Hurst families,

Can you believe we are already halfway through the first six weeks?

The beginning-of-school dust is settling, routines are becoming habits, and I continue to be incredibly proud of our students. Overall, our Raiders are doing an amazing job meeting campuswide expectations and that means we're able to spend more of our time focused on the reason we're all here:

Learning. ❤️

As I make my way around Hurst each day, I'm getting to see more and more of that learning in action. I'm seeing students working together, teachers providing feedback while students practice, questions being asked, problems being solved, and students being challenged to do more of the thinking and talking about their learning.

That's exactly where we want to be.

🧠 FROM ROUTINES TO RIGOR

During these first few weeks, we've spent a lot of time teaching students how we do school at Hurst ... how we move through the building, how we interact with one another, how we participate in class, and what it means to come prepared to learn.

Now we're able to build on that foundation.

Our next step is continuing to challenge students to become active participants in their learning—not simply listening, but thinking, discussing, questioning, explaining, and sometimes even struggling productively before figuring it out.

That may look different from classroom to classroom, but the goal is the same:

Students doing the thinking—not just watching the teacher do it for them.

You can support that at home, too. Instead of asking only, “What did you do at school today?” try:

“What did you have to really think about today?”

You might be surprised by the answer. 😊

🍦 HERE'S THE SCOOP: ATTENDANCE MATTERS!

Beginning Monday, we're kicking off a new Attendance Challenge!

We're adding a little fun to something that makes a BIG difference in student success: being at school, on time, every day.

When students miss school, they don't just miss an assignment. They miss instruction, conversations, practice, feedback, and experiences that aren't always easy to recreate later.

So we're going to celebrate our Raiders for showing up and there may just be something sweet waiting at the end of this challenge. 🍦

Families, we appreciate your partnership in helping students make daily attendance a priority.

❤️ THERE'S SOMETHING GOOD HAPPENING AT HURST

Whether I'm popping into classrooms, visiting with students during passing periods, greeting Raiders in the morning, or spending a very warm Texas afternoon out on the South Field 😅, I keep coming back to the same thought:

We have a really good thing going at Hurst.

Our students are settling in. Our teachers are digging into the work. Our activities are underway. And we're beginning to see the routines established during our first few weeks create space for stronger teaching and learning.

We're not looking for perfection ... we're looking for progress, consistency, and growth.

And halfway through our first six weeks, I like where we're headed.

Thank you for continuing to partner with us and reinforce the expectations that help our Raiders be successful.

Enjoy your weekend, Hurst families!

We do great things for kids and each other every day 

in a safe and positive environment.

Hurst is First!

Bianca Johnson

Proud Principal