Literacy Army is a rewarding opportunity to feel involved at Hanawalt!

Literacy Army is a group of parents and community volunteers who work with Hanawalt students on building better reading skills. Time commitment; 30-45 minutes a week. Volunteers are assigned a student at the beginning of the year, and then work individually with that student utilizing reading materials and learning games that are provided by the teacher and Literacy Army coordinators.

There is a brief training session all new Literacy Army volunteers are expected to attend.

For more information please contact Sue Hetherington (sahetherington@msn.com) or Jodie Yon (jodiesevier@mchsi.com).

Welcome Prinicpal Berg!!

Dear Hanawalt Parents, Students, and Staff,

As the summer break has come to an end, the excitement of a new school has begun. It has been a busy summer with various activities and investments being made to continue the lasting tradition of excellence at Hanawalt. A brief recap includes:

• Camp Invention led by Hanawalt staff served nearly 100 elementary students from around the metro


• Steps taken to realize Hanawalt’s ongoing vision of increased technology access including a full-service computer lab (coming during the 2010-2011 school year!


• Additional arrival of various classroom technologies including projectors and document cameras


• Completion of a $25,000 technology grant proposal by PTA representatives


• Beautification committee/community volunteers managed various projects to improve the aesthetic appeal of Hanawalt’s campus


• Ordered, organized and distributed school supplies from Staples by PTA representatives


• Ordered new physical education resources through the PE4Life grant


• Summer tutoring by various staff members


• Addition of a ½ time literacy leader position

Addition of new staff members/programs for the 2010-2011 academic year:

Mr. Burg (Principal)
Mr. Chamberlain (Autism Associate)
Ms. Dean (Special Education)
Mrs. Gaylord-Crispin (Autism)
Mr. Hansen (Band)
Mrs. Johnson (Literacy Leader) NEW Position
Mrs. Kearney (Orchestra/Strings)
Mrs. Morris (Counselor)
Mrs. Roberts (Autism Associate)
Mrs. Sowers-Geisler (Social Worker)


Additional Reminders/Announcements:

• Drop-off/pick-up procedures will continue as established during 2009-2010 school year


• Morning cafeteria supervision will begin on the first day of school. All students will be welcomed into the cafeteria and supervised by staff at 7:50. For the safety of all students, drop-off may not occur before this time unless students are attending Metro Kids before school day care. From 7:50-8:05 students will independently read at a table assigned to his or her grade. This is an effort to capture an additional fifteen minutes of independent reading to support an increase in fluency and comprehension proficiency.


• Students will receive new lunch numbers starting this fall. Look for an envelope at the beginning of the year and please help your student memorize this number as soon as possible.


• DMPS revised an outdated student attendance policy. Information will be on the DMPS website and sent home with your student.


• Riding a bicycle or walking to school is a healthy life choice and can ease traffic congestion before and after school. If you choose this mode of transportation, it is essential for parents/guardians to encourage and practice safe traveling habits with your student. No bicycle age requirement will be established unless warranted in the future.


• A recently passed Edujobs bill by congress has secured funds that enabled Hanawalt to retain full time Art, Music, and Physical Education. This current plan will increase the amount of time students are involved in Fine Arts and Physical Education from 45 to 90 minutes per week for each subject.


• Please consider joining the PTA. Questions regarding the association can be directed to co-presidents Martha Miller-Johnson and Lisa Russell.

It is an honor and a privilege to be a part of the Hanawalt community. Thank you in advance for your on-going efforts to improve the academic and social experiences of all Hanawalt students. I look forward to meeting each of you and am excited to continue in the work of providing a world-class education for your child.
-Mr. Burg, Principal

September Dates to Remember

6 Labor Day - no classes, offices closed
7 School Board Meeting
8 School Pictures
24 Staff development for teachers - no student classes

Updates from PTA Co-Presidents

Welcome back!

As we get ready for another great year at Hanawalt, we want to take a minute to thank all the people who make Hanawalt great – the teachers, staff and parents who work together to make the student experience top-notch.

We have a lot of fun planned during the next few months. In addition to fundraising, which is one of the most important functions of PTA, we are also planning FUN activities to bring us together as a community. That’s what the Boo Hoo/Yahoo Breakfast was all about. If you missed it, we hosted a coffee hour the first three days of school. We were thrilled to see so many new faces among the familiar.

As we move into the school year, we plan to balance the fundraising with other activities. The calendar as we see it so far …

Week of September 8
• The Nonfundraiser Fundraiser
• School photos

Week of September 27
• Sally Foster Fundraiser goes home with students
• Hanawalt Block Party (this is a new-look Hanawalk without the fundraiser attached)

We continue to look for parents to help out in a variety of capacities. We recognize that life is busy and many hands make for light work – or at least that’s what my mom used to say. We have lots of different opportunities that might work into your schedule. If you’d like to be added to our list, contact Martha Miller Johnson at marthamillerjohnson@gmail.com

We aren’t even a week into the school year, and there’s so much that has already happened. The school supplies that were pre-ordered last year arrived and were on the appropriate desks for Meet the Teacher night. With left over supplies and generous donations, we have started a school supply closet that teachers can access at their discretion.

And, we’ve worked closely with Principal Burg to kick-off a computer lab that will be online by mid-September. There’s much more around the technology initiative that will be sent out in the coming weeks, but it is all very exciting.

So again, this is your PTA. If you have questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact either of the co-presidents – Lisa Russell at lisa@scubacreative.com or Martha Miller Johnson at marthamillerjohnson@gmail.com.

School Photos - Wednesday, September 8

Get ready, smile! - The annual school portraits are scheduled for Wednesday, September 8. Forms will be sent home with student shortly. Remember, these are the more “traditional” shots that will go in the yearbook. You pre-order the package and it will be delivered in October. Even if you don’t order a package, your student will receive a composite photo.

There will be a second opportunity for photos next spring. This shot is more informal – some might even say fun. These are just “extra” photos and will not be used for the yearbook. If you have any questions about photos, please contact the school office.

Check the Backpacks for Club and Activity Information

Watch the backpacks for information about clubs and other activities that will be starting up throughout the month of September. There’s a lot happening – Chess Club, Foreign Language, Junior Great Books and much, much more!

PTA Membership

Didn’t have a chance to run by the PTA table on Meet the Teacher night? You still have a chance to join PTA for $10. Your membership is not a commitment to volunteer (unless you’d like to). The membership dues are used to offset the costs of the many student-centric activities we sponsor such as field trips, Day in the Art, technology, Helping Hands and much, much more. If you’d like to join, drop a check or cash into envelope with your name into the PTA mailbox.

Hanawalt Block Party Coming October 1!

Bounce houses, live music, food, a dunk tank and the annual run down Robertson are some of the fun activities planned for the block party on the evening of Friday, October 1. Bring your family, neighbors and enjoy the Hanawalt Community. More information to come …

Soup Lables, Box Tops and Corporate Matching, Oh My...

The PTA continues to be aware of how often we ask you to open your wallets to support the many activities we sponsor. While we appreciate EVERY dollar you generously donate, there are other ways to help. This includes cutting out Box Tops on specially marked General Mills products, as well as Campbell Soup labels. All you have to do is collect the box tops and soup labels, slip them into an envelope and drop them into the PTA mailbox any Friday during the school year. Our school coordinator then takes care of submitting them periodically throughout the year to the appropriate programs for cash to be used for technology, field trips, Day in the Arts and special school assemblies.

In addition, because the PTA is a 501(c)(3), we typically qualify for Corporate Matching Programs. Be sure to maximize your donation if your company has such a program. Documentation can be provided upon request. For more information, contact Lisa Russell at lisa@scubacreative.com