Good evening Hillandale Families,

This is Dr. Hart-Olivis, proud principal of Hillandale Elementary School with this week’s Monday Message.

Hillandale Family, we have a busy week as our teachers and students in all grades continue to work hard to be prepared to close out the academic year.  These upcoming weeks we have a special focus on preparation for the end of grade tests (EOG) in third through firth grade.

Here’s a preview of a few important dates as we close out the academic year:
Tuesday, May 23- EOG “Prep Rally”
Thursday, May 25 - Reading Day (student targeted review day)
Friday, May 26- 3rd Grade Reading EOG
Friday, May 26- 5th Grade Science EOG
Monday, May 29- NO SCHOOL, Memorial Day Holiday
Wednesday, May 31- 3rd Grade Math EOG
Wednesday, May 31- 5th Grade Math EOG
Wednesday, May 31- 4th Grade Reading EOG
Thursday, June 1- 5th Grade Reading EOG
Friday, June 2- 4th Grade Math EOG
Friday, June 2- Read to Achieve assessment (3rd grade)

Tomorrow, May 23, students in third, fourth, and fifth grade will attend a “Prep Rally” to pause and learn more about how to do their absolute best with the upcoming EOGs.  Students will practice strategies to reduce anxiety during testing, strategies to be certain they do their best work on the tests, and how to prepare for Hillandale Reading Day. 

So you know how to support Reading Day from home, Thursday, May 25, our students who will be participating in EOGs will have a comfy study day.  This day allows students the opportunity to review, study, and prepare for the assessments.  Students should bring flashcards with the vocabulary they’ve been practicing, study guides for the subjects, and even old copies of the tests they’ve taken in class to focus on the areas that were hard during the year.  This is a time students can take ownership of their learning, and ask specific questions of their teachers to build their confidence before testing starts.

This year we’ve talked a great deal about proficiency, but let’s look at the area of growth for our students for a moment.   Our English Language Learners grew an extra 7.6 points overall based on this year’s ACCESS testing.  Our kindergarten and first grade classes ALL grew double digits, and one class grew from 0% proficiency to 74%.  This is PHENOMENAL growth that we absolutely must recognize and celebrate.  Thanks to our hardworking teachers and families who support our Hillandale Hurricanes as they learn and grow.

Stay up to date about what’s happening at Hillandale on our school website, hillandale.dpsnc.net and on Twitter and Instagram @HillandalePOWER.  You can also respond to me directly from this email, but your child’s teacher is the best first contact.

At Hillandale we strive for everything we do to be results-focused, data-informed, and student-driven.  We want to empower your child to excel in the academic and social skills required to be a leader in our community.  As always, thank you for your support, your partnership, and most of all, thank you for being part of The Hillandale Family.

At Hillandale we are #HESFullSTEAMahead!