The HillTop Times April 2024
"We Believe...Success for ALL!"
From Principal Adams
It's hard to believe that we are in April and have a little less than two months left in SY 2023-2024. Time surely flies when you are having fun! I am excited to welcome our newest assistant principal, Ms. Takenya Warren, who will join us April 15th and assist in leading our school community to higher heights. Ms. Warren, Ms. Williams, and I are here to serve our families and address anything that is needed.
I do want to shout out that in April, it is the Month of the Military Child and Autism Acceptance Month! The uniqueness of our Eagles who are represented by these observances play a vital role in help all our Eagles understand the value of inclusiveness and respect for all. We encourage everyone to wear their purple on Monday, April 15th for Purple Up! For Military Kids Day. The color purple consists of all the colors of each military service branch. Also, everyone is encouraged to wear light blue (or any shade) for Autism Awareness Day on Friday, April 19th.
As a reminder, I understand many of your frustrations with the car rider line. I often share with families, traffic is mild between 7:00-7:15a.m. With the influx of traffic that comes after 7:20a.m. it causes delays and increases the risk of your child(ren) being tardy. I encourage earlier arrival to help the car rider line flow efficiently during its operation. Also, both entrances to the school from the car rider loop close promptly at 7:30a.m. to allow staff to transition to their class for instruction. At this time, please monitor your child(ren) if they exit the car, and the entrance is closed so you can drive them to the front of building and enter with you to be signed in. Please note, the car rider entrance is blocked off at a certain time to ensure all cars are served before staff transition to their class. We ask that you do not move any barriers to assist in in no one being in line when doors close. Lastly, entrance through the front doors are prohibited until 7:30a.m. unless arrangements have been made for those with special needs.
As always, we appreciate your support and partnership. Please contact me if there are questions, concerns, feedback, or ideas to help our Eagles continue soaring.
🦅 #MountUp #WatchUsSoar 🦅
From Ms. Warren:
"I am honored to have been selected to serve as assistant principal at Horrell Hill Elementary. I look forward to meeting and working with staff, students, families, and community members of such a great school. Thank you for welcoming me into the Eagle family. I am from Camden, SC an am married to my husband Charlie. Together, we have a blended family with 3 children and 2 grandchildren. I love spending time with my sisters of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. I have been teaching for over 20 years and have served in several leadership roles during that time. I have taught kindergarten, first, second, and third grades. I enjoy binge-watching TV shows on Netflix, reading, and spending time with my family. I am super excited to meet all of you!"
Upcoming Events
- Friday, April 12th - Deadline for Parent Climate Survey
- Friday, April 12th - HHES Field Day
- Saturday, April 13th - Spring Certified Job Fair @ 10:00a.m., Eau Caire HS
- Monday, April 15th - Wear purple in support of Month of the Military Child
- Wednesday, April 17th - Quarter 3 Awards Assemblies (K-1 @ 8a.m.; 2-3 @ 9a.m.; 4-5 @ 10a.m.)
- Wednesday, April 17th - Grandparents Game Day @ 10:00a.m.
- Friday, April 19th - Wear blue in support of Autism Awareness Month
- Saturday, April 20th - Lower Richland Cluster Field Day @ 10:00a.m., Lower Richland HS
- Saturday, April 20th - Eagle Choir performance at Gadsden Farm Festival @ 1p.m.
- Sunday, April 21st - Lower Richland Gospel Fest @ 6p.m., Lower Richland HS
- NEW DATE: Wednesday, April 24th - STAR Reading (K-5th)
- Thursday, April 25th - STAR Math (K-5th)
- Friday, April 26th - Early Release for Students (Staff Professional Development)
Below is a list of the actual state tests for students in grades 3-5 in May. Please plan ahead to ensure your child(ren) are not absent on these dates:
Writing - May 7
Reading - May 8
Math - May 14
Science - May 16 (grade 4 only)
ELA Field Test - May 21
Positive School Behaviors
Please continue to encourage your child(ren) to demonstrate appropriate behaviors while at school. We use the SOAR acronym as a reminder, and it is universal in all grade levels. We have seen an increase in students resorting to negative physical interactions rather than using the correct conflict resolution skills taught and reinforced by you and staff. Your support is greatly appreciated as we continue to remind our Eagles to practice integrity and seek an adult or an administrator if they need support.
S - Practice self-control. Keep hands and feet to yourself. Use kind words.
O - Remain on task in class during instruction and when assigned independent or group activities.
A - Be accountable for your actions.
R - Respect self, others, and school property.
Happenings at "The Hill"
Congratulations, Mr. Davis!
We are excited to announce that Mr. Mark Davis, 24--25 Classified Employee of the Year, has been named as one of the finalists for the 24-25 Richland One Classified Employee of the Year. Stay tuned for the winner to be announced at an end of year celebration in May recognizing honorees throughout our district.
Class Placement Input
You are invited to provide input into the type of classroom in which your child is placed as we begin planning for the 2024-2025 school year. If you would like to do so, please send me an email that describes:
- your child’s learning style,
- the type of classroom where you think your child will be most successful, and
- the type of teaching style most suitable for your child
It is helpful for us to know from your perspective if your child needs a very structured environment or a teacher with a higher tolerance for movement and/or noise. If your child is shy, outgoing, anxious, or struggling in a subject, that is information that is important to us also as we work to make the best grouping possible. When we place children into classes, we examine their achievement, ability, and temperament, and then we work to make the best fit with an upcoming teacher. We consider the current teacher’s success with a child, and I review the parent’s input. Please note that you providing the name of a specific teacher will be considered but may not be granted, even if you have some experience with a teacher through an older sibling or a friend’s child. Each child is different, and each teacher/student relationship is different. Further, there is always the possibility that teachers will change positions or grade levels before we return to school.
Many hours and many discussions are put into creating well-balanced homerooms for the upcoming school year. Emails requesting types of teachers and sharing characteristics about your child will be accepted up until the close of business on Friday, May 3, 2024. We will not be able to consider parent input after that date. Once the school year begins, we will not switch classes. Please email your requests directly to me at shannon.adams@richlandone.org. I will keep any information you share confidential. Thank you in advance for your input and partnership!
Parent Climate Survey
The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) is utilizing a climate survey for accountability/report cards this year as in previous years. The delivery model for the survey will be the same as last year, with students in grades 3-12 taking the survey in the PowerSchool Student Portal and parents completing the survey in the PowerSchool Parent Portal.
Students will create a Student Portal account (if they don’t already have one) to access the survey when it becomes available. We will ensure that they still have access if they already have an account. Schools will assist students in grades 3-12 (especially third-graders) in creating and/or accessing their accounts.
Parent climate surveys are in the PowerSchool Parent Portal. If you do not have a Parent Portal account, please contact the database specialist at your child’s school and the database specialist will help you set up an account.
The climate survey will be available beginning at 8 a.m. on Monday, February 26, 2024, and the survey will close at 5 p.m. on Friday, April 12, 2024. Click the file below for how to access Parent Portal and take the survey.
South Carolina Family Friendly Standards
The SC Family-Friendly Guides to the Academic Standards have been updated to include the new Science standards. These tools are available online at ExpectMoreSC. The family-friendly standards by grade and subject include websites, books, and activities to keep students engaged and having fun while they are learning. Resources are available in both English and Spanish. Please update link for the Family Friendly standards on our website. Thanks!
Attendance
Traversa My Ride
Traversa Ride 360 is a secure app provided by the South Carolina Department of Education. The app allows a parent or guardian to have instant access to their child’s school bus transportation information through a real-time GPS tracker. You will be sent an alert of the estimated time of arrival (ETA) of your child’s bus. The district can also send important and timely push notifications through the app, such as notifying parents of a late bus, the use of a substitute bus or a bus accident. Parents must stay logged in to the app to receive push notifications from Student Transportation Services in real time.You can access the app by searching for “Traversa Ride 360” in the App Store (Apple iOS) or Google Play for Android. Visit https://www.richlandone.org/Page/15446 for more information.
HOW TO REGISTER STUDENTS IN APP
Parents/guardians must use their child’s student ID number and date of birth (YYYY-MM-DD) to add their child in the app. This is necessary to log in to the app each time. Parents/guardians will follow the same steps for additional students in the family. Also, parents will control with whom they want to share their child’s information, such as another family member that may be assisting with child care, for example. The school sites are not responsible for keeping up with this information.
Miscellaneous Files and Forms
Stay Connected!
Email: shannon.adams@richlandone.org
Website: https://www.richlandone.org/Domain/20
Location: 517 Horrell Hill Road, Hopkins, SC, USA
Phone: (803) 783-5545
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hhes517
Twitter: @HHESEagles