News and events

September 3, 2024

Our Character Strong trait for September is RESPECT. Check out what each grade level is working on:

• Kindergarten

• First Grade

• Second Grade

• Third Grade

• Fourth Grade

• Fifth Grade

Hello Hoover Families,

We are so excited to welcome our Hoover students back for another amazing year of learning! We saw many smiling faces and enthusiastic students and families at Open House last week. Our halls were filled with laughter and energy, a perfect way to kick start our 2024-2025 school year.

Don't worry if your busy schedule kept you from Open House, we completely understand. Life gets busy. Rest assured that all of our students will be met with wonderful staff to help them get to their classrooms and meet their new teachers.

Important Reminders:

• Please say your goodbyes and give hugs before dropping off at school or at the main door. We will have staff available to help walk students in to school and get them to their classrooms.
• All guests to Hoover must have an ID and be scanned in before entering the building.
• Parents/Guardians picking up students during the school day will be asked for ID and to wait in the vestibule until the student meets them there.
• 3:30 p.m. is the cut-off for students to be picked up/dismissed from school by a parent/guardian. Please plan accordingly to communicate with the teacher or the main office about this change.
• If you have questions about bus transportation for your student(s), please call the district transportation office at 763.506.1125.
• Absence Reporting - Please call our Attendance Line at 763.506.2806 to report any absences that your child(ren) will be out of school every day.
• Don't forget to return your Summer Express Activity Book completed certificates to your teacher to receive a special reward!

Coming Back to Hoover This Year:

• Take Home Folders
• Starting the week of September 9, all Hoover students will receive and use a common Take Home Folder to build a strong and effective communication process with our families. Please look through the folders nightly with your student(s) and ensure it is returned back to school daily.
• Replacement folders will be available to purchase for $3.00.
• Student/Family Handbook
• During the first week or two of school, our teachers will spend some time reviewing our Hoover Rules and Expectations. We ask that you also review it with your child(ren) at home. A copy of the Student/Family Handbook will be sent home to the youngest child or only child in each family to keep at home.
• You can also access our Hoover Student/Family Handbook here (and moving forward, will be linked in each week's Hoover Family Updates. Please make sure to specifically review the following items this year at Hoover (aligned with the district's guidelines).
• Cell Phone, Smart Watches, and Electronic Devices (pg. 17)
• Classroom and Birthday Celebrations (pg. 19)

Request for a Community Curriculum Advisory Committee Member (CCAC):

• CCAC Purpose
• CCAC Dates
• If you are interested, please send me an email.

Best,

Mrs. Strusz

P.S. In case you missed the last Hoover Family Updates. Click here to view.

• Monday, September 2nd - Labor Day - No School
• Tuesday, September 3rd - First Day of School for 1st-5th Grade Students
• Tuesday, September 3rd & Wednesday, September 4th - Individually Scheduled Kindergarten Conferences (an email was sent to Kindergarten families with a sign up link on August 19th)
• Thursday, September 5th - Kindergarten students with last names starting with A-L attend school
• Friday, September 6th - Kindergarten students with last names starting with M-Z attend school
• Monday, September 9th - ALL Kindergarten students attend school
• Tuesday, September 10th, 6:30-7:30 pm - PTO Meeting (In-Person and Virtual option)
• Monday, September 16th-Friday, September 20th - Bus Safety Week
• Monday, September 23rd - Fall Picture Day (fliers will go home in Take Home Folders soon)
• Thursday, September 26th - PTO/Schoolwide Title Family Bingo Night

• Stay in your car and keep pulling forward. Students will walk to your car with the guidance of staff.
• Have students exit/enter your vehicles on the passenger/sidewalk side to avoid walking in the parking lot. I know this part is not easy due to many factors (other children in the car/carseats, etc), but this is very important for safety reasons.
• Please park first if you want to walk your student to/from the main door. Do not exit your car while in the drop-off/pick-up line. Do not have your student cross traffic to walk to you in the parking lot.
• When exiting the parking lot during arrival/dismissal times, please ONLY TURN RIGHT. This is to keep the traffic flow moving smoothly and to keep staff directing traffic safely.
• THANK YOU for your help with this process to keep our students and staff safe!

Continuing this school year, starting the first day of school, Sept. 3, 2024, every student may receive one breakfast and one lunch at no cost during the school year. The state’s Free School Meals program will cover the cost of one breakfast meal and one lunch meal for every student daily, however the cost of a la carte items, such as milk, other drinks, or extra meal items will not be covered. Students will need to have funds in their meal accounts to purchase any additional food items.

If your family needs access to any other educational benefits available to your student, please visit ahschools.us/freereduced to complete an application.

The enrollment window for the 2024 Applications for Educational Benefits begins Aug. 1, 2024.

Anoka-Hennepin asks that ALL families complete an online application to provide additional school funding to support all students in the district. By filling out this application, your school can earn funding and you can save money.

Educational benefits include:

• Athletics fees: Eligible students may qualify for fees to be waived or reduced.

• SAT, ACT, AP Fees: Students may be eligible for discounted fees for academic tests

  and some lab fees.

• Other high school activities: Students may qualify for discounts on speech, debate,

  theater, band and others.

• Additional benefits and cost savings: Chromebook device protection, Comcast Internet

  Essentials discount, Amazon Prime membership discounts, discounted bus fares with Metro Transit, Xcel Energy account assistance, discounts at museums and theaters.

Our Hoover Spiritwear online ordering site is open and ready for staff, students/families to order! Look for QR codes throughout the building and in your Open House folders with directions to order or click here to get to the online store. Stock up as a family or purchase for gifts and spread the Hoover Spirit. All orders will come to Hoover and will be distributed to students to take home the week of October 14th.

Last day to order will be Wednesday, September 18th!

Continuing this year, families can order grade level t-shirts for students to wear to field trips/experiences, school assemblies, and Track & Field Day! The cost for a t-shirt is $7.00. Again, look for QR codes throughout the building and in your Open House folders with directions to order or click here to get to the online store. All orders will come to Hoover and will be distributed to students to take home the week of October 14th.

Last day to order will be Wednesday, September 18th!

Please send an extra pair of pants and underwear for your child in case there is an accident (bathroom, breakfast/lunch spill, etc.). The health office loves donations of gently used sweatpants and leggings sizes 5-10. We also appreciate new packs of underwear for boys and girls sizes 5-10.

The health office has free at home Covid tests. Email Darlene.Anderson@ahschools.us and we can send them home with your child.

Wondering if your child is well enough to come to school? Click here for more information.

If your child goes to the doctor or dentist, please request a doctor's note and send it with your child for attendance purposes.

I hope you have all had an amazing summer! Can you believe school is just around the corner?! With school starting in less than 2 weeks, we have a lot happening at Hoover that staff is looking for help to prepare for the new school year. If you are available to help at all in the couple weeks before school and the first couple weeks of school, your help would be greatly appreciated! We have the following volunteer requests starting the week of August 19th going into the first couple weeks of the school year.

Workroom Volunteers

We are looking for volunteers to assist with many workroom projects that include making copies, laminating, cutting, counting, etc to assist our teachers throughout the school year. This can be daily, weekly, monthly or whenever you are available.

Lunchroom Helpers

We are looking for 1 to 2 volunteers to help assist the Kindergarten and 1st grade classes during lunch the first 2 weeks of school. Main need is helping them with their pin numbers. 1st grade will need a refresh and many Kindergarteners are doing this for the first time.

Recess Helpers

We are looking for several volunteers to help our staff outside on the playground during all grades recess time. For returning students, reminders of how to use the equipment and following rules and for new students, teaching them the rules for the playground. Extra eyes is key during these first couple weeks as they are getting situated into a new routine or back into old ones for those returning.

Picture Day

The start of the school year means Fall pictures!! We have Lifetouch coming in on Monday, September 23rd to take individual photos of students. We are looking for 3 volunteers in the morning and 3 volunteers in the afternoon to help escort students to and from class, adjust collars, fix hair, etc. Volunteers that assist with this will receive a voucher for $14.99 to purchase photos.

PTO Meeting Childcare

PTO meets on the 2nd Tuesday of every month at 6:30pm. The first meeting of the 2024-2025 school year will be Tuesday, September 10th. We are looking for 2 volunteers to come hang out with any kids attending the meeting with their parents. Meeting runs to between 7:30pm and 8pm.

As of July 1, 2024, all volunteers, including those who volunteered last school year, will need to complete a new volunteer application and background check in order to volunteer for the 2024-2025 school year.

Please reach out Tina Fletcher, Volunteer Service Coordinator, at Tina.Fletcher@ahschools.us or 763.506.2830 with any questions.

Hoover PTO would love to increase participation! ALL parents/guardians are welcome to join our PTO. Please check them out on the Hoover PTO Facebook page and like/follow them to learn more about what's going on! PTO also has a website with additional information. Please bookmark our PTO's website and check it for updates.

Also, please like/follow our Hoover Elementary Facebook page too!

Another option is to go to https://www.boxtops4education.com/ to learn more about downloading the app to scan receipts for box tops for Hoover Elementary.