From the Principal S Desk s4

Hussey School News March 2017

From The Principal’s Desk Hussey students in grades 3 - 6 are being tested using a new standardized assessment system (Maine Education Assessment). The test will cover math, reading and writing. The new assessment system will involve students using school computers set up in the library. The testing window is from 3-20-17 to 4-11-17. We will start testing promptly in the morning. It is paramount that all students eat breakfast, get a good night’s sleep and arrive at school on time. Additional information will be sent to parents as we near the start of testing. This past month we held our PBIS assembly to celebrate perfect attendance, PAWS-itive slip count and discipline referrals. Part of the assembly included the Hussey Student PAWS Counsel role playing what being determined looks like in class. GREAT JOB! Our overall school attendance was 92%. We appreciate your effort to get your children to school every day and on time. Lastly, our students earned 1,105 PAWS-itive slips in the month of February. Way to go Hussey bears!

Mr. Alexander

Counselor’s Corner Spring is in the air and the students are enjoying the time they get out on the playground during recess! With spring comes the state wide annual testing for our students in grades 3-6. Testing brings out lots of different feelings for everyone involved. As the adults in the building, we contend with not only schedule changes, but with the training and administering of the tests. For students testing time can create test anxiety, differing levels of stress as well as feelings of pressure to do well. Some helpful hints to make this time a little easier include getting plenty of sleep, drinking lots of water and making sure to have a healthy breakfast and snack. A great way to reduce stress levels is to exercise and remember to use the 3 B’s (Break, Breathe, Brain). The next few weeks of testing will go by quickly! Any extra support you can give your child during this time is not only helpful, but important. I also need to mention that the testing cycle will bring about several changes in my schedule as well, as I have several responsibilities during this time period. At this time, I do not have the details; however I will be available, as much as I reasonably can be. Please do not hesitate to call or email me with any questions or concerns. I can be reached by phone at 626-2461 or email: [email protected]. Attendance: Please remember to call the office if your student is going to be absent. All absences must be verified and if you do not contact the school, your student will be marked as unexcused. Under Maine law, a student who is 7 years or older is considered habitually truant if the student has accumulated 7 full days or 5 consecutive days of unexcused absences during a school year.

Pre-K Registration Time! Please call the Gilbert office at 626-2491 if you would like to register a child for Pre-K for the 2017-2018 School Year. To enroll in Pre-K your child must live in Augusta and turn four years old by 10/15/17.

Kindergarten Registration Time! Please call the Hussey office at 626-2461 if you would like to register a child for Kindergarten for the 2017-2018 School Year. To enroll in Kindergarten your child must live in the Hussey attendance district and turn five years old by 10/15/17.

AMAZING HUSSEY PTO

The PTO is an amazing part of the Hussey community. Listed below are some of the events and activities the PTO has recently sponsored: 1. Read-a-thon 2. Hussey Pride Card Sales 3. Hussey lobby book cart

Upcoming events 4. School visit with author Lynn Plourde- March 8th 5. PBIS rewards assembly with MAD Science of Maine 6. Spring family fun dance - March 31

Our students have access to these wonderful opportunities because of the PTO. If you have not been involved in the PTO, it is never too late! You may not be able to make it to the monthly meetings, but volunteering during these events can be just as important. The next PTO meeting will be held on: Thursday, March 9th, 2017 at 6:30pm.

Nurse’s Notes I hope you all enjoyed a great February break! Please remember to continue to send kids with coats, boots, snow pants, hats and gloves/mittens. We have a very limited supply of extra items here at school. If you are unable to provide your child with cold weather gear, please let me know. This is the time of year when we start to see a lot of illness. Please encourage washing hands with soap and water, coughing into elbow, eating healthy, and getting plenty of sleep. If your child has a fever, vomiting, or diarrhea they need to be kept at home until symptoms have resolved WITHOUT medications for more than 24 hours. Parents of kindergarteners and 1st graders, please continue to send extra clothing in backpacks- it is a big help! It is helpful if you check your child’s head for lice at least once per week. Making it a habit of checking every Sunday is a great way to identify and treat lice as soon as possible. As always, please call with questions or concerns. Ashley Stevenson, RN, BSN 626-2461 ext.3857

FYI - INEXPENSIVE & EFFECTIVE HEAD LICE TREATMENT * Go to your drugstore and buy Cetaphil cleanser in the soap department. It works by coating the lice and suffocating them. * Apply the Cetaphil cleanser throughout the scalp to dry hair. * After all the hair is wet, wait 2 minutes for Cetaphil to soak in. * Comb out as much excess cleanser as possible. * Blow dry your child's hair. It has to be thoroughly dry down to the scalp to suffocate the lice. Expect this to take 3 times longer than it would if the hair was just wet with water. * The dried Cetaphil will smother the lice. Leave it on your child's hair for at least 8 hours. * In the morning, wash off the Cetaphil with a regular shampoo. * To ensure all of the eggs have hatched and the cycle is broken, REPEAT this process twice in 1 and 2 weeks. * The treatment can be 97% effective if you follow instructions accordingly!