Harbison Herald
November 5, 2026 ~ A Title One School
View the Early Release Dates for the 2026-2027 School Year
Use this link to submit student excuses online.
Lexington-Richland District 5 Calendar for 2026-2027
SIC INVITE
We want you to join our SIC! Our next meeting is November 19th at 8am. Please email Mrs. Locklair at jlocklair@lexrich5.org for the meeting link. Be a voice for our students, families & school community.
SPRING STATE TESTING DATES
Attention 3rd, 4th & 5th grade parents, please mark your calendars for our state testing dates in May.
MAGNET & CHOICE FAIRS
Mark your calendars!
November 19th
Magnet & Choice Fair from 5:30pm-7pm (all schools/grades 4K-12)
at Center for the Arts at Irmo High School
January 14th
Magnet & Choice Fair from 5pm-6:30pm (all schools/grades 4K-12)
at The Center for Advanced Technical Studies
Visit www.lexrich5.org/choice for more information.
EARLY RELEASE DAY
UPCOMING EVENTS
November Events
November 10
Veterans Day Program at 1:30pm
November 11
CogAT Testing (4th grade only)
November 12
CogAT Testing (4th grade only)
Early Release Day - Dismissal at 11:40am (3K does NOT attend)
November 16-20
HWES Book Fair
American Education Week
November 17
iReady Inform Reading (K-5th grades)
Pajama Palooza 5:30pm (RSVP event)
VETERANS DAY PROGRAM
All parents & Veterans are invited to attend our Veterans Day Program on Tuesday, November 10th at 1:30pm. We are encouraging all of our students, staff and families to wear red, white & blue to show our patriotism and gratitude. We would like our Veterans to dress in uniform, if possible.
All visitors will enter through our Open Gate Weapons Detector. To expedite entry, we ask that you only bring ID, keys & phone inside.
HEDGEHUGS FOR HER
Join us for our first "Hedgehugs for Her" morning event on Thursday, December 3rd at 7:15am. Moms, grandmothers, aunts and even dads are invited to join their student(s) for a light breakfast and presentation. Please RSVP by Thursday, November 12th if you plan to attend - https://bit.ly/3X5Pmhi
IREADY TESTING DATES
Mark your calendar for our upcoming iReady Inform testing for K-5th graders. Please make sure your student arrives on time.
November 17th - Reading
December 1st - Math
HWES BOOK FAIR
The HWES Book Fair will take place November 16th - 20th. On Tuesday, November 17th the book fair will be open during the Pajama Palooza event for family night. Parents can set up an e-wallet before the fair so students can shop cash free. Use this link to learn more about the fair and to set up your student's e-wallet - https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/harbisonwestelemschool
HERO STUDENT COUNCIL FOOD DRIVE
Our Hero Student Council is hosting a food drive from November 9th -20th.
Check out their flyer above!
Most needed items:
- Canned foods
- Whole Grains
- Fruit
- Soup
- Applesauce
- Peanut butter
- Tea
- Juice
AMERICAN EDUCATION WEEK
Let's celebrate American Education Week with some spirit days!
November 16 - Wear school colors or HWES gear
November 17 - Wear pajamas
November 18 - Teachers dress like students & students dress like teachers
November 19 - Wear matching outfits with friend(s), teacher or staff
November 20 - Wear USC Gamecocks, Clemson Tigers or other college gear
CALLING ALL K-5th VISIONARIES!
If you would like your work to be in HWES’s very first literary magazine, The Hero’s Quill, read on!
How to Submit
Writers: Type your writing on a Google Doc and email it to jmwahrmu@lexrich5.org.
Artists & Photographers: Have your teacher place your work in Mrs. Wahrmund’s mailbox.
Submission Limit: You may submit up to 3 works.
Submission Form: Fill out the submission form online at https://forms.gle/BL8WHbNZvPhVwW3N7 and submit it along with your work. You can also email jmwahrmu@lexrich5.org to ask for the form.
Important Details & Guidelines
Due Date: Tuesday, November 24 (the day before Thanksgiving break).
Cover Eligibility: If you would like your artwork to be eligible for the cover, you must incorporate writing in some way, whether through photography or art. Bonus points if you include a hedgehog!
Questions? If you have any questions, email jmwahrmu@lexrich5.org.
CAR LINE FAST PASS RAFFLE
Do you pick your student up in our afternoon carline and wish you could be at the front of line? We are selling FAST PASS raffle tickets for a $1/ticket with no limit on amount purchased for each month. Every month beginning in October we will choose 6 winners to receive a "fast pass" to the front of the line for a month. To be eligible to win, you must a purchase ticket(s) for the current month's drawing. Tickets will be available in the car line and front office. Cash or check payable to HWES accepted.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MESSAGES
Celebrate your hero's birthday with a message on our digital sign. Fill out the google form to reserve your spot.
- 🎈 Cost: $25 per birthday message
- 🎉Each message will say "Happy Birthday {name}"
- 📅 Messages displayed by noon on Monday through Sunday for week selected
- ⭐ Only 4 birthday message spots are available each week, so be sure to reserve early!
- 🗓️ Birthday messages will begin the week of October 5th
- 💰Payment MUST be received by the 1st day of the month in which the message will be displayed.
- 📢Requests are processed on a first-come, first-serve basis. Once a week is full, it will be removed from the google form. If the week fills up before it is removed, you will receive notification.
TRI-DAC NOMINATIONS
TRI-DISTRICT ARTS CONSORTIUM
Nominations for Tri-DAC 2027
CONTACT:
Donna Wilson
Tri-District Arts Consortium
Richland School District Two
124 Risdon Way
Columbia, SC 29223
Email: director.tridac@gmail.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COLUMBIA--- Nominations are now being accepted for the 2027 Tri-District Arts Consortium Summer Program. Middle school students who attend the public schools of Lexington One, Lexington Richland Five and Richland Two are eligible to attend. In addition, students residing in one of the three districts who are home-schooled or attend a state-supported charter school are also eligible to participate. This year Tri-DAC celebrates its 41st anniversary of providing students an outstanding and concentrated study in the arts.
The program is designed for artistically gifted and talented students who are currently in fifth through eighth grades. Students may audition in creative writing, dance, music (band, strings and vocal), theatre or visual art. The Summer Program will be hosted by the Palmetto Center for the Arts on the campus of Richland Northeast High School in Richland School District Two. The program will be held Monday through Friday, June 7 through June 25, 2027 from 9:00am until 3:15pm each day. Accepted students must commit to attending the entire three weeks of the program.
Arts teachers, language arts teachers, administrators and parents may nominate students. Nomination forms for all art areas, along with general information about the Tri-District Arts Consortium are available online in each school district and on our website at www.tridac.org.
The deadline for nominations is Friday, December 4, 2026. Applications will be sent to each student nominated. To nominate a student, fill out this Nomination Form.
Auditions for Creative Writing, Strings, Theatre and Visual Art students will be held on Saturday, February 27, 2027 at Richland Northeast High School. Auditions for the areas of Band, Dance, Vocal and Visual Art students will be held Saturday, March 6, 2027 at Richland Northeast High School. There will be no make-up auditions.
For more information, see our Landing Page. You can also contact Shirley Cope at sfcope@lexrich5.org or (803) 476-8129.
AFTERNOON SAFARI
Did you know that Afternoon Safari is held here at Harbison West afterschool each day? The program operates each day afterschool until 6pm.
Benefits of attending Afternoon Safari:
- No bus ride to daycare for your student. It operates on the Harbison West Elementary campus.
- Snacks provided each day.
- Discounted rates for those who qualify
- Operates on early release days.
Download the registration packet today to sign up or pick one up in the front office! Completed forms must be dropped off at Seven Oaks Park located at 200 Leisure Lane, Columbia, SC.
PTO NEWS
Fundraiser Pickup
Pickup for PTO fundraiser items is Tuesday, November 10th from 3pm-6pm in the gym. Please note this is the ONLY day for fundraiser pickup. We ask that you make arrangements to have your child's/children order picked up on this day.
Join us for our next PTO meeting on Wednesday, November 18th at 8am. If you are signed up for PTO emails, you will receive a virtual link.
QUICK LINKS FOR PTO
PHOTOS FROM THE WEEK
IMPORTANT LINKS
Contact Us
Website: www.lexrich5.org/hwes
Location: 257 Crossbow Drive, Columbia, SC, USA
Phone: (803)476-3800
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HarbisonWestElem
Instagram: @HarbisonWestElem