Families,

Did you hear that sound? It was the sound of our school community cheering the upcoming end of the Traditional Calendar school year! For those year-round school first-timers, this is one of our favorite times of year when we usually enjoy less traffic, on-time/early bus arrivals, and lots of available substitute teachers when we need them! After Wednesday 6/12 and until late August, you can look forward to these benefits. For families of bus riders, please continue to use the Here Comes the Bus app to track your child's bus (more info below) and expect that it may be running earlier than usual on some afternoons after June 12th and throughout the summer.

For families of carpool riders, continue to ensure you have your child(ren) dropped off before 9:15am each morning and picked up between 3:45 and 4:15pm. Enjoy the less crowded roads!

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

(image created with Adobe Firefly)

With test days approaching for many of our students; now is a great time for parents and caregivers to consider some ways they can help their child feel prepared on test days. Read below for some easy and effective strategies as compiled by ChatGPT:

Morning Routine

• Ensure a Good Night's Sleep:

  • Ensure your child gets a full night’s sleep before the test day. Aim for 8-10 hours,.

• Provide a Nutritious Breakfast:

  • Offer a balanced breakfast that includes protein, whole grains, and fruits. Avoid sugary cereals or heavy, greasy foods which can make them feel sluggish.

• Hydration:

  • Encourage your child to drink water in the morning and avoid excessive caffeine or sugary drinks.

• Maintain a Calm Environment:

  • Keep the morning routine calm and positive. Avoid rushing or discussing stressful topics.

Emotional Support

• Encourage a Positive Attitude:

  • Remind your child of their strengths and past successes. Encourage them to do their best without focusing on the outcome.

• Reassure Them:

  • Let them know it’s normal to feel a bit nervous and that anxiety can sometimes help keep them alert.

• Practice Relaxation Techniques:

  • Teach your child simple relaxation techniques like deep breathing or visualization to use if they start feeling overwhelmed.

Students in Grades 3rd-5th will take the EOG/ EOC State Test soon. Should your child meet the criteria for our EOG/ EOC Remediation and Readministration program you will receive an invitation for your child to attend the program after the EOG/ EOC testing window closes for our school on June 3rd (T1) and June 26th (T2,3,4). For your planning purposes, the program dates for the end of the school year are: June 4th and 5th (T1) and June 27th and 28th (T2,3,4) . Transportation will be provided, and breakfast and lunch will be available.

Helping Education ais pleased to offer HELPS tutoring to your child through Helping Education's summer online literacy program.

HELPS tutoring is an evidence-based reading program that focuses on reading fluency (reading with speed, accuracy, and appropriate expression) that supports greater reading comprehension. For over a decade, research has shown that the HELPS fluency tutoring program has a positive impact on children's reading growth. All tutors have been well trained and have completed a thorough background check.

This tutoring is provided to your child at no cost to you.

Your student will need access to a computer (with camera)/laptop/tablet/smartphone, reliable internet connection, and the ability to log into Zoom to participate. The HELPS Summer Online Literacy Program will run from June 25, 2024 through August 15, 2024. Your student will receive three 30-minute tutoring sessions per week (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday) between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. m, or 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm, depending on the time chosen. Before beginning tutoring, your student will participate in a brief 10-15 minute assessment at an agreed upon date and time between May 20 and June 13 to determine their fluency benchmark. Questions about scheduling a testing time are found after the registration inquiries on this form. On this registration form, you will select two different times: one for the assessment and one for your student's ongoing tutoring sessions.

Spaces are available on a first-come, first-serve basis, are limited, and tend to fill up quickly.

Link to register: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdbcuNcAKbVmhqjjElAMgtjfDTlHF-Bb5ITvb5racXfdKTwVg/viewform

HCES School Counselors Jessica Krauss and Mark Speight have created this excellent resources for parents and caregivers to support their child's and their own mental wellness. Use the links below to access the video and attachments. The goals of the workshop are:

1. Understand why mental wellness is important for Elementary School Children
2. Identify mental health warning signs and how to address them early on
3. Learn ways to support your child’s mental health and wellness

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.

• Yearbooks: use button below to place your order, yearbooks are $20
  
• [AMAZON WISH LIST] Help Stock The Teacher's Lounge! 😋
• Join the PTA
• Upcoming PTA Meeting Dates:
• Teacher Breakfasts/Lunches: 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!
• Follow the Harris Creek Elementary PTA Facebook page

The second half of the school year can be a time of exponential academic growth for students! When it's time to help your child at home, be sure to use the below linked Google Site to support you.

Families: please use the below linked Google Site to access math curriculum information and resources for all grade levels K-5th. Information and resources are grouped by unit and lesson. To find out which unit and lesson your child is currently learning and/or which unit/lesson they need more practice with, please contact your child's teacher.

If your family needs more than 2 carpool tags or you have lost one, please use the link below to submit payment for additional tags. Tags may be picked up in the front office after payment has been processed.

If you are a first time carpool user, you can stop by the front office to get 2 carpool tags for free.

• Apply for Free and Reduced Price Meals 🍕🍴🍌

• Click this link for full details: Free/Reduced Meals. 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. 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 child’s 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)

  cnsmealbenefits@wcpss.net

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.

HCES Carpool Expectations

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 student’s 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.

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!

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.

​

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.

General health guidance can be viewed here: https://www.wcpss.net/Page/168

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.

• Jun 12-21: EOG Testing Tracks 2,3,4
  
• Jun 19: No School All Tracks - Teacher Workday - Juneteenth
• Jun 26: Last Day of School Tracks 2,3,4
• Jun 26: 5th Grade Track 3 Celebration 11:00am
• Jun 26: 5th Grade Track 4 Celebration 1:00pm
• July 3: SAVE THE DATE: 1st-5th Grade Meet the Teacher Tracks 1,2,3 3-5pm
• July 8: First Day of 2024-25 School Year: Tracks 1,2,3 1st-5th Grade
• July 8-11: Kindergarten Staggered Entry Tracks 1,2,3
• July 12: Kindergarten Meet The Teacher Tracks 1,2,3 5-6pm
• July 25: SAVE THE DATE: Open House Tracks 1&3 5-6pm
• July 26: SAVE THE DATE: 1st-5th Grade Meet the Teacher Track 4 5-6pm
• Aug 15: SAVE THE DATE: Open House Tracks 2&4 5-6pm
• Oct 24: SAVE THE DATE: Trunk or Treat Family Event 5:45-7:15pm

As Harris Creek Eagles, we SOAR!

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