Herbert Akins Road Elementary School

From the Hawk’s Nest        

 

Friday, August 09, 2024

Good Afternoon Hawk Families.  

• Another great week was had by all at the Hawk’s Nest, even with the unexpected visit from Tropical Storm Debby. While Track 4 Kindergarten and Pre-K had hoped for their first full week, Deborah had other plans! Despite the challenges, including Friday's two-hour delay, we stayed strong and made the most of our time together. A special thank you to the HARES PTA for sponsoring a successful "Tears and Cheers" event in the Media Center this past Monday for our kindergarten and Pre-K families. It was a wonderful way to kick off the school year and support our families as they began this new journey. Our students and staff showed incredible resilience and teamwork, allowing us to truly begin to settle into the 24/25 school year. We’re proud of the way our Hawk family came together, and we're excited to keep building on this strong foundation in the weeks ahead.

• Attention parents of 3rd grade students on Track 4: The Beginning of Grade 3 (BOG) Test is scheduled for Monday, August 12th. Please ensure that your child is well-rested and arrives on time for this important assessment. Your support in preparing your child is greatly appreciated as we work together to set them up for success!

• We kindly ask all Kindergarten & Pre-K parents (Tracks 1-4) to utilize the carpool lane during morning drop-off. Please refrain from walking your kindergartener or pre-k student to class. Rest assured, we are here to help them find their way with all the love and support needed. They can do it, and so can you, parents! Let's work together to support our kindergarten friends in fostering their independence and acclimating to the school routines, including morning drop-off.

• As we begin to progress through the school year, we want to remind everyone about the crucial role that regular attendance plays in student success. We understand that being on a year-round schedule presents unique challenges for families, but it is essential that students attend school consistently. Consistent attendance helps students stay engaged, keep up with their classwork, and build a solid foundation for lifelong learning. Every day counts, and when students miss school, they miss out on valuable instruction and classroom interactions that are difficult to replicate. We appreciate your cooperation and dedication in ensuring that your child attends school regularly. Together, we can support our students in achieving their full potential.

• At Herbert Akins Road ES, we encourage all parents to partner with us in fostering a love of reading. Please read with your child every evening and engage with them by discussing the books they are reading and discovering their interests. Consider participating in family excursions to the public library and join in on a family novel read to enhance reading skills and nurture a lifelong habit of reading. These meaningful activities will yield significant social benefits as you help your child develop positive academic habits that will last a lifetime. By embracing our school theme, "Believe, Achieve, Love: Every Student, Every Success," we can work together to support every student in achieving success through a love of reading.

 HARES 3rd-5th Grade Chorus

• Mr. Bond is excited to get the HARES Chorus up and running for the 2024-2025 school year. Mr. Bond has been discussing this opportunity with your students as they have visited him in music class over the last several weeks. Mr. Bond does such a nice job with our Chorus students and makes it an experience that they truly enjoy. Please review the information regarding the Chorus program HERE. If your child would like to participate in the Chorus program for the 2024-2025 school year, please register using the link found on the information page above (the sign-up link is titled: Contact Information 24-25). 

 

• Important: Please note that participation in Chorus is limited to the first 70 students registered using the Google Form. Mr. Bond will contact all registered students via the provided parent email prior to the first rehearsal. 

Just a couple of reminders from the PTA!

• Spirit Wear sales are going on now! Act fast, prices go up August 25! Make sure to grab yourself and your little Hawks some awesome Herbert Akins gear! https://spirithero.com/collections/herbert-9

• If you dread waiting in line now is your time to Skip the line! The raffle runs until August 16^th. The winner will get to skip the afternoon carpool line until the end of December! http://app.givebacks.gives/skipthelinedec2024

• The PTA needs you! If you have an hour to spare, we can put it to great use. The best part, your time will benefit the students, faculty, and school directly. Remember you must be an approved volunteer! And you must renew each year to stay approved! 

• Don’t feel like you have time to volunteer but want to stay in the know? You can also leave your email at the link below and you will be in the loop for all of the fun upcoming events! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050448AEAA22A5FF2-50317062-ptavolunteer#/

•  We are accepting Boosterthon sponsors now! Do you have a business or know of one that might be interested in sponsoring the Boosterthon? Please reach out to a PTA representative for more information!

 

Girls On The Run

• Hi families, HARES will be starting our Girls on the Run program on Tuesday, September 10th. This program is open to 3rd-5^th grade girls. Practices will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:15-5:30, ending with the girls running in the Reindeer Romp 5k on Saturday, December 7th. Early Bird Registration will begin on Monday, July 22nd. These spots do fill up quickly, so please register early if you would like to secure a spot for your child. Please note, girls are expected to attend over track out and should not miss more than 3 practices overall.  There is a flyer attached with more information. If you are interested in coaching or have any questions, please reach out to Mrs. Carter at escarter@wcpss.net. 

 The information below was in prior messages:

 

The Rest of the Newsletter Continued

PBIS Information & Request

• Our PBIS store needs your help! If you are interested in volunteering to support our PBIS store on Fridays, please see the Sign Up Genius below. We would love to have at least 2 helpers each Friday. *You must be an approved volunteer to participate.* Thank you for supporting PBIS and helping to reward our students for SOARing!

 

Sign Up Genius Link

 

• We kindly remind all parents that students must remain in their vehicles until the bell rings at 8:45 a.m. For safety reasons, no students should exit their vehicles before this time or be out of their vehicle playing in the courtyard or on the grass in front of the school. Thank you for your cooperation in ensuring a safe and orderly start to our school day. 

• WCPSS has shared that the price for school lunch and breakfast will increase at the start of the 24/25 school year.  Breakfast will cost $1.75 and Lunch will cost $3.50.

School Day at Herbert Akins ES

• Just a quick reminder that school officially starts at 9:15 & ends at 3:45. If all parents would be kind enough to make sure their student is on time for arrival, and to do what they can not to pick their student up from school from 3:00 - 3:45 unless it is absolutely necessary.  We understand appointments and planned events that do not coordinate with the hours of school but with limited staff in the front office it becomes extremely challenging to manage in the morning and the afternoon.  Everyone's attention to this matter is greatly appreciated.  

                                                                                               

 2024-2025 Year Round Calendar

• The school calendars for 2024-2025 are posted on the WCPSS website. For your convenience, we have included the link. 

 

Reminder of the Student Device Agreement (WCPSS issued chromebooks)

• Please review the following link reminding everyone that the WCPSS issued chromebooks are to be used for educational purposes only and are the property of the WCPSS.

 

Follow us on Twitter!

• Please Find us on Twitter @herbertakins to keep up with happenings at school!

 

Keep up With Events at School!

• Find us on Twitter or X @herbertakins to keep up with happenings at school!

• Keep up with PTA info on their Facebook page “Parents of Herbert Akins Road Elementary School”.

 

 

Have a great weekend!

Jonathan Murdock

Principal

HARES Home of the Hawks Nest

 

Important Dates:

• August 27, 2024 - First Day of Traditional School (Heavy Traffic Begins)

• September 02, 2024 - No School/Holiday