2014-2015 Community Partners! HCES, HCMS and GSES would not be what we are today without your support! If you have any questions about Community Partners, please contact Jammie Winton or

Joy Myers.

President's Letter

February will be an exciting month for our Hampton Cove families! We start out the month with a Welcome Coffee on Wednesday, February 4, from 8:00-9:00 am. We'll have another half day of school on Friday, February 6. Valentine's Day classroom parties will then follow the following week on Friday, February 13, with overlapping times for K-2 and 3-5 so that families may possibly attend parties in two of their children's classrooms. 5th Grade Space Camp is the week of February 16, and our 1st Grade Parade of Readers pep rally and parade will also kick off at the end of that week on Friday, February 20. We finish the month with a Book Fair, and the Reading Fair just after that on Tuesday, March 3.

As advertised in previous newsletters, the HCES PTA had planned to host a Family Science Night on Thursday, February 12, however, due to limited volunteer resources, we've decided instead to focus our efforts on Parade of Readers and the Reading Fair at this time. The National PTA Grant funds that we received for Take Your Family to School Week will be directed towards the two reading events. We are still excited about a science-related event that will bring together our families and community while supporting an important part of our academics, and we will begin planning for this for the 2015-2016 school year.

A new 2015-2016 PTA Board will be voted on during the Arts Night & PTA Meeting on April 21. We are currently seeking the below Board positions for next year, and encourage everyone to consider these positions - even if you work during the day. We will find a convenient time for all of us to meet, or rotate the meetings to accommodate work and family schedules. The positions needed include:

1st VP Academic Support (1 year position)

Secretary (1 year position)

2nd VP Membership (2 year position)

3rd VP Sales & Fundraising (2 year position)

4th VP After School Enrichment (2 year position)

5th VP Community Partners (2 year position)

Huntsville Council of PTAs and Alabama PTA 2014-2015 PTA Award nominations are due on Sunday, March 1. If you would like to nominate a teacher for Teacher of the Year, please send the teacher's name and a paragraph with supporting information by Tuesday, February 10 to Debbie Tetrault.

The Proposed Consent Order in the Hereford & the United States v. Huntsville City Board of Education was released last Monday. Under judge's orders, please note that school administration, school board members, and the superintendent may not comment or answer questions. Please see the Proposed Consent Order website

for detailed information. Comments about the Proposed Consent Order are encouraged and may be submitted through The Comments tab on this web page, as well. The last of three Proposed Consent Order Public Forums will be held on Tuesday, February 3 from 6:00-8:00 pm at Huntsville High School.

Debbie Tetrault

HCES PTA President

Calendar

**Note that the calendar has changed several times since it was sent out in the HCES PTA Orientation packets, and also since the HCES Wednesday Folders were issued. Please check the link below periodically to ensure that you have the most recent version of the HCES PTA calendar.

February

3 Proposed Consent Order Public Forum, HSV High School, 6:00-8:00 pm

4 Welcome Coffee, 8:00-9:00 am, Village Cafe

5 HCS Work Session, 5:30 pm, Merts Center

6 STUDENT � DAY (11:30 am)

9 PTA Board Meeting, 9:00 am

10 HCS Positive Parenting Program, Appy Hour: Supportive Technology for You and Your Child, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm, Merts Center

11 Progress Reports - 3rd Quarter

12 Spirit Night, 10:30 am - 10:30 pm, Five Guys Burgers & Fries

13 Valentine's Day Parties: 12:30-1:30 grade K-2nd, 1:00-2:00 grade 3-5

16-20 Space Camp, 5th Grade

19 HCS School Board Meeting, 5:30 pm, Merts Center

20 Parade of Readers Kick-off & Parade, 1st Grade

23-27 Scholastic Book Fair

26-27 Book Camp Club Meetings

March

1 PTA Dues Deadline

2 PTA Board Meeting, 9:00 am

2-6 SchoolNet Benchmark Testing

3 PTA General Meeting & Reading Event, 6:00 pm

7 Bishop's Bash Chess Tournament, HCES

11 School Picture Day - Individual

13 Career Day, 8:30-10:30 am

STUDENT � DAY (11:30 am)

18 Report Cards - 3rd Quarter

19 Teacher Duty-Free Lunch

19-20 Book Camp Club Meetings

23-27 SPRING BREAK

HCS 2014-2015 School Calendar

HCS 2015-2016 School Calendar

HCES PTA 2014-2015 Calendar

Principal's Letter

January has flown by but not without excitement! To kick off 2015 Hampton Cove Elementary was fortunate to add a new Pre-K unit and welcome new students to our school. With this addition, we were able to select two new team members. Please join me in welcoming Ms. Amanda Howard and Ms. Tina Robinson. Ms. Howard, the lead teacher, comes to us with experience in both general and special education and a passion for early childhood. Ms. Robinson, a newly certified teacher, serves as the instructional aide. Both ladies work alongside Ms. Celeste Edwards, formerly the instructional assistant in Ms. Chisler's Pre-K class. We are truly excited about the opportunities this new unit brings.

To continue the New Year celebration, our fourth grade classrooms received new Promethean boards along with white and cork boards. This capital improvement was funded through the 2013-2014 Boosterthon Fundraiser and a monetary donation from our County Commissioner, Mr. Phil Riddick. Additionally, our fifth grade classrooms were painted and provided new cork and white boards. January also brought the 100^th Day of School celebration. Students participated in many fun activities and several classes paraded through the school with their 100^th day hats.

The month of February boasts many fun activities too. We begin the month with a half-day on February 6^th. Students will be dismissed at 11:30. Students will celebrate Valentine's Day on Friday, February 13^th. February 20^th will kick off our first grade Parade of Readers event. If you haven't experienced Parade of Readers, you won't want to miss this special day. Lastly, our fifth graders will attend Space Camp this month. What an amazing learning opportunity for our students!

As we move forward, we continue to strive for academic excellence. I am often impressed with our teachers' innovative lessons and ability to build relationships with our students. These qualities in conjunction with our amazing PTA, office and custodial staff, and community stakeholders make Hampton Cove a top school in our district, state, and nation. I am grateful and honored to be the instructional leader of this fantastic school.

As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions or ways I can support your children. You can reach me by e-mail at autumn.bray@hsv-k12.org or by phone at 256.428.7180.

Dates to Remember:

February 6 - � Day for Students (11:30 dismissal)

February 11 - Progress Reports go home

February 13 - Valentine Celebrations

February 16-20 - Space Camp

February 20 - Parade of Readers Kick Off

February 23-27 - Scholastic Book Fair

March 2 - Reading Across America Week

March 3 - PTA Sponsored Reading Event

Sincerely,

Autumn H. Bray

Hampton Cove Elementary Principal

Spirit Night

Join us for our next HCES SPIRIT NIGHT!

2724-C Carl T. Jones Drive

Huntsville

Thursday, February 12^th!

Enjoy lunch OR dinner at Five Guys in Jones Valley (10:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.) on February 12^th and HCES will receive 10% of the net sales. We hope to see you there!

Box Tops

It's time for another BOX TOPS CONTEST!

The grade with the most Box Tops will win a POPSICLE PARTY!! Turn in your Box Tops between Monday, February 9th and Friday, February 13th. Please put Box Tops in plastic zip bags with your child's name and grade.

For more information, contact Wendy Michael.

Welcome Coffee

Are you new to the area? Or have you been here awhile, but wonder about upcoming local events? Are you curious about how the school cafeteria really works? Would you like to know more about spring activities at school or in the Cove? Are you interested in meeting new people? Does middle school scare you just a little?

If you answered "yes" to any of the above questions, join us:

Wednesday, February 4, 2015, 8:00-9:00 am

Village Caf�

HCES PTA sponsored Welcome Coffee

School representative to speak at 8:30 am.

Additional parking available beside the cleaners. Please join us!

Healthy Heart Celebration

BE A HEART HERO.....

HCES is thrilled to be supporting the American Heart Association! Last year, we raised

over $9,000.00 for this wonderful program. Thursday, FEBRUARY 12 will be our "He

althy Heart Celebration". This event will conclude our JRFH/HFH community service and students will turn in their donations. We have planned several days of jump rope and basketball activities leading up to the big celebration on the 12th! Go online today to register your child (PK-2 www.heart.org/jump and 3-5 www.heart.org/hoops ) Thanks for all of your support in advance!!!

P.E. team

Math Superstars

Extra sheets may be printed from the HCES website! There are also extra sheets in the front office in the Math Super Star folder. We hope you are having a great time exploring and growing in math with your children!

Advice for assistance: Parents/guardians should simply guide the child though each question. Read it for them if they have difficulty with the words but don't give them the answer. These questions are meant to challenge the student, and as much as the parent may like to help, it is better for their learning if they work through it themselves. Encourage your children as they work on the problems and let them know the sheets will come back graded the next week, so you can review and practice anything missed or incorrect.

We will return to the Monday pick up and Wednesday return graded routine after the MLK holiday as we need extra time to grade all the sheets returned.

Thanks,

Math Super Stars

Neila-Susan Thompson

Math Superstars Link

Reflections

2014 - 2015 Reflections Program Theme

The world would be a better place if....

The Reflections program is a national PTA cultural arts competition that gives students a chance to express their thoughts through creative arts based on this year's theme.

HCES would like to recognize the following students for their winning entries at the City of Huntsville PTA Reflections Awards Ceremony, held on January 22nd.

HCES 2014 - 2015 PTA Reflections City Winners

Category - Placement - Student Name - Title of Work

Film Production:
1st Place - Ellie Cribbet - Shoot for Recycling
2nd Place - Laura Counts - Don't Stand By Stand Up
Honorable Mention - Kathryn Wegler - Making A Difference

Photography:
2nd Place - Jackson Miller - Beautiful Creation

Literature:
2nd Place - Abigail Carter - If Only

Music Composition:
3rd Place - Autumn McCombs - Me against the World

Visual Arts:
3rd Place - Victoria Wiegmann - Make Better Choices
Honorable Mention - Muhammad Saad Ata - Fuel Efficiency

First and Second place entries will proceed to the State of Alabama competition.

We have 4 students heading to the State Competition. Can't wait to hear how they make out.

HCES would like to thank all the participants and congratulate our school finalists and our City winners. Everyone did a great job on their entries. HCES has lots of very talented students.

Left to Right: Victoria, Abby, Kathryn, Muhammad, Jackson, Laura, and Ellie.

(not pictured Autumn)

Any questions can be directed to Reflections chairperson. Tricia Ferris, Email: ferristkt@msn.com

Bottle Caps

Collection of Twist on Plastic Caps

HCES has already collected 164,324 caps. What an amazing total! Please continue bringing in your cleaned and counted caps.

To assist in the collection process, Green Recycling Containers are available. One is located at the end of the 5th grade hallway, one at the top of the 2nd and 3rd grade stairwell as well as one in the school lobby. The cafeteria has one for loose caps.

Thank you to all the students, teachers, and community members who turned in caps! Please clean them, count them, and put the total number of caps along with the student's full name on the outside of the bag or inside on a slip of paper.

Recognition:

For Collecting and Counting Caps:

5,246	Karina Ferris - 1st	Georgia Ruffell	365
1,702	Mollie Harper Nance - 2nd	Davin Hale	310
1,192	Kyndal Burney - 3rd	Ava Hines	300
800	Stacey Cowles	Rachel Babian	300
782	Carly Wehrle	Thomas Dake	186
643	Audrey Anna Honea	Noah Hunsicker	177
643	Elias Honea	Abby Carter	127
506	Daniel Starnes	William Carter	123
453	Ethan Hale	Cort Flatau	121
400	Benjamin Theodoss	Valyn Voelkel	119
400	Cody Szymanski

For Collecting Caps:
Mrs. Stokes' Class, Sara Elise Goodson

*Caps must be clean twist on plastic with thread lines. Examples are caps from plastic bottles of juice, milk, ketchup, laundry detergent, water, soda, peanut butter, shampoo, medicine caps etc.

**Not recyclable: Snap on/off caps, Pop on/off lids, no metal or glass, spray or pump tops with metal springs.

For more information or questions, please contact Tricia Ferris at ferristkt@msn.com

Cafeteria Buzz

Please make sure to check your child's account balance online at MYPAYMENTS PLUS. If you have not already signed up for low balance alerts you still can at any time, please note the student ID it is asking for is your child's Social Security number without the dashes). If you need any assistance, please feel free to contact Cindy Green at 256-428-7186.

Monthly HCS Cafeteria Menus may be accessed from the HCS Child Nutrition web page.

Cindy Green

HCES/HCMS Cafeteria Manager

Clinic News

What is a concussion?

Children and adolescents are among those at greatest risk for concussion. Concussions are caused by a bump or blow to the head and are not visible.. Even what seems to be a mild bump or blow that causes the head to move rapidly back and forth can be serious. Signs and symptoms can show up right after an injury or may not appear or be noticed until days or weeks after.

Signs observed by parents/guardians

Appears dazed or confused

Answers questions slowly

Can't recall events prior to or after the hit, bump or fall

Loses consciousness (even briefly)

Shows behavior or personality changes

Forgets instructions and repeats questions frequently

Symptoms reported by the student

Irritable, sad or more emotional than usual

Can't think, concentrate or remember clearly

Feels sluggish, groggy, fatigued or tired

Headaches, pressure in head, nausea or vomiting

Blurry or double vision

Sensitivity to light or noise

Sleeps less or more than usual

Most young people with a concussion recover quickly and fully. But for some, concussion signs and symptoms can last for days, weeks, or longer. Be alert for symptoms that worsen over time and seek emergency attention right away if he or she exhibits:

One pupil larger than the other
Floyd Broussard, School Nurse
Drowsiness or can't be awakened
Headaches that get worse or don't go away
Repeated N & V
Weakness, numbness or decrease coordination
Increasing confusion, agitation, restlessness or slurred speech
Convulsions or seizures

If you think your child has a concussion, or if your child reports concussion symptoms, seek medical attention right away. A health care professional will be able to determine how serious the concussion is and when it is safe for your child to return to regular activities. To learn more about concussions go to the following cited sources for further information that is free of charge:

Cdc.gov/Concussion

During this cold and flu season, Huntsville City Schools is working to keep a safe and healthy environment for our students, staff, and visitors. We want to remind everyone that if your child is ill that they do not need to be brought to school. The Huntsville City Schools health and safety guidelines can be found in Student/Parent Handbook on pages 31-33. The handbook can be found at www.HuntsvilleCitySchools.org under the "Family Resources" section.

Section

4.21 (Preventative Health Maintenance) of the handbook states that

"every student enrolled must have a current Blue Card (Alabama Certificate of Immunization) or authorized exemption on file at his or her school according to Alabama Code Section 16. If your child is sick, please keep them at home. We are committed to sending sick children home to decrease exposure to the rest of our students and keeping students not exhibiting contagious signs or symptoms in school learning."

Section 4.22 (Student Exclusion Due to Illness) states that if a "child develops any contagious signs or symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, fever (100 or higher), severe headache, severe stomach ache and cramps, severe sore throat, or cold and flu-like symptoms while at school, school personnel will contact the parent/guardian or authorized adult and request / require that the child be taken home."

In the absence of a medical diagnosis or physician-signed clearance to return to school, students who are ill should be excluded for 24 hours after the last episode or until illness subsides according to the following guidelines:

2nd Annual Reading Fair

Students Celebrate Read Across America with Second Annual Reading Fair

Students in kindergarten through 5^th grade will celebrate Read Across America this month by participating in the second annual HCES Reading Fair.

Students in 2^nd through 5^th grades will select their favorite book from any genre and create a book project to be displayed in the library during our PTA reading event night on March 3. Details on the project requirements will come from your child's teacher.

Students in kindergarten and 1^st grade will dress up as their favorite storybook character for our reading event night. All families are welcome to join us on March 3 to celebrate reading and see the projects our students have created.

Need to Know

The SOS fundraiser tax forms were sent home in the Wednesday folders on January 28. If you have any questions about the forms, or if you have contributed and did not receive a form, please contact Toni Wessells or Jo Ann Grosnick.

Order Your 2014-2015 Hampton Cove Elementary Yearbook ONLINE Today! You can go to the HCES main website or click on the following link and use code 11450515 to access our school. Yearbook prices are now $35. Please see: https://ybpay.lifetouch.com/Order/SelectJob

Fundraising

HCES PTA No-Cost Fundraising Opportunities

Click on the Photos Below to Learn More!

Target REDcard

Box Tops

Bottle Caps

Publix Cards

Amazon Smile

Apply for this card and 1% goes back to the school.

Keep clipping those box tops. We're having a contest this month. See article for more info.

Drop off locations: end of 5th Grade hallway, top of stairs of 2nd & 3rd grade stairwell, front lobby & in the cafeteria (loose caps)

Don't forget to have them scan your HCES card. If you don't have a card, you can get one in the school office.

Check here before doing any of your online shopping.

Contact Toni Wessells for more information regarding all of the above no-cost fundraising opportunities.

HCS News

At the direction of the Court, the Huntsville City Schools Administration and counsel and the United States Department of Justice, after many months of mediation, have drafted a proposed Consent Order intended to resolve remaining issues and ultimately to bring to a close the school desegregation case, Hereford and the U.S. v. Huntsville City Board of Education.

All documents and information, along with a public forum schedule, and a comments section, may be found at www.ProposedConsentOrder.com. A link to the site can also be found on the district's website at www.HuntsvilleCitySchools.org. Copies of the Proposed Consent Order and Summaries of the Proposed Consent Order will be available for review at all schools, and at the Board Central Office. Computer viewing stations will be available in the lobby of the Board Central Office for anyone needing to visit the website. A limited number of hard copies of the Proposed Consent Order will be available to be picked up at our schools beginning Wednesday, January 28. For additional information, visit our website at www.HuntsvilleCitySchools.org.

Chess Tournament

2015 Bishops Bash XIV Scholastic Chess Tournament

Sponsored by Hampton Cove Elementary

PARTICIPATION LIMITED TO THE FIRST 180 REGISTRANTS

DATE: Saturday, February 28th, 2014

LOCATION: Hampton Cove Elementary School, 261 Old Highway 431, Hampton Cove, AL 35763

DIRECTIONS: I-565 to Exit 19A (Governor's Drive/US-431); drive 8.3 miles & cross over Monte Sano Mountain; turn left at Old Hwy 431 and go 1/3 mile; school is on left (follow service road).

DETAILS: 5-round Swiss, USCF-rated, Game/30d5. Four sections, by grade: Primary (K-3), Elementary (K-6), Jr. High (K-9), Open (K-12). Players strongly encouraged to play in their lowest eligible section, but may play up. Jr. High & Open sections may be merged at the TD's discretion - all applicable prizes still awarded. Only coach spectators allowed.

SCHEDULE: Onsite registration & check-in: 8:30-9:30 a.m. Registration after 9:30 requires a 1st round forfeit. Mandatory player's meeting at 10 a.m. in Cafeteria. Rounds at 10:15 a.m., 11:30, 1 p.m., 2:15, & 3:30 (last two rounds sooner at TD'

s discretion).

Entry Fee: $20 per player ($45 per family of 3 or more siblings from 1 family) if postmarked by Feb. 21, 2014;

$30 ($65 family) after 22 Feb. Cash or check only.

Bishops Bash Entry Form

MEMBERSHIPS: All participants must be United States Chess Federation (USCF) members. Membership rates based on age at time of expiration. If possible, please join/renew online at uschess.org (click JOIN/RENEW link at upper right). Bring confirmation printout to tournament. Credit cards accepted online; cash or check only onsite.

EARLY REGISTRATION STRONGLY ENCOURAGED. Forms must be postmarked by Feb. 21, 2014 to qualify for discounted early entry fee. Make checks payable to Huntsville Chess Club; single check for multiple entries/USCF memberships, please. Send entry form and fees to: Gerald Larson, 2909 Gallalee Road, Huntsville, AL 35801. DO NOT MAIL REGISTRATION TO THE SCHOOL.

PRIZES: Trophies to top ten individuals in Primary & Elementary sections; top four in Jr. High; top three in Open. Trophies to top four teams in Primary & Elementary sections; top two teams in Jr. High; top team in Open.

TEAMS: This is an individual event with secondary team prizes. A "team" is the four highest individual scorers from a school, club, or ACF affiliate. Pairings will be team blind.

CONCESSIONS: Pizza, hot dogs, soda, candy and free coffee!

QUESTIONS: Jim Weiner - jimweiner1@knology.net - (256) 682-3319

Cookie Dash 5K & Fun Run

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

COOKIE DASH 5K & KIDS 1 MILE FUN RUN

April 18^th, 2015 - 8:00 am

Hampton Cove Middle School

Registration opens MARCH 1^ST, 2015 on Active.com

5K limited to 700 runners

NO RACE DAY REGISTRATION

BENEFICIARIES

HCMS/HCES/GSES

Huntsville Drumline

RACE DIRECTOR

Regena Moore

cookiedash5k@gmail.com

http://www.huntsvilletrackclub.org

Community Partner Spotlight

In honor of National Children's Dental Health Month, we are spotlighting all of our Dental Community Partners.

Dr. J. Scott Strickland, DMD

Constant Contact Updates

If you would like to add an email address to the HCES Newsletter and Announcements database, please email HCES PTA Secretary and Newsletter Chairperson Julie MacMurray and include the student's name and grade. We will be happy to make the changes as quickly as possible.