November 25 Newsletter

Dear Haymarket Families,

As we move into November, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude for our wonderful school community. I am so thankful for our dedicated staff, supportive families, and hardworking students who make Haymarket a great place to learn and grow.

Our students continue to show great effort and enthusiasm in their learning, and we are proud of the progress we've seen so far. This month we honor our veterans and celebrate the many things we are thankful for.

Our admin team wish each of you a restful and joyful Thanksgiving season. Thank you for your continued partnership and support.

Warm regards,

Mrs. Mills

• November 11th - No School (Veterans Day)
• November 14th - 5th Grade SCA Applications due to Mrs. Schenck
• November 14th - PTO Bingo Night at 6:30 PM
• November 19th - PTO & Advisory Meeting via Zoom at 6:30 PM
• November 26th-28th - No School (Thanksgiving Break)
• December 17th - Strings Concert at 6:00 PM
• December 22-January 2 - Winter Break (No school for students)
• January 13th - 5th Grade Marstellar MS Math/Science Specialty Program Info Night at 6:00 PM

We are so grateful for our School Security Assistant, Mr. Parker, who helps keep Haymarket a safe and welcoming place every day. He monitors school grounds, assist with arrival and dismissal, support emergency drills, ensure that all safety procedures are followed, and so much more. Thank you Mr. Parker for all you do to keep our Haymarket community safe!

Please click on the form to provide feedback about Family and Community Engagement

Last Friday, we had the privilege of celebrating Veterans Day with some truly incredible heroes. A heartfelt thank you to all the veterans who joined us — your presence meant so much, and we are deeply grateful for your service and sacrifice.

Your stories, smiles, and time spent with us made the day unforgettable. We appreciate you and all you’ve done for our country. 💙❤️

Our PTO events are all about bringing our school community together—and we want to make sure those special moments are remembered! If you’ve snapped any great photos during recent PTO activities, we’d love for you to share them with us. Your pictures could be featured in our school yearbook!

Please upload your photos using the link below:
👉 https://www.yearbooksspm.com/haymarket/home3/PhotoPost.jsp?ID=294T038I3B92

Thank you for helping us showcase the fun and spirit of our school! Every photo tells a story, and we can’t wait to see yours.

We’re thrilled to share that our Childhood Cancer Awareness Lego Drive brought in an incredible 167 Lego sets! Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this donation so special.

To support student reading growth at home, families are encouraged to explore the following websites related to the Virginia Literacy Act (VLA). These resources offer helpful information, strategies, and tools to reinforce literacy skills outside of school:

• Virginia Literacy Act in PWCS – Prince William County Public Schools
• Virginia Literacy Partnerships – Resources for Families

For more information, please contact our Reading Coaches:
Erin Ebeck (K–2) or Jessica Slusher (3–5).

Prince William County Public Schools offers four specialty programs for middle school students. These programs include the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program (IB MYP), Math and Science programs, Traditional Schools, and World Language programs. These are great opportunities for students who hold special interests in one, or more, of those areas. There are an application process and important dates to monitor. Please see more information here:

https://www.pwcs.edu/academics___programs/advanced_academics___specialty_programs/specialty_programs/middle_school_programs/index

The Prince William County Alumnae Chapter Delta Sigma Theta (PWCAC-DST) is coordinating a writing contest to complement the 41st Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Oratorical Competition and Program with the following writing prompt:

Consider a community you are a part of (school, family, local government, faith organization). What are the strengths of this community and what are the areas where greater unity could be gained? What steps could you take to help break down any challenges to gain greater unity and why.

The writing competition is open to all fourth and fifth grade students.

View writing contest rules in the quick links below. The deadline for all participating students to submit is Monday, December 2.

MLK-2026-Writing-Contest-Rules

MLK-2026-Writing-Contest-Rules-Spanish

Winners will be notified on or before January 8, 2026, and there will be a free awards ceremony to recognize the MLK Youth Oratorical Competition and Program winners at 11 a.m. on January 19, 2026, at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 18410 Chapel Street, Triangle, VA 22172.

If you have questions, please contact the Writing Contest Lead at DrKingWriting@gmail.com.

• 1. Save Time! Using ParentVUE to notify the school of your child's absence alerts both the office and the teacher of your child's absence.

  2. If you prefer to email about attendance, please use the office email: HMES-cubs-attendance@pwcs.edu. Using this email sends your message to everyone working in the office and ensures your message is read in a timely manner.

Whenever possible, please email your child's teacher the day before you need to pick your child up early. Doing this the day before ensures the teacher sees the email and can have your child packed up. This saves time, especially when you're picking your child up during lunch, recess or Encore. Any changes to transportation should be reported to the office by 3:15 PM. All early dismissals are required by 3:30 PM to allow for a smooth dismissal to the day. IDs are required when picking up your student for early dismissal.

Our Boosterthon Fun Run was a huge success, as a school we surpassed our goal of $35,000, earning our ultimate prize of sliming our Assistant Principal Mr. Seymour. It was an exciting , fun day for all!

The turnout was amazing, and it was such a joy to see our community come together for an evening filled with fun, creativity, and spooky spirit. From the fantastically decorated trunks to the delightful costumes, every moment was magical. We’re so grateful for all the time, energy, and heart that made this event a glowing success!

In the corner by the cafeteria door,
Lies a mountain we can’t ignore.
Jackets, hoodies, lunchbox lids,
All abandoned by busy kids!

Water bottles, socks galore,
A single sneaker (maybe more!).
Hats and gloves from winter past,
How did this pile grow so fast?

A lonely scarf, a pencil case,
A backpack with a smiley face.
Each item waits to be reclaimed,
By someone who forgot it’s named.

So take a peek, come have a look,
Before it’s gone from our lost-and-found nook.
Claim your treasures, don’t delay—
Let’s clear this pile by Winter Break!

Copilot. (2025, November 10). The Lost and Found is Overflowing! [Poem]. Personal communication.

This week we had a group of student athletes visit us from Gainesville High School. They spent time reading to our students throughout the school. Thank you for your participation!

PWCS Code of Behavior ensures that education is provided in an atmosphere conducive to learning, free of disruption and threat to person or property, and supportive of individual rights.

https://codeofbehavior.pwcs.edu/

Online

Online payments are a simple, safe, and secure way to make payments to your student's account, 24 hours a day, at your convenience!

Please visit MySchoolBucks.com to make prepayments online any time to your student's meal account.

Questions or assistance regarding MySchoolBucks.com may be sent to sommaf@pwcs.edu or 703-791-7242.

Cash or Check

Cash or checks may also be used to place money on a student's meal account. Cash or checks must be given to the school's Food Service Manager. Checks must be payable to “Prince William County School's Food and Nutrition Department.”

Mental health telehealth services are available to PWCS students at no cost to families through Hazel Health, a well-established telehealth provider.

This initiative provides access to mental health care, ensuring students receive the support they need without delay – regardless of their ability to pay or insurance status.

Available in 19 languages.

Building Meaningful Family Partnerships Beyond Events

6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 12, 2025 – Live Zoom Webinar

Join us on Wednesday, November 12, for an inspiring webinar with Dr. Karen Mapp that will focus on empowering families to become true co-educators alongside our schools. This session will explore how families and educators can build authentic, lasting partnerships that go beyond traditional school events. Participants will learn practical strategies to foster trust, shared responsibility, and collaborative decision-making that support student success.

Presenter for this session: Dr. Karen Mapp is a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education whose work over the past 25 years has focused on building strong partnerships among families, communities, and educators to improve student achievement.

Strengthening Families Through Wraparound Services

6:30-7:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 20, 2025 – Live Zoom Webinar

Join us for a webinar on Thursday, November 20, to learn about wraparound services available to families through the Prince William County Department of Social Services and Northern Virginia Family Services. These organizations promote family wellbeing by providing services and referrals for medical care, mental health support, food assistance, and more. Come and learn about the various programs available and discover how to access the resources your family may need.

Presenters: Kimberly Ellis, Human Services Manager, with Prince William County Department of Social Services, and Marvin Quintero, Director of Community in Reach, with Northern Virginia Family Services

Register Here : https://www.pwcs.edu/parents/family_engagement_series/index

A Special Shout Out to Julie Martin for organizing and our military families for participating in our Veterans Day Program!

A Special Shout Out to our PTO for a spoo-tastic Trunk or Treat event!

Haymarket Cubs climbing towards excellence in all that we do.

Creative Unique Brilliant Students