Hathaway Happenings - Home
January 20, 2023
A Mr. Moy Visit!
Wellness Wednesday!
Successful District Instructional Rounds!
Parent Conferences
Help Your Children Become Stronger Readers!
In case you missed this exciting information about an incredible resource to strengthen literacy at home, check out this inspiring presentation. Did we mention it is free this year to all Hathaway families? Easy to download, fun to use!
Abound Parenting Newsletter
From the Nurse
Is it COVID-19, the flu, RSV or a common cold?
Let's look at the viruses that cause four common childhood illnesses—COVID-19, flu, the common cold and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
All of them share some similar symptoms. This can make it hard to tell them apart. Here are some clues that help your pediatrician figure out what kind of respiratory illness is making your child sick.
COVID-19 symptoms include fever, cough, fatigue, congestion, shortness of breath, sore throat, headache, sneezing, vomiting/diarrhea, or loss of taste/smell. COVID-19 symptoms can appear 2 to 14 days after infection.
Flu symptoms include fever, cough, fatigue, stuffy nose, shortness of breath, sore throat, headache. Symptoms show up about 1 to 4 days after being exposed to a sick person. The infection can cause pneumonia.
RSV can cause a fever, cough, fatigue, stuffy nose, shortness of breath, sneezing, fast/short breaths, flaring nostrils, wheezing and grunting, poor feeding/no appetite, and head bobbing or chest caving in between and under ribs with each breath. Symptoms of RSV usually are worst on days 3 through 5 and last about 5 to 7 days. The infection causes a cold, which may be followed by bronchiolitis or pneumonia. RSV is common in late fall through early spring. In 2021, however, the pandemic caused a strange thing to happen. The number of RSV infections and hospital rates went up in summer 2021 instead. Nearly all children get RSV by their second birthday.
Common cold symptoms may include fever, cough, fatigue, stuffy nose, sore throat, sneezing. Colds are upper respiratory infections that can be caused by many viruses. A few common cold viruses are rhinovirus, adenovirus, human coronavirus, human parainfluenza virus, human metapneumovirus and RSV. Healthy children get about 6 colds a year.
More From the Nurse
With the cold comes winter hats and coats and also something we all dread…. LICE!
Hathaway has not been excluded from these awful pests and we have had several cases this year. I wanted to clarify the policy on lice as many of you have had questions! While lice is a tremendous nuisance, the CDC does NOT require children to be removed from class for having lice, nor do they require head checks of students in classes that have been exposed to lice. It is also stated that notifying families of exposure is not necessary. At Hathaway, as a courtesy, I will notify classrooms who have been affected with a letter. It is strongly encouraged to check your child for lice as well.
For more information please click on CDC regulations below. Thank you!
Food Pantry
Reminder
Thank you in advance for your support in helping to keep our bus ride a safe one.
Dressing for Recess
Check Our Planet Aid Bin!
HPTA News
Hello Hathaway families!
Thank you to all that joined us at our last meeting. The HPTA values your ideas and support.
We are busy planning for the 10th annual Springabaloo which is going to be held on March 25, from 6:30 - 10:30 at the Glen Manor House. We are hoping to have invitations out in the beginning of February. There will be an “early bird” rate for those who purchase tickets early. If anyone wants to contribute a donation to Springabaloo, please contact the Springabaloo committee at springabaloo@gmail.com.
A big thank you for sending in your Clements receipts. As of this week, we have
received a total of $200,000 in receipts. In turn, Clements is gracious enough to give us
a check for $2000.
Make sure to check out the brand-new GIGANTIC fish tank located in the lobby! Thanks
to the continued support from the Hathaway community, the HPTA was able to
purchase the tank. Many thanks to Chris Carruba for setting it up!
Tickets can still be purchased for the PBruins night on January 27. Go and watch the
Hathaway chorus perform on the ice!
The HPTA will not be having a meeting in the month of February. If possible, we ask
that you attend the school committee meeting on February 15th at 7:00 PM being held at town hall, where Hathaway Unified Arts will be featured.
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@portsmouthschoolsri.orgSchool 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.
It's Baseball Season Soon!
Good Afternoon Portsmouth Families,
We are excited to say that our 2023 Spring Baseball and Softball registration is now open. We have a lot of exciting things going on with the league and hope you will register early. We are still offering our family cap, sibling discount and military discounts. Early Bird registration discount will be in place until January 31st. Registration will remain open for Minors, Majors and Seniors through March 11th. Tee ball, Coach Pitch and Machine Pitch registration will be open until March 31st. These dates are to provide us with the proper amount of time to secure uniforms and other needed equipment before the season opens. We are adding a Senior division in Baseball this year (ages 13 to 16) to the league. Please check out the website at www.portsmouthll.org often as we will be updating it with new and exciting information. If you have any questions please feel free to reach out and have a safe and happy holiday season.
Thank You,
PLL Board of Directors
Portsmouth Pirates
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
January 30th - 4H Music Recital, 2:30 PM, Cafeteria
February 13th - 17th - Parent Conferences
February 15th - School Committee Meeting at Portsmouth Town Hall, 7:00 PM
March 15th - HPTA Meeting, 6:00 PM, Library
April 19th - HPTA Meeting, 6:00 PM, Library
April 26th - Grade 3 Chorus Concert, Cafeteria, 3:30 PM
May 17th - HPTA Meeting, 6:00 PM, Library
May 22nd - KW Musical Review, 9:15 AM
May 23rd - KB Musical Review, 9:15 AM
May 24th - KG Musical Review, 2:30 PM
May 25th - KS Musical Review, 9:15 AM
June 8th - Tentative Field Day
June 9th - Tentative Rain Date for Field Day
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