Hawes Highlights - week of January 27

Posted Date: 1/27/25 (1:00 AM)

Be Hawesome

Thank you!

A big shout out to: to all who purchased jog-a-thon shirts; to all who attended the PTSA meeting on Thursday; to Katie Thompson is who coordinating the PTSA nominating committee for our slate of officers for next school year;

We thank you for your time, dedication and hard work! We are appreciate your support and help!

#BeHawesome #HawesNation

School Information

The Details for the Week:

Here are some of the key events and things to know:

Dance class is this week.

Kids for Change: Our Student Council has organized a Kids for Change coin (or bill) collection drive to support the rebuilding of lives and schools in the areas impacted by the LA wildfires. Beginning on Monday, each class and the office will have a collection drive for spare change. Please consider supporting the rebuilding of hope as our student council mobilizes our students to make a difference in the world.

GATE Testing for Grades 2-4: is Thursday. If you signed your child up for this assessment, testing will occur in the morning. An email with more information was sent to parents of those taking the test several weeks ago through ParentSquare.

All School Assembly: is this Friday morning at 8:45. Students from each class will be recognized for modeling initiative and focus.

January MegaSkills Family Activity Challenge is due on Friday . This month we will focus on teaching our students about initiative (moving into action) and focus (showing concern for others). Students who complete 4 or more activities receive a brag tag!

Love Signs: are on sale online and at drop off and dismissal on Tuesday - Thursday of this week. See below for more details!

PTSA Dine out Night: is Wednesday at Shake Shack. See below for more details!

Reminder About Timely Dismissal Pick-Up

We kindly remind all parents of the importance of arriving on time to pick up your child at dismissal. Our school does not provide babysitting services, and at the end of the day, our office is staffed by only one person who has many responsibilities to manage. To ensure a smooth and safe dismissal process, we ask for your help by:

Being on time at dismissal (TK @ 1:45 and 12:10 on TH; K-gr. 3 @ 2:23 pm and 1;26 pm on TH; and gr. 4-5 @ 2:46 pm and 1:35 on Th)
Maintaining consistent after-school pick-up plans. Frequent changes, such as contacting the teacher or office to adjust plans, can disrupt the day and create confusion.
When you MUST change plans mid-day, please contact the office as well as the afterschool care program, if applicable. It is not the school's responsibility to notify the Boys and Girls Club nor the YMCA that your child will not be attending nor is it their responsibility to notify us.

Your cooperation allows us to keep dismissal running efficiently and ensures your child’s safety and well-being. Thank you for your understanding and support!

Attendance month 5: Good attendance is important for success!

With the end of the attendance month last Friday, our in seat attendance rate to date is 96.51%, which is a little better than last month. Our goal is to reach 98%. These classes had the highest attendance rate for their grade level: TK - Holmes; K - Ortiz; 1st - Ortiz; 2nd - Zeutzius; 3rd - Adams; 4th - Borns; and 5th - De Stefano. Congratulations to all of these classes!

The highest attendance rate in the school and the only class to meet the 98% attendance goal is Mrs. De Stefano's class! Congrats to all who had a hand in this achievement!

Unfortunately our chronic absentee data does not look as positive. As a school, we now are at 7%, which is up from 4.8% last month. For a student to fall into this category, s/he would have 8 or more absences for their year, regardless of the reason. The breakdown by grade level is:

TK - 9.7% (9 students)

K - 6.6% (10 students)

1 - 3% (2 students)

2 - 5.7% (3 students)

3rd - 3.7% (3 students)

4th - 5% (4 students)

5th - 7% (6 students)

As we reflect on this data, we had 48 students absent on January 17 and then 41 students absent on January 21. These dates bookended the holiday weekend and many of those absences were due to trips. Please help decrease our chronic absenteeism rate as we move forward as this will impact next year's CA dashboard.

Share Your Input on HBCSD Smartphone Policy Development

We invite you to share your input on HBCSD’s smartphone device policies to align with Assembly Bill 3216, which takes effect in 2026. This legislation requires all school districts to establish a formal policy limiting or prohibiting smartphone use by students at school. These policies must be updated every five years with meaningful input from educational partners—including students, parents, and staff—to reflect community needs.

For additional details about our current practices and AB 3216, please review the smartphone infographic and complete the survey by January 31, 2025.

Smartphone Policy Development Survey

Independent Study Contracts

If your child is going to be absent from school due to vacation/or travel for four (4) or more days, please contact the school office to request an Independent Study Contract. Please understand that we need at least two weeks prior to the start date of the absence in order to prepare materials. Here are some key points to remember:

Independent Study Contracts are requested through Monica Jagiello (mjagiello@hbcsd.us) in the office at least two weeks prior to the absence.
By law, the maximum number of days for an independent study are 15 days for the entire school year.
In order to receive credit for the absence, ALL work must be completed and returned by the due date..
Incomplete independent study contracts result in unexcused absences, which could result in a referral to the Student Attendance and Review Board (SARB).
Please be respectful of our teachers and staff who spend a great deal of time putting these contracts together. If you are requesting an independent study contract, please show us the same courtesy by spending the time on helping your child complete and return the assigned work upon his/her return to school.

Absent? Please contact the office

We encourage you to plan your trips over the scheduled breaks we have in place. As well, please make plans for day trips to Disneyland and other places for the weekend. We all understand how difficult it is when we are absent from work and the same holds true for students.

If your child is truly sick, please keep them home to recover. Students must be fever, vomit and diarrhea free for 24 hours prior to returning to school.

If your child is absent from school, please report this absence by emailing: Hawesattendance@hbcsd.us or by calling the school office at: 714.963.8302 then press 1.

PTSA Information

Hawes Yearbooks - for sale!

To purchase your 2024-25 yearbook, go to: www.treering.com/1015616553293855.

If you have any questions or wish to send photos of class/school activities to the yearbook, please email hawesyearbook@gmail.com.

PTSA Spreading Love with our Love Signs

Spread a little love to your friends and neighbors this Valentine’s Day and support Hawes by purchasing new 2025 “We’ve been loved by a Hawes Hawk” yard signs for $10 each!

These signs are a great way to build community and spread the Hawes Hawk spirit! You can leave them on your friends and neighbors yards, and they come with a little sticker on the back so you can let them know who is spreading the love (or keep it anonymous!).

Let's spread a little love this winter along with our Hawes' Hawk School spirit! Signs will be picked up January 28th-30th.

Purchase your sign at the Hawes PTSA online store: https://hawesptsa.myshopify.com/products/2025-love-signs

Spring Fling Information

The theme for this year is: Cheers to 50 Golden Years Hawes Golden Spring Fling to help us celebrate our 50th anniversary! Mark your calendars as you don't want to miss this celebration!

As we prepare for this year's event, we are looking for donation items for our live and silent auctions:

Vacation rentals: Do you know someone with a house in Big Bear? a Condo in Mammoth? A bungalow in Palm Springs?
Restaurant gift cards;
Experiences: golfing, Duffy boat rentals, etc.;
Personal services: hair, massage, make-up, chiropractor, personal training;
Kids camps and classes;
Gaming systems;
Bikes, scooters and skateboards (both manual and electric);
Amusement park tickets or gift cards;
Outdoor gear: backpacks, tents, coolers and camping gear; etc.

Donations large and small are welcome! At this time, we are also looking for volunteers to help fundraise for Spring Fling items. If you are interested or have any questions, please reach out to: April Bassett (April.bassett@outlook.com or 714.325-9847) for more information.

PTSA Website

Upcoming Events

January 27: Kid for Change Student Council coin collection begins

January 29: PTSA Dine out Night at Shake Shack

January 30: GATE testing for students in grades 2-4 who were opted into testing by parents/Early dismissal day - TK@ 12:10 pm; Kinder - grade 3 @ 1:26 and grades 4-5 at 1:35

January 31: All school assembly at 8:45 am

week of February 3: Great Kindness Challenge

February 5: Site Council Meeting at 3 pm

February 6: 1st grade Universal GATE testing/TK Teddy Bear Parade/PTSA direct donation tile decorating at 1:30 in the lunch area

February 10: No School: Lincoln's Birthday

February 11: Open Enrollment window opens

February 13: Make up GATE testing/Hawes Choir musical at 4 pm

February 14: End of attendance month 6/Hawes choir performs for the students at 8:45 am/1st grade walking field trip

February 17: President's Day Holiday: No School

February 20: Harvest of the month

February 21: Hawes Jogathon at 1:45 pm

February 26: Last chance for PTSA direct donation tile decorating after school at the lunch tables

February 28: All school assembly: Unveiling the time capsule at 8:45 am

March 7: All school assembly (student recognition) at 8:45 am/PTSA Movie Night - Inside out 2

April 5: PTSA Spring Fling event at Harborside Pavilion

April 14 - 18: Spring break

April 30: 5th grade yearbook ads due today!

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Hawes Highlights - week of January 27