Hartwood's Weekly Newsletter

September 22, 2026

FUN RUN - RAIN DATE - Friday, October 2nd.

Due to heavy midweek rain and to prevent a muddy, slippery course, our 8th Annual Fun Run has been moved to Friday, October 2nd. Grade running times remain the same.

Spectator Pre-Registration: All submitted forms will be honored. If you haven't pre-registered yet via Principal Meyers’ email form, the deadline has been extended to Thursday, Oct 1st at 12:00 PM.
Fundraising Extended: We’ve raised $14,006 toward our $18,400 goal! The donation window is now extended to Sunday, Oct 4th at 12:00 PM.
Donate here: https://app.99pledges.com/fund/8thannualHESFunRun

Thank you for your flexibility as we work to keep our Hornets safe and dry!

Important Dates

Friday, October 2 - HES Fun Run - We are still collecting pledges!

2nd grade CogAT (please see information below) - 3 days October 7, 8, and 15

Monday, October 12 - No School for Students - Professional Learning Day

Thursday, October 15 - Picture Retake Day

Friday, October 16 - No School for Students - Staff Workday

Monday, October 19 - No School for Students - Parent/Teacher Conferences

BOOK FAIR - October 19 - 26 - will be open on Parent/Teacher Conference Day AND the night of Trunk or Treat!

Friday, October 23 - Vocabulary Parade & Trunk or Treat - more details to come

Specials Schedule Change

Due to the change in our Fun Run date, our specials schedule for the last 4 days of September will be a little different than previously shared. Please see the graphic below

CogAT for 2nd grade

Dear 2nd grade Parents and Guardians:

Between October 5th and October 30th, all Stafford County Elementary Public Schools will administer the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) to all second-grade students. The information gathered will not be used in any calculation of report card grades. Your child’s classroom teacher will administer the CogAT in three one-hour sessions. To attain the most reliable results, we want to foster a relaxed, natural environment.

The Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) is a multiple choice test that measures reasoning skills with different types of verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal questions. The data will be used to help the staff make instructional decisions regarding your child’s learning needs and to potentially identify students in need of gifted services. The results of this assessment will be provided to you within a few weeks after the process is complete.

For students with IEPs who are currently not participating in division-wide assessments, please contact your building designee should you decide you would like your child to participate. Any changes will require an amendment to the current IEP to address accommodations.

Thank you for your support,

Mrs. Meyers

Principal

PTA NEWS

Ever wonder how the PTA brings beloved school traditions like Trunk-or-Treat, Paint Night, and Family Bingo to life?

While our community events are free or low cost for our families to attend, they are not free to produce. Every event relies on operating funds to happen safely and successfully. For example:

Trunk-or-Treat: Even with incredible candy donations from parents, the PTA must spend money on extra candy to keep the trunks stocked. Two years ago we ran out an hour early, and last year we had to cut the event 30 minutes short. Our goal is to make sure the fun lasts until the very end.
Paint Night: Art supplies don’t last forever. This year, we need to purchase an entirely new inventory of quality paints to replace expired stock.
Bingo Night: Donated prize items are a huge help, but the PTA regularly purchases additional items to ensure every single raffle basket is full and exciting for our winners.

Why We Need You Right Now Our upcoming Fun Run fundraiser isn't just about extra perks, it covers our essential operating budget. Without adequate funding and family participation, we simply cannot sustain these traditions at the scale our students love, and events risk being shortened or cut from the calendar entirely.

Beyond supporting the Fun Run, joining the PTA is the quickest way to back our school. Currently, 46% of our teachers and staff have joined, while our family participation sits at 11%.

We need our families to help close that gap! Early-bird membership pricing runs through Sunday, September 27th. Joining does not commit you to volunteering—your membership alone directly funds student books, classroom grants, and the community traditions our kids look forward to all year.

Lock in your early-bird membership today: https://hartwood-pta-families-membership-2026-2027.cheddarup.com

Support our Fun Run: https://app.99pledges.com/fund/8thannualHESFunRun

Thank you for standing behind our students, teachers, and school community!

Hartwood Elementary PTA

Shelly Zappia, President
Jon Petri, Vice President of Oversight
Lauren Isenberg, Treasurer
Jen Neundorfer, Secretary

Hartwood PTA Socials:

https://www.facebook.com/Hartwoodpta/

https://www.instagram.com/hartwoodpta/

Counselor's Corner

If your family is in need of assistance for the holiday or a winter coat, please fill this form out: https://forms.gle/Gmx5vo8D4m14GXdk8

This form is due by Thursday, October 1, 2026. Forms submitted after this date cannot be accepted. You will be notified soon after this date if assistance will be available for your family.

As we get to know all our students, there may be needs that arise. Parents/Guardians please fill out this brief form to share with the counselors if there are specific needs for your child.

Laura Mungo K-2 mungolh@staffordschools.net

Sarah Olson Grades 3-5 olsonsm1@staffordschools.net

Ada Ari Book Order Form

Award-winning children’s author Ada Ari will visit our school for an interactive reading and

cultural program.

If you wish to order an autographed copy of her books follow the link below and

enter the code Hartwood for free shipping. All orders must be in by September

29th.

You can order books at https://www.ada-ari.com/african-folktales

Ada Ari will autograph all books purchased. As you check out, please enter the

following in the “add a note” section:

1) Child’s name

2) Child’s teacher

3) Name for dedication

*10% of the proceeds will be donated to orphanages around the African continent. Visit www.ada-

ari.com/giving for more

www.ada-ari.com

Instagram: @ada_ari

Facebook: AdaAri

Here are the dates, times, workshop titles, and registration links to the interactive workshops mentioned above:

Monday, October 19

Elias - I've Got a Feeling (Moderator: Nevena A.)

8:30pm EST (primarily for non-east coast/international audiences)

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Zxkh7KdrQz66Kq1_rts4jQ

Tuesday, October 20

Natasha - Moving and Learning Through the Rainforest (Moderator: Adrienne P.)

10:30am EST

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/wHkFVPzMQmKZSRHcZPgZ9A

6:30pm EST

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/L0tEqjtUTJ6KLBwL7KqH2Q

Wednesday, October 21

Maria - How We Grow! Early Arts for Children and Families (in Spanish) (Moderator: Bryna S. Laura doing chat)

10:30am EST

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/5p90XVlTQGCSfXw9sLmn1w

6:30pm EST

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/MUO-nU_RSB22qhdgMGF7ug

Thursday, October 22

Elias

10:30am EST (Moderator: Nevena A.)

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/92rncQbWTyi_tS-gBPRAnQ)

6:30pm EST (Moderator: Shenandoah S.)

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Pzs8SglgR_eFVzVQ26R5uQ

Natasha (Moderator: Shenandoah S.)

8:30pm EST (primarily for non-east coast/international audiences)

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/PixnuPEXSUC4jvX8IdbaKw

Kindergarten Library Card Campaign

September is National Library Card Month! In September we are partnering with Central Rappahannock Regional Library to ensure every kindergartener has a free library card from the public library. Simply scan the QR code or complete the online application at librarypoint.org/card-request by Tuesday, September 30. The public library will mail your child’s new card directly to your home. As part of this initiative, before November 30, bring your child to the nearest public library branch and stop by the children's desk. Your kindergartner can choose a free book!

We are looking for a crossing guard for before and after school. Apply with SCPS Human Resources at https://staffordschools.schoolspring.com/

Please check your child for ticks daily, paying special attention to areas like armpits, behind the knees, scalp, and groin. If you find a tick, please remove it carefully using fine-tipped tweezers and consult with your healthcare provider if needed.

Please help your child learn their five-digit breakfast and lunch number. Their number is the last 5 digits of their student identification number, which you can find in ParentVue. You can use this photo of the keypad to help students practice.

Lost and Found

Is your child missing a sweatshirt or a jacket? Maybe a lunch box or a water bottle. Our lost and found continues to grow. Please have your child check in the cafeteria for any missing items. When possible, label items such as sweatshirts, jackets, water bottles, lunchboxes, etc. with your child's name.

Word of the Month

HES Family Calendar

Year at a Glance Specials

Reach out to reedlm@staffordschools.net

NEW!!! - Mrs. Forman created a wonderful app that allows you to customize a calendar for the specials rotations for your family. This will be especially helpful if you have more than one child at Hartwood.

https://hartwoodspecialsrotation.netlify.app/

Click on your the appropriate classroom teacher or teachers, select the month and then click Generate Specials Graphic. You can print it or save it as a PDF.

Quick Links

Car Riders

Bus Riders

Bus routes are available through the MyRide K-12 app
Bus Delays & Notification Dashboard
For any service issues, submit an Issuetrak online form to receive the fastest assistance

PTA

Looking for Information from a previous newsletter?

Here are all of the newsletters from 2026 - 2027!

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