Hornet Happenings

Our school community came together for a fantastic Bingo & Beyond Game Night last Friday! Thank you to the families who stayed to play and share in the fun. We’re grateful to our volunteers—including 15 Albemarle High School students—whose time and enthusiasm made the night possible.

We also extend our sincere thanks to the generous businesses who donated the exciting prizes our students enjoyed:

• Dairy Queen: $50 gift card
• Hello Comics: $50 gift card
• Bowlero: Three two-hour bowling passes
• Foster Art: Free Kids Night Out pass
• Play It Again Sports: $25 gift card
• Riverside North: $25 gift card
• Bricks & Minifigs: Free bulk bag of Lego
• Nothing Bundt Cakes: Cake Tower
• Dunkin Donuts: Two dozen donuts

For more info visit the Camp4Real Kids Night Out website

We’re excited to welcome the Scholastic Book Fair from March 23–27. Students will have the opportunity to explore a wonderful selection of books, and we’ll be hosting a special Family Night on March 24—we hope you’ll join us!

There will be plenty of volunteer opportunities throughout the week. Class preview dates and sign-up sheets coming soon! We look forward to a fun and successful Book Fair week!

Winter clubs have been a great success! Thank you to all that participated and to our facilitators for sharing their time and talents. We have one more meeting this session. Your continued patience is appreciated as students are dismissed so all can return to their families both safely and timely. Remaining meeting dates are listed below.

Monday Clubs 3/9

• Art Club with Mrs. Rapp
• Chess Club
• Spanish Club with Mrs. Grande
• Tinker Time K-2

Wednesday Clubs 3/4, 3/11

Please note: Arabic Club and Jomos Spanish Space will meet 3/11 instead of 3/4 due to UVA's Spring Break Schedule and 3/18 for their final session.

• Arabic Club
• Jomo's Spanish Space
• Lego Builder's Club
• Puzzle With Us!
• Tinker Time 3-5

Friday Club 3/6, 3/13

• Friday Art Club with Mrs. Rapp

Mark your calendars!

Join us at Timberwood Grill on March 30 from 5–10 PM for dine-in or takeout! When you participate, Hollymead PTO will receive 10% of sales. Enjoy a great meal while supporting our school community!

2025-2026 yearbook sales are now under way! From now until March 28th you can get our early bird price of $25! All yearbooks are soft cover books. Book cost will go to $30 starting March 29th. If you would like to reserve your yearbook please place your order here. Need to pay cash or check? Use the order forms sent home in your child's take home folder.

Attention 5th grade parents! We will soon start collecting photos of our graduating fifth graders for the yearbook. Keep an eye out in the newsletter, social media, and email for more information on how to submit your photos.

We’d love to restock the staff lounge with fresh snacks for our teachers and staff. Take a look at our Amazon wish list for ways to contribute. We also gladly accept items like fresh fruit, which can be dropped off at the front office. Thanks for helping us keep up the momentum as we head into Spring!

The PTO is currently seeking a School Supply Coordinator to assist with organizing our 2026–2027 school supply program. This volunteer will work with our supplier, Educational Products, Inc. (EPI), to coordinate order information and help distribute supply packs during Back-to-School Night.

If you’re interested in supporting this important program or would like more details, please contact the PTO President at hollymeadptopresident@gmail.com We’d love to have you involved!

At our January Family Council meeting, family council dove into tech conversations:

• Technology – Families have shared lots of concerns about overuse of tech for learning, so we took a deep dive at our Jan meeting. Check out this Substack post for minutes, PPT slides describing what ACPS is doing, resources to guide family conversations, your comments, and lots more!

• School Buildings – The school board presented needs for Capital Improvement to the Supervisors in December. A new high school is included & expensive, but not impossible. Read this Substack to get caught up & advocate for funding. We’ve been organizing school tours… reach out to invite your Supervisor to see for themselves

At our February Family Council meeting, we welcomed several community groups to share about the wrap around services and basic needs supports offered to students and families.

• Technology Use: At Hollymead, technology supports instruction but does not replace physical books and worksheets. Devices are used for learning — not recreation (such as indoor recess).

• Family Support Resources: Families needing assistance with basic needs (food security, dental care, hygiene, etc.) are encouraged to contact Joe McCauley, Kim Gentry, or Megan Kopley for help accessing wraparound services.

• Trailers Update: Joe McCauley has met with ACPS Building Services and is advocating that Hollymead trailers not be used for students or staff without necessary renovations.

• Specials Classes: In response to concerns about longer specials periods (especially for younger students), teachers and administrators have created “break spaces” and are incorporating additional movement into lessons.

• Math Testing (Illuminate App): Currently, the Illuminate app only shows correct answers at home, not test questions. Families may request printed copies of tests from teachers. This concern has been shared with ACPS administration.

• Police Officer Visits: Families will be notified in advance if a police officer will be visiting the school.

• Lunch Updates: Due to delivery challenges, menu changes may occasionally occur. When known in advance, changes will be communicated. Administration is also working with cafeteria staff to ensure enough lunches are available for the final lunch period.

• March 19: Regular instructional day for students, converted due to snow
• March 20: Teacher workday, no school for students
• March 23-27: Scholastic Bookfair
• March 24: Equity and Community Night and Book Fair Family Night
• March 26: PTO Meeting, 7pm
• March 27: Camp4Real Kids Night Out, 6-9pm
• March 30: Dining Night Out at Timberwood

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