Hirsch Hawk Herald

Dear Hirsch Hawk Parents and Guardians,

As we dive into the new school year, I want to share with you the core values that guide everything we do at Hirsch Elementary— SOAR: Self-Discipline, Optimism, Altruism, and Respect.

Self-Discipline: We encourage our students to develop the self-discipline needed to stay focused, manage their time, and make positive choices. By practicing self-discipline, our students learn to take control of their actions and strive for excellence in everything they do.

Optimism: A positive attitude can transform challenges into opportunities. We instill optimism in our students by helping them see the bright side of situations and encouraging them to approach every day with a hopeful mindset.

Altruism: Caring for others and acting with kindness is at the heart of our school community. Altruism is about putting others first and contributing to the well-being of our peers, our school, and our greater community. We believe that by fostering a spirit of giving, we can create a more compassionate and connected environment.

Respect: Respect is essential in building a strong, supportive school culture. We teach our students to show respect for themselves, their classmates, their teachers, and their surroundings. Respectful behavior helps us maintain a positive and inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.

In addition to our core values, we're excited to continue our House System this year. Each student belongs to a house where they build camaraderie, work together on challenges, and earn points for displaying SOAR behaviors. The house system is designed to create a sense of belonging and school spirit while promoting our values in a fun and engaging way.

Beginning-of-the-Year Testing

Next week, we will begin our Beginning-of-the-Year Testing to help us understand where our students are academically and identify areas where they may need additional support. The assessments will include:

NWEA MAP: This test measures your child’s progress in reading and math, providing us with valuable data to tailor instruction to meet their individual needs.

mCLASS: For our younger students, mCLASS assessments focus on early literacy skills, helping us ensure that they are on track to becoming strong, confident readers.

CIRCLE: For our Pre-K students, CIRCLE assessments help us understand their early academic skills and social-emotional development, setting the foundation for future learning.

These assessments are an important tool in guiding our instruction and ensuring that every student receives the support they need to succeed. Please make sure your child gets plenty of rest and a good breakfast on testing days.

Thank you for your continued partnership in making this school year a success. Together, we can help our students truly SOAR!

Sincerely,

Principal Patterson

Today is the last day to order your child's spirit shirt using the link below! Each Friday, students can earn House Points for wearing their school shirt! Show your school pride today!

School Shirt Order Form

• August 26 -30: Beginning of Year Testing
• August 29: Sign Up for Cub Scouts (Boys and Girls Welcome) @ 6pm in the cafeteria
  
• September 2: Labor Day Holiday (NO SCHOOL)

Hirsch Elem PTO

Stay up to date on our PTO by following our PTO Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/HirschPto/

What is SMART tag?

The SMART tag™ system helps increase safety and security for students riding on a school bus, leveraging technology to improve student management and communications on school buses.

SMART tag™ monitors the location of each tablet-equipped school bus, including student loading and unloading, providing real-time information to the Transportation Department, and you, the parent.

How does it work?

Students are issued passive, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) cards which do not store student information nor emit any tracking information. RFID technology is used in many industries such as medical (patient, equipment & supplies tracking), libraries (book tracking), and even amusement park access. These IDs are read when students get on or off the bus by an RFID reader. On campus, they can be used at the cafeteria and library via their printed bar codes.

Benefits

• View your student's profile and assigned routes.

• Monitor your student's riding activity.
  Sign up to get notified when your student gets on/off the bus at your home stop and school.

• Sign up to get notified when the bus is on its way to your home stop.

• View live bus location from when you receive the arrival alert up to your home stop.

• Manage guardians authorized to receive your student at their PM drop-off stop (for primary parents only and if enabled by your district).

We want to show our Hawks that the sky is the limit when it comes to how high they can fly! On Wednesdays we ask all students and staff to wear their favorite college, university or military shirt!

https://www.schoolcafe.com/springisd

Please visit the website above to see the menus for each week. If you click on the third button (View Menus (as a guest)), you can navigate to Hirsch Elementary to see what's being served each week. Please be aware that menus can change due to available inventory.

• Parents may send treats to their child’s class.
• Only store bought cupcakes or cookies (no peanut butter or nuts)
• Sent with child or dropped at office
• Parent may NOT come to class
• Teacher’s discretion when to do cupcakes (not at lunch due to regulations)
• No goodie bags, balloons, etc.

We need you! We all know that parent involvement goes along way in ensuring our students' success! We want you to use your gifts and talents here at Hirsch!

How do I get involved?

Step 1: Complete the volunteer application.

English

Spanish

Step 2: Our Counselor will contact you once you have been approved to volunteer.

Step 3: Choose where you would like to help.

Volunteer Menu

• Reading Buddies
• Our young scholars are eager to read! Volunteer in 30 minute time slots to listen to students as they practice their reading skills!
• Library Helpers
• Help shelve books and organize the library!
• Workroom Helpers
• Help make copies, cut out lamination, and deliver copies around the school!
• Classroom Helpers
• Help during classroom parties and special event days!
• Help decorate bulletin boards and classroom displays!
• Office Helpers
• Volunteers needed at 2:15 p.m. to distribute transportation changes to the classroom!
• Lunch Helpers
• Volunteers needed to help with PK and Kindergarten lunch!