Hembree Highlights

Greetings Hembree Families,

I hope you've had the chance to enjoy the beautiful weather this week! Personally, I love going for long walks and listening to podcasts when it's nice outside, and I was able to do that a few times this week. Unfortunately, the forecast predicts cold and rainy weather next week.

Hembree Springs thrives because of our incredible community of staff and parents. For the 2025-2026 school year, we will have several vacancies on our School Governance Council (SGC), and we would love to have many interested individuals join. Please see the details below, and don't hesitate to reach out if you'd like to get involved!

As promised, I’d like to remind you about the very important climate survey required by the Georgia Department of Education each year. Your feedback helps us create a better learning environment for your children. Please take a moment to complete the survey and share your thoughts:

[Survey Link: https://survey.gadoe.org/FM?sid=1704BCF1]

We’re also excited to invite you to our Annual Title One Event, “Soaring to New Heights Learning Celebration,” on Thursday, February 13th, from 5:00-7:00 PM. Let your child be your guide as you journey through their school day. Enjoy pizza, take a space walk, and complete a constellation map while you visit our Hembree “stars!”

Additionally, please join us on Tuesday, February 11th, at 7:40 AM for our Title One Assessment Meeting. You'll have the opportunity to learn more about the assessments your children take and ask any questions you may have.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

Nancy Lahey

Principal

Parents,

It is time for the election of new members to our School Governance Council. The School Governance Council has both parent/guardian and teacher positions open for election. Parents or guardians of students who will be attending our school during both the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 school years are eligible to run for the parent/guardian SGC positions.

Our School Governance Council (SGC) plays a critical role in the success of our school. The SGC works with school leadership and the community to help determine the long-term direction of the school, design innovative solutions to increase academic achievement, and serve as school ambassadors to the local community. Specifically, the School Governance Council has the following powers:

• Create, approve, and monitor the implementation of the school strategic plan

• Manage the Request for Flexibility process

• Approve the annual budget recommendations and related allocations • Participate in the hiring of the principal, in the case of a vacancy

• Provide annual feedback to the Area Superintendent on principal performance

If you are interested in running for a position on the School Governance Council, please complete and submit a Parent/Guardian Candidate Declaration Form https://www.fultonschools.org/our-district/charter-system/elections. Forms will be available on Monday, February 5th.

We are very excited about the work and value-add of our SGC. We hope that you will consider running for a position! The Candidate Declaration period ends March 28th and voting will take place April 16 – April 23. In the meantime, if you would like more information about the charter system or SGC elections visit our school’s website or our Charter System Overview https://www.fultonschools.org/our-district/charter-system/charter-system-overview

Sincerely,

Nancy Lahey

Estimados padres,

Es hora de la elección de nuevos miembros para nuestro Consejo de Gobierno Escolar. El Consejo de Gobierno Escolar (SGC) tiene puestos abiertos de padres/tutores y maestros para la elección. Los padres o tutores de los estudiantes que asistirán a nuestra escuela durante los años escolares 2024- 2025 y 2025-2026 son elegibles para postularse para los puestos de padre/tutor del SGC.

Nuestro Consejo de Gobierno Escolar (SGC) desempeña un papel fundamental del éxito de nuestra escuela. El SGC trabaja con el liderazgo escolar y la comunidad para ayudar a determinar la dirección a largo plazo de la escuela, diseñar soluciones innovadoras para aumentar el rendimiento académico y servir como embajadores de la escuela a la comunidad local. Específicamente, el Consejo de Gobierno Escolar tiene las siguientes facultades:

• Crear, aprobar y supervisar la implementación del plan estratégico escolar

• Gestionar el proceso de Solicitud de Flexibilidad

• Aprobar las recomendaciones presupuestarias anuales y las asignaciones pertinentes

• Participar en la contratación del director, en el caso de una vacante

• Proporcionar comentarios anuales al Superintendente de área sobre el desempeño principal

Si usted está interesado en postularse para un puesto en el Consejo de Gobierno Escolar, por favor complete y envíe un Formulario de Declaración de Candidato. Los formularios estarán disponibles el lunes 3 de febrero.

Estamos muy entusiasmados con el trabajo y el valor que añade nuestro SGC a las escuelas. ¡Esperamos que considere postular para un puesto! Los candidatos interesados deben enviar un formulario de declaración antes del 28 de marzo. La votación tendrá lugar entre el 16 y el 23 de abril. Mientras tanto, si desea más información sobre el sistema chárter o las elecciones del SGC, visite el sitio web de nuestra escuela o nuestro sitio Charter System Overview.

Sinceramente,

Nancy Lahey

2/11 Title I Assessment Workshop (Donut Stress About the Test!) @ 7:40-8:40am

2/12 Picture Day

2/13 Soaring to New Heights Learning Celebration @ 5:00-7:00pm

2/17 President's Day - no school

2/18 Professional Development Day - no school for students

2/19 Spirit Night at Village Burger 4-8pm

2/27 Second Grade Musical @ 9:30am in HSE cafeteria

2/28 Family Dance & Silent Auction @ 6:00-7:30pm

3/3 Teacher Workday - no school

3/4 Professional Development Day - no school for students

3/6 Future Titans Night at Elkins Pointe Middle School

3/11 Rising 6th grade Parent Information Night at Northwestern Middle School

3/18 FY25 Parent Title I Input Meeting @ 7:40-8:40am in the media center

3/18 FY25 Parent Title I Input Meeting @ 5:15-6:15pm on TEAMS

3/20 Hembree's Got Talent @ 6:00pm

4/7-4/11 Spring Break

Helping Your Child Build Strong Friendships

Dear Families,

February is a great time to focus on kindness, empathy, and healthy friendships. As children grow, they are learning important social skills that helm them navigate friendships and conflicts. Here are some tips to support your child in building strong and positive relationships.

♥️ Model Kindness & Respect - Children learn by watching us. Demonstrate how to be a good friend through kind words, active listening, and respectful communication.

💬 Practice Social Skills at Home - Encourage turn-taking, sharing, and using "I" statements (e.g., "I feel upset when...") to express feelings in a healthy way....

🤝 Help Them Handle Conflict - Disagreements happen! Teach your child to use problem-solving strategies, like taking deep breaths, listening to others' perspectives, and finding fair solutions.

👂 Be a Listening Ear - Ask open-ended questions like, "What was the best part of your day?" or "How did you help a friend today?" This helps children reflect on their social interactions.

📱Monitor Social Interactions - Whether in person or online, it's important to check in on your child's friendships. Look for signs of healthy relationships and talk about setting boundaries when needed.

Wishing you a February filled with kindness ad connection!

Warmly,

Shannon Reynolds

School Counselor

470-254-9456 (phone), reynoldssn@fultonschools.org (email)

As we pursue our School of Excellence designation for the 2025-2027 school year, we are continuing to review feedback from our survey and listening sessions. We found that families are looking for information with respect to class placement. Specific criteria for placement are established to support the students’ most appropriate placement for instruction. Every 18 weeks, student performance within the level at which a student is placed is reviewed to determine if the placement level continues to be appropriate in meeting the students’ learning needs. Provisions are also made for students who need to be accelerated more than one grade level above the “on grade level” curriculum. Essentially this means students have the opportunity to receive instruction based on their specific needs. There are opportunities for enrichment or review as needed. Please feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher regarding information specific to your student, or you may reach out to Dr. Carrie McAtee (CST), mcatee@fultonschools.org with questions regarding the process. We want to ensure that placements are what is best for the whole child.

The Hembree Springs 2025-2026 online GA Pre-K Lottery Application is now open and will close on March 5th. To be eligible for the lottery students must be 4 years old by 9/1/25 and must live in the Fulton County School attendance zone. Parents should use this link to complete the online lottery application https://tinyurl.com/preklottery2026.

Lisa Dossey, our data clerk/registrar, will email parents more information about the date and time of our lottery in mid March. The lottery will be live streamed online via Microsoft TEAMS at the end of March. For more information about the Fulton County Schools 2025-2026 GA Pre-K lottery click here https://www.fultonschools.org/all-departments/academics/learning-teaching/academic-programs/early-childhood-programs/pre-kindergarten-program

Join us on 2/11 for our “Do-nut stress about the test” meeting from 7:40-8:40am! There, you’ll have a chance to win (2) tickets to the Georgia Aquarium (expire 4/30). We look forward to seeing you!

Parents of third, fourth, & fifth graders! If you'd like your child to participate in book club, please fill out this form:

https://forms.gle/pGCEXHQjcNbEUMw76

Books will be distributed in early March, and we'll discuss them in mid-April. Questions? Email sfuchs@gmail.com or text/call 404/680-8437.

We need volunteers for our Glow Party on February 28th, 6 - 7:30 pm. Sign up here!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C054FADAD2FAAFD0-54477494-glow

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

Family Engagement Thursdays

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.

We will begin to welcome lunch visitors the week of September 9th. Due to limited capacity, we ask that you sign up using the links below. Please do not sign up for the year to allow the opportunity for many families to visit. Thanks for understanding.

Pre-K

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080548AAAE2BA31-50052915-preklunch

Kindergarten

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080548AAAE2BA31-50053187-kindergarten

1st grade

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080548AAAE2BA31-50053307-1stgrade

2nd grade

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080548AAAE2BA31-50053385-2ndgrade

3rd grade

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080548AAAE2BA31-50053488-3rdgrade

4th grade

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080548AAAE2BA31-50053597-4thgrade

5th grade

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080548AAAE2BA31-50053662-5thgrade

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