The Creek's Corner:

• January 9-10...Kindergarten-2nd Grade NWEA Winter Assessment
• January 11...REPORT CARDS COME HOME
• January 11-13...HCE Archery Tournament at Hill Farm Elementary
• 1/11 (5:00-6:00)
• 1/12 (5:00-8:00)
• 1/13 (8:00-4:30)
• January 15...MLK Day (NO SCHOOL)
• January 17-18...3rd-5th Grade NWEA Winter Assessment
• January 22-26...2024 Great Kindness Challenge

The CKH Leadworthy Character Word for January is RESPECT.

What is RESPECT?

Respect is the willingness and ability to act professionally and thoughtfully with ourselves and others. Leaders can deal respectfully with opposition and provide space for both dignity and differences to coexist.

Why focus on RESPECT?

RESPECT contributes to a positive culture. People feel safe, supported, and engaged in the context of thoughtful social, emotional, civic, and intellectual interactions.

RESPECT decreases conflict. Respect helps us, and others, to be able to express ourselves without fear of being judged, humiliated, or discriminated against.

RESPECT encourages empathy. Respect helps us to understand each other and put ourselves in someone else shoes.

Our students, who consistently exemplify respect throughout JANUARY, are likely to be chosen as the Leadworthy Spotlight Winner for their class. Winners get to have a special lunch with the principals!

Please encourage your child to lead with great character each day!

Primary Care Triple P: Positive Parenting Program

(This is a one-on-one intervention)

Targeted Population:

• Parents of Pre-K through 5th grade students

• Parents seeking information about how to address a specific parenting or child behavior issue

• The family situation is reasonably stable (i.e. not in the middle of separation/divorce, parent has psychological issues themselves, or the child has major psychological issues that have not yet been addressed)

Families will participate in a few assessments. Based on the outcome of those assessments, the Triple P Team may determine whether this level of intervention will be beneficial for a family. If it is not going to be beneficial, and they recommend a higher level of care, such as family counseling that would involve more intense involvement, the team will make an outside counseling recommendation to the family and let the referring principal know.

Program Objectives:

• Increase parents’ confidence in managing common behavior problems and developmental issues

• Reducing parents’ use of coercive and punitive methods of disciplining children (focusing on pre-teaching desired behaviors, rather than just reacting to a bad behavior)

• Improving parents’ communication and reducing parental stress

IF you are interested, please reach out to Mrs. Williams (Principal) or Ms. Dockery (Counselor), and they will get your information submitted to the team. Thank you!

Class Attendance Incentive

Just a REMINDER...

When all students in a classroom are present and on time, with no early checkouts, the class receives a star for the day. Upon the 20th star, the class becomes eligible for the Class Attendance Incentive. There is a different incentive each month, so whatever the incentive is during the month a class reaches 20 stars, that's what they'll receive.

• October: Mrs. Stringer's class reached 20 stars and received a GLOW STICK PARTY!
• November: The following classes reached 20 stars and received a DANCE PARTY:
• Mrs. Penfield; Mrs. Finley; Mrs. DeVito; Mrs. Watts
• December: The following classes reached 20 stars and received MUSIC and FUN ACTIVITIES in the gym:
• Mrs. Garner; Mrs. Martindale; Mrs. Johnson; Mrs. D. Jones

We are so proud of our students for showing up to school each day--ready to learn at high levels!

WINTER NWEA Assessments

Parents, please view the calendar dates above for specific testing days for our K-2 students and our 3-5 students. Please make sure students are well rested, have eaten breakfast (or are on time to eat breakfast at school), and are encouraged to do their best! It is imperative that we assist and support our kiddos daily. We appreciate you!

• DO NOT speed or use cell phones when dropping off our students. Our first priority is the safety of our students and staff, and these behaviors are not safe. Last week, we witnessed some parents driving too fast and/or using cell phones in the car rider line. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. Please be sure to adhere to these laws/policies, as they are non-negotiable. Officer Martindale will be turning in information, to our authorities, of those who are not following these laws/policies. I truly appreciate your assistance with keeping our babies safe!

• PARENTS, please continue to ensure that our students are in attendance, each day, and on time! This cannot be possible without YOU!❤️
• ATTENDANCE incentives:
• Each class is working hard as a team to reach 20 stars! Every time a class has perfect attendance (all students present all day and on time), the class receives a star. Upon the 20th star, the class receives a class incentive/prize!
• Each student who has perfect attendance (present all day and on time) within a nine-week period will receive a very special Sonic lunch/treat and special recognition!

• Continue to encourage students to work hard and adhere to school and classroom expectations. We have numerous incentives in place to help encourage positive, desirable behaviors:
  
• As expressed before, we want our students to attend the Nine-Week Behavior Bash each nine weeks. Although the time has ended for our students to earn the 2nd Nine Weeks Behavior Bash (will be held January 12th), the time is NOW for them to begin working hard for the 3rd Nine Week Behavior Bash!
• Students have the opportunity to be the VIP (Very Important Patriot) Super Star at the end of each week when they do an exceptional job exhibiting the class' weekly Focus Word.
• Leadworthy Spotlight Winner (see Capturing Kids' Hearts above)
• Positive Principal Pals: Students can receive a positive note from their teacher, to the principals. Their note goes into a special drawing to win lunch with the principals at the end of the week! Students will also bring their notes home for parents to see what teachers and principals had to say about their students' wonderful behavior❤️

• Our back gates (on Shady Trail near the playground) are closed and locked at 8am. You must enter the school from the front entrance (Alcoa Road) if you arrive at 8:00 or later. They reopen after 2:10 for parents to begin lining up for afternoon dismissal.

• School ends at 3:10pm, so please honor the 3:30pm pick-up time. We understand that situations arise, every now and then, that result in a later pick-up time. However, this should not be habitual. Habitually late pick-ups are counted as tardies. As shared before, our faculty and staff also have children and families they must get home to and care for. We certainly appreciate your support with this!😊

• Our instructional day begins at 7:45am, and our tardy bell rings at 7:50am. Please have your students dropped off by 7:50. Students are missing valuable instructional time when they are tardy or absent. However, do not drop students off before 7:15am. Staff is not on duty before this time. Also, if you arrive at or after 7:50am, you must park, walk your student inside, and sign them in at the front office.

• We have had parents drop students (3rd-5th) off in the back at/after 7:45 without an adult present. This is unacceptable and unsafe. If it is 7:45 or after, you must drive around to the front of the building to drop students off.

• Please remember that transportation changes must be made in the office, no later than 1:30pm, unless there is an emergency. Please call the office to let us know that your child will be getting home a different way than normal. Classroom teachers may not get your message in time, so please do not rely on them to relay the message or make the change.

• BUS RIDER PARENTS: Please make sure students arrive at the bus stop 10 minutes before the scheduled arrival time to ensure that they don't miss the bus.

Thank you for helping us ensure that our students are safe, respectful, and learning at high levels!

Our school’s mission is to create a safe, respectful environment with high levels of learning for all. In an effort to fulfill our mission to promote student safety, Hurricane Creek Elementary is collaborating with Cooper-Anthony Mercy Child Advocacy Center to provide additional resources for students and families (MBF Child Safety Matters.) Please be sure to read and access the following:

• Child Safety Matters Info for Parents
• Child Safety Matters Opt Out Form
  

JANUARY Parent Guidance Newsletter

• "Clear Lungs, Bright Futures: Understanding Vaping and Smoking"
• January Parent Guidance Newsletter English (Vaping and Smoking)
  
• January Parent Newsletter Spanish (vaping and smoking)
  

• Make sure students come to school with coats and are appropriately dressed for the weather.
  
• Please remember that if your child is sick, do not send them to school.
• If they are running a fever of 100.0 or greater, they have to be fever free for 24 hours (without medication) prior to returning to school.
• Also, if your child is vomiting, keep them home for 24 hours until vomiting has stopped, also without medication.
• Please send extra clothes in your child's backpack to bring to school in case of an accident.
• Encourage your child to not share combs, hats, scarfs, headbands, or coats with other students for hygiene reasons.

PTO Meetings will be held the 2nd Monday of each month @HCE in the Cafe (6:00pm).

However, this month's meeting has been moved to January 22nd (same place and time). Thanks!

**Our PTO is in need of parent volunteers. Please join and support. Thank you!❤️🤍💙**

• HCE PTO MEMBER HUB (Please join!)

• District Calendar

• BPS Elementary Curriculum

• Free and Reduced Lunch Online Application

• Hurricane Creek Elementary Facebook Page

• Hurricane Creek Elementary School | Home

• Hurricane Creek Elementary PTO | Benton AR

• HCES Lunch Visitor Schedule and Expectations

• HCE Snack Days 2023-2024

• 2023-24 Elementary Handbook (ENGLISH)
  

• 2023-24 Elementary Handbook (SPANISH)
  

"If your child feels loved, they feel safe. If your child feels loved, they open up to you. If your child feels loved, they will be courageous in life because they know they have a cushion to fall back on. If there's one big gift we can give our children is to know they are truly loved, no matter what."

~Carolina King