What's Buzzing at the Heights

Week 7: September 11 - 15, 2023

Message from the Principal

Dear Hornet Families,

We had a good Week 6 with 96.79% of scholars in attendance! Thank you for keeping your children healthy and in school. Our teachers supported scholars through 6 Weeks testing.

We had a INCREDIBLE turn out for our 2nd Saturday Learning Camp. An amazing 190 scholars were in attendance from 1st grade through 5th grade! WOW! Together, we are better at supporting our children to find academic success!

This past week, we also held about 16 meetings with parents for Loss of Credit. Scholars miss out on 7 hours of direct teaching each time they are out. Please, keep them healthy and attending school to reach their own academic goals. If you did not attend a meeting, please contact me to avoid going to Truancy Court.

In honor of Eastlake HS Homecoming Week 2023, we will have DRESS UP Days all week long. Be sure to follow the schedule. See below.

Happy Grandparents' Day to all of our super Grandparents! As many of you know, I was raised by my Grandmother, Rose, and all Grandparents have a special place in our HEARTS!

On Monday, we will be having Grandparents' Walk Day. We are proud to celebrate each grandparent with some quality time as they walk, share stories and build memories. Grandparents will be asked to report to the new gym and have one form of identification. We encourage walking shoes, umbrellas and water bottles. Walk Day will be honored during the child's PE time. We will not have Walk Day during PK PE due to the heat factor for child and grandparent. See schedule below.

On Tuesday, we will host our Annual Math/Science Night. Families are encouraged to attend to find ways to help engage children in activities to support their numeracy and science background knowledge. We will be in the New Gym from 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM. All children in attendance get FREE DRESS coupon for Wednesday.

On Wednesday, we will host our Annual Eastlake HS Homecoming Parade from our parking lot. The streets and parking lot will be closed from 5 PM to 7:30 PM. Be sure to plan ahead so that you are not stuck in traffic. This is a highly supported event and we hope you will join us. The parade begins at 6 PM. Pep Rally at Eastlake HS field at 7:30 PM.

On Friday, we encourage our scholars to dress in DOTS or design their own DOT shirt. We are excited to join in the international fun about the book, DOT Day.

This month, we ask for your support to help our scholars with the following:

read daily for 20 minutes (anything of interest to child);
complete 5 units of Lexia daily,
practice addition & subtraction facts (these bring confidence);
practice multiplication & division facts (upper grades need for problem solving);
go to bed early enough to be ready to learn the next day; &
continue to communicate with classroom teachers

Arrival & Dismissal.

Arrival and Dismissal will be our greatest challenges. Please be patient and kind. We will have all staff on duty to assist and create a system that is safe and efficient.

For Dismissal, we do ask families to ensure their SIGN with child's name in posted in the front windshield so that we can read & call out the name.

Attendance.

If your child is absent, we must have a doctor's note or a personal note explaining why they were absent upon their arrival. For doctor's appointments, take your child to appointment, but bring them back with a doctor's note the same day and it will be counted as present.

NEW: This year, district policy indicates parents/guardians have 72 hours to submit excuse notes justifying child's absence.

Attendance in vital to our scholars success. Every day gone from school, they lose 7 hours of skills, strategies and support for learning. Help us by keeping your children healthy.

We track attendance daily and will communicate with families when children have 5 absences & tardies to establish a Loss of Credit Contract. Our goal is for your child to be healthy and at school without losing credit.

COVID & Absences.

If a student tests positive with COVID, child must see a doctor to get a test and be diagnosed with COVID. If parents submit a home COVID test, it will NOT qualify for the Q code of Quarantined. Therefore, these absences will count towards Loss of Credit. Ensure your child is seen by a doctor and diagnosis is sent as an excuse for absences to qualify for Q code.

Reporting Absences.

If you need to report an absence, our PEIMS Clerk will be able to assist you. Our team will be receiving the email to help assist you. I will forward all of your messages to the classroom teachers so they are aware of the absence.

Email: attendancehorizonheights@sisd.net

Please include as much detail as possible:

Child's name
Grade
Teacher
Student ID
Reason for the absence

All notes will be collected via this email as well. Be sure to include details in the note as the child returns to class.

Tardies.

Children will be counted TARDY whey they enter the building at 7:45 AM. Please ensure you are allowing enough time for your child to arrive to school on time. After 3 tardies, children will be given lunch detention. The traffic is hectic. We begin to receive children at 6:45 AM. Help your child to arrive on time and start their day ready to learn.

Breakfast in the Classroom.

Our district will continue to provide breakfast in the classroom for ALL scholars. Breakfast in the Classroom, BIC, will be served daily from 7:30 AM to 7:45 AM. Please be on time to take advantage of the most important meal of the day.

Birthday Snacks.

We ask parents to please refrain from bringing in cupcake trays. If you would like for your child to share a treat, it must be a treat individually packaged by the manufacturer. Candy bags, individually wrapped snacks are allowed. Call or email Ms. Hansen and we can help to clarify. We appreciate you!

Water Bottles.

Please continue to send your children with water bottles. This will help them stay safe & hydrated. They can refill them in from the water fountains.

Safety.

The building will be cleaned throughout the day in high traffic areas to ensure safety. We will have hand sanitizing stations at all classrooms, restrooms, cafeteria and playground. If you wish for your child to wear a mask, please send them with a mask that fits them comfortably.

Traffic in the Bus/Daycare Area.

The area where the busses & daycare drop off/pick up is "private property". The land owner has granted us permission to use the land. There should NOT be any parents parking in that area. Yes, we are limited in parking and therefore ask for your support to use the curbside service.

Update on Teacher Vacancies.

We made a recommendation for our 2nd Grade Teacher. Her tentative start date is schedule for Sept. 18. We have made a recommendation for PE Aide. The candidate is scheduled to start on Sept. 18. We have made a recommendation for PK Aide. The candidate is in the final phase of onboarding. We will interview for Kinder Teacher this week. We will keep you posted.

Thank you for your continued support! We are blessed with an amazing learning community!

Together, we are better!

Respectfully,

Jenifer Hansen

Proud Principal of Horizon Heights ES

Office Number: 915-937-7402

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Campus Mission Statement:

Horizon Heights Elementary is committed to helping each child reach their maximum potential.

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Campus Vision Statement:

Tomorrow's LEADERS Learning TODAY

Arrival & Dismissal Times

TeamSISD has modified the start and end time for our scholars. PLEASE be aware of these times.

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Picking Up Scholars Early

Parents,

We are asking for your assistance when picking up children early from school. We need your support to be able to process your request in a timely manner.

For Doctor's Appointments:

If possible, pick you your children before 1:00 PM.

For PK & Kinder:

Children must be picked no later than 2:00 PM.

For 1st-5th Grade:

Children must be picked up no later than 2:30 PM.

Thank you for your support!

Lexia Celebrations, Week 2

Congratulations to the following students that have leveled up in Lexia!

Scholars are encouraged to reach their weekly goals. Scholars must work independently to make the progress necessary to become proficient in their reading skills.

Goal: Scholars should be working towards 5 units a day, each week.

Thank you for your continued support for Lexia.

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School Uniforms

For the 2023-2024 school year, we will wear uniforms on a daily basis. Be sure to check the weekly newsletter for special occasion attire.

Pre-Kinder students:

Red polo tops only
Khaki or blue pants/shorts/skirts

Kinder -5th Grade Students:

Hunter green, navy blue or white polos
Khaki or blue pants/shorts/skirts

The school uniform does NOT have to have the school name or logo.

Monday-Wednesday: School uniform: uniform shirt & uniform slacks/shorts/skirts

Thursday: College Day (attire from your favorite college) with jeans/slacks

Friday: Spirit Day Shirts and jeans (with no holes, no tears/ripped)

Attendance, Week 6

Our goal as a school is to reach 98% attendance each week. We know that staying healthy is as important as learning each day.

This week's attendance percentages as as follows:

PreKinder: 93.53% to 94.72%
Kinder: 96.36% to 96.24%
1st Grade: 97.04% to 95.74%
2nd Grade: 97.54% to 95.74%
3rd Grade: 97.04 to 95.49%
4th Grade: 96.67% to 97.09% (Super Work, 4th Grade!)
5th Grade: 95.76% to 96.33 (Way to Go, 5th Grade!)

Week 5: 95.98%; YTD: 96.79%, Good start to the year!

Stay healthy and make it count! Be at school daily! We will have a great year Hornets!

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Classes with Perfect Attendance

Way to go Hornets!

The following classes have FREE DRESS on Wednesday:

Kinder: Ms. Rubio, 100%
1st Grade: Ms. Reyes, 100%
2nd Grade: Ms. G. Alvarado, 100%
4th Grade: Ms. Ramirez, 100%
5th Grade: Ms. Carbajal, 100%
5th Grade: Ms. Sterling, 100%

We will ask that our PK still wear their RED shirt as this is a safety protocol to know that an adult must be with them. They can accessorize with hats, glasses, etc. Thank you!

Stay healthy! We can do this Hornets!

PK & Kinder Attendance Incentive

Technology Updates...

Classes come to the Library every other week, and books are checked out for those 2 weeks. Students need to keep books safe and clean in a Ziploc bag. Fees are charged for lost/damaged books based on the cost of the book. Fees will be paid on My School Bucks through the Web Store on our school web page.

Parents may come in to sign up for a library account with a valid Driver's License and email address. Parents may check out 5 books at a time. The library hours for parents are:

7:45am-8:15am and 2:00pm-3:15pm

Student devices have been distributed to PK-5th grade students to use in class. There are still a few of our new scholars needing devices. They have been requested and will be distributed as soon as they arrive.

Eastlake Homecoming Week 2023

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Happy Grandparents' Day 2023

International DOT Day

International Dot Day in the newsletter for Friday, Sept. 15.

It's the 20th Anniversary, so let's celebrate school-wide.

This week in library we will begin making dot art to display.

All students & teachers are encouraged to WEAR DOTS on Friday, September 15.

Yes, you can design your own shirt for DOT DAY!

Team Members Ready to Assist

Here is a list of phone numbers, emails and the team members that will assist you with any questions you may have:

Horizon Heights Office 937-7400

Any questions or concerns

Mrs. Hansen, Principal, email: jhanse@sisd.net, 915-937-7402

Mrs. Carrillo, Assistant Principal, email: ecarri@sisd.net, 915-937-7403

Ms. Luna, Assistant Principal, eluna01@sisd.net, 915-937-7427

Ms. DeBretto, Principal Fellow, mdebre@sisd.net, 915-937-7402

Mrs. Salazar, Counselor, email: asalaz12@sisd.net, 915-937-7421

Mrs. Valdez, Counselor, email: bvalde@sisd.net, 915-937-7420

Ms. Ortega, Librarian, email: sorteg@sisd.net, 915-937-7414

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School Nurse

Our school Nurse, Diana Barrera, will continue to serve our learning community. She has been with us for one year and loves our scholars and working with our parents.

Time: 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM

Phone: 915-937-7407

Email: dbarre02@sisd.net

Bullying vs. Conflict

Students calling each other names and being mean to each other is part of social development in elementary school. Our role as a school is differentiating between bullying and conflict among students.

Students are still learning about social boundaries, and we work diligently to teach them the effects of name calling or being mean to ensure they develop a sense of empathy and learn that this is not proper behavior. By the time students reach the end of 3rd grade, 4th and 5th grade, they understand the results of their behavior.

Behaviors by a mean girl or boy becomes a kind of social torment that often exists without parents and teachers noticing. This mean behavior may include tactics like backbiting, ostracizing, rumor-spreading, and manipulation, which can cause serious psychological harm to their targets.

Even though they are older, our role is still to ensure to teach them proper behavior. If this behavior continues even after intervention, we will follow our student code of conduct to establish consequences such as parent contact, removal of privileges, removal from leadership campus organizations.

Note: we do look at the difference between bullying and conflict.

Many times, the cause is a conflict between the students, and we can redirect them. Know that we are here to support our Hornets to help them learn how to make good choices and have tools that will serve them well in middle school and high school.

Please take a moment to talk to your children about the difference between bulling and conflict as well as how to be empathetic to other students.