REMINDER: A Remote Learning Day is scheduled for Friday, December 18. ALL students (K-12) will work from home. Only PreK students will attend school on this day.
The Food Service Department is preparing shelf stable meals (one breakfast, one lunch) for students to take home on Thursday. Meals will be distributed in classrooms for elementary students. Secondary students may pick up meals in the cafeteria during lunch or at the bus stop at the end of the day. Virtual students will pick up meals on Thursday during lunch.
REMINDER: A Remote Learning Day is scheduled for Friday, December 18. ALL students (K-12) will work from home. Only PreK students will attend school on this day.
Join us in celebrating Arkansas Computer Science Education Week with coding activities for all ages. Take some pics and post using #Hornets_Hr_Of_Code. #ARKidsCanCode
This week our first graders read the Gingerbread Man. Students constructed their very own giant gingerbread man, identified the story elements, then glued them on their creation.
Our second graders spread Christmas cheer with 25 Days of Kindness. Ms. Tarkington's students work on their kindness chains. As they create or share a new act of kindness each day, they learn the true meaning behind the phrase, "Tis better to give than to receive."
Well parents, can you believe it’s already December? We have made it to the final month of 2020, and I am proud of our perseverance.
The last few days have been cold outside, so bundle up those kiddos before leaving home! We keep a close eye on the temperature, and go outside for recess when at all possible. Make sure your child is properly equipped for the weather.
Our focus word for December is “Effort.” We are giving our best effort to finish this year strong! Many of our schoolwide conversations will be built around this theme. It is a great talking point for after school conversations with your child. While giving our best effort, we will continue classroom discussions centered around goals, and goal setting.
Nurse Tina has requested you send an extra change of clothes for your child. Accidents happen...a milk spill, a bloody nose, or a fall in the mud might require a wardrobe change. In addition, if you would like to make a clothing donation, we can always use extra t-shirts, warm ups or jeans of various sizes in the nurse’s clothes closet.
Here are some important dates:
---December 9 - Make up pictures for our blended students only
---December 18 was recently approved as a Remote Learning Day by our school board. This will mimic our October Remote Learning Day. You’ll get more details about this in the upcoming weeks.
---December 21 - January 1 is Christmas Break. We return to school on January 4.
---Classroom holiday parties will look differently this year, and sadly we are unable to invite parents. However, your child’s teacher may have a way for you to help! Be on the lookout for details.
In closing, we are asking all students to wear BLUE on Friday in support of our Bryant Hornets football team who will meet up with NLR on Saturday night in a showdown for the 7A state championship. It's a great day to be a Bryant Hornet. Go Blue!
With our Hornets headed to the 2020 State Championship game on Saturday, what better time to #Paintthetownblue?
The Greater Bryant Chamber of Commerce has organized #Paintthetownblue to engage community members and local businesses in school spirit. Anyone can purchase a sign to place in front of their home or business for $25. Four designs are available. Collect all four to show your Hornet spirit!
Order your sign at bit.ly/PaintTownBlue. Take a photo of your sign and post on social media with the hashtag #Paintthetownblue.
For more information, contact the Bryant Chamber at 501-847-4702. All proceeds go to the scholarship fund for our Bryant High School seniors.
The district Point of Contact phone line (501-414-6647) will resume normal hours this week. Parents may reach the POC by email any time at bryantpointofcontact@bryantschools.org. Our POC will respond as soon as possible to all email messages.
Parents, please contact the POC to report a positive COVID-19 case with your student or within your family. Call or email if your child has been identified as a close contact with a positive case outside of school (church, family members, gyms, etc.). It is important that if a parent tests positive, the children who live in the home with them are quarantined.
We continue to rely on cooperation from families in reporting positive cases and identifying close contacts. The better we are with our prevention strategies, the longer we will be able to keep schools open and have children attend school in-person. Thank you all for your diligence in keeping our Hornets healthy!
The district POC phone line will remain open until 8pm tonight (Sunday) for those who have had a positive COVID-19 test or have been designated as a close contact over the break. These individuals will not be able to attend school until their isolation or quarantine period is over. The number is 501-414-6647.
Parents may also email bryantpointofcontact@bryantschools.org if the phone line is busy or unavailable.
With COVID-19 still a real threat, we need to remain diligent in reporting positive cases to our district Point of Contact (POC), even when school is closed.
Our POC phone line will reopen on Sunday, November 29, from 2-8pm for those who have had a positive COVID-19 test or have been designated as a close contact over the break. These individuals will not be able to attend school until their isolation or quarantine period is over. The number is 501-414-6647.
We continue to rely on cooperation from families in reporting positive cases and identifying close contacts. The better we are with our prevention strategies, the longer we will be able to keep schools open and have children attend school in-person.
Food Box Distribution: Tuesday, November 24, 10:00-11:00am, behind Bryant Elementary. Due to the overwhelming response for food boxes, we may run out of boxes with chicken. If so, the chicken and dressing will be replaced with chili and cornbread.
Mrs. Vergason and Mrs. Mask are thankful for the teachers and staff at Hurricane Creek Elementary. The thankful cart rolled around to deliver a seasonal "Stovetop Simmer" to bring a festive scent to their kitchen, and a wish for things to 'simmer down' so they can relax over their break!
Mrs. Whitfield's class wants to remind all students to wear their HCE Good Vibes shirts tomorrow!
With the BHS and BJHS campuses closed, bus riders in grades K-7 may be home up to 10-15 minutes earlier than normal on FRIDAY afternoon.
Look at these HCES artists! Our school's first place winner of the Christmas Card contest is 5th grader Jonathan Escarcega-Juarez. The two Honorable Mentions are 5th grader Abby Smith, and 3rd grader Tristan Rea. Congratulations!
Bryant Public Schools is partnering with Arkansas Foodbank’s Emergency School Pantry Program to provide food boxes to low-income families with children in the Bryant School District. Families must have a student currently approved for free or reduced meals in the Bryant School District to qualify to receive food boxes.
The first distribution day will be Thursday, November 19 from 4:30-5:30pm behind Bryant Elementary. Signs will be posted to direct families to the drive through location. The next food distribution date is Tuesday, November 24, 10:00-11:00am at the same location.
A message to all HCES parents from our Principal Mrs. Vergason. You may read this email, or watch a video of Mrs. Vergason discussing these items on our fb page @HurricaneCreekElementary
Good morning, I would like to begin by celebrating some "Good Things" that are happening at HCES…
Last Friday was World Kindness Day...but random acts of kindness are being shown in our building everyday by students and teachers. This is the kindness hub of Arkansas...HCES is a great place to be.
I am sure you saw the tribute to our veterans last week. Our appreciation and gratitude was evident in the heartfelt notes, art projects, and words you saw in the video. I am so proud of our students and staff.
We won the Peanut Butter Drive in our district! We collected 940 jars, and the district collected 4,387. Those went to local food pantries and churches to feed hungry students and adults in Saline county. Thank you for your donations.
Progress reports will go home today...so, looking forward, our focus is on personal growth. Our classroom conversations will be focused around setting personal goals and working the plan to meet those individual growth goals -- This is a K-5th effort!
One of the phrases I reinforce most mornings on the intercom is “HCES is a safe place, a place of respect, and a place where learning happens.” We want learning to happen. Please encourage your child to give their best effort each day. Ask your child their strengths, and areas for which they are focusing their efforts to grow.
Here are some dates and special information you’ll want to note:
Progress Reports will go home Today, November 16
Thanksgiving Break is November 23-27
Our Thanksgiving feast in the cafeteria is this Thursday...we regret that parents can not join us this year, but we promise to capture the moment in pictures and post them on our school website and fb page. Make sure you follow us @HurricaneCreekElementary to get all the latest updates and info from our school and the district!
Blended only: Remind your student to claim their Lost & Found item.
Blended only: Fall picture retakes will be December 9.
Our virtual friends came to school to pick up instructional materials and some goodies last Friday. They were able to see their teachers as they drove through the pick up line in their cars.
All students have received their HCE Good Vibes t-shirts. They look awesome! Shout out to our amazing PTO! I am excited for us to wear them proudly as a school (blended and virtual classrooms.)
Let’s wear them this Friday, November 20!
In closing,
Here are three school-centered talking points to spark conversation between you and your child.
-Growth goals & areas of strength
-Reflect on something for which you and your child are thankful.
-Name one classmate/teacher to whom they’ve shown kindness, and one classmate who has shown kindness to them.
Enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday!
On this special national holiday, our Hurricane Creek family would like to honor and remember our service men and women for their sacrifice and dedication to our country. You are valued!
Click this link to see our tribute video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwK8gmEsSJk&feature=youtu.be
Here is the link to the book America's White Table, read aloud by our principal, Mrs. Vergason. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QmJr4MBw0c&feature=youtu.be
Thank you to all our military personnel—past and present—for the sacrifices you have made for our freedom.
A message to all HCES parents from Mrs. Vergason:
We ended October with some dress up fun during Red Ribbon week and Book Character Day! We have jumped right into November and have a busy week ahead of us as we honor and remember our special military men and women on Veteran’s Day. We continue to work hard as the middle of this 9 weeks is already here and progress reports will go home in a week. Our focus is on personal growth, as each student should challenge themselves to give their best effort to meet individual goals. Please encourage your child to do their best each day!
Here are some dates and special information you’ll want to note:
--Thanksgiving Break is November 23-27.
--Progress Reports will go home November 16.
--Blended only: Remind your student to claim their Lost & Found item (masks, jackets, hoodies, bows, etc.)
--Blended only: Fall picture retakes will be December 9.
--Virtual only: In the next few weeks you and your student will be given details about another pick up day. You’ll pick up materials needed to finish this semester, your HCE Good Vibes t-shirt, and school pictures (if you had them made). All virtual students WILL GO TO THE CAMPUS AT WHICH YOUR VIRTUAL TEACHER IS HOUSED....you’ll receive details from your virtual teacher about when your pick up day will be.
Virtual Students who have Ms. Fricke, Ms. Leonard, Ms. Finley, and Ms. Jones only: Your pick up day is this Friday, Nov. 13 from 1:00-2:00 pm at HCES. You’ll enter in the back of the school off of Boone Road. Look for the sign that says K-2. It will lead you to the front of the school in the circle drive where your items will be brought to your car.
--Blended students received their HCE Good Vibes t-shirts on Friday. They look awesome! Shout out to our amazing PTO! - thank you - thank you - thank you- We will wear these on Monday, November 9!