TRIP TO WASHINGTON
Arrangements are being finalized for the 8th and 9th grade trip to Washington on Friday, May 23rd, Saturday May 24th, and Sunday May 25th. The trip will be a wonderful opportunity for the students to learn as well as a time to have fun.

Some of the stops on our itinerary include: National History Museum; the Jefferson, FDR and Iwo Jima Memorials; Museum of American Indians and the Air and Space Museum; and the Holocaust Museum.

The second deposit is due soon. This is necessary to hold the hotel and bus. The final cost of the trip depends on the total number of travelers. Please make checks payable to Hope Hall. Please call Sandy Tronolone at 426-0210 with any questions.

SPECIAL TREAT FROM OUR SPECIAL FRIENDS:
ITALIAN AMERICAN SPORTS CLUB
On Tuesday, December 18th, the entire Hope Hall community – students, teachers, and staff (all 138 of us) were treated to an elegant dinner at the Italian American Sports Club.

Members of the Club cooked and fussed all day, preparing delicious pasta, meatballs, salad and bread served family style. Tables were set with elegant tablecloths, red and green cloth napkins, and real plates (no Styrofoam plates, even though someone had to wash all those dishes!).

Everyone could have as much as he or she wanted, and for some of our students that meant 3 dishes of pasta and 8 meatballs!

The gracious hospitality of these wonderful members of the Italian American Sports
Club made a huge impression on each of us, and created a memory for our children that will last a lifetime. From the bottom of our hearts we say “Mille Grazie!”

NEW YORK STATE TESTING
All students in New York State are required to take elementary and intermediate level tests to show levels of achievement. The next tests to be administered this school year is the ELA or English/Language Arts test for 4th and 8th graders. The 4th grade English Language Arts exam will be three days of testing on January 8th, 9th, and 10th and on January 15th and 16th the 8th grade will be taking their English Language Arts Exam. There are 3 ways you can help your child prepare:

1) Be sure that they get a good night’s sleep and are rested and that they eat a healthy breakfast, avoiding a lot of sugar.

2 )Be sure they have two # 2 pencils.

3) Encourage them with statements like “You have already learned a lot this year, and I am proud of your progress. This is only one test and it doesn’t show everything you know. Don’t worry if it seems hard. The important thing is not to give up.”

Thank you!
Thank you so much to everyone who donated to the Annual Appeal. We have raised over $80,000 to date. The Annual Appeal is our largest fundraiser during the year, and we are so grateful to those who responded with such generosity. Funds raised are used to offset the Operation Budget.

United Way
The United Way Campaign will begin shortly. Hope Hall has a donor option number and you may specifically request that part or all of your funds are donated to Hope Hall when you choose to make your United Way contribution. Your United Way contribution is an investment in the educational success of the students who attend Hope Hall. Each United Way gift is used to support tuition. There is an $8,000 per child difference between the actual cost to educate a child at Hope Hall ($12,000) and the tuition ($4,000). The United Way Donor Option gifts help to fill that $8,000 per child gap. Please designate Hope Hall #2108 for your United Way gift.

Experience Italy!
Save the date…Saturday, March 8th is the date for our second annual “Experience Italy!” event at the Italian American Sports Club. You won’t want to miss this wonderful evening of exquisite Italian food, great entertainment, indoor bocce, cards and great conversation! Tickets are $35 each and will be available mid-January. You can reserve yours now by calling Linda Foster in the Development Office at 426-5824. The menu includes Pasta e Fagiole, Eggplant Parmesan, Pasta, Pork Cutlet with Chianti Sauce, Chicken Cacciatore and Salad. A cash bar will be available. Entertainment will be provided by Souvenir with Sivano De Ritis and Joanne Iacchetta.

Path to Hope
Have you purchased a brick for our “Path to Hope” for a loved one or to commemorate a special occasion? Bricks are still available and the next installation will be in the spring. To order a brick, or for more information, please call Linda Foster in the Development Office at 426-5824.

REMINDER
SNOW CLOSINGS
1. If the City of Rochester closes school due to snow, Hope Hall will be closed.
2. If Gates-Chili closes, Hope Hall will also close because it means the weather in Gates makes it too dangerous for the children to come to school.
3. If the district you live in closes, they will NOT send buses to pick up your child even if Gates-Chili has not closed schools.
4. If Hope Hall is open and the district in which you live has closed schools; you have to make a prudent decision. If it’s possible for you to bring your child to school, please do so. If it’s too dangerous, or if you have no way of getting your child here, call school to let us know and keep him/her home.
5. In case of bad weather, we will list our school closing by 6:00 AM on the following stations:

RADIO AM:
WHAM 1180

RADIO FM:
WBEE (92.5) WPXY (98.5)
WBBF (98.9) WXXI (91.5)
WVOR (100.5)

TV
Channels 8, 10,13 and R-News

PLEASE LISTEN TO THE RADIO OR WATCH THE TV FOR CLOSINGS. IF YOU DO NOT HEAR OUR SCHOOL’S NAME, THEN WE ARE NOT CLOSED.