HMES NEWSLETTER
2025-2026
Good Afternoon,
I hope you have a great Fall Break! 🍁
We are officially stepping into Week 11 starting Monday, October 20th!
🌎 A huge thank you to our Instructional Advisory Committee, Ms. Vela, Ms. Illinets, and all of our amazing parents for making Hispanic Heritage Spirit Week such a success! Your creativity and enthusiasm made this celebration truly special.
🚶♀️🚴 Thank you for a wonderful Walk and Bike to School Day Mrs. Parsons! Your participation and energy helped make it a fun and memorable event for our students.
🎉 Congratulations again to Ms. Martin for being recognized as a Difference Maker!! We’re so proud of the positive impact you continue to make at HMES.
Don’t forget to check the full SMORE for important updates, and be sure to watch our weekly STEAM video, you might just spot your child in action!
Go Hawks! 🦅
Dr. Blanton
🏆 Jump Rope Contest — This Wednesday! 🏆
From the Wellness and Safety Committee:
We’re excited to host our annual Jump Rope Contest this Wednesday, October 22nd during recess! Students will have the opportunity to see how many times they can jump without stopping.
Jump ropes will be provided, but your child is welcome to bring their own if they prefer. The top jumper in each grade level will receive a special prize and be recognized on the morning news!
Encourage your child to practice and come ready to show off their jump rope skills! 💪✨
🪨 Help Us Get Ready for the Hawk Rock! 🦅
Exciting news, HMES families, our Hawk Rock is coming soon! This will be a fun new tradition for our community to celebrate special moments and show school spirit.
We’re looking for a few volunteers to help with site prep this Sunday (time Noon). If you or your partner are handy, have a flat shovel, or just want to lend a hand, we’d love your help getting the area ready!
The rock installation is scheduled for Wednesday, October 22nd. If you have access to cement, mixing tools, or experience with small site prep, your assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Once the rock is installed and the cement cures, we’ll be painting the first design and adding a QR code sign for rentals. 🎨 If you have artistic skills or would like to help with painting, please reach out!
Let’s make this a project our students and community can be proud of!
If you’re interested in helping, please comment below or email hendersonmillpto@gmail.com.
RED RIBBON WEEK
Henderson Mill will be observing Red Ribbon Week, the largest and longest-running drug awareness and prevention program in the United States. This annual event began as a tribute to DEA Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena dedicated to promoting a drug-free lifestyle.
During the week of October 20th–24th, students will participate in school-day activities designed to raise awareness about the dangers of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, and to encourage making healthy, positive choices.
Unity Day – Wear Orange! 🧡
On Unity Day, we invite all students and staff to wear orange to show their support for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. This national event, created by PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center, is part of National Bullying Prevention Month and serves as a powerful reminder that we are stronger together.
By wearing orange, we are taking a stand against bullying and showing our commitment to creating a school where everyone feels safe, valued, and included.
Thank you for helping us spread unity and positivity throughout our school community!
🎀 Red Ribbon & Pink Out Day – Friday, October 25th! 🎀
This Friday, October 25th, we’ll be celebrating Red Ribbon Week and Pink Out Day at Henderson Mill! 💗
We invite all students to wear pink to show their support and raise awareness for breast cancer and to wear shades as part of our Red Ribbon theme, because we’re “Too Bright for Drugs!” 😎
Pink Out Day is a special time to honor and uplift those who have been affected by breast cancer, including fighters, survivors, and loved ones we hold close in memory.
Let’s come together as a school community to spread hope, strength, and awareness while also showing our commitment to making positive, healthy choices during Red Ribbon Week.
💖 Wear pink. Wear shades. Show support. Make a difference. 💖
SCHOOL SPIRIT NIGHT
3:00 PM - 9:00 PM
✨ Show Your School Spirit! ✨
Join us for School Spirit Night Friday, October 24 at:📍 5019 Jimmy Carter Blvd, Norcross, GA 30093
🎉 Enjoy delicious food, fun vibes, and connect with our school community—all while supporting our students!
Don’t miss this exciting night of spirit and togetherness. Bring your family, bring your friends, and let’s celebrate our school pride!
PICTURE DAY
Get ready to smile! Picture Day will be held on Tuesday, October 28th. Times will vary by class, so please check with your child’s teacher for their scheduled time.
Order forms were sent home last week. If you are unable to locate the order form, you can also place your order conveniently online at www.mytouch.com
.
To order online, simply create an account or log in using the Picture Day ID: EVT4G6F8N.
We can’t wait to see everyone’s bright smiles on Picture Day!
🍂🎃 Fall Trunk-or-Treat at Henderson Mill! 🎃🍂
🌟 New This Year! We are thrilled to announce that our Sunshine Committee is presenting a Haunted House! 👻 Step inside if you dare, and don’t wait—tickets will go fast!
This event is more than just candy, it’s a chance to:
✨ Celebrate Halloween in a safe, supervised environment
✨ Build school spirit and community connections
✨ Enjoy games, face painting, and food
✨ Show off those amazing costumes
✨ Experience the thrills of our Haunted House!
We’d love your help in making this night unforgettable!
📣 Car decorating sign-ups below, start planning your trunk theme now!
This event provides a supervised, community-focused environment where families can enjoy Halloween festivities together. Kids are encouraged to come in costume and enjoy a night of fun, laughter, and sweet treats!
We can’t wait to see our field filled with laughter, costumes, creativity, and spooky fun. Mark your calendars, grab your Haunted House tickets, and join us for one of our favorite fall traditions at Henderson Mill!
📣 Parent-Teacher Conferences – Round 2!
We invite you to join us for our second round of Parent-Teacher Conferences, taking place on the same evening as our Trunk-or-Treat event (October 30th) for your convenience! This allows you to enjoy both important school events in one visit.
Conferences will be held in person and virtually, giving families flexible options to connect with teachers. Please reach out directly to your child’s teacher to schedule your conference time. Conferences are held from 3pm to 5pm. If you are unable to make it to conference night, no worries, please reach out to your child's teacher to set up a conference anytime throughout the school year.
Your partnership is essential to your child’s success! During your meeting, consider asking questions such as:
- How can I support my child at home with behavior and academics?
- What is my child’s current Lexile level?
- What key skills are being taught in class right now?
- What parent volunteer opportunities are available in your classroom?
We look forward to meeting with you and continuing to work together to help every student grow and succeed!
Spooky Subject Day with a Book Character Parade
Get ready for a fun, literacy-focused October celebration at Henderson Mill! On Friday, October 31st, we will host our Spooky Subject Day with a Book Character Parade from 7:45 to 8:00 AM.
Students are invited to dress up as characters from books and march in a school-wide parade with their book. This exciting event is a wonderful way to celebrate reading while embracing the festive spirit of the season.
Parents are welcome to dress up and join the parade alongside our students for a fun and memorable morning!
We can’t wait to see all the creative costumes and spooky characters! 🎃📖
🎃 Join the Fun at Northlake Mall’s Annual Halloween Candy Crawl! 🎃
Good afternoon, Henderson Mill families!
You’re invited to a spooktacular community event at Northlake Mall on Friday, October 31, 2025, from 4–6 PM! 👻
Bring your family for an afternoon of safe and festive Halloween fun featuring:
🎧 Live DJ spinning your favorite spooky tunes
📸 Photo Booth & Selfie Wall with a fun Halloween backdrop
🍬 Candy and Treats for all (while supplies last!)
Costumes aren’t required, but we’d love to see your most creative looks as we celebrate together! This event is free, family-friendly, and open to kids of all ages.
Let’s make some great Halloween memories as a community! 🧡
For more details, visit Northlake Mall’s website or social media pages for event updates.
We hope to see our Henderson Mill families there!
📚 Let’s Grow Our Reading Together!
As part of our literacy push for the month of October, we’re excited to RE-introduce to some Beanstack, a fun and engaging way for students to track their reading and participate in school-wide challenges!
Students will soon begin weekly reading challenges, and we need your support to help make this initiative a success. Parents can use Beanstack to encourage daily reading habits and celebrate milestones right alongside their children.
📖 Check out our library checkouts just from last week! Our students are already showing amazing excitement for reading, let’s keep the momentum going!
🎥 Learn more about Beanstack here:
Watch the video
Together, we can build a strong culture of reading at HMES, one page at a time! ✨
🎉 Congratulations to Our Team of the Month – Kindergarten! 🎉
We are so proud to celebrate our Kindergarten Team for showing true H-Pride every single day:
✨ Humanization – They make every child feel valued and cared for.
✨ Professionalism – They set high standards and lead by example.
✨ Respect – They honor each other’s ideas and voices.
✨ Integrity – They do what’s right, even when no one is watching.
✨ Dignity – They carry themselves with pride and grace.
✨ Empathy – They connect with both students and colleagues with genuine care.
This amazing team always completes tasks in a timely manner, works together seamlessly, and brings joy and dedication to everything they do. Their teamwork, creativity, and commitment to excellence make them true role models for our school community.
🌟 Being Team of the Month means they’ve gone above and beyond—not only supporting our students, but also supporting one another. It’s about collaboration, positivity, and the belief that together we can achieve great things.
👏 Please join us in celebrating our Kindergarten Team for their hard work, heart, and H-Pride! (Ms. Frazier not pictured)
Dot Day: Leave Your Mark!
Inspired by The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds, students learned the importance of creativity and leaving their mark. Each child decorated a circle, and together, we’ll create a giant mural that will be displayed in the hallway!
Coding Week: Robots and Coding
During Coding Week, students explored how robots and computers are controlled by humans through coding. We started with unplugged coding, using arrows on paper, and then moved on to Scratch Jr., where they created their own stories and games. They learned about sequencing, logic, and problem-solving while having fun with technology!
We’re excited for more hands-on learning in the coming weeks!
Mrs. Corrales, the BEST STEAM Teacher Specialist in the Universe! Out of 55 applicants, she earned a grant for Stop Motion, what an achievement! On top of that, she was also selected to attend the prestigious Raspberry Pi training at Kennesaw, and only 24 candidates were chosen. Way to go, Mrs. Corrales! 🙌
Thank you for your continued support.
Make sure you follow hmes_steam on instagram for all the STEAM happening and excitement!
🦅Be Part of the Magic at Henderson Mill! 🦅Join our PTO
Henderson Mill has the BEST events—hands down! From unforgettable family nights to fun fundraisers, spirit wear, staff appreciation, and more… our PTO is behind it all!
But we can’t do it without YOU.
Whether you can volunteer your time, share your ideas, or simply stay connected, your involvement makes a huge difference in our school community. Every parent and guardian is welcome—and every voice matters!
✨ Why join the PTO?
✔️ Help plan amazing events
✔️ Support teachers and students
✔️ Build community
✔️ Stay in the loop
Let’s work together to make this the best year yet at Henderson Mill!
HMES SOCCER TEAM
Parents and families, come out and show your support for our HMES soccer team at their first game of the season! Let’s fill the stands with Henderson Mill pride, wear your HMES spirit wear and cheer loud for our athletes as they kick off an exciting season!
📅 Date: Saturday, October 25th
🕘 Time: 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM
📍 Place: Adams Stadium
2415 N Druid Hills Rd, Atlanta, GA 30329
Let’s show our Hawks some love and school spirit as they represent Henderson Mill Elementary! 💙💛
🎟️ Purchase Tickets: https://gofan.co/app/school/GA3487
📹 Review DCSD Stadium Policies: https://youtu.be/0Ompg6SPArc
#GoHawks #HMESSoccer #HendersonMillPride
Registration is open for the 2025-2026 Elementary Basketball season!
All 4th and 5th-graders can join this FREE program, designed to keep students active and engaged while having fun with their classmates.
Season: January 26 – April 18, 2026
Requirements: Sports Physical
Cub Scouts Opportunity for K–5 Students
Cub Scouts is an exciting program for children (both boys and girls) in kindergarten through fifth grade—and their families—that promotes learning, friendship, and most of all, fun!
Each child will join a “den” with other students in the same grade, guided by parent leaders, and receive a handbook of age-appropriate adventures. All dens come together to form the “pack,” also led by parents.
With a focus on outdoor activities, small gatherings, and family events, Cub Scouts provides a wonderful opportunity for kids to socialize, explore new interests, and grow through hands-on experiences.
We encourage you to get your child involved in this enriching program! See flyer for details.
TOP-OF-THE-KEY
Debby Miller, Olympic gold medal winner for the USA, and a past WNBA player ran this program through Clairmont for the past 20 years until Globe Academy bought out the property and she had to relocate this great basketball program to Rehoboth in our area. The program served out community well for over 20 years and has feed our basketball programs with many of the young men and women that played for our school teams through her Top of The Key basketball program. Please see flyer for details.
i9 Sports
We are now registering for our Winter 2025 sports season. For this season, i9 Sports offers flag football (ages 4-13), soccer (ages 3-8), basketball (ages 4-12) and Girls Only Volleyball Instructional Clinic (ages 9-14). We have locations in Brookhaven, Dunwoody, Chamblee, Tucker & More!
All this information is on our digital flyer (attached below) for you to distribute to your school community through your website, social media, eblasts, etc. Please post it now through October and send it out to your school community asap for early registration savings.
We look forward to working with you again this season and providing another opportunity for $10 per registration.
Thank you for your partnership with i9 Sports!
🌟 Elementary Competitive Dance Registration is Now Open! 🌟
Do you have a 4th- or 5th-grade student who loves to dance? Don’t miss the chance to be part of our Elementary Competitive Dance Team!
📝 Registration is open now through November 18.
💃 Season kicks off December 1.
This is a great opportunity for students to showcase their talent, build teamwork skills, and represent our school with pride.
Key Dates:
- December 1st - First Day of Practice
- January 17th - First Match
- January 24th - Second Match
- January 31st - Area Championship
- February 7th - County Championship
After School Clubs Are Back! 🎉
Opportunities include:
- EIM Dance (Various grade levels)
Use the links below to explore all options and sign up today, spots may fill quickly!
By signing on as a volunteer, you become a member of our team of professionals that proudly provides educational services to more than 93,000 students in our DeKalb County School District. Click on link below, this document was created by the District and is designed to assist you in registering to be a volunteer with the DeKalb County School District. Please complete the following steps to become a DCSD Volunteer. The process for volunteering takes about 30 minutes total and includes about 20 minutes of online mandatory child abuse reporting training required by the State of Georgia for all volunteers.
Steps to Complete the Volunteer Process:
Complete the Volunteer Application and Release Form:
Review and Complete the DCSD Volunteer Code of Conduct:
Complete the Mandated Reporter Training:
- Watch the Mandated Reporter Video and complete the quiz before attending a training session.
- Steps to complete the training:
- Create a free account
- Select State: GA
- Click on Child Abuse and Neglect Course: Mandated Reporter
- Start the course and complete the quiz
- Save or print your certificate and email a copy to DCSDvolunteer@dekalbschoolsga.org
- Training link: Mandated Reporter Course
Upcoming DCSD Volunteer Training (via Zoom):
Join a Zoom Session That Fits Your Schedule
Fall 2025 Volunteer Training Dates
Please select the Zoom session that works best for you from the options below:
October 22 – 12:00 PM
October 29 – 12:00 PM
November 5 – 12:00 PM
November 12 – 12:00 PM & 6:00 PM
December 3 – 12:00 PM
December 10 – 12:00 PM
Join the DCSD Volunteer Training Zoom Meeting:
🔗 Join Zoom Meeting
📌 Meeting ID: 857 5784 5773
🔑 Passcode: 598219
Thank you for your dedication to supporting our schools! We look forward to your participation!
🚗✨ Arrival & Dismissal Reminders ✨🚶♀️
Reminder: As we kick off a successful school year, please review and follow our arrival and dismissal expectations to ensure a smooth and safe day for all students:
🌅 Morning Arrival:
🕖 7:00 AM – School doors open and breakfast begins.
🍽️ After breakfast – Intervention & Enrichment starts. This is a critical time for academic support and acceleration—please ensure your child arrives on time.
⏰ 7:40 AM – Breakfast service ends.
📣 7:40 AM – Morning announcements begin.
📘 7:45 AM – Instruction begins promptly.
🏁 Afternoon Dismissal:
🕝 2:15 PM – Dismissal begins in this order:
➡️bus riders
➡️ van riders
➡️ walkers
➡️ car riders
➡️ aftercare.
Please remember that our buses must be in line first.
🕝 2:30 PM – All students should be fully dismissed from classrooms.
🕒 2:45 PM – Students not picked up by this time will be sent to aftercare, and a drop-in fee will apply. Communication is key!
Your partnership helps us create a safe and focused environment for all learners. Thank you for your attention and cooperation!
Henderson Mill Elementary
Email: regina_smiley-blanton@dekalbschoolsga.org
Website: https://www.hendersonmilles.dekalb.k12.ga.us/
Location: 2408 Henderson Mill Road, Atlanta, GA, USA
Phone: 678-874-3102
Twitter: @henderson_mill