The Otter Observer

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We have had a wonderful start to the school year! Our students are settling back into their routines and working hard each day in the classroom. Our teachers are also hard at work planning engaging, purposeful lessons to ensure our students are learning and mastering our grade-level benchmarks.

We will hold our first School Advisory Council (SAC) Meeting on Tuesday, September 1, at 7:45 a.m. in the Media Center. We welcome all parents to attend and learn more about important information and initiatives happening at our school.

We will also host our first Otter Crew Parent Meeting on Friday, September 4, at 7:45 a.m. in the Media Center. If you are interested in volunteering this year and making a positive impact on our school community, please see the flyers below for more information.

On September 18, we will hold our annual Walk-a-thon during Related Arts. Our Walk-a-thon is our main fundraiser of the year, and the funds raised support our students and staff in a variety of meaningful ways. Thank you in advance for supporting this fun event and helping us make a difference for our HCE community!

We are looking forward to a fantastic month here at HCE! Thank you for your continued support of our students, staff, and school.

Mrs. Barber

This year we want to highlight our HCE students who are Team Players both inside and outside of school. If your student participates in a team or activity (like a sports team, scouting, theatre, cheer, dance) please upload a picture of the participating in the activity or wearing their team uniform, at the link so that we can highlight them on a special bulletin board.

Please email your photo to Mrs. Denny at dennyca@collierschools.com

One of the greatest strengths of Herbert Cambridge Elementary is our exceptional educators. We invite parents, students, staff, and community members to recognize outstanding teachers for the 37th Annual Golden Apple Awards, presented by Champions For Learning. Thank-A-Teacher nominations are open through September 16, 2026. These nominations not only provide an opportunity to express appreciation for the remarkable teachers who make a difference every day, but they also play an important role in identifying Teachers of Distinction who are considered for Golden Apple honors. Click here to submit a Thank-A-Teacher nomination: https://educators.championsforlearning.org/form2/entry/entry.asp

Welcome back to another exciting school year! I hope everyone had a wonderful summer filled with rest, fun, and time with loved ones. I am thrilled to be back and cannot wait to see all that our students will accomplish this year. We have so many exciting opportunities ahead, and I look forward to partnering with you to make this a successful year for every child.

As we begin the school year, we are also entering the PM1 testing season. Assessments provide valuable information about student growth and help us better support learning throughout the year. To help your child be successful, please take a moment to review the testing calendar, which is posted on our school website and was also sent home in Wednesday folders.

There are several ways families can help students perform their best during testing:

• Ensure your child gets a good night's sleep before each testing day.
• Provide a healthy, substantial breakfast each morning.
• Please try to minimize appointments and early checkouts on testing days whenever possible.
• Once a student has started a test, they are required to complete it that same day, so attendance and punctuality are especially important.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership. Together, we can help our students feel confident and prepared as they demonstrate all they have learned. I look forward to a fantastic year filled with growth, learning, and success!

Mrs. Jones

Test results are available three days after your child tests:

To access FAST PM1 results:

• Access the CCPS Portal at portal.collierschools.com (we recommend using Google Chrome)

  
  

• Enter your login credentials. For assistance accessing the CCPS Portal, email helpdesk@collierschools.com or call 239-377-0445

  
  

• Click on the FOCUS icon in the Parent/Guardian section

  
  

• Once in FOCUS, click on the Florida Statewide Assessments icon

  
  

• Click here for directions to access the FLDOE Family Portal

We are so excited for another wonderful year in the HCE Media Center! Over the summer, the Media Center received a fresh coat of paint and a little furniture rearranging, giving our space a bright, fresh new look.

Media lessons have officially begun, and Ms. Kaci and I are so happy to have our Otters back reading, learning, and exploring! Students in grades K–2 visit the Media Center once a week, while students in grades 3–5 have Media lessons every other week.

This year, we are hitting the road with The Great HCE Reading Race! Students are encouraged to read their Media Center books and take Accelerated Reader (AR) quizzes. The points they earn count toward their individual reading goals and can earn them fun AR Brag Tags, while also adding points to their class total. As classes rack up AR points, they will travel farther along our Great HCE Reading Race bulletin boards as we work together to make reading a schoolwide adventure!

We are also excited about our Quarter 1 AR Celebration — “Happy Little Readers!” Any student who meets their Quarter 1 AR goal by Friday, October 9 at 2:30 p.m. will be invited to a special Bob Ross-inspired guided drawing celebration on Tuesday, October 13! Our goal is to encourage every Otter to discover the joy of reading, challenge themselves, and reach their AR goal at least once this school year.

Ms. Kaci and I can’t wait for a fun-filled year of books, reading, and adventures in the Media Center. Happy reading, Otters!

Growing H.E.A.R.T. at HCE!

The beginning of the school year is an important time for teaching, learning, and practicing our classroom and schoolwide expectations. At Herbert Cambridge Elementary, our students follow the H.E.A.R.T. Expectations: Honest, Eager to Learn, Accountable, Respectful and Responsible, and a Team Player.

Students who demonstrate H.E.A.R.T., make positive choices, and work hard may earn a variety of incentives through our PBIS program.

Individual students can earn Otter Bucks to spend at our school store, which is open before school on Wednesday and Thursday mornings and visits our kindergarten classrooms every other Friday. Students may also be recognized on the morning news by earning a Positive Referral or by being selected to represent their class as Otter of the Month.

Our Otters also work together as a class to earn stickers during related arts, lunch, and recess. When a class fills its sticker chart, students celebrate their teamwork with a special activity or treat!

We love watching our HCE Otters grow their H.E.A.R.T. throughout the school year, and we especially love celebrating their positive choices, effort, kindness, and hard work!

September is an exciting time as students settle into their classroom routines and work to build strong reading habits. It has been awesome to see our young readers engaged in learning and growing more confident each day!

One of the best ways families can support reading at home is by making it a daily habit. Just 15-20 minutes of reading each evening can strengthen comprehension, expand vocabulary, improve fluency, and foster a lifelong love of reading.

Family Reading Tip: Talk About What you Read:

After reading, ask your child a few simple questions about the book:

What happened in the beginning/middle/end of the story?

How did the character’s feelings change?

What did the author want you to learn in this book?

These conversations help children think deeply about what they read and strengthen their understanding of texts. Thank you for partnering with us to support our students' reading. Together, we can help every child become a successful reader!

A copy of your child's emergency card and contacts in Focus will be going home on Monday, August 31st. Please take some time to review these important documents and make any corrections necessary. It is VERY important we have your most updated phone number in case of an emergency. Thank you for your attention to this important task.

From left to right:

Mrs. Cara Denny, School Counselor; Mrs. Lauren Fisher, Reading Coach; Mrs. Sarah Barber, Principal; Mrs. Dawn Jones, Assistant Principal; Mrs. Amy Pike, Media Specialist; Mrs. Cristina O'Brien, Math Coach (not pictured)

From left to right:

Mrs. Mirtha Ortega, Secretary; Ms. Lucy Lorenzo, Secretary; Mrs. Marisol Chevere-Diaz, Office Manager; Ms. Stephanie Ramirez, Data Entry

Our First Otter Crew Meeting will take place on Friday, September 4th at 7:45am in the Media Center. If you are looking to volunteer this year at our school, please be sure you attend this meeting.

Please take a moment to check out our Parent and Family Engagement Plan. This document includes important information on events that will occur throughout the school year.

Girl Scouts helps girls become confident leaders, courageous problem-solvers, and compassionate changemakers. Through new experiences, lasting friendships, and opportunities to serve their communities, girls discover their strengths, find their voice, and learn they can make a difference. Every adventure builds confidence, every challenge inspires growth, and every accomplishment reminds them of what they're capable of achieving. In Girl Scouts, girls don't just explore the world around them, they learn they have the power to change it!

Girls Scout Sign-Up Website: https://www.gsgcf.org/en/get-involved/join/beagirlscout0.html

See Attached Logo for QR Code

The following schools listed below have already scheduled a Girl Scouts Information / Troop Building Night:

• Corkscrew Elementary School Cafeteria on Tuesday, September 1, 2026 from 6pm until 7pm
• Avalon Elementary School Cafeteria on Wednesday, September 2, 2026 from 6pm until 7pm
• Pelican Marsh Elementary School Cafeteria on Thursday, September 3, 2026 from 6pm until 7pm
• Naples Park Elementary School Cafeteria on Tuesday, September 8, 2026 from 6pm until 7pm
• Bear Creek Elementary School Cafeteria on Thursday, September 17, 2026 from 630pm until 730pm
• Vineyards Elementary School Multipurpose Room on Tuesday, September 22, 2026 from 6pm until 7pm
• Tommie Barfield Elementary School Cafeteria on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 from 6pm until 7pm

Below is CCPS's statewide assessment calendar. We will be sending out testing dates in our monthly calendars, but if you are looking for the testing windows for the remainder of the year please look at pages 6, 7, & 9.

School Board Policies 2266, 3362, and 5517 – Prohibits discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation and/or gender identity), disability, or age in the provision of educational opportunities or employment opportunities and benefits. The District School Board does not discriminate on the basis of sex or disability in the education programs and activities that it operates, pursuant to the requirements of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

For additional information or to report Title IX or any other discrimination/harassment concerns, contact Ms. Valerie Wenrich, Chief Human Resources Officer/ Title IX Coordinator, at (239) 377-0351, wenriv@collierschools.com or at 5775 Osceola Trail, Naples, Florida 34109.