February 26 Newsletter

Happy February, Families!

It has certainly started out cold, but things are warm and busy here at Haymarket! February brings so many opportunities to celebrate kindness and connection, from Black History Month learning experiences to classroom friendship and kindness activities, along with our continued focus on positive behavior.

This month is also full of exciting events. We are looking forward to our PTO‑sponsored dance this Saturday, as well as an engaging author visit on Monday from Kevin Sherry. On Friday, 2/13, we will host our 3rd Annual Heritage Festival, a wonderful event where families from across our school community share their cultures. The evening will include live performances and other fun activities. We hope you’ll join us as we celebrate the beautiful diversity of Haymarket Elementary.

As always, thank you for your partnership in helping our students show their PAWS behaviors: Personal Best, Accepting of Others, Wise Choices, and Safe Actions. Your support helps all students feel safe, welcomed, and ready to learn each day.

Warmly,
Brooke Shore & Daniel Seymour
Assistant Principals

• February 5th - Grade Level Spelling Bee (Grades 3-5)
• February 9th - Author Visits HMES
• February 12th - Strings Pyramid Concert at Raegan Middle School at 6:00pm
• February 13th - Heritage Festival at 6:00pm
• February 16th - No School (Presidents' Day)
• February 18th - PTO and Advisory Meeting
• February 23rd-27th - Random Acts of Kindness Week
• February 26th - Kids Heart Challenge Day
• March 18th - PTO and Advisory Meeting at 6:30pm
• March 19th - Spring Pictures
• March 20th - No School (Eid al-Fitr)
• March 23rd-27th - Spring Book Fair
• March 25th - Book Fair Family Night at 6:30pm

Pedestrians
We continue to see pedestrians crossing Somerset Crossing Drive. We strongly discourage this. If you choose to cross there, please cross in front of the school driveway and enter the school on the designated walker side (where students are dismissed in the afternoon). Do not walk past the two large cones placed on the sidewalk. This allows Mr. Parker to better monitor pedestrian crossings and safely stop traffic when needed. With up to five lanes of active traffic, it is unsafe to monitor crossings on both sides, and there have been incidents of pedestrians crossing between vehicles, making it difficult for drivers turning left into the side lot to see them.

Drivers / Motor Vehicles
Please stay to the right when joining the car rider line, as buses may pass on the left. Please yield as needed to allow buses to arrive and depart efficiently and be alert for buses turning left into the school. Arrival time at HMES is 9:20 a.m. Staff will monitor vehicles, and any families not in the car line by that time will be asked to park and escort their student inside to sign in.

The roadway directly in front of the school is reserved for buses throughout the day and should not be used for drop-offs or pick-ups. Please use the designated car rider lane.

We appreciate your support with arrival and dismissal as we address traffic challenges to ensure the safety of all students and families.

Join us for our annual Heritage Festival! A night of music, food and fun for all! Click the link: Heritage Festival 25/26 to sign-up for a display table and showcase your heritage or volunteer for one of our activities. We are looking for talented people to help with our Henna designs and more.

Questions, contact: Karla Chavarriaga, Parent Liaison : Chavarkc@pwcs.edu

2026

On Saturday, January 24, the Hylton Performing Arts Center hosted its annual Art Show — and we are proud to share that 4th grader Shiree Totten was selected to have her artwork professionally framed and displayed at the event!

Mrs. Mills and Ms. Rop were thrilled to attend alongside Shiree’s dad as she received her certificate and was recognized for her talent. Congratulations, Shiree! We are so proud of you!

Our PTO events are all about bringing our school community together—and we want to make sure those special moments are remembered! If you’ve snapped any great photos during recent PTO activities, we’d love for you to share them with us. Your pictures could be featured in our school yearbook!

Please upload your photos using the link below:
👉 https://www.yearbooksspm.com/haymarket/home3/PhotoPost.jsp?ID=294T038I3B92

Thank you for helping us showcase the fun and spirit of our school! Every photo tells a story, and we can’t wait to see yours.

Attention all 3rd-5th grade families: Create a Heritage Poster to be displayed on our Hallway Boards all next week and during our Heritage Festival. All posters are due Monday, February 9th. For more information, log into your Canvas Counseling Course.

• 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.

We will have our Spring Book Fair with Bookworm Central March 23rd-March 27th.

We need your help. If you are able to volunteer with set up, class preview, shopping, or packing up the fair, please click on the link below to choose a slot. Thank you for your support!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B49A4A928AAF85-61851600-parent#/

We are thrilled to announce that author and illustrator Kevin Sherry will be visiting our school on February 9th for a special school-wide event!

Kevin Sherry is best known for his humorous and imaginative children’s books— including I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean! and the Yeti Files series— and he brings fantastic energy, creativity, and fun to his presentations.

During his visit, students will:

• Enjoy a live author presentation
• Learn about Kevin’s writing and illustration process
• Hear behind-the-scenes stories about how his books are created
• Have the opportunity to ask questions
• Get inspired to create stories of their own!

We’re looking forward to an engaging and memorable experience for all of our students.

*This will take place during the school day.

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.

Focus: Scholarship Search and Financial Aid Awareness

Target Audience: Students in grades 9-12 and families 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 10, 2026 – Live Zoom Webinar

Join us on Tuesday, February 10, for a webinar that will guide students through the college scholarship search process. Students will learn how to create strong, competitive scholarship applications by exploring different types of scholarships, discovering how to find scholarships using a variety of search tools, understanding key college application components, and learning how to identify and avoid scholarship scams.

Focus: Overview of English Learner Programs

Target Audience: All PWCS English learner students and families 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 18, 2026 – Live Zoom Webinar

Join us on Wednesday, February 18, for a webinar that explains how English learners are identified and supported. Families will learn about instructional standards, curriculum, and resources designed to help multilingual learners succeed.

Focus: Supporting Your English Learner Through Lexia English

Target Audience: English Learners in kindergarten through grade 6 who are at English learner level 1 or 2 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 24, 2026 – Live Zoom Webinar

Join us on Tuesday, February 24, for a webinar to learn about Lexia English. Lexia English is a program that helps students learn English by practicing speaking and listening. During the session, families will learn how the program works, how students use it in Prince William County Public Schools, and how they can support their child’s language learning at home.

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

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/

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.

• Shout Out to our Custodial Team for an amazing job clearing the school of the snow and ice during the snow storm! We APPRECIATE all they do!!!

Haymarket Cubs climbing towards excellence in all that we do.

Creative Unique Brilliant Students