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Mrs. Erin Nicole Coles

 

Dear Highland Renaissance Academy Families! 

I am SO EXCITED to introduce myself to you as your  Principal! My name is Erin Nicole Coles. Yes! I am sure you are wondering a bit about me! Please see below for a few “All About Me” points: 

  • I am a native Charlottean and graduated from CMS schools (Lebanon Road Elementary, Randolph Middle, & David W. Butler High School).
  • Most recently, I served as the Founding Principal at Renaissance West STEAM Academy. I have led high performing schools in Dallas, Texas and Atlanta, Georgia. 
  • I love families and value the importance of ensuring that ALL families feel welcomed, expected, and accepted in our school.
  • I LOVE Beyoncé (seriously, I LOVE HER)
  • My favorite colors are pink, purple, black, and anything that glitters and shines!
  • Being super visible, making connections, and using data in the best interest of our scholars is incredibly important to me.

As principal of Highland Renaissance Academy Elementary.WELCOME to the 2023-2024 SCHOOL YEAR!!!!!  I am excited to kick off another year with the best families, students, and staff in CMS. This will officially be my FIFTH year as Principal of Highland and my TENTH year overall as a Principal. Last year, we made MAGIC happen! We were removed from the North Carolina Low Performing Schools list, we EXCEEDED growth for the first time since 2014, and we made some DYNAMIC academic gains in every grade level. We did that! This year, let’s RAISE THE BAR and go TO THE MOON!  I absolutely love being your Principal. Thank you for trusting me and our HRA staff with your child.   It is my expectation that TOGETHER we will empower each other, collaborate, and ensure that we strengthen our scholars, staff, families, and HRA community.  Our first day of school will be Monday, August 28th. Students will be in class from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. We open the building doors at 8:00am to receive scholars. While the instructional day begins at 8:30, we ask that carpool parents drop their children off as close to 8:15 as possible.  This year, breakfast will be in the cafeteria. All scholars wear uniforms at HRA: Navy Blue khakis and a white, navy, or light blue polo.

To help you prepare for the new school year, we have provided some critical information: 

  • Teachers will begin calling parents and students on Monday, August 21,2023 .  Homeroom assignments are tentative and may change due to enrollment. Students will not be moved unnecessarily (e.g., “I don’t like the teacher”; “I wanted another teacher”; “My child’s friend is in that class”; etc.). Students will remain with their assigned teacher unless a teacher is  lost due to enrollment.  
  • Bus Schedule and Routes: Enclosed is the bus sticker for your child.  All necessary information is on the sticker. Please place this sticker on your child and have him or her wear it to school the first day.  Please make note of your child’s bus information and ensure your child is at the bus stop at least 10 minutes before pick-up time. More than one bus may come through your area; therefore, please be sure that your child boards his or her assigned bus.  We appreciate your patience and flexibility with the bus schedule during the first several weeks of school as bus routes are adjusted. If you have any questions, please call Ms. Clifton or Ms. Holbrook, at (980) 343-5511. If you have moved during the summer, please make sure that you are still eligible for transportation.  
  • CMS will only provide transportation to a very limited number of pre-determined alternative stops within our attendance zone. If you are interested in your child being transported to an alternate stop, you must contact the daycare and request them to complete the alternate stop request available online. New requests must be made each year.  If you have not done so, please assume that you will not have bus transportation for at least the first three weeks of school.
  • If your child is to have a different means of transportation in the afternoon than in the morning—such as riding a different bus to a daycare, being a car rider, etc.—we must have a signed note indicating this.  Please communicate all transportation changes to your child’s teacher in writing.  Without written information, your child will be placed on the same bus to return home. Please refrain from using email to communicate about transportation changes. Teachers are not always able to check email during the instructional day.
  • If your child is transported to school by car, staff will meet your car and direct your child into the building.  Please park in an available space or, as directed by staff, if you plan to enter the building with your child.  The traffic in the car rider line must continue to move.  We will be issuing new car rider numbers this year.  If you have a number from previous years, please turn it in to the staff on duty.  Please pay close attention to the staff on duty as they will direct you through the line.   We strongly encourage you to allow your child to ride the bus each day.  

Stronger Together,