Comet Connection
Back to School Edition- August 15, 2023
Welcome Back!
EPI Supply Kits
Important Upcoming Dates
August 21- First Day of School for Kindergarten and First Grade Students
August 22- First Day of School for Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Grade Students
September 1- No school
September 4- Labor Day- No School
September 22- Interim Report Day
September 18-29 Scholastic Book Fair (tentative)
School Fees
Arrival and Dismissal Procedures
If you will be picking up your child in the afternoons, you will need to park your car in the visitor parking lot and come to the exterior of door A-3. Designated staff will check your ID and escort your child to the dismissal door.
Electronic Devices
Completing School Forms
We are excited to share that again this school year, completing our required verification forms is now available entirely online. This electronic format replaced the paper forms that we traditionally sent home at the beginning of each school year. Families now use the PowerSchool Parent Portal to access, complete, and submit the Student Information Verification Form and other school forms.
You will receive an email from PowerSchool (noreplyregistration@powerschool.com) this week with directions for how to access, complete, and submit the required forms. While the deadline to submit them is Friday, September 15, please complete the forms prior to attending your student’s fee event or back-to-school open house. Computers will be available at each school’s event to complete the forms if you are unable to update the forms at home (paper forms in Spanish will also be available upon request).
Questions? We recognize that you may have additional questions related to this process and have prepared answers to a few of the most common FAQs:
How do I get started (after receiving the email from PowerSchool)?
- Log in to the PowerSchool Parent Portal
- Select the student you wish to complete a form for along the top
- Select the Student Information Verification Form Icon on the left side for 2023-24
- Agree to the terms and conditions
- Select Begin Forms
Who do I contact if I don’t have a PowerSchool Parent Portal account?
Please contact your school registrar to obtain your unique login information.
What if I can’t remember my login for the PowerSchool Parent Portal?
If you aren’t able to retrieve your login credentials using the “Having trouble signing in?” link on the Sign In page, please contact your school directly for assistance logging in to the Parent Portal.
What if I don’t receive an email from PowerSchool?
Please check your spam or junk folder. If you have still not received an email from PowerSchool, please contact your school registrar.
Do I have to answer all the questions?
No. Some questions, however, are marked as required and must be answered before you can submit your form.
What if I make a mistake?
If you would like to make a change prior to submitting the form, you can either navigate back to the page using the “Previous” and “Next” buttons or if you are on the Review page select the underlined field. If you have already submitted the form, please contact your student’s school registrar so they can make the changes for you.
I’ve completed the form, now what?
Once you have finished entering your information select “Submit.” This will send all of the information you’ve entered to the school. If the system will not let you submit the forms, please make sure that you have answered all required questions.
I have more than one student in HCPS. Do I need to do this for each child?
Yes. This information must be provided for each child. We recommend that you complete and submit one form and then start another. This will allow you to “snap” (or share) selected family information, which saves you time.
I’ve moved and need to change my address in PowerSchool. How do I do that?
Please contact your school registrar to make an appointment to provide your proof of residency. Please note that this must be done in person and information, such as these required forms, will not be available in PowerSchool until the change of address is finalized.
Who do I contact for additional assistance?
Please contact your child’s school registrar for additional assistance.
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We look forward to seeing our students back in school soon and appreciate your assistance with these required forms. Thank you.
Transportation
More information about transportation
Bus Routes
We are in the process of finalizing bus routes for the 2023-24 school year. We expect routes, schedules, and bus assignment information specific to your child to be available in the Parent Portal of PowerSchool starting on Monday, August 14. This will include bus numbers, pickup locations, and pickup times.
Prior to August 14, you can confirm via PowerSchool that your student will be receiving transportation service. You can view this information by following these steps:
- Log in to PowerSchool (review this document for more information on logging in).
- Visit your student’s PowerSchool page.
- Click on transportation on your student’s PowerSchool page (bus icon on the bottom left-hand side).
- My Student Has a Bus Assignment in PowerSchool: This means they are registered for home-to-school pickup and school-to-home dropoff transportation service. Please note that your student’s bus assignment may change prior to August 14. The information in PowerSchool simply confirms whether or not your student has a bus assignment for home-to-school pickup and school-to-home dropoff.
- My Student Does Not Have a Bus Assignment in PowerSchool: Please check again on August 14. After August 14, if your bus assignment is not visible in PowerSchool or on our website, please submit a transportation request by completing this form. As noted on the form, new requests received after August 8 may not be approved and/or processed prior to the start of school.
More information about transportation can be accessed from the following pages:
If you have additional questions, please contact the Transportation Department at 804-365-6520.
Be a Bus Driver!
As you are likely aware, there is currently a nationwide bus driver shortage and we are not immune from this issue. As we continue preparing for the new school year, please know that our entire Transportation Department is working diligently to help our students get to and from school safely and on time. We kindly ask for your continued patience, grace, and kindness – especially in the first few weeks of the school year – as we work to provide you and your family the best service possible despite the challenges we currently face.
If you or someone you know is interested in joining our Transportation Department, please apply via School Jobs.
Meal Prices
Breakfast- $1.75
Breakfast (Reduced)- $1.30
Lunch- $3.30
Reduced Lunch- $0.40
Milk (A La Carte) $0.50
Before the 2023-24 school year begins, please take one of these two steps:
- Complete the free or reduced meals application (steps immediately below).
- Ensure your student has money in their account through LINQ (the new name for Titan, our vendor). Here is an FAQ document for the LINQ portal. Please note that money from your student’s account last year transfers to this school year.
To complete the free or reduced meal application, please follow these steps:
- Review the qualifications.
- Complete the application. Again, here is an FAQ document to help with the LINQ portal. Please note that paper copies of the application are available at your student’s school as well. If you need any assistance during this process, please contact the School Nutrition Department at 804-365-4566.
Meal prices for the coming school year are available on our website. As mentioned above, we will continue to utilize LINQ for prepaid meal accounts and à la carte items, to allow you to find our menus, make payments toward your students account, and more. If you wish to send cash or checks with your student, we will continue to accept those in the cafeteria as well. Please note that to find your school’s menu, simply open LINQ, search for Hanover County Public Schools under District Name, and select your child’s school.
Our entire School Nutrition Team looks forward to serving our students again this school year. We greatly appreciate your support.
Lunch Visits
We look forward to welcoming our parents and guardians for lunch this year beginning the week of September 11th. Please allow us the first few weeks to establish routines and procedures with our students in the cafeteria. All visitors must check in at the office with a valid ID to receive a visitor pass. We will have designated tables directly on the outside of the cafeteria for parents to eat with their children. Friends or other classmates are not allowed to join outside guests for lunch. If relatives other than parents/guardians such as grandparents, wish to eat lunch with students, parents must send a signed note in to school. A photo ID is required for all guests visiting our cafeteria and classrooms. More guidelines about lunch visits.
Watch D.O.G.S. are back- September 11th!!!
Attendance Matters
School Hours- 8:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Attendance Reminders
When your child is absent, we must receive communication within three days of the absence for it to be recorded as "excused." Absences that are not substantiated by a note or phone call to the office within three days of the absence will remain "unexcused."
- At 5 unexcused absences, you will be contacted to develop an attendance plan to resolve attendance concerns
- At 7 unexcused absences, an attendance conference will be held to discuss continued attendance concerns
- If attendance does not improve, a referral may be made to School Social Work Services for additional support
Tardy Students:
Parents, please remember that if your child is late (after 8:00 a.m.) you will need to come into the office to sign them in on the designated form. Your child will receive a tardy pass which they will give to their teacher upon arrival to class.
Change in Dismissal
Early Dismissal for Appointments
If your child has a medicl appointment that requires and early dismissalm please send a note to make your child's teacher and the office aware of the change. Parents who wish to pick their children up prior to the regular dismissal time, should do so before 2:00 p.m.
Volunteers
PTA Officers 2023-2024
President - Jana Howell
Vice President - Cameron Cole
Treasurer- Cheron Smalls
Secretary - Dominique Robertson
PTA Membership and Volunteer Opportunities
PTA Membership:
Welcome back families of Kersey Creek Elementary School! We are thrilled to start another year and get back into the business of helping our kids with excellence. The PTA is excited to get this year started - let's do it with memberships!
Membership form: https://forms.gle/3RE2rTKhjVnYHXjq8
PTA Volunteer Opportunities:
We are excited for your interest in supporting the Kersey Creek Elementary School PTA. The PTA runs on volunteer power! Please take a moment to complete the form and let us know how you might be interested in helping out this year. There are a variety of opportunities to be involved.
Volunteer form: https://forms.gle/hj8cQJwASv665dS77
The House System
House Sorting
All kindergarten and new students will be sorted into their Houses in September.
House Pep Rallies/Unity Days
We will have a school-wide Pep Rally/Unity Day each quarter where we will highlight and celebrate one of our six Houses. Students will also have an opportunity to interact and participate in engaging activities with students in their House.
Other Documents
(please be reminded to use transportation notes to communicate changes with your child's dismissal plan)
Kersey Creek Elementary
Email: mtownes@hcps.us
Website: https://hanoverkces.ss12.sharpschool.com/
Location: 10004 Learning Lane, Mechanicsville, VA, USA
Phone: (804) 723-3440