Hicks Canyon Elementary: A Primer for Families! 

Welcome to HCE! This website is published by the PTO (Parent Teacher Organization)... NOT the administration of the school.

We are a group of parent volunteers - and one of our goals is to help make your Hicks experience as great as possible! 

See below for some frequently asked questions from new families - and then take a look around our website. You'll find LOTS of details about our programs, what the PTO does, and even a page with helpful links from school. 

We hope you'll get involved if you find something that interests you! We look forward to meeting you!

FAQs

How do I make sure I'm in the loop from the PTO? 

The SCHOOL will send you info through "Parent Square". The PTO does not communicate through that platform... we send emails directly. To make sure you are on the list... follow these steps: 

• Click the "login" from the menu bar above.
  • If you are a RETURNING family- YOU ALREADY HAVE AN ACCOUNT. Please do not create a new account. If you can't remember your login, click the "I forgot my password" link. Contact us at store@hickscanyon.org if you have any issues with login. 
    
    
  • If you are a NEW family - follow the steps to create your account. 
• Once you are logged in - the "login" option will change to "My Account"... click that. 
  • From here, you can update your contacts (we recommend having both adults in a two-parent/guardian home on the account!) 
    
    
  • On the next page, you'll confirm your student(s).
    • Double check that your student status is listed as "ACTIVE". If they are inactive... you won't get info.
    • When you complete the info about your student - select their GRADE for this year - but then select "unknown" for your student's teacher name... none of us know that info yet! Spoiler alert: we'll ask you to login AGAIN to confirm you info after teachers are assigned. 

How do I get info about what's happening at school? 

We know... there's SO much info that comes out from the school and the PTO - that's why we want to make it as easy as possible for you to get the news you need. Here's what you can expect during the year. 

• Emails: 
  • "Tails from the Bark Side" is an email that comes out every Monday from the PTO and includes a week-at-a-glance of the week ahead. They are archived on our site so you can catch past issues if you missed something. This is your BEST reminder to find out deadlines and events that are coming up THIS week.
  • "Hump Day Happenings" comes out Wednesdays from the PTO with some mid-week reminders. It also includes a heads up for NEXT week.
  • "Husky Howl" comes out Fridays FROM THE SCHOOL. This one comes to you through "Parent Square." Contact the school's front office if you aren't getting this one (they will start in August).
  • Your teacher will reach out to you directly with info regarding your class or child - usually through the Parent Square app. 
  • Your class's room parent (more on that later!) will also send occasional emails highlighting things that are specific to your classroom. 
• More places you can find info:
  • The PTO Website: Husky Happenings is always available - a summary of what's to come for the month.
  • The PTO also provides a hard copy calendar every month that goes home in your "Friday Folder". There's a QR code right in the corner of the calendar to get more details too! Post this on your fridge for easy access. 
  • The marquee out in front of the school highlights events coming up within the next 2 weeks. 
  • Social Media: Follow the PTO on Facebook and Instagram. We post mostly"stories" - so watch for those for reminders and information!  
  • Texts: NEW this year! If you OPT IN (through the account link described above)... you can receive text messages from the PTO! We will NOT be blasting texts all the time - just occasional reminders for important events/deadlines. We do NOT recommend relying on texts for info - it's meant to be for reminders only. 
  • The school sometimes puts reminders or news in the "Friday Folder" that will come home with your student each week. Be sure to check that between the worksheets and other materials that will come home in that folder. For example, this is where you'll get the order form for school pictures. 

Fun Fact:

PTO emails (and these website pages) are purposely more "text-based" instead of graphics sharing information. This helps ensure that our families can easily translate the content into their preferred language - which can't be done with images.