Principal’s message:

Welcome to the 2020-2021 school year at Don Steed Elementary. I am so excited to be here for my second year as principal of Don Steed Elementary where our school theme this year is: Never Stop Growing….Be the Change! We work as a team in order to ensure that every child can learn and reach success in a safe and nurturing environment. Positive relationships are what our foundation for learning is built upon. We strive to make a difference every day in the lives of our students from the moment we make daily contact with each and everyone of them, whether it is face to face or through our remote learning communities.

Rigorous, meaningful instruction is what our teachers give our students on a daily basis to help grow the whole child in order for every student to become productive 21st century citizens. This is achieved daily through our North Carolina Standard Course of Study, which gives our students the skills needed to problem solve, analyze, and become active members in classrooms, as well as their community. We will continue to integrate these 21st century skills through our daily classroom instruction as well as through our remote learning instruction via Canvas (Grades 2-5 Grades) and SeeSaw (Pre-K -1st Grades) learning platforms.

Please be assured that we are incorporating several safety measures and protocols to make our 2020-2021 school year the best one yet! These safety measures include: Daily health screenings for students, staff, and visitors to include temperature checks before entering Don Steed Elementary. We will also have limited entry points and anyone entering our campus to include: Students, staff, and visitors will be required to wear a mask and stay socially distanced from one another, whether inside or outside our buildings. No visitors will be allowed to walk students down to classrooms, visit classrooms, or eat lunch with our students this year. Visitors will also not be allowed any farther than the front office. All family members and visitors will also have to remain in cars during our daily dropoff, as well as dismissal routines. Please be assured that we will have enhanced cleaning protocols in place to ensure that our classrooms, bathrooms, as well as buses stay as disinfected as much as possible each and every day for the safety of our students and staff.

We hope that you will agree that Don Steed is the place for first class learning in Hoke County! Thank you for letting us be a part of your student’s lives each and every day this school year. It is an honor to serve the community of Don Steed Elementary and Hoke County Schools.

Haley Y. Hall

haley.hall@hcs.k12.nc.us