We have exciting news from the Huntsville Council of PTAs! Hampton Cove Elementary won the 2014-2015 HCPTA elementary division award for Supporting Student Success - one of the six PTA family partnership awards. Last year, we won this award at the state level, so it's great that we have won this year at the local level.  Highlights of our application this year include our Reading Fair, support of our library through book fairs and volunteers, and our after-school enrichment programs. Please click here to view the application's text.

Please mark your calendar for Tuesday, April 21!  We will "Celebrate the Arts." This will be our final PTA General Membership Meeting for the school year. Please come see your children's artwork in a wonderful art gallery that Ms. Jehanna Branch is preparing and see the 4th and 5th grade choir sing, along with a performance by the Fantasy Playhouse Theatre Club. Students from the Valley Conservatory Music Club will also perform beginning at 5:15 pm, and the program will start at 6:00 pm.

We will also elect new PTA board officers for the 2015-2016 school year at the April 21 PTA Meeting.  If you might be interested or know someone who you think would be interested in serving on the board, please contact Karen Woodington.  All positions currently have commitments, however, we will certainly consider other nominations for the positions below. Also, we have a one-year commitment on the After-School Enrichment position, but would ideally like someone to volunteer for two years in that position.  Thanks again to our Nomination Committee: Lori Cribbet, Amy George, Christina Guyette, Cindi Williamson, and Karen Woodington.  

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)  

The beautiful weather has finally arrived. I hope you were able to get some rest and relaxation over the break and enjoy time with your family. March was an exciting month full of learning and fun. The month of April will follow suit.

This month our first grade Parade of Readers comes to a close. Our first grade hall is raining with links from our students and I am so proud of their hard work and love of reading. Thank you to all of our guest readers who inspire our students. Congrats to all of our first graders and their families for the thousands of books you have read!  

Beginning April 1^st, Hampton Cove Elementary will conduct the PreK application process. As you may know, the application process is different this year than in the past. The district has created an on-line application process that opens April 1^st at 8:00 a.m. and closes April 3^rd at 5:00 p.m. Please note this is different from INFOSNAP. Once applications are submitted, a letter will be sent to the home address of the first group of students placed in the class by Friday, April 17th. There will be priorities given only to families that fall in a certain income level. Once the original group of students is placed on the homeroom list, all other applicants will go on the waiting list. From this list, the district will screen applicants for our Kid Skills class. As soon as the district notifies the school, we will send home a letter regarding your child's provisional acceptance to our Kid Skills class and additional steps parents and guardians will need to follow. Please refer to the district website under PreK for additional information.

Following PreK registration, our kindergarten registration will open on April 7^th. Parents and guardians will need to complete registration through INFOSNAP, our on-line registration system. You may access the link through our school or district website. Once registration is complete, parents must bring the following documents: birth certificate, 2 proofs of residency, original blue immunization card, and social security card (optional). In addition, Hampton Cove Elementary will host a "K for a Day" for all incoming kindergarteners. The event will take place on Thursday, April 30^th. There will be a morning and afternoon session. Once the on-line registration and documents are in hand, your child will be officially registered for kindergarten and we will provide you with a time for our "K for a Day". We look forward to meeting the new faces of HCES!  

In addition to registration, our students will participate in their final STAR Reading and Math assessments. This will take place the week of April 13^th and will show the growth your child has made from August until now. We see their growth daily, but this data confirms how hard the students have worked and the learning that has taken place across the year.  

In April we will also host our final PTA meeting. The theme will be centered on the Arts. Student work will be showcased and several performances will take place including work from our Drama Club, Music Club, and fourth and fifth grade choir. We will also open our Entertainment Technology Academy classroom for tours. We hope you can join us for this fun event. In addition to the PTA Arts Night, our fifth graders will celebrate their school year with the Annual Sock Hop. The event will be held in the school cafeteria on Tuesday, April 28^th and is for fifth grade students only. Please look for additional information to follow from our Sock Hop chairs.

Finally in April we celebrate our teachers for the amazing work they do. Monday, April 20^th will begin our Teacher Appreciation Week. Their dedication to the field is inspiring. They arrive early, work late, and work on weekends all with a smile on their face. They truly love our students and epitomize our mission of Honor, Character, Excellence, & Success. Without their dedication, passion, and work ethic, Hampton Cove Elementary would not be one of the best schools in the nation.  Thank you HCES faculty!     

Important Dates:

April 1^st - 3^rd:                    PreK Application Process

April 3^rd:                           Parade of Readers Ends

April 6^th - 10^th:                  5^th Grade Space Camp!

April 7^th:                           Kindergarten Registration Opens

April 13^th - 17^th:               STAR Reading and Math Assessment Window

April 15^th:                         Fourth Quarter Progress Reports

April 21^st:                         PTA Arts Night

April 27^th - 29^th:                4^th Grade Nature's Classroom Trip

April 28^th:                         5^th Grade Sock Hop

April 30^th:                         K for a Day Event

May 1^st:                            Volunteer Appreciation Celebration

As always, please let me know if you have any questions or if I can assist you in any way. You may reach me by e-mail at autumn.bray@hsv-k12.org or by phone at 256.428.7180.