July Updates for HAW Families

Happy July to our HAW Bears! It is just about that time when everyone starts to think about the new school year. My office and our halls are so quiet and I can't wait to see you all in a few short weeks.

It is my pleasure to serve as your Executive Director and Principal. A little bit about me. After 30 years in education, I still get butterflies on the first day of school! I have an amazing husband who puts up with my "magnetic personality", three pretty great kids (33, 25, and 18), a beautiful daughter-in-law, and two super adorable grandsons (see picture below). We also have 2 terriers who think they are great big dogs and rival my "magnetic personality". I love to read, travel, and learn new things.

Please know that communication is extremely important to me. We use K12 Alerts to communicate through text, email, and phone throughout the year. We also post a weekly newsletter to our Website. In addition, teachers also use communication APPs and newsletters to keep you posted on classroom specific updates. With that, it is important to keep your contact information current. Reach out to Mrs. Ada Gallegos, our amazing registrar, to update your phone, email, or address at adagallegos@hawest.net. We like to remind everyone that we are our own public charter school district and we are not affiliated nor follow APS schedules or alerts.

We are working on our new and improved Website and will migrate to that site next week. Continue to check our Website for more updates as we get closer to the first day of school. Our calendar, student and parent handbook, dress code, supply list, and cafeteria information can be found there. And please know that my door is always open to you.

Once again, breakfast and lunch is free for all students regardless of income. And, our lunch status has changed as a school which means we do not collect free and reduced forms anymore. We post menus each month and you may also send a lunch as well. Because we are a USDA Federal Lunch program, we do not allow fast food or soft drinks in our cafeteria.

Registration information for both our morning care and after school care program (CREW) is posted as a Google Form on our Website. It is important to note that our Friday program is dependent on enrollment. If we do not have interest, we may not offer Fridays as an option.

Save the date for Thursday, August 1st. Drop off school supplies, say hello to our teachers and staff, and check out your child's classroom. In order to accommodate our growing community, please use the following as a guide. Last Names A-L come between 8:30-10:00 and Last Names M-Z come between 10:15-11:45. Our goal is to eliminate large crowds and no standing in line in the gym. It is informal and families will head straight to your child's classroom. We will have helpers in the halls for our new families. Our teachers will be welcoming and greeting all families and won't have time to meet individually. If you have things to share about your child or need more conference time, feel free to reach out for an appointment at a later date. By the way, class lists will be finalized in the next week and our goal is to send that information on July 29 or 30.

Watch for a date to be announced in mid-August for a more formalized Back to School Night. We are excited to bring these back! We will share more about our curriculum, achievement data, and expectations about our home and school partnership.

Attendance matters each day. School begins promptly at 7:45 am and that is when all students should be in his or her classroom ready to learn. More information will be sent as we finalize our morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up procedures.

You have lots of options for dress code this year. We simplified things for our students. Check out the dress code on our Website.

Thank you for choosing Horizon Academy West Charter School. GO BEARS!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Carissa Cantrell

Director (and Principal and your Partner in Education)

ccantrell@hawest.net

PTO needs YOU! New members and volunteers at events are welcomed and needed. Reach out to PTO using their email pto@hawest.net. Get updates and reminders using the Remind App (text code is in the attachment) https://www.remind.com/join/hawpt. Follow on social media (note, these are new pages) FaceBook: https://m.facebook.com/hawestpto Instagram:

https://instagram.com/haw.pto?igshid=MTIzZWMxMTBkOA==

24-25 Officers:

Donna Predika - President

Liz Rodriguez- Vice President

Tiffany Segura - Correspondence Coordinator

Adria Gurule - Communications Coordinator

• School Hours are 7:45 am to 3:30 pm.
• If your child arrives after 7:45 am, an adult must come into the front office with your child to check in for the day.
• The School Calendar is posted on our Website for your convenience.
• Our handbook is posted on our Website for your review. We will have you digitally sign the acknowledgement form in August.
• Our enrollment has increased and so has our traffic. Patience and respect is expected at arrival and dismissal. Procedures and a visual map will be sent before the first day of school. We encourage car pools and can help you find families in your neighborhood. Please use kind language and gestures and follow all requests from our staff.
• Supply Lists are posted on our Website. Know that some teachers may request additional materials. If you are in need of assistance, please email our Assistant Principal, Mrs. Andrea Gallegos, at agallegos@hawest.net.
• All visitors and volunteers will need a state-issued ID with picture when checking in at the front office or checking your child out for the day.
• All volunteers will need a background check to work in the classrooms and attend field trips. This process is posted on our Website. If you have any questions, let us know in the front office.
• K-5 students wear uniforms. Check out the Website for specifics. If you need assistance, please email our Assistant Principal, Mrs. Andrea Gallegos at agallegos@hawest.net.
• Call the office to report your child's absence 998-0459 and listen for the attendance line prompt.

August 1: Drop off your school supplies (See times above)

August 5: First day of school (7:45 am - 3:30 pm)

August: DATE TO BE DETERMINED: Back to School Night

September 2: Holiday, No School

September 3: The NED Show School-Wide Assembly

Office Hours: Mon - Thurs, 7:15am - 4:00pm

Email: ccantrell@hawest.net
Website: www.hawest.net
Phone: (505) 998-0459