Hembree Highlights

Hello Hembree Springs Families,

Can you believe we’re heading into the last full week of September? Time is flying, and it’s been such a joy spending time in classrooms lately. I continue to be inspired by the active engagement I see from our students. Their energy is contagious! Our dedicated teachers work tirelessly to meet the needs of every child, and I’m incredibly proud of the progress we’re making together.

Strong4Life Pep Rally – Wednesday, September 24th

We’re excited to host our Strong4Life Pep Rally next Wednesday! Strong4Life has partnered with over 1,800 schools across Georgia to promote healthy habits that build strong bodies and strong minds. Their school-based program brings fun, interactive education to life—with music, dancing, and a whole lot of energy! We can’t wait to celebrate wellness with our students in such a vibrant way.

Zone Superintendent Site Visit

Also on Wednesday, we’ll welcome our Zone Superintendent for our first Site Visit of the year. These visits are a valuable opportunity to review data, observe instruction, and collaborate with district specialists. It’s a chance to reflect on best practices and ensure Hembree is aligned with our goals. I always look forward to showcasing the incredible work happening in our school.

On a Personal Note

Last week’s game was a nail-biter! Tennessee played with heart, and as a mom, my heart went out to their kicker. But as a Georgia fan… let’s just say it felt like a miracle! I was at a wedding, trying to discreetly watch the game on my phone, thinking I was the only one sneaking a peek—until a huge cheer erupted during the reception. Clearly, I wasn’t alone! Thankfully, the bride didn’t notice.

This weekend is a bye week, which gives me a chance to slow down and celebrate my birthday. I’m looking forward to delicious dinners and quality time with my family. As I reflect on another year, I feel deeply grateful. Leading Hembree is truly one of my greatest blessings, and I’m thankful every day for our amazing community of students, families, and staff.

I wish you all a wonderful weekend!

Warm Regards,
Nancy Lahey

9/28 Jason's Deli Spirit Sunday Funday

9/30 PreK field trip to the Art Barn

10/1 Kindergarten field trip to Scottsdale Farms

10/7 Title I ELL Parent Workshop @7:40-8:40am

10/7 Your Pie Spirit Night 3:00-9:00pm

10/8 Fall Picture Day

10/13-10/17 No School- Fall Break

10/24 PTA Trunk or Treat @ 5:00-7:00pm

10/28 Reflections Reception- Media Center 8:00-8:30AM

11/4 No School- Teacher workday

District/School-Family Compact and Parent and Family Engagement Plans

The School-Family Compact will be discussed with you throughout the year at different school-family programs (for all grades) and at parent-teacher conferences, as we work together towards your child’s academic successes this year. You may visit our school’s website Title I - Hembree Springs Elementary School (fultonschools.org) to download copies of the School-Family Compact, the School Parent and Family Engagement Plan information and the District Parent and Family Engagement Plan, or contact a school representative to request a copy of the School-Family Compact.

We're starting a new initiative with the PTA, and we need you!!

We’re handing the carpool lane keys over to the DADS (and all the awesome father figures, uncles, and grandpas too)! 🙌

Let’s show our kiddos that carpool can be fun, fast and full of dad jokes. 🎉

The "Dadpool Takeover" will be held Oct. 3, so guys and gents, check out this Signup Genius!

https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10C054FADAD2FAAFD0-58691459-dadpool

Throw on your best smile (or your best dad hat 🧢) and help us make morning drop-off legendary.

Who’s ready to roll? 🚙✨

Every day and every minute at school counts. Showing up sets the pace for success!

Why Attendance Matters:

Did you know? Missing 10%, or about 2 days each month over the course of a school year, can make it harder to learn to read. Consistent attendance helps children build routines, stay connected with their classmates, and succeed academically. Parents play a vital role by setting expectations, planning ahead, and making school a priority.

Here’s how we’re making it fun:

At the beginning of the year, we kicked off our Grade-Level Racing Car Attendance Incentive to celebrate strong attendance and encourage every student to be present and ready to learn.

• For the month of September, students with perfect attendance for the week will be entered into a raffle for fun prizes on Fridays! From then on, we'll host the raffle every month!
• The grade level with the highest attendance rates each month earns a special treat! Congratulations to 4th grade for being our August winners!

If you haven't done so already, now is a great time to check in on your child's school attendance. You can do so via the parent portal. Click HERE to sign up.

For additional information, please visit the FCS Attendance Website .https://www.fultonschools.org/students-families/attendance-policy/attendance-matters

We appreciate your partnership in encouraging positive school attendance. Let’s work as a team, students, staff, and families, to make every school day count.

Calling all 3rd-5th graders who love technology and would like to enter the Fulton County Technology Competition:

Please let Ms. Soberanis or Ms. Lee know if you are interested or want more information, and scan the QR code below. You may compete in one of the following categories: 3D modeling, animation, audio production, digital game design, digital photo production, graphic design, multimedia applications, physical computing, programming, robotics, video production, or web/mobile apps.

The deadline to apply is October 31st. Students participating must be available for the 2025-2026 Fulton County Student Technology Competition (FCSTC) that will be held in person on 1/10/2026 (Saturday) at Riverwood High School from 8AM to 4:30PM.

Hembree Springs ESOL Parents,

Join us on October 7th at 7:45am in the Media Center at Hembree Springs. We will have a presentation about our English as a Second Language (ESOL) program inclusive of the benefits of ESOL, services offered, WiDA standards and ACCESS testing. These services will be defined and explained for parents. We will also be discussing how to support your students with their learning at home.

Additionally, if you need assistance setting up your Parent Portal to access your student’s grades and other information-we will provide in person support at the end of this meeting as well. We are looking forward to seeing you there!

Padres de ESOL de Hembree Springs,

Únase a nosotros el 7 de octubre a las 7:45 a.m. en la biblioteca en Hembree Springs. Tendremos una presentación sobre nuestro programa de inglés como segundo idioma (ESOL) que incluye los beneficios de ESOL, los servicios ofrecidos, los estándares de WiDA y el examen de ACCESS. Estos servicios serán definidos y explicados para los padres. También discutiremos cómo apoyar a sus estudiantes con su aprendizaje en casa.

Adicionalmente, si necesita ayuda para configurar su Portal de Padres para acceder a las calificaciones de su estudiante y otra información, también le proporcionaremos apoyo en persona al final de esta reunión. ¡Espero verlos allí!

Grab your family and make plans with friends for a Hembree Spirit Night! Your Pie of Roswell is hosting a Hembree night - mention us and we receive 20% of all sales!

Join Hope Roswell for their 16th Annual Roswell, "Day of Hope", Saturday, September 27 from 12–4 PM by the Roswell City Hall. "Roswell Day of Hope" is a free community event that brings neighbors together to enjoy: music, food, kids' activities, giveaways, and helpful free services. Need shoes or a fresh haircut, this event is here to help. Just want to enjoy the day, come for the music and local treats!

More information: [https://hoperoswell.org/roswell-day-of-hope/](https://hoperoswell.org/roswell-day-of-hope/)

En Española: Únase a Hope Roswell para el 16.º Día Anual de la Esperanza de Roswell, el sábado 27 de septiembre de 12:00 a 16:00 h en el Ayuntamiento de Roswell. El "Día de la Esperanza de Roswell" es un evento comunitario gratuito que reúne a los vecinos para disfrutar de música, comida, actividades infantiles, regalos y servicios útiles gratuitos. Si necesita zapatos o un corte de pelo, este evento es para ayudarle. Si solo quiere disfrutar del día, ¡venga a disfrutar de la música y las delicias locales!

Más información: https://hoperoswell.org/roswell-day-of-hope/

Thank you for everyone who was able to come for STEM and Star Night last Friday. Turnout was amazing! If you missed the survey, please take a moment to submit your evaluation here: https://bit.ly/Evaluation_FE

If you were unable to attend or would like to review the PowerPoint again, please follow the links below:

9.5 Technology Workshop.pptx

Spanish 9.5 Technology Workshop.pptx

Dine at Jason’s Deli Sunday Sept. 28th and support Hembree Springs! Come in anytime from 11AM – 9PM and mention our school for 20% earned on purchase. Also valid for curbside, or takeout!

Keep those Reflections entries coming!

Thanks to all the parents who have been submitting their students' entry forms for the PTA Reflections Art Contest!! We can't wait to see what everyone has created! If you haven't turned in an entry form, we ask that you wait to send it in with your child's creation. We have put a bright orange bin in the front entrance of the school. And if you can please make sure to put your students' full name and grade on the back of their piece or label it in whatever way you think suits it best. That way we can ensure we have all the information to submit it. PTA sent home a paper copy of the form in Friday Folders recently, but there is a digital version you can print out too here https://georgiapta.org/media/attachments/2025/09/03/fillable-student-entry-form_reflections.pdf

Student Success Skills (A Sense of Belonging)

One of the Student Success Skills students will be developing this year is a sense of belonging.

What does this mean? It means understanding that they can be part of a group. When students feel a sense of belonging at school, they feel included, accepted, valued, and encouraged by others. It also means they can help others feel like they belong too - by including, accepting, valuing, and encouraging them.

Students will also learn about friendships, relationships, how to use support systems, and how to make positive social contributions.

Examples: Students may feel like they belong with their families because their families love them. They may feel like they belong with their friends because friends enjoy doing similar things together. Students can also help others feel like they belong by inviting them to play or simply spending time with them.

How You Can Support at Home: Families can encourage a sense of belonging by spending time together, celebrating each child’s strengths, and showing appreciation for one another. You can also help your child practice including others by inviting a classmate to join in a game, asking about new friends, or modeling kindness in your own relationships.

Families! YOU are your child’s first and most influential teacher. As such you have so much to offer your student! To encourage family engagement at home, we are offering family engagement Thursdays. Each week there will be (1) activity to do at home to be completed prior to Friday. We’ll list the activities for the month in Hembree Highlights and offer reminders via social media. Your student will have the opportunity to receive a *bonus* Hawk’s ticket for participating (look out for more details from your teacher) We’ll include tips and tricks to get the conversation started and reinforce learning from the school day. Please spend anywhere from 10-20 minutes with your child engaging with them around their day at school and encouraging their social and emotional skills. We’ll also encourage you to practice other skills inclusive of Math and ELA. Please feel free to reach out to me Lucy Gilbert, Title I Parent Liaison (gilbertl2@fultonschools.org) with any questions.

Del Título I

Jueves de Participación Familiar

¡Familias! USTED es el primer y más influyente maestro de su hijo. Como tal, ¡tiene mucho que ofrecer a su estudiante! Para fomentar la participación familiar en casa, estamos ofreciendo participación familiar los jueves. Cada semana habrá (1) actividad para hacer en casa que se completará antes del viernes. Haremos una lista de las actividades del mes en Hembree Highlights y ofreceremos recordatorios a través de las redes sociales. Su estudiante tendrá la oportunidad de recibir un boleto * extra* de Hawk's por participar (esté atento a más detalles de su profesor). Incluiremos consejos y trucos para iniciar la conversación y reforzar el aprendizaje de la jornada escolar. Pase entre 10 y 20 minutos con su hijo, involucrarse con ellos durante su día en la escuela y fomentando sus habilidades sociales y emocionales. También te animaremos a que practiques otras habilidades, como las matemáticas y Arte del Lenguaje en Ingles. Por favor, siéntase libre de comunicarse conmigo Lucy Gilbert, Enlace de Padres del Título I (gilbertl2@fultonschools.org) con cualquier pregunta.

Have you heard your child mention anything about an app called Beanstack? It was introduced in the Media Center. Beanstack is a digital reading log that students can use to log the number of minutes they are reading. They can earn badges and rewards along the way. If your child is reading at school, home, daycare, etc. they can log their minutes and help us get closer to our goal. The following is a video explaining how to use Beanstack from home. You can always find your child's lunch number/student number in infinite campus or email Mrs. Soberanis: soberanis@fultonschools.org. Happy Reading!

How To Video: https://go.screenpal.com/watch/cZQTbzVSAkv

Each week the PE department will choose 4 All Star Athletes (2 students & 2 staff members). If your student enjoys hiking, swimming, baseball, softball, football, biking, etc. Please email a picture to marzetti@fultonschools.org.

Thanks,

Ms. Marzetti

We welcome lunch visitors, Monday-Thursday only. Please check in at the front desk before proceeding to the cafeteria.

Website: https://www.fultonschools.org/hembreespringses
Location: 815 Hembree Road, Roswell, GA, USA
Phone: 470-254-2902