LABS LATELY FAMILY MESSAGE

HRES Families,

How do you like to start your mornings? Do you have a routine that you follow? Maybe it includes coffee, reading, yoga, or something else to create a positive mindset. How you choose to begin your morning can set the tone for the rest of the day.

The same goes for the classroom. How we begin the school day matters. The routines and rituals we participate in together when the day begins sets the tone and creates an atmosphere that fosters a rich learning environment. Our staff always seeks to provide a safe, welcoming, and supportive environment for each student. If you visit campus this year, you may notice that every staff member is greeting students and beginning at 9:15, each classroom participates in a morning meeting structured routine.

Using Responsive Classroom, a student-centered, social and emotional learning approach to teaching and discipline, teachers engage in a set of research, and evidence-based practices designed to create safe, joyful, and engaging classrooms and school communities for both students and staff. LABS expectations for positive behavior are reviewed and reinforced daily in all we do. Staff are awarding bone tickets throughout the building, in case you hear your students talking about this!

The first component of Morning Meeting is a greeting. Each daily morning meeting routine begins with a time of students greeting one another and practicing positive social interactions as a classroom community of learners. We incorporate our Positivity Project (P2) character traits in our morning meeting as well.

It was a great week with all Pre-K-5 students in school! Thank you for your continued patience as we work through transportation challenges and practice our arrival and dismissal procedures. This past week our amazing 5th grade students started morning announcements at the Ridge. We look forward to an outstanding year!

Regards,

Mrs. Clark, Principal

Help us celebrate the upcoming Instructional Assistant Appreciation Day on Friday, September 13th! Our IA's do so much to support our HRES students. They support teachers with daily instructional activities, help students with all subjects and small groups, assist with lunch duties for all grades and so much more. To celebrate our amazing IA's and give them time out of the cafeteria, parents are taking over lunch duty! We are looking for 5 volunteers at each lunch to help with 3 different time slots (total of 15 volunteers for the day). If you'd like to read more information and sign up for a lunch duty slot, please click HERE.

Please make sure you have your child through the carpool entrance by 9:12 every morning. Staff on carpool duty will close the gates at this time as instruction begins at 9:15am and all staff need to be in their instructional places. Thanks for your understanding!

Families,

Please do not start double stacking until you reach the actual parking lot. We have cars blocking the exit. We must keep the entrance lane clear in case emergency vehicles need to get to the school. Also, if staff needs to leave the parking lot for an appointment, the exit lane must be clear for them. We will have cones marking where double stacking begins. Please do not move these cones. It is for the safety of every driver. Remember we use a zipper merge at the end of the lot (one right car, one left car, etc). Thanks so much for your help in keeping our school safe!

September is Attendance Awareness Month. Regular daily attendance at school is crucial for every student's success. Being present each day allows students to engage fully in learning, build strong relationships with teachers and peers, and develop essential skills for academic achievement and personal growth. We know consistent attendance fosters a positive school culture and sets the foundation for lifelong habits. Good attendance will help your child soar academically in school, in college, and in their future career. School attendance not only enhances your child academically, but it also supports their social emotional growth. Missing 10% of school (about 18 days) can hinder academic success. Any time missed in the classroom (excused or unexcused) is a lost opportunity to learn.

To celebrate the importance of being here daily, we invite all students to join us for Attendance Spirit Days each remaining Friday in September! Let's come together to show our commitment to learning and have some fun while we do it!

On Sep. 3, staff members presented the first draft of a new Student Enrollment Proposal to the Board of Education. The draft includes proposed school assignment changes for the 2025-26 school year. Some students at our school are proposed to be affected by this plan. A flyer is included for your reference below as it relates to the new student enrollment proposal for the 25-26 school year.

Tennis Time will begin at HRES on Wednesday, 9/11. It is not too late to sign up! Please visit our website for more details. https://www.wcpss.net/hollyridgees

We acknowledge that both cell phones and smart watches play a key role in communications. However, we ask that if a student must bring a cell phone to school, they leave the device in their book bag. Students should not access their devices during the instructional day.

In addition, many students enjoy wearing a smartwatch. Students are asked not to use their smartwatch as a communication device during the instructional day. Cell phones and smart watches are allowed only if turned off or put on Airplane mode in order to disable text messages and phone calls from being received by the device. This includes notifying or contacting parents throughout the day. Should a student need to contact their parent or guardian, the teacher can help facilitate this communication. In addition, we ask all parents not to communicate directly with their students during the instructional day. If you need to share information with your student, please contact the main office and a message will be delivered to your student. Thank you for maximizing our students' instructional time within the classroom.

Please note: Board Policy 3225 Technology Responsible Use states: “Each principal may establish rules for his or her school site as to whether and how personal technology devices (including, but not limited to smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc.) may be used on campus. The school system assumes no responsibility for personal technology devices brought to school. Students are expected to comply with the Code of Conduct and the applicable “Rules for Use of Technology Resources” outlined 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."

Please note that if you do not renew your volunteer application by October 1, you will have to complete a new volunteer application. Go to the MyVolunteer Volunteer Renewal site to renew your volunteer status today! Log into your MyVolunteer account and follow the directions for Volunteer Renewal. The process should only take a few minutes. Once approved, the renewal date in your MyVolunteer profile will be updated. All 2023-24 approved volunteers received an email on July 1 from no-reply@criminalrecordcheck.com with a link to renew your approved volunteer status for the 2024-25 school year. If you have any issues during the renewal process, contact the MyVolunteer customer support team at 877-272-0266 or customercare@mycrc.com.

If you are a new volunteer, click the link to start your volunteer registration: https://myvolunteer.com/wcpss/volunteer/login. On the MyVolunteer site, you will find disclosure and authorization forms, the WCPSS Volunteer Agreement, as well as a summary of rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. You must review these documents and provide the requested information. Make sure you include your name and contact information when you begin the registration process. If you leave the CRC background site before completing your contact information, you will have to begin the process again. 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. You will be notified by the MyVolunteer system if you are approved to volunteer. If you have any issues during the volunteer registration process, contact the MyVolunteer customer support team at 877-272-0266 or customercare@mycrc.com.

WCPSS employees seeking to volunteer in schools do not have to complete a criminal background check. However, employees will need to register in the MyVolunteer system 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.

Reflections Art Competition is now open for enrollment, entry deadline is October 15th.

Learn more at bit.ly/HRESreflections2425. Have questions? Email reflections@hrepta.org.

• Friday, September 20 is a teacher workday. There will be no school for students.
• 🎉 Join the PTA Today! 🎉