Hodge Family Newsletter

Happy Friday!

We hope you have a wonderful weekend after this great week of Learning at Hodge ES! Please make plans to attend our Back to School Bash sponsored by the PTA on this coming Thursday from 5:30 - 7. Our bash will take place in the cafeteria where we will have plenty of room to dance to music! There will be a live DJ and water for everyone to enjoy. Additionally, there will be glow sticks and concessions for sale. The PTA member perk will be 6 glow FREE glow sticks. All proceeds from the concession sales will support 5th grade camp. We hope to see you there to celebrate the start of the 2024-2025 school year!

Very Important for Each Household to Complete: We are excited to announce that every student enrolled at Hodge ES will now receive free breakfast and lunch daily. This initiative ensures that all our students have access to nutritious meals to support their learning and overall well-being.

To help us maintain this program, we kindly request that all parents/guardians complete the Socioeconomic Information Form. Things to know about this form:

• It will take about 1 minute to complete.
• Only one form will need to be completed, even if you have multiple children who attend Hodge.
  
• The form will ask you to disclose your household income. You will have the option to not disclose that information. Please know that schools get more money to support student learning when the household's income is lower. The information collected is confidential and will be used solely for the purpose of maintaining our meal program.
• You will need your child's school ID number to complete the form. Please look for the Student ID tag placed on their back pack. You will find their ID number printed there.

Our cafeteria will be open to lunch visitors beginning on Monday, September 9. Every adult will need to have a government issued photo ID to enter the building and you will be required to wear a lanyard and Visitor Badge during your visit. You will be permitted to be in the main hallway as well as the cafeteria during your child's school lunch. For security purposes, you will not be permitted to go down other hallways or go our to recess. Should you or your young child need to use the restroom, you must use the facilities in the office. We look forward to seeing you at lunch soon!

The first half day of school is coming up on August 30th. If you would like your child(ren) to participate in the engagement activities that Denton ISD offers from 12 noon to 3:00, please find that information below. You can also find information on counseling services available for Denton ISD families as well as our campus Telecommunications Policy in the Parent Information section of this newsletter.

Our PTA sponsored Back to School Bash is coming soon, so save the date! Thursday, August 29th. If you missed signing up to be a PTA member or purchasing a tshirt for $5 upon becoming a member, do not worry! The PTA will be at the Back to School Bash to sign you up and to sell tshirts!

Have a wonderful weekend!

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.

Hodge students enjoying lunch and perfecting all the routines and procedures that make our lunch safe, productive, and enjoyable for everyone! We will be opening soon for lunch visitors beginning September 9th!

Morning Club Fun from this week. Students can join us at 7:15 to participate in Morning Clubs before getting breakfast and going to class!

Learning Fun Across the Campus This Week!

Next week we will launch our next Character Strong topic: Respect and continue the 1st 9-Weeks Essential 8 topic: Self-Management. Respect for self is the cornerstone of self-management. When a person can manage their emotions and behaviors, they show respect for self and others. These essential life-long skills will help our students be successful now and in the future.

In the next few weeks, the counselors will be joining classrooms to cover our Emotional Wellness, Bully Prevention, and Healthy Choices topics for this year. All topics are mandated topics from The State of Texas and parents have the option to preview these lessons. Please click on this link to preview the information for these lessons. Thank you!

August

8.29 5:30 5th Grade Camp Meeting (5th Grade Only)

8.29 5:30 - 7 Back to School Bash Dance Party in the Cafeteria

8.30 Half Day of School, Dismissal at 12 noon

September

9.4 Boy Scouts Recruitment at Lunch

9.5 6:30 - 7:30, Boy Scouts Recruitment Parent Meeting, Cafeteria

9.6 Donut with GrandFriends (Celebrating Grandparents Day)

9.9 Open for Lunch Visitors

Click here to RSVP: RSVP LINK

See flyers below.

Denton ISD will provide engagement for students on the upcoming early release day, August 30th, 2024, from 12:00 pm until 3:00 pm for elementary children. The Extended School Day program will coordinate with each campus to provide engaging activities for students while teachers are participating in Professional Learning Communities. In addition, Denton ISD transportation will be provided at both the early release time (12:00pm) and the regular release time (3:00 pm) for all eligible elementary bus students. If you indicate on the form that your child will ride the bus, please notify the ESD office 24 hours prior to the Early Release Day if there has been a change in pick up plan. Parents must sign up each month to participate. If your student currently attends ESD, you do not need to sign up.

If you have any questions regarding this, please contact the Extended School Day office at 940-369-0080.

Participation in this opportunity will require completion of the form below. All forms must be submitted no later than midnight on Saturday, August 24th, 2024 to participate.

English: https://forms.gle/4xyKU7WzancPjHqAA

Español: https://forms.gle/jd1LDkUpyZ8CTfFW7

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.

For Denton ISD Employees and Families: If your child needs a Sports Physical for the upcoming school year, please keep the Employee Health & Wellness Center in mind. To schedule an appointment, please call 940-369-1380. The clinic is located at 1006 Fulton Street, Denton, TX, 76201.

Center Hours
Monday through Wednesday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Thursday: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The cost for the physical is $30 regardless if you and your dependent(s) are on a Denton ISD Medical Plan. Credit Cards, HSA Cards, and FSA cards are the only forms of payment accepted at the clinic. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact a member of the Benefits Team at 940-369-0028.

The Preparticipation Physical Evaluation-Medical History Form that you will need to complete prior to your child's examination is attached below this paragraph.

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. 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.
• 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 the 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.