Please review carefully for important first week information

Dear Parents,

The staff has been working hard all week to welcome your students to the 2015-16 school year. We so appreciated the delicious lunch our wonderful PTA provided us yesterday. Many thanks to Mrs. Jessica Smith and the hospitality committee, and to those of you who donated food or drink!

Some information to make the upcoming weeks smooth for all of us:

Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Open House: Friday, August 21 at 1:30 in the HSES Café. PTA members will be available with information for parents about volunteering and spirit wear will be available to order. A limited supply will be available for purchase at the Open House.

HSES Open House: Friday, August 21 from 2:00-3:00. Class lists will be posted. Parents and students can greet their new and past teachers as well as pick up the first day folder. We appreciate it when parents take care of their homework over the weekend!

Family File: This is your child’s emergency contact information; it is crucial to your child’s safety that we have this completed as soon as possible. Here is the link to this online form http://www.hcpss.org/connect/. Attached is an information sheet to guide you.

First Day of School: Please be sure to have your child arrive and depart on the first day the same way they will each day. If you would like to come to school, you can follow the bus in your car. Please be aware our drop-off area and parking lots are very congested, and will be very busy on the first day. If your child is a bus rider, please take some time over the weekend to familiarize him/her with their bus stop and bus number. Please be at the bus stop 10 minutes prior to the appointed time, and allow 10 minutes after for the first week for bus schedules to solidify. Bus numbers/routes/schedules can be found here http://www.hcpss.org/schools/transportation/bus-schedules/

Car Riders: Please read the attached brochure carefully. Drivers must be cautious and obey all directions from staff members, as well as follow all traffic laws. Please be alert for students in either of our two crosswalks, and do not stop on the crosswalks. Our neighbors appreciate parents who do not park in front of their driveways or in the townhouse parking lots. Students who are car riders must be dropped off and picked up on school property.

Walking Wednesdays: We will continue our popular “walking school bus” starting on Wednesday, September 2nd. Staff will meet students at the corner of Stonehouse Drive and Howard’s Run at 8:15. Students will then walk to school and start their day energized, as well as having saved energy!

Volunteering at HSES: All parents who will be volunteering at school must complete an online volunteer training course before volunteering. The course can be found here, http://hses.hcpss.org/messages/volunteer-training. Please print the certificate of completion and bring to the school before you volunteer.

Meals at School: We are trying to limit the amount of time our paraeducators spend collecting money for meals and focus their time on working with your children. You can help by ensuring meals are paid through our online meal finance program, found here https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/login/getmain?requestAction=home . We appreciate your help with ensuring our staff is used to support instruction.

Grade 2 & 4 Snacks: 2nd graders will be eating lunch at 1:15 and 4th graders at 1:45. Because lunch is late, students may bring a small, easily consumed finger food from home. Please, no peanut products and no drinks. You will receive a letter with more details in the first day folder.  Snacks may be sent to school beginning on Monday.

PTA Back to School Social: August 26 from 6:30-8:00 PM on the HSES playground. Please come for some family fun!

Thank you for your attention to these important details. We look forward to beginning the 2015-16 school year at 8:30am on Monday, August 24!

Lisa Booth, HSES Principal