasures and turned into a class book called: Animals Of The World. Their published book arrived just in time for ABC count down P-day where parents came in and enjoyed popcorn with their published authors!"

We cannot believe how quickly the end of the school year has come. We have been enjoying our last few weeks of school together with our ABC countdown to summer. We have done so many fun activities like bubbles, making ice cream, nature walks, and having a picnic in our pajamas. We have enjoyed special guest readers and field day, where we were able to run around together and enjoy the dunk tank ! We went on a virtual field trip to the Monterey Aquarium in California and enjoyed a water play day together. We are so glad for all of the memories we have created throughout our time in Kindergarten. We hope you all have a wonderful summer break and continue to read and play during your time at home!

It’s been a pleasure to work with the PreK, Kindergarten, and 1st grade students on their speech and language goals this year! We have seen so much growth – emotionally, academically, and physically. Here are a few things you can do this summer to help your children keep growing:

• Miss Markee (SLP) made a SAPA TV show in 2023-2025, WordTime with Miss Markee. Episodes are educational, usually under 30 minutes, and give ideas for things you can do at home. The first season focuses on letters and can be found on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXAKQN3kkEk&list=PLmgy0tdywuVeGAXj0soGQNyZmCQR3lTac The second season has a different theme each episode, with a focus on vocabulary. All episodes (seasons 1 and 2) can also be found on the SAPA TV website: https://sapatv.cablecast.tv/internetchannel/search?query=markee&site=2

• Join the Facebook group that Markee runs, “Talking is Teaching in Springfield, VT” to see activities happening in our community and get ideas for building speech and language at home.

• Check out the July calendar included here. It has language building questions for every day in July. If your child is returning to Elm Hill School next year, they can bring in the calendar with all the days checked off at the beginning of the school year to get a special prize!

We wish all the students moving up to Union Street School the best!

If your children are not receiving extended school year (ESY) speech services, then we will see them again at the end of August. If they are receiving ESY, then we will see them this summer, July 6–August 7.

We hope your family enjoys the summer break!

Sincerely,

Elm Hill School Speech Team

~Markee Lawrence, MA CCC-SLP

~Kris Pennell, SLPA

~Sanna Schmitt, SLPA

I cannot believe the end of the school year is here! Where did the time go? Our Elm Hill artists have had so much fun creating, experimenting with materials, making new discoveries, problem-solving, and creating art outside with materials from nature this school year.

Creating art is a terrific way to strengthen fine-motor skills, encourage creative thinking, foster emotional regulation and connection, and has great potential to bring joy to one’s life.

Below are some process-based, open-ended art activities for home that focus on the creative process. These artistic experiences are low-risk for children because there is no right or wrong way, which leaves lots of room for children to explore materials freely without as many restrictions that could stifle their creativity. Have fun playing and creating this summer!

Painting & Movement

These activities combine large and small motor movements with color exploration.

Salad Spinner Spin Art: Place a coffee filter or cardstock inside a salad spinner. Drizzle liquid watercolors or thinned paint on top, then spin!

Squirt Gun Painting: Fill water guns with heavily diluted liquid watercolors. Let children squirt canvases pinned to a clothesline outdoors.

Toy Car Art: Tape washable markers or dip the wheels of toy cars in paint. Drive them across a large butcher paper runway.

Science & Art

Combine creativity with simple STEM (Science Technology Engineering & Mathematics)/sensory reactions.

Straw Blow Painting: Place small, separated puddles of liquid watercolor or watered-down paint on thick paper. Have children use straws to blow the paint in different directions, watching how lines cross and mix.

Fizzy Vinegar Drops: Spread baking soda across a shallow tray. Provide colored vinegar in cups with eye-droppers. Children drop the liquid onto the soda to watch chemical reactions bubble and blend colors.

Alternative Tools & Textures

Use alternative tools to inspire new sensory discoveries.

Nature Brushes: Go outside with children to collect pine cones, leaves, twigs, and flowers. Tape them to popsicle sticks to make custom paint brushes.

Foil Painting: Provide squares of aluminum foil instead of standard paper. Have children apply paint, Q-tips, or pom-poms to explore how paint sits differently on a metallic surface.

Bubble Wrap Stamping: Tape large bubble wrap (bubbles up) on the floor. Paint over it, then press paper onto the wrap to create a textured print.

Open-Ended Collage

Build fine motor skills by giving children freedom with loose parts.

Scrap Box Sculptures: Provide a base (like a cardboard tube or sturdy box) and let children use liquid school glue to attach scrap paper, yarn, ribbons, and buttons with no specific goal.

Tissue Paper Bleed Art: Have children rip and/or cut tissue paper into shapes and then place the tissue paper shapes onto heavy watercolor paper. Lightly spray them with a water bottle. Once the tissue bleeds onto the page and dries, have the children peel off the paper to reveal a masterpiece of colors.

Check out the links below for more ideas!

https://mericherry.com/2015/09/28/50-process-art-activities-for-kids/

https://www.friendsartlab.com/the-ultimate-collection-of-process-art-projects-for-kids/

It has been a busy and exciting year in the school library filled with learning, creativity, and fun!

We kicked off the school year with a Scholastic Book Fair and were fortunate to host not just one, but two book fairs this year—one during Open House in September and another during Parent-Teacher Conferences in March. Thank you to all the families who supported these events and helped foster a love of reading.

Scholastic Book Fair - September 2025

Throughout the year, students explored a variety of engaging topics and books. We learned about pumpkins and witches in the fall, turkeys before Thanksgiving, and snowmen during the winter months. We also read and discussed award-winning books, including Red Clover and Caldecott selections.

THANK YOU!

Alanna and I would like to thank all parents/guardians, teachers, and staff for all of your continued support this year. It has been wonderful getting to know many of the Elm Hill students who have visited for their health care needs. 🙂

Medication Pick-Up: Please remember to pick up your student ‘s scheduled/emergency medications from the Health Office by 3 p.m. Wednesday, June 17 (teachers/staff last day of school). Thank you for your cooperation!

Vision/Hearing Referrals: The last of these will be arriving in the mail soon. If your student has received a referral, it is best to check with the Primary Care Provider first. The Provider can do a vision/hearing screening, as well, to determine if your student should see a specialist.

Wishing everyone a relaxing, safe, and healthy summer! 🌞🩴🏊

With Kind Regards,

Mary Jo Christman BSN, RN

Elm Hill School Nurse