General Information

Dear Davis Hill Community,

Welcome to Davis Hill School. It is a special place that has a strong bond to the community and a spirit where students, families and staff work together in order to create an atmosphere that is caring and nurturing. We embrace the belief that it takes a community effort in order to fulfill Davis Hill's mission and promote our values of Pride, Respect, Responsibility and Excellence. Our goal is to provide a safe and supportive environment where students are able to engage in a variety of activities that advance the acquisition of knowledge, as well as further social, communication and problem solving skills.

Davis Hill is attended by over 475 students in Kindergarten through Grade 5. Our Mission Statement and core values of Pride, Respect, Responsibility and Excellence provide the foundation for our educational program. Our developmentally appropriate curriculum is aligned to the Common Core and is focused on balanced literacy, numeracy, critical thinking and problem solving skills. We strive to provide differentiated instruction in order to meet student needs and consistently monitor student progress through the use of screening tools such as AIMSweb for literacy, and the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) to measure reading progress. Davis Hill utilizes a Response to Intervention Tier Model for students who require extra support through the regular education program.

Davis Hill is fortunate to have a strong PTA that supports outstanding enrichment opportunities that are connected to the curriculum. Additionally, the PTA is instrumental in organizing our Monthly Food Drive, School Store and various family centered events, including:  Holiday Fair, the Dragon Dash, Arts and Sciences Night. In order to support this trip, Davis Hill volunteers organize additional fundraising activities including: Spaghetti Supper, Field Day T-Shirts and the Davis Hill Family Picnic. Finally, the Davis Hill also annually offers 'Project After School'. Project After School typically occurs during the winter months where volunteers from the staff and community share their time and expertise to engage participating students in various activities such as cooking, chess and running.

If you are seeking information about enrollment please contact our school secretary Tara Slavin at either tara_slavin@wrsd.net or 508.829.1754 Ext: 102.

Open communication is critical to the success of our school community. Please feel free to contact me anytime at [email protected] or 508.829.1754 Ext: 104. Thank you!

Kindly,
Jay C. Norton, Principal

Davis Hill

MISSION

The Mission of Davis Hill School is to inspire, encourage and celebrate learning and personal growth, with every student, every day.

HISTORY

Davis Hill was completed in the summer of 2000 and was a joint project between the Town of Holden and the Wachusett Regional School District. Davis Hill came out of the closing of two of Holden's oldest schools, Rice and Jefferson.


Historically, Davis Hill is the area of Holden which extended from Armington Lane northward within the borders of Highland and Wachusett Streets-Route 31. It is most likely that the land the school sits on was part of the acreage granted in 1742 to Reverend Joseph Davis, Holden's first minister. On this land, Reverend Davis built the house which stood on the southwest corner of Armington Lane and Highland Street. There are no historical records of other early buildings on the property. Reverend Davis was the son Simon Davis, one of three members of the first Holden select board, chosen by the first town meeting in 1741.

Other members of the Davis family contributed to Holden's history. Lemuel Davis, the son of Reverend Joseph Davis, built as his home the building which is now known as the Starbard Building. In Jefferson, Ethan Davis owned a large farm which later became the home of the Mount Pleasant Hotel and is now the site of the Holden Hills Country Club. Major Paul Davis kept an inn for forty years in Jefferson on what is now High Street.


GENERAL INFORMATION

Principal: Jay C. Norton, [email protected]

Assistant Principal: Robert Berthiaume, [email protected]

Administrative Assistant: Tara Slavin, [email protected]

School Nurse: Lindsay Villnave, [email protected]


Address: 80 Jamieson Road, Holden, Massachusetts 01520

Main Office: 508-829-1754 Fax Number: 508-829-2057

Attendance line: 508-829-1754 (you can leave a message anytime)



If you are new to Davis hill and need registration and other basic information, please follow this link.

 


Communication with your child's teacher

The best time to reach a classroom teacher is either before 8:45 AM (Teachers are in their classrooms with students by 8:50 AM) or after 3:40 PM when students are dismissed.

It's recommended that you email the classroom teacher and coordinate a convenient time to talk.

*We will not interrupt teaching time to put calls through to classroom teachers unless it is an emergency


Attendance

Parents and students are reminded that Massachusetts Law requires compulsory attendance for students. We strongly discourage family vacations when school is in session. In addition to compromising the attendance statute, vacations when school is open interrupt the educational process for children in ways that make-up work cannot reverse. Teachers are not required to provide assignments prior to a family trip when school is in session.

Reporting student absences:

508-829-1754 (accessible 24 hours a day~ you should leave a message, and include the child's name, teacher and reason for the absence).


Dress for recess

Davis Hill's preference is to send students outdoors for recess unless it is raining or if the temperature falls below 20 degrees. Please make sure your child is adequately equipped for the weather.

We reserve the right to keep a child in for recess on days when the temperature or wind chill is 32 degrees or lower and we feel the student does not have the proper clothing. We do this for the safety of all our students.


OFFICE HOURS:

School office hours are 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

SCHOOL DAY HOURS:

Grades 1-5:

8:50- 9:00 arrival. Students who arrive after 9:00 will be marked tardy and must receive a late pass from the office.

Kindergarten:


Full-day kindergarten students follow the same schedule as noted for Grades 1-5 above. Drop off begins at 8:50am and students follow the regular school hours of 9:00am- 3:30pm.

The half day kindergarten program is scheduled for five half-day sessions per week. The half-day schedule for classes is as follows:

AM: 8:50- 9:00 arrival. Students who are late should report to the office for a late pass and will be escorted to their classrooms.

9:00- 11:45 regular classes

11:45 dismissal

PM: 12:40-12:45 arrival

12:45- 3:30 regular classes

3:30 dismissal

NOTE: Supervision of students by staff does not begin until 8:50. Therefore students must not be left off at school unattended by parent/ guardian prior to that time unless they are attending the Holden Recreational Department Before School Program.


Power School Account


Create a Power School Account

This is used to view your child's report cards and attendance. It is also used in August to notify you of who your child will have as a teacher in the coming year.


HEALTH OFFICE


Follow link to school nurse information

The nurses site has all the forms that are required to be sent in and updated information regarding time frames and other current health news.


Parking for Shows and Events

When you are attending a show or event at Davis Hill, parking is in the back of the school. You may enter the parking lot from Rt. 31. Traveling north on 31 from the center of Holden, about one mile on your left is the Recreation Department for the town. There is a sign with Davis Hill Athletic Fields on it. That is the left you take. It brings you to the back of our school. We will have an adult at that back door to greet you.

We do this for both security and flow of traffic. There is insufficient parking in front of the building, and entering by the front doors does not place you where the event is happening. If you are a senior citizen or handicapped, you may pull up to the building in back and that places you right at the door, and right at the event. Everyone else please park in the dirt parking lot out back.


DIRECTIONS

Click here for a Google Map to 80 Jamison Road. Davis Hill Elementry School is located at 80 Jamieson Road in Holden Massachusetts 01520

To get to Jamieson Road from Holden Center (Rt 122A).
Take Route 31 North (Toward Princeton) the 3rd left is Jamison Road.

From the East - Worcester
east

From the West - Barre
west