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December 13 - December Discoveries

 

Happy Friday Hawk Families,


Our book fair this week -- as well as our family night event last night --  was a resounding success! Huge shout out to all of our PTA members and parent volunteers who helped make that happen. We had a great turnout! Please see below for this week’s updates. 

 

Important Information From Our PTA:
The Hortons Creek PTA has teamed up with GiftCrowd again this year for our families to use if they wish to provide a “contactless” Holiday gift to teachers and staff for all the hard work they have done for our Hawks during this school year. GiftCrowd allows you to easily donate directly to individuals and include a personal note. Recipients will receive their gifts and messages on December 20th and they will be able to redeem it as gift cards to retailers of their choice.

 

Gift Giving Starts Here: bit.ly/hawkgiftcrowd24

 

Contribution deadline is Thursday December 19, 2024 at 8:30PM. 

 

IMPORTANT CALENDAR CHANGE
The WCPSS Board of Education voted on Tuesday December 3rd to modify Friday January 3rd to a Teacher Workday, which means that students’ first day back to school following our winter break will now be Monday January 6th. Here is the updated traditional calendar document which includes this change. 

 

Science Fair and Specials Night January 9th 

 

Reminder: School Grounds Are for Hortons Creek Students and Staff

For the safety and well-being of our students and staff, we kindly remind parents, families, and community members that Hortons Creek grounds are NOT available for walking, biking, bird watching, or exercising during school hours. School grounds should not be viewed as if they are a public park as doing so poses significant safety concerns to students and staff, particularly during the school day. Your understanding and cooperation helps us maintain a safe and focused environment for everyone. Thank you for making student and staff safety our top priority.

 

Winter School Spirit Fun  
Clarification: Global Snack Day 12/17 - Bring a special snack for yourself at snack time. Students are encouraged to bring a unique snack for themselves but should not bring snacks to share with others to ensure the safety of those with allergies or dietary restrictions.

 

 

 

Student Absences: 

Please be mindful of your child’s absences. If your child has 5 or more absences throughout the year, we will ask for a doctor’s note for any subsequent absence that families would like to be marked excused. Please also note that because class attendance and participation are critical elements of the educational process, any absences, whether excused or unexcused, can have a negative impact on your child’s academic achievement. 

 

Other People Matter Club

 

 

Reminder: students should come to school prepared each and every day 

We’ve noticed an increase in items, lunches, and other forgotten belongings being dropped off at the front office during the instructional day. To help minimize disruptions and support student preparedness, please work with your child to ensure they have everything they need before leaving for school each morning. Thank you! 


HCES Science Fair and Specials Night 1/9/24

Greetings Hortons Creek Families & Students! We are excited to share with you that the HCES Science Fair & Specials Night is scheduled for Thursday, January 9, 2025 from 5-7pm. There will be additional information shared about Specials Night later in December.

 

Important Sign-In/Sign-Out Reminders for Families:

  • Phone and ID Required: For the safety of all students, parents must bring a valid photo ID and their phone when signing out a student or checking in as a visitor.

  • QR Code Check-In: Please allow time for the system to process your check-in when using the QR code. Be sure to wait for the "Thank You" screen to appear, then ring the doorbell.

  • Morning Carpool: Staff assisting with morning carpool will come inside promptly at 9:10 AM, regardless of weather conditions.

  • Tardy Policy: Students are expected to be in their seats by 9:15 AM. Any student arriving after this time will be marked tardy.

  • Late Arrival Sign-In: To ensure accurate attendance, students arriving late must be signed in by a parent or guardian. If not signed in, they may be marked absent for the day.

Thank you for your cooperation in helping us maintain a safe and efficient environment for our school community!

 

25-26 Enrollment 

Enrollment for the 2025-2026 school year is open now. Please register rising k siblings ASAP

https://www.wcpss.net/Page/33753

 

Kids Heart Challenge

Hello, Heart Heroes! Are you ready? Kids Heart Challenge is coming to our school soon! We have exciting things planned this year to get us moving, helping others and having fun. Get a head start by signing up today and helping your student choose a daily health challenge. Visit our school page at Hortons Creek KHC Page or download the AHA Schools app! Final Collection Date January 31, 2025.

 

TalkingPoints Tip: Share Messages Between Family Members
Families who use the TalkingPoints app can turn on ‘Share messages’ to change their conversation with a teacher into a group message. When you and other family contacts share messages, you see the same messages from the teacher, as well as all responses from each other. Please note that while shared messaging is turned on, you cannot send a private message to the teacher through TalkingPoints - messages go to everyone who is sharing messages for the student. You can turn off shared messaging at any time.

This is something that needs to be enabled or disabled from the parent side of the app. The school cannot force this setting on or off.

To see how, click here. 

 

Dental Screenings
Annually, our School Health Dental Hygienist looks for healthy smiles by providing dental screenings. Please refer to the WCPSS student/parent handbook. Good dental health is important to a student’s overall well-being and affects a child’s success and performance in the classroom. School Dental Hygienists use a flashlight to provide a quick visual screening of the student’s teeth. This is not like a dental exam by a dentist. During the dental screening, the School Dental Hygienist follows all CDC (Centers for Disease Control) guidelines. A letter with the screening results will be sent home in student’s school folder ONLY if your child has questionable or obvious dental needs. If needed, children with obvious dental needs may receive an additional follow-up screening by the School Health Dental Hygienist later in the school year. Parents/guardians may contact Mr. West to opt out of dental screenings.

If you have any questions, please contact the school’s dental hygienist, Heather Lisk, RDH, at 919-621-2482 or hlisk@wcpss.net.

 

Hawks Nest Courtyard Lunch Reminder
At Hortons Creek, we value family engagement, and lunch visits can be a special treat for both students and families. However, we ask that interested parents/guardians use this opportunity sparingly. Limited space means frequent and repeated visits may prevent other families from having a chance, and can unintentionally hinder students' sense of self-confidence, independence, and maturity. 

 

Other ways to be involved at Hortons Creek:

  • Join the PTA

  • Student Showcase Events

  • Spirit Nights

  • Invest in the Nest Fundraiser

  • Grade Level Coordinators

  • PTA General Meetings

  • Bike, Walk, and Roll to School

  • Field Trip Chaperones

 

Student Birthdays Reminder
A reminder that we do not have student birthday parties at school. However, healthy birthday snacks can be shared in the cafeteria during scheduled lunch times, or a fun physical activity can be shared at recess; but ONLY healthy alternative snacks are allowed (no cupcakes or sweet treats). Snacks must be from commercial suppliers and not homemade. 

Due to students with food allergies, it is required that classroom teachers are notified IN ADVANCE to bringing in any healthy snacks or sharing a physical activity for a student’s birthday. 

Please be respectful of staff members on duty in the cafeteria and be mindful of their responsibilities. Additionally, if bringing in a healthy snack, please bring in only one type of snack. Items not permitted at all: party favors, decorations, hats, goody bags, and balloons. These items are potential safety hazards to students. Prior teacher notification is expected for any healthy birthday snacks.

Birthday invitations should be mailed from a child’s home, and birthday parties should be planned outside of school hours. Teachers cannot give out parent contact information for these events due to student confidentiality concerns. This also applies to other out-of-school playdates; teachers should not be put in the position of distributing student and parent contact information.

Lunch Safety Reminder
For the safety of all our students, please avoid packing lunches in glass containers if your child packs lunch. We ask that you use plastic, metal, or other non-breakable materials that won’t shatter if dropped. This helps us ensure a safer environment in the cafeteria and classrooms. Thank you for your cooperation

 

Important Upcoming Dates: 

  • Monday December 23 - Thursday January 3 - No school holiday 

  • Thursday January 9th - Science Fair & Specials Night 5-7PM
  • Friday January 17: Quarter 2 Ends

Personal Student Devices Reminder

Please be reminded that while smartphones and other personal electronic devices can be brought to school, they should be kept put away in a student's backpack during the instructional day to minimize distractions and maintain a focused learning environment. Thank you in advance for your assistance in this matter 


How to Purchase a 24-25 HCES Yearbook 

You can use this link to purchase our 24-25 Yearbook. You will have to sign up by completing the form through the TreeRing website before you can purchase a yearbook. If you have any questions, please reach out to Amanda Morton at amorton@wcpss.net.  

Gym/PE Reminder:
Families: please be advised that if your child is to be excused from any Physical Education (PE) activities, a doctor’s note is required. This note must clearly state the limitations on the student’s activity and the specific duration of the restriction. Without proper documentation, all students are expected to participate in PE. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. 


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

 

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

 

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. 

 

Things to Note:

  1. 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. 


Have a great weekend!




Michael Parker West 

Principal