Horizon Elementary JANUARY 2018

Comet Courier

Horizon Elementary School 46665 Broadmore Drive • Sterling, VA 20165 • Telephone 571.434.3260 • Fax 703.444.7418

Absentee Line 571.434.3261 Absentee Email hrzabsentee@lcps.org

Horizon Elementary School website: www.lcps.org/horizon Principal: Mrs. Jennifer Ewing Bookkeeper: Mrs. Holly Buehler

Assistant Principal: Ms. Stephanie Baran Attendance Secretary: Mrs. Violet Sowa-Badders

JANUARY EVENTS

Tuesday, January 9 Comet Council Meeting, 2:35 – 3:30 PM (please note this is not their usual day) PTA General Meeting, 6:30 PM Monday, January 15 Martin Luther King Holiday, no school Tuesday, January 16 Moveable Monday Schedule Thursday, January 18 Spelling Bee, 8:00 AM Wednesday, January 24 5th Grade DARE Graduation, 8:00 AM ****SRMS Rising 6th Grade Parent Info Night/Music Night, 6:00 PM**** (this is a date change!) Friday, January 26 Poetry Masters Recitations End of 2nd Quarter Saturday, January 27 HPTA Skate Night, Ashburn Ice House, 6:10 PM Monday, January 29 Moveable Student Holiday, no school for students; Teacher Work Day Tuesday, January 30 ASEP Classes start, 2:45-3:45 PM Wednesday, January 31 Moveable Monday Schedule

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL… Greetings Comets! The month of December was full of several great events: Geography

Bee, Horizon’s Holidays Around the World, Annual Comet Cultural Cruise, and the all

school Holiday Sing-Along. It was a privilege to be a part of these events with our

school family community!

Here is a link for a fun activity for your child(ren) to do to reflect on 2017.

https://www.skiptomylou.org/2015-year-in-review-printable/. A hard copy is included

on page 2. As we begin 2018, I wish everyone a healthy and prosperous new year!

The weather has been extremely cold since school resumed on Tuesday, January 2nd. It

is hard to believe we have already had three snow days due to the extreme

temperatures. I wonder how many times we will get to hear Mr. Byard’s voice

announcing a delay or school closing?

When school is in session during this cold season please have your children dress

appropriately to stay warm. Please also take a moment to write their names in coats,

sweatshirts, gloves, hats, scarves and any other loose items. This will help our students

who manage the Lost and Found to return found items to the proper owners.

Please be sure to read the information regarding school closure and cancellation

procedures on page 3 of this newsletter. We do ask parents/guardians to not call the

school during early dismissal procedures since the phone lines must be open to receive

information/instruction from LCPS administration.

I am also asking that all parents/guardians send any updated procedures/information to

your child’s teacher if things have changed since you last completed the Early

Dismissal Plan. Please be mindful that we do not call parents in the event of an early

dismissal. Your cooperation with this request is most appreciated.

I wanted to share that I will be out on medical leave starting on Monday, January 8.

Many of you have seen me in a walking boot since the end of August. Unfortunately,

my foot is not healing as hoped and requires surgery. Laura Seck, retired LCPS

principal from Meadowland ES, will be acting principal during my absence. She is

excited to join the Horizon Comet Family! She comes to us very knowledgeable about

the Sterling community.

The second quarter has really flown by. It will end on January 26. Report cards for

the second grading period will go home Wednesday, February 7.

You may want to stay educated and informed on the FY 19 LPCS Budget Process.

Here is a link to the LCPS Budget Process Information:

https://www.lcps.org/site/Default.aspx?PageID=167905

Warm regards,

Jennifer Ewing

CANCELLATIONS/DELAYED OPENINGS/EARLY CLOSINGS

When schools are closed/delayed or closed early due to inclement weather or any other emergency, announcements to this effect are made over local radio and TV stations as early as 6:00 A.M. You can also access this information through the Loudoun County Schools web page at www.lcps.org. Connect-Ed phone calls will also be made by LCPS to the primary number listed on your students contact sheet.

Please do not call the school, as the line must be kept open for emergency calls.

• DELAYED OPENINGS When road conditions are not satisfactory, the opening of school may be delayed for one or two hours. A one-hour delayed opening causes no change in the program at Horizon Elementary. However, a two-hour delayed opening would necessitate the following changes to the kindergarten program:

Two-Hour Delayed Openings – Program Schedule Adjustments

Full Day Programs Students in these programs will arrive two (2) hours late and remain until the end of the normal school day.

Early Childhood Pre-School A.M. Session – will begin two (2) hours late and remain in school for two hours. These students will leave school one hour later than usual.

P.M. Session – will begin one (1) hour late and remain in school for two hours, dismissing at the regular time.

• EARLY SCHOOL CLOSING Each family should have a plan for emergency school closings. A form on which parents should indicate their family’s emergency plan is included in the First Day Packet. If, for any reason, school is closed early, we will be able to remind children of the plans their parents have developed so that each child will know where to go if he/she should go home to an empty house. The classroom teachers will keep these plans in the classrooms and remind the children of the plan in the event of an early closing. Due to the large number of students in this school, we cannot call individual parents.

We receive our information about school closing by telephone or e-mail from the Loudoun County Schools Administrative Office. PLEASE DO NOT CALL THE SCHOOL, as the line must be kept open for emergency calls! You will receive a Connect-Ed call in the case of an emergency closing.

*** Should you need to update the Early Dismissal Form that you filled out at the

beginning of the year, please contact the office for a new form, fill it out, and return it to

your child’s teacher. We cannot make changes to this early dismissal plan on the basis of

a phone call.***

(Positive Behavior Innovations and Supports)

Fun Dining!

Ask your children how their class can earn fun dining by showing the three C’s in the

Comet Café!

Fun Dining winners for November were:

Kindergarten - Mrs. Walker’s class 1st Grade - Mrs. Abney’s class

2nd grade - Mrs. Williams’ class 3rd Grade – Ms. Lisa Johnson’s class,

4th Grade – Miss Long’s class 5th Grade – Mrs. Engle’s class

Fun Dining winners for December will be announced in the February Comet Courier.

Students of the Month!

The following students were selected as students of the month for their class for

December. Congratulations to these children for consistently showing the 3 C’s of

Comet Conduct in their classrooms!

Kindergarten 1st Grade 2nd Grade

Dettmer: Akshara Upputuri Abney: Natalie Fedigan Rooker: Adriana Musni

Toynbee: Wendy Simpson Nichols: Zoe Whitehead Gruehn: Christopher Carillo

Walker: Kabir Singh Wallace: Charlotte Dettmer Williams: Azad Ibrahimi

Yang: Yasin Din Briskin: Ashley To Seufert: Levi Simpson

Perka: Sara Ayoubi Snyder: Avani Ghanta

3rd Grade 4th Grade 5th Grade

Mrs. Johnson: Emma Bogoslov Love: Cameron Hoover Tate: Jonathan Tran

Strohl: Maahrukh Mujtaba Long: William Becker Patterson: Raadiya Emran

Mueller: Saira Kumar Griffith: Aliyah Bynes Hedges: Karis Yang

Zahid: Ayaan Shaikh Drury: Lia Baldeon Figueroa Koehler: Antony Arostegui

Wasser: MacKenzie Brewster Sheehan: Sahar Miakhel Engle: Luke Shields

Ms. Johnson: Ariela Rivera

ATTENTION RISING 6TH GRADERS AND PARENTS!

Please check the table below for important information and dates you will need to mark

in your calendars.

SENECA RIDGE MIDDLE SCHOOL

(SRMS)

RIVER BEND MIDDLE SCHOOL

(RBMS)

FEB. 15: Horizon 5th graders will visit

SRMS at 9:30 for tour. Lunch will be

eaten at SRMS.

Rising 6th Grade Parent Info.

Night/Music Info. Night, 6:00 PM

Date: Jan. 24 – Horizon, Lowes

Island

Jan. 30 – Sugarland

Feb. 1 – Meadowland

Students and parents may attend any

of these nights, but the dates above

are specified for the listed schools.

FEB. 15: Horizon 5th graders will visit

RBMS at 9:30 for tour. Lunch will be

eaten at RBMS.

Rising 6th Grade Parent Info.

Night/Music Info. Night, 6:00 PM

Dates: Feb. 15 Countryside,

Potowmack

Feb. 22 Algonkian, Horizon, Sterling

Elem

Makeup date: Feb. 27

Students and parents may attend any

of these nights, but the dates above

are specified for the listed schools.

Calling all Poetry Masters!

The 4th Poetry Masters of 2017-2018 is here! Students in grades 1-5 are invited to participate in this fun and challenging activity that celebrates poetry of all kinds. How does it work? Once each month, the Poetry Masters Flyer presents a choice of poems that vary in difficulty. The challenge is for students to memorize one poem and recite it to the poetry listeners on the designated date. Students can choose a poem from the flyer, or from their class poetry units, or even a favorite poem of their own. The Poetry Masters Flyer will be available the first week of January in the office. Recitation Day is Friday, January 26th! Please bring a copy of any original poem so we can follow along. We look forward to seeing and hearing these Courageous Comets! Students who correctly recite the poem will receive a Poetry Masters prize and see their names in the Comet Courier! Those students who go above and beyond and write their own poems will have their poems showcased on the “POETREE” in the school! (Some examples of these fabulous poems are on the next page.)

Congratulations to the following students who memorized and recited poems in

December!

Dalton Porter Dylan Tufano Samheetha Vasan Aisha Chowdhury Londyn Dean Anish Kothuru Cameron White Connor Heaney Fay Alathari Phoebe Wang Hamza Anwar Holly Myers Ivan Londergan Jackson Siler Kai Wong Keira Fitch Samuel Shi Zara Ahadi Zeineb Gassoumi Evie Whitehead Isla Haas Katia Abdo Liam Tully Lilly Fernandez Lydia Yang Mackenzie Brewster Stori Dean Aakash Pradhan Alex Dolzhenkov Colleen Macgoy Emaan Danish Hailey Thompson Hannah Mottaghi Meghan Fitch Samantha Ankers Carly Channell Edward Christopher Jacquelyn Lee

Do you have any gently used toys that you

could pass on to our preschool program? The

Early Childhood Special Education- Autism

(ECSE-A) class would love to have those

preschool toys (Age: 2-4 years old) of all

types. We also need crayons, washable

markers, playdough, etc.

Please drop off toys to the Front Office

(attn: Room 24 classroom), or you may feel

free to send them in a bag in your child’s

backpack. Contact Su Ji Park, ECSE-A

teacher, with any questions at

su.park@lcps.org.

Thank you!!

HORIZON HAS CAR

MAGNETS FOR

SALE!

SHOW YOUR COMET

SPIRIT!

CAR MAGNETS ARE ONLY $5

AND ARE AVAILABLE IN THE

OFFICE.

(EXACT CHANGE OR CHECKS MADE OUT

TO HORIZON ELEMENTARY ONLY)

Attention Horizon Shoppers!

Horizon’s school store IS OPEN!

For those who may not know, the school

store is run by a team of responsible 5th

graders, and carries fun pens, pencils,

erasers, novelties, and much more!

Shopping hours are as follows:

Tuesdays 7:30-7:50

Thursdays 7:30-7:50

For your convenience, all grade levels may

now shop on either day.

(They accept cash only and please, no large bills.)

2018 National Geograhic Geography Bee

Congratulations to Alexandra Hahnfeld in Mrs. Hedges’ 5th Grade class. Alexandra demonstrated

her solid knowledge of geography and was crowned Horizon's Geography Bee winner! The next step for Alexandra will be an online test to

qualify for the state level. We will all be cheering her on as she prepares for the online test!

Mrs. Engle and Mrs. Love Geography Bee CoChairs

Horizon Elementary PTA News

Hello Comets,

2018 is here!! It’s going to be an exciting year!!

We have many great events and socials on tap, and cannot wait to tell you about them in the coming

months. But for those of you who like to ice skate, the wait will not be much longer. On Saturday,

January 27 we will have skate night at the Ashburn Ice House. The skating is from 6:10-7:10. So come

out and join your classmates in supporting Horizon!

We also are planning some Spirit Nights for the upcoming months. We are working to finalize plans

and hope to announce that soon. And coming up later this year will be our annual Bingo night and

Comet Walk!

For parents, one thing to keep on your calendar is our monthly membership meetings. Our first one of

the school year is coming up on January 9 at 6:30 pm. Among our usual updates, we are discussing

important issues related to our structure and how to best serve the Horizon community. We would

really appreciate all parents coming out to engage with us on those topics. Also, we are looking for

parents to help us run some of our social and fundraiser events this year. If you are interested in being

part of what we do, this is a great way to help us – and ultimately all of our students – out. So please

contact us if you are interested.

Finally, do not forget about our Winter After School Enrichment Programs. We are offering classes

related to sports, STEM activities, and even one centered around building and painting with

marshmallows – yes marshmallows! What could be yummier!! But keep in mind that registration ends

on January 19. So do not wait to sign up!!

It may be cold outside – ok, very very cold outside – but we are just warming up here. So please look

out for PTA events this year and be sure to participate.

“Horizon Elementary School and PTA”

https://www.lcps.org/domain/7057

If you have not done so already,

please consider joining our PTA. The

PTA sponsors many social and

educational activities to enrich your

child’s experience at Horizon

Elementary. You can view the many

activities and volunteer opportunities

on the PTA portion of our webpage:

HORIZON PTA EXECUTIVE BOARD

Scott Levin, President

Gina Tufano, SVP Educational Programs

Cyndi Robbins, Treasurer

Catherine Chang, Recording and Correspondence Secretary

Chris Beauregard, VP Staff Relations

Cyndi McCrea, VP Membership and Directory

Jennifer Travis, After-School Enrichment Programs (ASEP)

Abby Ghanta, VP Fundraising

Kim Barry, Sprit Sales

Liz Hall, VP Social Events

Tara Fuller, Volunteer Coordinator

Jennifer Ewing, Principal

Amy Sandridge, Parent Liaison

Sarah Payne, Teacher Liaison

Giving Tree Thank You

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all the Horizon Comet parents, students, and staff who so generously gave the gift of caring this holiday season! The Horizon Giving Tree was a huge success! We were able to provide winter coats, clothing, gift cards and more to families in need right here in our Horizon community. We brightened the holidays for many of our families.

Thank you for your generosity!

Thank you to all the Caring Comets who participated in

Horizon’s Sweats for Vets drive! The donated sweat suits

will keep Veterans warm this winter! Thank you for your

donations and your generosity!

WATCH D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) is a one-of-a-kind, school-based father

involvement program that works to support education and safety. A program of the

National Center for Fathering, see www.fathers.com/watchdogs/ for more information.

The Horizon Watch D.O.G.S. volunteer program is going on now! You can join the

program at any time during the school year. Volunteer shifts are available for as short

as 20 minutes and up to a whole day. You choose what works best for your schedule. A

sign up genius is available monthly with volunteer opportunities. You can see the

January sign up here

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0c4aa4ab22a0fd0-january3

Contact Amy Sandridge at Amy.Sandridge@lcps.org or 571-434-3260 to get more

information.

Get Involved & Volunteer!!

The Horizon PTA puts on several fun events during the year but we need parental participation to

make them a success. Two upcoming events are Bingo Night (Feb. 9) and the Comet Walk (April).

Interested in getting involved? See below:

• Bingo Chairperson(s): Love Bingo? It’s time to start planning this fun night for the whole

family! Looking for a person, or group of people, to head up this Horizon favorite.

• Comet Walk Chairperson(s): The Comet Walk is the PTA’s biggest fundraiser of the year

and needs a person, or group of people, dedicated to making it a success.

We really can’t do it without you! Please contact volunteer@horizonelempta.com for more

information.

HORIZON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

Soccer

Overtime Athletics

Grades: K-2 & 3-5

Cheer It / Jump

Rope

Overtime Athletics

Grades: K-5

Sports Spectacular

Overtime Athletics

Grades K-2 & 3-5

Basketball

Overtime Athletics

Grades K-2 & 3-5

Card Games

Ms. Kingora

Grades: K-5

Teach the Librarian

– Stem Club

Mrs. Christiansen

Grades: 4-5

Marshmallow Out

Ms. Kingora

Grades: K-5

Classes start week of 1/29/18 thru 3/16/18.

Class times are 2:45pm-3:45pm

Make Up Classes: 1/29 classes will be made up on 2/2 and 2/19 will be made up on

2/23 due to the LCPS scheduled closures.

Overtime Athletics Classes: $70 for all 7 weeks

Teacher Led Classes: $80 for all 7 weeks

Registration for all classes can be done online at:

https://horizonasp.jumbula.com/#/home

Last day to Register is January 19, 2018

Questions: Contact Jennifer Travis at ASEP@Horizonelempta.com

Class Descriptions

Class Name Description

Card Games

Ms. Kingora /

Mondays

Calling all card sharks or wanna-be card sharks! Learn to play family

favorite card games that may include: Go Fish, Old Maids, Crazy Eights,

War, Concentration, Solitaire, Uno, Skip-Bo, Rummy and other card

games!

Soccer

Overtime Athletics /

Mondays

GOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLL! Take your game to the next level!

Join us for Shooting Stars Soccer and learn to play Soccer like the pros!

Coaches will teach you skills like dribbling, passing, trapping, shooting and

defense. This program emphasizes fitness, teamwork and sportsmanship.

Have a blast and make new friends playing World Cup Tournament, Battle

Balls, Trapper 500, Corner Kick Challenge and Soccer Knockout. Don't miss

out on what the rest of the world already knows; it’s a beautiful game - sign

up today

Teach the Librarian

Mrs. Christiansen /

Tuesdays

Mrs. Christiansen wants to know what you know about STEM. We will

have several different STEM-related activities, such as Snap Circuits,

Squishy Circuits, and Robotics kits. The goal of this club is to encourage

creativity and interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and

Math. Students will be given time to explore independently, as well as work

on challenges together.

Cheer It

Overtime Athletics /

Tuesdays

Rope Motion creates Emotion! Take your spirit to a higher level! Learn

routines, cheers, motions and jumps that promote teamwork, fitness and

FUN. We'll work on basic cheer and dance movements that have

participants smiling from ear to ear and bouncing from head to toe! We

bring the sidelines to center stage with cheers that include: “Who Rocks the

House”, “G-O Yell GO”, “Dynamite”, and many more. Our pyramid of

activity will include cheers, routines, jump roping, and warm up games.

Come be a part of something bigger, sign up today!

Marshmallow Out

Ms. Kingora / Wednesdays

Each week learn fun ways to create, build, and paint with the fabulous

squishy confection including building with diagrams, sculptures, animals,

towers, catapults and even marshmallow shooters! Please let us know if

there are any allergies when signing up for class.

Sports Spectacular

Overtime Athletics /

Wednesdays

Let’s Play! Save the best for last by finishing up the school day with Sports

Spectacular, a variety athletic program that features different sports

throughout the session. Participants will practice skills and play games in

both traditional sports and playground favorites. The Sports Spectacular

Variety Program features the best “to-do” list ever – Basketball, Soccer,

Flag Football, Kickball, Capture the Flag, Wiffle Ball, Bump and Bite,

Knights and Dragons, Numbers Game, Tag Games, Safe Base and MORE!

OTA covers all the bases with our emphasis on playing, teamwork,

sportsmanship, and fitness. Don’t miss out on the FUN!

Basketball

Overtime Athletics /

Thursdays

3-2-1…Swish! Join us for Fast Break Basketball where we’ll “cross-over”

between GAME PLAY and skills stations. The games within the game are

where we will expose players to HOOPS skills like dribbling, passing,

shooting, rebounding, and defense. Test your abilities having fun

scrimmaging or playing games like Dribble Scribble, King of the Court, Hot

Shot Shooting, Knock Out, and MORE! Be ready to take that last second

shot, make that extra pass, and block that go ahead basket while learning

the fundamentals of Basketball and the concepts of team work.

General Membership Meeting Schedule for 2017/2018

Location: LCPS Administration Building at 21000 Education Court, Ashburn, VA

Date & Time: 3rd Wednesday of the month from 7:00 pm-9:00 pm

January 2018 Date: January 17, 2018 Topic: Race and #REALTALK

February 2018 Date: February 21, 2018 Topic: Conversation with Dr. Eric Williams About Student Learning March 2018 Date: March 21, 2018 Topic: TBD

April 2018

Date: April 18, 2018 Topic: Academic Symposium

May 2018

Date: May 16, 2018 Topic: Summer Slide and What To Do About It

Topics are subject to change at the discretion of the Executive Board and/or Parent Delegate requests.

HORIZON ELEMENTARY

2017-2018

Welcome to Horizon Elementary! We strive to make sure that each and every student

has the necessary resources to help them achieve their best. In this ever changing

economic climate sometimes we find ourselves in need of outside resources and

assistance. If you would like to be considered for assistance with various in-school items

such as field trip expenses, school supplies, after school PTA programs, etc., please fill in

the bottom of this form and return to school as soon as possible. All requests for

assistance are at the discretion of the Principal based on availability of funds and

materials. By signing this form we are better able to reach out to those in need and will,

from time to time, send home information and resources that become available. All

information is strictly confidential and will only be shared with the necessary staff at

Horizon. If you have a need, please fill in the bottom portion of this form and return in

an envelope to the Parent Liaison, Amy Sandridge. Any questions or concerns can be

directed to the Parent Liaison, Amy Sandridge or the Principal, Jennifer Ewing.

Student Name: ___________________________________________________________

Teacher Name: ___________________________________________________________

Parent Name (printed): _____________________________________________________

Parents’ signature: _____________________________ Date: __________________

PLEASE RETURN TO AMY SANDRIDGE, PARENT LIAISON

HORIZON ELEMENTARY

2017-2018

Bienvenidos a Horizon Elementary! Nosotros ponemos una gran dedicación para

asegurarnos que cada uno de nuestros estudiantes tenga todos los recursos necesarios

para que ellos puedan dar lo mejor en la escuela. En este ambiente económico tan

cambiante, a veces nos encontramos en situaciones difíciles donde es necesario solicitar

ayuda o recursos externos. Si usted desea que se le considere para algún tipo de asistencia

para articulos escolares,excursiones, fotografias, programas de después de clases (After

School Programs), etc., por favor llene la forma al final de esta nota y envíela a la escuela

lo antes posible. Todos las solicitudes de ayuda quedan a discreción de la Directora y

están basadas en los fondos y/o materiales que haya disponibles. Al firmar esta forma, se

nos facilita más poder ayudar a aquellos que realmente lo necesiten y, de vez en cuando

también enviar a casa información con recursos y ayudas que existen. Toda la

información es estrictamente confidencial y solo será compartida con el personal

necesario de la escuela de Horizon. Si usted tiene necesidad de obtener ayuda económica,

favor de llenar la parte inferior de esta forma y enviarla en un sobre con atención a

Parent Liaison, Amy Sandridge. En caso de alguna duda o pregunta, favor de contactar a

Amy Sandridge, Parent Liaison o, Jennifer Ewing, Directora de la escuela Horizon

Elementary.

Nombre del Estudiante:____________________________________________________

Nombre del Maestro(a):____________________________________________________

Nombre de Familia (con letra de molde): ______________________________________

Firma: _____________________________ Fecha: ________________

FAVOR DE ENVIAR A AMY SANDRIDGE, PARENT LIAISON

Arrival and Dismissal Procedures

Please help us to make a smooth arrival and dismissal by reviewing the following procedures if you are

dropping off and picking up your child/children:

1. Student arrival and drop off can start once staff are on duty at 7:30 am each morning.

2. Please consider arriving at school a little earlier on inclement weather days. We have very few cars from 7:30 to

7:40 and then a mad rush from 7:40 to 7:50, which tends to back up the line and impact the number of students

who end up being tardy. The bell rings at 7:50. Any students not in their classrooms by 7:50 when the bell rings

are counted as tardy.

3. Car drop off is to the east side of the building. Pull all the way up to the first orange cone to allow

as many cars into the Kiss and Go area as possible. If you get here first, please do not park along the

circle, PULL ALL the way up to be courteous of other cars! C a r s n e e d t o pull forward so that

traffic does not back up on Broadmore Drive.

4. When cars leave in front of you, pull as far forward as you can.

5. NEVER get out of your car and leave it unattended in the drop lane. This blocks all the traffic and

creates a backup.

6. Speed limit in the Kiss and Go area should be no faster than 10 mph. The difference in time from the entrance to

the far cone is only 10 seconds; safety first!

7. Children should be able to exit or enter the car independently. Parents who must assist their

child/children should park in one of the designated parking spots in front of the school and walk the

student across the crosswalk to the front entry of the school.

8. Please do not use the designated handicapped parking spots if you do not have the legal

authorization (placard/license plate) from the DMV.

OFFICE REMINDERS

Students are permitted to enter the building each morning at 7:30 am. Those students ordering breakfast may go straight to the cafeteria. All other students will go straight to their classrooms to start unpacking and start their morning routines. The start bell will sound at 7:50 am. The school day begins promptly at 7:50 AM. Students MUST be in their classrooms at 7:50 AM; arriving after that time results in an UNEXCUSED tardy, unless a doctor’s note is provided. Students coming in after 7:50 AM must be escorted into the building by an adult. School dismisses at 2:35 PM. Parents picking up students prior to dismissal are required to sign them out in the main office. All visitors to the building should begin their visit in the main office. Once in the office, you may sign in using the computer located on the front counter. Any forgotten items should be brought to the office. This will cut down on interruptions to the class.

ABSENTEE/TARDY Please email the Horizon absentee email at hrzabsentee@lcps.org, or call the absentee line at 571-434-3261 to report the absence or late to school information for your child.

AFTER SCHOOL PLAN Anytime your child has a change in his/her after school plan, please send a note in with your child in the morning. The office cannot redirect children after school on the basis of a phone call. If an emergency necessitates a change during the day, you may fax the instructions to us at 703-444-7418.

2012-2013 Horizon PTA Executive Board 2012-2013 Horizon PTA Executive Board

IMPORTANT NOTICE

If, due to a disability, you need assistance to enable you to participate meaningfully in any of our school programs, please contact Mrs. Ewing, Principal at 571.434.3260 at least five working days prior to the activity.

LOST AND FOUND

Horizon Elementary has areas designated for lost items such as lunch boxes, and clothing. Students who misplace their belongings can check in the Lost and Found that is located outside the cafeteria by the water fountains. Items of value or importance such as glasses, jewelry, and keys are kept in the front office. If your child has lost an item, please encourage them to check in the Lost and Found or with the office secretaries. Items that go unclaimed will be donated to a local charity at the end of each quarter.

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN (SIP)

The Horizon staff is dedicated to improving our strategies for increasing student achievement and in closing the achievement gap. A formal School Improvement Plan is developed by staff, with parent input. If parents are interested in participating in this process please contact Jennifer Ewing at 571-434-3260. The plan is reviewed and revised throughout the year according to the results achieved.

The 2017-2018 SIP can be found on the Horizon website at https://www.lcps.org/domain/7051

SCHOOL BOARD REPRESENTATIVES

Debbie Rose, Algonkian District - debbie.rose@lcps.org. You can also follow her on Facebook, "Debbie Rose- School Board"

Brenda Sheridan, Sterling District - brenda.sheridan@lcps.org

Beth Huck, At Large - lcsb@lcps.org

HORIZON NOW ON FACEBOOK & TWITTER!

Visit Horizon's new Facebook page to keep up to date on school events and happenings! Check us out at: facebook.com/HRZSterling and be sure to Like our page to get your updates.

We are also on Twitter. Click the links below our calendar to follow us!

https://www.facebook.com/HRZSterling https://twitter.com/HorizonElem