Do you have a question about Hope Elementary that you would like answered, but don’t know who to ask?

“Just Ask” is a new feature on our web site. The goal of Hope Elementary is to provide you with information you are seeking in regards to our school. Communication is important and hopefully this service will help clarify information for our community and also stem rumors and gossip.

If you are curious about various issues please click the envelope below to send an email and we will be happy to track down the answer for you.

Many community members might be asking the same questions, so we will post these answers on the web site for everyone to review.

How are the Science Fair projects judged?  The Science Fair is directed by one of our Hope parents, Shannon Schmidt.  For the last two years she coordinates with members of the community who have a background in science and are not connected to students at the school, so they remain fair and impartial. They determine the final winners from each grade level.  Mr. Tubbs is not involved in the selection process.

Why is Mr. Tubbs on crutches now? (Feb. 18th).  Mr. Tubbs had hip surgery to remove a torn ligament that was sustained three years ago when a drunk driver hit their vehicle head on.  He is expected to make a complete recovery.

Why does the email system only allow one parent email?  How can I still stay connected to the announcements? The email systems pulls data from our student records system.  The programmers built the system with only one email per student. To stay connected, you can visit our main website page every Wednesday as new information can always be found on the left column.

How do our class sizes compare to other schools? How do you assign new students to a classroom in the middle of the year?  We follow district guidelines to build our class sizes and at the printing of this response, we have no more than 31 students in any given upper grade class.  We have the 2nd lowest average class size compared to other CUSD elementary schools (30:1). Students are assigned to regular education classes according to the smallest class size first (combination classes typically do not add more students during the year).

If we move to an area outside of the Carlsbad Unified School District boundary, can my student continue to attend Hope? District policy no longer provides for interdistrict transfers.  You will need to enroll your student in their school of residence.  Families must maintain residency requirements to attend Carlsbad schools.

Do 4th graders ever attend 5th grade field trips? Yes.  Some of our 4th grade students in our combination class attended the BizTown field trip.  They participated in the classroom curriculum that prepares all students for their roles at BizTown.  It was necessary for the 4th graders to attend so that we would meet the minimum number required to host our own BizTown experience.  There are no plans for 4th graders to attend any other field trip outside their grade level.

I heard we are a demonstration school for using an iTouch as curriculum reinforcement and communication devices.  We currently have two iTouch devices in use in our severe/moderate autism classes.  Students use the application Proloquo2Go to communicate by touching icons that produce a word or statement.  They also use a counting application and alphabet tracing applications.  They even identify animals based on the sounds they make.  Mrs. Connelly currently uses an iTouch device as one of her centers.  Students love using the device.  There are many math and language arts activities to choose from.

Is Mrs. Drake leaving at the end of the semester?  No.  She was hired after the third week of school when our enrollment increased in 2nd grade.  She currently replaces a teacher who is on maternity leave.  We look forward to Mrs. Drake finishing out the school year.

Do you teach GATE classes?  Each teacher is trained to differentiate their instruction based on the needs of the students.  Our classes are heterogeneously grouped to balance the learning levels among each class.  To learn more about specific GATE activities for your student, feel free to talk with your student's teacher.

I've always wondered - what or who is Hope named for?  Hope got its name when it was originally a little school house started by local nuns.  The name has been kept within the district ever since.

What can we do to prevent head lice?  Head lice can be quite common at elementary school campuses.  Head lice and nits must be treated properly for complete removal before students can be readmitted to school.  We also encourage students to avoid hair to hair contact (most common when students with long hair hug each other) and avoid sharing items that come in contact with one's hair.  Click here for more details.