Parent Orientation
About HHES
A Day In a Life at HHES
You will receive regular communication from your teacher and/or the Room Parent. Your teacher is your first stop for all school questions or concerns. Please communicate with your teacher first. He or she will provide you with contact information tonight. Should any question or concern arise, please reach out to your teacher and schedule an in-person meeting during their planning period (during Specials) or before/after school. To get to the classroom, please enter through the Front Office, sign in at the computer station, and ask for directions to your destination.
Transportation
Arrival is from 7:15 am to 7:45 am! Prioritize a timely arrival at school to avoid being tardy. Students may proceed directly to breakfast or their classroom upon arrival. If students are not in the building by 7:45, they will be considered tardy. It doesn’t matter if they are in the parking lot or on Briarcliff in traffic.
If kids eat breakfast at school, they will come to the cafeteria for breakfast. Breakfast ends at 7:45 a.m. If your child would like breakfast, please arrive on time.
The MAGIC Time - 1:30 PM
- Deadline to change afternoon transportation
- Deadline to check child out of school - Bring your ID
How do I make sure that a transportation change is made?
- Contact the front office by emailing: Laura.Miller@atlanta.k12.ga.us
- Call 404-802-7450
Travel Tips:
- Get to the bus stop 15 minutes earlier for the first month for A.M. pickup & P.M. drop-off.
- Parents/Guardians are never allowed to get on a school bus.
- Any issues, feel free to ask the bus driver and let us know.
Where will my student enter/exit the building?
Car Riders – Back of parking lot, rear of building. Staff will be present to get children out of their cars.
Bus Riders and Walkers (AM only) – Irwin Street Door. Staff will be present to assist students into the building.
Walkers (PM only) entrance.– Front of the school, Boulevard
Parents are allowed to walk their child to class from 7:15 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. At 7:30 a.m., all visitors must exit the building.
What if my child forgets something at home?
You can drop it off in the front office, and we will make sure your child receives it.
Bus Information
By the first day of school, APS will have bus routes including stops and times, available on its website. We encourage all students to ride the bus. However, if you choose to walk, please cross Briarcliff and Ponce in designated areas.
Bus Rules
- Remain Seated
- Keep Hand to Yourself
- Use Indoor Voice
- No Eating on the Bus
- Obey the Bus Driver
Bus Safety Rules
- Be on time.
- Never run to or from the bus.
- Stand back from the curb.
- Don't push or shove.
- Stay in your seat.
- Don't yell or shout.
- Always obey the driver.
- Wait for the driver's signal before crossing.
- Always cross at least 10 feet in front of the bus.
Birthday Celebrations
We will hold monthly celebrations at recess, which can be coordinated with the classroom teacher. These celebrations will include only store-bought cupcakes and a small non-food treat.
Birthday lunch with a parent
A parent can have lunch with their child at a specific table or outside at picnic tables, weather permitting.
Officer Wilbourne
Role and Responsibility
- To serve and protect - REAL Officer of the Law
- Increase feelings of safety among students, teachers, and administrators
- Improve relationships between law enforcement and youth
- Legal Traffic Device while directing traffic
- MUST OBEY HER COMMANDS during this time
- The administration can not overturn any citations received
Communication
- Teacher needs to be the first point of contact for any concerns.
- Teachers are expected to reply within 24 hours (during business hours).
- If the concern is not addressed promptly, please contact Mrs. McCrary or Ms. Knight for guidance.
- Do not wait until May to share concerns. We want your child to have a wonderful experience at HHES.
We can’t support if we don’t know.
How do I arrange a conference with a teacher?
- Your child’s teacher is your first line of communication at HHES.
- Teachers will schedule 1 conference in the Fall, and 1 in the Spring. If you would like additional time to meet, reach out to the teacher.
On-Site After School Daycare & Clubs/Organizations
- On-Site at HHES Campus
- The Club After School is open from 2:45 pm to 6:00 pm daily.
- Monthly Fee with easy setup!
- Income-based fees
- Start at the end of August
Clubs & Organizations
- Creative Movement & Dance
- Artz for the Harp
- Soccer
- Basketball
- Kids’ TV Production
- Karate
- Tennis
- Engineering for Kids
- Chess
Dress Code
- Dress for the weather
- Ensure things are labeled in case of students losing the item(s)
- Shoes that allow students to move throughout the building and go safely from activities like daily recess and PE.
- If you need support with items, please let Ms. McGee know.
- Lost and Found will be emptied every quarter
- NO flip flops
Health
- Fever. Any temperature of 100.4° Fahrenheit (38° Centigrade) is a fever, and children shouldn’t go to school with fevers. Not only are fevers a sign of some infection, but they also usually mean that they are shedding germs right and left. There’s just no way you can know whether things will get better or worse — and while giving them medicine might bring the fever down, it won’t stop them from being contagious.
- Vomiting or diarrhea. It’s unfair all around — to the child and the school or daycare — to send a child with vomiting or diarrhea, no matter how well they might look to you. The same 20-24-hour rule applies, although it’s advisable to check with your doctor for personalized advice. Some viruses, such as norovirus, can be contagious for an extra day or so. You do not want to be the parent responsible for an outbreak of norovirus at your school or daycare.
- Bad pain. If your child has a sore knee or a mild headache but is otherwise acting okay, it’s likely fine to give some medicine and send them off. However, if the pain is anything more than mild, refrain from doing it. Pain is always something you want to keep an eye on. Keep them home and call your doctor instead.
- Coughing that won’t stop — or anything different about your child’s breathing. If we kept every child with a cold home during the winter months, there would be a lot of empty classrooms. But a terrible cough not only makes it hard for a child to learn or play, it also warrants a call to the doctor, as does breathing that sounds or looks different from usual.
Students Absences
If you know your child will be absent, please notify your teacher by sending a note or email.
Excused Absences: (though excused, these still count against the school attendance rate)
- Illness
- Death in the family
- Doctor’s Appointments
Unexcused Absences:
- Vacation
- Grandma/grandpa/family visiting
- Birthdays
Our goal is for students to have fewer than six absences for the school year. We had 89% of all HHES students last year with six or fewer absences.
Lunch
Individual student schedules will be sent home with your child’s lunchtime.
Breakfast & Lunch will be eaten in the cafeteria!
Lunch from Home
Please ensure that you do not send food that requires warming up. Microwaves are not available. If you use Tupperware, it should open easily. No fast food, large bags of chips, soda, or candy are allowed.
- Please do not send Uber Eats, DoorDash, or Grubhub to HHES!
- Parents are not allowed to have lunch with students in the cafeteria.
Food Allergies
To do:
- Please complete a clinic card for your child.
- Update this information yearly or if something changes.
- If there is an allergy, you must do a 504 meeting to ensure the staff is informed and trained.
- Lunch staff will also monitor food on a student’s tray.
- Let your child’s teacher and school nurse know. Complete the Hope-Hill Medical Form. You can even mention it to other support team members, such as bus drivers, Cafeteria Staff, and Administrators.
- If your child has an Epinephrine Pen, please provide an EpiPen to the school. The EpiPen will be housed with the school nurse. Ensure that everyone is adequately trained on how to use it.
- Volunteer at school during parties or class field trips. Stay in frequent contact with your child’s teacher and “Room Parent”. (A room parent is someone who volunteers to help the teacher organize/set up parties, etc.)
- Involve your kid - Be sure to read books with your child about food allergies. Help them practice by speaking up and reminding others about their food allergies. Older children can read food labels. Teach your children to speak up and advocate for themselves.
- Pack safe meals and snacks.
Did You Know?
- 8% of students are affected by food allergies, and the incidence is increasing.
- 1 of 5 students with food allergies will react while at school.
- 25% of severe food allergy reactions at school happen to students with no previous known food allergy.
Volunteers
We love our volunteers!
Every year, ALL volunteers are required to complete a new Level 2 form and provide a photocopy of ID.
Level 3 forms will need to be completed and turned into Atlanta Public Schools for parents who go on field trips with students. This also means that you will need to go through a district background check.
Takara McGee, Parent Liaison, will coordinate all school volunteers. Contact Info: Takara.Mcgee@atlanta.k12.ga.us
Please sign in & out at the Front Office.