Hollywood Elementary School PTO

09/04/2026

Calling all Heron detectives 🕵🏼‍♀️ 👀 🌽

If you’ve been a 5th grader or had a 5th grader over the last few school years you know what this is about! Our first reading unit in 5th grade focuses on corn and its Ms. Rycraft’s favorite unit to teach and dress up for. She received these gifts and wants to know who to thank. Drop us a comment if you are the gift giver and leave us your favorite corny jokes!

08/27/2026

SMCPS is transitioning to Apptegy for district and school communications this year.
Families may notice some changes to the appearance, format, or sender information associated with messages, but the goal remains the same: providing timely, consistent, and important information from our schools and school system.

What is changing?
📧Smore is being replaced by Apptegy Newsletters
📧📱SchoolMessenger is being replaced by Apptegy Alerts
Families will continue to receive important updates by phone, text message, email, and Schoology, including weather-related schedule changes and other time-sensitive information.

Please note: Apptegy text messages will be sent from 98900.
📱District messages will begin with “SMCPS”
📱School messages will begin with the school’s abbreviation, such as GMHS, MBMS, or another school identifier
To help ensure you receive important communications, please keep your contact information current. You can review your information through Home Access Center (HAC). To update an email address or phone number, contact your child’s school.
Learn more about the transition and SMCPS family communications:
https://www.smcps.org/offices/dar/communications

08/26/2026

Wishing all our Herons a fabulous first day back at school! Share your pictures in the comments, tag your posts with , and send photos to [email protected] 📸

08/26/2026

08/25/2026

In all seriousness, let’s talk pick up! There are three ways your child can get home from school:

🚌 Bus: All students walk in line out to the busses with their classroom teacher. Your child will stand in line with the other students in their class who are on their bus and the teacher will call names, stopping at each bus. Know that the first few days we will go extra slow so expect the bus to arrive drive home later than usual.

🏎️ Car Rider: This is for REGULAR daily car riders who consistently get picked up. You must apply for a “car tag” and will be assigned a number (If you did not do this at Open House, you must enter the building to apply and wait for a car tag). You conveniently get to wait in your car with your car tag displayed from the rear view mirror and we will call up your child and walk them outside in order of car arrival each day, one batch at a time. Note we can only fit around 7 cars in the pickup loop so there will be a wait. Begin lining up in the parking lot at 3:00pm. Do not enter the parking loop until a staff member instructs you to do so. You will see staff walking around with iPads to get numbers in order each day.

🅿️ Parent Pickup: In the event your child is normally a bus rider and you happen to be picking them up one day, PARK your car in the school lot or pass by the school and park in the soccer fields dirt lot. Be sure to arrive around 3:00 to ensure time for signing out your child. Walk into the main entrance vestibule with your ID. Mr. Dove or other main office staff will have a sign out sheet where you will list your child’s name and classroom teacher and your name and signature. Once you signed the sheet, you will get a card with a number on it and will be asked to wait outside in the breezeway. When students are dismissed inside the building, your child will walk up to a staff member inside and will be walked out and dismissed to you once you display the number card you were given. IMPORTANT! Do not park in the loop. This must be kept clear for daily car tag car riders.

🙋🏻‍♀️ Drop your questions in the comments!

08/25/2026

HES Parking Lot 101:

Is your child going to be dropped off by car in the morning? Watch this video so you know the flow of traffic each morning.

🚗 Students MUST exit from the passenger side of the vehicle only. You may need to consider moving car seats of younger siblings so that the school age child is able to exit from the passenger side.

🏎️ Drivers, DO NOT exit your vehicle.

🙅🏻‍♀️DO NOT pass another vehicle.

🛑 This is a “tuck and roll” situation so ensure your children have their shoes on and their backpack ready to go.

🚙Pull up as far as possible to the car in front of you so we can be most efficient when unloading and let you get on with your day!

What questions do you have for us? Drop them in the comments!

08/25/2026

In order to volunteer in any SMCPS building, adults must complete the Volunteer Application each year. Please take a minute to fill out your information.

This is mandatory if you want to be a field trip chaperone or assist in the classroom or around the school building.

Volunteer Sign Up - St. Mary's County Public Schools

08/24/2026

Many of you asked about specific sizes or designs today, but we had limited stock and sold out early! Happy to share our custom spirit wear website is open 24/7/365 with all sizing options for any gear you could imagine. Happy shopping!

08/24/2026

These are the last of the yearbooks we have for sale from last school year. Email us with your child’s a name and classroom teacher, and send Zelle payment to secure yours!

08/24/2026

Email us to snag a Smencil ($2 each) or Backpack Buddies ($5 each) and send a message to your child for the first day of school! We can accept emails through Tuesday at 4pm to secure in time for the first day. Zelle payments only to [email protected]