Hembree Highlights

Greetings, Hembree Families,

We’re back in full swing at Hembree, and it’s been wonderful to see our students working hard and making tremendous progress across all grade levels. I’ve received preliminary data from the state (still embargoed), and I can’t wait to share the exciting results with you in November!

Thank you for your continued support. Hembree thrives because of the strong partnership between school and home. We’re especially grateful for the way you encourage your children to complete their homework each week—it’s truly making a difference.

We’re looking forward to seeing many of you at Trunk or Treat tonight, Friday, October 24th, from 5:00–7:00 PM. This event is always a highlight of the season! Huge thanks to our fabulous PTA for organizing such a fun evening year after year, and a special shout-out to our amazing staff for volunteering their time after a busy week to support our community.

Next week, we’ll be celebrating Red Ribbon Week! Please see the information below for the daily themes—we’re excited to promote healthy choices and school spirit together.

Please also mark your calendars for our Annual Literacy Night on Thursday, November 6th, from 5:30–7:30 PM. We’ll have free pizza, brand-new books, Star Night, literacy activities, mystery readers, and more! We hope you’ll join us—your presence at these events is what makes Hembree so special.

I hope you all had a fantastic Fall Break! I had the chance to travel to Venice and Florence, Italy, and it was absolutely magical. I indulged in pasta and gelato all week—no regrets! I missed the UGA vs. Auburn game while flying, but thankfully I recorded it. I was back in time to catch the Ole Miss vs. UGA game and loved every minute of it. This weekend, I’m planning to rest and recover from jet lag—thank goodness for the bye week!

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

Warm Regards,
Nancy Lahey

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

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

10/28 3rd grade to Teaching Museum

10/31 Deadline to apply for the Technology Competition (see below)

11/4 No School- Teacher workday

11/5-11/7 Grades 3-5 Classroom Spelling Bees

11/5 2nd grade to Chattahoochee Nature Center

11/6 @ 5:30-7:30pm Reading Takes You Places! Literacy & Star Night

11/18 @ 7:40-8:40am Pastries & Parent Resource and Engagement Program for Pre-K and K Parents

11/19 Thanksgiving Feast (times vary)

11/24-11/28 No School- Thanksgiving Break

12/9 Conversational English and Math Resource Coffee @ 7:40am

Tonight is Trunk or Treat! Have your costumes and trunk-or-treat bags ready. The event will take place 5-7 p.m. with activities like:

-Trick-or-treating decorated/themed trunks, Costume Parade, and our Winter Coat Drive: bring a coat to donate, pick out a new one or both!

*We are sorry to share that there will NOT be a food truck, but there will be lots of snacks and treats!

Trunk or Treat Q&A:

1. How should I enter? The front entrance to the upper parking lot will close at 4:00pm. Please use the Elkins Road entrance.
2. Where do I park? You may park in the upper lot or lower lot. You must enter through the Elkins Road entrance (unless you are a participating trunk)
3. How do I enter the event once I have parked? The event will take place in the carpool lane and playground. The front doors to the school will be closed- but the playground gate entrance will be open.
4. Should I wear my Halloween costume? Absolutely! Join us for the parade! (No costumes with full face masks or anything too scary so as not to alarm our youngest Hawks)***Don’t forget to bring water bottles and a bag to collect candy!

October 27th-October 31st is Red Ribbon Week during which our school will be promoting drug awareness and prevention with our students. The Red Ribbon Campaign® is the oldest and largest drug prevention program in the nation, reaching millions of young people during national Red Ribbon Week®, October 23rd - October 31st each year. It is an ideal way for people and communities to unite and take a visible stand against drugs.

We will have a spirit week (sponsored by Student Council Ambassadors) to promote awareness and prevention. See details in the flyer below.

The PE Department wants to keep our students healthy during this candy-filled time of year. Have your child bring in 10-15 pieces of Halloween candy in a bag. We will collect candy from Oct. 27th – Nov. 7th, and they will receive a no jogging pass as a thank you.

This candy will be donated to the men and women in the military.

Thanks!

PE Department

Our Scholastic Book Fair is coming this November! Please stay tuned for more detailed information on volunteer opportunities and general information about the fair. With your support, we're looking forward to hosting another successful Book Fair this year!

🦃Please find the sign-up link below to help Ms. Linda and her team prep for the Thanksgiving Feast on 11/19!! This is a wonderful Hembree tradition but comes with a lot of extra work. Let's give our Thanks and volunteer! 🦃🍽

Link to signup: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C054FADAD2FAAFD0-59397385-thanksgiving

Dear Families,

Hembree Springs Elementary is very excited to announce that on Friday, October 31, 2025, we will be hosting a Story Book Character Day! On this day the staff and students may dress up as their favorite storybook character. We are asking that the character comes from a book that your child reads and loves (not just from a movie or cartoon.)

Please work with your child to plan a fun and simple homemade costume. We are asking that you work together to be creative with items around the house versus spending money on a store-bought costume. Your child may bring a copy of the book to class that day so that we can take part in several character study activities!

To help ensure students’ feelings of safety and security, violent or frightening costumes are not acceptable. No props, dangerous-looking items, or costume masks covering the face. See below for examples of acceptable costume choices.

Thank you for helping to make this day possible for your student(s).

We're so excited to invite our students and families to our Fall Literacy Night! Please join us on November 6th from 5:30-7:30pm. There will be FREE pizza, FREE books and more! RSVP here! https://bit.ly/488eGH7

We’re excited to announce that our classroom spelling bees for 3rd–5th grade students will take place during the week of November 3, 2025! To help your child prepare, word lists will be sent home to help practice, but are also linked below . We encourage you to support your child in studying these words and practicing regularly.

• 2026 3rd Grade Classroom Bee List With Definitions.pdf
• 2026 4th Grade Classroom Bee List With Definitions.pdf
• 2026 5th Grade Classroom Bee List With Definitions.pdf

The winner of each classroom spelling bee will advance to compete in the Hembree Springs annual school spelling bee on December 5, 2025 (date change). From there, the school champion will go on to represent Hembree Springs at the Fulton County School District Spelling Bee, held on January 10, 2026 at North Springs High School.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Dr. Carrie McAtee, Curriculum Support Teacher, at mcatee@fultonschools.org.

Thank you for your support, and happy spelling!

Warm regards,
Dr. McAtee

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.

Each month, we highlight one of the Student Success Skills that teachers help students develop throughout the year. One of the Student Success Skills students will be developing this year is Self-Awareness - helping students recognize their emotions, strengths, and how their thoughts and feelings influence their actions.

Example 1: Your child realizes that math is super easy for them, but remembering science facts is really hard. They know that they have to put in twice the effort in science. This is being aware of a strength and also being aware of where they may need to work harder.

Example 2: Maybe your child has a fight with their sibling on the way to school. They arrive to school feeling angry and then are grumpy to a friend. Now their friend feels bad. Your child realizes that they weren’t nice to their friend because they were angry at their sibling, so they apologize to their friend and explain themselves. This is one example of being self-aware – knowing what makes you tick and understanding where your emotions are coming from.

Here are a few ways to support self-awareness at home:

· Talk about emotions. Encourage your child to name what they're feeling and why.

· Celebrate strengths. Point out times your child shows effort, kindness, or perseverance.

· Model reflection. Share times when you noticed your own emotions and how you responded.

· Encourage goal-setting. Help your child choose a small goal for the week and reflect on their progress.

Building self-awareness helps students make thoughtful choices, strengthen relationships, and grow in confidence, both in and out of the classroom!

Want to learn more about Self-Awareness and how your own self-awareness is the key to your child's success? Check out the parent support forum coming on Friday, October 17th hosted by Chris 180, who provides mental health and family services. Details in the flyer.

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