October 25 Newsletter

Dear Haymarket Families,

September flew by in a whirlwind of learning, growth, and excitement! Our students dove into new routines, explored fresh ideas, and built strong classroom communities.

As October begins, we’re looking forward to many exciting events and opportunities for continued learning. We will kick off our Boosterthon fundraiser on October 22nd culminating in our Fun Run on October 30th. Throughout Boosterthon we will not only help raise money to fund various items for our school, we will also remind students of our PAWS expectations. Personal Best, Acceptance of Others, Wise Choices, and Safe Actions.

With the cooler weather settling in, please remember to send your child with a jacket each day so they can stay warm during outdoor activities.

Thank you for your continued support — we’re so grateful to partner with you in your child’s education!

Mrs. Shore & Mr. Seymour

• October 13th No School for Students (Professional Development Day)
• October 15th - Advisory Council & PTO Meeting @ 6:30 pm

• October 22nd - Boosterthon Starts

• October 20th-25th - Digital Citizenship Week

• October 21st - No School (Diwali)

• October 23rd - PTO Spirit Night at Duck Donuts

• October 24th - PTO Trunk or Treat

• October 28th - School Picture Day
• October 30th - Boosterthon Fun Run
• October 31st - Dress Like Your Favorite Book Character Day!
• November 3rd - No School for Students (Professional Development Day)
• November 4th - No School for Students (Teacher Work Day)
• November 7th - Veterans Day Program (tentative)
• November 10th - 1st Quarter Den Celebration
• November 11th - No School (Veterans Day)
• November 19th - PTO & Advisory Meeting
• November 26th-28th - No School (Thanksgiving Break)

We have started welcoming visitors in for lunch. Due to our capacity we are asking no more than 2 guests. We have special seating for you on the stage. Students may invite one friend from their class to join them for lunch. Please do not purchase outside food for friends. Because of spacing we want to ensure everyone has an opportunity to join their student for lunch so please consider coming for special occasions such as birthdays.

• If you arrive after 9:20am for student drop-off please park and walk your child into the school. Staff needs to get into the building to work with students and late arriving cars continue to pull into the student drop-off line.

To support student reading growth at home, families are encouraged to explore the following websites related to the Virginia Literacy Act (VLA). These resources offer helpful information, strategies, and tools to reinforce literacy skills outside of school:

• Virginia Literacy Act in PWCS – Prince William County Public Schools
• Virginia Literacy Partnerships – Resources for Families

For more information, please contact our Reading Coaches:
Erin Ebeck (K–2) or Jessica Slusher (3–5).

Parents when dropping your student off, please proceed through the car rider line. No parents should turn to the left and park on the side to let students out to walk in. It is a safety risk and disrupts the flow of traffic.

• 1. Save Time! Using ParentVUE to notify the school of your child's absence alerts both the office and the teacher of your child's absence.

  2. If you prefer to email about attendance, please use the office email: HMES-cubs-attendance@pwcs.edu. Using this email sends your message to everyone working in the office and ensures your message is read in a timely manner.

Whenever possible, please email your child's teacher the day before you need to pick your child up early. Doing this the day before ensures the teacher sees the email and can have your child packed up. This saves time, especially when you're picking your child up during lunch, recess or Encore. Any changes to transportation should be reported to the office by 3:15 PM. All early dismissals are required by 3:30 PM to allow for a smooth dismissal to the day. IDs are required when picking up your student for early dismissal.

Last month’s Book Fair was a huge success, thanks to the enthusiastic support of our students, families, and staff! The excitement around reading was contagious as students explored new titles, shared recommendations, and built their home libraries. We’re thrilled to report that the fair not only fostered a love of reading but also helped raise funds to support literacy initiatives in our school. A big thank you to everyone who volunteered, shopped, and helped make this event memorable!

Our Lost and Found pile is drowning! Please add your child's name to their outerwear so this is a better chance of it going home with them. Parents feel free to stop by and look at the Lost and Found if your child is missing something.

Please check out school website regularly for activities and notices.

https://haymarketes.pwcs.edu/

PWCS Code of Behavior ensures that education is provided in an atmosphere conducive to learning, free of disruption and threat to person or property, and supportive of individual rights.

https://codeofbehavior.pwcs.edu/

Online

Online payments are a simple, safe, and secure way to make payments to your student's account, 24 hours a day, at your convenience!

Please visit MySchoolBucks.com to make prepayments online any time to your student's meal account.

Questions or assistance regarding MySchoolBucks.com may be sent to sommaf@pwcs.edu or 703-791-7242.

Cash or Check

Cash or checks may also be used to place money on a student's meal account. Cash or checks must be given to the school's Food Service Manager. Checks must be payable to “Prince William County School's Food and Nutrition Department.”

Mental health telehealth services are available to PWCS students at no cost to families through Hazel Health, a well-established telehealth provider.

This initiative provides access to mental health care, ensuring students receive the support they need without delay – regardless of their ability to pay or insurance status.

Available in 19 languages.

We’re proud to continue our partnership with the WATCH D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) program, a nationally recognized initiative that brings father figures into our school to support education and safety. These volunteers spend a day on campus engaging with students, assisting in classrooms, and helping with arrival, dismissal, and lunch routines. Their presence not only strengthens school security but also fosters positive role modeling and deeper connections between families and our school community. We’re grateful for the time and energy these amazing dads contribute!

Focus: Overview of Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and Virginia Alternative Student Aid (VASA)

Target Audience: All PWCS students in grade 12 and their families

6:30 – 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 7, 2025 – Live Zoom Webinar

Join us on Tuesday, October 7, for an informative webinar designed to help students and families navigate the college financial aid application process. We’ll cover essential topics, including eligibility requirements, types of financial aid available, necessary documentation, and key deadlines to ensure you're prepared every step of the way.

Presenter: Jason Puryear, Director of the College Place, in Alexandria, Virginia

Focus: Specialty Programs Information Session for Elementary Students

Target Audience: All PWCS families of elementary students

11 a.m. – 12 p.m. on Tuesday, October 14, 2025 – Live Zoom Webinar

Join us on Tuesday, October 14, for a webinar that will focus on exploring the elementary school specialty programs offered in PWCS. Discover the exciting options available for your students and learn how these programs can support their unique interests and learning needs.

Presenters: Dr. Laura Evans and Amy Hardt, Coordinators of Advanced Academics and Specialty Programs, with Prince William County Public Schools

Focus: Specialty Programs Information Session for Middle School Students

Target Audience: All PWCS middle school students and their families

6:30 – 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 23, 2025 – Live Zoom Webinar

Join us on Thursday, October 23, for a webinar that will focus on exploring the middle school specialty programs offered in PWCS. Discover the exciting options available for your students and learn how these programs can support their unique interests and learning needs.

Presenters: Dr. Laura Evans and Amy Hardt, Coordinators of Advanced Academics and Specialty Programs, with Prince William County Public Schools

Focus: Specialty Programs Information Session for High School Students

Target Audience: All PWCS high school students and their families

6 – 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 28, 2025 – Live Zoom Webinar

Join us on Tuesday, October 28, for a webinar that will focus on exploring the high school specialty programs offered in PWCS. Discover the exciting options available for your students and learn how these programs can support their unique interests and learning needs.

Presenters: Dr. Laura Evans and Amy Hardt, Coordinators of Advanced Academics and Specialty Programs, with Prince William County Public Schools

Register Here : https://www.pwcs.edu/parents/family_engagement_series/index

A Special Shout Out to our Security Assistant, Mr. Parker for keeping our school safe!

A special shout out to Ms. Zenoniani and Ms. Fisher for a successful Book Fair!

A special shout out to our PTO for organizing our first movie night!

A special shout-out to our custodians for Custodian Appreciation Week. We are so grateful to have Maria, Coco, and Marco to keep our school sparkling!

Haymarket Cubs climbing towards excellence in all that we do.

Creative Unique Brilliant Students