Hembree Highlights

Greetings, Hembree Families,

It’s hard to believe, but today marks the official end of the first quarter! Time has truly flown by. Our dedicated teachers are currently finalizing progress reports for the first nine weeks, and you can expect them to be available in Infinite Campus by the end of next week.

A heartfelt thank you to the amazing dads who helped with carpool this morning! Our students were thrilled to see you, and your support means so much to our school community.

After-school clubs were a hit and filled up quickly! We’re incredibly grateful to our staff for volunteering their time to provide these enriching experiences for our Hawks. We still have a few spots available in Science Club, Sports Club, and 3-5 Garden Club which are open to students in grades 3–5. If your child is interested, please email me at lahey@fultonschools.org. Spots will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis based on the time and date of your email. Clubs will begin the week after October Break, so be sure to check backpacks today for permission slips and details.

We’re also gearing up for our annual Trunk or Treat on Friday, October 24th! To help make this event extra special, we’re collecting candy donations—look for the candy monster near the front desk. Any contributions are greatly appreciated!

Yesterday, we celebrated National Custodians Day and honored Sal and Mirsada, who work tirelessly to keep our building sparkling clean. We are so thankful for all they do!

On a personal note, last weekend’s game was tough to watch. I expected Alabama to be a challenge, but I was disappointed in both our defense and offensive play calling. Fingers crossed that tomorrow’s game against Kentucky gives us a chance to bounce back!

I’m absolutely loving this crisp fall weather and hope you have something fun planned for the weekend.

Have a wonderful weekend, and thank you for being such an important part of our Hembree community!

Warm Regards,
Nancy Lahey

10/7 Title I ELL Parent Workshop @7:40-8:40am

10/7 Your Pie Spirit Night 3:00-9:00pm

10/8 Fall Picture Day

10/13-10/17 No School- Fall Break

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

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

11/4 No School- Teacher workday

October is Bullying Prevention Month. Bullying Prevention Month is a nationwide call to action around educating communities to their roles in bullying prevention, and to educate and raise awareness of bullying prevention. Fulton County Schools will recognize Bullying Prevention Month by encouraging all staff and students to wear Royal Blue on Monday, October 6th. Additionally, our wonderful Student Council Ambassadors (pictured below) will kick off some student activities to raise awareness and promote prevention.

As fall activities begin, it’s easy to let a day or two slip by—but each absence matters. Keep attendance strong to build momentum for the rest of the year.

Students who miss 2–4 days in the first quarter are 5 times more likely to be chronically absent by year’s end.

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

A medida que comienzan las actividades de otoño, es fácil dejar pasar uno o dos días, pero cada ausencia importa. Mantén una asistencia fuerte para generar impulso para el resto del año.

Los estudiantes que faltan de 2 a 4 días en el primer trimestre tienen 5 veces más probabilidades de estar ausentes crónicamente al final del año.

La campana tardía suena a 7:40am. Los estudiantes deben estar en su salón de clases listos para aprender en ese momento.

DID YOU KNOW… students in grades KK-5 are invited to participate in a monthly creativity contest this year. We just wrapped up September, and the winners are displayed on the Creativity Bulletin Board across form the Café. Homeroom teachers receive the contest form for their students at the beginning of each month. Student work must fit into the specific theme, and their work should creatively incorporate the squiggle that is on the contest form. Students can bring these home to complete or do at school. Once students complete their work, they must include a unique title to help tell the story of what is happening in their picture. It would be wonderful if families could practice these creative principles at home to help our Hawks become more comfortable using them in their work. Student entries are selected based on their use of the information in bold along with these four Principles of Creativity. Reach out to Mrs. Anderson for any questions andersoncm@fultonschools.org

Students in grades 3 and 5 will participate in a Write Score assessment between October 8–10. This assessment provides students with an opinion or argumentative writing prompt, designed to mirror the style and expectations of the Georgia Milestones (GMAS) writing tasks.

The Write Score platform gives us valuable data about students’ writing skills, helping us tailor instruction during ELA blocks and better prepare for GMAS in the spring.

• Testing Time: 70–90 minutes total
• Testing Schedule: Spread across 2–3 days
• Purpose: Instructional planning only (not graded)

There is no preparation needed beyond ensuring your child gets a good night’s sleep and a healthy breakfast—just as you would on any school day.

If you have any questions, please reach out to
Dr. Carrie McAtee, CST
📧 mcatee@fultonschools.org

**Note: Students in grade 4 will take Write Score in November. More information to follow closer to that date.

It's almost spooky season and our PTA is getting pumped for the annual Trunk or Treat! This year's event will be held Oct. 24 from 5-7 p.m. In addition to trick or treating at the decorated trunks in the carpool lane, there will be a costume parade, and food truck! The food truck is owned by one of our own Hembree families. Purchase dinner at the event and support a local business!

Please find the link below if you would like to host a trunk! You will need to: Bring your own trunk, set-up, and candy. Feel free to partner with other parents or individually. Keep in mind our littlest Hawks and avoid anything too scary. Space is limited, so sign up today! Any questions? Email hembreepta@gmail.com

Here is the link https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C054FADAD2FAAFD0-51325856-trunk

.

We are looking for volunteers to help at the event handling some logistics. We appreciate all the support from parents, as this is what makes the event so successful! Here is the link to sign up to help for a portion of the time you're there enjoying the festivities https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C054FADAD2FAAFD0-51378068-trunk

Guess who’s baaaack?! Fillmore the Candy Monster has arrived at Hembree Springs, and he’s hungry!

Our favorite sugar-loving monster is on the loose again, and if we don’t keep him fed, he might start causing trouble around the school So help us out—bring in those bags of candy to satisfy Fillmore’s sweet tooth! All candy donations go toward helping our PTA cover the cost for teachers hosting trunks at our Trunk or Treat on Oct. 24 Your donations keep the event fun (and affordable!) for everyone. Drop your candy off in the furry green monster bin across from the front desk and help us keep Fillmore happy (and out of mischief). New, non-candy treasure box type items are also accepted.

And while you’re at it, help us spread some warm fuzzies and check those closets! We’re also collecting winter coat donations for our Coat Drive at Trunk or Treat. Students can bring coats on the day of the event that they’ve outgrown. They can also pick one that fits to take home if they want.

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.

English for Speakers of Other Languages Families! Please join us for our October 7th ESOL workshop @ 7:40am in the media center. You’ll learn about the tools we use at Hembree Springs to help your student improve their English. There will be coffee, and a light breakfast. We are offering FREE winter coats and bilingual books We’ll also have math resources and bilingual flashcards that you can borrow for home use. Check out the enclosed flyer for more details. We look forward to seeing you!

If you have any questions, please contact Ashley Zuniga, ZunigaA@fultonschools.org or Lucy Gilbert, gilbertL2@fultonschools.org

¡Padres y familias!

Únase a nosotros para nuestro taller de ESOL del 7 de octubre @ 7:40 am en el centro de medios. Aprenderá sobre las herramientas que usamos en Hembree Springs para ayudar a su estudiante a mejorar su inglés. Habrá café y un desayuno ligero. También ofreceremos abrigos de invierno y libros bilingües GRATIS También tendremos recursos matemáticos y tarjetas bilingües que puede pedir prestadas para casa. Consulte el folleto adjunto para obtener más detalles. ¡Te esperamos!

Si tiene alguna pregunta, comuníquese con Ashley Zuniga, ZunigaA@fultonschools.org o Lucy Gilbert, gilbertL2@fultonschools.org

Grab your family and make plans with friends for a Hembree Spirit Night! Your Pie of Roswell is hosting a Hembree night - mention us and we receive 20% of all sales!

Keep those Reflections entries coming!

Thanks to all the parents who have been submitting their students' entry forms for the PTA Reflections Art Contest!! We can't wait to see what everyone has created!

Please note that for artwork to be submitted for judging we need both the art and a form filled out (back and front). If you've sent in just a form or just the artwork, please send in the missing form or art next week. The PTA board member running reflections (Lauren LaFleur) has contacted parents with incomplete or missing forms. Also, many students came to the reflections workshop and left art without names and homeroom. We will be setting out a second bright orange bin beside the orange submission bin for students that want to participate to claim their art and submit it with the form. If students need flash drives for digital submissions or picture frames for a photography submission, those can be found in the orange submission bin also. PTA sent home a paper copy of the form in Friday Folders recently, but there is a digital version you can print out too here. https://georgiapta.org/media/attachments/2025/09/03/fillable-student-entry-form_reflections.pdf

Student Success Skills (A Sense of Belonging)

One of the Student Success Skills students will be developing this year is a sense of belonging.

What does this mean? It means understanding that they can be part of a group. When students feel a sense of belonging at school, they feel included, accepted, valued, and encouraged by others. It also means they can help others feel like they belong too - by including, accepting, valuing, and encouraging them.

Students will also learn about friendships, relationships, how to use support systems, and how to make positive social contributions.

Examples: Students may feel like they belong with their families because their families love them. They may feel like they belong with their friends because friends enjoy doing similar things together. Students can also help others feel like they belong by inviting them to play or simply spending time with them.

How You Can Support at Home: Families can encourage a sense of belonging by spending time together, celebrating each child’s strengths, and showing appreciation for one another. You can also help your child practice including others by inviting a classmate to join in a game, asking about new friends, or modeling kindness in your own relationships.

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