By DR. DEREK ARROWOOD
Hamilton Heights Superintendent
Update #52 from Dr. Derek Arrowood, Superintendent, Hamilton Heights School Corporation.
March kicks off our annual Kindergarten Round-Up. This is where we conduct our kindergarten screening assessment, register, and ready a special welcome for our littlest Huskies. Our kindergarten educators are phenomenal in providing an exceptional blend of engaging, inspiring, and fun learning experiences that are the building blocks of early literacy, numeracy, socialization, independence, and success in school. Due to current conditions, registration will be conducted online. To enroll for Kindergarten for the 2021-22 year, children must be five years old on or before Aug. 1, 2021. Click here for more information on what you need to know to begin your child’s educational journey at Hamilton Heights Elementary School.
March is also Women’s History Month. This month is dedicated to the limitless contributions women have made to the history of the United States. According to History.com, the celebration of Women’s History Month grew out of a weeklong celebration of women’s contributions to culture, history, and society organized by the school district of Sonoma, Calif., in 1978. Click here for more information about Women’s History Month.
Also, this month on Monday, March 15, our partners at the Hamilton County Trustees Association (HCTA) will begin accepting applications for the Hamilton County Emergency Rental Assistance Program (HC ERAP). The program provides rent and utility assistance to residents struggling with a loss of income due to COVID. Check out this important video explaining how the HC ERAP will provide assistance or click here to visit the HCTA website for more details.
Speaking of partners, our friends at the Cicero United Methodist Church have generously offered their facilities and Wi-Fi to students who may need a place to sit and do their online work. The church, located at 100 E. Jackson St., can host up to a dozen students to work on their assignments between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Should there be a need to extend on a specific afternoon for multiple students, Pastor Jesse Mullins will work to find a way to accommodate. To make arrangements, parents are encouraged to call the church office at (317) 984-4971 or email rethinkchurch@ciceroumc.org.
We remain optimistic and positive as we ready for the final nine weeks of the academic school year. We have learned a great deal about operating a school system during a pandemic. We know the importance of being flexible, relying on science, collaborating with our local health partners, communicating with other school districts, rising to incredible challenges, and working together for the greater good. The decisions and adjustments we have made throughout and will continue to make to best meet the moment, are based on new and changing information, careful review, input from our local health department, and always in the best overall interests and well-being of our students and staff.
We are grateful for our staff, community, and parents who continue to pull together with patience and resilience as we navigate through the dynamic nature of the extraordinary times we are in. Be well, stay safe.
#WeAreHuskies