
Hembree Highlights
10/27

Message from Ms. Smith
Hello Hawks!
This week, I want to share a piece of my heart and some of my struggles. I am writing this for you, parents.
Really it started in the weeks after my children were born. After the birth of each of my five children I went back to work at 2.5 weeks to 5 weeks after delivery. This was not by choice, but because leave was not paid. I did what I had to in order to provide for my growing family. What I call the juggle struggle started almost 14 years ago. I have been struggling to balance work and home ever since. I have always wanted to be a great teacher, assistant principal, and now principal 100% of the time. The problem is that I want to be a great mom 100% of the time too. Even though I am a single mom now, I still remember the desire to be a great wife 100% of the time too. The problem is that balance seems elusive and life is messy.
You are probably wondering where I am going with this. Well, I am sharing my shame and embarrassment that I have gotten Hembree Highlights out late two weeks in a row. It may feel small to some, but to me it feels like a public failure. It is a quite heavy feeling. Thursday night I had planned on writing this letter and getting everything together because my dad back in TN has been unwell. I knew that Friday would be full of travels and such. Thursday night came, and I was sitting on the floor working. Nehemiah, 4th grade, came to me saying, "Mom can we play "Trouble?" I immediately looked at my computer. The juggle struggle hit, but in that moment I chose to play what turned into an hour game of "Trouble." I, of course, came in last place because we had to play for second, third, and fourth place. Then a couple of games of "Twister." I finished the night with a load of laundry and exhaustion hit. I had to go to bed. I went to bed torn. I enjoyed my time with my kids, but I knew that the work time I missed out on would have to be squeezed in on Friday.
Friday comes, but my day is booked and lots of people out sick. Simply put, no time for writing this letter. I have given it a lot of thought. I make jokes about it all the time, that parenting causes you to lower the bar on the unimportant things. I would love to be able to tell you that I suddenly feel better about the fact that I am late with Hembree Highlights, but I don't. My motto in college was, "It all gets done, its a matter of when." This is also pretty accurate as a parent. I would love to say "always prioritize your kids over all else." Our kids are a priority for sure, but we have other obligations too. I want to remind you that you are doing a great job. I want to remind you that you are not alone in the juggle struggle. We all mess up. We all have stress. No two people have the same journey in life, but we definitely share in some of the tough stuff. Balancing it all is a shared experience, a shared struggle. I am grateful for the grace I get from this community when my failed balancing is on display. Maybe I can be a reminder that we are all doing the best we can with what we have in this moment.
I was going to end this with a joke about at least you are doing a better job balancing than me, but I think the worst thing we can do is compare ourselves to one another. I will close with this, your principal knows how it feels to be a parent. We are all doing our best, AND together we are crushing it. None of this was meant to be done alone as a single family unit. We do it together. I feel like you need to hear again, or maybe I need to hear it again, together we are crushing it!
Thank you for everything! I hope you can play that game of "Trouble" with your kids even if means that something has to give because it all gets done, its just a matter of when.
Enjoy your weekend!
Sincerely,
AJ Smith
Principal
Hembree Springs ES
470-254-2905 - office
678-525-7704 - cell
Important Dates
10/28 PTA Spirit Night at Chipotle
11/3 Title I Literacy Night/PTA Books for Ownership Event/Star Night @6:00-8:30pm
11/7 Remote Learning Day
11/13-11/17 Hembree Springs Book Fair
11/14 Thanksgiving Feast for 3rd, K, and 2nd
11/14 Hembree Perk @7:40-8:40am (Title I- Technology)
11/15 Thanksgiving Feast for 1st, 5th, 4th, and Pre-K
12/12 Title I/ PTA Language Exchange and Holiday Coffee
Congratulations to all of our Reflections participants!
Story Book Character Day on 10/31
On Tuesday, October 31, 2023, we will be hosting a Story Book Character Day! On this day the staff and students may dress up as their favorite storybook character. We are asking that the character comes from a book that you have read and loved (not just from a movie or cartoon.)
Parents, please work with your child to plan a fun and simple homemade costume. We are asking that you work together to be creative with items around the house versus spending money on a store-bought costume. Your child may bring a copy of the book to class that day so that we can take part in several character study activities!
To help ensure students’ feelings of safety and security, violent or frightening costumes are not acceptable. No props, dangerous-looking items, or costume masks covering the face. Please reach out to your teacher with any questions.
Student Work for the November 7 Remote Day
Parents, teachers will be sending home asynchronous work (not digital) for the upcoming Remote Day on November 7. Students will not report to school and will have that time to complete assignments that will be sent by their teachers. Be on the lookout for information from the teachers to come home on November 3. Please reach out to your teachers if you have questions.
Hembree Clubs
Hi Parents! We are super excited to start our first round of Hembree Clubs! Please sign up your child for the Club they are interested in by Thursday, October 26th using this link:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0844AAAB2DA6FC1-45464244-hembree
Be sure to include their name and homeroom teacher. Clubs will most likely begin the week of October 30th. More details will be provided soon to those that sign up.
Each Club will meet on the same day each week from 2:30-3:30 pm, unless a school holiday occurs on that day. For example, Culture Corner will meet every Friday from 2:30-3:30. Parents are expected to pick up their student at 3:30 in the carpool lane.
The Clubs will be on a first come basis. Once they are full, we will move to a waitlist if needed, in case a student changes their mind. We will continue to add more Clubs as they come available.
Please reach out to Ashley Russ with any questions: ashleyruss88@gmail.com
Thanks!
Treats For Troops
The PE Department wants to keep our students healthy during this candy filled time of year. Have your child bring in 15-20 pieces of their Halloween candy in a bag. We will collect candy from Oct. 30th – Nov. 8th and they will receive a no jogging pass. This candy will be donated to the men and women in the military.
Thanks!
PE Department
Thanksgiving Feast
Please join us for our annual Thanksgiving Feast! The links below can be used to prepay. See the attached flyer for more details.
Tuesday 11/14/23 3rd, K and 2nd https://osp.osmsinc.com/FultonGA/BVModules/ProductTemplates/Bvc2013/Product.aspx?productid=EN520-13
Wednesday 11/15/23 1st, 5th, 4th and Pre-K https://osp.osmsinc.com/FultonGA/BVModules/ProductTemplates/Bvc2013/Product.aspx?productid=EN520-14
*There will be no regular lunch visitors the week of 11/13-11/17.
Our Fall Book Fair Is Just A Few Weeks Away!
The Literati book fair is fast approaching! Our fall book fair will be held November 13-17 in the Media Center. Students will be able to create wish lists during their specials period. The week of November 13th is also when we will have our Thanksgiving lunch here at school. Parents who attend will be able to shop for books before and after their student’s Thanksgiving lunch.
Our online Literati Book Fair companion is now up and running if you wish to browse and purchase books online rather than purchase books in person. The link is provided below. Please note that if you decide to purchase books online, your books will be delivered a couple weeks after we wrap up the in person fair at school. For our in person fair purchases, pre-loaded gift cards, credit cards, and cash will be accepted. Gift cards can be purchased using the same link below if you’d rather not send your child to school with cash. Gift cards can also be purchased for teachers if you’d like to gift any. Students and teachers will have until the last day of the in person fair to spend the amount purchased on their gift cards. During the final few minutes of the last day of the in person fair, all remaining balances will be combined to purchase books for the Media Center. This will allow students to have access to these books if they wish to check them out and borrow: Online Fair and Gift Card Purchases
Online Fair: Oct. 16 – Nov. 17
In person Fair: Nov. 13 – Nov. 17 in the Media Center
Thank you for supporting our school’s Media Center through your book fair participation! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our Media Specialist, Jenny Soberanis at soberanis@fultonschools.org.
From our Math Coach, Joey Waller
Math in the Real World - How many times have you heard your child ask, "Why do I need to practice this? When will I ever use this?!" As parents and teachers, we've probably heard it a lot! But we literally use math every day and practicing with your child "in the real world" is a great way for them to see the value in what they're learning in math class. Try having them estimate your weekly grocery bill by rounding the cost of each item and finding the total. See who can come the closest to the actual cost! Or maybe you are doing some home improvements. You could ask your "assistants" to help you measure or use the room's dimensions to sketch out a floor plan. There are endless ways we use math on a daily basis, so take note when those opportunities arise! For more ideas, please feel free to reach out to our Math Coach, Joey Waller, wallerj@fultonschools.org.
From Title I
Let's Taco 'Bout Literacy Night on 11/3
Parents and Families!
You’re invited to our “Let’s Taco ‘Bout Literacy Night on November 3rd from 6:00-8:30pm. Follow the link to RSVP in order that we have an accurate headcount for food- https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C054FADAD2FAAFD0-44681155-lets . There will be complimentary Moe’s taco feast for everyone, the choice of 2 new books for every Hembree student, star night, mystery readers and more! The presentation will begin promptly at 6:15pm. See the attached flyer for more details! We hope to see you there!
Please reach out to Lucy Gilbert, Parent Liaison, gilbertl2@fultonschools.org with any questions.
Copy Team Volunteers Needed
One way to support our dedicated teachers and staff is by easing their workload, and we have a fantastic opportunity for you to do just that! We're looking for parents who have some time to make copies for our amazing teachers.
If you can spare a few hours on Thursdays or Fridays and want to be part of this rewarding volunteer opportunity, please get in touch with Julie Burnley at jkburnley@gmail.com to express your interest or ask any questions.
PTA Volunteer Opportunities
Dad's Club Mentor
We would love your SUPPORT! We are looking for adult male role models to volunteer as a Dad’s Club Mentor, serving as a group mentor to our Hawks boys in grades 3rd-5th. The purpose of the Dad’s Club program is to provide students with an additional adult who will encourage them to feel good about themselves, make positive choices, positively connect with one another and give back through various actions of helping others! The mentors will meet as a group with the boys every Friday before school from 7:10-7:40 am. It’s okay if you’re not available every Friday. Any time that you have is greatly appreciated! If interested or if you have additional questions, please reach out to Shannon Reynolds (School Counselor) at 470-254-9456 or reynoldssn@fultonschools.org. Thank you for your support!
Media Center
Mrs. Soberanis is looking for one volunteer every other Tuesday, 8 am - 9 am, to help with shelving. She thinks the shelving will take about 20 minutes. Sign up for a slot here:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C054FADAD2FAAFD0-media1
If you have not already, please make sure you've completed the Volunteer Registration Application through Fulton County Schools: https://www.fultonschools.org/volunteer
Sidekicks Soccer
Parents,
We are excited to kick off our UPCOMING winter programs. We kick off in Roswell on Nov 4th and run for 6 weeks, skipping the Thanksgiving Day weekend. Our soccer sidekicks league In Roswell is at Hembree Springs Elementary. Early bird fee of $225 is in place until 10/25. Price then moves to the regular cost of $250.
All signups will receive a Sidekicks jersey, medal and excellent coaching. Players can be paired with friends during the online registration process. For more information, please see the locations and leagues below.
Roswell - Hembree Springs Elementary. SIGN UP.
For any questions, please contact me at ben@soccersidekicks.com
We hope to see you all soon.
Ben
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Lunch Visitor Schedule by Homeroom
Breakfast and Lunch Information
Previous Newsletters
Hembree Springs Elementary School
Website: https://www.fultonschools.org/hembreespringses
Location: 815 Hembree Road, Roswell, GA, USA
Phone: 470-254-2902