Haymarket Happenings

Dear Parents,

As we bid farewell to another year and welcome the dawn of a new one, we want to take a moment to extend our warmest greetings for the New Year to each and every one of you. The past year has been a journey of growth, learning, and community strength, and as the principal/assistant principals of our vibrant school, we are filled with gratitude and pride for what we've accomplished together.

Reflecting on the past calendar year, we have seen our students thrive in numerous areas. From academic successes to extracurricular triumphs, the dedication of our students and the support from you, their families, has been nothing short of remarkable. We have navigated challenges with resilience and have emerged stronger for it. The milestones we have achieved collectively as a school community are a testament to our shared commitment to excellence in education.

Your unwavering support has been the backbone of our success. Whether it was volunteering at school events, participating in parent-teacher meetings, or simply encouraging your children to give their best every day, your involvement is invaluable. We are deeply thankful for the trust you place in us to educate and nurture your children.

As we step into the New Year, we look forward with optimism and renewed energy. Our commitment to providing a safe, inclusive, and stimulating learning environment for our students remains. We have exciting plans and initiatives in the pipeline designed to further enrich the educational experience of our students and to prepare them to be thoughtful, capable, and responsible citizens of the world.

May the New Year bring you and your families joy, health, and prosperity. I hope that 2024 is a year filled with memorable moments, personal growth for our students, and continued partnership between our school and your homes. Together, let's make it another remarkable year for our children. Thank you for your continued support!

With warm regards,

Mr. Baldwin, Mrs. Mills, and Mrs. Shore

PALS Testing Window - January 8th - 25th

Wednesday, January 10th - PTO Meeting (6:30pm in person)

Monday, January 15th - No School (MLK, Jr. Day)

Friday, January 26th - Early Release (12:40pm)

Monday, January 29th - No School (Teacher Workday)

One School, One Author - January 22nd - February 9th

January also marks the start of the time during which we have various formative assessments to gauge what areas we need to remediate and extend upon. 2nd-5th graders will be taking a midyear reading assessment from our reading series HMH while 3rd-5th graders will be participating in the state mandated Virginia Growth Assessment (VGA) in reading and math. Your child's teacher will share exact dates we get closer to administration. While all assessments may not be done by the half day on January 26th, we encourage you to contact your child's teacher if you want a midyear conference. Some teachers may be calling to schedule conferences for those students they are concerned about in terms of progress this year.

Bus Loop

• The bus loop is closed daily to cars. When cones are not placed across the loop at the bottom of the parking lot, it is probably because we are expecting a bus for a field trip or a PreK drop off. Please continue to park in the inner loop for a quick pick up or in an open spot.

Lunches

• With a population the size of ours, we are short on extra space! We have a Watch DOG table that is on the stage for Watch DOGS and their children. Please sit at your child's table with their friends or on the spare table on the stage (non- Watch DOGS table).

Early Dismissals

• Due to our focus on ensuring we get our Cubs home safely, we continue to ask that early dismissals happen before 3:30pm each day.
• Our time is limited here at school and we need every minute we can get with your child! Please try your best to limit early dismissals so we can get a full day of work in each day.

Tardies

• While we certainly know that mornings can be challenging at times (all of us parents know too!), please try your best to help your child get to school on time. We continue to work with transportation to ensure all students are picked up at their scheduled time in the morning so you aren't inconvenienced. If a child's bus is late, they will not be marked tardy.

All K-2 students and students receiving PALS services in 3rd grade will participate in mid year PALS testing in January. This is a great way for us as teachers to have a midpoint check in to see what they have learned thus far this year and also help give us a roadmap as to where we need to go moving forward. If you have any questions, please contact your child's teacher or Ms. Ebeck at ebeckee@pwcs.edu.

This is a gentle reminder that if you4 3rd, 4th, or 5th grader wants to participate in the Spelling Bee, the due date for the participation permission form to be returned in this Friday, January 5th. For more information, please contact your child's teacher.

This year for our One School, One Author celebration, our students will be reading/listening to two books by New York Times bestselling authors Hank Winkler and Lin Oliver.

K-2: Here's Hank, Bookmarks Are People Too!

3-5: Hank Zipzer, Niagara Falls or Does It?

Various staff members are recording the read alouds for students to listen to and our Literacy Committee, Reading Specialists, and teachers planning some fun activities for our students! This will take place between January 22nd-February 9th.

Please remember that Lexia is a very useful resource that can be used at home! If you need help in any way, please reach out to your child's teacher for more information. Our teachers use this data and the resources it provides us often to support learning!