“Learning From the Past, …Prepared for the Future.”

ANNOUNCEMENTS / ANUNCIOS:

Online Enrollment period for the 2013-2014 School LOTTERY has closed. We welcome all interested students to apply for enrollment in grades K-8 for the 2013-2014. All new applicants will be added to the waiting list in the order their paperwork is received.
Please go to “Enrollment” menu and click on “Enrollment Form” submenu. or click here

GREAT NEWS FOR HCCS!!
Heritage Community Charter School was selected to receive a $49,000 Grant from the J.A and Kathryn Albertson Foundation to Pilot
the use of Khan Academy!

The money will be used entirely for adding $35,000 worth of lap top computers and $14,000 in related hardware and software to facilitate their use school-wide. We are excited about the opportunity to enhance our already excellent Mathematics program by making Khan Academy an integral part of classroom instruction. To see more of the press release, please click the HERE

* School Supply List – HCCS Backpack Guidelines *

** ZUMBA Fundraiser ** May 18th !

**For the latest Financial notes, please click “Expenditure Data” under “The Board” menu or click here

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(May 2013) >>> Monthly School NEWSLETTER

Carta INFORMATIVA de este Mes >>> (Mayo 2013)

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** HCCS IS ACCEPTING STUDENT APPLICATIONS FOR 2012-2013! **

Charter Commission approved Amendment of Charter to include thirty (30) more students in the 8th Grade.
Applications for 8th Graders are being accepted!

Please contact our school office at 208-453-8070 for more information.

Back to School * Nuts and Bolts of HCCS * –///– De regreso a la Escuela * Tuercas y tornillos de HCCS *

Brown Bus Route — For more information, please visit * BROWN BUS* website.

About Heritage Community Charter School

Heritage Community Charter School (HCCS) is a tuition-free public charter school located in Caldwell, Idaho. As a Charter School, our students come from not only the Caldwell School District, but also many from the surrounding area including Meridian, Boise, Notus, Nampa and Middleton, ID. The focus of HCCS is a classical liberal arts education with a strong focus on second language acquisition through a Spanish immersion program. Learn more about Heritage Community Charter School

School Office Address: 1803 E Ustick Road, Caldwell, ID  83605
School Phone: (208) 453-8070
School Fax: (208) 453-8077
E-mail: info@heritagecommunitycharter.com

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Carta en Espanol sobre el * SISTEMA DE ESCANEADO PARA LAS COMIDAS *

MEAL TRACKING PROGRAM

Parents, here is a copy of a letter coming home with your child today (10/25/2012) regarding a new Meal tracking program. Thank you:

Dear Parents
We are pleased to announce a great improvement in our ability to accurately track student meal accounts and provide you with accurate billing information. This is very important as last year we received a number of parent concerns regarding inaccuracies in their child’s lunch charge, as well as a loss of thousands of dollars to the school due to inaccuracies in our system of tracking student meals.

This system will allow accurate tracking of lunch charges by having your child place their 2 first fingers on the lunch scanner, which in turn will charge or credit your lunch account. This will help prevent other children using your child’s account, as well as decrease inaccuracies.

Before implementing this system we want to be sure you understand the process and are in agreement with your child being involved. If you are not you may “opt out” and another way of tracking your child’s information will be used. Please carefully consider the following information.

The system we are going to use is a safe and secure form of tracking student information. And ultimately, that is all it is, a method to accurately track student information for breakfast and lunch and possibly library in the future.
A student has their first two fingers scanned on a biometric scanner. No actual image of the finger is taken. Rather,

“When your fingerprint is first scanned, the image itself is never actually saved or recorded – Instead, the image is analyzed for unique and distinctive points across the fingerprint which then creates a string of computer information.
This information is then passed through an encryption algorithm. This means that it undergoes a complex process, which cannot be reverse engineered to re-create an image or any other data which would identify an individual. The encrypted data is equivalent to a 60 digit password and is completely useless and indecipherable by itself. This is the information that is then stored.
As this process is one way only, the only way in which a user can be identified is to re-create the process and compare the new result with the one previously achieved. If the results are deemed to be similar, then the user can be identified.
This means that the encrypted information by itself is both meaningless and useless in any other system, and can only be used where it is directly compared to a new result which is run through the same encryption process.” (Source:blog.eyenetwatch.com)

This data, as useless as it may be to any third party, will never be accessible outside the school. More information would be available on an average student ID card. This is safe, secure, faster than looking each child’s name up or replacing lost cards, and we hope will present financial savings to both parents and the school.

We understand there may be reasons, personal or otherwise, that would prompt you to opt-out. Please complete the attached slip to “opt out” of the program.

Respectfully,
Javier Castaneda and the Administrative Team at HCCS.

Please return this slip to the front office: I would like to opt-out of the finger-scanning meal tracking system.

Student Name                                                        Parent Signature

___________________________________                _________________________________________

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2012-2013 HCCS Calendar

2013-2014 HCCS Calendar

Student Applications

As with other Idaho public charter schools, students that wish to attend Heritage Community Charter School must apply. Applications for enrollment in HCCS are currently being accepted. Go to the enrollment page and apply online or download a hard copy application form and bring it to the school office, 1803 E Ustick Road, Caldwell, ID  83605. see map

HCCS will always welcome applications for registration throughout the school year.

Please allow time for us to contact you. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the HCCS office.

Parents of interested students are encouraged to apply on-line or at the school office  located at 1803 East U stick in Caldwell throughout the 2012-2013 school year and students will be placed on a waiting list to fill slots as they may become available.

SNOW DAY POLICY

Dear families of Heritage,
We wanted to update you on the school’s policy about school closure for snow days. The policy is given below. If you have any questions please feel free to call the office at 208-453-8070.
Thank You!
Heritage Community Charter School Snow Policy
The decision to close school is not taken lightly. Although there are a variety of variables that are considered when making the decision to open or cancel school, the first concern is safety. The process to make this determination begins early in the morning.
* 3 a.m. – District maintenance employees begin removing snow from facilities.
* 3:30 a.m. – Brown Bus Co. officials observe weather.
* 4 a.m. – Brown Bus representatives drive bus routes to evaluate road conditions.
* 4:30 a.m. – District official collects and monitors information as it becomes available (current weather forecasts, contacts with neighboring districts, city and county road conditions, Police Department, etc.)
* 5:15 a.m. – Recommendation is made to superintendent designee based on available data.
* 5:30 a.m. – District administration makes the decision to open or cancel school.
* 6:00 a.m. – Posted on Heritage School District website. Local News agencies contacted.
School Phone Tree activated for Staff. School phone message is updated with closure information.

POLIZA PARA LOS DIAS DE NIEVE

Queridas familias de Patrimonio,
Deseamos compartir la política de la escuela sobre el cierre de escuela para los días de nieve. Si usted tiene alguna pregunta por favor no dude en llamar a la oficina al 208-453-8070. La política es la siguiente.
¡Gracias!
Heritage Community Charter School Política de Nieve
La decisión de cerrar la escuela no se toma a la ligera. Aunque hay una variedad de variables que se consideran cuando se toma la decisión de abrir o cerrar la escuela, la primera preocupación es la seguridad de los alumnos y familias. El proceso para realizar esta determinación se inicia temprano por la mañana.
* 3 am – Los empleados del mantenimiento de distrito comienzan a retirar la nieve de las instalaciones.
* 3:30 am – Brown Bus Co. funcionarios observan el clima.
* 4 am –Los Empleados de Brown Bus establecen rutas de autobuses para evaluar las condiciones del camino.
* 4:30 am – Un funcionario del Distrito recopila y supervisa la información a medida que esté disponible (previsiones meteorológicas actuales, los contactos con los distritos vecinos, la ciudad, del condado y las condiciones de la carretera, la policía, etc)
* 5:15 am – El superintendente hace una recomendación designado sobre la base de los datos disponibles.
* 5:30 am – La administración del distrito toma la decisión de abrir o cerrar la escuela.
* 6:00 am – Se publica el aviso en el sitio web Heritage Community Charter School. Las agencias locales de noticias son contactadas. Árbol de Teléfono de la escuela activa para el personal. Escuela mensaje teléfono se actualiza con la información de cierre.

In the News

• HCCS was approved Thursday, September 23 by the Idaho Public Charter School Commission.  To find out how you can get involved send us a note using the Contact Us page.