Hovatter Elementary

Greetings Hovatter Families!

We hope you are staying warm and enjoying the long weekend! There are not many updates this week, as we all practice great flexibility with all of the weather related changes we've been experiencing. We look forward to seeing our Honeybees back to school on Tuesday.

Calendar Reminders for Upcoming Student and School Holidays:

• March 31-Holiday (Eid al Fitr)
  
• April 3-End of 3rd Quarter
• April 4-April 7-Student Holidays- Teacher Workday/Professional Learning Day
• April 14-18-School Holidays: Spring Break

Sharing Your Culture

Hovatter is committed to sharing the cultures of our families and learning from each other. Please consider sending in a video or artifact we can share on our internal morning news show or display in our locked showcase which might teach others about your customs and traditions. Each month we celebrate different cultures. For example, September 15th-October 15th is Hispanic Heritage Month. Ideally we would like to play the videos and display the artifacts during this time period from our Hispanic families. During other months, we could share other customs from other cultures. Some examples of videos could be a recipe, dance, or story. If interested, please complete this form to submit an entry.

February 18th through February 21st

TUESDAY

PIZZA CRUNCHERS

FAJITA CHICKEN & RICE BOWL

FAJITA CHICKEN TACO

COLD OPTION

SUN BUTTER & JELLY SANDWICH

YOGURT, STRING CHEESE BAGEL MEAL

WEDNESDAY

BEEF NACHOS

FIESTA BEAN NACHOS

SPICY CHICKEN SANDWICH

COLD OPTION

SUNBUTTER & JELLY SANDWICH

YOGURT, STRING CHEESE & BAGEL

THURSDAY

MACARONI & CHEESE W/DINNER ROLL

CHICKEN TENDERS W/DINNER ROLL

COLD OPTION

SUNBUTTER & JELLY SANDWICH

YOGURT, STRING CHEESE BAGEL MEAL

FRIDAY

FOUR CHEESE PIZZA

PEPPERONI PIZZA (TURKEY& BEEF )

MINI CORN DOGS

COLD OPTION

YOGURT, STRING CHEESE BAGEL MEAL

SUNBUTTER & JELLY SANDWICH

Breakfast and Lunch are served daily during the school year. You can create your student's lunch account on LINQ Connect or send in cash/check. Meals include a main entrée, fruit, veggie, and a milk. Meal costs are $3.05 for lunch and $2.50 for breakfast. There are many different a la carte items which can be purchased additionally with the meal, including ice cream (coming soon). You are able to limit extra items in your student's LINQ account. https://linqconnect.com/

Welcome back to our cafeteria manager, Ms. Binni Gandhi, who can be reached at binni.gandhi@lcps.org.

Occasionally, students will forget items at home (chromebook, lunch box, water bottle) and a parent or guardian will need to bring these items to school. We have office volunteers who help deliver these items to the classroom. We are unable to accommodate deliveries from Grub Hub, Door Dash, etc. for students who forget their lunch. These vendors are not permitted access into the school, and our staff cannot ensure the safety of the contents of the delivery. Our staff will ensure every student is offered a lunch choice in the event they do not have a packed lunch.

Nourishin' Ninjas, a group with members who attend Lightridge HS and the Academies of Loudoun, are sponsoring a food drive to support Annasudha Community Kitchens. Drop boxes are on site in the main lobby at Hovatter ES if you would like to donate.

Please use the form on the Hovatter ES webpage to make a change to your student's normal dismissal method for one day only. For example, they are going home with a friend for a playdate or need to be picked up in the car line for an appointment. All changes must be received by 2:00 p.m. as the form will not be accessed during dismissal. If an urgent change after 2:00 p.m. is necessary, please call the office at 571-367-4120.

Each month our staff receives an email presentation, The Buzz, which highlights important information for the upcoming month.

This year, we would like to continue monthly (individual) shout-outs to our amazing staff members, who are dedicated to the success of our students every day.

We would like to invite you to nominate HOV staff members, who you feel should receive a spot in our monthly Hovatter Hall of Fame. The nominee will have their picture posted in The Buzz, as well as a description of why they were selected and by whom.

You can nominate as many times as you would like! Click the link to nominate today!

We need your help during lunch! From now through the end of the school year, we have set up one-hour shifts to volunteer in the cafeteria (if you can do longer, please sign up for back-to-back shifts). "Duties" include: Talking with students, passing out materials, and monitoring the coming and going of students to the restroom. This allows our staff to focus on managing the room, behavior, clean-up, etc. These slots will continue through the end of the school year. Thank you to this amazing hive--we appreciate the ongoing support!

Sign up here!

A family liaison serves as a resource person for the families within our school community to bridge the communication between school and home by helping parents get the information, help, and support they need to ensure their child's academic and social success in school. Help is provided to families with a variety of information about programs, resources, school requirements, special events, and/or activities. Please contact our Hovatter Family Liaison, Jill Teague, jill.teague@lcps.org if you need assistance with anything.

Winter ASEP Important Reminders:🐝

Classes will not be held during student holidays. Students will go right to their ASEP class following school dismissal at 2:30 PM and classes end at 3:30 PM. Transportation must be arranged for students to be picked-up promptly at 3:30 PM if they do not attend CASA.

Absences: Email the ASEP instructor directly if your child(ren) will not be attending the ASEP class. This is the only way to ensure accountability of all students and will prevent the instructor from taking time during the ASEP class to make phone calls to find out the status of the student.

For further ASEP related information / frequently asked Q&A please click on the following link https://hovatter.schooltwist.org/

Volunteer Opportunity: Join the HIVE Squad!!🐝

We’re excited to have a new HIVE Squad date!!

Our upcoming HIVE volunteer day will be on February 24th!

We are looking for volunteers to join us in making a difference at our school! HIVE Squad members will assist with morning drop-off, help in the classroom, support recess and lunch duties, and more. Volunteering is a great way to get involved and spend time with your child!

Volunteers must be a relative of a student (mom, dad, legal guardian, aunt, uncle, grandparent) and can sign up for one volunteer slot this school year to ensure opportunities for other families.

To sign up, visit the links:

• Henrietta Lacks - https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4FAEAA28A5FAC70-52524110-hovatter?fbclid=IwY2xjawIe0KlleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHYolaW_AF5EMktSSz-Ze_95eT1uacEKBrNq7F4Ojt2i2QDCyM0eBQTF0nA_aem_hvwLTpBkN1PUgxFP8Ofxvw#/
• Hovatter - https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4FAEAA28A5FAC70-52524058-hovatter?fbclid=IwY2xjawIe0O1leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHftM52pMevQAIim7A0ToSo4YQbtqFA-lM3TVS3h_Kku0_71SHu9-3j_qMQ_aem_jZzoH6PnXd5PXs2G1__WOA#/

Let’s make this year amazing with your help!

Spirit Wear Store

Attention All Honeybees!!

We are super excited to announce our New Winter Inventory is ready and available to purchase online ! New products include Squad Gear Fleece Sweatshirts; Outerwear; Infant Wear; Accessories; Homegoods and so much more!!

Click to access our Spirit Wear Store today! https://bit.ly/hivespirit

This year, our spirit wear store will stay open throughout the school year and your order will ship directly to you!

Staff Favorite Things/Wish Lists🐝

Staff Favorite Things Forms with classroom wish lists are now up on the PTA Website! Missing forms will be added as we receive them! These are great resources to help with classroom needs and to spoil our staff for all they do for our honeybees! https://hovatterpta.givebacks.com/w/StaffAppreciation

Business Sponsorships!

We are currently looking for Business Sponsors for the PTA! Do you own a business or know a business that may be interested ? Click for more information and to become a sponsor! Sponsorship Form

My name is Leah Macchiarolo, and I am the LEAF (Loudoun Education Alliance of Families) Representative for Hovatter Elementary School. LEAF is an advisory group voice for parents to elevate educational concerns and provide feedback to the board on current or proposed policies or issues facing the School Board.

LEAF is continuing to explore best practices to effectively disseminate information to LCPS families and ensure we are a well-informed community. Outside of newsletter updates, one potential means for communication is via a LEAF specific facebook group(s). Hovatter and Henrietta Lacks are part of the Dulles South District Facebook Group. There is also the Lightridge Pyramid Schools Page to find information regarding upcoming community events for Lightridge and its pyramid schools (Willard MS, Pinebrook ES, Buffalo Trail ES, Aldie ES, Goshen Post ES, Hovatter ES, Henrietta Lacks ES). I recommend connecting to these two groups to stay in contact with our amazing district.

Let's advocate for our children and have our voices heard! If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me directly at hovatterleaf@gmail.com.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work through the details of dismissal. Day 2 improved from Day 1, and we are continuing to review our plans to ensure the most safe and efficient processes.

A few details to note:

• NO cars may park and walk students through the moving car line into the school. If you are dropping your child off at school by car, you must enter the car line.
• If you are a walker or bike rider, it means you are walking from your home, not from your car parked in any of the school parking areas.
• There are no left turns into the Hovatter school campus during arrival times. The cones are placed on Collaboration Drive at 6:45 and removed at 7:33.
• Please pay close attention to the staff supervising the car line by keeping cars moving and encouraging drivers to pull up as far as possible.

Email: Hovatter@lcps.org
Website: https://www.lcps.org/hovatter
Location: 41135 Collaboration Drive, Aldie, VA, USA
Phone: 571.367.4120
Twitter: @HovatterES