HWS Messenger 12.1.23

Upcoming Dates:

Monday, December 4 – 8:00am Session One 3^rd gr Art Club

Monday, December 4 – 3:30pm Mentoring

Monday, December 4 – 3:30pm 3^rd gr. Brownies gym

Tuesday, December 5 – 9:30am Holiday Shop opens Co-Lab

Tuesday, December 5 – 3:30pm Kinder Daisy RM107

Wednesday, December 6 – 8:00am Student Council All Members LRC

Wednesday, December 6 – 3:30pm K-Kids RM109

Thursday, December 7 – Last day of Holiday Shop Co-Lab

Thursday, December 7 – 7:45am Orchestra Rehearsal @ JBN

Thursday, December 7 – 3:30pm Young Rembrandts RM155

Friday, December 8 – 8:00am 4^th & 5^th gr. Chorus

Friday, December 8 – 6:00pm-9:00pm Band/Orchestra Music & Magic RMS

Tuesday, December 12 – Picture Retake Day

Monday, December 25 – Monday, January 8 – No School Winter Break

A note from the Principal

Dear HWS families,

This first week back from Thanksgiving break has flown by and we are headed into December which is always an exciting time of the year at elementary schools!

As we head into the holiday season, it is not unusual to contend with students being overwhelmed.  Lots of activities, lots of excitement, and changes in schedules can result in emotional overload!  We have a few exciting events coming up, but we try to keep our schedule focused on learning.

Another thing we welcomed this week was winter weather! We usually do not have to talk about this so early but I wanted to make sure that all parents knew the following:

• Students need replacement clothes in their locker for winter (long sleeves and pants) in case  they get wet, muddy, or have an accident at school. This will allow them to change and not require you to come to the school to bring them clothes.  Once the snow is really on the ground, an extra pair of socks is important for even the older students!
• Students need to have a coat, gloves, and a hat for recess.  We have some loaners but we are typically out of those by the end of December.  Teach your children to put their mittens in their coat sleeves for safe keeping.  We remind them as well.
• If there is snow on the ground, students also need snow pants and boots in order to play on the field or the playground. If a student does not have snow pants or boots and there is snow on the ground, they will need to stay on the blacktop only.
•  We partner with “Chip In” to make sure that ALL students have access to winter gear. If your family needs support with this, please contact your child’s teacher or the front office and we can reach out and get them winter clothing.
• If you would like to keep a whole set of winter clothing at school (snow suit, gloves, hat, and boots) your child can do so. They can have a school set and a home set. For some families this is a tremendous help when students need to pack up and carry their belongings to and from school every day in the winter. Let your child’s teacher know if you would like to do this.
• We will only stay inside for recess if the “feels like” temperature is 0 or below. Please make sure that your child brings their winter gear every day as we are outside most of the time!
• Put the child’s name in their snow pants and jackets.  Almost every kid has black snow pants!
• Please do not email the teacher to look for your child’s belongings.  You are free to come before or after school to look through the lost and found, or better yet, have your child join you to do the searching.

I am hopeful that the weather doesn’t turn too cold too quickly but it is that time of year!  Have an amazing weekend!

Sincerely,

Gina Greenwald

Principal

A note from the LRC

The Giving Tree 2023 

The LRC is sponsoring our 22nd annual Giving Tree in support of the Batavia Access Committee’s Holiday Toy Drive.  The Batavia Access Committee is asking for our help collecting new, unwrapped: toys, books, winter hats, mittens, gloves and scarves to be distributed to needy children in our community.  Donations can be dropped off in the LRC, now through Thursday, December 7th. Please refer to the Giving Tree note in your child’s take-home folder. Thank you in advance for your kindness and generosity; your donations are greatly appreciated!

The Batavia Public Library Bookmark Contest 2023 

Congratulations to all of the students who entered the Batavia Public Library (BPL) Bookmark Contest, “Reading is the Cat’s Pajamas!”  There were so many creative entries this year and competition was stiff, BPL received over 600 entries!   The following HWS students were selected for their outstanding designs:  Nalah Martinez (grade 1S), Savannah O’Brien (grade 1), Claire Pasturczak (grade 2), Matthew White (grade 4) and Simone Schafer (grade 5).  Each winner received copies of their entry to share with their classmates and their choice of a free book.  Great work, everyone!

The Celebration Books Program

The HWS Celebration Books program provides students an opportunity to donate a book to the LRC for birthdays, special occasions and in honor or memory of a loved one.  Thank you to the following students who donated a book to the LRC in celebration of their November/December birthdays, and June half-birthdays, too!  Your donation helps the LRC collection grow:

Signe G. (4Za), Declan A. (KH), Juan P. (KH), Joseph I. (KH), Ella B. (4Zi) and Braxton D. (1S).

A note from K-Kids

Student council and K-Kids are sponsoring a food drive together. The food drive will start on December 7th and will end on December 20th. Some things we need for the food drive are soup, canned vegetables, strawberry or grape jelly, and canned beans.

The food pantry also needs items like shampoo, conditioner, Kleenex and toothpaste. A one dollar donation to the food drive can buy eight dollars worth of food. There will be boxes outside of each classroom door to collect the food. Cash donations should be turned into the office. Our goal is to collect 750 items! For additional information about what the pantry needs go to bataviafoodpantry.org

A note from the PTO

Holiday Shop

Dates: December 5, 6 and 7

Time:  9:30am-3:30pm

Location: HWS’s CoLab

This program makes it possible for children to experience the joy of choosing their own special gift for family and friends. Your child will receive a sale reminder, along with a gift planner envelope a few days before sales begin. To preview gift options and purchase vouchers please visit: 

https://8310000.holidaytreasures.com/

To make this possible we need volunteers to assist students with their purchases, help restock items and wrap gifts. Please use this link to sign up. 

https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10C0F4CABAA2BA7FBCF8-46210691-holiday

*** Student shopping times are not known. Students will be allowed to shop based on pass availability and teacher’s discretion to better support classroom learning. ***

If you have any questions please email Deena Vargocko (deenadance@gmail.com) or Amanda Nelson (amanda.nelsondowns@gmail.com).

Parent’s Night Out at Sturdy Shelter Brewing

Please join the HWS PTO for a Parent’s Night Out on Monday, December 11th @ 6:30 pm at Sturdy Shelter Brewing.  Feel free to hang out on the lower level and enjoy food, drinks, and good company, or head upstairs for a legendary round of trivia from 7:00 – 8:45 pm.  When you arrive be sure to find a HWS PTO representative and get a ticket for 1 free drink courtesy of the HWS PTO.

Also, the PTO will be holding our monthly meeting at Sturdy Shelter from 6:00 – 6:30.  All parents/guardians are welcome to attend and find out what’s going on with the PTO.

Additional Important Information:

Please be sure to check out the Backpack Mail View the latest edition of Backpack Mail > link that is attached to The District Weekly BPS messengers. Good community events are listed!

We will continue with weekly Messengers on Fridays throughout the school year. All school messengers can also be found and translated into over 125 languages on our News Wall.