Parent Newsletter

Note from the Principals

HHES Families:

It was such a pleasure to see so many of our HHES students and families back on campus for our Community Fair yesterday. Thank you for coming to the event, stopping by classrooms, and spending the evening with us at HHES. We are excited for the coming year and look forward to lots of learning and fun with our hornet students!

First Day of School

We will be rolling out the red carpet for our first day of school. Buzz, our hornet mascot, will be stopping by to welcome our students and kick off the new year. For students in grades 1-5, our first day of school is Monday, August 24. For TK and K students, the first day of school is Thursday, August 27. Student drop off begins at 7:30 a.m. and students are welcome to head to their classroom at 7:45 a.m. Classes begin promptly at 8 a.m. For the first day for school, families are welcome to walk their child to class. After the first day, we ask that parents drop off their students at the commons or 200 building doors or to send their student to school on the bus. We will have staff throughout the campus to help direct students to their classrooms and to provide support during drop off times.

TK / K Parent Meetings

TK and K parent-teacher meetings are being held August 24 - 26. At your scheduled meeting time, please check in at our main office and we will sign you in as a visitor and give you directions to your child's classroom. If you need a reminder about your appointment day / time or if you need to reschedule, please give us a call in the office.

Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership!

~ Meredith and Michael

meredith.gannon@hocksd.org / michael.olson@hocksd.org

Lunchroom Update for the 2026-2027 School Year

Hockinson Heights Elementary continually examines our school systems so that we can fine-tune our procedures and make the school day a positive experience for students. In reviewing our lunchroom procedures we found several problems including overcrowding, excessive noise, lengthy wait times for students to get hot lunch, and not enough seated time for eating. In June, our fourth and fifth grade students participated in a lunchroom pilot, where we utilized two separate spaces as lunchrooms. This allowed us to divide students into smaller groups, reduce noise levels, increase supervision, and decrease student wait time. We surveyed our students before and after the lunchroom pilot to get feedback about this change. Our student response was overwhelmingly positive with 81.2% of students saying the lunchroom was quieter and 88.8% of students saying they spent less time in line and more time eating. Student comments included: "I love it because it is calmer and not as loud", "No more 10 minute waits!", " There's not as much drama", and "I feel ready to learn at the end of lunch".

As a result of the successful pilot program, HHES will be implementing a new lunchroom plan this year. Students will utilize two different lunchrooms. Each grade level will be divided into two groups with half of students eating in the commons and half eating in the blue gym. School lunch will be served in both spaces. New tables have been purchased for the lunchroom spaces so that students will have additional personal space around the lunch table. We plan to open up free-seating, where students can sit in any open seat, after we have established routines within the lunchroom.

We are excited for this change as this will allow us to provide an orderly, safe space for students and allow students ample time to enjoy their lunch.

Supporting Positive Behavior at HHES

This year around HHES you will see updated signage and posters to remind our Hornets of student expectations for behavior. Additionally, in our classrooms and around campus we are emphasizing and renewing our focus on positive student behavior through intentional and direct instruction, opportunities to practice skills, and frequent and ongoing reminders. We have amazing kids at our school and our goal every day is that HHES students display school appropriate behavior, use kind words, and maintain a safe body consistently. We encourage you at home to talk to your student(s) about what they are learning, how they can make great choices at school, and what it means to be safe, responsible, and respectful.

Parent Pick Up and Drop Off Routines at HHES

Morning Drop Off

The commons doors at the far west side of campus are available for student drop beginning at 7:30 a.m. To drop off your student, please enter the campus through the far west driveway and follow the lane to the side of the building. Only the lane closest to the building is used for morning drop off. Please have your child exit on the curb side of the vehicle. If your child needs additional time to exit the vehicle (e.g. parents need to exit to help with backpacks or car seats), please pull all the way forward to the front of the drop off zone to allow other families to drop off in the remaining space. Students may be dropped off in front of the main building in the center section of the parking lot beginning at 7:45 a.m.

Parent Pick Up

HHES utilizes a family car tag system for parent pick up. To pick up your child, please enter the parking lot at the far west driveway and follow the lane to the pick up zone. We utilize five lanes for parent pick up. Please pull forward into a lane and display your car tag showing your family number. You should remain in your vehicle throughout the pick up process. Our staff will walk your child to the car. Please note that students are dismissed from class at 2:15 and we will begin loading students into cars as they arrive at the pick up zone. If you choose to walk to pick up your child, a staff member will meet you at the commons door and ask for your family pick up number. Students will be brought to meet you as they arrive.

If there is a change to your child's daily go home plan, please send a written note or call the office.

Parent pick up and drop off is typically delayed on the first few days of school as students learn the process for these routines. Thank you for your patience over the first week. Your child's safety is our top priority!

School Supplies for 2026-2027

Here are the HHES School Supply Lists.

Fifth Grade Band

Our HMS Band Teacher, Ms. Ritenburgh, will be visiting our 4th grade classes to host an instrument demonstration and share information about 5th grade band on September 10. Please see the links below for additional information about 5th grade band.

Sign Me UP!

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Band Rental Night