Sportsmanship

Hollis Grade School has earned the IESA Division F Sportsmanship award in 2014-2015 and in 2015-2016.

sportmanship (n. spawrts-muhn-ship) 
playing fair, taking a loss or defeat without complaint, not gloating when winning, and treating opponents and officials with courtesy, generosity and fairness.

Why should we develop sportsmanship at our school?

People who use the 7 Habits show good sportsmanship!  It promotes and teaches ethical behavior.  Sportsmanship is the most important concept and value of interscholastic sports.  It promotes fair play, respect and the importance of following the rules.

Good sportsmanship can help elevate the public perception of your school within its community. Good sportsmanship offers positive reinforcement for extracurricular activities.

It conveys the expectations that a school has for its students, coaches, parents and fans.  It helps coaches, students, parents and fans learn self control, respect and treating others the way they wish to be treated.

Proactive Coaching

• Your child (student) will follow your example, not your advice.
• Parents and coaches constantly send powerful messages to athletes and those messages should not conflict.
• Players who have had their skills identified and praised early in their life, but have not been held accountable to the same rules/standards as others on the team learn that their skill level leads to special treatment.

Taken from Illinois Elementary School Association Sportsmanship Spotlight, Volume 2, Issue 3

Five Essentials Parent Survey

Hello Parents,

In order to best serve the children at Hollis Grade School, we ask that you take a few minutes to fill out the Five Essentials Survey.  You can access the survey by clicking on the link below.

Five Essentials Parent Survey

The survey gathers data related to five indicators that can predict important student outcomes, including improved attendance and larger test score gains.

These five indicators that affect and predict school success are:

·         Effective Leaders

·         Collaborative Teachers

·         Involved Families

·         Supportive Environments

·         Ambitious Instruction

All Hollis parents need to take this survey to assist in school improvement.  Please take the survey by January 16^th. 

We won't know how to continue school improvement unless you provide us feedback.  Thank you for taking a few minutes out of your busy day to complete the survey.  

Have a great day!

Mr. Jones

Strong Study Habits

How can you make sure your child studies effectively?

Set your child up for success by helping them find a distraction-free study spot.  Have them come up with a study routine and use Habit 3:  Put First Things First.  For instance, they could reserve time each evening to review their textbook and notes in the days leading up to a quiz or test.

Have your child teach their stuffed animals, dolls, or toys what they are learning.  It may sound silly for 5th - 8th grade students, but being able to teach the material ensures that our students have mastered the material.  Visually or audibly recording the study session when teaching their toys may help as well.  Working on flashcards once a week will drill and fill your children's needs for mastering math facts.  They all need repetition with adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing.

Many students find it helpful to jot down a purpose each time they study.  Your child might write:  "I will learn the definitions of all the boldfaced words in chapter 7, section 1."

Finally, encourage your child to experiment with study strategies to find what works best.  They could close their eyes and imagine how a word is spelled or draw a grid with 9 squares to solve 3 X 3.  Or they might find it easier to spell or recite math facts aloud in rhythm or to a familiar tune.

Hollis will continue to work hard to improve the instruction and learning.  We will always have high expectations and standards for all of our students here at HGS. Thank you for all your assistance and support at home.  We are all on the same team and need to continue to Synergize!

Resources for Educators, 
a division of CCH Incorporated
128 N. Royal Avenue
Front Royal, VA 22630


  

Home and School Connection

What kind of conversations about school are you having with your children at home?

Here are four conversations that will help you stay involved.

"Let's see what you brought home."

Look at completed work to find out what your child is learning and how well he or she is doing it. Check Teacher Ease, our student information and data system for missing homework or the quality of your child's homework.  Respond to your child's teacher with emails, or notes if you are not into electronics.  Sign their weekly folder or daily planner to ensure parent, child, teacher communication.

"Show me what you have for homework."

It is your child's job and responsibility, but you play a role too.  Make sure your children know what they are supposed to do by having him or her explain it to you.  You may be surprised to find out they are confused on what is being asked of them from their teachers.  After homework is complete, look it over to see if it is finished.

"Describe a book you enjoyed today."

This gives you an idea of what topic or subjects your youngster prefers and enjoys reading.  Encourage their reading and listening skills by reading aloud and letting them read to you.

"Tell me what you learned that you'd like to know more about."

Use your child's interest as talking points to share.  If they like geometry, you might do tangrams together.  If they are fascinated by how animals adapt to winter, take them to the library to research the subject, do a Google search, or go to the zoo to see live animals.

Share victories!  What was the best part of your day?  Did anything happen that wasn't good today?  Kids like to know what went well with their parent's days too!

Getting your kids to communicate with you will only help you stay involved in what they are doing in school.  Research shows that supporting your child's education at home is even more important today.

Taken from Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated
128 N. Royal Avenue
Front Royal, VA 22630
www.rfeonline.com

The process for parents to contribute ideas about Hollis School's Leadership Culture

Hollis Grade School has implemented the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People into its curriculum.

At Hollis, we want our students to be Leaders for Life!

Please share a testimonial of how your child's leadership has grown since Hollis has embedded the 7 Habits into its culture.