August 9, 202

Dear Hortons Creek Elementary Families,

I hope everyone had a safe and relaxing week! Please note that these weekly Friday messages can always be found (and are archived) on our school’s website under Principal’s Message. You can find it here: 

Important Upcoming Dates:

• Saturday, August 17 (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) - Kick-off to Kindergarten (Marbles Museum) (Only for rising kindergarten. Click here for more information).
• Monday, August 26th (8:30 - 10:40 AM) Party on the Playground/Meet the Teacher for Grades 1-5. 
• Choose one of 3 times (reservations are not needed for Party on the Playground):
  • 8:30 - 9:00 AM 
  • 9:20 - 9:50 AM 
  • 10:10 - 10:40 AM
• Tuesday, August 27th - First Day of School!!
  Kindergarten Staggered Entry (Last Names A-G) 9:30 AM - 2:00 PM
• Wednesday, August 28th - Kindergarten Staggered Entry (Last Names H-Ma) 9:30 AM - 2:00 PM
• Thursday, August 29th - Kindergarten Staggered Entry (Last Names Mb-R) 9:30 AM - 2:00 PM
• Friday, August 30th - Kindergarten Staggered Entry (Last Names S-Z) 9:30 AM - 2:00 PM
• Tuesday, September 3rd - Kindergarten Party on the Playground/Meet the Teacher 9:40 - 10:10 AM.
• Wednesday, September 4th - First regular day of Kindergarten

Review the 24-25 School Calendar (Traditional)
You can also view or connect them to your own calendars by using the following links:

• 2024-25 Traditional Calendar (Google Calendar)
• 2024-25 Traditional Calendar (iCal)
• 2024-25 Traditional Calendar (PDF)
• 2024-25 Traditional Accessible Calendar

Please pay close attention to the days the students DO NOT have school.

Health Care Needs:

Please review the WCPSS Student Health Overview. Our school nurse is Ms. Danesha Raines (draines2@wcpss.net). She is on campus 1-2 days a week. If you have a student that will need to take any medication during the school day, has allergy needs, or health concerns; please contact our school nurse prior to school starting so that you will be able to meet with her and set up a care plan for your child that can be implemented on the first day of school.

 

Bus Transportation:

Families will receive a general message on Thursday, Aug. 15 and detailed route information on Friday, Aug. 16. Generally, if your child rode the bus during the 23-24 school year, they are assumed to be riding for the 24-25 school year. For more information on transportation including bus requests, please visit the WCPSS Transportation page. 

Online Payments 

As of  July 1, 2024, SchoolCash Online (SCO) will be the district’s preferred online payment system, allowing parents to pay for student fees and all other items except Before/After School Care, Drivers Education, and game tickets. 

 

The new system will save time for teachers and staff when planning, processing, and handling payments. This system will replace Online School Payments (OSP). 

 

Please help Hortons Creek get to 100% family registration and create your account now. 

https://wcpss.schoolcashonline.com/

Steps: 

1. Click Register
2. Fill in your information to Create Your Profile
3. Check for Confirmation Email: "SchoolCash Online: Confirm Your Email Address" and click the link to complete your registration.
4. Sign back in and begin to "Add Student"
   1. You can go to Step 2 and select "Hortons Creek ES-459" as your student's school.
   2. Enter Student ID Number by unchecking the box "I don't have the student number".
   3. Enter Student Last Name, and Date of Birth, then click "Confirm".
   4. Confirm student information

Add another student, view items for students or view my students. 

 

Should you have any questions, please email our bookkeeper/lead secretary Jessica Garcia, jkgarcia@wcpss.net.  Thank you!

Volunteer Renewal
As a valued member of our volunteer community, we would like you to renew your volunteer status for the 2024-25 school year. The volunteer renewal process is quick and simple for all volunteers who were approved for the 2023-24 school year. 

 

The renewal window is now open through Oct. 1, 2024. Go to the MyVolunteer Volunteer Renewal site to renew your volunteer status today! Log into your MyVolunteer account and follow the directions for Volunteer Renewal. 

 

The process should only take a few minutes. Once approved, the renewal date in your MyVolunteer profile will be updated.

All 2023-24 approved volunteers received an email on July 1 from no-reply@criminalrecordcheck.com with a link to renew your approved volunteer status for the 2024-25 school year. 

If you have any issues during the renewal process, contact the MyVolunteer customer support team at 877-272-0266 or customercare@mycrc.com.

 

Important Information From Our PTA:

The Hortons Creek PTA is very excited about this school year! You can join the PTA before the first day of school and lock in last year's rate of individual memberships for $16, and family memberships for $27. Rates will go up on the first day of school. 

Sign up here or find our table at Meet the Teacher.

If you have any questions, please reach out to president@hortonscreekpta.com.

24-25 School Procedures - Student/Family Handbook 

Please take a moment to bookmark our new and improved 24-25 Student/Family Handbook. This document provides you with a wealth of information about Hortons Creek Procedures including safety and security, arrival and dismissal, school policies including medication, and other important information for our families.

Classroom Assignments for 1st-5th grade students:

Classroom Teachers will make phone calls to families (using the contact numbers in PowerSchool) on Friday, August 23. Inevitably, not every call will make contact. Teachers will leave a message, when he/she is able to do so. Teachers will also send an email to all families once all calls have been made. This process could take place throughout the entire day; so please refrain from calling the main office anytime between 8 AM and 5 PM on this day to inquire about your child’s teacher assignment.

Classroom Assignments for Kindergarten students

Kindergarten students will have classroom assignments at the conclusion of Staggered Entry. Kindergarten teachers are gifted with the time to get to know and teach students in small groups the first week of school, which is the purpose of Staggered Entry. Kindergarten students will get to meet and interact with all of the teachers. Families will be able to meet the teachers at Party on the Playground on Tuesday, September 3 from 9:40-10:10.

Things to Note:

1. School supply lists are listed on the front page of our website.
2. Please connect to our school calendar on our webpage. All of our school events are listed on our school calendar located on our school’s website on the left side of the home page. 
   
   

Looking forward to seeing everyone soon!

\

Michael Parker West

Principal