HMES

HAPPY SUNDAY!!!

Dear Henderson Mill Families,

As we begin the final week of March Mania, I want to take a moment to sincerely thank each of you for your incredible support over the past month. Your dedication continues to make a lasting and positive impact on our school community, and we are truly grateful for everything you do to help us succeed.

A huge congratulations again to our PreK Team, named Team of the Month! Well done!

A round of applause for our basketball team for their amazing performance at the Area 1 Championships! A big thank you to our coaches and to everyone who came out to cheer on our students. The girls team won the Area 1 Championship and will move on to the District Championship next week, and we’re all cheering for you as you continue to succeed.

We would also like to extend our gratitude to the PTO for their incredible support during March Mania! We are now in Week 4 and giving it our all to reach our goal. Thank you for being such a strong part of this initiative!

Our Reading Challenge is going very well, students want to continue into April. Students now have logged over 125,000 minutes of reading. Kudos to Ms. McDowell and Mrs. Pitts for all their support with rewards!

Congratulations to 3rd grade for winning the Coin War again!!!!! Two weeks in a row! They’ve earned popsicles for their whole grade level! This is the last week for exciting prizes for individual and grade-level winners. If every student can contribute between $10 and $25 (or even $100), we’re sure to hit our goal, we are already over 70% there. All proceeds directly support STEAM education, providing the best opportunities for your child’s learning.

Please make sure to register for March Mania! Here’s how:

• Visit March Mania Registration
• Click "Sign Up"
• Select "Student"
• Add the number of students to your cart
• Click "Checkout Now"
• Choose your team (Grade Level)
• Complete the registration info

Once registered, don’t forget to donate and share the link with family and friends! Our goal this year is $50,000, which will go directly towards funding our STEAM initiatives.

We also encourage students to bring in donations to school—cash and coins can be dropped off in the lobby each morning. Let’s keep the school spirit alive and show our generosity! THis week ends March Mania and the top 10 student fundraisers will have the chance to choose from exciting experiences they won’t want to miss!

As we continue to move forward, I want to emphasize the importance of maintaining a safe and respectful campus. Please remind your children that we are committed to providing excellent opportunities, but this can only be done when positive behavior is upheld at all times. We’ve made great strides, but we must stay vigilant—especially during carpool hours. Kindly follow staff instructions during AM and PM carpool to ensure everyone’s safety.

Lastly, I want to highlight the crucial role of consistent student attendance in academic success. We are committed to ensuring that every child arrives on time and attends school regularly. Our goal this year is for no student to miss more than 18 days of school. We’re aiming for a 95% attendance rate this year—up from 80% last year—and your support is key to making this happen. Consistent attendance is the foundation of providing the best education possible for every student.

Once again, thank you for your unwavering support. It’s an honor to partner with each of you in educating and nurturing your children. Let’s finish March Mania strong and keep up the fantastic work!

Have a great day on purpose!

-Dr. Blanton

Upcoming Events

• Week of March 24th -Spring Teacher Conferences
• Friday, March 28th-Science Olympiad!
• Friday, March 28th - Spring Picture Day
• Friday, March 28th 1:15pm- March Mania Celebration
• Monday, March 31st- Reading Challenge Winners Celebration
• Tuesday, April 1st 7pm (ZOOM) - April PTO Board and Committee Meeting
• April 7th – 11th - Spring Break (no school)
• Milestones Testing (SEE DATES BELOW)
• Monday, April 21st – Friday, April 25th - Aviation Week
• Friday April 25th- Color War By Sunshine Committee 6pm
• April 14-18, 2025-Exceptional Children's Week
• Monday, May 5th – Friday, May 9th -Teacher Appreciation Week
• Tuesday, May 6th 7pm (ZOOM)- May PTO Board and Committee Meeting
• Wednesday, May 14th Career Day 8am-10am
• Thursday, May 15th Partner Brunch Media Center 10am-11am
• Friday May 16th - Field Day-
• Friday, May 23rd 6pm (PTO funded custodian/Officer)- Magnificent Mill, includes Fine Arts/PTO General Meeting
• Friday, May 23rd times will vary -Awards Day
• Friday, May 23rd -11:45am-12:30pm- HMES Sports Banquet
• Tuesday, May 27th 6pm- 5th Grade Bridging Ceremony (at Lakeside High School)
• Tuesday, May 27th times will vary- EOY Parties
• Wednesday, May 28th all day - 5th Grade Fun Day
• Wednesday, May 28th 3pm - Years of Service Celebration – Retirement
• Thursday, May 29th - Last Day of School

*****See more upcoming dates on the PTO calendar, CLASS DOJO, and flyers below.

PTO Executive Board Nominations – open March 1-March 31:

We need you! Yes, you! The PTO Executive Board is looking for nominees—self-nominations welcome! No lengthy applications, no essays—just your name. If you or someone you know would be a great fit, submit a nomination today!

We've been operating under the new PTO Bylaws this school year and have proposed amendments to better align with how we want to function as an organization. The vote on these amendments will take place at our final PTO General Meeting on May 23 at Magnificent Mill. View the proposed changes in red in the document below.

Help Support Our School with Every Purchase at Kroger!

Dear Parents,

We’re excited to share a simple and easy way to support our school—no extra cost to you! If you have a Kroger Shoppers card, you can help raise funds for our school every time you shop.

Here's how:

Create a digital account (if you don’t have one already) on the Kroger website.
Link our school (HMES) as your chosen Non-Profit Organization (NPO).
Shop as usual—Kroger will donate a percentage of your purchase to our school every time you check out using your shoppers card!
Every cent counts, and your support can make a real difference. Simply click the link below to get started:

Kroger Community Rewards: https://www.kroger.com/i/community/community-rewards

Thank you for supporting our school!

Henderson Mill Career Day - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!!

Career Day is Wednesday, May 14th from 8am - 10am and we need Career Day Speakers. If you are interested, please sign up using this link: https://forms.office.com/r/funj0mwpvB

For more information, please contact Ms. Washington at allison_r_washington@dekalbschoolsga.org

Reminder to complete our Georgia School Climate Survey (GSCS) if you have not already:

https://survey.gadoe.org/FM?sid=C48D6D86

This survey is a statewide and also anonymous. This survey identifies issues that affect student achievement and school climate for our CCRPI school rating.

The GSCS is designed to provide actionable data for school and district leaders to make schools safer and more engaging. See link for more information: https://gadoe.org/whole-child-supports/school-climate/

• School doors open at 7:00am and breakfast begins, to avoid traffic plan to arrive early!
• After breakfast Intervention/Enrichment begins. This is a critical time for students that need support.
• 7:30am breakfast ends
• 7:40am Morning Announcements start
• 7:45am Instruction begins
• 2:15pm Dismissal begins, bus riders, van riders, walkers, car riders, and then aftercare are released. We ask that parents that pick up students in cars, allow our buses to be first in line. Buses arrive at 1:30pm and should be able to park in front of all cars.
• 2:30pm All students should be dismissed from classes.
• 2:45pm Parents arriving after this time will have to pick their child up from aftercare and there is a drop in fee that you will be required to pay.

-Henderson Mill Staff

https://www.gavirtuallearning.org/gatutor

Email: regina_smiley-blanton@dekalbschoolsga.org
Website: https://www.hendersonmilles.dekalb.k12.ga.us/
Location: 2408 Henderson Mill Road, Atlanta, GA, USA
Phone: 678-874-3102
Twitter: @henderson_mill