The Raider Report

Dear GHE Families,

I am excited to welcome you to Open House on August 10 from 3:00–6:00 p.m. and to have the opportunity to meet you! Class lists will be available when you arrive.

We will offer two parent meeting times: 3:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. in the lunchroom. Please make plans to attend one of these important meetings. I will introduce myself, share important information, and explain processes, procedures, and expectations for the new school year. I look forward to seeing you at one of the meetings.

We will also make sure every family has created a MySchoolBucks account. Directions are included later in this newsletter, and we encourage you to create your account before Open House. While visiting your child’s homeroom, scan a QR code that will take you directly to the class’s MySchoolBucks payment page.

I look forward to meeting you and working together to make this a wonderful year for our students!

Emily Paschall
Principal, Good Hope Elementary

Please create your MySchoolBucks account before Open House on August 10. At Open House, you will receive a QR code specific to your child’s homeroom teacher. Scan the code to pay your child’s supply donation.

Our new school building is coming along! Electricity and air conditioning are now up and running, and most of the floors have been installed. We’re excited to see the progress!

To help students become familiar with their teachers, classmates, and school routines, Cullman County Schools will begin the year with a staggered schedule:

• August 11: Students with last names A–K attend.
• August 12: Students with last names L–Z attend.
• August 13: All students attend.

All Good Hope Elementary students may receive breakfast and lunch at no cost. If a student wants to purchase an extra item or ice cream, there would be an extra cost. Breakfast is served from 7:25–7:55 a.m. each morning.

We will have a new morning arrival routine this year. Please read this section in full.

For the safety of every child, students may not be dropped off or arrive on campus before 7:25 a.m. Our doors will open at 7:25, when staff members are in place to welcome and supervise students. Please do not leave your child on campus before that time.

During the first three days of school (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday), students will follow this arrival routine:

• Students eating breakfast will report to the lunchroom and will be released to their classrooms beginning at 7:45.
• Students who are not eating breakfast will go directly to their classrooms.
  
  

Beginning Friday, August 14, we will follow our new daily morning routine:

• Students eating breakfast will report to the lunchroom.
• All other students will report directly to the gym.
• After breakfast, students will join their classmates in the gym.
• Then we will begin our day with a schoolwide Morning Meeting.
  
  

Morning Meeting will be a ten-minute daily gathering where we will make announcements, celebrate birthdays, say the Pledge of Allegiance, sing the national anthem, and begin our day on a positive note. After Morning Meeting, teachers will take their classes to their classrooms.

This new routine will help us keep students safe and supervised, give every child a positive start to the school day, and build respect, confidence, responsibility, and other life skills that will serve our students long after their time at GHE.

Car rider tags will be sent home during the first week of school. Please be patient with us during the first few days as our staff learns new students, families, and vehicles. Safety will always come before speed, but we expect the car line to move more quickly as everyone becomes familiar with the routine.

All transportation changes must be made through the front office before 1:00 p.m. Please call Mrs. Whitney at (256) 734-3824 to communicate this change. The front office will know whether a substitute is in the classroom and will make sure the message reaches the appropriate staff members.

The end of the school day is a busy time, and changes received after 1:00 p.m. are much more difficult to communicate safely and accurately. Thank you for helping us make sure every child gets home the correct way.

Bus drivers will be available in the lunchroom during Open House to answer any questions you may have.

Little Blessings and Kids Turf offer before- and after-school care for local families. Representatives from both organizations will be available in the lunchroom during Open House to share information and answer any questions you may have.

Join us for Open House as we kick off another great school year! Meet your child's teacher, visit the classroom, pay your child's supply donation, and attend ONE Parent Information Meeting. We can't wait to welcome our Raider families back to Good Hope Elementary!

Want to help support our students, teachers, and school? We would love for you to be part of the Good Hope Elementary PTO! Click below to share your contact information and learn how you can get involved.

Rooms is the primary way Good Hope Elementary and our teachers will communicate with families this school year. From school announcements to classroom updates and teacher messages, Rooms helps keep everything in one convenient place.

If you haven't used Rooms before, please take a few minutes to review the Quick Start Guide below and log in before the first day of school. We look forward to staying connected with you!

Stay connected to your child's academic progress through the PowerSchool Parent Portal. View grades, attendance, assignments, and more. Review the Parent Portal Help Guide below to get started.

Strong attendance plays an important role in student success. To help families plan ahead, we've put together a 2026–2027 Vacation Planner highlighting our scheduled school breaks. We encourage families to plan vacations during these times to help students avoid missing valuable instructional time.

🔆 August 🔆

• 6th - City of Good Hope Back-to-School Bash, 5:00-7:00 PM at Municipal Park
• 10th - Open House, 3:00-6:00
• Kona Ice and Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee will be here during Open House.
• 11th - First Day of School - Last Names A-K
• 12th - First Day of School - Last Names L-Z
• 13th - Everyone attends school

🌻 September 🌻

• 3rd - Fall Picture Day
• 4th - Progress Reports go home
• 7th - Labor Day, No School
• 11th - Spirit Night - Main Nutrition - ALL DAY
• 14th-18th - Book Fair
• 24th - Rock Your School
• 25th - Rock Your School, Kona Ice

🎃 October 🎃

• 9th - End of 1st Nine Weeks
• 9th - Kona Ice
• 15th - Remote Learning Day for Students
• 16th - Fall Break, No School
• 19th - Fall Break, No School
• 20th - Report Cards go home

We're grateful to have Premier Bank as Good Hope Elementary's Partner in Education. Their support and investment in our school help make a positive difference for our students, staff, and families. We appreciate their commitment to our Raider community!