
Slice of Summer
June 9, 2023

Message from Ms. Smith
Hello Hawks!
I hope that you are enjoying summer. I have seen some of you at Roswell Area Park pool and around town. It is heartwarming to see little hawks throughout the summer. This week I am sharing information about arrival/dismissal, transportation changes, clinic practices, medication, student injury, discipline, and PBIS. All of those things are BIG things. I wanted to take a moment to highlight a few things about each of these topics.
Arrival/Dismissal:
We recommend that your child has consistent transportation. This is especially true for the first week of school. There are different routines and locations for each method of transportation. It is beneficial that if a student is going to normally be a bus rider, that he/she is a bus rider the first day. This is an opportunity to hear all the expectations from the bus driver day one. It is also helpful for learning that routine. Lastly, it is easier for the teacher to support and teach routines that first week if the routines are not changing for that child. My family is split between to houses which makes consistency more challenging. I understand that every student and family has different needs that must be taken in to account as well. Please do what is best for your child.
Transportation Changes:
All transportation changes must be received by 12:00 PM the day of the change. It takes time for us to process each request and notify the teacher. Also, our final check-out is 2:00 PM. Ms. Dee, front desk, will not allow any student to be checked out after 2:00 PM due to the importance of ensuring that dismissal practices are followed closely.
Clinic, Medication, and Student Injury
Most parents are not aware that Ms. Jean Bagwell, our clinic assistant, is not a licensed or registered nurse. She is an assistant that his been trained in basic first aid, AED use, diabetic support, and giving medications. Given that we do not have certified medical staff, the parent makes all decisions in regard to medical treatment of the child. If there is a life threatening event, the school will call 911 for emergency services and he/she may be transported by ambulance for medical treatment. For minor injuries, you will receive a clinic note from the school in the child's backpack. For any head injury, possible bone break or soft tissue tears, or any other severe injury, the parents will receive a phone call immediately from clinic staff.
Discipline and PBIS:
This year we are reworking the way we do PBIS. Our students will be grouped into one of four nests. Each homeroom will be assigned a nest. We will calculate number of tickets received by each nest on a weekly basis. At the end of each 9 weeks, the nest with the most tickets will have an extra treat/surprise/activity. We are also moving back to paper tickets. Our students do better when they are able to have that tangible reinforcer in hand. On a regular basis students will be able to shop the PBIS store to cash in their tickets. Our teachers allow students to save up for bigger prizes, and in true teacher form use this as a life lesson for goal setting, saving, and spending. Throughout the year we will highlight more about our PBIS system and how you can get involved in this as well!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
AJ Smith
Principal
Hembree Springs ES
470-254-2905 - office
678-525-7704 - cell
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
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
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!
Parent and Family Handbook Corner
Clinic, Medication, and Student Injury
We will continue to take extra precautions to keep students and staff safe. We will maintain clinic guidelines and protocols to manage the care of students who present with flu-like illnesses and COVID-19 symptoms (which are similar). Students who have these symptoms, and who are ill, have a fever of 100.4°F or greater, chronic diarrhea or vomiting and/or may have a contagious illness (potential or actual) MUST NOT be sent to school and will not be permitted to remain in school. To return to school, a student should be well (have improved symptoms) and they must be free of fever for more than 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications like acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil/Motrin), diarrhea and vomiting. In some cases (i.e., contagious illnesses, respiratory illnesses, chronic diarrhea, or recurrent fever), students may be asked to obtain clearance from a healthcare provider before returning to school and a note must be provided. When a student becomes ill at school, has a fever, or a potential contagious/communicable illness the parent/legal guardian will be notified to pick up their child immediately. The parent/legal guardian MUST ARRANGE for the student to be taken home. Again, a note from a healthcare provider may be requested by the school before your child can return to school. In case of a serious accident, illness or emergency at school, your child will be transported by ambulance to an emergency medical facility if deemed necessary by EMS. The parent/legal guardian is responsible for all expenses regarding such transportation The clinic assistant may administer medication to a student only when appropriate, written authorization from the student’s parent and physician accompanies the medication.
If your student has an injury off school grounds, it is the parent’s responsibility to contact the school to report the incident. If he/she is unable to participate in any physical activity, please send a note from your family’s doctor/pediatrician.
If your student is injured on school grounds, you will be contacted concerning the injury by phone or clinic note home depending on severity. All minor scrapes will be treated in the classroom by washing the area and providing a bandage. Any student that has an injury where blood is dripping, the student will be sent to the clinic for first aid. The clinic assistant is NOT a licensed/registered nurse, but school staff will reach out to parents via phone for any head injury, suspected break or soft tear or sprain, and any other injury that might require further medical attention. Our staff is trained in basic first aid and does not make medical decisions or recommendations due to not having any certified medical staff. Your student may be transported to the hospital, if necessary. The school is not responsible for any doctor’s bills or ambulance fees. At the beginning of the school year, you will be able to purchase insurance. For more information, contact Fulton County Schools at 470-254-3600 to inquire about additional insurance.
For further information regarding medications or other Student Health Services, please visit the clinic home page on our website: Clinic / Clinic HomePage (fultonschools.org)
Carpool, Bus, and Transportation Changes
Carpool Safety Rules
Car Rider Drop-off (7:10 am - 7:35 am)
- Enter school at the entrance located on Hembree Road. There will be only one lane for drop-off.
- Proceed forward with traffic and maintain your lane. Please do not change lanes or move the cones.
- When your car is stopped at a marked carpool sign, please allow students to exit the car. Students should not exit the car until car is stopped at a marked carpool sign. Please have students exit from the right side of the car and walk on the sidewalk toward the school. Staff members will be available to direct students to the appropriate locations in the school.
- Hembree Springs faculty members will be directing traffic during the arrival process. Please pay attention and follow signals and directions given to you by staff members to ensure the students' safety.
- For student safety, please refrain from using cell phones or digital devices while driving through the car rider line.
- Students need to be inside the school by 7:35 AM. Any student who arrives after 7:40 AM will be marked tardy. At 7:35 AM, the Car Riders' door entrance will be closed. Please park in the parking lot and escort your student into the building. Late students will receive a tardy slip from the front desk. When students have more than 3 tardies, a social work referral will be completed.
Car Rider Pick-up (2:20 – 2:40 PM)
- Dismissal of students from class begins at 2:20 PM.
- Enter school at the entrance located on Hembree Road. There will be only one lane for pick-up. Please use 2 lanes and then merge into the single right lane.
- If cars enter the car loop before 2:20 PM, please pull down to the sign stating, “Carpool Starts Here”.
- Please have your Car Rider Tag hanging from the rearview mirror with the students’ names clearly visible.
- Students will be supervised by a staff member as they walk to the car. Please refrain from leaving your car to retrieve your student.
- Proceed forward with traffic and maintain your lane. Please do not change lanes or move the cones.
- The car rider line is reserved for car riders only. Please do not leave your car in the line to enter the building. If you are entering the building, please park in an available parking space.
- HSES faculty members will be directing traffic during the pick-up process. Please pay attention, follow signals, and directions given to you by staff members to ensure the students' safety.
- For student safety, please refrain from using cell phones or digital devices while driving through the car rider line.
- Students need to be picked up by 2:40 PM. At 2:40 PM, the students who haven't been picked up will be taken inside. Parents will have to park and sign their students out at the front desk. If you are continuously late picking up your student up after 3:00 pm, you will be referred to the Social Worker. Students should not be dropped off or picked up in the bus loop at any time. The bus loop area must be kept clear at all times.
Transportation Changes
To ensure the safety of students, the following rules for transportation changes will apply:
· If a student does not plan to go home in the regular manner, the student must have a letter of permission from the student’s parent/guardian emailed to hsestransportation@fultonschools.org or written to the classroom teacher before 12:00 PM on the date of the transportation change.
· Once your transportation note is received and approved you will receive a “Got it 😊” reply.
· If you miss the 12:00 PM deadline for notes your student will go home their normal mode of transportation, or you may check them out at the front desk before 2PM.
· There are no checkouts after 2:00 PM.
· If it is necessary for a student to leave school early, discuss this with the student and send a note to hsestransportation@fultonschools.org or the student’s teacher. Students leaving before the regular dismissal time must be signed out through the office by a parent/ legal guardian or parent designee.
Discipline and PBIS
Discipline
The Fulton County School System believes that all students have the right to learn. A school climate that is satisfying and productive without disruptive behavior will be provided for each student. A variety of methods are encouraged to ensure appropriate conduct including student and parent conferences, counseling, school social worker referral, SST referral, out-of-school suspensions and expulsion. A Discipline Handbook in which the Fulton County Schools Code of Conduct will be explained will be available online to all parents.
An attempt is made to create a climate that will foster learning, develop self-control in each student, and encourage each student to develop responsibility. To this end, students will be expected to respect the rules established cooperatively with teachers.
We have developed four school-wide universal rules that are taught in all classrooms and settings at Hembree Springs. Have your student share with you our four rules and actions to go with them.
- H – Be Helpful
- A – Accept Responsibility
- W – Work Together
- K – Be Kind
- S – Be Safe
School discipline is the joint responsibility of the school and home. Parental support for good discipline enables the schools to maintain a wholesome environment for learning. We are working at all times to develop self-discipline within each student. It is the student’s responsibility to follow established school and class rules. Parents will be notified when their student is having discipline problems. Chronic misbehavior or violation of school system rules will result in appropriate disciplinary measures. Among these are in-school suspension, out-of-school suspension or referral to the Discipline Tribunal.
We will continue to implement a Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports. PBIS is one of the foremost advances in schoolwide discipline with the emphasis on schoolwide systems of support that include proactive strategies for defining, teaching, and supporting appropriate student behaviors to create positive school environments. Instead of using a piecemeal approach of individual behavioral management plans, a continuum of positive behavior support for all students within a school is implemented in areas including the classroom and non-classroom settings (such as hallways, cafeteria, playground, buses, and restrooms). Positive behavior support is an application of a behaviorally based systems approach to enhance the capacity of schools, families, and communities to design effective environments that improve the link between research-validated practices and the environments in which teaching and learning occurs.
In addition, all classroom teachers will implement PBIS Rewards. PBIS Rewards is a digital classroom management tool designed to help teachers improve student behavior and communicate more effectively with parents. Students can receive PBIS Tickets from any staff member for meeting PBIS expectations. Teachers will log the number of PBIS Tickets earned in the PBIS app. Students will be given the opportunity to submit their PBIS rewards for prizes
Hembree Springs Elementary School
Website: https://www.fultonschools.org/hembreespringses
Location: 815 Hembree Road, Roswell, GA, USA
Phone: 470-254-2902