Hopkins Elementary School Update

Our next parent-teacher conferences will be held on February 11th (4-7 PM) & 13th (4-6 PM). Teachers will be contacting you in the coming weeks to set up times with each family.

For the 2025-2026 school year, registration will open for Young 5's and Kindergarten on February 10th, 2025. You will register online at this link: https://hopkins-mi.finalforms.com/. Young 5's/Kindergarten Round Up will be held on May 23, 2025. When you register, you will be asked to pick a time slot to come into Hopkins Elementary School with your child. This will allow teachers to get to know your child and assess their ability level. Students must be 5 by September 1, 2025 (or up to December 1, 2025 with the kindergarten waiver form).

For current Y5/K families, there will be no school for kids in kindergarten or Y5's at HES on May 23rd, due to this event.

The week after winter break, the HES staff did an undercover spirit week. Students didn't know about it, but started to catch on after a few days!

Monday - Anything but a cup (ditch the water bottles, find something weird to drink your coffee and/or water out of).

Tuesday - Monochrome Day

Wednesday - Pajama Day

Thursday - Jeans & College Shirt

Friday - Vacation Day

• 1/22- Next Choir Club (for 4th & 5th graders)
• 1/27- Recorder Forms due (for all 4th graders)
• Music Camp Flyers coming home soon!

The Mobile Dentist will visit HES on Tuesday, January 21st. The Mobile Dentist is through the Michigan Dental Association and to show their commitment to provide the best oral health care across Michigan, they provide this opportunity to schools. Parents who want their kids to be seen should fill out this form: https://www.myschooldentist.com/Default.aspx

With winter upon us, please make sure you send your students to school with the correct attire for outdoor recess (winter coat, snow pants, hats, gloves). As a reminder, students will go out to recess each day unless the wind chill (taking the temperature and wind speed into account) is below zero. Teachers are also asking that you write your child's name or initials in the snow gear.

HES does have a few extra items that students can borrow if they forget them for a day.

During the 23-24 school year, Hopkins Public Schools hired nurses through Community Caregivers to provide nurse services to the district. Over the last year, we have been working on ensuring our policies and procedures match what is required from the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) and the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services (MDHHS).

A few notes that have come up.

• If you would like our office to keep over the counter medications in the office. We need this form completed by the family. For these types of medications (ibuprofen, Tylenol, topical ointments), we do not need a physician to sign off. https://www.hpsvikings.org/wp-content/uploads/fm5330-f1a-Permission-Form-for-Non-Prescription-Medication-revised-5-26-2023.pdf
• If our office is required to dispense prescribed medications or treatments, we will need this form completed, which requires a physician's signature: https://www.hpsvikings.org/wp-content/uploads/fm5330-f1-Permission-Form-for-Prescribed-Medication-revised-5-26-2023.pdf
• Our offices do not keep a supply of medications in the office to hand out (ibuprofen, Tylenol, allergy medicine). If you child needs these, you will need to fill out the first form and bring in a brand new, not opened, not expired bottle for us to use only for your child.

For the 2024-2025 school year, Hopkins Elementary School and Sycamore Elementary School revamped their handbooks. Earlier in August, the Hopkins Board of Education approved the changes. You can view the handbook here: https://www.hpsvikings.org/wp-content/uploads/24-25-Elementary-Handbook.pdf

A couple changes of note:

• Behavior Expectations - Page 15 - includes levels, consequences, and shows you the progressive discipline implemented.
• Student Appearance - Page 18 - updated language.
• Field Trips - Page 19 - includes information on how discipline effects field trips.

FinalForms should be updated every year! Remember it has your contact information in it and we know things change over the course of the summer.

Please take a few minutes to make those changes so we have everything we need for your child!

You can access FinalForms by selecting this link.