Hathaway Happenings - Home
August 26, 2022
Dear Hathaway Families,
We hope that you have enjoyed the summer days! Thank you for all of the "just ducky" photos that have been shared. We love seeing your adventures!
Thank you to our HPTA for an amazing Movie Night on Wednesday evening! Check out the photos below.
Kindergarten and New Student Orientations will be taking place on Tuesday, August 30th.
New Student: 11:00-12:00
Kindergarten: 1:00-2:00
Both events will include a scavenger hunt for students and their parents/guardians. Hathaway will not be running buses on this day. Separate emails with details about the event have been emailed to all families. Please note: Kindergarteners will be receiving their chromebooks on this day.
The first full day of school for all students will be on Wednesday, August 31st.
If your child is a pick up you should have received the emails regarding obtaining a placard. If you do not have the placard on day one, we will politely ask you to move to the end of the pick up line so we can complete that process properly. We thank you in advance for helping us to ensure safety in our Hathaway community.
Class placement letters were mailed out on Thursday. Students will know their teacher prior to the orientation events and the first day of school.
Bus routes have been posted on the district and the Hathaway webpage.
We have some staffing changes in our Hathaway community.
School Nurse Teacher - Welcome to Nurse Krissy Habershaw!
School Nurse Teacher Assistant - Welcome to Mrs. Kim Toro!
PE/Health/APE - Welcome to Mr. Mark Souza!
Intensive Special Educator - Congratulations to Ms. Victoria Travis!
Special Educator, Grade 3 - Welcome to Mrs. Lizzy Ferris!
Grade 3 - Welcome to Ms. Elizabeth Hoey
Behavior Interventionist - Welcome to Ms. Stephanie D'Annolfo
In addition we have 2 RBTs, a Building Substitute, and a GSA position still open.
Happy New School Year!
Lisa Little
Join Us!
School Meals Program
School meals are no longer free to all students for the 2022-2023 school year. Breakfast, lunch, and milk are available to purchase for all Hathaway School students. Students order lunch each morning through their teacher that day. Breakfast can be picked up by students in the cafeteria as they arrive at school.
Full price Breakfast is $1.00 and Lunch is $2.60. If your family qualifies for reduced prices, breakfast is $ 0.30 and lunch is $0.40. Milk is offered for $0.55 as a stand alone item.
Please apply for free or reduced lunch online by visiting this site: https://www.myschoolapps.com. Or, paper applications will be sent home the first week of school.
Payment for breakfast, lunch and/or milk can be made online at www.myschoolbucks.com. A student LASID number will be needed to create and make payments online using your “My School Bucks” account. Here is how you can access your student’s LASID number in ASPEN:
Payment can also be made by sending cash or a check in an envelope to school labeled with your student’s name, teacher’s name, LASID number and amount included. If paying by check, please make it payable to Portsmouth School Department with your child’s LASID number noted on the memo line. Send a separate check for each child in your family as payments cannot be split between accounts. KEEPING YOUR BALANCE PAID IN FULL IS VERY IMPORTANT.
Please refer to the family portal navigation below to access your child's LASID number.
Important Chromebook Information
Grade 3 Chromebooks
Dear 3rd Grade Parents and Guardians,
We are excited to announce that all students in grade 3 will be receiving brand new Chromebooks this year! The IT department was able to secure a grant that allowed us to purchase a new model of Chromebooks that are more reliable, faster, and more durable. These Chromebooks will come with new chargers (since the old model required a different type of charger). Students will need to return their old Chromebooks and chargers to receive the new model.
Grade 3 students will exchange their current Chromebooks AND chargers on Thursday, September 1st.
Thank you so much for your time and cooperation.
Abound Parenting
HPTA News
Becoming a Volunteer in School
Visit the district volunteer page for information if you would like to become VIS approved to volunteer in school.
Google Form to register. It will put your name on Hathaway’s Volunteer Master List, alerting the VIS Coordinator that you plan to become a volunteer.
VIS Authorization Form: A background check must be completed annually, by law in Rhode Island. You must fill out the authorization form for the background check and have it notarized. It also needs to include a copy of the front and back of your driver’s license, and a $5 check made out to ‘BCI.’ This form can be turned in at the school’s main office or at the school department building.
HPTA Board
A Letter From the HPTA
Dear Hathaway Families,
We hope the end of the school year is seeing you well and you are excited for a fun summer ahead! Though it may seem a bit early, the HPTA has been busy preparing for next year's events. The earlier we plan, the better these events will be for all. That being said, it is imperative that we have a better showing of family volunteers to help run these events. Each HPTA Board member has agreed to coordinate an event but will need help in doing so. This does not mean countless hours of your time. What it does mean is a chance for you to visit your child’s school, to meet staff members and to have fun working with all the great Hathaway students, which is a very fulfilling experience. We do not want these events to be intimidating to families and deter people from volunteering. We feel as a group that better explanations of the events will ease minds which will hopefully lead to more volunteer involvement. Listed below are the many events the HPTA run with a detailed description of each. Our first HPTA meeting is September 21st at 6:00pm in the library. We would love to see you there! It is a chance for families to meet the board, get a better understanding of the work put in, and speak your voice. The HPTA CANNOT run these events without more help from families.
Summer Movie Night (tentative week of August 24): Movie to be shown outside on school grounds. Volunteers would need to identify a sponsor if needed, help with set up and break down.
Teacher / Staff Welcome Back Breakfast (September 8th ): Volunteers needed with breakfast ideas and prep, setup and cleanup.
Ice Cream Social / Open House (September 8th): A chance for families to enjoy some ice cream while meeting their new teacher for the year. Volunteers would be needed to get the ice cream, set up, serve ice cream, and clean up.
Escobar’s Corn Maze (September 30th or October 14th): Families have fun finding their way from start to finish in the corn maze. Snacks available for purchase from the farm along with wagon rides. A fun time for all! Volunteers needed to make a flyer and get it out to families – all printing can be done at the school. Also needed are a couple people to collect cash during the event.
Fun Walk (during the week of October 17th or 24th): This is one of the biggest fundraising events put on by the HPTA. Funds are raised via donations from family and friends. Students all receive a t-shirt free of charge to the student. As a school, students and staff walk around the block to promote healthy living. An aerial photo is usually taken at the end of the walk of the entire school. Volunteers are needed to find sponsors to cover the cost of the tee shirts (sponsor names will be listed on the back), along with getting flyers and emails out to families asking for donations.
Scholastic Book Fair (November 7th-11th): Students can choose from an array of books which can be purchased at a discounted price. Volunteers needed to coordinate with Scholastics rep, set up their inventory, assisting students when choosing a book, collecting funds, getting flyers / emails out.
Hullabaloo (December 3rd): This is one of the student’s favorite events of the year. It is a chance for them to do their holiday shopping, while being escorted by an expert elf assistant. Gifts are wrapped on site so no surprises are given away! If interested, students can visit with Santa, have some hot chocolate and listen to an array of holiday music. Volunteers will be needed to coordinate with the gift shop, help with organizing set/clean up and running the event.
Providence Bruins Night (January): A night out to see the Providence Bruins play. Tickets are at a discounted rate and a portion of the proceeds are returned to Hathaway. Volunteers needed to contact P-Bruins and get flyers/emails out informing of the event. This is a very easy task for one volunteer as the P-Bruins make the flyer for us and all tickets are purchased on the website!
Book Swap (January or February): The Hathaway students LOVE the book swap. Books are donated by students and then organized per grade to be chosen by another classmate. Volunteers needed to inform families via flyer / email, collect books, organize books, set up, run, and clean up event.
Springabaloo (March or April): This is another major fundraiser the HPTA hosts. A chance for parents to enjoy a night out. A silent / live auction is held at the Glen Manor House. Appetizers and beverages are served free of charge. Numerous items are available for bidding on. A fun night for all! Volunteers needed to find donated items, decorations, flyers / emails, organization of items donated, finding an auctioneer, setting up, working event, and cleaning up.
Staff Appreciation Week (May 8th – 12th): This is a chance for the Hathaway community to show our teachers and staff how much we appreciate them. Throughout the week the staff is showered with different treats. Treats in the past have consisted of snacks, small gifts, letters from students, students dress like their teacher, coffee and muffins, and a staff luncheon. This is all made possible by the generous donation from families. Volunteers will be needed to notify families (flyers/emails), coordinating the weeks schedule, purchasing items, delivering items, and organizing the luncheon.
Outdoor Movie Night (Spring): Same event as the one held in August.
Field Day (end of the year): This may be the student’s favorite day of the year where they enjoy an array of outdoor activities including a bouncy house, obstacle courses and numerous races. At the end of the day students enjoy a refreshing treat. Volunteers are needed to help organize the event, coordinate with inflatables, set up, work, and clean up the event. This day is a lot of fun… all smiles!
4th Grade Celebration (end of the year): This event is very similar to Field Day but just for the 4th graders. In past years the two events have been combined which we are thinking of doing again. The 4th graders get to run a lot of the events, which they have always loved. That being said, they still get to take part in their own fun. We will incorporate something special that will just be for the 4th Graders – possibly their own movie night – still to be determined, but we could use input! Volunteers will be needed to organize, set up, run, and clean up event.
As you can see, there is a lot that the HPTA organizes for our community. We hope this explains the different events a bit better and shows the importance of the need for volunteers. We need more Hathaway family members to volunteer and attend HPTA meetings! Without volunteers, there is a chance we will cut down on events. All events are discussed at our meetings. The meetings generally last 1-1.5 hours and are very laid back. Please join us June 8th. Our next meeting we will introduce the 2022/2023 Board and discuss the events being held. We hope to see you there!
As always, if there are any questions, feel free to email us. We thank you for your continued support!
HPTA Board
Nut Free Facility
Thank you for your support in keeping all of our students safe in our Hathaway community.
Interested in Serving on A Committee?
***If we have a high number of volunteers for a committee, then we will randomly select parent representation.
Interested in Scouting?
Do you like hiking, camping, learning new skills and knowledge, or doing fun activities with kids your own age? If you answered YES, then scouting may be for you!
Portsmouth’s Cub Scout Pack 1 and Scouts BSA Troop 1 are always looking for new boys and girls that are interested in Cub Scouts or Boy Scouts. Students entering grades K thru 5th in the fall are eligible to join cub scouting, while those who are 11 years or older are eligible to join boy scouting. Currently Cub Scouts meet at the church hall at St. Barnabas on Thursday evenings at 6 pm, while the boy scouts meet at The Portuguese American Citizens Club on Power St, on Tuesdays at 6:30pm. You do not need to live in Portsmouth to join, but you are welcome. There may be a pack or troop closer to you that is more convenient.
Questions on cub scouting please contact Amy Nicodemus at beachgirl627@hotmail.com or for boy scouting Steve Benner at bennersm@cox.net .
Securly Home
Securly Home is an app that allows parents to monitor their child’s Chromebook activity at home and add rules for home use. Please take some time to review the slideshow and recording of the parent meeting that took place on 9/16.
We encourage you to sign up now for Securly Home!
Hathaway Notification Form
Please complete the Hathaway Notification Form.
Thank you in advance for helping us to keep things organized and safe in our Hathaway community.
Accessing Aspen
If you are having issues accessing Aspen, you will have to email familyportal@portsmouthschoolsri.org with your child's name, date of birth, grade level, and your name. The system administrators will be able to restore access to your account and make sure that you can login.
Where Can I Find Past Parent Newsletters?
Important Dates
Important Dates
2022-2023
August 30th - K Orientation, 1:00 - 2:00 PM
August 30th - New Student Orientation 11:00 - 12:00 PM
August 31st - FIrst Day of School for All Students
September 5th - Labor Day
September 8th - HPTA Ice Cream Social, 6:00 PM
September 8th - Open House, 5:30 - 7:00 PM
September 13th - Staff PD Day, No School for Students
September 21st - HPTA Meeting, 6:00 PM, Library
October 5th - Yom Kippur - No School
October 10th - Columbus Day - No School
October 12th - School Picture Day
October 19th - Early Release for Students/PD for Staff
October 19th - HPTA Meeting, 6:00 PM, Library
November 1st - Fun Walk
November 8th - Staff PD Day/No School
November 11th - Veterans' Day/No School
November 16th - HPTA Meeting, 6:00 PM, Library
November 21st - School Picture Make Up Day
November 23rd-November 25th - Thanksgiving Recess/No School
December 14th - Early Release for Students/PD for Staff
December 15th - HPTA Meeting, 6:00 PM, Library
December 23rd - December 31st - Holiday Recess/No School
January 18th - HPTA Meeting, 6:00 PM, Library
February 15th - HPTA Meeting, 6:00 PM, Library
March 15th - HPTA Meeting, 6:00 PM, Library
April 19th - HPTA Meeting, 6:00 PM, Library
May 17th - HPTA Meeting, 6:00 PM, Library
June 14th - HPTA Meeting, 6:00 PM, Library
Howard Hathaway Elementary School
Email: littlel@portsmouthschoolsri.org
Website: https://www.portsmouthschoolsri.org/Domain/10
Location: 53 Tallman Avenue, Portsmouth, RI, USA
Phone: (401)683-0500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hathaway.principal/
Twitter: @HathawaySchool