Heron Update

Hollywood Families,

Reminder that we kick off our Countdown to Holiday Break spirit days on Monday, December 9th. Read below for daily spirit day themes.

Lots of holiday fun next week with the PTO Elf Shop and Hollyday Festival. Read below for more details.

Congratulations 2nd grade for being the back- to- back HES Attendance All-Stars

winners! We only had two grade levels reach the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) attendance proficiency standard of 94%+ for November. School attendance has a huge impact on a student's academic success starting in prekindergarten and continuing through 12th grade. Regular school attendance prepares a student academically, but they are also benefiting from learned routines that will help them in life.

Take Care,

Mrs. DiRenzo

December 9 - 20: Hollywood's Holiday Break Countdown

December 9 - 13: PTO Elf Shop

December 12: PTO HOLLYDAY Festival (5 pm - 7 pm)

December 18: Green Turtle Spirt Night - Be sure to show the HES flyer (All Day Event)

December 20: 2-Hour Early Dismissal: Professional Responsibilities

December 23-31: Winter Break – No School for Students and 10-11 Month Employees

December 25: Holiday – Winter Break – All Schools and Offices Closed

January 1: Holiday – Winter Break – All Schools and Offices Closed

January 2-3:Winter Break – No School for Students and 10-11 Month Employees

January 6:Schools Reopen - Welcome Back Students

Our students were very excited to see that our Elves returned to Hollywood Elementary for the Holiday Season!

So many fun PTO events happening in December!!! Come celebrate the holiday season with your HES family!

• If you are interested in being involved with the HES PTO, please email heronpto@gmail.com

Winter weather has arrived and while we don't have a winter wonderland outside, we do plan on creating a winter wonderland at school next week! Our biggest annual event, Hollyday Festival, is next Thursday, December 12 from 5-7pm and we can't wait to see you all there!

Event Details:

This is a free event to attend, but you may wish to bring cash for some things. In addition to the Elf Shop holiday gift shop being open the night of Hollyday Festival, we will have free winter themed crafts and games in the gym along with concessions we will sell for PTO (pizzas with a pre-order form). Cold Stone will be there in the concessions area as well selling their ice cream and donating 20% back to us. There will be a Silent Auction and those who have been around for several years may recognize our retiree Mrs. Grzywacz as Elsa walking around for pictures. Families can take their child's ornament home with donations accepted in the main lobby . The Health Department will have a table set up for community outreach with information about resources to keep your family healthy this winter season.

At this time, we are still in need of volunteers to make this event a success! You can sign up here, or share with high schoolers looking for volunteer hours. On that note, anyone available during the day is encouraged to sign up to help with our Elf Shop so students can shop at school. We really need more volunteers Thursday during the day, as well as Tuesday and Friday afternoon.

Check out our event on Facebook for more details and to share with your friends and neighbors! NOTE: This is not a drop off event, so all children must be accompanied by adults at all times in the school building.

Thanks for your help in making this winter event a success! Remember to save the date for our all day Green Turtle spirit day fundraiser (alcohol, catering, merchandise included!) on Wednesday, December 18!

Let us know if you have any questions!

-PTO Exec Board

All of those games, crafts, seeing Elsa, bidding at the Silent Auction, and shopping for gifts could get exhausting next Thursday night! Refuel with a large cheese or pepperoni pizza by preordering for your family now. Check out our pre-order form using the link below. While we plan to have a few extra pizzas on hand to sell by the slice, they will be first come first served until we run out. Pre-ordering is highly encouraged!

The HES PTO Elf Shop is right around the corner! We will be open December 9-13, 2024 from 9:00 am-3:00 pm.

The HES PTO is looking for donations for our Winter Community Outreach Program. This year we have 3 Hollywood Elementary families who are in need of items for the Holidays. With Black Friday deals going on, this is the perfect time to help these families while getting the items on sale! We appreciate all your support.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0F4AA9AE28ABF94-53537770-2024

Our Spirit Wear company is running its biggest sale right now! Save 30% sitewide Black Friday - Cyber Monday with the Hollywood holiday spirit wear sale! Choose from hundreds of designs and garments, all with home delivery guaranteed by December 23rd! Shop at https://1stplace.sale/44213

Hollywood Families, To encourage our students to attend school daily we are introducing a new attendance incentive. We are happy to introduce our "Hollywood Heron Attendance All-Stars." Each homeroom has a strip that spells the word "ATTENDANCE." If a homeroom has all students on time and present they get to color in one of these letters. The goal is to complete strips in a timely manner. Each grade level will be working together. The grade level with the most strips turned in each month will receive a celebration and a special badge of recognition for them to display in their house area.

Click here to check your child's breakfast/lunch balance and add money to their account

Attendance: This is the last week of the month! This means we will have a possible new house area to celebrate for being our Hollywood Attendance All-Stars! Check out next week's newsletter to see who won.

Red Ribbon Week: This week is Red Ribbon Week! Join HES in celebrating healthy lifestyle choices by having your students participate in our fun themed spirit days. We can't wait to see everyone's outfits!

Our November Character Trait will be: PERSEVERANCE.

Be on the lookout for emails about overdue books next week!

MUSIC:

ART:

Hello HES Families,

With the cold temperatures seemingly here to stay we want to make sure our students are well prepared for recess. Please ensure that your student comes to school with appropriate coats. I do not have coats to provide for all students. As a reminder we do go outside for recess everyday unless it is raining.

If you need help purchasing outerwear please reach out to me.

Thanks,

Nurse Briggs

As a REMINDER if your student is out for two consecutives days I will be reaching out to you. This is to ensure that we are doing what we can on our end at school to support your students' attendance. Please review when to send your student to school and when to keep them home. I know it's a tough time of year and a lot of sniffles are going around!

Finally, as a reminder if your child is out for three days we do ask for a doctor's note to excuse the absences. Have a great weekend!

If you have any questions or concerns please reach out!

School Based Health Clinics

The school based health clinics has updated their website with a new link to register students. The link can be found at https://smchd.org/sbhc/ and then you would click the blue button that says "Click Here to Enroll now for Faster Service". The school based health centers are a great way to see a provider without the long wait times at urgent care! See their website for more information.

• If you are interested in being involved with the HES PTO, please email heronpto@gmail.com
• HES PTO has a new Spirit Wear company. On top of the company getting amazing reviews for their customer service and quality, our HES PTO earns 10% in commissions for all our sales!! Woohoo!! Items will ship directly to your house as well. https://1stplacespiritwear.com/schools/MD/Hollywood/Hollywood+Elementary+School

Birthday treats present the potential for allergic reactions for many of our students. They also interrupt instruction. However, we understand that some students enjoy celebrating their birthday with their friends at school. Because of all of these factors, birthday treats may NOT be edible. Gift bags with stickers, pencils, crayons, erasers, and/or other small toys are acceptable. They can also be shared at recess or the end of the day which doesn’t compromise instructional time. Parents who wish to provide birthday treats to a class are asked to notify the homeroom teacher in advance and to drop them off in the front office as early as possible.

Both new and previously registered volunteers must complete a new volunteer application. The application process will end on May 1 of each school year. There is no application fee for school volunteers. Parental involvement is a key component to student success. Thank you for your support.

2024-2025 SMCPS Calendar Link

If you have any questions about your HAC account, please contact the HES office for assistance.

https://www.smcps.org/hac

Please note that HAC opens at 5:00 pm on August 16, 2024.

Schoology is a very helpful tool and resource for teachers, students, and families. Please ensure that you are able to access Schoology for updates and information from the school and your child's teacher. If you need support in obtaining your Schoology log in information please email schoology@smcps.org for support. Please click Parent Notifications for directions to ensure your notifications are set to receive important information about your student.

Do you have the Schoology App?

Log Into the Schoology Mobile App

If you already have a Schoology account, download the Schoology app from Apple App Store, Google Play or the Amazon App Store. Tap the app icon to open it on your device.

You can use an email address or username to log into the application, depending on how your account was set up:

Log in through your School

1. Use the keyboard to enter SMCPS. As you type, matching choices populate in the list. The name, ID number, city, state, and zip code for the school should appear below.

2. Tap the name of your school or organization when it displays.

3. Use the email address or username to log in to the application, that was sent to you via email from Schoology with an app password. If you are an SMCPS student or teacher this is NOT your SMCPS password.

4. Tap LOG IN to complete.

If you are able to sign in with Google, and you are an SMCPS student or staff, please use that login process and follow the provided instructions in the prompts.

Want to enable notifications? Please check this document

Student Handbook - A Guide for Students & Families

Code of Conduct - A Guide for Students & Families

SMCPS Updated Cell Phones Implementation VIDEO

Please review laptop expectations by sharing this presentation with your child. Classroom teachers will be reviewing laptop expectations with students at school as well. Thank you!

HES Laptop Expectations

Need to purchase a laptop charger?

You can do one of two things:

1. Email your child's teacher or the Library Media Specialist Miss Hazuda (sjhazuda@smcps.org) that you wish to pay for the missing laptop charger. A fine then can be assessed so that you can pay using My School Bucks, sending in cash, or a check (made out to SMCPS).

OR

2. Go directly to the DELL store. You can purchase directly from their website and have it shipped to your home.

Ensure one of these links is being used:

www.dell.com/mpp/smcps (click Shop Recommended Solutions to get to the discounted power cords)

www.dell.com/mpp/smcps-chargers (leads directly to the purchasing portal)

If you purchase from Dell, please make sure that you label the charger with the student's first and last name before sending it to school. If you have any questions, please contact your child's teacher or the Library Media Specialist Miss Hazuda (sjhazuda@smcps.org).

School Messenger Text Messaging FAQ's

...provides a rich educational experience that focuses on preparing well rounded students that are ready to succeed in their future college and career endeavors. Hollywood educates and inspires our diverse population in a safe and respectful environment. Students are engaged in authentic learning experiences that foster work habits and skills necessary to become collaborative, dedicated, and productive citizens.

Ms. Erin DiRenzo, Principal

Email: eedirenzo@smcps.org

Mr. Chris Rodkey, Assistant Principal

Email: cnrodkey@smcps.org

Website: https://schools.smcps.org/hes/
Location: 44345 Joy Chapel Road, Hollywood, MD, USA
Phone: (301) 373-4350
Twitter: @hes_smcps