Cheetah Chronicles

February 21: Principal Selection In-Person Input Session at 6 p.m

February 22: Spring Individual and Class Pictures-Tracks 1 & 3

February 28: McTeacher Night Tracks 3 & 4 (5:00-7:30)

February 29: PTA General Meeting @ 6:30pm

March 5: No School Teacher Workday

March 7: Literacy Night

March 14th: Spring Individual and Class Pictures-Tracks 2 & 4

Parents,

We want to make sure carpool parents know that it is important for staff to be in the classrooms beginning when the instructional bell rings at 9:20a.m. Carpool begins at 8:50 and staff comes in at 9:18a.m. Please make sure your child is at school prior to this time. If it is after carpool staff comes in, parents need to check their child in by ringing the doorbell and signing their child in on the kiosk. Students will be marked tardy after the bell rings. Thanks

Linked below are just a few resources your family may use to initiate conversations on Black and African American history at home:

• National Geographic - Black History Month

• Visit Raleigh - African American Cultural Heritage Attractions in Raleigh, N.C.

• Center for Racial Justice - Black History Month Resource Guide for Educators & Families

• National Museum of African American History & Culture - Celebrate Black History Month 2024

Date: February 21, 2024

Time: 6:00 pm

Where: Holly Springs Elementary School

If you are unable to attend, please take the opportunity to submit your input digitally HERE.

Dear Holly Springs Elementary Families,

🎉 Congratulations to Ms. Danielle Clark on her appointment as Principal of Holly Ridge Elementary School. While she will be missed greatly, I am sure you will all join me in wishing her well as she begins her new journey. Transitions can be difficult at first, but they can also be very exciting.

As we look forward to Holly Springs Elementary School’s continued excellence, an interim principal beginning March 1, 2024, Ms. Carla Jernigan-Baker, will lead Holly Springs ES until a new principal is selected. WCPSS routinely utilizes retired principals as interim principals. We draw from their many years of experience to provide continuity to the school during the process.

Holly Springs Elementary has had countless successes under the leadership of Ms. Clark, and it is important that we work together to find a leader who will support Holly Springs’s continued growth. I am committed to hearing from all stakeholders and listening to the characteristics and leadership skills you would like to see in the next principal of Holly Springs Elementary. I am providing the opportunity for parents and community members to submit their input digitally, and I will also provide an opportunity for an in-person input session at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, February 21, 2024.

Information received from the parent and community digital survey and in-person input meeting, as well as information received from a separate digital staff survey and staff input meeting, will be used to develop a principal profile and a list of questions that will be used during the applicant screening and selection process. The profile is a very important part of selecting the new principal.

Once the screening and interview processes are complete, a recommendation for hire will be made to the Wake County Board of Education.

In order to provide input digitally, please review the Principal Selection Input Process, which details the process for selecting the next principal for Holly Springs Elementary School. Please know that your input is important to me and must be received by Thursday, February 29, 2024.

Thank you in advance for participating in the input process.

Parents interested in having their child evaluated for SINGLE Subject Acceleration (SSA): Please click HERE for the 2024 SSA Parent Information presentation. Please review the entire SSA Parent Information presentation to determine if SSA testing is appropriate for your child. PLEASE NOTE: Embedded in the presentation is the link for the required "SSA Test Request" Google form.

Completed SSA Test Request Google forms will ONLY be accepted during your track's window.

-Track 1 + Track 3: February 21 - March 5, 2024
-Track 4: March 11-22, 2024
-Track 2: April 1-12, 2024.

The same SSA info can also be found on the school's homepage (https://www.wcpss.net/hollyspringses) and http://bit.ly/HSESAIG (access code AIG). If you have questions regarding SSA, please contact Kiersten Bashor (kbashor@wcpss.net), AIG teacher.

During the January 16 meeting and in response to community and staff feedback, Board of Education members approved making March 5, 2024 (Primary Election Day) a ‘Banked Day’ for all 2023-24 instructional calendars. This means there will be no school for students on Tuesday, March 5th, and the day will be designated as a workday for school staff.

Parents/Guardians - The HSES EOG dates have been finalized and can be found here and on the HSES website. It is important that every effort is made for your 3rd, 4th, and/or 5th grade child to be present during EOG testing days. Please plan vacations/trips, doctor appointments, etc. accordingly.

Families of currently enrolled HSES students who prefer a different track assignment, other than the one to which they are currently assigned, should complete this form. Administration would like to grant all requests; however, state class size limits, keeping families together on the same track, and other variables must be considered when assigning students to tracks/classrooms. You will be notified of your final track assignment for the 2024-2025 school year in late spring (end of May). Thank you for your understanding and support. *Deadline to consider any track changes: March 8, 2024*

Track Change Request Form

Windward Pointe residents have noticed that parents with walkers have started parking at the neighborhood pool that are NOT residents of the neighborhood. There is a sign outside of the pool that says parking for “Windward Pointe Residents Only,”. If you are not a resident of Windward Pointe, they are asking that you not park in the Windward Pointe pool parking lot or on Caymen Ave. This is NOT a pick up and drop off zone. Please abide by these residential rules.

February 22nd: Spring Individual and Class Pictures-Tracks 1 & 3

Class Picture Purchase Code Tracks 3 & 4

March 14th: Spring Individual and Class Pictures-Tracks 2 & 4

Classroom Group Picture Order Form

Holly Springs Elementary is once again teaming up with the American Heart Association for the Kids Heart Challenge. Students in tracks 1-2 will have their Event Day on February 2. Track 4 students will have their kickoff assembly on February 5, 2024. You can see the schedule and other information for our Kids Heart Challenge HERE.

Even if you were approved as a volunteer last school year you must be approved again this year. Many field trips are coming up and we do not want you to wait or miss out as it takes a while for volunteers to be approved. Follow the steps below carefully:

Register as a WCPSS Volunteer

All WCPSS parent and community volunteers are required to register through the new MyVolunteer system. Please complete your registration on a computer at home or school. It is very difficult to complete using a mobile phone. It can take several weeks for your registration to be approved so don’t wait until field trips to try and register. Register now so you are ready and able to volunteer in the classroom, volunteer for school events, or chaperone at any time this school year!

1. Click the link below to start your volunteer registration: https://myvolunteer.com/wcpss/volunteer/login

2. Click create new account.

3. Complete the online form and select all the schools that you are requesting to volunteer or chaperone for the 2023-2024 school year.

4. It will then say pending.

5. Soon after you will receive an email with a customized link for you to complete next steps for your background check. This link expires 10 days from the day you receive the email. Follow the instructions in that email. You will fill out all items in red boxes and then you will review and digitally sign four documents (Summary of Rights Under the FCRA, Disc & Auth, NC Security Freeze Notice, and WCPSS Volunteer Agreement).

6. If you leave the CRC background site before completing your contact information, you will have to begin the process again.

7. You must include your social security number to register to volunteer. If you do not have a social security number, please contact volunteers@wcpss.net or call 919-694-8233.

8. Great news is that this year you will be notified by the MyVolunteer system if you are approved to volunteer!

Please Note: If you are a WCPSS Employee seeking to volunteer/chaperone in the schools, you do not have to complete a criminal background check. However, employees will still need to register in the MyVolunteer system (https://myvolunteer.com/wcpss/volunteer/login) and complete the Wake County Volunteer Agreement and other required forms. Employees must select the “Current Staff of WCPSS” link on MyVolunteer to complete the volunteer registration process and must use their WCPSS email address to complete the registration.

o DCRI Literacy at Home One Pager (English)

In the event that a bus is not running, Holly Springs Elementary will continue to send text and email messages through School Messenger, and post on Twitter. Text and email messages will not be sent through School Messenger if buses are running behind schedule. This is for both AM and PM routes.

Wake County Schools Transportation continually updates bus information for the Holly Springs area HERE.

Remember to refresh the page every 15 minutes in order to see the most up to date information.

If HSES is not listed, that means that all of our buses are running without any issue.

Click the letter below to learn more about the Positivity Project and to view the yearly calendar:

P2 Family Information Letter

Tracks 1, 3 & 4

Dear Families,

This week our school community will be focusing on the character strength of Humility. Humility means you do not seek the spotlight. You let your actions speak for themselves.

Humble people have an accurate (not underestimated) sense of their abilities and achievements. They hold the capacity to acknowledge their mistakes and limitations, and are open to advice and new ideas. They do not show off their possessions or accomplishments.

Developing humility is associated with positive developmental outcomes in individuals. It allows a person to honestly reflect on their abilities and acknowledge how and where they can improve. Humility opens them up to new ideas, advice, and (consequently) abilities that pride, arrogance, or pretentiousness often block. Therefore, humility makes them desired members of a team.

To practice and encourage the character strength of humility with your child, please visit the Positivity Project’s P2 for Families (password: P2) where together you will watch a video, read a quote and talk about the answers to three questions.

Have a wonderful week!

HSES Cafeteria

FREE dinner (pizza), dessert & drinks!

Movie for the kiddos!

Come share your ideas for the 2024-25 school year & learn how you can get involved with the PTA!

School Store will be open on February 6th (K-2) and February 13th (3-5)! If you are able to lend a hand from 8:30-9:30am, please sign up HERE! Thank you!

Coach Lee just kicked off our school’s Kids Heart Challenge! Students and staff are excited to get going on helping kids with special hearts and learning how to take care of our own. The classrooms in each grade level with the most students registered online will win the classroom challenge to receive a $25 gift card! Once you’re on the team, be sure to complete Finn’s Mission. That’s where you’ll learn the lifesaving skill of Hands-Only CPR, which when given immediately can double (even triple) a person’s chance of surviving cardiac arrest. Other missions will help you raise funds for kids with special hearts and learn the warning signs of a stroke. As always, our students will have the opportunity to earn thank-you gifts for themselves and funds and equipment for our school.

Click HERE to sign up!

Save the date! 5th Grade Committee Meeting - Tuesday, February 20th at 4:30pm\

Talent show

Boosterthon TRACK 1

Boosterthon TRACK 2

Boosterthon TRACK 3

Boosterthon TRACK 4

Cheetah FamilyFest (summer kickoff)

CheetahBlast (formerly O'Holly Night)

Fall Movie Night (Mario Movie)

Fall Walk to School

First Day

Pokemon Go

Salamander's Game

Science Fair/STEAM Night

YES, you read that right! We have a NEW SPIRIT ROCK! Our new rock is directly behind our Carpool rock & sits facing the Bus loop. Now our bus and van riders will have a front row view of even more celebrations! Please pay close attention to CARPOOL or BUS LOOP when making your reservations. Choose either the CARPOOL LOOP or BUS LOOP. We cannot guarantee that your week will be available if you rent the wrong rock.

https://app.memberhub.gives/hsesspiritrock

The HSES Spirit Rock is a great way to send a message for all to see! Congratulate your favorite student on an accomplishment, wish a student a Happy Birthday, celebrate a team win or let everyone know how much you love our school. Reserve the Spirit Rock HERE ($25/week).