Hillside's Water Project

May 25, 2017 the Buddy Water Project performed in front of an audience of parents, friends and seniors at the Center at the Heights.  We were thrilled to be performing in their beautiful high tech multi-purpose room.

  After a very successful Water Stroll where we performed in eight local restaurants and raised more than $1200, it was fun and empowering to share what we have learned with our parents.  We will finish our year by performing at Volante Farms during their Father's Day Barbecue. Learn more about our water project with Ashley Juliar from the Needham channel.

Hillside Student Council Participates in Pennies for Patients

The students in the Hillside Student Council have participated in many successful community service projects in the last few years such as Coats for Kids and Cradles to Crayons.  This year the students expressed interest in helping others in need in a new way.  For this reason the student council chose to participate in Pennies for Patients, which has never been done before at Hillside.  Pennies for Patients was launched in 1994 by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  Since it's inception millions of dollars have been raised in pennies and other spare change by more than 10 million elementary, middle and high school students throughout the country, and has funded research benefiting children with blood cancers.  Hillside joined the effort this year;  the student council advertised and asked their fellow Hillside kids to bring in spare change, and raised a total $1976.88. 

Hillside 3rd Grade Visits Food Pantry

Hillside third grade classes visited the Needham Community Council (NCC), where they toured the facility and were informed about all of the important services the NCC provides to our community.  The children learned that over 100 Needham families visit the Food Pantry each month and about the many services provided by the NCC, such as ELL tutoring, the clothing thrift store, medical supply rentals, and holiday meal deliveries.  Prior to their visits, the students organized pantry collection drives and in all, they collected over 75 bags of food, paper goods, and toiletries to donate to the pantry.

Mitchell visits Cradles to Crayons

The Mitchell Community Service Learning committee visited the Cradles to Crayons warehouse in Brighton on Thursday, March 9.  The Mitchell 4th and 5th graders learned about the mission of Cradles to Crayons and the communities they serve and the kids then got to assist in sorting and preparing donations to deliver to C2C's clients.  The students had a lot of fun while assisting a great organization.

Mitchell March Food Pantry

Thank you Mitchell Community for your continued generosity! Ms. Mackoff's third grade class delivered 34 bags of items to Needham Community Council's Food Pantry today. Stay tuned for details on our next collection on Tuesday, April 25, 2017 when Ms. Seri's class will make the trip.
- The Community Service Learning Committee

Hillside's 13th annual Carol Virginio Memorial Jump Rope for Heart was a great success!

In what has become an annual tradition, Friday, February 17th, Hillside school participated in it’s 13th annual Jump Rope for Heart to support the American Heart Association.  The event is named after former Hillside School teacher’s aid, Carol Virginio, who passed away in the spring of 2013.  Carol was a cancer survivor, a heart transplant recipient, and an avid supporter of this event.    

The event is coordinated by Hillside School’s Physical Education and Wellness teacher Rob Tatro.  This year, Hillside School had over 260 students who helped find sponsorships for the event which, for only the third time in school history, eclipsed the $21,000 mark in total donations to the American Heart Association.  Whether or not students chose to find sponsorships or not, students spent the past several weeks experimenting with new jumping skills, learning about heart health, and supporting this very important organization.  We are so lucky to be blessed with such support from the entire Needham community and beyond and thank you to everyone who helped make another Jump Rope for Heart event a tremendous success! See all photos

Hillside Buddy classes visit their Senior Buddies for Valentines Day

On February 17, Ms. Hsu's fourth grade class went to the Kindred Avery Senior Center to visit their Senior Buddies for the third time this school year, and introduced them to Mr. Watts' second grade class.  All the kids enjoyed singing songs, reciting poetry, and passing out hand made Valentines to the residents.  During their visit, they were treated to cookies and apple juice and had a great time getting to know their Senior Buddies. 

Mitchell Sandwich Tuesday

The Mitchell Community Service Learning Committee had a very successful sandwich making event on Tuesday, Jan 31 in support of Generic Ministry, the Needham charity that provides meals, clothing and other essentials for homeless men and women in Boston.  We had 30 student volunteers along with parents who received a very informative presentation from Generic Ministry volunteer Terry Windhorst about volunteering and Generic Ministry's mission.  The kids made 70 lunches for the homeless and then received a tour of the Generic Ministry van. 

Hillside Student Council Collects Coats and Funds for Local Charities

The Hillside Student Council coordinated the Coats for Kids Drive and raised money for the Cambridge Fire Relief Fund.  In December, Hillside students and families generously donated 65 coats for all ages which were delivered to Anton's cleaners.  These coats will be distributed throughout New England to those in need.  The Student Council also collected $109 for the Cambridge Fire Relief Fund that was established to assist the families and individuals affected by the tragic early December fire in Cambridge. 

Hillside Students and their Avery Center Senior Buddies Collaborate on a Writing Project

Hillside students in Ms. Hsu's fourth grade class had the opportunity to meet their Senior Buddies at the Avery Senior Center in November for a mini autobiography writing project. Students interviewed their Senior buddies and learned all about what life was like when their buddies were in elementary school. The visit really brightened the Senior buddies' day and students were left with a feeling of satisfaction and raised awareness about a time before they were born. They plan to visit their Senior Buddies again after the holidays to share the mini autobiography projects.

Mitchell Sandwich Tues and Pie in the Sky Fundraiser

 Here are some highlights from Mitchell's successful Sandwich Tuesday event, Nov 29, 12016:

• 25 Mitchell students along with parents attended
• 70 lunches made for Generic Ministry volunteers to deliver to homeless in Boston
• Students and parents toured the Generic Ministry van with Mitchell parent and GM volunteer Kristen Collins to see how Generic Ministry supports the many needs of homeless people in Boston

Check out all the photos

Pie in the Sky Fundraiser

• 112 pies bought by Mitchell families, raising $3,355 for the Community Servings organization
• The $3,355 raised will enable Community Servings to support 112 critically ill homebound clients & their families for one week, or one client and family for 1/3 of the year

Pie in the Sky card making event

• 13 Mitchell students attended with parents

• Community Servings educational video watched by all
• The students created 45 creative, colorful and cheerful holiday and get well cards for Community Servings to provide to their clients this holiday season

Check out all the photos

Mitchell Delivers!

Mrs. Spinney's 2nd graders deliver 60 bags to the Needham Community Council's Food Pantry!

Eliot's Newest 5th Grade CSL Team Member

Fifth grade Student Leaders greet students in the morning and help them arrive safely.

Mitchell Delivers!

Ms. Krammes' third grade class delivered forty bags of items on behalf of Mitchell School today. Our next collection is Oct 18th.

Hillside Buddy Water Project 2016

Hillside students a local water
purification plant.

The Buddy Water project at Hillside is lead by second grade teacher Mr. Goneconto and fourth grade teacher Mrs. Katz.  Their students learned about water purification and how water shortages affect millions of people around the world.  They also raised awareness and money for the project by placing collection jars in some of our local establishments, including Not Your Average Joe's and Hearth Pizzeria.  The Buddy Water Project started 8 years ago in 2008 and at that time over 1 billion people did not have access to clean drinking water.  This year, a UNICEF representative revealed to the students that currently, the amount of people in the world that do not have access to clean drinking water has dropped to 663 million.  That's a difference of over 337 million people- more than the entire population of the United States!  It is because of programs like Hillside's Buddy Water Project that this number continues to shrink.  Great work for a great cause!

Buddy Water Project assembly.

Pollar's Cluster 7-2 Also at Walkathon

On Wednesday, June 1, 2016 Cluster 7-2 completed a Walkathon on DeFazio Field to raise money and awareness for the PanMass Challenge to fight cancer! As a cluster we walked over 400 miles and raised over $2000! It was a great event for a great cause! Our assembly speakers were JJ White and Abby Hynes.

Mitchell's Food Donation Contest yields 1,300 Items of Food!

THANK YOU to the entire Mitchell Community for their amazing generosity donating 1,300 items in one day for the final Needham Community Council Food Pantry collection day of 2015-16. Our second annual recess contest was a huge success due to all of your efforts and will help many families in need! Special thanks to our parent volunteers who counted, packed, and drove the items to the Council: Kristen Collins, Nancy Dubil, Katie Edwards, Molly Pomposelli, Gretchen Plotner, and Joe Vivaldi. Congratulations to Mrs. Ramras and her class for winning the prize of ten extra minutes of recess! Enjoy summer!
- The Community Service Learning Committee

Mitchell's 2nd Graders Donate 300 Bags of Food

Mrs. Katan's class delievers more than 300 bags of food to the Needham Community Council Food Pantry this May.

Pollard Cluster 7-4 Walk-a-thon CSL Project

On May 19th, Cluster 7-4 organized a Walk-a-thon fundraiser at DeFazio Field to benefit the Needham Community Council, a non-profit organization that supports people in need within the Needham community. The organization provides a variety of different programs that support all ages including a food pantry, thrift shop, a courtesy van, and tutoring.

In addition, throughout the month of May students collected almost 200 cans and raised over $400 for the organization. On May 27th, Sandra Robinson, the executive director of the Needham Community Council, visited Pollard and helped the students learn more about all of the great aspects of the organization.