Did you know that as many as one in three students in the country misses 10%, or about 18 days, of the school year? This September, join with us to celebrate the Attendance Awareness Campaign. We’re working together to make sure all kids show up and participate every day possible. Being in school supports students’ social, emotional and physical well-being, and provides students with opportunities to learn and reach for their dreams. Let’s show up together and get back into the habit of daily attendance!
Please note the upcoming important dates.
Dear HES Parents,
At Hendersonville Elementary, we love celebrating our students while also supporting healthy choices! In accordance with Colleton County School District’s Wellness Policy and USDA Smart Snacks guidelines, we encourage families to choose nutritious snacks and healthy or non-food options for birthdays and classroom celebrations.
Please review the attached Smart Snacks, Healthy Celebrations & School Wellness flyer for approved snack ideas, celebration alternatives, and important guidance. Families interested in classroom celebrations, including Hershey’s Ice Cream Parties, should contact the school in advance for information and approval.
Thank you:)
At Hendersonville Elementary, we love celebrating our students while also supporting healthy choices! In accordance with Colleton County School District’s Wellness Policy and USDA Smart Snacks guidelines, we encourage families to choose nutritious snacks and healthy or non-food options for birthdays and classroom celebrations.
Please review the attached Smart Snacks, Healthy Celebrations & School Wellness flyer for approved snack ideas, celebration alternatives, and important guidance. Families interested in classroom celebrations, including Hershey’s Ice Cream Parties, should contact the school in advance for information and approval.
Thank you:)
HES PARENTS,
Please see the attached form and complete. It will ONLY take 30 seconds.
Please see the attached form and complete. It will ONLY take 30 seconds.
Parent and Family Engagement Workshop. We would love to see you there!
Community Event.
What an amazing evening! Our Color & Connect Family Night was filled with creativity, conversation, laughter, and meaningful connections. A heartfelt THANK YOU to all of our families who joined us and helped make the event such a success!
Families enjoyed painting, refreshments, and meaningful conversations about supporting their children and strengthening the connection between home and school.
A special thank you to Truist Bank and the South Carolina Office of Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities for joining us and sharing valuable information and resources with our families. We truly appreciate your partnership!
Did you miss Color & Connect? Don’t worry! Join us on September 16, 2026, at 5:00 PM for Reading Together: Building Strong Readers at Home. We’ll share practical ways to support your child’s reading at home, and, of course, we’ll have a fun, hands-on family activity to go along with it! Be on the lookout for the flyer and registration, which are coming soon.
Thank you to everyone who helped make Color & Connect a success: our families, staff, volunteers, and all who contributed behind the scenes. We appreciate each of you!
It’s All About the Kids! The Time is Now! The Clear Choice!
Families enjoyed painting, refreshments, and meaningful conversations about supporting their children and strengthening the connection between home and school.
A special thank you to Truist Bank and the South Carolina Office of Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities for joining us and sharing valuable information and resources with our families. We truly appreciate your partnership!
Did you miss Color & Connect? Don’t worry! Join us on September 16, 2026, at 5:00 PM for Reading Together: Building Strong Readers at Home. We’ll share practical ways to support your child’s reading at home, and, of course, we’ll have a fun, hands-on family activity to go along with it! Be on the lookout for the flyer and registration, which are coming soon.
Thank you to everyone who helped make Color & Connect a success: our families, staff, volunteers, and all who contributed behind the scenes. We appreciate each of you!
It’s All About the Kids! The Time is Now! The Clear Choice!
Message from Principal Edwards regarding Attendance Rate
"Starting a new school year can bring BIG feelings, especially for kiddos who struggle with separation anxiety. 🏫🩷
🤗 Here are 6 tips to make the transition back to school easier for everyone:
▫️ Keep goodbyes short & positive. Use a quick, confident goodbye routine. Long goodbyes can make separation harder.
▫️ Create a predictable routine. Knowing what happens each morning helps kids feel safe and prepared.
▫️ Use a comforting reminder of home. A small family photo, note, bracelet, or other approved comfort item can provide reassurance during the transition.
▫️ Validate their feelings. Let children know it’s okay to miss home while reminding them they are safe and cared for at school.
▫️ Give them a job to do. Ask them to unpack, choose a morning activity, deliver something, or help with a classroom task to redirect their attention.
▫️ Celebrate small successes. Notice progress such as walking into class independently, calming down more quickly, or completing a full morning. Positive reinforcement builds confidence!"
-by Music City Counselor
🤗 Here are 6 tips to make the transition back to school easier for everyone:
▫️ Keep goodbyes short & positive. Use a quick, confident goodbye routine. Long goodbyes can make separation harder.
▫️ Create a predictable routine. Knowing what happens each morning helps kids feel safe and prepared.
▫️ Use a comforting reminder of home. A small family photo, note, bracelet, or other approved comfort item can provide reassurance during the transition.
▫️ Validate their feelings. Let children know it’s okay to miss home while reminding them they are safe and cared for at school.
▫️ Give them a job to do. Ask them to unpack, choose a morning activity, deliver something, or help with a classroom task to redirect their attention.
▫️ Celebrate small successes. Notice progress such as walking into class independently, calming down more quickly, or completing a full morning. Positive reinforcement builds confidence!"
-by Music City Counselor
Character Word of the Month:
Respect
Respect
The Colleton County School District convocation production team would like to say thank you again for the many participants who aided with the convocation to kick off the 2026-2027 school year. Mr. Carlos Hamlin with Ace Basin Photography captured so many wonderful images from the event. Please enjoy these fantastic photos of some of the best teachers, staff and students in Colleton County. We cannot have a successful year without each of you.
https://acebphotography.pixieset.com/colletoncountyschooldistrictconvocation/
https://acebphotography.pixieset.com/colletoncountyschooldistrictconvocation/
Parent & Family Engagement Workshop. Join us for an evening of creativity, conversation and connection!! Families will enjoy painting together while learning about school resources, sharing ideas, and building meaningful relationships with our schools.
Youth Baseball & Softball Sign Up's
Until August 15, 2026
Access through QR Code or this link:
https://colleton.recdesk.com/Community/Program
Until August 15, 2026
Access through QR Code or this link:
https://colleton.recdesk.com/Community/Program
Parent Engagement Workshop: Color & Connect
August 19, 2026
5 pm to 6:30pm
CCSD District Office Boardroom
RSVP today: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdCNb9UiVoGXKLhVBzOSDawTmiUVLEj9k_IKqbrgYY58WRINQ/viewform or scan QR Code
Did you miss the sheriff’s office Back to School Bash? It's okay! Here is another opportunity for some free school supplies! Mark your calendar and head to Elizabeth Church on August 9th.
SCHOOL WILL DISMISS AT 2PM TODAY AND TOMORROW
Please join us for our back to school open house on July 30, 2026. The schedule for each location is posted on the flyer below. We are very excited to welcome all of our Colleton County students back to school!
To assist our 4K and 5K students in their transition to school, students in 4K and 5K will attend the first 5 days of school according to the first letter of their last name. Please refer to the attached schedule.
July 22, 2026
Dear HES Family,
I hope you had a restful summer break and are looking forward to an exciting and productive school year. The first day for students is August 3, 2026. This year’s theme is “Advancing towards Excellence”. We firmly believe that teamwork and ongoing collaboration will move our students significantly in the direction of excellence, especially when paired with strong support and commitment from parents.
As we move students towards excellence, your support in reinforcing the following expectations will make a meaningful difference during the school year. Take a moment to review these guidelines, which are designed to foster a safe, inclusive, and highly engaging learning environment for all our honeybees::
-Dress code: Please make sure your child comes to school dressed according to the district’s dress code policy (JICDA). The overall goal of this policy is to reduce distractions.
-Attendance: Consistent daily attendance is essential for providing students with the vital instruction they need to achieve success. Please make sure your child is present every day, unless they are sick or have an excused absence. For this school year, our specific objectives are to increase the overall attendance rate from 91% (2025-2026) to 97% (2026-2027) and to lower the chronic absenteeism rate from 29.4% (2025-2026) down to 2.5% or below (2026-2027). Ultimately, students cannot advance toward excellence if they are not in the classroom to learn.
-Tardies : Students should arrive at school on time and be ready to begin learning at the start of the school day. Chronic tardies result in loss of instructional time.
School hours: 7:00 a.m. 2:15 pm. Tardy: arrival after 7:30 a.m.
-Behavior Expectations: We expect all students to “ be kind”, “be engaged”, and “be safe” throughout the school year. When students follow these expectations, distractions decrease and active engagement increases, leading to greater academic success.
-Academic Standards: Achieving excellence requires students to give their best effort, which includes turning in assignments on time, staying focused on tasks, and fostering a strong collaboration between parents and teachers to guide student progress. Under the new South Carolina grading policy, the 50-point minimum grade floor has been eliminated. Teachers will now assign grades that truly reflect actual student performance, meaning zeros will be given when earned.
As a result, the HES team is thrilled about our ongoing collaboration with parents and our shared commitment to these expectations as we guide students toward achieving excellence.
Upcoming events:
-July 30, 2026: Open House (4 pm- 6 pm)
-August 1, 2026: Back to School Bash (9 am-12 pm)
Location: Colleton County High School
-September 2, 2026:1st quarter interim report
-September 7, 2026: Labor Day- no school
Sincerely,
Florrie Edwards
Principal
Dear HES Family,
I hope you had a restful summer break and are looking forward to an exciting and productive school year. The first day for students is August 3, 2026. This year’s theme is “Advancing towards Excellence”. We firmly believe that teamwork and ongoing collaboration will move our students significantly in the direction of excellence, especially when paired with strong support and commitment from parents.
As we move students towards excellence, your support in reinforcing the following expectations will make a meaningful difference during the school year. Take a moment to review these guidelines, which are designed to foster a safe, inclusive, and highly engaging learning environment for all our honeybees::
-Dress code: Please make sure your child comes to school dressed according to the district’s dress code policy (JICDA). The overall goal of this policy is to reduce distractions.
-Attendance: Consistent daily attendance is essential for providing students with the vital instruction they need to achieve success. Please make sure your child is present every day, unless they are sick or have an excused absence. For this school year, our specific objectives are to increase the overall attendance rate from 91% (2025-2026) to 97% (2026-2027) and to lower the chronic absenteeism rate from 29.4% (2025-2026) down to 2.5% or below (2026-2027). Ultimately, students cannot advance toward excellence if they are not in the classroom to learn.
-Tardies : Students should arrive at school on time and be ready to begin learning at the start of the school day. Chronic tardies result in loss of instructional time.
School hours: 7:00 a.m. 2:15 pm. Tardy: arrival after 7:30 a.m.
-Behavior Expectations: We expect all students to “ be kind”, “be engaged”, and “be safe” throughout the school year. When students follow these expectations, distractions decrease and active engagement increases, leading to greater academic success.
-Academic Standards: Achieving excellence requires students to give their best effort, which includes turning in assignments on time, staying focused on tasks, and fostering a strong collaboration between parents and teachers to guide student progress. Under the new South Carolina grading policy, the 50-point minimum grade floor has been eliminated. Teachers will now assign grades that truly reflect actual student performance, meaning zeros will be given when earned.
As a result, the HES team is thrilled about our ongoing collaboration with parents and our shared commitment to these expectations as we guide students toward achieving excellence.
Upcoming events:
-July 30, 2026: Open House (4 pm- 6 pm)
-August 1, 2026: Back to School Bash (9 am-12 pm)
Location: Colleton County High School
-September 2, 2026:1st quarter interim report
-September 7, 2026: Labor Day- no school
Sincerely,
Florrie Edwards
Principal
4k/5K Staggered Start Schedule
