April 12, 2024

HCS Parent Newsletter for 4.12.24

Principal News…

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. 

Continuaremos con Mensajeros semanales los viernes durante todo el año escolar. Todos los mensajeros escolares también se pueden encontrar y traducir a más de 125 idiomas en nuestro muro de noticias.

The students had a great time viewing the Solar Eclipse this past Monday, such a wonderful teachable moment for them to experience.  More importantly, I want to give all of our students a shout out by following all of the safety guidelines that we reviewed, especially keeping their certified solar eclipse viewing glasses on!

Students participating in IAR State Assessment did a really nice job of displaying perseverance and putting forth positive effort.  Next week we have a few grade levels wrapping up, 5th grade will begin the Illinois Science Assessment, and we will begin to administer some makeup sessions for those who missed this week, so please continue to have students well rested the night before and come to school with a fully charged Chromebook and working headphones.

Field Trip Fees: We are making a change to include all field trip fees inside PowerSchool.  If your son/daughter will be attending a grade level field trip with fees assessed, please log into your account and make the payment, under fees.  Additional information will be communicated by your classroom teacher, however this adjustment will continue for future years.  If you require assistance, please notify the office or confirm your PowerSchool account.

Please scroll down to see all of the wonderful offerings and activities that HCS PTO SHARES has planned for the remainder of the school year; including our Music Bingo this upcoming Tuesday at Pal Joeys.  Next year we will be moving to an electronic platform called Membership Toolkit, which will include our directory, fundraising, programs & events and much more. 

It is that time of year again to seek parent feedback pertaining to student learning personalities (learning styles, structure of classrooms, or student-student personalities) for the 2024-2025 school year, but please DO NOT request a specific teacher.  This is not a guarantee, as there are multiple factors which need to be taken into consideration when selecting classroom placement, but we would like to get your input. You can send your preference of learning styles directly to me via email (chris.milka@bps101.net).  We are still monitoring all of our current numbers to determine the specific number of sections at each grade level, as well as which teachers will be instructing at each of the grade levels.  With that being stated, if you have a strong preference about not having your son/daughter loop with their current teacher, please let me know; again it will be taken into consideration and not an absolute.  Please have your parent feedback submitted to me prior to Friday, April 26th, 2024.


IMPORTANT DATES AND CALENDARS:

  • PTO Music Bingo at Pal Joeys: Tuesday, April 16th beginning at 6:30pm
  • HCStorm Art Show: Thursday, April 25th from 6-7:00pm
  • No School, Friday, April 26th 
  • Bike & Roll to School, Wednesday, May 8th
  • Thunder Run, Friday, May 10th
  • Last Day of School. As a reminder, the last official day of school for this school year is Friday, May 24th (if no additional emergency days are used). This one-day extension to our school year is due to the snow day we used on January 23rd.
  • DON’T FORGET TO CLICK ON BACKPACK MAIL AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS NEWSLETTER!

HC STORM SHARES:

  • Want to order a yearbook? Now is the time! Click here to order. The books are $12.00 each. Last day to order is Friday, 4/12/24.
  • 5th GR Track Meet on Wednesday, May 8th! Click here for all of the information. Sign up by April 26th. Questions? Email Mr. Bauman at greg.bauman@bps101.net.
  • Girls Basketball Camps this summer! Click here for all the information. Girls entering 1st grade all the way up to 8th grade can participate! Play with girls all over the district!
  • Storm Stampede. This year’s Storm Stampede (field day) will be on May 22nd. We will be looking for full day and half day volunteers to help run stations. Volunteer sign up information will be communicated in April. Thank you in advance for volunteering your time. This day would not be possible without you! Questions? Please email greg.bauman@bps101.net
  • 4th/5th grade students: HCS Spring Running Club
  • Green Team News.

PTO SHARES:

  • Spring SpiritWear is going on now. Click here to order. Must order by April 22nd.
  • PTO Flower Sale going on now! Click here to order. Flowers and other goodies can be picked up at HCStorm on May 10th between 4-6:00pm.
  • Bingo at Pal Joey’s on Tuesday, April 16 from 6-8:00pm. Come make memories and win fabulous prizes! There is no cost to play, but all food purchases will earn our school 20% back. So show up early to eat and mingle with neighbors and classmates, then settle in for the games to begin promptly at 6:00pm. Hope to see you there!
  • Kane County Cougars welcome HC Storm to the ballpark on Sunday, May 19th! Come and enjoy the game with your family and cheer on our own HC Storm 4th/5th GR Chorus as they sing the national anthem! If you order through this link, you will not only receive discounted tickets and parking, but a portion of your purchase will benefit the HC Storm PTO. The game starts at 1:00pm and Sundays are discounted wristband days for the KidZone inflatables. Be sure to order your tickets by 4/15/24 to guarantee a seat in our designated HC Storm section.
  • Thunder Run is May 10th! Why is the Thunder Run such a big deal? I’m glad you asked! The HC Storm Thunder Run is the largest fundraiser for the school, and your tax-deductible donation will be used to offset the costs of the supporting students and teachers throughout the year. Your donation will help fund field trips, classroom supplies, reading materials, bilingual materials for students, and SO much more! We will also need a number of parent volunteers the day of the run, so keep an eye out for the SignUp Genius link.  To commemorate this event, we will be providing each student and faculty member a special t-shirt, which will be used throughout the year. Do you own a business or know someone who would like to sponsor our shirts? We also need T-shirt sponsors for this event! Get your business name out there on over 400 shirts worn by students and staff. Please email Amanda Fladung (amgentile21@gmail.com) for sponsorship opportunities.
  • PTO President vacancy. Do you have an interest in becoming our next great PTO president? All the current board members will be sticking around next year, making your new job a whole lot easier. Please reach out to Ashley Murtaugh (ashleymurtaugh@gmail.com) with any questions about the position. (Dads are equally welcome to apply!)
  • BoxTop Fundraiser. Have you heard that Box Tops have gone totally digital? No more pesky clipping and saving! Download the app, scan your receipts, and watch the school donations add up. Every eligible product is worth a 10-cent donation to Storm, with bonus offers providing even more.
  • Facebook. What’s Happening at HC Storm Elementary: PTO Updates.

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

  • Batavia Music Buffs. Save the date for two fabulous fundraisers to benefit the Batavia Music Buffs! Saturday, April 20th is our annual Mattress Sale at Batavia High School and Sunday April 21st is our Annual Trivia Night Fundraiser. Tickets will be available in March. Questions? Email vpwaysandmeans@bataviamusicbuffs.org.