Harbison Herald

Attention 3rd, 4th & 5th grade parents, please mark your calendars for our state testing dates in May.

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.

November 3

All schools & offices CLOSED for Election Day

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

Join us for our 3rd annual Pajama Palooza Family Engagement Enrichment Cluster Showcase. Wear your favorite pajamas, have breakfast for dinner, enjoy student performances, presentations and visit the HWES book fair. You MUST respond by 5pm on Thursday, October 29th to reserve your meal. Don't miss this exciting event!

RSVP Link - https://bit.ly/4hz2fZm

Where:

Harbison West Elementary Gifted and Talent Development Magnet

257 Crossbow Drive, Columbia, SC 29212

When:

Tuesday, November 17, 2026

5:30pm-6:30pm

All schools & offices will be CLOSED for Election Day on Tuesday, November 3rd.

We would like to honor the Veterans in our hero family. If you would like to submit a picture of a loved one in uniform for our Veterans day slideshow, please email it to Mrs. Towson at ktowson@lexrich5.org by October 31st.

Our Veterans day program will take place on November 10th (see flyer below).

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.

Join us Thursday, November 19th at 7:15am for our November All Pro Dad event. This event is open to all dads, uncles, grandfathers and even moms! A light breakfast will be served. This month's topic will be "Thankfulness." RSVP by 11:59pm on Wednesday, November 4th - https://bit.ly/3U80t8y

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

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.

October 23, 2026

Dear Parents/Guardians,

If you received Success Criteria for one or more graded subjects, it is because your child earned a grade of 75 or below in the specified subject.

The Success Criteria outline the skills and knowledge students are expected to demonstrate proficiently by the end of the quarter and throughout the school year. These criteria are based on the South Carolina State Standards for the identified content area. As a parent/guardian, this information can guide you as you support your child’s learning at home. Your child’s teacher and our school staff are committed to partnering with you to help ensure your child’s success.

You will notice that specific standards have been highlighted on the Success Criteria. These highlights represent areas of growth for your child. We encourage you to support your child in mastering these standards by engaging with homework, reading together nightly, and asking comprehension questions. Math games are also a great way to build skills and have fun as a family!

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher.

Sincerely,

Jeanna Locklar

Principal

Head lice will be a problem from time to time in schools and it is important to work together as a school community to minimize the frustration caused by the problem. You should routinely examine your child's head at least weekly. Head Lice are little bugs; a full grown louse is about the size of a sesame seed. They crawl quickly when touched. They lay lots of eggs (also known as nits). Nits are usually at the nape of the neck/behind the ears and close to the scalp. Nits are oval; white or gray in color and about the size of a knot of thread. They are firmly attached to the hair shaft. To determine whether or not you are seeing a nit try sliding it down the hair shaft using your fingers. Nits will be difficult to move, whereas dandruff and other items slide easily.

If crawling lice or nits are found, all household members should be examined for crawling lice and nits every 2-3 days. Persons with live (crawling) lice or nits within ¼ inch or less of the scalp should be treated.

To eliminate head lice successfully, it is very important that all treatment instructions and steps be carefully followed and completed.

Both over-the-counter and prescription products are available. You may wish to contact your health care provider or pharmacist for additional information about which product they recommend.

Head lice can be a nuisance but they have not been shown to spread disease. Personal hygiene or cleanliness in the home or school has nothing to do with getting head lice. For more information visit the CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/head/index.html or contact your school nurse.

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.

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-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.

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.

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.

Website: www.lexrich5.org/hwes
Location: 257 Crossbow Drive, Columbia, SC, USA

Phone: (803)476-3800
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HarbisonWestElem

Instagram: @HarbisonWestElem