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Thanks To Our Corporate Sponsors! |
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GOLD ($1,000)
Greg Parker, Raintree Sprinkler Systems
Tim Howard, MD
Creekside Family Practice
Hampton Cove Garden Club
John and Ashley Clark
Ret. Lt. Col. George Kitchens
The 2009-2010 Corporate Sponsors program is underway!!! If you would like more information on how to become a Corporate Sponsor, please contact Deana Hammond at 534-7559. | |
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Message From Our PTA President  December is such a fast-paced, busy month for most of us. It's easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle of the holidays, but I hope that we will all make time to focus on the things that are most important - faith, family, and friends.
There are so many people who make the month of December very special for our students at HCES, and I want to thank them for taking time out of their busy schedules to create these opportunities for our school. In every case, they have given the gift of time, which is one of the most valuable gifts of all!
Thanks to Angi Vroom and Susan Daugherty for their tireless efforts to coordinate the 5th grade Space Camp experience. The kids had a blast . . . literally! Hats off to Margaret Turner and her team for creating such a festive atmosphere in our school lobby. It takes a lot of work to put up that many Christmas trees and decorations, but we are grateful for the time they spent to bring the holiday spirit to our school. Thank you to Julie Miller and her team for putting together another spectacular Grandparents' Breakfast where our students were able to share some special moments with their grandparents. Thanks to Mike Moon and his "parking posse" for braving the cold, wet weather to make sure that the parking situation went smoothly at the Grandparents' Breakfast. Way to go to Deb Stern, Heidi Honeywell, Suzi Ellett, and the all of the many Book Fair volunteers for doing a wonderful job with the Barnes and Noble Book Fair. Santa and his elves have nothing on Angel Coleman and her team, who put together a fabulous Mistletoe Market where our kids could shop for that "perfect" present for family and friends. Thank you to all of our room moms and dads who are working hard to make sure that this year's holiday parties are special for all of our kids. Last but certainly not least, a big THANKS to all of you - whether mentioned by name or not - who give so freely of your time, your energy, and your resources to make our school a better place. You are all appreciated far more than you could ever know!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of our HCES family,
Melissa Thompson
PTA President |
| A Word From Our Principal... |
 Happy Holidays to everyone.
Students will return on Wednesday, January 6, 2010 and report cards go home that same day.
The 2010-2011 school year calendar was discussed at a recent Board meeting. It should be published before we leave for winter break. Thanks to my faculty and staff members for a great start. I look forward to the next semester with a great deal of enthusiasm. I would also like to thank the HCES community for your support of our students. The time that you volunteer in our school really makes a difference. Thank you for all that you do to make our school great.
Dr. Fillis McGhee
Principal
Hampton Cove Elementary School |
| Yearbook Orders |
 Have you ordered your yearbook yet? The deadline for yearbook orders is December 22!! Don't miss the chance to have your child's memories for years to come. Order yours online from Jostens today. Only a very few extra copies will be ordered.
Year Book Ads:
To purchase a student ad for the yearbook, click here.
To purchase a business ad for the yearbook, click here. | |
| Party Time! |
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 As a reminder, our holiday parties will be held on Friday, December 18 at the following times:
5th Grade - 9:15 - 10:15 am (party); 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon (lunch)
3rd-4th Grade - 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
K-2nd Grade - 12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
If you will be attending your child's party, please help us with the traffic flow for that day by leaving the campus as soon as possible after your child's party is over. Thank you for your cooperation in this area.
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| Teacher-of-the-Month! |
 Congratulations to Teresa Brumlow who is December's Teacher-of-the Month! Mrs. Brumlow was nominated by a record-number of parents for this month's award, and she is obviously well-loved and much-admired by her students and their parents alike. A common theme in her nominations was the individual attention that she gives to each of her students and the professionalism and responsiveness with which she deals with the parents. Our school is so fortunate to have teachers like Mrs. Brumlow serving on our faculty. In recognition of this honor, Mrs. Brumlow received a $100 gift certificate from Across the Pond, courtesy of Trevor and Jeannie Cole. Thanks to Across the Pond and to the Coles for making our Teacher-of-the-Month award extra special! If you would like to nominate a teacher - whether your child's teacher or otherwise - for the Teacher-of-the-Month award, please visit HCES website to do so. The whole process will take less than 2 minutes, but it could mean so much to one of our awesome HCES teachers! |
| Grandparents' Breakfast Update |
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Hampton Cove Elementary had the pleasure of hosting a wonderful Grandparents' Breakfast the first week in December. There were a total of 747 people over the course of the three days. It's always such a joy to watch the students interact with their grandparents. A special thank you to all of the ladies that helped host and decorate, to Mike Moon and his volunteers for coordinating the parking, and to Cindy Green and the cafeteria staff who prepared the food so efficiently each morning. We look forward to seeing all of the grandparents again next year! |
| Calling all First Grade Parents... |
 We're gearing up for the most exciting event in First Grade, Parade of Readers! It is a five week long event designed to encourage reading. We are in the planning stages and will kick off February 5th. If you would like to volunteer on one of our Parade of Readers' Committees, please contact Janet Taylor for more information. |
| We Appreciate You! |
 Thanks to everyone who purchased books and other fun stuff at the Barnes and Noble book fair or in the Barnes and Noble stores during the book fair. Also please pass our gratitude along to those grandparents who participated! They had some great ideas for holiday and Christmas gifts. Hopefully everyone is well on their way to finishing up their shopping. Our next book fair will be in February. Watch your newsletter for exact dates. Thanks again! |
| Blood Drive |
 Thanks to everyone who came out to donate blood at the HCES Holiday Blood Drive on December 15! You gave the gift of life this holiday season. |
| Beginner and Advance Chess Clubs |
 Our HCE Chess Clubs have been underway for four weeks now! Parents are doing a fantastic job volunteering every week to handle attendance and noise control. We have great attendance in both clubs and we are happy to report our students are the most well mannered kids our coaches could ever ask for!
The kids in Beginners Chess are grasping a lot of the basics pretty quickly. They've been catching on to the "do's & don'ts" of opening moves. They all really enjoy playing the 1 or 2 games each Tuesday against each other and they're improving their play every week.
Students in Advance Chess are learning to compete against other student of equivalent skills sets through a computer program facilitated by Coach Williams. The coaches are running chess club similar to a tournament, so students are progressively paired for each week. The hope is this will be a good motivational tool to get the kids to practice at home.
Please encourage and wish all of our chess players luck as they continue to enhance their skills and prepare for the upcoming Bishop Bash, which will be hosted by Hampton Cove Elementary in March 2010. |
| Help Wanted |
| Parent with dance background to help choreograph simple riser movements for choir program. Availability before, during, or after school necessary. Contact Kathy Young or 428-7360. |
| HOLIDAY SAFETY TIPS |
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Families want their holidays to be an especially memorable time for everyone. Adding these tips to the Thanksgiving Holiday Safety Tips in last month's PTA Newsletter will help keep these moments memorable.
 LIVE TREES
Think safety first and foremost when selecting a live tree. - Choose a fresh tree with needles that are not brittle and do not fall off when touched - Choose an appropriately sized, sturdy tree stand - Add water daily - Don't place in areas blocking exits - Keep at least 3 feet away from heat sources such as fireplaces, vents, room lights - Pick up brittle/fallen needles daily - Don't leave toddlers, small children or pets unattended near the tree - Remove dry/brittle trees promptly after the holidays ARTIFICIAL TREES Real trees look and smell good but can become dry and brittle causing a fire hazard. You may want to consider an artificial tree if you have toddlers, young children, children with allergies or pets. Artificial trees help avoid: - Fire hazards - Respiratory problems in children with allergies - Toddlers, young children and pets from eating, choking or getting poked by fallen, sharp needles - Check manufacturer's label to be sure the tree is certified/identified as fire-retardant MISCELLANEOUS - Turn off tree lights when going out and at bedtime. - Pick up fallen ornaments and shiny tree hooks, as they are a magnet for small children and pets. These can cause cut feet, cut hands, and choking hazards. - Immediately dispose of packing materials such as Styrofoam and plastic, as they pose a choking risk to small children. - Always cover electrical outlets and keep cords tucked away when small children and pets are around. - Do follow all Thanksgiving Holiday Safety Tips in last month's PTA letter. Holiday times can be stressful times for both parents and children. Take a "time out" over the holiday season to relax, spend time with, and enjoy your children. Regardless of circumstances, you and your children will have special memories of time spent together. After all, time is the best present we can give our children.  From Your School Nurse
Hampton Cove Elementary |
| Camp Invention |
 Looking for a great Christmas Gift for your children...Camp Invention will be returning to Hampton Cove Elementary June 21- 25, 2010, so mark your calendars and plan to be there! The Camp InventionTM program enhances children's teamwork, inventive-thinking skills, and creativity during this weeklong summer adventure for those entering grades 1-6. Children participate daily in five activity-oriented modules that promote science, math, history, and the arts through creative problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Directed and taught by local educators, Amy Guckenberger will be this year's camp leader. To receive an early bird discount rate, call 1-800-968-4332 or register online .
This year's brand new INNOVATE program features:
Power'd TM
It's alive! In a secret lab, build your own motorized creature and bring it to life while helping a mysterious scientist harness the power of nature.
Hatched TM
The Hatched online virtual world is disappearing! Help save the avatars by creating, marketing and selling good in this extraordinary marketplace.
SMArt: Science, Math & Art TM
What do soap bubbles, honeycombs and lightning bolts all have in common? Explore their surprising connections in the Pattern Kingdom.
I Can Invent III TM
Take apart a broken machine and see what's inside. Then use its gears, guts and gadgets to invent a machine that's never been seen before.
Global Games TM
Explore soccer and other sports as they were first played in ancient times. Add your own twist, get out of your seats and get ready to play! To receive an early bird discount rate, call 1-800-968-4332 or register online. |
| Drama Club Update |
 The Drama Club is an after school program open to third, fourth, and fifth grade students Hampton Cove Elementary. Members attend meetings in the school library on Tuesdays from 2:30 to 4:00. Students learn about performing for an audience through fun games, rehearsals, and presentations. A few changes are being made for the remaining months of school that will keep the program fresh and interesting to all who wish to participate. Look for flyers in Wednesday folders with information regarding registration in January. The director of the program, Cindy Kelley Aslan will be happy to answer any questions you or your child may have regarding Drama Club. Her phone number is 539-6720. |
| Hampton Cove Robotics Club |
The Hampton Cove Robotics Club, consisting of 22 students from the
Middle School and Elementary School, had an outstanding showing at the Alabama FIRST Lego League State Championship held at Columbia High School on Friday, December 4th and Saturday, December 5th.
This is the third year that our school has participated in the tournament, and we entered three teams out of a total field of 60 teams. Monkey Madness, which included HCES student Sarah Daugherty, won first place in the Champion's Award for the second year in a row. They will represent Alabama at the FIRST Lego League World Festival to be held in Atlanta on April 14-16, in which 84 teams from the US and 20 countries will compete to be best in the world. The Crash Test Dummies, which included HCES students Mark Simmons, Caitlin Turner and Roshni Patnayakuni scored tenth in the robot performance category, and the Kung Fu Tweeties, consisting of HCES students Joey Connor, Alonzo McGhee, Pierce Meagher, Bobby Nance, Arianne Okonski, Sarah Saad, and Robert Wire had a great showing as well.
The FIRST Lego League is open to students from 4th to 9th grade, and is a worldwide event with about 15,000 teams participating this year. Teams have a three month season to design, build, and program a robot to solve missions and earn points on a playing field during a 2- 1/2 minute round. Teams are also judged on a research project presentation, robot design, team spirit, and teamwork. Our teams have been meeting almost daily for the last few weeks to finalize our robots and research.
Thanks to all our parent volunteers and for the support of our school. |
| Math Superstars |
Congratulations to the students in grades 1-5 who participated in the second quarter of Math Superstars! Participation prizes for the weeks 5 - 10 will be awarded this week.
Math Superstars is an optional, at-home enrichment opportunity for students to work on logic and problem solving skills. Students can download and print their own worksheets from our school website at this link: MathSuperstars. Worksheet weeks 11 & 12 were distributed before winter break. The kindergarten component is just beginning and any parents who are interested in helping, contact Dawn Fogg. |
| After School Music Program |
 An after school music instruction program for violin, guitar and piano will be begin on January 19th. Small group lessons will be provided by Valley Conservatory. Classes will be once a week for 35 minutes on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday at Hampton Cove Elementary.
For more information, flyers will be coming home in Wednesday Folders. You can also see a flyer and download a registration form from our school website and at Valley Conservatory. Valley Conservatory will be accepting registration and payment beginning December 18th. |
I count it a privilege to represent you on our PTA Board of Directors. If you ever need more information about what our PTA does or if you have suggestions for improvement, I'd love to hear from you!
Sincerely,
Melissa Thompson, President
Hampton Cove Elementary PTA | |
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