Cheetah Chronicles

April 8 - May 17: Complete Family Panorama Survey

May 14: Tracks 1 & 4 Field Day (Rain Date: May 16)

May 24: Q4 Interims for Tracks 3 & 4

May 30: Track 1 Meet the Cheetahs

June 3: Track 1 Last Day, Q4 Report Cards for Track 1

June 6: Tracks 2 & 3 Field Day (Rain Date: June 10)

June 20: Track 2,3,4 Meet the Cheetahs

June 26: Tracks 2, 3 & 4 Last Day, Q4 Report Cards for Tracks 2, 3, & 4

EOG Testing Dates

May 21: Track 1 Reading (3rd,4th,5th)

May 22: Track 1 Math (3rd, 4th)

May 23: Track 1 Math (5th)

May 24: Track 1 Science (5th) and RTA (3rd)

June 13: Tracks 2, 3, 4 Reading (5th)

June 20: Tracks 2, 3, 4 Reading (3rd, 4th) and Math (5th)

June 21: Tracks 2, 3, 4 Math (3rd, 4th) and Science (5th)

June 24: Tracks 2, 3, 4 RTA (3rd)

Track 1 Field Day is Tuesday, May 14th with a rain date of Thursday, May 16.

K - 2nd: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

3rd - 5th: 1:15 PM - 3:15 PM

Students in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade will take the EOG State Test at the end of this school year. Should your child meet the criteria for our EOG Remediation and Readministration program you will receive an invitation for your child to attend the program after the EOG testing window closes. You will receive an invitation for students that qualify by May 29th for Track 1 and Tracks 2, 3, 4 by June 24th.

For your planning purposes, the program dates for the end of the school year are:

• Track 1: June 4th and June 5th

• Tracks 2, 3, & 4: June 27th and June 28th

Transportation will be provided, and breakfast and lunch will be available should you have your child participate.

There is a special election taking place on Tuesday, May 14. Since HSES serves as a polling site we will be adjusting our carpool procedures for BOTH AM and PM.

AM: Please pull past the green awning outside of the gym. Students will be dropped off in the area from the Birthday Rock to the Pride Rock. Staff will be outside to greet your students as normal. For everyone’s safety please do not drive around any cars.

PM: Cones will be placed along the same area as the AM drop off. These will serve as the locations for the different colors that are used during regular pickup. Staff will be outside to assist students. For everyone’s safety please do not drive around any cars.

WCPSS is proud to present Letterland Days 2024

Throughout the week of May 13-17, different Letterlanders can be found at various locations around Pullen Park. Join us each day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. for a scavenger hunt to locate your favorite Letterlanders. On May 13 and May 16 from 5 to 8 p.m., additional fun and exciting themed activities will be located at stations around the park. Register for Letterland Activity Nights.

Tracks 1&4 - May 14, 2024 (Rain Date- May 16,2024)

PreK - 2nd: 10:00AM - 11:30AM

3rd - 5th: 1:15 PM - 2:45 PM

Tracks 2&3 - June 6, 2024 (Rain Date - June 10, 2024)

K - 2nd: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM

3rd - 5th: 1:15 PM - 2:45 PM

Menus are available on our interactive Meal Viewer website, which gives you the flexibility to:

• VIEW ALLERGENS and INGREDIENTS in all MEALS

• View menus in PDF and print if desired

• View 5 weeks of menus for breakfast and lunch in real time as necessary changes are made

• Set up multiple profiles at the schools of your choice

• See any menu changes posted by the manager at each site

• Choose menu items based on allergens

• View nutrients and carbohydrate count for each menu item

• Print menus with carb counts per item and items with allergens designated

• Add nutrients for meals eaten, even partial meals

• Submit ratings on your favorite items

• Download the app

• How to download the app and register [VIDEO]

Our district values your feedback! We are currently surveying families in order to gain insight into your perception of our school and district effectiveness. The survey is 21 questions and should take approximately 7 minutes. The survey is available in several languages.

Parents and students will meet with their next year's teacher, in the teacher's current classroom regardless of any track or grade level changes. Classrooms will not be set up for the new school year, therefore families are asked not to bring any supplies.

Track 1: Thursday, May 30, 2024

Track 2,3,4: Thursday, June 20, 2024

Time: 4:45 - 5:45

The purpose of this section is to provide updated information to families about the use of personal devices which aligns with district policy - smartwatches, cell phones, etc. on school grounds. Board Policy 3225 Technology Responsible Use states:

Students are expected to comply with the Code of Conduct and the applicable “Rules for Use of Technology Resources” set forth in this policy when students use a personal device on school property, at school-sponsored events, on school-based transportation, or anytime a personal device is connected to school system technology resources. As an example, students using a personal device on school property, at school-sponsored events, on school-based transportation, or when the device is connected to school system technology resources, shall not engage in creating, intentionally viewing, accessing, downloading, storing, printing or transmitting images, graphics (including still or moving pictures), sound files, text files, documents, messages or other material that is obscene, defamatory, profane, pornographic, harassing, or abusive.

Recently, more and more students are wearing Smartwatches or similar items to school. Smartwatches are allowed only if put on Airplane mode in order to disable text messages and phone calls from being received by the watch/device. The watch is considered a cell phone UNLESS airplane mode is activated. Cell Phones should also be in Airplane mode and in student backpacks. If a student's cell-phone is out after the teacher has asked for it to be put away, the cell phone will be placed in the school office for a parent to pick up. The school system assumes no responsibility for personal technology devices brought to school.

Please note that we are always looking for ways to advance security within WCPSS. We have been in collaboration with WCPSS Security/Holly Springs Police Department. Each school will use a QR code outside of the building. This will be a little tweak to our process for check in/out and visitors on campus. Please see below for the new directions and make sure you bring your cell phone and ID with you each time! This should also help with not creating a line inside the office. If you have issues, please use the buzzer to the left of the building.

Security Procedures

Parents/Guardians - The HSES EOG dates have been finalized and can be found here and on the HSES website. It is important that every effort is made for your 3rd, 4th, and/or 5th grade child to be present during EOG testing days. Please plan vacations/trips, doctor appointments, etc. accordingly.

Even if you were approved as a volunteer last school year you must be approved again this year. Many field trips are coming up and we do not want you to wait or miss out as it takes a while for volunteers to be approved. Follow the steps below carefully:

Register as a WCPSS Volunteer

All WCPSS parent and community volunteers are required to register through the new MyVolunteer system. Please complete your registration on a computer at home or school. It is very difficult to complete using a mobile phone. It can take several weeks for your registration to be approved so don’t wait until field trips to try and register. Register now so you are ready and able to volunteer in the classroom, volunteer for school events, or chaperone at any time this school year!

1. Click the link below to start your volunteer registration: https://myvolunteer.com/wcpss/volunteer/login

2. Click create new account.

3. Complete the online form and select all the schools that you are requesting to volunteer or chaperone for the 2023-2024 school year.

4. It will then say pending.

5. Soon after you will receive an email with a customized link for you to complete next steps for your background check. This link expires 10 days from the day you receive the email. Follow the instructions in that email. You will fill out all items in red boxes and then you will review and digitally sign four documents (Summary of Rights Under the FCRA, Disc & Auth, NC Security Freeze Notice, and WCPSS Volunteer Agreement).

6. If you leave the CRC background site before completing your contact information, you will have to begin the process again.

7. You must include your social security number to register to volunteer. If you do not have a social security number, please contact volunteers@wcpss.net or call 919-694-8233.

8. Great news is that this year you will be notified by the MyVolunteer system if you are approved to volunteer!

Please Note: If you are a WCPSS Employee seeking to volunteer/chaperone in the schools, you do not have to complete a criminal background check. However, employees will still need to register in the MyVolunteer system (https://myvolunteer.com/wcpss/volunteer/login) and complete the Wake County Volunteer Agreement and other required forms. Employees must select the “Current Staff of WCPSS” link on MyVolunteer to complete the volunteer registration process and must use their WCPSS email address to complete the registration.

o DCRI Literacy at Home One Pager (English)

In the event that a bus is not running, Holly Springs Elementary will continue to send text and email messages through School Messenger, and post on Twitter. Text and email messages will not be sent through School Messenger if buses are running behind schedule. This is for both AM and PM routes.

Wake County Schools Transportation continually updates bus information for the Holly Springs area HERE.

Remember to refresh the page every 15 minutes in order to see the most up to date information.

If HSES is not listed, that means that all of our buses are running without any issue.

Click the letter below to learn more about the Positivity Project and to view the yearly calendar:

P2 Family Information Letter

Tracks 1 & 2

End of year review

Track 4

Dear Families,

This week, our school community will be focusing on the character strength of Leadership. Leadership means you value each member of your group and inspire people to do their best.

Leadership can be both formal and informal. It is concerned with getting others to do what needs to be done while maintaining group morale to ensure readiness to act in the future. This character strength’s focus is on the personal qualities of leaders rather than the practice of leadership. These qualities include the ability to understand others and inspire them toward a common goal, the capacity to mitigate conflict and mold consensus, and the desire to lead other people.

For individuals, leadership is a way to achieve what you know is important, as groups of people invariably achieve more than individuals. If you want to achieve your vision for the future, you need to inspire others to join you. As an individual’s ability to lead develops, so does that person’s confidence and sense of self-efficacy.

To practice and encourage the character strength of leadership with your child, please visit the Positivity Project’s P2 for Families, where together you will watch a video, read a quote, and talk about the answers to three questions.

Have a wonderful week!

-Break Things Up: When beginning to feel panicked, students can find a way to change their focus. Encourage your child to break up their routine in order to calmly complete the test. For example, skipping the first page and going back to it, or starting the test from the back and working towards the front.

-Practice Calming Techniques: Practicing coping skills prior to a test is important in beating out test anxiety. For instance, deep breathing, mindfulness, positive self-talk, and holding any sort of stress ball or fidget are common strategies.

-Accept When You Don’t Know Something: Sometimes the best way to manage test anxiety is accept that we may not know the answer to every question – and that’s okay! If that happens, encourage your child to move onto the next question and give that question another go at the end.

- Positive Self-Talk: Having the right attitude is the key in ensuring success on a test. Make sure to encourage your child and promote any positive thinking to boost their confidence prior to a test. To your child, remind them that it’s just one test, they know the material, and one test does not define them. Remember, it’s all about doing their best!

The Counselor Connection, April 2024

YES, you read that right! We have a NEW SPIRIT ROCK! Our new rock is directly behind our Carpool rock & sits facing the Bus loop. Now our bus and van riders will have a front row view of even more celebrations! Please pay close attention to CARPOOL or BUS LOOP when making your reservations. Choose either the CARPOOL LOOP or BUS LOOP. We cannot guarantee that your week will be available if you rent the wrong rock.

https://app.memberhub.gives/hsesspiritrock

The HSES Spirit Rock is a great way to send a message for all to see! Congratulate your favorite student on an accomplishment, wish a student a Happy Birthday, celebrate a team win or let everyone know how much you love our school. Reserve the Spirit Rock HERE ($25/week).