From the desk of Hamilton Heights Superintendent Dr. Derek Arrowood

Update No. 131

I hope that you are enjoying a wonderful summer! We have been busy in the district preparing for the new school year which starts on Tuesday, Aug. 6 – less than a month away!

Hamilton Heights Elementary School is in the process of preparing to become an Indiana Purple Star School. This designation honors schools that have displayed a significant commitment to service members, veterans, and students and families connected to our nation’s military. It also lets military parents know, whether they are on Active Duty, in the National Guard, Reserves, or no longer actively serving, that a school is dedicated to helping their child gain the educational skills necessary to be college-, work- and life-ready. It additionally indicates that a school supports the social and emotional wellbeing of military kids adjusting to new schools and the absence of a parent during deployment.

To help us join the distinguished ranks of Indiana schools recognized as Purple Star Schools, we need input from our military parents. If you are serving in the military and work at Heights or have children attending Heights, click here to complete the short questionnaire. Thank you for your time and assistance with this endeavor.

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I am pleased to share Hamilton Heights Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2024 honorees who include Tony Cook (’69), Hamilton Heights’ Undefeated Football Team (’70), Tracey (Money) Million (’88), Zack Bardonner (’98), and Austin Etherington (’11). A special luncheon followed by the induction ceremony is set for noon on Saturday, Oct. 5 at Hamilton Heights High School, 25802 State Road 19, Arcadia. Inductees will be given a metal display and their names and pictures proudly displayed in the Athletic Hall of Fame in the Athletic Center. Tickets for the ceremony and lunch are $10. Contact Mitch Street for more information and/or tickets at mstreet@hhschuskies.org or call (317) 984-3551 ext. 1092.

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If your child uses Heights’ transportation and you have changes (i.e., address, are attending before or after care, or will no longer be riding the bus) or have questions related to your child’s bus route, now is the time to contact our Transportation Department at (317) 984-8404. Bus routes are currently being created to best optimize service, ride time, and efficiency based on bus capacities, stop locations, and the number of students at each stop. Our drivers will be contacting parents of bus riders the first week of August to ensure an accurate count of riders, pick up and drop of points, and approximate times for their riders to help us better serve the families in our district.

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As a reminder, the Hamilton County Health Department will be hosting a back-to-school vaccination clinic at Hamilton Heights Middle School from 1 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, July 31 as part of the Husky Connect Day. Click here to register and learn more about what you need to know about your child receiving a vaccination at this event.

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The community is invited to attend the 11th annual Prayer Breakfast on Friday, Aug. 2 at the Middle School Café beginning at 7 a.m. A light breakfast will be served with the program beginning at 7:30 a.m. Music will be provided by the Cicero United Family Wesleyan Church with Pastor Allen Gross. This year’s speaker is Chuck Lofton, a well-known and award-winning meteorologist and feature reporter for WTHR-TV in Indianapolis. He has been a part of the 13News Sunrise team since the very first show in September 1985. Kindly bring Capri Sun pouches or individual juice bottles to donate to the Hamilton Heights’ Backpack program. The event is hosted by the Heights Area Pastors in conjunction with HHSC.

Enjoy the rest of your summer. See you in August for the start of another incredible school year!

#WeAreHuskies