Hancock Elementary School

HCS STUDENT ARTISTS SHINE! We are thrilled to announce that several talented Hancock Central School students have had their artwork selected for publication in the 2024-2025 editions of the Catskill Review and Kites and Kings! These prestigious publications showcase exceptional student creativity from across the region, and our students' inclusion is a testament to their hard work, talent, and artistic vision. We would like to recognize the following students on being selected: Kites and Kings – Maci Berlingeri, Nicholas Picozzi, Emerson Rinn, Mia Cotza Catskill Review – Madelyn Feller, Carter Fineout, John D’Elia, Emma Tice, Amadalee Rodriguez, Addison Makowski Congratulations to all of our student artists for this outstanding achievement — we are so proud of you!

THANK YOU TO OUR AMAZING AIDES & MONITORS! This Staff Appreciation Week, we want to give a big shout-out to our dedicated aides and monitors at Hancock Central School! From classroom support to hallway supervision and everything in between, your hard work, patience, and care make a huge difference in the daily lives of our students and staff. We truly appreciate all that you do to keep HCS running smoothly and our students safe, supported, and ready to learn!

HAPPY SCHOOL NURSE DAY! During Staff Appreciation Week, we want to give a heartfelt THANK YOU to our amazing nurses— Ms. Ahearn, Ms. Alderman and Mrs. Hunt—for their constant care, compassion, and dedication. Whether it’s a scraped knee, a fever, or just a kind word, our nurses are always there to support the health and well-being of our students. Hancock Central School is lucky to have such incredible people watching over us every day! Thank you for all you do!

IMPORTANT DATES See the graphic below for important dates for the Month of May here at HCS!

HAPPY TEACHER APPRECIATION DAY This week, Hancock Central School proudly recognizes and thanks our dedicated teachers for their outstanding work and unwavering commitment to our students. Our teachers give their time, energy, and expertise every day to provide the best possible education and support for our students. Their dedication makes a lasting impact in the classroom and throughout our school community. Thank you for everything you do. We appreciate you—this week and always!

Thank You to Our School Lunch Heroes! This past Friday was School Lunch Hero Day, and we want to give a heartfelt THANK YOU to our amazing Food Service Team at Hancock Central School! From preparing nutritious meals to serving them with a smile, you make a difference in our students' lives every single day. Your hard work, care, and dedication do not go unnoticed—and we appreciate you more than words can express. As we continue to celebrate Staff Appreciation Week, we’re proud to recognize our food service staff as essential members of the HCS family. Thank you for keeping us fueled, supported, and smiling!

Celebrating Principal Durkot for Principal Appreciation Day and Staff Appreciation Week! This past Thursday was Principal Appreciation Day, and we want to give a huge THANK YOU to our very own Mr. Durkot for everything he does for our Elementary and Middle-High Schools here at Hancock Central School. His dedication, leadership, and unwavering support make a lasting impact on our students, staff, and school community every single day. As we kick off Staff Appreciation Week, we also extend our gratitude to all of our incredible teachers, aides, counselors, custodians, office staff, food service workers, and everyone who helps make HCS such a special place. We are truly grateful for each and every one of you! Thank you, Mr. Durkot, and thank you to our entire HCS team—you are appreciated more than words can say!

WELCOME BACK FROM SPRING BREAK! We kicked off our return from spring break with a joyful Morning Program that left everyone smiling! A big thank you to Patty Lacey and Tish Drumm for visiting our elementary students and sharing their newest book, Scotty the Snowman. Patty (author) and Tish (illustrator) delighted students with the story of Scotty and his forest friends, asking readers to consider: "Are we really that different, or more alike than we think?" The hand-drawn illustrations and thoughtful message made for a memorable experience. This visit was extra special as it marked the duo’s second appearance at Hancock—last year, they shared their first collaboration, Who Sees Who at the Zoo?, a whimsical tale of two siblings who realize the animals at the zoo might just be watching them too! Even more exciting, Patty and Tish donated a signed copy of Scotty the Snowman to our elementary library for all students to enjoy! Both books are available online to order at Amazon at the links below. Scotty the Snowman: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DL4PS6ZX Who Sees Who at the Zoo?: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CRRZP644 Thank you again to Mrs. Lacey and Mrs. Drumm for their creativity, kindness, and inspiration. We’re so glad to be back!

HAPPY EASTER & ENJOY YOUR SPRING BREAK! Hancock Central School wishes all our students, staff, and families a happy, healthy, and safe Easter filled with joy and relaxation! You’ve earned a well-deserved break—Spring Recess runs from Thursday, April 17 through Monday, April 28. We’ll see everyone back in class on Tuesday, April 29 refreshed and ready to finish the school year strong! Enjoy the time off and take care!

PETER RABBIT & BENJAMIN BUNNY Our elementary students were treated to a delightful performance of “Peter Rabbit” and “Benjamin Bunny” by Ms. Milk’s class! The students created their own puppets and sets, bringing these classic tales to life with expression, enthusiasm, and creativity. What a wonderful showcase of teamwork, storytelling, and imagination! Great job, everyone!

EASTER EGG-CITEMENT AT HCS! Today’s Easter Egg Hunt was a blast! Despite the chilly weather, our students had a fantastic time searching for eggs, collecting goodies, and even getting a visit from the Easter Bunny! A huge thank you to our amazing Student Council for organizing such a fun event, and to all the staff members who donated and contributed to the treats hidden inside the eggs. Your support made this a truly special day for our students! Smiles, laughter, and a whole lot of eggs—what more could we ask for?

READING CHALLENGE CELEBRATION Today, students celebrated their reading challenge win at the movies!! The students were welcomed warmly by Bridgewater Community Members. They allowed us to use their theater at no charge and watch the student voted movie…. Incredibles 2! Frito Lay donated chips and Bridgewater members made delicious popcorn and coffee for teachers! The students had a blast and were so well behaved and showed good manners. What a great way to end our week !!

READING CHALLENGE WINNERS, BIRTHDAYS AND GOLD SLIPS We celebrated several birthdays, selected gold slip winners and honored our reading challenge winners at yesterday's Morning Program! Happiest of birthdays go out to Ella Dufton, Liah Chapman and Madeline Davis! We hope each of you had a wonderful birthday! Our gold slip winners were selected, congratulations to Natalia Tarbox and Cayson Barnhart! Natalia and Cayson are pictured with their prizes. We also honored our reading challenge winners, who are pictured below. The top 3 readers from every grade were selected, an excellent job to you all! Mrs. Prescott’s class tallied the most minutes as a class, at 19,351 minutes! Mia Cotza read the most minutes in the school, tallying 6,862 minutes!! As a whole, our elementary students out read our teachers by a score of 53,616 minutes vs 46,606 minutes. GREAT work!!

STUDENTS OF THE WEEK We celebrated our students of the week for the past 2 weeks at yesterday's Morning Program. Congratulations to Carsyn DaBrescia-McGraw and Neven Brkaric on being selected as students of the week! Carsyn was chosen by Ms. Kellam, while Neven was chosen by Mrs. Noyd. Both were chosen because they work hard & try their best in class, are considerate and kind to their teachers and classmates. Excellent job to the both of you!!

ALL ABOARD THE TITANIC! Our 3rd graders did an amazing job presenting their Titanic projects with Ms. Williams at yesterday’s Morning Program! Each student shared interesting facts about the history of the Titanic and proudly displayed the models of the ship they created for the rest of the elementary school to see. Their creativity, hard work, and confidence truly shined! Way to go, 3rd grade—we are so proud of you!

SPRING VACATION INFORMATION We hope you all have a happy and healthy spring recess! Spring recess will begin this Thursday, April 17th, through Monday, April 28th. Students will return on Tuesday, April 29th. Also, there will be NO extended day this Wednesday, April 16th. Thank you!

IN THE SPIRIT!! We have some more spirit week pictures to share with you, today was 'Jersey vs Jersey Shore' day! Thank you to all of our students and staff that participated this week, way to show off your school spirit!!

KEEPING UP THE SPIRIT Today is 'Country vs Country Club' day during our Spring Spirit Week, see some pictures of our students and staff below! Way to keep up the school spirit, everyone! Tomorrow is 'Jersey vs Jersey Shore' day!

TEACHER-STUDENT SWAP PICS! Bravo to our students and staff for continuing the spring spirit for teacher-student swap today! Take a look at the photos below, nice job, everyone!

ELEMENTARY LITERACY NIGHT CANCELED Please note that the Elementary Literacy Night originally scheduled for Tuesday, April 15th has been canceled. We appreciate your understanding and support, and we look forward to future opportunities to celebrate reading and learning together.