

The Eagle's Call π¦
Friday, December 1st, 2023
From Principal Tim Huber ππ
Families,
If your child(ren) is/are Track 1, then I hope your family enjoys this track out time!
This week our school district community members at Southeast Raleigh High School experienced tragedy and loss. In a school community as large as Harris Creek's, it is a guarantee that a number of our staff and families have connections with the SRHS community and share in their grief. Please keep the SRHS community in your thoughts as they returned to school yesterday and will work to find comfort in being together and continuing to help children learn and grow.
EXTRA SPECIAL THANK YOU: To the 30+ families who submitted special shout outs for our staff members, THANK YOU from all of us at Harris Creek! At this past Thursday's staff meeting, it took more than 15 minutes for me to read all of the shout-outs aloud. We smiled, laughed, and cried together as the words of gratitude touched everyone. If you did not get the chance to submit your shout out before Thursday, please do so whenever you can! (scroll down for the link) Shout-outs will be shared at the next staff meeting in January.
Today and always, thank you for your continued support of your children and our school. Together, we will help our children SOAR to reach their greatest potential!
Email: thuber@wcpss.net
Website: https://www.wcpss.net/harriscreekes
Location: Harris Creek Elementary School, Forestville Road, Raleigh, NC, USA
Phone: 919.217.5100
Facebook: facebook.com/HarrisCreekPta
[HOLIDAY SEASON] Harris Creek ES Staff Gift Ideas! π
[NEXT WEEK] Voices of the Creek Concert 12/6 6:30-7:30pm πΆ
Please join the Voices of the Creek Chorus and Music Teacher Sonda Brown for a concert on Wednesday December 6th from 6:30 until approximately 7:30pm. The concert will take place in the school gym. We will set up all of the chairs we have, however, last year we ran out of chairs so please be sure to arrive early to reserve your seat. The front door to the school will be unlocked starting at 6pm. See you there!
[NEW] A Beautiful Hot Cocoa Bar - Thank You Harris Creek PTA! β
On Friday, December 1st, staff were treated to a beautiful and delicious hot cocoa bar complete with seasonal candy and snacks and whipped cream! Thank you to our amazing and dedicated PTA for bringing the holiday cheer to our staff lounge!
[NEW] Upcoming School Lockdown Drill - Week of December 4th π¨
At least once each school year, we are required to conduct a school lockdown drill which ensures preparedness of all students and staff in case of a community or school emergency. No action is required on the part of families, however, you may consider having discussions with your children about school safety. For information about our plans and procedures to keep your children safe, refer to the Safety and Emergencies page on the school district website.
[NEXT WEEK] PTA Holiday Gift Shop Open Until Friday 12/8 π
The Holiday Gift Shop is open until Friday December 8th. Be sure to take advantage of this amazing shop arranged and run by our dedicated PTA volunteers! To see more details about items in the shop, check out the Facebook post from our PTA Facebook page.
[ICYMI] Water Bottle Filler Upgrade Complete! π§
Recently 5 water fountains at our school were upgraded to include bottle fillers! This means that every hallway plus the cafeteria has a bottle filler. Thank you to all families and students for the tremendous fundraising efforts this year that made this possible! As a reminder, please be sure to send only non-glass refillable water bottles to school with your child(ren). Thank you!
[FYI] It's Field Trip Season: Paying Fees Online and Registering to Volunteer as a Chaperone π
The fall is a busy time for field trips at Harris Creek! It is likely that your child has either already had a trip or has one coming soon. Here are some important steps for making the field trip process easy for your child(ren), yourself and for Harris Creek staff:
- Complete and return the field permission form and student health form as soon as possible - these must be reviewed by our school nurse prior to the trip
- Pay online using Online School Payments - it's quick, easy, and convenient! Just find the location of the trip and your child's teacher name on the list
- Planning to chaperone? Complete a volunteer application today. The background check process can take several weeks before approval is granted
[SUPPORT OPPORTUNITY] Sponsor A Child's Field Trip π
[REMINDER] Drivers License/ID is Required For Checking In/Signing Out Students π
[UPDATED] PTA News π€
Although opportunities to attend meetings and to volunteer are available and will be offered, it is not a requirement for PTA membership. Please consider joining the PTA and supporting our school in whatever capacity you are able.
- November PTA Newsletter - see below
- Join the PTA
- Upcoming PTA Meeting Dates:
- Teacher Breakfasts/Lunches: 1/24/24, 4/18/24, 5/13/24, 6/27/24
- PTA Angel Fund: Please consider a donation to fund field trips for other Eagles! Click the link to donate: all donations go towards funding individual students for future field trips
- Check out the School Spirit Wear Online Store!
- Help Stock The Teacher's Lounge! π
- Follow the Harris Creek Elementary PTA Facebook page
Additional Carpool Tags Available For Purchase π
If you are a first time carpool user, you can stop by the front office to get 2 carpool tags for free.
DID YOU KNOW? Harris Creek families are directly involved in ensuring accurate reporting for Title 1 school identification. Each year on March 1st, the number of students eligible for free or reduced lunch cost is reported to the federal government. All elementary schools above 45% of students eligible receive additional funding allocation for the following school year. Even if you don't think you are eligible or your child will not be eating school lunch, please be sure to complete an application for meal benefits as soon as possible. Thank you!
[ACTION REQUESTED] School Meals π΄ π½
Apply NOW for Free and Reduced Price Meals ππ΄π
Click this link for full details: Free/Reduced Meals All families must complete an application for the 2023-2024 school year starting July 1 in order to receive benefits. Please allow 10 business days for processing. For every student that turns in the free and reduced meals application and qualifies, the school also receives federal funds that benefit the students and teachers at the school. We need you to complete a 2023-2024 meal benefits application so our school can be eligible for extra funding next year. If you have not completed a free or reduced-price meal application and think your child may be eligible, pick up an application at your childβs school or apply online.
Cafeteria Menus: Menus are available on the interactive website, MealViewer.
- School Cafeteria Angel Fund: Our school cafeteria maintains a special account for when students forget to bring money for school meals on a day here and there. If you would like to contribute to this fund, please send cash or check in with your child or drop it off at the school with Cafeteria Manager Rachel Shepard. Thank you for your generosity!
MySchoolBucks App: With a MySchool Bucks account paying for school meals is easy. Go to www.MySchoolBucks.com or call (855) 832-5226 to enroll. You'll need your child's Student ID number, available in your registration materials or at your school. Once your account is established you may:
- Securely deposit funds to your child's account
- Check balances
- Set spending limits
Questions about applying for free and reduced meals:
(919) 856-2920 (English)
(919) 588-3535 (English and Spanish)
Volunteer Registration and Volunteer Opportunities π€
New for this school year: You can complete the application from home and on any device!
Click the button below to access the application form. Thank you in advance for registering to be a volunteer!
District policy regarding volunteers can be accessed here.
Transportation Reminders ππ
Please read the linked document in it's entirety.
ID Checks Take Place in The Front Office
Family members who do not have a carpool tag will be required to park (disabled spots) and come into the front office to have their ID checked to verify they are a student contact. This is a return to pre-pandemic procedures and to address staffing shortage. In addition, cars without carpool tags will remain in the carpool line rather than advance past the cones. If you need a new carpool tag, please come to the front office anytime during school hours. Thank you!
Students May Not Be Dropped Off Until 8:45am
Please be reminded of the expectation that students may not be dropped off until 8:45am. Students may not line up at the front door.
Carpool Efficiency Reminders
Please remember to pull forward as far as possible in both AM and PM carpool, have your student(s) open their own door, and put on your hazard lights if assistance is needed (AM). If needing to help your child get in the seat, please pull forward and into a parking space so that the line can keep moving. Thank you!
Please Display Carpool Number Tags Every Afternoon
In order to ensure an efficient carpool process, please remember to hang carpool number tags to display clearly from your vehicle's rearview mirror. Please reference the image below for proper placement. This is a critical step to ensure students leave their classrooms and come outside to the correct location on the sidewalk to be picked up. Thank you!
Bus Tracking App
Please use the Here Comes the Bus app (App Store or Google Play Store) to monitor the location of your studentβs bus and when it is approaching his/her stop. To sign up: https://herecomesthebus.com/parents/get-started/ . The WCPSS school code for school bus tracking is 67500. You will need to use your child's student ID number as well.
You can also follow @HCESBuses on Twitter to confirm when your child's bus leaves campus each afternoon.
Student Technology Need-to-Knows for Families π»
REPLACEMENT CHARGER POLICY
Each student is issued a charger with their Chromebook. If that charger breaks, or goes missing, we will replace it at no cost to you ONE time. After that, Media and Technology Committee along with HCES Administration, has determined it is necessary to pass along replacement costs to the students.
At this time, if your student loses or breaks their second charger, they will need to see the tech office. They will be advised to have you pay a $20 replacement fee on our payment portal (Online School Payment) to receive a new charger. Use the button below to order
For safety reasons, it is not advised to order your own replacement as standards must be met for wattage, manufacturing guidelines etc. Once paid for, we will handle securing a charger for your student.
Please note: we have a running record of all replacements that have been made to date that will be used to determine eligibility for a replacement charger.
WCPSS Technology Webpage: Acces information regarding:
- Smartphone/Device Safety
- Consent For Technology And Digital Resource Use
- Technology Related Policies
- Student Device Program
- Online Safety at School
- Online Safety at Home
- Digital Wellness
Reminder: Students should restart their WCPSS devices once per week.
Restarting also can resolve many other common issues impacting student devices. Always restart a WCPSS device before contacting the Help Desk. Thank you!
Need someone to talk to? Call the Parent Stress Line: 1.800.632.8188
Parents Helping Parents (PHP) prevention philosophy is grounded in a self-help model based on the belief that parents are capable of developing their own solutions when given the space, encouragement, and community resources that they need. Thus, it is the parents themselves who decide the direction a conversation will take during a Parent Support Group meeting or Parent Stress Line.
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Through a combination of trust, mutual support, honesty, and collective wisdom, involvement with PHP can become the foundation for a parent's own personal growth and change.
[FOR REFERENCE] How Can I Help My Child With Math? βββ
Health and Wellness Reminders β₯
General health guidance can be viewed here: https://www.wcpss.net/Page/168
How to Easily Set Your WCPSS Communication Preferences
We recognize that you may be receiving a large volume of communication and we want to make sure you always see the information you need the most!
Set your SchoolMessenger message preferences by creating a SchoolMessenger Parent account. With this account you can select what information you receive and how you would like to receive it. You can create your account by downloading the SchoolMessenger app on your mobile device or go to https://go.schoolmessenger.com/.
Notes:
- Use the email address entered for your student in PowerSchool to sign up.
- Most messages from Mr. Huber and WCPSS are sent as email and text using the General School Info broadcast.
- To receive text messages, text YES to 67587.
- For more information and instructions on how to create an account, visit: https://www.wcpss.net/schoolmessenger.
Upcoming Dates to Remember π
- Nov 27-Dec 8: PTA Holiday Shop Open
- Dec 4: Track 2 returns
- Week of Dec 4: School Lockdown Drill
- Dec 6: Voices of the Creek Chorus Concert 6:30-7:30pm
- Dec 21: Last Day of Quarter 2: Tracks 2,3,4
- Dec 21: Track 4 Last Day Before Track Out
- Dec 22-Jan 2 - Winter Break No School For Students
- Jan 2 - Teacher Workday - no school for students
- Jan 3: Track 1 returns
- Jan 15: Martin Luther King Jr. Day - No School for All Students
Harris Creek Elementary School π¦
Website: https://www.wcpss.net/harriscreekes
Location: Harris Creek Elementary School, Forestville Road, Raleigh, NC, USA
Phone: 919-217-5100
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HarrisCreekPta
Twitter: @harriscreeekelem