On this Patriots Day, the 19th anniversary of the tragic events of 9/11, I am so proud to honor all of YOU HEROES with this Trojan Good Things. This anniversary is about honoring and remembering the many lives lost, but most importantly for our kids it is about celebrating the strong American spirit and highlighting the many who came to the aid of Americans in need 19 years ago today. Please remember that all of you in education are also heroes. You show our kids the same spirit that so many exemplified on 9/11/2001. Thank you for your courage, dedication, and SPIRIT every day - especially as you work as educators during a crisis. May we never forget the tragic loss, as well as the amazing bravery and courage that took place in the aftermath of this anniversary. And, may we all continue to be inspired to carry on that legacy in our work as educators who are called to be heroes for our students. I also have several anonymous Good Things to share today … see more in this update:

We have so many staff members working hard - from our teachers and nurses and administrators, to our bus drivers, coaches, paraprofessionals, special services staff, cafeteria workers, administrative teams, and all in between. We see you and we thank you for doing more than you’ve ever been asked to do to make school possible. Our Trojan Good Things this week goes to our Football Teams. Our Junior High Team had a great win last night over our across-town rivals at Lake Hamilton. Our Varsity team travels tonight to Arkadelphia to play. We send good energy and love to our athletes, and we appreciate all of you who continue to cheer on all of our Trojan activities, sports, programs, and efforts. (We haven’t forgotten you volleyball, tennis, or golf - your Shoutout will come, too!). We also have an anonymous Good Thing to share about a deserving Trojan Nurse at Park Magnet, Mrs. Dawn Utsey … “I want to give a huge shoutout to Nurse Dawn Utsey. She is so kind and caring every morning and she always has a smile on her face. She takes the temps daily at Park and is so helpful with getting the children out of the cars in the rain, even if that means she gets wet (all so that the children don’t!). She has TRUE TROJAN SPIRIT! Trojan ‘Good Things’ is a weekly shout out from #HSSD Superintendent Dr. Stephanie Nehus to individuals in our school community who are doing amazing things! It is her goal to communicate all the positives happening in #HSSD. If you have any special events happening in your classes or buildings or if you know of someone we need to give a shout out to, please complete the Trojan Good Things Form, here.

HSSD students are taking NWEA (Northwest Evaluation Association) Tests in K-10th grade classrooms through October 2. NWEA test data is directly used by our teachers, administrators, and HSSD leadership to make informed decisions about day-to-day classroom instructional content and offerings and individual student learning needs. Educators receive actionable data in real-time so that they can offer curriculum and activities that are appropriate for the learning levels and skill sets of our students. Educators also use the data to determine which students may need enrichment activities, and intervention and/or remediation services.

We see you Trojans! This was truly a first week back to school like no other. We have asked a lot of our kids, staff members, and the families of our students. We know that so much about our “new normal” is challenging. Our students did an outstanding job this week of following the protocols - wearing those masks, using social distancing, following new routines in our cafeterias and hallways, sitting at desks with shields, and more - and you did it with a strong Trojan spirit and a wonderful attitude. Trojan kids truly set the standard this week for us all. We see you making sacrifices. We see you supporting each other. We see you following safety protocols because you know that following these guidelines is what allows us to be here. We see you working hard, and not complaining. We see you Trojans, and we couldn’t be more proud or appreciative of you. THANK YOU. Keep on working, because we are right here working with you.

In a new #HSSD resource - Parent Protocols and Safety Communications during the COVID-19 Pandemic - you'll find information and links/resources about the HSSD Mask Policy (requiring the wearing of masks by all students in K-12 and by all HSSD staff), guidelines for what you and your family should do if you don't feel well and/or have symptoms or impact from COVID-19, guidelines for student and health and/or when you should arrange for your student to work remotely for a time period, and details about what communication processes will be followed if our school team needs to reach out to your families regarding a COVID-19 impact at the HSSD.

We will continue to provide FREE meals to all Trojan students in the 2020-2021 school year, in our cafeterias and at food truck stops across Hot Springs. No matter which Learning Option our students have chosen - Traditional, Blended, or Virtual Learning - we will ensure that all Trojan families have access to free meals. Find more important food details in this update ...

Our teams want you to be fully prepared for the 2020-2021 school year, which begins August 24! Please find videos in this update from leaders at each of our schools, as well as our District Administrative team - all of which explain safety protocols, Learning Options, day-to-day routine details, and more for the fall semester.

We can't wait to see our students! HSSD Open House events take place next week on Monday, August 10 (at HSJA, only) and Tuesday, August 11 (at HSWCHS and all Elementary Schools). Each event includes a Virtual Open House and an in-classroom Open House. Elementary schools are hosting in-classroom Open House events by appointment, only. Find all details in this update regarding Open House plans and protocols for each of our schools.

The Trojans Ready to Learn Plan was developed with input from the Trojans Ready to Learn Committee, and with guidance from the Arkansas Department of Education Division of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Arkansas Department of Health. Trojan families can find detailed information in this plan regarding Safety and Health, Academics, Learning Management Systems, the 2020-2021 School Calendar, Communications and Outreach, Transportation, Contact Information, Details about day-to-day Routine and more. We hope you find this document informative and helpful as you plan for the fall semester.

An updated HSSD Academic Year Calendar for 2020-2021 has been approved and is published here for reference.