HES Parent & Family Newsletter

• No PTA meeting 12/5.
• Next meeting Thursday, January 9th at the elementary school library
• Enter at Door B
• Hollidazzle this Saturday 12/7.
• For the baskets we have a $100 visa gift card from LT construction, a $30 gift card from Kwik Trip and tin of glazers, a basket from Baristas, a gift from timeless creations and JTs.

As the cooler temperatures approach, please remind your student to bring a long sleeve shirt or light jacket for recess when the temperature is below 50 degrees. Once temperatures drop below 30 and snow is on the ground, the 'magic 5'—a hat, jacket, snow pants, gloves/mittens, and boots—will be needed to keep everyone warm and ready for outdoor fun!

As we enter the holiday season, our CharacterStrong theme for December is all about Responsibility. This month, we are excited to help students understand how responsibility plays a key role in both our school community and at home during the busy holidays.

We’re kicking things off with a fun, heartwarming read-aloud! Check out The Circles All Around Us, written by Brad Montague. This beautiful story highlights the power of taking responsibility for one another and the world around us—just like the character in the story, we can all make a big difference by being responsible, kind, and caring.

Watch the read-aloud here: The Circles All Around Us

As we work through this month's theme, encourage your children to reflect on how they can take responsibility for their actions, their belongings, and their roles in helping others during the holiday season. From chores at home to being a friend at school, every act of responsibility makes our circles of community stronger!

Wishing everyone a wonderful and responsible holiday season!

In an effort to reduce milk waste and manage costs more effectively, we are making some changes to our milk distribution at snack time for students in grades 1-6. Moving forward, we ask that families who wish to purchase milk for their children at snack time complete the attached form. This will allow us to distribute milk more accurately and ensure that funds are collected appropriately.

Please take a moment to fill out the form and indicate which of your students you would like to receive milk during snack time It's important to note that students receive a free carton of milk each day during school breakfast and lunch. However, milk is only free at lunch if the student takes the school meal. Otherwise, students in grades K-6 will be charged $0.60 at lunchtime for their milk.

Milk distribution at snack will begin September 9th, 2024. We will add students to the list and milk will be delivered to students during their scheduled snack times.

Cost per milk $0.60:

• Quarter 2- 11/5/24-1/17/25 (41 school days)= $24.60
• Quarter 3- 1/21/25-3/21/25 (42 school days)= $25.20
• Quarter 4- 3/31/25-5/28/25 (40 school days) = $24.00
• Total cost for milk = $96.00

Thank you for your cooperation and support as we work to make this process more efficient.

Snack Break Milk Request

Kind regards,
Angela McQuinn
Assistant Principal, Houston Elementary School

• Monday, December 9th
• Lunch today is popcorn chicken
• The alternative today is Ham & Cheese Sub Sandwiches
• Tuesday, December 10th
• Lunch today is pork nachos
• The alternative today is Ham & Cheese Sub Sandwiches
• Wednesday, December 11th
• Lunch today is Ham & Cheese Hot Pockets
• The alternative today is Chicken Patty Sandwiches
• Houston Student Leadership Committee Bell Ringing
• Thursday, December 12th
• Lunch today is Salisbury Steak
• The alternative today is Ham & Cheese Sub Sandwiches
• 5th & 6th grade Winter Concert Matinee at 2:00
• 5th & 6th grade Winter Concert at 6:30 pm
• Friday, December 13th
• Lunch today is Orange Chicken
• The alternative today is Teriyaki Chicken

This week’s Hurricane FORCE Positive Office Referrals of the Week come from 1st grade. Congratulations to Parker M. & Emme C. who were nominated by their teachers, Mrs. Reinert & Mrs. McCormick. Both students come to school every day and put forth their best efforts to be leaders in their classrooms. Way to go Parker & Emme. The F.O.R.C.E. is with you.

As part of our pillar for continuous improvement in growth, we are excited to see the creativity blooming in our students as the weather gets colder. Kindergarten students had a blast outside at recess, involving Mrs. McQuinn in their imaginative play. Dressed in their snow pants, they crawled around pretending to be cats, even trapping Mrs. McQuinn in the process! It's wonderful to see our students' creativity flourishing, and we're looking forward to more moments like these as the season progresses. Thank you Mrs. Clay for capturing this moment!

As part of our commitment to continuous improvement in student achievement, the 5th and 6th grade students are preparing for the upcoming choir and band concert. The dedicated flute players, pictured above, paused for a quick photo during their practice with Mrs. Bartz. Their hard work and progress are a testament to their growth, and we look forward to seeing their efforts shine on stage!

This week in Kindergarten, students had a blast as part of our continuous improvement in partnerships and real-world learning. They used their fine motor skills to cut out life-sized gingerbread figures and participated in a new learning free play center. The fun continued when their Elf on the Shelf, Mr. Candy Cane, surprised them with homemade playdough, sparking even more creativity and hands-on learning. It’s been a week full of imaginative play and skill-building, and we are excited to see our young learners growing and engaging in new ways!

There adventure continued today when they had to track down the gingerbread man.

In support of our pillar for continuous improvement in partnerships and real-world learning, all students enjoyed an afternoon of Bingo for Books in the gym while teachers and staff participated in a live training connected to the Read Act.

This was an excellent opportunity for our 6th-grade students and student leaders to step up and demonstrate leadership by helping the younger students with their Bingo cards. A big thank you to Mrs. Michaels from the high school, PTA volunteers, Mr. Keehner, and especially Mrs. Jumbeck for providing the new Bingo cards. Thank you all for your leadership and for making this event a success!

• December 9: HHS Concert at the Houston High School, 7:00 PM
• December 12: 4th-6th Grade Band and 5th & 6th Grade Choir Winter Concert at 6:30pm, matinee at 2:00
• December 16: K-4th Grade Mini-Musical at 6:30pm, matinee at 2:30 PLEASE NOTE TIME CHANGE
• December 17: Preschool Programs, 9:00 for the AM class and 12:45 for the PM class at the elementary gym.
• December 23-January 1st: No School, Holiday Break. Hurricane Watch will NOT be available.
• January 2 & 3: No School, Holiday Break. Hurricane Watch will be available. Students attending HW must bring sack lunch.

Please check the school website calendar for more information as well as other events/opportunities.