HMES NEWSLETTER

Good Afternoon Hawk Family! I hope this message finds you well.

As we move into Week 24, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our parents and families who participated in our virtual PTO and PAC meetings to learn more about academics, our World Read Aloud celebration, and our Family Game Night event.

I also want to extend an especially heartfelt and sincere thank you to our incredible PTO. Their dedication, hard work, and countless hours behind the scenes do not go unnoticed. Their commitment, generosity, and passion for our school community are truly appreciated, and we are so fortunate to have such a supportive and hardworking group of parents and family members serving our Hawks.

A special thank you to the parents who supported our Black History Month Door Contest (results coming soon). Your creativity and involvement helped make this celebration meaningful and educational for our students. There are still a few teacher doors that need assistance, so if you’re interested, we would love your help!

Thank you to all the families who attended our Saturday events. Ms. Vela and I always make it a priority to show our students that we are their number one fans. We love and support them beyond the school day.

A huge thank you to:

• Ms. Grimes, Ms. McDowell, and Mr. Pitts for sponsoring the Reading Bowl
• Ms. Muhammad for sponsoring the Dance Team
• Mrs. Corrales for sponsoring the Tech Team

I am incredibly grateful for our staff, who consistently go above and beyond, often pouring their personal time into supporting students and enriching school experiences.

Thank you for your continued dedication, families. We look forward to seeing everyone soon! 💙🦅

Together, we are #MissionPossible!

-Dr. Blanton

At Henderson Mill, we are committed to continuous growth and improvement for our students and families.

Our anonymous parent suggestion link, available in SMORE, allows families to share ideas and feedback at any time. Responses are reviewed by our Admin Team, Guiding Coalition Team, and PAC to help guide planning and decisions.

We are also excited to introduce a new student suggestion box, giving students an opportunity to share their ideas and experiences.

Thank you to the parents who have already provided input. If you have not yet participated, we encourage you to do so your voice matters.

Please see the link below to share your suggestions.

Mark you calendars parents of 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. Thank you to all the parents who voted to have an additional Georgia Milestones Meeting to support your child!

The majority chose a virtual, after-school session, so we are excited to schedule another meeting to help families better understand the Georgia Milestones.

You and your child are invited to join us as we discuss strategies, tips, and ways you can support success on the Milestones. Each child will be sent home with their Data Talk Form, which will be needed for the meeting to guide discussions and planning.

The VIRTUAL meeting will be held Tuesday, February 24, 2026 at 7pm. Please click the link below to join the meeting.

This week we plan to conduct a planned fire drill. Last week, students did an excellent job during the tornado drill, and we appreciate your support in helping them follow procedures successfully.

These drills reflect our ongoing commitment to school safety and ensuring that students are well-prepared in the event of an emergency. Thank you for your continued partnership in keeping our school safe and prepared.

DeKalb County School District (DCSD) has launched a comprehensive Student Assignment Project (SAP) to review programs, school boundaries, and building use using detailed data analysis. This process will occur every five years to align with ESPLOST and support students in being prepared to Enroll, Employ, Engage in Entrepreneurship, or Enlist in the military after graduation.

DCSD has taken important steps to support this work, including updated enrollment projections, building capacity reviews, program inventories, and family support efforts across clusters and neighborhoods.

Now, the district is examining student assignments more holistically to balance enrollment, expand access to high-quality programs, and ensure efficient use of facilities. DCSD is committed to making thoughtful, data-driven decisions with community input.

We encourage you to visit the SAP Resource Hub to learn more. See link below.

We are excited to invite you to Coffee & Conversations with our Principal and school team! This is a wonderful opportunity to connect with Principal, Assistant Principal, our Social Worker, and Parent Liaison ask questions, share feedback, share suggestions and learn more about ways we can partner together to support our students.

📅 Date: February 10th
🕗 Time: 9am or 12:30pm
📍 Location: Cafeteria and option to join us virtually

Come enjoy a cup of coffee, meet other parents, and have meaningful conversations about our school community. Your voice matters, and we look forward to hearing from you!

Virtual Option: Microsoft Teams meeting

Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/28765269813983?p=6UsTsHakcpFxTtfo3y

Meeting ID: 287 652 698 139 83

Passcode: Ra2Px7eg

📢 February Break Reminder for Families

This is a reminder that school will be closed for February Break from Monday, February 16 through Friday, February 20. There will be no school for students, and the building will be closed during this time. Classes will resume on Monday, February 23.

We hope you and your family enjoy a safe, restful, and enjoyable break. Thank you for your continued support!

📢 Our 2025-2026 school yearbook is now available to order online through TreeRing!

📎 Order here:
https://www.treering.com/purchase?PassCode=10146721719077

When you order online, you can:

• Choose hardcover or softcover
• Add custom pages just for your child
• Guarantee a copy when books arrive in May

The online ordering and custom page deadline is April 3. We will have a limited number of paperback copies available for $20 cash purchase when books arrive, but those are not guaranteed and do not include customization.

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions — we’re excited to create a great yearbook for our students!

We would love to feature them in this year’s Henderson Mill Yearbook! If you’ve captured any great moments classroom activities, field trips, performances, or celebrations—please feel free to share them with us. 📸 Send your photos to: HMESYearbookPhotos@gmail.com

Thank you for helping us make this year’s yearbook special!

Thank You for Sharing Your Voice! We listen!

Thank you to the parents who have already completed our Georgia Climate Survey, so far, we have 98 responses. The participation level is still considered low according to the state. See below.

Your feedback is incredibly important. Increased participation ensures that your voice helps guide our school improvement efforts and directly influences decisions that support our students and our school community.

If you haven’t had a chance to complete this survey yet, please use the link below. Thank you for helping us grow and strengthen our school together.

As we continue a successful school year, please review and follow our arrival and dismissal expectations to ensure a smooth and safe day for all students. Thanks to our survey, it has come to my attention that our late arrival students are a huge parent concern as well. This is a distruption to our classrooms and teaching/learning. Please try your hardest to have your child to arrive to school on time, please see below.:

🌅 Morning Arrival:
🕖 7:00 AM – School doors open and breakfast begins. Please be sure your child has parent supervision if they arrive on campus before 7am.
🍽️ After breakfast – Intervention & Enrichment starts (FREE TUTORING FOR YOUR CHILD). 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. Students should be in their classrooms.
📘 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!

The Sunshine Committee proudly presents the Father–Daughter & Mother–Son Red & White Sneaker Ball! Join us for a fun night of music, dancing, and memories with your special someone.

📅 Friday, February 13, 2026
⏰ 6:00 PM
🎟️ $10 per child (includes food) | $6 per parent (includes food)

Tickets will be sold in person (cash only) during morning arrival in the front lobby on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday during the week of February 5th. Students can receive a $2 discount on the $10 student ticket when purchased during this time.

Dress in your favorite red and white outfit, lace up your sneakers, and get ready for a great night. We look forward to seeing you there!

Our Dance Team did an outstanding job this past Saturday! We won’t know if they will advance to the next level until Monday, but regardless, their performance was incredible. The next competition is scheduled for Saturday, February 14th, and I will share updates as soon as we know if they advance, along with more details about the upcoming event. We are so proud of their hard work, dedication, and school spirit!

Our HMES basketball team is ready to take the championship this year, and the excitement tips off soon! 💪🔥

📅 First Game: February 28, 2026
🏫 Location: Henderson Middle School

⏰ 12:45 PM
Henderson Mill ES vs. Hawthorne ES B (Girls)

⏰ 2:15 PM
Henderson Mill ES vs. Montgomery ES A

We need everyone to come out, show school spirit, and cheer on our team as they start their championship run! 📣💙 Let’s pack the gym and support HMES! DOn't forget your spirit wear!

Get ready for an exciting night of school spirit and NBA action! Join us for our February Spirit Night as we cheer on the Atlanta Hawks as they take on the Miami Heat.

📅 Friday, February 20, 2026
⏰ 7:30 PM
📍 State Farm Arena – Atlanta, GA Address: 1 State Farm Dr, Atlanta, GA 30303

🎟️ Discounted HMES tickets are available on the flyer below.

👕 IMPORTANT: Be sure to wear your Hawks spirit wear! Our school will be featured on the big screen at some point during the game, so let’s show up and show out!

This is a fun way to build community, support our school, and enjoy a great game together. We hope to see you there Go Hawks! 🦅🎉

✨ You’re Invited! ✨

Join us for our African American History Month Program on
📅 February 26th
⏰ 6:00 PM

You are in for a real treat as our students take the stage to celebrate history, culture, and excellence through powerful performances. Their hard work and talent will truly shine!

🎤🎶 We can’t wait to see you there and cheer on our amazing students. Don’t miss this special evening!

Based on your feedback, we are excited to welcome parents to participate in Parent Walkthroughs. Parent Walkthroughs are scheduled, brief visits with Admin that allow parents to see teaching and learning in action during the school day. These are not formal observations or conferences. They give parents the opportunity to observe instructional practices, student engagement, classroom routines, and gain a better understanding of curriculum and school initiatives to give us feedback.

Please note: Parent Walkthroughs are short, scheduled only, and parents observe quietly without interrupting instruction. You may or may not visit your child's classroom. Feedback will be collected to support school improvement. To participate in Parent Walkthroughs click link and sign up below.

We’re excited to share that your child will soon begin a new STEAM Challenge as part of our schoolwide STEAM program! These challenges encourage creativity, problem-solving, collaboration, and critical thinking across science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math. We invite you to reach out to your child’s teacher to learn more about the challenge and to find out how you can support your child at home or volunteer to assist with the project. Thank you for partnering with us as we continue to provide engaging, hands-on STEAM learning experiences for all students.

he last week of February is proudly recognized at Henderson Mill as Black History Spirit Week. This meaningful tradition allows our school community to celebrate and honor the history, culture, achievements, and lasting contributions of Black leaders, innovators, and trailblazers who have shaped our world.

Students, staff, and families are invited to participate in daily spirit themes that promote cultural awareness, pride, and unity. Participation is optional, but we encourage everyone to join in this important celebration. Please see the flyer for additional details.

Spirit Week Themes:

• Monday: D9 Day

• Tuesday: Dress like a famous Black scientist

• Wednesday: HBCU Day

• Thursday: Dress like a famous Black artist, athlete, musician, actor, etc.

• Friday: Wear African attire or African colors

Thank you for helping us celebrate and honor Black history at Henderson Mill!

Links to support

• What does divine 9 mean?: https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/divine-nine-black-fraternities-sororities
• Black scientists listed here: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/blog/black-history-month-scientists
• What is an HBCU?: https://sites.ed.gov/whhbcu/one-hundred-and-five-historically-black-colleges-and-universities/

Thanks to Mrs. Edwards, our PTO, and Atlanta Landscape Materials for supplying this beautiful boulder, we now have a fun way to celebrate special occasions! Families can “rent the rock” for $30 per three-day block to honor birthdays, holidays, achievements, or show appreciation for students, teachers, or staff.

Click link below to learn more and rent the HAWK ROCK. For questions, email hendersonmillpto@gmail.com. Thank you for supporting this fun PTO fundraiser, we hope you enjoy celebrating on the HMES Hawk Rock! 🦅

Thanks to your efforts, some of our teachers have already earned gift cards worth up to $500 through the School Store program, we are truly grateful!

To participate:

1. Go to schoolstore.net/sid.t?0000008355

2. Send the invitation emails to family and friends or put it on your social media page.

Your participation takes just minutes and helps provide important resources for our students and teachers. Thank you for your support! Click link to watch video to learn more: https://videos.schoolstore.com/kick-off-video

It’s quick, easy, and free to help our school earn rewards!

Here’s how:

1. Create a Kroger digital account (if you don’t already have one): https://www.kroger.com/account/communityrewards/

2. Link your Kroger Plus Shopper’s Card.

3. Go to Community Rewards in your account settings.

4. Search for Henderson Mill Elementary and select our school.

Every time you shop and use your Kroger Plus card, a percentage of your spending is donated to Henderson Mill, at no extra cost to you!

💚 Thank you for supporting our students, one grocery trip at a time!

We know many of you have young artists at home, and this is a wonderful opportunity for them to shine! The Georgia Recycling Coalition is hosting its Third Annual America Recycles Day Art Contest for students ages 5–19, and we would love to see our students participate.

🌎 Contest Theme: Recycling Really Works
📅 Submission Deadline: February 18, 2026 (by 11:59 PM)
🖥️ How to Enter: The online entry form must be completed by a parent and submitted with electronic file(s) of the artwork.

This is a great way for students to showcase their creativity while learning about the importance of recycling and caring for our environment.

👉 Click the links below for contest details and the entry form.

We can’t wait to see our students’ creativity shine good luck to all of our young artists! 🌟

We are excited to inform our families about this opportunity for their child! Chamblee High School is hosting a youth softball summer camp for rising 3rd–8th grade students. Please see the flyer below for dates, times, and registration details.

Families in DeKalb County can access free meals at eight convenient distribution centers across the district. Meals are available to anyone in the community, and each site offers pick-up on scheduled dates each month. See below for the full list of locations, dates, and times.- Click for details:https://www.dekalbschoolsga.org/divisions/wrap-around-services/food-distribution

We are happy to share that we will have a small pantry located in our Parent Corner, generously sponsored by our PTO. The pantry will include some food and very basic toiletry items for families who may need a little extra support. If your family could benefit from these resources, please contact Ms. Illinets (Parent Liaison) for assistance. All requests will be handled with care and confidentiality. We are always here to support our Henderson Mill families.

Dear Lakeside Cluster Community, 🕺 💃🏻 🪩

Lakeside is collecting lightly used formal wear that you may have in your closets for our high school students for this year’s Prom. (See flyer) Please help us to send all our upperclassmen to the Benz, in style this March! All formal wear items should be clean and free from rips or tears. Students who need these pieces will get to shop from the donated items at the end of February. Thank you for your generosity and support!

Sincerely,

LHS Staff (supported by Junior Class Parent Sponsors)

PS - If you need an alternate donation location, or need items picked up, please email Sarah at skvisel@gmail.com and let us know what elementary school area you are in to connect you to the right volunteer.

We are desperately seeking parent volunteers to help support our school during key parts of the day. Your time, presence, and energy make a huge difference in keeping our students safe, happy, and thriving and honestly, we can’t do it without you!

Here’s where we could really use your help:

• Lunch Duty (10:20 AM – 12:20 PM)- Help us monitor students, keep things running smoothly, and encourage positive behavior during lunch.
• Recess Duty (10:45 AM – 12:45 PM)- Play referee, cheerleader, and safety monitor all in one! Your presence ensures our kids can enjoy recess safely.
• Morning Duty (7:00 AM – 7:45 AM)-Assist with arrival by helping students get out of their transportation safely and start the day on the right foot.
• After School Duty (2:15 PM – 2:45 PM)-Help supervise dismissal and ensure students leave safely, whether walking, riding, or being picked up.

If you can spare even a little time, you do not have to stay the entire time, please come by the school, sign in, and ask for our Parent Liaison, Ms. Vicky. She’ll show you the ropes and make it super easy to jump in.

We truly cannot overstate how much your involvement matters. Our students benefit immensely from your support, and we would be so grateful for your time, big or small.

Thank you for being an essential part of our Hawks family!

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. We are currently in need of parents to volunteer as chaperones for our upcoming field trips, helping ensure a safe, fun, and meaningful experience for our students.

See document for details. This document was created by the District to assist you in registering as a volunteer with the DeKalb County School District. Please complete the following steps to become a DCSD Volunteer. The process takes about 30 minutes total, including approximately 20 minutes of online mandatory child abuse reporting training required by the State of Georgia for all volunteers.

Steps to Complete the Volunteer Process:

1. Complete the Volunteer Application and Release Form:

• English Application
• Spanish Application

2. Review and Complete the DCSD Volunteer Code of Conduct:

• English Code of Conduct
• Spanish Code of Conduct

3. 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. 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!

Get ready for an exciting Casino Night experience! We are currently seeking parent volunteers to help make this event a success. If you’re able to volunteer and support this fun evening, please click the link below to sign up. Your help is greatly appreciated!

Thank you for always supporting our school and community, we couldn’t do it without you!

Join us for the last Parent Tech Café for the 1st semester! Parent Tech Cafe' is a virtual series designed to empower parents, guardians, and stakeholders with insights into the digital tools supporting teaching and learning across DeKalb County School District. See flyer to learn when sessions takes place. This is a great opportunity for families to explore the resources that enhance student success. Please help us spread the word to your school communities. Click here for more information: https://its.dekalb.k12.ga.us/TechCafe_202581813581964.aspx

The FY27 Budget Survey is now open, and we invite you to share your input as we begin planning for the upcoming fiscal year. Your feedback will directly contribute to enhancing the school experience for students and families.

Please take a moment to complete the survey by February 13, 2026. The survey is available in 16 languages to support all members of our community. Survey Link: https://survey.sogolytics.com/r/NJ7MYV

Thank you for your participation and continued partnership as we work together to support student learning

Please see the flyers for more opportunities to engage with your child and support family learning at home. This resource is designed to provide additional support, activities, and tips for parents to help students succeed both in and out of the classroom. We encourage you to explore this opportunity and get involved your participation makes a meaningful difference!

The DeKalb County School District (DCSD) proudly offers 128 Georgia Lottery-funded Pre-K classes across 76 locations. Governed by Bright from the Start, the program provides age-appropriate instruction that prepares children socially, emotionally, physically, and academically for kindergarten success. DCSD also offers 25 lottery-funded Pre-K3 programs at 12 locations. These programs help close readiness gaps by strengthening early cognitive and language development. Overall, DCSD’s Pre-K programs support children in becoming confident, independent learners while encouraging positive routines and child-centered instruction tailored to each student’s needs and interests.

We know that parents and family members play an essential role in students’ educational success. When schools and families work in partnership, children will succeed at new levels.

The link below, parents and family members of students in Georgia’s K-12 public schools can explore the wealth of resources and services offered through GaDOE. Discover important information on Georgia’s K-12 standards, programming to support your student, ways to get involved, and more.

Let’s keep the momentum going!

Congratulations to our Trophy winners Mrs. Eubanks, Mrs. Murphy, and Mrs. Stantos classes. We had a special drawing for any students who are including book reviews when they log their minutes for a chance to win a signed copy of the new Dog Man book.

https://www.canva.com/design/DAG37vKZ2lU/YHFd93fXoQthLhW6msT8tA/edit?utm_content=DAG37vKZ2lU&ut…

Just 5 minutes a day of logging your child’s reading on Beanstack can help us climb even higher on the county-wide leaderboard!

📚 Here’s how you can help as a parent:

• Encourage your child to read daily and log their minutes in Beanstack, every minute counts!
• Parents can track progress and celebrate milestones together with their children.

Together, we can build a powerful culture of reading at HMES, one page at a time! ✨

In April, students in grades 3, 4, and 5 are required to take the Georgia Milestones Assessment. This test will include Reading, Writing, Mathematics, and Science (5th grade only). A practice test is available online, with questions set up and structured just like the actual assessment.

Please log on to see what will be expected of your child in April. See video below for more support. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to your child's teacher. We look forward to partnering with you.

https://www.gaexperienceonline.com/

1. Click "Test Practice, Guides, Samples"
2. Click "Online Testing Tools"
3. Click "End of Grade EOG"
4. Click "Test Practice"
5. Click "Online Standard Tools"
6. Click"3rd, 4th, or 5th Grade"
7. Click "Continue"
8. Click "Test Practice for 3rd, 4th, or 5th"

9. Click "Play Audio"
10. If your sound is working, click "Sound is Working"
11. Read the directions. Use the blue arrows to navigate through the directions.
12. Click "Begin Test"
(There is a tool bar at the top to assist while testing).

Parent ProTech is an on-demand library of resources to help you with everything from social media to gaming, artificial intelligence to streaming, to preventing violence in schools with anti-bullying educational awareness. Their resources cover trends and what you need to know to inform and protect students online. They end every series with conversation starters to help you know how to begin conversations with your students around their favorite tech. Their full library is now available so you can stay up to date on the platforms our students are using.

Signing up is easy and FREE! Visit this link https://bit.ly/DCSDParentProtech and create your Parent ProTech account that will equip you with the knowledge and tools needed to support your students online. Note: Please use your district email to create your account.

Please take a few minutes to view the introduction and walkthrough videos to learn more about this amazing resource.

• Introduction Video: Equipping Educators and Families with Parent ProTech

• Account Creation and Platform Walkthrough Video

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