Hembree Highlights

Greetings, Hembree Families,

I hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving break! Our first week back has been fantastic, and I’m excited to share some highlights.

On Thursday, our 4th and 5th grade chorus delivered an incredible performance that truly put me in the holiday spirit. The students were amazing, and a huge thank you goes to Ms. Slay for her hard work and dedication to building such a strong music program.

Today, we held our annual spelling bee—and what a competition it was! After 21 intense rounds, congratulations to 5th grader Andrew Weng, our spelling bee champion! Andrew will proudly represent Hembree Springs at the district-wide spelling bee in January. We are so proud of him!

We’re also in the midst of our mid-year diagnostic assessments. Students in grades K–3 are completing the Amira screener to assess literacy skills, and all students in grades K–5 are taking the iReady mid-year assessments. We finished the Math iReady this week, and I’m thrilled with the growth we’re seeing so far. On Monday, December 8, students will take the iReady Reading assessment school-wide.

Looking ahead, we hope you’ll join us for our Title I Coffee on Tuesday at 7:40 AM. It’s a great opportunity to learn more about our math resources—come by if you can!

And finally, for all the Bulldog fans out there—this weekend is a big one! Georgia faces Alabama in the SEC Championship for the second time this season. It’s going to be a tough game, but I’m hopeful we’ll bring our best. Go Dawgs!

Warm Regards,

Nancy Lahey

12/8 iReady READING diagnostics K-5

12/8 Staff Dessert Buffet

12/9 Conversational English and Math Resource Coffee @ 7:40am *click here for more information (English) and here (Spanish)

12/22/25-1/2/26 Winter Break

1/5/26 Teacher Work Day

1/13/26 Rising 6th grade parent meeting 7:40-8:40 am (see below)

All in On Attendance--Finish the Semester Strong!

The weeks before winter break are full of important lessons, tests, and projects. Attendance helps students finish strong and start the new year prepared. Students with perfect attendance in December score 15% higher on mid-year assessments.

The late bell rings at 7:40am. Students should be in their classroom ready to learn at that time.

Let's finish the semester strong !

Tia Rawlings, M.S.W.

School Social Worker

It's time for our annual dessert buffet to thank our teachers and staff for all they have done this year!

Monday, December 8th
Sign up here to bake a sweet treat or lend a helping hand! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C054FADAD2FAAFD0-60249202-2025

¡Es hora de nuestro buffet anual de postres para agradecer a nuestros maestros y personal por todo lo que han hecho este año!

Lunes 8 de diciembre

¡Regístrese aquí para hornear un dulce o echar una mano! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C054FADAD2FAAFD0-60249202-2025

Hembree business partner Elite Kidz is offering winter break camps for kids. Week 1 is December 22-23 and Week 2 is Jan. 2 and 5. In addition, they're offering a special deal for exclusively Hembree students for the second semester of the school year -- as low as $77 per week for aftercare with limited spots available. Visit www.elitekidzevents.com or call (678) 674-4663.

The Coding club is back for the second half of the school year! The second session starts January 6th, 2026 thru April.

Your student can learn about A.I., coding, 3D printing, robotics and build with Legos right at Hembree Springs. There are 15 sessions for the club and cost is $309 for the semester. The club meets Tuesdays after school from 2:30-3:30 p.m.

Here’s the registration link for the spring semester:
https://tcs-johnscreek.pike13.com/events/17017737

Parents/Guardians, We Need You!

This is the time that we begin the process of recognizing the great work that our teachers and staff accomplish each day. You’ve always heard that educators are not “in it for the money”, which is true, but a little recognition goes a long way. We are inviting our parents and guardians to participate in our nomination process for Teacher of the Year (TOTY) and school Professional of the Year (POTY). You have a valuable perspective on the education that your children receive, and we’d like to hear from you!

You will see links below that you may use to access two Microsoft forms—one for nominating a Teacher of the Year and one for nominating a school Professional of the Year. These forms will be open from now until December 17 at 3:00 p.m. The forms only have a couple of questions and center mainly on why you are nominating these folks for one or the other of the awards. Please nominate only one person per form. Once all nominations are collected, from parents/guardians and staff, the staff will vote for three finalists in each category and those six people will go on to participate in an observation and an interview (teachers) or an interview (school professionals). The final winner from each of the two categories will be announced at a staff celebration in January or February, and will serve for the 2026-2027 school year.

I will have a great committee established that will be instrumental in choosing the final winners, including parents and community members. Please reach out to me, Dr. McAtee, at mcatee@fultonschools.org, if you have questions about the process.

Hembree Springs ES Nomination Ballot for Teacher of the Year 2026-2027 – Fill out form

Hembree Springs ES Nomination Ballot for School Professional of the Year 2026-2027 – Fill out form

Hello Families!

Reminder: your child will be taking the mid-year iReady Reading diagnostic assessment on December 8. These assessments help us celebrate the growth your child has made during the first semester and guide us in planning instruction to meet their individual needs.

For helpful tips and resources, please check out the information below and visit the i-Ready Family Center. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher or contact Dr. McAtee, Curriculum Support Teacher, at mcatee@fultonschools.org.

Thank you for partnering with us to support your child’s learning!

https://i-readycentral.com/familycenter/faqs/

Get ready for an important milestone! Join the Elkins Pointe Administration and Dr. McAtee for important information on rising 6th grade courses and the verification process. No matter which Fulton County middle school your child will attend, this session will help you understand how our teachers decide on course recommendations for rising 6th graders—so you can feel confident about the process and your child’s transition. We’re here to guide you every step of the way.

If you are unable to attend, the information PowerPoint will be published on our website, and you can contact Dr. McAtee at mcatee@fultonschools.org with any questions.

Mark your calendars for International Family Fun Night! Join us for an evening of celebrating the diversity within our school and community on Thursday, January 15th from 5:30-7:30pm. Grab your family and come explore!

We are looking for volunteers to share what is wonderful about a country and culture. Please sign-up below. Please include your student's name in the sign-up.

If you are experiencing a financial barrier to participation, the PTA is sponsoring a limited number of $100 grants for your family to host a table. Please reach out to PTA President Janet Pelletier, janetr2626@hotmail.com for more information.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C054FADAD2FAAFD0-59881888-international

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