School Attendant Feature 2011
As Hilltop’s school attendant secretary, Vicky Martinez plays a critical role in the success of the school and does this with a cheerful and efficient manner. She has a myriad of responsibilities and is constantly communicating with parents, teachers, students, and other staff members while handling her administrative responsibilities.
“Every day is different and I really like that,” said Martinez who has worked at the school for the past 15 years. “It’s a very fast-paced environment but I really enjoy working here and feel like we are a family here at Hilltop.”
With the phones almost always ringing and parents and children asking a variety of questions, Vickie along with the school secretary, Petra Oviedo are the first smiling faces that one observes when they enter Hilltop.
“Vickie is a real gem of a person and I have really enjoyed working with her. She was really patient and helpful to me my first year (last year) as Hilltop’s secretary and taught me a lot about how the front office works. She is a wonderful team mate,” said Oviedo.
One of Vickie’s most important responsibilities is monitoring the attendance of each child who attends Hilltop. Daily attendance is taken by classroom teachers who input this information into a computer data base. When children come to school late, they are required to stop by and obtain a green slip from Vickie before they are admitted to their classroom. Vickie then updates this information into the computer. At around 9 a.m., she compiles an attendance report for all classrooms and puts this information into the teacher’s lounge so teachers can verify their attendance record. This is very important, because later in the day a phone call goes out automatically to the parents of children who are recorded as absent.
Vickie is also a member of the school’s SART (Student Attendance Review Team). This team also includes Mrs. Parker (the principal), classroom teachers, and the Hilltop’s Student Resource Police Officer. The SART team meets with parents of children who are excessively late or absent from school.
“One of the most important things a child can do is to ensure academic success is to attend school regularly,” said Martinez. “The SART team works with the parents to come up with solutions so the child does not miss school.”
Another one of Vickie’s key roles at Hilltop is assisting the school nurse. The school nurse, Tara Covington, is also assigned to other schools in the district and can only be at Hilltop a couple of days during the week. Vickie is trained in first aid and CPR (cardio pulmonary resuscitation) and various special procedures such as injections for diabetic children. She can also administer medications with the proper authorization.
“You never know what can happen. I’ve seen everything from a broken arm to a passed out child. The most important thing is to remain calm and do what you’ve been trained to do,” said Martinez.
Registration is a really a busy time for her. As parents provide the forms for registration,
Vicky and Petra input this information into the computer. March is usually when Registration for the following school year begins and it stays busy right up to the beginning of the next school year. Parents are asking a variety of questions that need answering, forms are being brought in, and the information from the forms need to be inputted into the computer.
Prior to working at Hilltop, she started as an instructional assistant and substituted as a student attendant at Rohr Elementary.
“The secretary at Rohr elementary encouraged me to take the district test for secretary and I passed,” said Martinez. “Shortly thereafter, I was hired as a health attendant at Lauderbach Elementary where I worked for 5 years.”
In her spare time Vickie enjoys reading, playing the piano, building things like furniture and shelves, carpentry, sewing, and fixing things. She also enjoys playing with her grandchildren. One of her granddaughters, Cheyenne Dukes, attends Hilltop and is a sixth grader in Mr. Morello’s class.
As Hilltop’s school attendant secretary, Vicky Martinez plays a critical role in the success of the school and does this with a cheerful and efficient manner. She has a myriad of responsibilities and is constantly communicating with parents, teachers, students, and other staff members while handling her administrative responsibilities.
“Every day is different and I really like that,” said Martinez who has worked at the school for the past 15 years. “It’s a very fast-paced environment but I really enjoy working here and feel like we are a family here at Hilltop.”
With the phones almost always ringing and parents and children asking a variety of questions, Vickie along with the school secretary, Petra Oviedo are the first smiling faces that one observes when they enter Hilltop.
“Vickie is a real gem of a person and I have really enjoyed working with her. She was really patient and helpful to me my first year (last year) as Hilltop’s secretary and taught me a lot about how the front office works. She is a wonderful team mate,” said Oviedo.
One of Vickie’s most important responsibilities is monitoring the attendance of each child who attends Hilltop. Daily attendance is taken by classroom teachers who input this information into a computer data base. When children come to school late, they are required to stop by and obtain a green slip from Vickie before they are admitted to their classroom. Vickie then updates this information into the computer. At around 9 a.m., she compiles an attendance report for all classrooms and puts this information into the teacher’s lounge so teachers can verify their attendance record. This is very important, because later in the day a phone call goes out automatically to the parents of children who are recorded as absent.
Vickie is also a member of the school’s SART (Student Attendance Review Team). This team also includes Mrs. Parker (the principal), classroom teachers, and the Hilltop’s Student Resource Police Officer. The SART team meets with parents of children who are excessively late or absent from school.
“One of the most important things a child can do is to ensure academic success is to attend school regularly,” said Martinez. “The SART team works with the parents to come up with solutions so the child does not miss school.”
Another one of Vickie’s key roles at Hilltop is assisting the school nurse. The school nurse, Tara Covington, is also assigned to other schools in the district and can only be at Hilltop a couple of days during the week. Vickie is trained in first aid and CPR (cardio pulmonary resuscitation) and various special procedures such as injections for diabetic children. She can also administer medications with the proper authorization.
“You never know what can happen. I’ve seen everything from a broken arm to a passed out child. The most important thing is to remain calm and do what you’ve been trained to do,” said Martinez.
Registration is a really a busy time for her. As parents provide the forms for registration,
Vicky and Petra input this information into the computer. March is usually when Registration for the following school year begins and it stays busy right up to the beginning of the next school year. Parents are asking a variety of questions that need answering, forms are being brought in, and the information from the forms need to be inputted into the computer.
Prior to working at Hilltop, she started as an instructional assistant and substituted as a student attendant at Rohr Elementary.
“The secretary at Rohr elementary encouraged me to take the district test for secretary and I passed,” said Martinez. “Shortly thereafter, I was hired as a health attendant at Lauderbach Elementary where I worked for 5 years.”
In her spare time Vickie enjoys reading, playing the piano, building things like furniture and shelves, carpentry, sewing, and fixing things. She also enjoys playing with her grandchildren. One of her granddaughters, Cheyenne Dukes, attends Hilltop and is a sixth grader in Mr. Morello’s class.