From Your Principal:

Holland Hill’s main concern is the safety of all.  Please read and follow the attached
letter that reviews our Drop Off and Pick Up rules so that we will all have safe
and peaceful beginnings and endings to every school day.  Also, please review the
attached letter regarding appropriate footwear for recess.  Thank you all for your
support in following through with these safety precautions

This Week…
Tuesday     Talent Show Rehearsal 3pm
Thursday    Volunteer Appreciation Night/PTA Meeting
Friday       Talent Show Rehearsal 3pm
School Store
Talent Show Dress Rehearsal
Saturday    Talent Show,  St. Thomas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Safe School Climate

April 24th  7:30-9:00pm
RLMS 689 Unquowa Road, Fairfield CT 06824, FREE EVENT, PLEASE RSVP - ptac.hsfc.ct@gmail.com
PARENTS: SAFE SCHOOL CLIMATE PLAN – Andrea J. Leonardi, Director of Special Education
and Pupil Services, Fairfield Public Schools.
Learn how Fairfield’s new Safe School Climate Plan changes the “bullying” conversation
from,  ’What do we do when bullying occurs?’ to,’What can we do to prevent it?”
Q&A session to follow presentation.
THIS PRESENTATION MAY BE ATTENDED BY PARENTS OF ANY GRADE STUDENT, KIDS NOT IN ATTENDANCE
or PARENTS WITH STUDENTS IN GRADE 3-6, KIDS WILL ATTEND THE ABC WORKSHOP
STUDENTS GRADE 3-6: ANTI-BULLYING CLASS (ABC) WORKSHOP – Dr. Marion Mocha, Child
& Adolescent Psychiatrist, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, University of CT
School of Medicine
After a brief introduction in the auditorium, students will be brought to the “Team
Room,” for an informal workshop where students will get the opportunity to discuss
how mean behaviors effect everyone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HH Volunteer Appreciation Night
Thursday, April 26th
YOU ARE INVITED TO HOLLAND HILL’S VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION NIGHT!
The Teachers and the PTA would like to invite you to Volunteer Appreciation night
on Thursday, April 27th at 6:30PM  in the APR!

Who is a Volunteer?  A volunteer is a Mom, Dad, guardian or someone special who
has helped in any way with or at Holland Hill events, such as in the library, on
a field trip, at the book fair or spring fair, and on and on.  Even if you have
came in once and read a book to your child’s class, you are a volunteer–and we
want to thank you!  So if you can make it Thursday evening at 6:30pm that would
be great–the teachers have worked hard to put this together for us.

There will be FREE babysitting and immediately following the volunteer reception
is our April PTA meeting. Hope you can join us for both events!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Talent Show Tickets On Sale This Week!

Hurry, hurry, hurry!  Step right up to buy tickets to the greatest show of the year:
Holland Hill’s 15th annual Talent Show!  Tickets will be on sale at Holland Hill
on Wednesday evening from 6-7pm, and again on Thursday and Friday mornings from
7:45-8:15am.  Tickets will also be available for purchase at the show, which will
be held at Saint Thomas Aquinas, 1719 Post Road in Fairfield, on Saturday, April
28 at 2pm.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2012 Memory Book

The 2012 Holland Hill Memory Book is being sent to the printers this week!  It features
pictures of every child, every class & every teacher PLUS lots of fun photo collages
of Holland Hill kids.  Students will get their Memory Books in June ~ just in time
to collect autographs from friends and teachers.  This year we will keep the lowered
price of $15 and it’s once again being printed in full COLOR!

Please note, there was no “early bird” sale this year, so f you are wondering if
you ordered one yet this year, you didn’t!  Don’t wait.  There are a limited number
of books being printed and once they are gone, they are gone.

To reserve your copy of the Holland Hill Memory Book, complete the attached
order form
and return it with payment via your child’s backpack in an enveloped marked “PTA/Memory
Book” as soon as possible. Questions?  Contact Elizabeth Arkay-Leliever elizabetharkay@gmail.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fairfield County Children’s Choir

The Fairfield County Children’s Choir is now scheduling auditions for its 2012 -
2013 Season. The FCCC is a community based choral program open to boys and girls
in grades 4 – 12. Since 1995 we have offered professional instruction in vocal technique,
choral skills, music theory and great repertoire. The FCCC rehearses in Fairfield
on Wednesday evenings from September – May. The music staff includes the following
Fairfield Public Schools music educators: Jon Noyes, Lisa Bettke, Kevin Cotellese
and Donna Beatty. To schedule an audition, call 203-414-4292. For more detailed
information on the choir, including sound files, visit us online at www.SingFCCC.org.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Holland Hill Running Club

Tuesday, April 10 – May 30
Is your child a  3rd – 5th grader that likes to run?  Come join the PTA sponsored
HH Running Club every Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday mornings at 7:30 AM, starting
Tuesday April 10  thru the end of May.   We will meet in the gym for a short warm
up and then its outside to run (or walk)around the school until 8:00 AM.  If you
are interested, please fill out the attached waiver and send it in to the PTA Box
- Running Club.  We must have a signed waiver before your child can participate.
Please make sure to eat a good breakfast before and bring a water bottle!!!  Any
questions, contact Dana Tavella at danatavella@gmail.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Buy a Brick – deadline EXTENDED!

Deadline:  April 30th
Now through April, you can buy a piece of Holland Hill! For just $50, you can have
your child’s name and graduation year (or any message you want–maybe you have a
favorite teacher you’d like to dedicate a brick to? Or perhaps you would like your
family name? The possibilities are endless!) engraved on a brick to be placed in
a path outside of the garden. Buying more than 1 brick? Any additional bricks are
just $40 each! Don’t delay, click here 
to buy your brick(s) today!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hands-On Cooking Demo

Tuesday, May 1st   3:15pm
Tuesday May 1st in the APR from 3:15 pm to 4:00pm, Whole Foods Market and Fuel for
Learning Partnership are sponsoring an after school program for Holland Hill students
and parents. Come learn some interesting ways to prepare the Vegetable of the Month:
Eggplant! This is a hands-on demo with samples so come ready to try some delicious
and nutritious food!  Reservations are required to be sure there are enough samples
to go around! Email Linda Soper-Kolton @lsoper123@gmail.com to attend; make sure
to note how many children you will be bringing. Parent volunteers are required
in order to have the demo so please let me know if you plan on attending – no cooking
skills required!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

High Achieving/Gifted
Parent-Teacher Presentation

Tuesday, May 1st

Dr. Monita Leavitt will be making a presentation on meeting the needs of K-8 high
achieving and gifted students on Tuesday, May 1 at 7:00 p.m. at Roger Ludlowe Middle
School.  This will examine the relationships of potential, opportunities, support
and motivation in helping all children to attain high achievement.  This presentation
is brought to us in partnership with the Connecticut Association for the Gifted.
Please see the attached flyer for further info.

Hope you can join us!

Anna Cutaia Leonard

Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

25th Annual Pete Carroll Road Race

Saturday, May 19th
Attention all 4th and 5th Graders!
It’s time to register for the 25th Annual Pete Carroll Invitational Road Race! The
race will be held on Saturday, May 19th at 10am to kick off the Holland Hill Spring
is in the Fair event.
The race is open to boys and girls in the 4th and 5th grade. All participants will
receive a medal and trophies will be awarded to the top three contestants in both
the girls and boys categories. All participants who pre-register by May 9th will
receive a tshirt.
Please click here to fill out the registration form
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spring Fair Planning

Fair Date:  May 19th

Spring Fair Planning has started; however we are still in need of volunteers for
pieces of the fair. This volunteer work is prepping for the fair. We are looking
for volunteers to help in the following areas:

*          Game Prizes
*          Theme Contest
*          Poster Contest
*          5th grade dunk tank volunteers.

If you are interested in volunteering in any way please contact Yasmine Osman (yosman@aifs.com)
or Stephanie Cress at Stephcress@optonline.net)! This is a great event that requires
a lot of volunteers to help make this a fun day for the HH community.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HH Parent/Teacher Party

Friday, June 8th
SAVE THE DATE!
HOLLAND HILL’S PARENT/TEACHER PARTY
with Mr. Arnone!
PENFIELD PAVILLION
More information to come!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HH Night @ Bridgeport Bluefish Game

Thursday, June 14th

Holland Hill Night @ The Bridgeport Bluefish

The 5th Grade will sing our National Anthem!

Thursday, June 14, 2012 – 07:05 PM

Lancaster Barnstormers @ Bridgeport Bluefish

Tickets will be on sale after April vacation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Capri Sun Packet Recycling

Holland Hill is starting up a RECYCLING program for CAPRI SUN PACKETS. There is
a box in the APR to collect them. Please deposit EMPTY packets in the box and we
will recycle them and earn $$ for Holland Hill. You can also send empty packets
in from home via backpacks in sealed plastic bags. Please help up collect a TON,
Save them from a landfill, and Support Holland Hill!!!! If you have any questions,
please contact Jenn atjmhill22@yahoo.com.

From Your Principal:
Wonderful things have gone on throughout each week since our last Howler was published.
During the past months, we’ve had many special whole-school events.  March was Nutrition
Month, and it included a week of events. We had breakfast for all one morning and
a whole school Walk to School Day! Our Jump Rope Club was full of energy and enthusiasm,
and we.ve also had many grade-level field trips and extraordinary classroom celebrations.
All of these events help to make the year special for our children.

I speak for all of the staff at Holland Hill when I say that we know these wonderful
things happen because of all the time and energy our families put into volunteering
at our school. We are a special community and the  entire staff appreciates all
that you do to make things happen at Holland Hill. We hope to honor your spirit
of volunteerism on April 26 prior to the PTA meeting that night.

“Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and
world better than you found it.”

This quote from American lawyer and social activist Marian Wright Edelman sums up
how important your support of the learning process is to your children. Education
is a partnership between home and school. We all thank you for continually doing
all you can and for doing it for as long as you have. By maintaining our understanding
of the importance of this partnership, we’re able to work together to make a difference
for our children.

Our conference days are always a major part of the month of April. (We have them
this week on Tuesday, April 10 and Thursday, April 12-both days are Early Dismissal
Days.) These conferences represent the culmination of the efforts of the important
team that I spoke of above. It is a time to celebrate the successes that our children
have made and help them to continue throughout the remaining months of school, and
a time to reflect on the areas that will need attention during the upcoming months.
This is also a time when many of us start to think of the year to come. Thank you
for remembering to focus your conference on the work at present. Know that your
child’s teacher is aware of your child’s needs and will take them into consideration
when looking to the year ahead. Remember that we do not accept requests for placements
and that we strive to create balanced classes. We are so fortunate to have fabulous
teachers who work to meet all of our children’s needs.

Have a wonderful week.

Mr. Arnone

This Week…
Monday     Talent Show Rehearsal 3pm
Tuesday     Early Release – conferences
Thursday    Early Release – conferences
Friday       Talent Show Rehearsal 3pm

News from the Lunchroom
FAIRFIELD SCHOOL SYSTEM REJECTS PINK SLIME MEAT
This week’s Daily Fairfield features an article about pink slime and the Fairfield
Public School lunches.
click here to read article

New Elementary Progress Report
Fairfield Public Schools will be utilizing a new elementary school progress report
in the 2012-2013 school year.
Teachers from across the district have been working on a draft of the revised progress
report. Please join us at this meeting to provide feedback on the proposed standards-based
elementary progress report.

Please see attached flyer for more info.

Seeds of Enrichment
Deadline:  Tuesday, April 10th
Final day to register for Spring 2012 Seeds of Enrichment (SOE) is approaching.
The deadline for registration is Tuesday April 10.  Please note the corrected Yoga
class in the attached brochure. Yoga will be offered on Thursdays and Cheerleading
on Fridays.  Final Student counts need to be provided to class instructors prior
to April vacation.  If the minimum student registration is not met by registration
deadline, we will have to cancel those classes!  Please register on time and select
a date to volunteer (we also cannot run the classes without parent volunteers)
The confirmation/reminders will be emailed to you the week before classes start.

Talent Show DVD
Deadline: Monday, April 16th
Hurry Up & Order Your 2012 Talent Show DVD!
We are currently taking pre-orders and don’t want you to miss out on this great
momento.  Click here for order form.

Town-wide Book Drive
March 26 – April 10
Our school is participating in the yearly town-wide book drive sponsored by the
Fairfield Kiwanis Club.  This year’s collection dates are March 26-April 10.
Last year, the Fairfield Kiwanis Club collected 8,100 books for infants through
Grade 8.  They were donated to Connecticut Read to Grow which annually gives out
over 100,000 books to families in need.
You and your child may help by bringing in gently used books and put them in the
collection bin in the front hallway by our front door.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Holland Hill Running Club
Tuesday, April 10 – May 30
Is your child a  3rd – 5th grader that likes to run?  Come join the PTA sponsored
HH Running Club every Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday mornings at 7:30 AM, starting
Tuesday April 10  thru the end of May.   We will meet in the gym for a short warm
up and then its outside to run (or walk)around the school until 8:00 AM.  If you
are interested, please fill out the attached waiver and send it in to the PTA Box
- Running Club.  We must have a signed waiver before your child can participate.
Please make sure to eat a good breakfast before and bring a water bottle!!!  Any
questions, contact Dana Tavella at danatavella@gmail.com.

Save the Date!
Thursday, April 26th
April 26th is our annual Volunteer Appreciation night before the PTA meeting 6:30-7pm!
Have you volunteered in your child’s classroom? What about for the Book Fair, HH
Heroes, Howl-O-Ween dance, the kid’s tag sale or any other HH-sponsored event?
If you have volunteered in ANY way this year at Holland Hill (even being a mystery
reader) then the PTA would like to thank you! Please join us Thursday April 26th
at 6:30PM for a “thank you” reception and the PTA meeting to follow. As at all
of our meetings, we’ll have free babysitting; look for sign ups next week!

Buy a Brick – deadline EXTENDED!
Deadline:  April 30th
Now through April, you can buy a piece of Holland Hill! For just $50, you can have
your child’s name and graduation year (or any message you want–maybe you have a
favorite teacher you’d like to dedicate a brick to? Or perhaps you would like your
family name? The possibilities are endless!) engraved on a brick to be placed in
a path outside of the garden. Buying more than 1 brick? Any additional bricks are
just $40 each! Don’t delay, click here to buy your brick(s) today!

Spring Fair Planning
Fair Date:  May 19th
Spring Fair Planning has started; however we are still in need of volunteers for
pieces of the fair. This volunteer work is prepping for the fair. We are looking
for volunteers to help in the following areas:
*          Game Prizes
*          Theme Contest
*          Poster Contest
*          5th grade dunk tank volunteers.
If you are interested in volunteering in any way please contact Yasmine Osman yosman@aifs.com or Stephanie Cress at Stephcress@optonline.net This is a great event that requires a lot of volunteers to help make this a fun day for the HH community.

Holland Hill Night @ The Bridgeport Bluefish
Thursday, June 14th
The 5th Grade will sing our National Anthem!
Lancaster Barnstormers @ Bridgeport Bluefish
Tickets will be on sale after April vacation.

Capri Sun Packet Recycling
Holland Hill is starting up a RECYCLING program for CAPRI SUN PACKETS. There is
a box in the APR to collect them. Please deposit EMPTY packets in the box and we
will recycle them and earn $$ for Holland Hill. You can also send empty packets
in from home via backpacks in sealed plastic bags. Please help up collect a TON,
Save them from a landfill, and Support Holland Hill!!!! If you have any questions,
please contact Jenn atjmhill22@yahoo.com.

I

This Week…
Tuesday     Talent Show Rehearsal 3pm

Holland Hill Running Club

Is your child a  3rd – 5th grader that likes to run?  Come join the PTA sponsored
HH Running Club every Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday mornings at 7:30 AM, starting
Tuesday April 10  thru the end of May.   We will meet in the gym for a short warm
up and then its outside to run (or walk)around the school until 8:00 AM.  If you
are interested, please fill out the attached waiver and send it in to the PTA Box
- Running Club.  We must have a signed waiver before your child can participate.
Please make sure to eat a good breakfast before and bring a water bottle!!!  Any
questions, contact Dana Tavella at danatavella@gmail.com.

RTM District 8 Public Meeting

Monday, April 2nd
Tonight, your District 8 Representatives on the RTM will be holding our annual “Mini
Town Hall Meeting”  at the main branch of the Fairfield Library @ 7PM.  It will
be a great opportunity for you to come down and let us know what concerns you about
Taxes, the 2013 Budget, or anything else that happens to be on your mind. Help us
do a better job in representing your interests.

Advertise & Support Your Children

Thursday, April 5th
DEADLINE EXTENDED TO:  Thursday APRIL 5
Wish Your Child ‘Good Luck!’ or Advertise Your Business!
The 2012 Holland Hill Elementary School Talent Show invites you to promote your
business, or to congratulate or acknowledge the accomplishments of a talent show
participant by purchasing ad space in our complementary souvenir program. In past
seasons, the Holland Hill Talent Show has attracted hundreds in audience. Proceeds
from ad sales go directly to offsetting contracted services and other costs associated
with organizing this show.  Click
here to download the details.  Don’t miss the deadline, send in your order BY THURSDAY!!

Name the Spring Fair!

Deadline:  Thursday, April 6th

Put your thinking caps on and name our spring fair! The winner will receive 20 tickets
to go towards fun at the fair. All entries must be submitted by Thursday April 6th
fill out the attached flyer. Your ideas will drive the fair theme and prizes!

Good luck J Any questions please contact Yasmine Osman Yasminepta@yahoo.com or Stephanie
CressStephcress@optonline.net
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seeds of Enrichment

Deadline:  Tuesday, April 10th
The Spring 2012 Seeds of Enrichment (SOE) programs are now open for registration.
There are several new classes this session, details are listed in the attached
brochure and on the HH website.   The deadline for registration is Tuesday April
10.  Please select a date to volunteer to keep this program running.   Please print
the registration form attached or from the website and carefully review all of the
program details.  The confirmation/reminders will be emailed to you the week before
classes start.

Town-wide Book Drive

March 26 – April 10
Our school is participating in the yearly town-wide book drive sponsored by the
Fairfield Kiwanis Club.  This year’s collection dates are March 26-April 10.

Last year, the Fairfield Kiwanis Club collected 8,100 books for infants through
Grade 8.  They were donated to Connecticut Read to Grow which annually gives out
over 100,000 books to families in need.

You and your child may help by bringing in gently used books and put them in the
collection bin in the front hallway by our front door.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Buy a Brick – deadline EXTENDED!

Deadline:  April 30th
Now through April, you can buy a piece of Holland Hill! For just $50, you can have
your child’s name and graduation year (or any message you want–maybe you have a
favorite teacher you’d like to dedicate a brick to? Or perhaps you would like your
family name? The possibilities are endless!) engraved on a brick to be placed in
a path outside of the garden. Buying more than 1 brick? Any additional bricks are
just $40 each! Don’t delay, click here
to buy your brick(s) today!

Spring Fair Planning
Fair Date:  May 19th
Spring Fair Planning has started; however we are still in need of volunteers for
pieces of the fair. This volunteer work is prepping for the fair. We are looking
for volunteers to help in the following areas:

*          Game Prizes
*          Theme Contest
*          Poster Contest
*          5th grade dunk tank volunteers.

If you are interested in volunteering in any way please contact Yasmine Osman (yosman@aifs.com)
or Stephanie Cress at Stephcress@optonline.net)! This is a great event that requires
a lot of volunteers to help make this a fun day for the HH community.

Capri Sun Packet Recycling

Holland Hill is starting up a RECYCLING program for CAPRI SUN PACKETS. There is
a box in the APR to collect them. Please deposit EMPTY packets in the box and we
will recycle them and earn $$ for Holland Hill. You can also send empty packets
in from home via backpacks in sealed plastic bags. Please help up collect a TON,
Save them from a landfill, and Support Holland Hill!!!! If you have any questions,
please contact Jenn atjmhill22@yahoo.com.