

Haw River Hype
Great things are happening at Haw River Elementary!

Week 16: New Year, New Goals, New Successes
Greetings Lion Cub Families,
π STUDENTS RETURN TO SCHOOL TUESDAY, JAN 2.
As we step into the new year, We want to extend our warmest thanks for being such incredible partners in your childβs educational journey. Your active involvement and support light up our campus every day!
This has been a year of personal growth and resilience for each of our Lion Cub Leaders. Our students have faced challenges head-on, showing perseverance and resilience. We are immensely proud of the young individuals they are becoming, and itβs a testament to your unwavering support in nurturing their personal development.
We look forward to learning and leading together in 2024 and know that we will have many successes to celebrate together as we are learning, leading, and loving it! Please read on for all the information you need for a successful return.
Wishing you a happy and healthy 2024!
#ReflectConnectAffect
#LionCubsLeadTheWay
Health-Related Updates
Important Reminder From Nurse Matkins
Flu and cold season are here. It is important that we all do our best to stay healthy by washing our hands, covering our cough, and staying home when sick.
Students should stay home if
If the student has any of the following symptoms they should stay home:
Fever (temperature of 99.6 degrees Fahrenheit or higher),
Diarrhea or vomiting
Constant cough and sore throat
A student who has a fever of 99.6 or above or any student that has thrown up will be sent home. Therefore, you will need to come for him/her immediately when the school contacts you. It is extremely important that you provide your childβs teacher with several emergency contact numbers so that someone can be reached if your child gets sick or injured. We cannot allow students with these symptoms to ride home on the bus or daycare vans.
- Students need to be fever-free for 24 hours before returning to school.
- Anyone throwing up at night or in the morning should not attend school.
RCA House Points App
K-5 Lion Cub Families, did you know that you can sign up to receive notifications when your children earn House Points? All you have to do is download the free Ron Clark House Points App and sign up with the letter that was sent home with your student before break. This will allow you to see every time your child has been recognized for something positive!
Be on the lookout, we will be sending home family connection letters this week with directions on how to connect and celebrate your students accomplishments.
- Students whose families connect to the House Points App will receive 5 pts!
- Homerooms with 100% of their class that have a family connection on the RCA House Points App will receive a popcorn party and 5 extra points for each member of their class!
- The House with 100% of their members that have family connections on the RCA House Points App will receive and additional 25 points for the entire House!
πOur Schedule This Week
January is School Board Appreciation Month!
Monday, January 1, 2024
-New Years Day: NO SCHOOL for Staff and Students
Tuesday, January 2, 2024
-Welcome Back! School begins at 7:50am!
Looking Ahead:
-January 9th: Law Enforcement Appreciation Day
-January 15th: Martin Luther King Jr. Day- NO SCHOOL for Staff and Students
-January 19th: End of 2nd Nine Weeks
-January 22nd: Teacher Workday- NO SCHOOL for Students
-January 22nd: February 1st- Parent/Teacher Conference Window for Quarter 2 (more info to come from your child's teacher)
-January 23rd: Teacher Workday- NO SCHOOL for Students
-January 26th: Clubs, Q2 Awards Assembly (more info to come), Report Cards
π‘ Reminders π‘
We need volunteers! If you are interested in volunteering to cover lunches or help out in our school we would love to have you. If you are interested, please reach out to Ms. Mendoza at karina_mendoza@abss.k12.nc.us or Mrs. Hamilton at bethany_hamilton@abss.k12.nc.us
Please ensure you have completed the required background check. We appreciate your support!
Background Check: https://securevolunteer.com/alamance-burlington.../home
Reminders:
- School begins at 7:50 a.m. for ALL students Pre-K-5. If you arrive after 7:50, you must park in the Pre-K parking lot and walk in with your students to sign them in before they can go to class.
- Breakfast will stop being served at 9:00 am.
- If you need to change your child's afternoon transportation, please call the front office at (336) 578-0177 before 2:00 p.m. Teachers cannot check and respond to messages and emails throughout the day when they are teaching. Please do not expect an immediate response from your child's teacher during instructional hours. Office hours for teachers begin after 3:00 p.m.
- Families may come to eat lunch with your students. Please reach out to your child's teacher 24 hours in advance to let them know you are coming so they can plan for seating. Remember: NO OUTSIDE FOOD OR DRINK MAY BE BROUGHT IN. Upon arrival, please sign in at the front office and get a visitor's tag.
- Just a quick safety reminder: If you are signing your students out early (before 2:20 p.m.), you must go inside the front office and check them out. If you arrive early, after 2:20 p.m., to sign your child out, you must wait until the dismissal announcements are made at 2:25 p.m. We appreciate your cooperation with this matter!
π Weekly Lunch Menu π₯¦
π¨οΈ Weather-Related Updates π¨οΈ
Our district's number one goal is to operate schools as safely and effectively as possible, following the published annual school calendar schedule as closely as possible. When there is inclement weather forecast for Alamance County, ABSS is prepared to make adjustments to schedules as needed which may include announcing a later arrival time, an early dismissal time, possible school closure or a remote learning day.
Three Options:
β Closed for all students & staff
β Closed for all students, staff workday
β Delayed Opening/Early Dismissal
Making decisions about closing or delaying school and bus transportation schedules when inclement weather is imminent for our community are among the most challenging ones every school district makes. But, we don't make these important safety decisions alone.
ABSS is in close contact with the National Weather Service about their forecast predictions and with local emergency management officials who also monitor the national weather information and North Carolina Office of Emergency Management forecasts about impending weather conditions.
In addition to consulting with weather and emergency management experts, ABSS performs late night and/or early morning visual inspections and assessments of actual road and weather conditions. We gather input from experienced staff with Alamance County Emergency Management, local law enforcement agencies, North Carolina Department of Transportation and Duke Energy. Our experienced ABSS Facilities and Maintenance staff members and our Transportation experts have years of experience and knowledge in identifying potential issues and potential trouble spots.
Assessments are made on road and bridge conditions in addition to inspecting our multiple campus parking lots, sidewalks and steps to determine if we can operate safely and effectively on a regular or modified schedule.
When a schedule change is needed, notifications to families and staff are made as quickly as possible and include automated messaging notifications via phone, email, and text messaging, the ABSS website, and social media posts and alerts shared with multiple TV and radio stations across the region.
How to find out if we have a weather-related delay/closing:
If at all possible, a decision to close or delay school is made no later than 5:00 a.m., and the notification process begins, within minutes, in the following order:
β An email is sent to all ABSS email accounts
β Announcement is posted on the district website and all school websites
β Announcements are posted to Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
β The following TV and radio stations are contacted:
- Radio Stations: WKRR 92.3, WPAW 99.1, WQDR 94.7, WSML 95.1, WQMG 97.1, WSMW 98.7, WMAG 99.5, WMKS 100.3, WYMY 101.1, WJMH 102.1, WTQR 104.1, WBAG 105.9, WKZL 107.5
- TV Stations: WFMY 2 (CBS), WRAL 5 (NBC), WGHP 9 (FOX), WXII 12 (NBC), NEWS 14 CAROLINA, WTVD 11 (ABC), WXLV 45 (ABC)
- Websites: WFMY News 2, WRAL, Fox 8, News 12, Spectrum News, ABC 11, ABC 45, The Times News, Mebane Enterprise, Alamance News
βοΈ Curriculum Corner βοΈ
Let's take a look at what our students will be learning this week!
Kindergarten
Reading:
With prompting and support, retell familiar stories, including key details.
Letters of the week: q, z
Sight Words: a, and, for, he, in, is, it, of, that, the, to, was, you
Math:
Describe objects in the environment using names of shapes, and describe the relative positions of objects using positional terms.
Correctly name squares, circles, triangles, rectangles, hexagons, cubes, cones, cylinders, and spheres regardless of their orientations or overall size.
Social Studies:
Identify cultural practices in local communities and around the world.
Compare cultural practices of people in local communities and around the world.
1st Grade
Reading:
With guidance and support, identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.
Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.
Sight Words: use, other, first
Math:
Represent and solve word problems that call for addition of three whole numbers whose sum is less than or equal to 20, by using objects, drawings, and equations.
Apply the commutative and associative properties as strategies for solving addition problems.
Add and subtract, within 20, using strategies such as:
Making ten
Decomposing a number leading to a ten
Using the relationship between addition and subtraction
Creating equivalent but simpler or known sums
Apply understanding of the equal sign to determine if equations involving addition and subtraction are true.
Determine the unknown whole number in an addition or subtraction equation involving three whole numbers
Social Studies:
Explain how the artistic expressions of diverse people and cultures contribute to communities around the world.
Explain how culture, values, and beliefs influence how disagreements are resolved in classrooms, local communities, and the world.
2nd Grade
Reading:
Recount stories, including fables and folktales, from diverse cultures and determine their central message, lesson or moral.
Math:
Fluently add and subtract within 100 using strategies based on place value, properties of operations, and/or relationship between addition and subtraction.
Science:
Give examples of matter that change from a solid to a liquid and from a liquid to a solid by heating and cooling.
Compare the amount (volume and weight) of water in a container before and after freezing.
3rd Grade
Reading:
Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.
Math:
Find the area of a rectangle with whole-number side lengths by tiling without gaps or overlaps and counting unit squares.
Relate area to the operations of multiplication and addition.
Find the area of a rectangle with whole-number side lengths by tiling it, and show that the area is the same as would be found by multiplying the side lengths.
Multiply side lengths to find areas of rectangles with whole-number side lengths in the context of solving problems, and represent whole-number products as rectangular areas in mathematical reasoning.
Use tiles and/or arrays to illustrate and explain that the area of a rectangle can be found by partitioning it into two smaller rectangles, and that the area of the large rectangle is the sum of the two smaller rectangles.
Science:
Compare Earth's land features (including volcanoes, mountains, valleys, canyons, caverns, and islands) by using models, pictures, diagrams, and maps.
Compare Earthβs saltwater and freshwater features (including oceans, seas, rivers, lakes, ponds, streams, and glaciers).
4th Grade
Reading:
Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text.
Math:
Solve problems with area and perimeter.
Draw and identify points, lines, line segments, rays, angles, and perpendicular and parallel lines.
Social Studies:
Summarize the ways in which women, indigenous, religious, and racial groups influence local and state government.
5th Grade
Reading:
Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a particular story, drama, or poem.
Compare and contrast the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in two or more texts.
Math:
Add and subtract fractions, including mixed numbers with unlike denominators using related fractions: halves, fourths, and eighths; thirds, sixths, and twelfths; fifths, tenths, and hundredths.
Science:
Explain how factors such as gravity, friction, and change in mass affect the motion of objects.
π Leader In Me At HRE
Understanding Community Needs Leads to Unexpected Leadership
5th grade students at Western Salisbury Elementary reach out to Johns Hopkins University and receive an unexpected response. This school activity helped reinforce the idea of working together to achieve a goal, and having the confidence to try something new. Check out the video below.
Our 5th grade students have assessed the needs of a local nursing home in our community. During the month of January, they will be collecting items to deliver to the nursing home during the field trip in February for our "Operation Love our Community" Service Learning Project for the 23-24 school year.
Compass Health Care & Rehab of Mebane, NC makes the health and happiness of their residents a top priority. They provide both short-term and long-term residents with the absolute best in skilled nursing services. Their team of highly skilled and professional nursing staff administers care with the utmost compassion. They pay close attention to the changing needs of residents and continue to adjust treatment plans in order to achieve optimal results that will help them enjoy better physical and mental health.
As a part of our service learning, this will also be a House Challenge. Items can be brought in and placed in the collection bins that will be in the cafeteria starting this week. The following items are needed for Compass Health Care & Rehab:
π§‘House Intellectus & Mrs. Oliver's Pre-K Class: lotion, combs, deodorant, & sweet snacks.
πHouse Magisterium & Mrs. Hodge & Mrs. Royster's Pre-K Classes: kleenex (tissues), body wash, coloring books, & salty snacks.
πHouse Excelsior & Mrs. Smith & Ms. Mendoza's Pre-K Classes: shampoo (non scented), bar soap, word search books, & sweet snacks.
β€οΈHouse Empatia & Mrs. McCormick's Pre-K Class: hair conditioner (non scented), toothpaste, crossword puzzle books, & salty snacks.
More information will be coming home with your students this week!
πβ€οΈ House Points Update π§‘π
FIRST PLACE: INTELLECTUS- HOUSE OF UNDERSTANDING
In first place is House Intellectus with 9012 points! The points leader for House Intellectus is Erick A., in first grade with 204 points!
SECOND PLACE: MAGISTERIUM- HOUSE OF LEADERSHIP
In second place is House Magisterium with 8913 points! The points leader for House Magisterium is Kamora M., in first grade with 229 points!
THIRD PLACE: EMPATIA- HOUSE OF EMPATHY
In third place is House Empatia with 8437 points! The points leader for House Empatia is Owen T., in 1st grade with 206 points!
FOURTH PLACE: EXCELSIOR- HOUSE OF GROWTH
In fourth place is House Excelsior with 8359 points! The points leader for House Excelsior is Avery M., in 1st grade with 215 points!
π° News from Student Support Services π°
Our Student Support Services Team is here to support our families. Please reach out to them if you have any needs of concerns.
Mrs. Tricomi, School Counselor
Mrs. Tricomi is here to support our students with learning strategies, self-management, and social skills. She also serves as our 504 coordinator. To reach Mrs. Tricomi, please email elizabeth_tricomi@abss.k12.nc.us
Ms. Hill, School Social Worker
Ms. Hill is here to support our students and families with social services. She works to eliminate barriers to academic achievement by providing strategic services that identify and address the social emotional-environmental issues that interfere with the educational process. To reach Ms. Hill, please email casey_hill@abss.k12.nc.us
Mrs. Matkins, School Nurse
Mrs. Matkins is here to support the health and wellness of our Haw River Elementary Community. She works to support students and families with illnesses, referrals, and healthcare needs. To reach Mrs. Matkins, please email haley_matkins@abss.k12.nc.us
π Community Assistance Resources π
FREE At-Home Covid Tests FREE AT-HOME COVID TESTS
Every U.S. household may place an order to receive four free COVID-β 19 rapid tests delivered directly to your home.
Need help placing an order for your at-β home tests?
Call 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489).
The U.S. government will continue to make COVID-β 19 tests available to uninsured individuals and underserved communities through existing outreach programs. Please contact a HRSA health center, Test to Treat site, or ICATT location near you to learn how to access low- or no-cost COVID-β 19 tests provided by the federal government.
For more information, click the link.
π€πHaw River Lion Cubs Spirit Storeπ€π
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Go HAW RIVER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL!
β New to Haw River? β
Welcome to Haw River Checklist:
- Complete Forms in PowerSchool
- Review Bus Routes if needed.
- Learn about the HRE House System for K-5 Students.
- Review the HRE student/parent handbook.
- Meet our amazing staff.
WANT THE MOST UP TO DATE INFORMATION?
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