Hovatter Elementary

Greetings Hovatter Families:

As we wrap up another busy and exciting week at Hovatter, our school has truly been buzzing with learning, growth, and memorable experiences! From classrooms filled with meaningful learning to special events that brought our community together, there has been much to celebrate.

This week, our talented 5th graders took the stage for the Honeybeats Cluster Choral Concert, showcasing their hard work, dedication, and musical talents. We are so proud of the confidence and enthusiasm they displayed as they represented our school.

We also enjoyed one of our favorite annual traditions, Haunted Hive! Thank you to the many staff members, volunteers, and families who helped make this event such a fun and memorable experience for our students. The excitement and school spirit throughout the evening were incredible.

Our 3rd grade students shined during their recent informances, giving families a glimpse into the learning taking place in their classrooms and sharing their growing skills with pride. Opportunities like these help celebrate student learning while strengthening the home-school connection.

Parent-teacher conferences are well underway, and we appreciate the partnership of our families as we work together to support every student's success. These conversations are such an important opportunity to celebrate progress, discuss goals, and strengthen relationships that help our students thrive.

As we look ahead, we are also approaching the end of the first quarter. It's hard to believe how quickly the year is moving! We are proud of the effort, growth, and perseverance our students have demonstrated during these first months of school and look forward to all that the next quarter will bring.

Thank you for your continued support, partnership, and involvement in our school community. Have a wonderful weekend, and we look forward to another great week of learning ahead!

With appreciation,

Lori Mercer, Principal: lori.mercer@lcps.org

Barb Robbins, Assistant Principal: barbara.robbins@lcps.org

Scott Bergquist, Substitute Assistant Principal: scott.bergquist@lcps.org

Charley Brock, Administrative Dean: charley.brock@lcps.org

Calendar Highlights:

Oct.29th - 30th: Teacher Workdays
Nov.2nd-3rd: Teacher Professional Development Days

Nov. 9th: School Holiday Diwali

Nov. 11th: Veteran's Day Program 8:15

Week of October 26-October 28

Monday

Chicken Tenders

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Cold Options

Bagel Bag Kit

Sun Butter and Jelly Sandwich

Tuesday

Latin Seasoned Chicken

Cheese Quesadilla

Cold Options

Bagel Bag Kit

Sun Butter and Jelly Sandwich

Wednesday

Pepperoni Pizza

Four Cheese Pizza

Cold Options

Bagel Bag Kit

Sun Butter and Jelly Sandwich

Week of November 4 – November 6

Wednesday

Chicken Tender & Waffle

Chickenless Bites &Waffle

Cold Options

SunButter & Jelly Sandwich

Bagel Bag Kit

Thursday

Beef Nacho

Cheese Nacho

Cold Options

SunButter & Jelly Sandwich

Bagel Bag Kit

Friday

Pepperoni Pizza

Four Cheese Pizza

Cold Options

SunButter & Jelly Sandwich

Bagel Bag Kit

You can read more about LCPS Meal Pricing and Payment here.

We’re excited to welcome families for lunch visits again this year! Lunch visits will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning this week. Please click on the link below for details and parameters regarding the visits and the sign up to join your student for lunch.

October-November Lunch Sign Up Schedule

Occasionally, students will forget items at home (chromebook, lunch box, water bottle) and a parent or guardian will need to bring these items to school. We encourage you to help build your student's independence in remembering these items traveling back and forth each day. We have office volunteers who help deliver these items to the classroom, though it is disruptive to your student's schedule if they are waiting for these items.

Additionally, we are unable to accommodate deliveries from Grub Hub, Door Dash, etc. for students who forget their lunch. These vendors are not permitted access into the school, and our staff cannot ensure the safety of the contents of the delivery. Our staff will ensure every student is offered a lunch choice in the event they do not have a packed lunch.

Lost and Found will be cleaned out at the end of every grading period. Please have your student collect their missing items before Wednesday, October 28. Everything left will be bagged up and sent to the Dulles South Neighborhood Closet for donation. Thank you!

Vrindha Konda, in Mrs. Smithwick's 5th grade class, was honored this week at the Loudoun County Sheriff's office for her entry in the D.A.R.E. Calendar contest. Her artwork, which depicts the dangers of drugs, was selected among thousands of entries across the school system as the March 2027 D.A.R.E. Calendar winner!

Help us honor and celebrate our veterans! Please take a moment to complete the Veterans Day RSVP and/or the Veterans Day slideshow if you have veterans in your family. We look forward to recognizing the veterans in our school community!

New this school year, LCPS is implementing division-wide common assessments across all grade levels. Common assessments are used to measure students’ understanding of grade-level content, monitor growth, and provide teachers with timely information to adjust instruction and make informed instructional decisions. They also promote consistency, equity, collaborative problem-solving, and alignment with division-wide expectations.

Families may notice that fewer assessments are sent home than in the past. To maintain the integrity and validity of these assessments, completed tests will be maintained by the school and not sent home. Teachers will continue to communicate meaningful information about student progress and learning throughout the year.

Beginning with the 2026-27 school year, the Virginia Board of Education is raising the Pass/Proficient cut scores for Reading and Mathematics Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments. The changes will be phased in over four years and apply only to Reading and Mathematics SOL assessments.

Visit the LCPS Office of Assessment Services webpage to learn more about the changes, review frequently asked questions and access additional resources.

Hello Hive Families, I’m Kim Campbell, and I’m grateful to be returning for my third year as the LEAF Representative for Henrietta Lacks. It continues to be an honor to support our students, families, and staff by helping elevate your voices and strengthen the connection between our school community and LCPS.

This year, we’re also hoping to welcome a representative from Hovatter to join me in this work. If you’re passionate about advocacy, communication, and supporting our schools, we’d love to have you join the LEAF team.

As we begin a new year, LCPS is seeking early community input on priorities for the FY28 Budget, which will shape the 2027–28 school year. Families, staff, and community members are encouraged to participate in the ThoughtExchange and share their priorities as LCPS begins the budget development process. Your feedback truly guides the work ahead.

You can also stay informed by visiting the LCPS Policy Review Page: www.lcps.org/policyreview

Looking forward to another meaningful year of collaboration and advocacy for our students. 🌟

We are excited to continue our Hovatter Hall of Fame this school year! 🎉

The Hovatter Hall of Fame is a special way for our staff and families to recognize the amazing people who make Hovatter such a wonderful place to be. Teachers, parents, students, and staff members can nominate any staff member in our building who deserves a little extra recognition.

Each month, our Hall of Fame honoree will receive:

⭐ A special shout-out in The Buzz, our monthly staff presentation featuring important upcoming information and happenings sent via email to all staff
📺 Their photo and nomination message displayed on the TVs throughout the school
💛 A little extra Hovatter appreciation and recognition for the great things they do every day!

Maybe it's a colleague who always jumps in to help, someone who goes above and beyond for students, a staff member who makes your day a little brighter, or someone whose hard work deserves to be celebrated. If someone comes to mind, nominate them!

We can't wait to shine a spotlight on the wonderful people who make up the Hovatter family. Thank you for helping us celebrate one another and build a culture where people feel seen, valued, and appreciated.

Let's keep the Hovatter Hive buzzing with appreciation! 🐝💛

Due to the positive feedback we received from Parent Coffee presentations from LAWS during the 2025-2026 school year, we are excited to be offering these Parent Coffees again this year! We'd love to hear from you as members of our community to get an understanding of topics you'd like to see covered this year. Please take some time to review the available options and cast your vote for your top three options. Looking forward to engaging in meaningful discussions again this year! Parent Coffee Topic Interest Survey

As a reminder, children are not authorized to carry or administer medication of any kind, prescription or over the counter. Parents/Guardians must drop off medication, along with a completed authorization form, to our school health office. Please use the link for more information regarding LCPS Parent Information About Medication Procedures and the required authorization form. You may also email our school nurse, Arieanna Kearney at arieanna.kearney@lcps.org or call the office at 571.367.4126

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HrgZNWp1G4LzwfMOVjIz5qDgACV_vq89/view?usp=sharing

If your student requires a change in their daily transportation routine, please use this link to submit the request. We kindly ask all requests be submitted no later than 1:30 p.m. on the day of the early dismissal so that we have a sufficient amount of time to prepare our staff, teachers, and students of the change. The link can also be found on the main page of the Hovatter Website.

Our first specialized Spiritwear Drop of the year is here! Keep warm this winter with our new Honeybee Blanket! Get some holiday shopping done early and support the school at the same time! Shop here: https://www.fundraiserblankets.com/school-fundraising/henrietta-lacks-and-hovatter-elementary-pta-fundraiser

Our Monthly Hive Squad Parent Volunteer Program dates have been released! Click this link for more information and to sign up! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4FAEAA28A5FAC70-65696216-hive#/

Here are just a few benefits of supporting our schools' PTA:

🎉Volunteering is ALWAYS optional!

🎉Parents/Guardians can provide valuable input and have their voices heard!

🎉Great way to get involved and support your school community and meet new parents!

🎉Stay in the loop with upcoming PTA events and monthly news from The Hive!

🎉Early Access to sign up for ASEP Classes in Fall and Winter!

We are hoping to hit 1,000 members this year and be recognized by the Virginia PTA! We're 10% of the way to our goal. Let's see how close we can get this month!

Click below to join!

https://hovatterpta.givebacks.com/shop

This year's Reflections Art Contest is underway! Each year, hundreds of thousands of students in pre-K through grade 12 create original works of art in response to a student-created theme. This year's theme is "What My Culture Means to Me." We can't wait to see what our Honeybees create this year! Deadline for submissions is Nov 6th. For more information or to submit an art piece click here: https://forms.gle/B8yQBUNj4cuSuWzGA

Want to be involved in the Hive community this year?

If you would love to make a difference at The Hive, click the link below and apply!:

We are looking for someone to be our SEAC (Special Education advisory committee) representative at the Hive. Your role would be to attend SEAC countywide once a month meetings and relay that information back to the schools to share with the school community.

If you are interested in more information please reach out to president@hovatterpta.org

This year's NEW spirit wear stores are open throughout the entire school year and your order will ship directly to you! There are 100s of designs and items available and there are two stores this year - one per school! Hop on and grab some spirit wear to wear for the start of the school year and show your Honeybee pride! There is a back to school sale currently running through Sept 7th! Everything on the site is up to 35% off with free shipping on orders $75 or more!

We are currently looking for Business Sponsors for the PTA! Do you own a business or know a business that would be interested in becoming a sponsor ? If so, click for more information on how to become a sponsor!

Sponsorship Form

PTA Website

President - Amber Mella
Secretary - Delali Attipoe

Treasurer - Lindsey Buranych

VP of Events -Aeysha Qamar

VP of Community - Jennifer Thompson

VP of Communications - Megan Weiler

VP of Fundraising -Maria Gupta

VP of Programs - Kirsten Lang