Hodge Family Newsletter

Happy Friday!

This week at Hodge we talked a lot about snow and celebrated our accomplishments for the week with an assembly today. We also enjoyed a Chocolate Fundraiser Kick Off. Students, with parent permission, will soon be selling chocolate! Proceeds will go to the PTA to support students and activities to enrich our school. For more information check out the flyers below.

New this week in the Parent Information section of this newsletter:

• Chocolate Fundraiser Information

Please keep in mind that Monday is a holiday and there will be no school. Enjoy the long weekend!

See you Tuesday!

Andrea Hare

Principal

Hodge ES - Denton ISD

New or Returning?

Check out this new Parent Information Flyer below. Click the Green Button.

You can also pick up a pamphlet of the same information from our front office.

Today’s assembly was full of excitement and recognition! We celebrated our Glowing Champs students, revealed our new Safety Patrol Captain, and kicked off our much-anticipated chocolate fundraiser—stay tuned for details! We also honored our incredible cafeteria staff, spotlighted staff with special awards, and celebrated the winners of the Dojo Challenge with a hot cocoa party for their classes. Additionally, we introduced student awards for Specials areas and EXPO, recognizing excellence in these important programs!

This assembly, we proudly unveiled the new LEAD Award, recognizing students who exemplify the values of our school creed: listen to others, excellence in all we do, attitude for success, and demonstrate self-control. Congratulations to this exceptional group of students, whose dedication and growth have earned them this special honor. Their commitment to improving and leading by example inspires us all—well done, LEAD Award winners!

K - 2

3 - 5

Parents, here is a Virtual Calming Room that you could use at home or one the go to support your children in regulating their emotions. This amazing resource was shared with us by MHMR and they asked us to share it with everyone. It is in both English and Spanish!! We hope that you find this tool helpful for your families!

For ideas and information about how to talk about the importance of Gratitude at home, check out these CharacterStrong Parent Newsletters:

Perseverance Family Newsletter

Perseverancia- Conexión familiar

The state mandates that we offer all students a lesson in Healthy Relationships and Anti-Victimization. If the parent consents (signs permission which occurred during registration), these lessons are provided by the Children’s Advocacy Center of North Texas (CACNT). The presentations will be provided in English and Spanish on December 18.

January

1.20 Student Holiday - No School

February

2.1 Hodge GOAL Game 11:00 @TBD

2.14 Half Day of School: Dismissal is at 12 noon

2.17 Student Holiday - No School

Please see flyers below to support our school is raising money to benefit students!

We will now have a food pantry on our campus available to anyone that is interested! All you have to do is sign up through this link https://forms.gle/d7YEjpSFQhPzBd6u8 for a slot to pick up on Wednesdays or Thursdays between 3:20 and 4:20pm. You will park at the back bus lane, closer to the last pole, for pickup. All you will need to do when you come is fill out a quick form one time and then you can pick up every other week, if needed. You are welcome to bring your own bags, although we will have some available. If you have any questions or the pickup times do not work, please contact Mrs. Galicia by phone at 940-369-2888 or by text at 940-268-3194.

We have a homework help line available through Zoom with the help of Denton ISD, TWU, and UNT for free. This is a great opportunity for Bilingual students and families to get some extra support with their schoolwork!

See flyer above.

How it works:
Students can easily schedule a time to meet with a tutor, who will reach out to help them with any homework questions they might have.

The First 9 Weeks Report Cards will become accessible to parents on Friday, October 18 through the Home Access Center (HAC). Please review these instructions for how to access that information:

English

Spanish

Please know that due to Hodge piloting a new reading and writing resource, the students may also have a report card insert sent to you (by email, dojo, etc.) in addition to the report card in HAC. If you have questions or concerns about your child's grades, or need additional help in accessing them, please reach out to your child's teacher or our front office.

We have opportunities for parents and community members to mentor on a weekly basis, as well as volunteer on a regular basis or for one-time events. Volunteer opportunities could include attending field trips, assisting in classrooms, helping in the lunchroom, working with student clubs and organizations, and helping with STEM or Reading Nights, Fall Festivals, and Field Days. Please click on the volunteer application icon to start the application and background check.

Here is a link to the volunteer website:

https://www.dentonisd.org/volunteer

Here is the link to the application:

https://forms.dentonisd.org/Forms/volunteerapplication

Please watch this Parent Information and Awareness video for an overview of the assessment procedures and services for gifted and talented students in Denton ISD. If you would like to know more about the gifted and talented program, you access additional information on the district EXPO website: https://www.dentonisd.org/expo . Here you find detailed information about the EXPO program including the identification process, forms, testing dates, etc.

SPANISH NOW AVAILABLE! On the district EXPO page, a short “tutorial” demonstrating how to change the captioning to be in Spanish (or other languages as well) has been added. Look for this:

This year looks a bit different in the Library. Mr. Boyd has had a helper in the library in the past years and unfortunately this year he does not. There is a big need for volunteers in the Library. PTA has created a sign up for the year to get some volunteers to assist with Book repairs and special projects.

Things may change and more needs may be asked.

If you can, please take the time to review the sign up and help out!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4AABAE22A4FCC07-51696327-library#/

Per Denton ISD, Volunteers must have a Volunteer background check completed each new academic year. https://www.dentonisd.org/volunteer

We also ask that you log your volunteer hours here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScrsmXsYqSfcny-O6kipoVETjQq7UcMLbdaoUAZWfKF7pSmeQ/viewform

See flyers below.

Please be informed of our campus telecommunication device policy, including cell phones and smart watches:

• Students are not allowed to use telecommunication devices while on campus, except when a school staff member gives explicit permission to do so while the staff member closely monitors the student’s use.
• Students must keep all telecommunication devices turned off and/or on silent and stowed away in their backpacks at all times. Students may wear their watches on their wrists while on campus as long as they do not use it to make phone calls, text, access the internet, or any other telecommunication features.
• The first time a student does not adhere to our telecommunication device policy, the device will be confiscated by the school and it will remain in the office until a parent or guardian comes to pick it up.
• The second time a student does not adhere to our telecommunication device policy, the device will be confiscated by the school, it will remain in the office until a parent or guardian comes to pick it up, the parents will be charged a fee of $15, and the student will be required to keep their device at home or check it in and out with their homeroom teacher at the beginning and end of each school day.

This policy is congruent with our district policy and the Denton ISD Code of Conduct.

Be sure to join the Hodge PTA at our Meet the Teacher event on Monday (8/5), from 6 to 7. The PTA will be selling T-shirts for $10, and you will be able to buy one for half price, only $5, if you join the PTA as well! Here are some other amazing perks to being a Hodge PTA Member throughout the school year:

• Preferred Seating for Grade Level Performances, End of Year Ceremonies and Graduation
• Quicker Sign Ins for Party Days and During the Day School Events
• Ability to Attend Exclusive During the School Events, such as Half day Assemblies, the Holiday Singalong, and Hodge Podge (Field Day)

So, it will definitely be worth the $10 membership fee to join!

In case you don't know, The Family Center is a counseling center that provides Denton ISD students, their families, and Denton ISD staff members with 10 free counseling sessions per semester. Did I mention that it's FREE?! Our center is run by graduate-level interns that are currently getting their master's in a counseling-related field. We operate at two locations: Braswell High School and Strickland Middle School. You do not have to go to/work at those schools to qualify for services. The Family center provides services to those 4 years old and up.

RESOURCES

• A link to the Denton ISD Family Center Website (click here)
• Flyer for the Family Center (Below)

Check out the flyers below.

Do you have concerns about your child’s development? If so, please contact the special education department at your child’s school. Special education and related services are available to all eligible individuals ages three through 21 years of age. Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) agencies provide services to children ages from birth to their third birthday for learning, speech, behavior, or other delays. Your child’s school and ECI agencies provide services for children who are deaf or hard of hearing, have visual impairments, and/or have deaf blindness.

Early intervention is key to children's future successes!

For more information click here: English Spanish

DISD has partnered up with ParentGuidance to offer the following FREE parent resources:

• On-demand courses
• "Ask a Therapist"

Denton County created a navigator to assist residents with mental health resources. It is available in English and Spanish. Residents can complete the DCPH Links Intake Form that you can find here for assistance.

Please know that all families are expected to follow our school procedures for pick up and drop off:

• Drop Off: No students are permitted to be dropped off before 7:15. Please use the front car line to drop off. However, please know that we ask that no cars pull into the circular drive prior to 7:15. This is to assure that once cars are driving on campus, we have staff present to ensure everyone's safety. Once staff are present, please be sure to pull all the way up and leave space in the cross walk. Staff will open the car door or students can get out on their own--you do not have to wait for a staff member. If you want to park and walk your child to the door, you can. Children are not permitted to cross the crosswalk without a parent. Our staff is not permitted to allow students to cross the crosswalks without parents. Parents must walk them across the crosswalk. Students must be entering the building at 7:38, to get to class by 7:40, to be on time. If students arrive after 7:40 they will be considered tardy which can result in truancy issues. If your child is tardy, please park and walk them into the building and sign them in with the front office staff.
• Pick Up: Dismissal is at 3:00. All parents must have a car tag and use the designated car lane (Front Lane for Grades K - 5 and the Back Lane for PreK, PABS, and COMS) to pick up their child in a car. Parents may park and walk across the crosswalk to pick up their child with a car tag. Or parents can check their child out of the office with a photo ID. Parents who are picking up their child without a car tag will be asked to check them out of the office. If the child walks home, our staff will walk them across the street in the front of the building and at the back of the building, but they will not walk them any further. It is not permissible for walkers to be picked up by car on the other side of the street.

If you have questions about our procedures, please contact your child's teacher or the front office.

All changes in transportation (how the child is getting home) or early pick ups must go through the office. Please do not tell your child's teacher or send a note to the teacher. Parents are required to call or email the front office prior to 2:00 PM to make changes to how their child is going home. This is very important so that we can make sure that all changes are communicated to all the staff that need to know before the dismissal process begins. Similarly, if you are picking your child up early, please pick them up before 2:00. This is important so that we can communicate the change to all staff that needs to know before dismissal systems begin.

All adults will need to provide a government issued photo id in order to enter the building during school hours. No exceptions will be made. This is for any and all events that occur on campus during school hours.