There's a lot going on this month at Hickory Elementary. Be sure to follow Hickory PTA on Facebook and visit hickorypta.net all month for the latest updates.

Important Dates—Mark Your Calendars!
 

• Reflections Contest Deadline
  The deadline to enter this year's Reflections Contest is Monday, October 11th.
  Learn more.
   
• Room Representatives Meeting
  We'll be holding an informational meeting for all our Room Representatives at 5PM on Thursday, October 14th. Please email us at HickoryPTA@outlook.com if you haven’t already, to let us know you're a room rep. We'll send Zoom meeting details soon!
   
• Unity Day
  In honor of National Bullying Prevention Month, please wear ORANGE on Friday, October 15th to unite for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion to prevent bullying.
   
• Picture Days
  Picture days are on Tuesday, October 19th and Wednesday, October 20th. We'll update you on our Facebook page as soon as we have more details.
  You can also order online with Dorian Studio.
   
• Early Dismissal Days
  We will have early dismissal on Thursday, October 21st and Friday, October 22nd to allow our teachers to prepare for parent teacher conferences.
   
• California Great Shakeout
  Hold on to your hats! Thursday, October 21st is the California Great Shakeout.
   
• Skechers Walk
  The Skechers Walk starts at 8:00 am on Sunday, October 24th. Don't forget to sign up! You can be an in-person or virtual walker this year!
   
• Red Ribbon Week
  Red Ribbon Week is Monday, October 25th through Friday, October 29th.
  Wear RED on Monday, October 25th and follow us on Facebook to learn how your child can show spirit and pledge to make smart choices and healthy living.
   
• Happy Halloween!
  Halloween is Sunday, October 31st. Please follow us on Facebook to stay up-to-date on Halloween happenings at Hickory!
   

•  Coming up next in November!

  • Movie Night (date TBA)

  • Direct Donation Raffles are starting Friday, November 5th.
    You can still donate any amount to be automatically entered into the prize raffle, for a chance to win Lego sets, STEM kits, Paw tickets and more!

  • Hickory's first ever Read-a-thon (dates TBA)

Reflections Contest

It's not too late! Submit your art work, writing, poetry, or any form of artistic expression by Monday, October 11th.  

Learn more.

Skechers Walk
It's almost time for the Skechers Walk! Our goal is to be the 1st place school in the South Bay! Let’s go Hickory Hounds!

Don’t forget, the winning class gets a Pizza Party and Class T-shirt celebration! The Skechers Walk is being held on Sunday, October 24th. Register today!

Lemonade Weekend Fundraiser
THANKS to everyone who joined us at LEMONADE last weekend! We had a very successful event and it’s all thanks to YOU!

Direct Donations

The Hickory Elementary PTA Direct Donations Campaign has been a HUGE success! Thanks to your generous Direct Donations we've almost reached our goal at $19,450! We're well on our way to Building Dreams and making this year extra special for our Hounds.

When you make a donation, you not only help support our student’s experience on campus, but you also allow our PTA to do GREAT THINGS for them. Please visit our Direct Donations page for details—and donate today! 

Thanks to YOU, We're Building Dreams

Thank you to the below students and their families for donating to Hickory PTA!  As a THANK YOU for your support, we will be sending home Direct Donation incentives as seen above, with your child. Be sure to look out for these goodies in the coming weeks

Current Volunteer Opportunities

Calling all Hickory parents! Here are our available volunteer opportunities, we hope you can help us make this year extra special for our students.

Library

We're planning to open the Hickory library in October, but we need your help! The library is 100% volunteer-based, so let us know if you can donate some time to ensure our students get the learning benefits they missed out on last year!

If you're interested in volunteering in the library, please let your teacher know or email Xindy at xindyv@me.com and Adrienne at Adriennedowns@earthlink.net.

Adventures in Art (AIA)

No art experience required, just a love of art and the willingness to share it with kids. Docents are asked to watch 5 art video tutorials this year, and help teach them to students in class. You may be able to just help set up supplies for the teacher. If you're interested in volunteering for AIA, please  let your teacher know and email Amanda Kirsch at hickoryaia.Amanda@gmail.com. 
 

Please note: As part of the online application process, all volunteers must submit a TB Test/Risk Assessment Form as well as their COVID vaccine documentation OR a recent negative covid test result (PCR and rapid tests accepted).

Need a Class T-Shirt?

Thanks to everyone who has purchased a class t-shirt! We love seeing the bright colors on our Hickory Hounds! If you're still waiting to get your order, we apologize for the delay. We expect to get a big delivery of shirts next week, in time for October 15th.

Remember: you can always wear any Hickory shirt or another shirt in your grade's color. If you still want to purchase, you can, but the price will change by the end of the month...so hurry! 

Student Emergency Kit Update

If you purchased an emergency kit, it's on its way to your child's classroom soon. 

AmazonSmile

Shopping for Halloween costumes soon?
 

Consider shopping at https://smile.amazon.com/ and making "Hickory Elementary School PTA CA" your Smile charity of choice for the month of October. Amazon automatically donates 0.5% of your eligible Charity List purchases to Hickory—at no extra cost to you.

Special thanks to all those who have already signed up! Spread the word to families and friends near and far, as it has truly made an impact.

THANK YOU!

Be sure to follow us on Facebook!

Note: This newsletter does not replace official Hickory or district news. Please make sure you're signed up for email notifications in PowerSchool so you don't miss out on TUSD emails or messages from our principal, Mrs. Mabery.

#HickoryStrong