Hammond Hill Elementary

🚨🚨 We have been working closely with North Augusta Public Safety and District personnel to create an extremely safe arrival and dismissal plan for all students. If you are coming from Amherst, up Woodlawn Ave, you will be detoured to Riverview Drive and around to Stanton Drive, to get in the car line. No cars will be able to enter Woodlawn Ave from the opposite side of the street from the school between Riverview Drive and Stanton. We have areas where only one car can fit. You may still turn right on to Woodlawn from Holiday, but you will not be able to turn left from Holiday. Our walkers also have their route blocked by debris in a few places and will have to carefully walk into the road to get around it. Please take caution of this. We are asking once again to please not park along any of the streets and drop your child off to walk. It is not safe and will create even more traffic jams than needed. District personnel, NA public safety officers will be stationed along Woodlawn to assist with the safety of our walkers, as well as traffic flow. Thank you for your patience and understanding. 🚨🚨

Please read the attached letter from our Principal.

Monday and Tuesday we will operate on a 2 hour delay. Breakfast and lunch will be served. We look forward to seeing everyone!

As students return from Fall Break next week and hurricane recovery efforts continue, Aiken County Public Schools will operate on a two-hour delayed schedule on Monday, October 14, and Tuesday, October 15. This delayed start will help increase visibility as school buses, student walkers, and others travel to school, ensuring safety as we navigate roads that may still have fallen trees and debris following Hurricane Helene. We understand this change may be challenging for many families and appreciate your patience and cooperation. Crews have made significant progress clearing debris, and we will continue to evaluate road safety for early morning travel. We will make a decision regarding start times for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday by noon on Tuesday. Breakfast: A grab-and-go breakfast will be available for students. Lunch: Lunch will be served; menus may be limited as we restock all perishable food items. Half-Day or Partial-Day Programs: Students on half-day and partial-day schedules, including Early Learning Special Education students, will not attend school on Monday or Tuesday as buses will be unable to run mid-day routes. No Before-School Activities: No activities will be permitted before school starts on the two-hour delay. Aiken County Career and Technology Center: Monday: Morning session students should report to their high schools. The afternoon session will continue as planned. Tuesday: Morning session students will attend the afternoon session. Afternoon students will stay at their high schools. In evaluating roadway conditions, the Hammond Hill neighborhood remains a concern. We are currently exploring transportation options for students residing in that neighborhood and will communicate with impacted families over the coming days once a determination is made. As our community recovers from this catastrophic storm, please exercise additional caution and care in travelling to school. Sidewalks may be blocked in some areas, visibility may be limited due to debris, and some powerlines are still low-hanging. If your child walks to school or to a bus stop, we encourage you to walk the route with them in the coming days or plan to walk with them Monday morning.  We look forward to welcoming everyone back on Monday!

NWS issued a wind advisory for tomorrow, Oct 10, 4AM-8PM. The hazard is 30-35 MPH gusts on weakened/leaning trees, causing concerns for travel in early morning & evening hours. With safety at heart, employees will begin on a delayed start of 9AM & no activities after 5PM.

NWS issued a wind advisory for tomorrow, Oct 10, 4AM-8PM. The hazard is 30-35 MPH gusts on weakened/leaning trees, causing concerns for travel in early morning & evening hours. With safety at heart, employees will begin on a delayed start of 9AM & no activities after 5PM.

NAHS football team will be at Hammond Hill on Wednesday, from 9-12, helping to get our grounds ready for our kids on Monday! We’d love to borrow some yard tools if you have any- rakes, gas blowers, weed eaters, leaf bags, trash bags, etc. We welcome any help and/or use of your equipment/donations to get our grounds ready. You may label your equipment and drop off at the office before Wednesday at 9. If you would like to volunteer your time and muscles, we gladly welcome those too but please don’t feel obligated. 🐝❤️🐝

Shelter Update: Community shelters are being consolidated at this time. The Red Cross Shelter at Paul Knox Middle School remains open for families in need.

Tonight, Oct. 4, at 6PM, Public Sheltering for Aiken County will open at Paul Knox Middle (PKMS) and Aiken High (AHS). PKMS: 1804 Wells Road, North Augusta; (enter Wells Rd. and Pisgah Ave.); AHS: 449 Rutland Dr., Aiken (enter Taylor Gym).

To help ensure that the information available through websites and social media posts from local Emergency Management Operations officials, Chambers of Commerce, public safety and media outlets are able to be seen by families with limited access to the internet, we are resharing through our school system-managed platforms. We hope that this is helpful to those needing access to water, ice, food, information, and other resources. The availability of resources included below is not guaranteed, please verify that the resources are still available. Much of this information is being shared from posts made on social media platforms from media stories, as well as the following sites: Aiken Chamber of Commerce https://www.facebook.com/AikenChamber/ CSRA United Way https://www.facebook.com/UnitedWayoftheCSRA/ United Way of Aiken County Phone lines and internet are down at the office. Message this Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/uwaiken/ North Augusta Chamber of Commerce https://www.facebook.com/GNACOC/ FOOD/WATER Salvation Army Feeding Sites: • Salvation Army Soup Kitchen-604 Park Ave., Aiken • YMCA- 621 Trolley Line Rd., Graniteville • KJs in Edgefield- 155 Carolina Sq., Edgefield The North Augusta Community Center, 495 Brookside Ave, will be opening for handing out water and food until 5pm or while supplies last. Golden Harvest Food/Ice Distribution Site (Oct 2): National Wild Turkey Federation, 770 Augusta Rd., Edgefield @ 2pm Hub for Community Innovation Augusta 631 Chafee Ave from 4:00-5:00PM (Oct 2) The Salvation Army Kroc Center of Augusta 1833 Broad St at 4:00PM (Oct 2) Center of Hope 1384 Greene St at 5:30PM (Oct 2) Ridge Spring-Monetta schools will serve hot food and bottled water will be available at no charge starting Wednesday, around 4 p.m. at Monetta Volunteer Fire Department. Water Via the New Holland Volunteer Fire Department: If you need water for flushing toilets, washing we have non-potable well water at our HQ station at 2243 Old Ninty Six Indian trail. The hose is on left side of bay building. Please do not block driveway to trucks. - Chief Dennis Jackson South Carolina Rural Water For small water districts needing assistance, call Nick Rubin 864-617-3169. SHELTER True Testament Church • 1031 Reynolds Pond RD, Aiken SC 29801 • 803-295-9800 Jet Middle School • 1095 Columbia HWY, Johnston, SC 29832 POWER While power companies attempt to restore power, having main power shut off at the house, with lines connected to a house, which were taken down by a tree, would help with tree removal and power line issues. Once power is restored, please leave your front porch lights on which shows utility workers that power has been restored. Candles - Place candles in safe holders away from anything that could catch fire. Never leave a burning candle unattended. Wednesday Morning (October 2) Update from Aiken Electric Co-Op & Dominion Energy provided by our local legislative delegation: AEC’s outage management system is up and running. There currently have 22,757 meters without power. There are 140 AEC employees and 50 fiber contractors reconnecting members. Additionally, 340 contractors are working on the Co-Op system and another 100 arrive tomorrow. This weekend, the total number of contractors working to restore power should be 600. Dominion reports that in Aiken County they have restored service to 26,000 customers with 34,000 still without power. Dominion says there should be a lot more connections made today. Dominion Energy o Power Outage: 888-333-4465 o Downed Lines: 888-333-4465 o Gas Leaks: 800-815-0083 Aiken Electric Co-Op: 877-264-5368 DRIVING With many traffic signals remaining with no power, please treat those intersections same as a four way STOP intersection. CHARGING STATIONS/SHOWERS (please bring your own toiletries/towels) YMCA – Aiken & North Augusta • 621 Trolley Line RD, Graniteville, SC 29829 • 401 W Martintown RD Suite 111, North Augusta, SC 29841 CHARGING STATIONS/ICE SRP Park will have charging stations set up by our main gate. At 3pm we will begin distributing ice, 1 10lb bag per person, until we once again run out. COMMUNITY EVENT This Thursday, October 3rd, from 3:30 - 6:30 p.m., Cedar Creek Church is hosting a Family Hangout at the Banks Mill Campus of Cedar Creek Church. This will be a time for all families to connect, play games, enjoy each other’s company. Snacks, drinks, and charging stations will be available, and the worship center will be open for anyone seeking quiet time for prayer or meditation

HHE family, We are heartbroken by the damage that Helene has caused. We hope your families are safe and please know that you are all in our thoughts and prayers. We wanted to list some places to recharge devices, refresh and find help. • The North Augusta Community Center is being turned into an Aid Center which is located at 495 Brookside Ave North Augusta starting at 1pm until 5pm or while supplies last. MRE meal and water is going to be provided. You must show a South Carolina ID or South Carolina Drivers License. This is for the North Augusta Residence, Aiken County Residence and Edgefield County Residence. • SRP Park is open (Tuesday) to the public from 12-5PM. We will be opening the WOW! Club to allow to sit in a/c, charge your phones and Chef John will have free hot dogs & sodas (approx 500) from 12-2 while supplies last. We will also be giving out 2 - 10lb bags of ice to those that need them while our ice supply lasts. • The City has established a Hurricane response telephone line at (803) 441-4227 to answer questions and take reports of water outages, water main breaks, tree in the road reports, and general information associated with our storm response. The personnel manning our phone lines will not have up to date information on Dominion Power response timelines. Please call 911 if you have a police, fire, or medical emergency.

Friday will be an E-Learning Day. Students will learn at home and not report to school.

ACPSD Changes Due to Hurricane Helene - Due to the potential impact of Hurricane Helene, which is forecasted to make landfall in the Gulf of Mexico today and arrive in Aiken County late tomorrow afternoon, Aiken County Public Schools has several changes to the remainder of this school week to announce. All after school activities tomorrow, Thursday, September 26, are cancelled. This includes athletics, arts, meetings planned for after school, and Quest Zone. Friday, September 27, will be an e-learning day for all students. Teachers and staff will work remotely on Friday. We recognize that several high schools have athletic events this week, including some with Homecoming. Some of those schools have moved their football games to this evening. Others are planning to host their games Friday night after the storm passes through. Should the weather necessitate a change to those plans, additional information will be shared by our high schools directly. We apologize for the disruption that this change will cause to our students and families and, as always, appreciate the flexibility and cooperation of our school community. Please stay tuned to local weather precautions and follow recommendations to keep your family safe.

We still need volunteers to help distribute cookie dough and fundraiser items TOMORROW! Check out the link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4FA4AA2CA1FAC70-51325468-cookie Thank you!

Let's get ready for another great week! Here's what we have happening! Monday is Good News Club. It is also Lunch with the Principals for students who met this fundraiser goal and silly sting the principals. Tuesday is Cookie Dough pickup from 3-6. It is also Sonic Spirit Night from 5-9. On Wednesday, is the Pelicans party for students who met this fundraiser goal. Thursday is Hispanic Heritage Night from 5:30-6:30. Friday is Pro Dads at 7 AM in the cafeteria. Fall Break is the next two weeks and we hope you have a great break.

We have a busy week ahead of us! Monday is Dot Day! Wear dots! Wednesday is Early Dismissal at 11:30. Wednesday is also our Mother Son Event at Sky Zone from 6:30-8:30. Please be sure to register via the QR code on the attached flyer. Friday is our 5th grade car wash. Please see the attached flyers for more details!

Ensuring the Safety of Our Schools: Addressing Recent Rumors - We are aware of misinformation circulating throughout our schools and communities regarding rumored incidents of school violence at various campuses within our district. Please know that these messages are being reposted and reshared at schools throughout our district and at schools throughout the state. Your children’s safety is our top priority. We take all threats seriously and work in collaboration with law enforcement to fully investigate each and every rumor and/or post that is shared. There is no active threat impacting the safety and security of any of our school campuses. Rumors of this nature cause a great deal of concern, stress and anxiety. When those are shared on social media, the impact is far-reaching, and causes unnecessary concern for other parents, students, and staff, and divert critical resources away from genuine safety and security efforts. If ever there is an actual incident of school violence at your child’s school or if a threat of violence at your child’s school warrants your attention, school and/or district communications will notify you. We are committed to sharing accurate information as quickly as situations allow. We hope to never have to notify you of an actual event of school violence, and we are fully committed to maintaining the safety and security of our schools through a variety of safety measures and close collaboration with local law enforcement. If you or your student ever have a safety concern, or if you hear a rumor of a safety concern, we ask that you immediately notify the appropriate authorities. This includes local law enforcement and the administration at the district office or the school involved. Thank you for your support as we work together to keep our schools, and your children safe.

We look forward to seeing all of our grandparents Friday for the parade! The parade begins at 8:30!

Join us for a night of learning and celebrating the Hispanic Culture on September 26 from 5:00-6:30. All are welcome! There will be a food truck and the menu is attached!

Our 5th Grade Car Wash is Sept. 20 at 3:30. We are looking for 5th grade students to help. Please click on the link below to sign your 5th grade student up. Parents MUST stay at the school the entire time with the student while volunteering. ONLY 5th grade students may volunteer. Thank you! https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.signupgenius.com%2Fgo%2F10C0D4FA4AA2CA1FAC70-51324469-5thgrade&data=05%7C02%7CHCline%40acpsd.net%7C38404f3fd24f407cacf908dcd258ee54%7Cf86e302d701341f499871c135ce4132b%7C0%7C0%7C638616526647195392%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Fmvjhs8KoSQejU%2F1dEGa3nisa%2FGSKnE7J%2BOofzOMegw%3D&reserved=0