Pearson’s Corner Elementary School

Dear Online School Families,

As we continue preparing for the start of the school year, we are excited to share that we have received our first shipment of Chromebooks.

We are providing all Hanover Online School students with a Chromebook, which, as of August 23, your student is enrolled in for the fall semester. The first day of school for the Online School remains September 8.

Device delivery 

To help ensure the delivery of the Chromebooks in a safe, secure, and expedient manner, we will begin shipping the devices through UPS as early as Thursday, August 27 and continue through September 2. An adult signature is required.   

UPS will make three attempts to deliver the device to your mailing address specified in PowerSchool. If your address has changed, please contact your zoned school to update it.  If the first attempt at delivery is unsuccessful, UPS will leave a tag on your door.

After the first failed delivery attempt, you may choose to pick up the device at a UPS depot site if it is more convenient for you.  You can determine the location by contacting UPS.  UPS will attempt two more deliveries to your home address if you opt not to pick it up at a UPS site.

After three unsuccessful attempts, UPS will return the device to HCPS.

If you do not receive a device by September 8, please contact the HCPS Help Desk at [email protected].   Please provide your name, student(s) ID, home address, grade level, and telephone number.

Preparing for learning 

Your student’s Google ID will be included on the address label and will appear as an email address. It cannot be used to access the HCPS system without the proper login credentials. Login credentials and help instructions to change the default password are included inside the Chromebook box. Please use this ID together with the instructions included in the box to get your student online and ready for virtual learning.

Receiving the Chromebook and logging on to our Online School network means you have accepted the Hanover County Public Schools Acceptable Use Agreement. You can view the agreement details here.

Please note that you must return the device to HCPS at the end of the school year. If you move outside of Hanover County, you must return the device to HCPS. Please keep the original Chromebook packaging if a return is necessary.

We are awaiting shipment from our vendor, Verizon, for hotspot devices that we will distribute to Online School families to the greatest extent possible.

As a reminder, please continue to check our Return to Learn FAQs, which we are updating as new information becomes available.

Again, if you have any questions about your student’s device or related inquiries, you may contact the HCPS Help Desk at [email protected]. Please provide your name, student(s) ID, home address, grade level, and telephone number.

We hope this information is helpful to you.  We sincerely value your partnership with us as we work to prepare our students for the upcoming school year, and we appreciate your patience and support.

Sincerely,

Dr. Dana Gresham

Principal, Hanover Online School

Terri Hechler

Director of Technology Services

Dear Panther Families:

I’m writing this email to send updates for our upcoming school year.  One thing is for certain.  The only constant action since March 13th is “change”.  Unfortunately, as things change daily, so do our response, schedules, and plans.  Thank you for your patience and understanding.  We look forward to serving our Panthers in the 2020-2021 School year!

Sincerely,

Dawn Armstrong

Transportation/New Traffic Patterns:  In response to the increased amount of car traffic expected this year, we have changed our traffic footprint for the parking lots.  Soon you will see that we’ve relocated our bus loop and parent drop-off/pick-up areas to create some areas to queue students and avoid gridlock on New Ashcake Road.  Stay tuned for updates prior to Open House.

Carpools:  If you are participating in a self-organized carpool, please email Diana Craft at [email protected] with the following details including the names of the students, the adult drivers approved for pick up and preferred pick up time.  While we may not guarantee these times, we will work on staggering dismissal, as best possible, to keep the flow of traffic moving.  Thank you for your assistance.

Library Books:  Have you found PCES library books over the summer?  Unfortunately, we still have over 350 books that are missing!  Don’t forget that we have a bin outside of the main office for you to drop them off at your convenience.  These library books have a bar code on the front cover.  In addition, if you find books that belonged to a classroom library, you can bag and label those books for bin drop off too!  Please put the teacher’s name on the bag, so that we know to whom they should be returned.  If you know of graduated Panthers who still have library books, we encourage them to return these books to the bin, as well.  Thank you for maintaining our library Paw Power!

PK & Kindergarten Students:  We have special plans set for our PK and kindergarten students.  Beginning Monday, 8/31/20, our Kindergarten teachers will be calling their families to set up an appointment to meet with one parent and each student individually on Thursday, September 3, 2020.  For these appointments, all parties are expected to wear a mask during the visit.  Your teacher will have more information when they call on Monday.  If you are a PK parent, look for your phone call next week, too, with more specific information.

New Students in Grades 1-5:  Our school counselor invites all new Panthers (moving from other learning locations) to visit for a brief tour of the school next week.  This is not required, but would be a nice way to get your student comfortable with their new school and see our Paw Power before the first day of school.  Please visit this link for an opportunity to sign up.

Open House:  Our current plan for the Open House on September 3, 2020 can be found at this link.

Dear Families,

I hope this message finds you and your loved ones well.  I am writing to share an important update with you regarding the first day of school for students participating in face-to-face instruction.

As part of our continued effort to reopen schools as safely and orderly as possible, we believe it is necessary to limit the first day of in-person attendance on September 8 to only the following students:  

• Pre-K
• Kindergarten
• First grade
• Sixth grade
• Ninth grade

These students represent our newest learners in our schools, who will face the most significant transition back into our buildings.  This will allow school staff to create orientation activities that they would have traditionally completed over the summer had it not been for the coronavirus pandemic.

This will also give our principals and other school leaders the chance to see the rigorous planning they have undertaken for several months related to food services, transportation, and creating safe and healthy learning spaces in action with a smaller number of students in attendance. They will be able to begin making adjustments, as needed, before all other face-to-face students arrive on Wednesday, September 9. All Hanover Online School students will still begin September 8.  

We understand this may be disruptive, and we ask for your continued patience as we work together to find the best path forward through these unprecedented and challenging times to support the complex needs of our students.  As always, we remain grateful for your support and understanding as we work to meet the unique needs of our students and families.

Sincerely,

Dr. Michael Gill

Superintendent of Schools

Dear Online School Community,

It is my honor to welcome you to Hanover Online School – Home of the OWLs (Online While Learning)! While we are not in a physical school building together, please know that I am eager to work with you to build our Online community as we learn together!

This introductory message will address four key things:

1) The Chromebooks are coming!  We expect to have one for every online student before school starts. We will communicate pick up dates and locations as soon as we have that worked out. If you are a family that needs internet access assistance, please fill out the Mi-Fi Request Form.

2) Many of you are already familiar with Blackboard Connect and getting messages from your school in this fashion.  We ask that you log in to your account (https://hanover.bbcportal.com/) and update your school to include the Hanover Online School as well as your home school.

3) Save the Date: September 3. Hanover Online School will welcome all students and families with a Zoom session at 9 a.m. and a repeat at 7 p.m.  See linked flyer for more information about times to save for meeting your teachers.  We will be sending more information about this as it gets closer but wanted to get the date on your schedule.

4) Finally, I will be working alongside a highly skilled leadership team this year.  Please see this page for their names as well as some information about their responsibilities.  They are eager to get to know you!

Looking forward to working with you,

Dr. Dana Gresham

Director of Professional Learning, Leadership & Federal Programs/Principal – Hanover Online School

Dear Panther Families,

We hope this message finds you healthy and well. As many of you are aware, the school division recently shared our Return to Learn Plan, including options for both virtual and face-to-face instruction.  We know that as a family, you may have questions as you work to consider the right choice for your students. Please visit the Return to Learn site on the HCPS website for more information and answers to frequently asked questions.  Please see the additional notes below regarding information about learning and transportation in the 2020-2021 school year, as well as an announcement about a Town Hall meeting for parents to learn more.  Please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] or our Assistant Principal, Ms. Pitts at [email protected], with any questions or if we can help in any way.

Sincerely,

Dawn Armstrong, Principal

Learning Online: This document provides a comparison of the divisions’ approach to face-to-face learning (with significant modifications in order to employ health mitigation strategies) to the online school, as well as other items to consider before selecting an option.

To choose the online school option, please complete the Online Learning Transfer Form  to make your commitment. Families will need to request registration by July 31st if they would like their child to attend the online school. Families Choosing face-to-face learning do not need to take any action at this time.

Counselors and school employees will be reviewing registration requests, and families will receive an email when the transfer to the online school is complete and/or may be contacted by phone if questions arise about course requests.  We appreciate your patience as we move forward with the scheduling process and look forward to welcoming students in Hanover County’s online school!

Transportation:  In our division plan, transportation to and from schools during Phase III will be significantly limited to help reduce the spread of illness. As a result, transportation will not be available to all students. To assist us in our efforts, we strongly encourage families to transport their students to and from school. Parents who would like to request transportation must complete the online opt-in form by Friday, July 31st.

Please note that your request for service does not guarantee transportation. Service will be prioritized based upon need, age, and distance from school.

During Phase III, students will be seated one per seat. Siblings or occupants of the same household may sit together. Drivers, attendants, and students are required to wear face coverings. Drivers will clean seats and high touch areas after every route. No field trips will be permitted.

Virtual Town Hall: Mark your calendar! All HCPS families are invited to attend a virtual town hall meeting on Tuesday, July 28, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., to discuss the Return to Learn Plan  for the 2020-2021 school year. The superintendent, senior staff members, and other panelists will be on-hand to answer your questions on a wide variety of topics, from instruction and technology to health mitigation strategies and transportation. We will share more details about accessing the meeting soon.

You are encouraged to submit your questions in advance using the HCPS Families Virtual Town Hall Meeting Questions Form. This will allow the panel to address as many of the most commonly asked questions as possible during the allotted time. The deadline for submitting questions is July 27 at 12 p.m. The panel will also answer questions submitted by attendees during the meeting.

We value your feedback and participation and hope you can join us.

Picking Up Student Belongings at Pearson’s Corner Elementary:

Thank you for your patience and support during this “Learn From Home” time.  While none of us expected the school year to end this way, we have finalized plans for you to pick up your students’ belongings and drop off school resources.  Soon, our staff will be returning to the building to pack up your child’s belongings, including contents of their desk, spring pictures, yearbooks, artwork and other miscellaneous items left on 3/13/20.

Considering the most current recommendations from Governor Northam and the Virginia Department of Health, we have developed a drive through plan, limiting personal contact to keep everyone safe.  We do ask that you wear a mask while communicating with staff from your vehicle. The following schedule and plan will allow for us to use our parking lot and bus loop in an orderly, safe manner preventing a backup of traffic on New Ashcake Road.

• • Vehicles should enter through the “Parent Drop Off Lot” entrance and proceed to the bus loop.  
  • Staff will radio arrival and a runner will pick up student belongings.
  • Vehicles will proceed through the bus loop and drop off school supplies such as library books, classroom resources and other miscellaneous items.
  • Vehicles will then pull into the main parking lot to receive student belongings from the runner.
  • Vehicles will then exit the parking lot at the far exit.

  *Parents of multiple Panthers (PK-4) may pick up all materials during the oldest Panther PK-4 time slot. 

 **Only 5th grade supplies will be given out during the promotion parade/pick up on 6/9/20.

***If you are unable to come during the 6/4 – 6/9 window, please let us know and we can make an appointment.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cqhp7fwexB5sJ7FnuUUSjvJ296yYIV_OVnli_7BKLtU/edit#heading=h.cxdrd1hhv2c9

“Return of School Resources:

We hope you are staying healthy and faring well during this school closure. Thank you for working with your Panther to help them submit the required assessments electronically. As a reminder, elementary assessments are due by May 29, 2020. For families who need to turn in hard copies of assessments from Phase II of Learn from Home, we will have a return bin on May 15, 22 and 29 from 8:00am – 4:00pm. The return bin is located on the right of the “Welcome Center” outside of the office. Hard copies of assessments only need to be returned if you were unable to return assessments to me through e-mail or another digital format. Please make sure that you put your child’s name on the assessment activity being returned to the bin. In addition to returning hard copies of assessments, we will have collection bins set up on May 22 and May 29 for return of PCES library books. The library collection bins will be clearly marked and at the front entrance of the school from 8:00am – 4:00pm on May 22 and 29. When returning library books, please use the front car loop and do not exit your car if someone else is at the book return bins. Please place the book in a plastic or paper bag, if possible. We will continue to adhere to CDC guidelines during this process. If you have questions about returning hard copies of assessments or library books, please do not hesitate to reach out to me ([email protected]), Ms. Armstrong ([email protected]) or Ms. Coates ([email protected]) . Lastly, we are putting the final touch on plans for families to pick up student belongings, including yearbooks and spring pictures. During the pick up time, you will also be able to drop off school resources, such as library books and classroom resources such as textbooks and classroom library books. Stay tuned for more information.

Thank you for your continued support!”

Kindergarten Registration

Hanover County Public Schools is now accepting Kindergarten registrations for the 2020-2021 school year.  Children must be five years old on or before September 30 to be eligible. Parents and guardians may locate the school their child will attend at http://bit.ly/AttendanceZone.

Parents and guardians of eligible kindergarten students may register their child as follows:

1. Complete the pre-registration form at https://register.hcps.page.  Individuals without internet access or a device may skip this step.

2. Access, complete, and return an Enrollment Form.

• Print the form online: https://enrollment.hcps.page

• Pick-up a form at any of our fifteen elementary schools’ exterior Kindergarten Welcome Centers.

• Pick-up a form on May 1, 4, 6, or 8, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at one of our five meal service sites (Battlefield Park Elementary School, Beaverdam Elementary School, John M. Gandy Elementary School, Mechanicsville Elementary School, and South Anna Elementary School).

Return completed Enrollment Form by U.S. Mail to the child’s school or place the form in a collection bin at one of our five meal service sites on Mondays, Wednesdays, or Fridays, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

3. Upon receipt of a completed Enrollment Form, the school registrar will contact parents and guardians to schedule an in-person appointment to review the following required documents:

• Child’s Birth Certificate (official or certified copy)

• Photo ID of parent or legal guardian

Proof of residency is required. This includes providing one of the following documents, which must reflect the resident’s name and physical address:​

• Deed

• Current mortgage statement from the lender

• Current lease (signed)

• Sales contract for the purchase of the residence (signed by seller and purchaser)

Two of the following are also required and must reflect the resident’s name and physical address:

• Current landline telephone, cable, internet, satellite, water, gas/oil, or electricity service bill

• Voter registration card

• Current DMV issued vehicle registration

• W-2 tax document for the most recent tax year

• Combined bill and receipt for personal property taxes (paid within the current year)

• Bank statement, medical bill, or official correspondence from a governmental agency dated within the last two months

Registration is not final until the in-person appointment occurs and the registrar receives all of the required documentation.  In-person appointments for this purpose are permissible under current guidance provided by state officials.  All staff and guests are expected to follow all official social distancing and related guidance issued by Governor Northam, the Virginia Department of Health, and the Centers for Disease Control.

A School Entrance Health Form and immunization record is also required before the start of school.

For more information, parents can email the principal at their child’s assigned school or visit http://hcps.us/parents_students/student_enrollment.

Due to severe weather forecasted for tomorrow, all medication and paper resources pick-up times have been postponed.  The rescheduled times for pick up will be Tuesday, April 14, 2020 from 8a-1p and Wednesday, April 15, 2020 from 2p – 6p.  More detailed, updated information for Phase II Learn From Home opportunities and medication pick up may be found at https://bit.ly/PCESMedsPhase2 .