
Slice of Summer
June 9, 2023

Message from Ms. Smith
Hello Hawks!
I am excited because a Slice of Summer newsletters are coming to an end. I will do my final one next week because our big day is just around the corner. Please check out all the information below to get ready for the 2023-2024 school year!
I hope that you have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
AJ Smith
Principal
Hembree Springs ES
470-254-2905 - office
678-525-7704 - cell
Previous Newsletters
Important Dates
8/3/23: Open House Pre-K at 5pm
8/4/23: Open House K-5 throughout the day
*Please see schedule below.
8/7/23: First Day of School
Want to be a Room Parent?
Hi Families!
Our amazing teachers are in need of equally amazing Room Parents. If you love to connect with your child’s teacher, communicate with other parents, and help to organize various needs and events, this is the opportunity for you! Meredith, our excellent Room Parent Coordinator, will answer any questions you have, provide training, and support you every step of the way. Kids LOVE seeing their parents in the classroom - this is the perfect way to be involved!
If you are interested in becoming a Room Parent or need more information on the many, many ways to volunteer and be involved at school, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/LLbnTvvW5o5gFHSL9
Reach out to Meredith at roomparents@hembreespringspta.org with any questions. We are excited for a wonderful school year!
Breakfast and Lunch Information
Purpose
The goal of the Fulton County Schools is to provide students with healthy meals each day. The purpose of this operating guideline is to insure compliance with federal reporting requirements for the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), and to provide oversight and accountability for the collection of outstanding student meal balances. Additionally, the intent is to establish uniform meal account procedures throughout Fulton County Schools. While the USDA Food and Nutrition Service does not require that a student who pays for regular priced meals be served a meal without payment, Fulton County Schools provides this guideline as a courtesy to those students in the event that they forget or lose their money for meals. Households are encouraged to apply for free or reduced priced meals at any time during the school year. Households are responsible for meal payments until benefits are issued.
Guidelines
Students/Parents/Guardians pay for meals in advance via www.mypaymentsplus.com or through school cafeteria with a check (if allowable) or cash. Further details are available on our webpage at www.fcsnutrition.com. Funds should be maintained in accounts to minimize the possibility that a child may be without meal money on any given day. Any remaining funds for a particular student will be carried over to the next school year.
All school cafeterias possess computerized point of sale/cash register systems that maintain records of all monies deposited and spent for each student and said records are available by setting up an account at www.mypaymentsplus.com or by speaking with the cafeteria manager.
Full Pay Students –Elementary School Students will pay for meals at the district’s published standard rate each day. A student will be allowed to charge breakfast and lunch meals for a maximum of three (3) days to their account after the balance reaches zero. Once a student has charged those three days, he/she will not be allowed to charge, however he/she will be offered a designated menu alternate. Sample: cheese sandwich and milk.
Middle and High School Students will pay for meals at the district’s published standard rate each day. Students must prepay or pay cash at the register for all meals and extra sale purchases. Charges are not allowed in Middle and High Schools.
Free Meal Benefit Free status students will be allowed to receive a free breakfast and lunch each day. Extra sale purchases may be prepaid or paid with cash at the point of service.
Reduced Meal Benefit Reduced status students will be allowed to receive a breakfast for $.30 and lunch for $.40 each day. A student will be allowed to charge a maximum of three (3) days to their account after the balance reaches zero. Extra sale purchases may be prepaid or paid with cash at the point of service.
Parents/Guardians are responsible for meal payment to the food service program. Notices of low or deficit balances will be sent to parents/guardians at regular intervals during the school year.
Refunds for withdrawn, and graduating students; a written request for a refund of any money remaining in their account must be submitted. An email request is also acceptable. Students who are graduating at the end of the year will be given the option to transfer to a sibling’s account with a written request.
Unclaimed Funds must be requested within one school year. Unclaimed funds will then become the property of the Fulton County School Nutrition Program and will be utilized to cover unpaid meal charges.
Balances Owed Any balances owed will be handled in accordance with Policy and Procedure JS – Student Fines, Fees and Charges 5/8/2017
Song Selection
Parents,
I am ready to get kids excited about the first day of school. Please spend some time this week listening to the songs and voting on which song should be played on the first day of school. The music will be played as we enter the building on August 7th from 7:10 -7:35 am. This is a great way to spend some time singing and dancing with your child as you come up with your family favorite. You and your child can vote as many times as you like! The process will close on August 2nd. But don't worry, I might need help again after our first narrowing process!
Thanks,
Principal Smith
Don't Stop Believin' by Journey
Roar by Katy Perry
Bidi Bidi Bom Bom by Selena
Life is a Highway by Rascal Flats
Happy by Pharrell Williams
Watch Me Whip and Nae Nae by Silento
Try Everything by Shakira
Shotgun by George Ezra
Better When I'm Dancing by Meghan Trainor
Ok Ok by Hoko
Can't Stop the Feeling by Justin Timberlake
Visitors for First 2 Weeks of School
Will not allow visitors of any kind the first two weeks of school as we are learning routines. Please reach out to AJ Smith if you have any questions or concerns around this.
Who is my Child's Homeroom Teacher?
Classroom Assignments: Name of Homeroom Teacher
All of this information is available on July 31st, 2023. You will be able to access that your parent portal in Infinite Campus.
Homeroom Change Request Process
Homeroom Teacher Change Request Procedure
Hembree Springs Elementary School teachers and administration work hard each year to ensure that each child is placed in classrooms where they can be most successful. The process is a detail oriented process that requires thought, collaboration, and planning. However, if you as the parent feel as though there has been an error or you would like to change the classroom teachers of your child, you will need to complete the following procedure.
1) Pick up a Teacher Change Request form with attached envelope at the front desk.
2) Complete the form and return to the principal by the given deadline, August 16th, 2023.
3) Parents will have a meeting scheduled with the administrative team.
4) All meetings will be held after the ten (10) day count. At the meeting you will have an opportunity to explain why your child needs to be moved to another teacher. You will not be able to request a move to a certain teacher.
5) The administrative team will make a decision regarding the placement of your child. You will be notified of the decision within 24 hours.
Classroom Assignments are Tentative Pending Seat Count Day
Parents,
Your child is getting ready for school. They have probably asked who their teacher is going to be. You will learn that news via Infinite Campus Parent Portal on July 31st. I wanted to let you know that all of this is pending "Seat Day Count." After the first 10 days of school, Fulton County Schools looks at actual enrollments of students. We have staffing based on enrollment projections. If we have grown over the summer or had a decline in enrollment, then our staffing may be impacted. I wanted to remind you that all classroom placements are pending the final staffing determinations made at the 10 day count. I will be transparent in this process as we closely monitor numbers.
What does this mean for you and your child? Simply put, there may be a teacher change shortly into school. I understand the impact to students. I will explain the details of the process if have this change. The process differs depending on whether we are adding a staff member or losing a staff member. Either way, know that there will be a great deal of communication prior to this happening.
I don't anticipate this for any grade level, but things do happen some times. Don't fret! If you have questions, please let me know.
AJ Smith - smithaj3@fultonschools.org
What You Need to Know for Open House
Open House:
- Approximately 1 hour in length
- Plan for time to arrive, park, and enter the building
- Time will be needed after your session to get transportation information, sign up for PTA, etc.
- Bring your child so they can meet their teacher
- Bring supplies to donate to the teacher for the year that way your child will not have to bring it on the first day
- If you want to schedule a meeting early in the year, please leave a note for the teacher prior to leaving the session
- You can only visit the classrooms at the given times. Teachers are working to prepare for August 7th and need that time in their room.
Open House Information
Hembree Springs wants to welcome you to the 2023-2024 school year! Come join us to meet your child's teacher, curriculum and school information, transportation information, and more!
Please arrive 10-15 minutes early.
Class visitation ONLY at scheduled times.
Kindergarten: 8-9am
First Grade: 9-10am
Second Grade: 10-11am
Third Grade: 12-1pm
Fourth Grade: 1-2pm
Fifth Grade: 2-3pm
School Supplies
Parents,
This year, like we did pre-COVID, our school supplies are communal. This means that all supplies donated to the classroom will be for the classroom. Not all items are shared: backpacks, headphones, water bottles, and pencil pouches. Pencils, glue, scissors, and other classroom supplies are considered shared resources.
By doing this all students will have access to needed supplies for learning, teachers will have access to renew supplies throughout the year, and Hembree Springs can monitor supplies and replenish as needed.
You will not need to label anything but the personal items listed above. You also do not HAVE to purchase everything on the supply list. Bring in what your family can donate. We are a village and collectively we will ensure that all students have what they need, including left handed scissors.
Please email AJ Smith with any questions regarding this information at smithaj3@fultonschools.org.
Afterschool Clubs for 2023-2024
Parents and Community,
We need you to help get our Hawks engaged in activities outside of school. We are hoping to offer lots of FREE opportunities for our students to engage after school in their interests with their peers, staff, and community.
Here is the ask: If you are available from 2:45-3:45pm for one day a week for at least 8 consecutive weeks AND you would like to host a club for students, please complete the interest form below.
We hope to have at least 5 different clubs each week, but would love to host even more. If you are interested in supporting/hosting a club, please complete the interest form. There would be a staff sponsor assigned to your club to support you.
Here are club ideas:
Gardening
Art
Lego
Chess
Board Games/Cards
Girls on the Run (Running Club)
Nature
Sports (Teaching Basics)
Book Club
Mechanics
Sewing
Cosmetology
Culture Corner
Walking
Tumbling
Badminton/Yard Games
Dance
Animal Care
Karate
Aerobics
Cooking
Technology
Get creative! We want to connect your interests to our students' interests!
5th Grade Parents!
Attention parents of rising 5th graders! We have exciting news for our 5th graders this year: we are going to take an overnight trip to Rock Eagle! Rock Eagle is a 4-H Center located in Eatonton, Georgia, and provides an experience like no other for students. Our 5th graders will be able to participate in “classrooms without walls” to learn about ecology, life history, and outdoor skills, along with team-building activities. The trip is scheduled for October 3-4, 2023. More details will follow in the coming weeks, but here’s a sneak peek: students, teachers, and chaperones will leave from Hembree Springs the morning of October 3, travel in charter buses, and will arrive in Eatonton later that morning. They’ll participate in various outdoor activities, have lunch and dinner along with a campfire that evening, and stay in cabins on the property. The next day after breakfast, they will have one more activity, eat lunch, and then return to school via charter bus.
The total cost for each student (or chaperone) is $140, which can be made on a payment plan of 3 payments of $47.00 each from August to October. There will be an application process for those who may need financial assistance. Again, more details will follow in the coming weeks, but we wanted to go ahead and inform families of the upcoming trip and the finances involved.
Please reach out to Dr. McAtee, CST, for more information after July 31st at mcatee@fultonschools.org.
You Are Invited
Join the Hembree Springs PTA on Saturday, August 5th, 2023, 10 am - 12 pm, for an informal park play date! Meet other parents while your kids run around! We'll be at the playground at the rear of the park, and the pavilion is reserved. Your HSES PTA board members will be there to answer any of your questions.
Hembree Springs Elementary School
Website: https://www.fultonschools.org/hembreespringses
Location: 815 Hembree Road, Roswell, GA, USA
Phone: 470-254-2902