Hathaway Happenings - Home
October 14, 2022
Dear Hathaway Families,
Leena's t shirt says it all - Good Vibes Only in our Hathaway community!
This week was filled with good vibes! We greeted picture day with a smile! With hair combed and outfits just right, we completed the schedule right on time!
Parent conferences are in full swing! It is so nice to see families meeting in person to discuss student progress.
We practiced a successful fire drill on one of the unusually warm days of fall! Everyone did a great job!
On Friday we hosted our Flu clinic and the HPTA sponsored the annual Corn Maze fun. Both events were a success!
Please feel free to join us at our HPTA meeting Wednesday evening at 6:00 PM in the library. Our ELA coach and Instructional Systems Coach will be reviewing our Wonders curriculum for the group.
As always, thank you for your partnership in education!
Feinstein Golden Ticket Winner
Student Support
Here is a resource that further explains big emotions and offers suggestions for home and school.
Unity Day
Unity Day was started by PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center in October 2011. It’s the signature event of National Bullying Prevention Month. This is a day when we can come together in one giant, ORANGE message of hope and support.
Please wear your orange on Unity Day, October 19th, to show your support.
Early Release
Press Release
PORTSMOUTH, RI – Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos this morning met with students of every grade level from Portsmouth, Middletown, and Newport to thank them for making holiday cards for Rhode Island military members as part of the 20th Annual Operation Holiday Cheer.
“Of all the gifts we send to service members as part of Operation Holiday Cheer, we consistently hear that the students’ holiday cards are their favorite,” said Lieutenant Governor Matos. “The care that these students have put into their cards will be an important reminder to our troops of our support and honor for them.”
In total, students across all three districts created hundreds of cards, including for the first time Rogers High School. The program was started in 2012 by Ron Rioux, USAF, and Linda Rioux of North Kingtown; in the first year, their grandson James rallied his fifth-grade classmates at Portsmouth Middle School to make 50 cards. In 2016, Linda began working with the Office of the Lieutenant Governor to include the cards in Operation Holiday Cheer. VFW Post 152 North Kingstown sponsors the purchase of cards and materials. In total, over students have made over 8,000 cards over the last decade.
"We are so proud to honor our Veterans every day, but especially at Christmastime through our family's annual 'Christmas Cards for Veterans' event, which bring smiles, comfort and a touch of home to our Veterans locally and those serving away from loved ones at Christmas,” said Linda Rioux. “We hope to continue this wonderful family tradition for many years to come."
“We’re so grateful for the work of Linda, her family, and all of the school staff that make this program possible,” continued Lieutenant Governor Matos.
The Lieutenant Governor offered gratitude to the following school staff who coordinated the program:
- National Honor Society Advisory Amanda Turcotte, Instructional Systems Coach Erin Healey, and Social Studies teacher Joseph Cassady, Portsmouth High School
- LTC Chris Corbett, commandant of cadets, Rogers High School
- Officer Wes Lemar, School Resource Officer, Portsmouth Middle School
- Principal William Niemeyer and school counselor Sarah McCarty, Joseph Gaudet Middle School
- School counselor Nelia Almeida, Hathaway Elementary School
Fun Walk
We are very excited to announce that we will hold our 3rd Annual Hathaway Fun Walk! This event will be our fall fundraiser this year. The Fun Walk will promote healthy choices, encourage school spirit, and raise money for the school!
The Fun Walk will take place on November 1st, so please stay tuned for more details on fundraising and prizes in the coming weeks.
At this time please take a peek at our Fun Walk Letter from our HPTA!
Fun Walk Tshirts
We need your student's t-shirt size for a special Fun Walk t-shirt that will be distributed to each student on the day of the Fun Walk. Please submit your student's t-shirt size by Friday, September 30th.
If you would not like your student to participate in the Hathaway Fun Walk, or you would not like to include your student in online pledging, please opt-out by Friday, September 30th.
If you or anyone you know would like to sponsor the Fun Walk by advertising on the back of the Fun Walk t-shirts, please sign up here by Friday, October 7th. This is a great opportunity to get your business’ name into every Hathaway household and support Hathaway School!
Please reach out to Dana at dmys2105@hotmail.com with any questions.
Planet Aid Bins
Doing some fall cleaning? Swing on by the bins with your items....we earn 5 cents per pound for our Hathaway community! Spread the word and let your friends and family know, too!
HPTA News
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our first meeting! Our next meeting is October 19th at 6:00 PM in the library.
The HPTA needs your help to run the many events we arrange
throughout the year. All volunteers DO need to be VIS
approved. The VIS application form can be found on the
Hathaway website.
The HPTA is once again collecting Clement’s Market receipts.
The receipts can be placed in your child’s folder. We recently received a check for nearly $1,300.00! Thank you to all who turned in their receipts!
HPTA Board
HPTA - Hathaway School Volunteering
Welcome to a new year at Hathaway School! Volunteers in Schools (VIS) is the volunteer program in the Portsmouth schools. We hope that the VIS program will provide you an opportunity to become involved in our schools’ activities. In order to participate in any school activity with children including being a room parent, attending class parties, field trips, volunteering at HPTA events, and in the classroom, the following two steps must be completed and completed EVERY year:
Online Application - Step One:
Found here or online at www.portsmouthschoolsri.org under the ‘For Parents’ tab. Then select ‘Volunteers’ and ‘Volunteers Home Page’ from the drop down menu. On the left, click the link for ‘Google Form.’ This must be completed at the start of each new school year. It will put your name on Hathaway’s Volunteer Master List, alerting the VIS Coordinator that you plan to become a volunteer.
* EVERYONE who wants to volunteer must complete this step, even if you received a Volunteer Authorization Form at orientation or have submitted it already
Volunteer Authorization Form - Step Two:
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’. Please use a paper clip to secure all documents together, no staples, and return to any Portsmouth School Department Office. The form can be found here as well as in the school office and online at www.portsmouthschoolsri.org under the ‘For Parents’ tab. Then select ‘Volunteers’ and ‘Volunteers Home Page’ from the drop down menu. On the left, click the link for ‘VIS Authorization Form’. It can take up to 2-3 weeks to process once you submit the form.
THESE TWO STEPS MUST BE COMPLETED AND APPROVED BEFORE YOU ARE ABLE TO VOLUNTEER IN THE SCHOOL.
Your school VIS & Room Parent coordinator, Marie Stefanowicz, is your liaison with the school. If you have any questions, or any problems as a volunteer, the coordinator is your first point of contact and can be reached at hathawayvis@gmail.com.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.
Abound Parenting Newsletter
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.
Nut Free Facility
Thank you for your support in keeping all of our students safe in our Hathaway community.
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!
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
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
January 27th - Bruins Night, Chorus Sings
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