Hickory PTA Roundup

Be sure to follow Hickory PTA on Facebook and visit hickorypta.net for the latest updates.

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❄️ No School | January 16 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day)

📝 Achievement Reports Available on PowerSchool | Friday, January 20th

📝 Parent Conferences | Monday, January 23rd - Wednesday, February 1st

🔔 Early Dismissal Grades 1-5 @ 2:12 p.m. | Monday, January 23rd - Wednesday, February 1st

🌴 Islands Fundraiser | Wednesday, January 25th (see flyer below!)

🗳️ Hickory PTA Board Nominations | Deadline Friday, January 27th

We hope everyone enjoyed a safe, happy, and healthy Winter Break and New Year celebration! We're excited to be back on campus and are already looking forward to our upcoming events!

Hickory PTA is a key partner to the school and its success. We provide valuable programs and funding to support our students, teachers and the community. Consider joining and making a difference!

If you would like to nominate yourself or a friend for any board position, please use this form to submit a nominee:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSegfuj9dYqum6BiZMw3rrFvUG3H93-TOJi4qSNyQG0x1afO1Q/viewform

We had cocoa and played games that represented some of the diverse holidays celebrated in our Hickory community!

Review the Meeting Slideshow to Stay In-The-Know!

Make sure to attend our next PTA meeting for the latest school and PTA information....and to vote on next year's PTA Board!

Contact hickorypta@outlook.com if you would like more information or are interested in nominating someone.

Did you know...

PTA membership is open to everybody: parents, students, teachers, staff, relatives, community supporters, and local businesses!

It's a great way to support Hickory PTA and be a part of making decisions and voting on what matters to you! There is still time to become a member for the 2022-23 year.

Join online: https://jointotem.com/ca/torrance/hickory-pta or download the flyer here.

Calling all Hickory families!

If you're interested in volunteering regularly on campus or to chaperone field trips, you must must submit a district volunteer application (RAPTOR).

As part of the online application process, all volunteers must submit a TB Test/Risk Assessment Form. As of Sept. 17, volunteers are longer required to have a covid vaccination or proof of negative test.

Volunteer Application

The yearbook includes every student's school photo and will feature photos from our many events and activities throughout the year.

You can also upload photos for a chance to be featured!

Yearbooks will be delivered to classrooms sometime after June 1st.

NOTE: Early bird price is $18. Price increases to $22 after February 28th. $25 after May 31st. Purchase today!

Now accepting photos for the following categories:

• Back to school / First day of school
• Movie Night
• Halloween
• Paw Awards
• Reflections
• Winter Celebrations (PJ Day, Ugly Sweater, other dress up, classroom parties)

Upload Your Photos Now | Purchase Yearbook

Show this flyer and enjoy a snack, meal, or beverage at Island's anytime between 4:00 p.m. & 10:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 25th and they'll donate 20% back to Hickory Elementary School!

*Dine-in only @ 2647 Pacific Coast Highway

Thank you again to all of our participants and congratulations again to all of our winners!

All entires can be seen in our 2022-23 Hickory PTA Reflections Virtual Art Gallery

We'd also like to send a special note of congratulations to Jaehan Park. His winning artwork was selected by The Torrance Council of PTAs. Jaehan will go on to compete at the 33rd District of PTAs level against schools in 20 other cities. Good luck!

"My voice that I want to show is not to bully a friend. If someone gets bullied, their heart will be broken. Maybe they feel like they've got a hole in their heart. Let's not bully. Let's have fun together."

Hickory PTA and the Principals hosted a Holiday Breakfast and Coffee for all staff on Dec 15th.

Our wonderful teachers and staff were treated to coffee, a hot cocoa bar, parfaits, loaded bagels, and more!

We love to show our appreciation for all the wonderful Hickory staff all year long!

Check out the yummy spread and smiling faces below!

A BIG Hickory Hound THANK YOU to all of the families that made a donation to our Library!

We Appreciate YOU!

If you'd like to help, please visit our Hickory Library Wishlist on Amazon.

We greatly appreciate any donations!

When checking out, please make sure you do these two things so we know who to thank for the donations!

• Click the box labeled Hickory Elementary School Library c/o Adrienne Downs
  
• Leave your name in the gift note section at checkout
  

We are excited to announce that YOU helped raise $400 for Hickory PTA during this December fundraiser.

Thank YOU! We appreciate YOU!

Wow! We are so impressed with our Hickory Readers!

Reading is a wonderful opportunity to strengthen your child's skills and gives friends and family the opportunity to connect after work and school.

Congratulations to Ms. DiPrete's class for winning the Read-A-Thon with the top funds raised!

Congratulations to our TOP READERS!

• Kailani Taylor | 5th Grade
• Anoosha Keyvani Hafsheshani | 4th Grade
• Arshida Keyvani Hafsheshani | 4th Grade
• James Cha | 3rd Grade
• Joshua Yang | 2nd Grade
• Oliver Engler | 1st Grade
• Jackson Wall | Kindergarten
• Keanu Taylor | Transitional Kindergarten

We hope everyone got a chance to visit the Harry Potter-themed Book Fair in December! The volunteers really outdid themselves with the decorations.

This year, we raised over $5,000 for future PTA events. WOW!

THANK YOU Hickory Families, we appreciate YOU!

Hickory PTA is BUILDING DREAMS through our Hickory Elementary PTA Direct Donations Campaign.

When you make a donation, you not only help support our student’s experience on campus, but you also allow our PTA to do GREAT THINGS for them.

Please visit our Direct Donations page for details—and donate today!

Several families have already won our prize drawings!

You can still be eligible to win a prize if:

1. You are a PTA member,
2. You made a direct donation,
3. OR you become a PTA member or donate.

Available prizes:

• Lego sets
• STEM toys
• Plush animals
• Spiritwear
• Grand prize: Light up scooter

Next drawings: TBD

THANK YOU to these families who've donated!

Winter is here...and we've got sweatshirts!

Hats and tote bags too!

Shop here: https://hickoryelementary.secure-decoration.com/

Need a Spiritwear shirt?

We have limited sizes for every grade in stock in person; just send us an email to check inventory: hickoryptastore@gmail.com.

Do you need help understanding PTA meetings and communications? What would help?

Do you want to join PTA or volunteer on campus but don't know how?

Are you interested in becoming a Language Ambassador and providing translations during PTA meetings and events?

We're looking for Hickory families that need help OR want to help.

We are interested in forming a committee that works towards bridging the gap between school and home and getting more families involved.

Please email Sunny Joo, Hickory PTA President, at sunnyhickorypta@gmail.com to get started.

Smile.Amazon.com is the same as Amazon.com, but your purchases benefit Hickory PTA!

Please shop smile.amazon.com instead and make "Hickory Elementary School PTA CA" your Smile charity of choice.

Amazon automatically donates 0.5% of your eligible Charity List purchases to Hickory—at no extra cost to you. Special thanks to all those who have already signed up!

Spread the word to families and friends near and far, as it has truly made an impact. THANK YOU!

Note: This newsletter does not replace official Hickory or district news. Please make sure you're signed up for email notifications in PowerSchool so you don't miss out on TUSD emails or messages from our Principal, Mrs. Leach.

Follow us on Facebook!

Email: hickorypta@outlook.com
Website: hickorypta.net
Location: 2800 West 227th Street, Torrance, CA, USA
Phone: 310-533-4672
Facebook: facebook.com/hickorypta