HEMLOCK SCHOOL NEWS

Hello Hemlock families! It’s hard to believe that May is here and all the excitement that comes with it! I think we can all say how thrilled we are to be able attend the upcoming Spring Sings taking place on May 10th (1st grade) and May 11th (Kindergarten) later this month! It will be so wonderful to see our “Hemlock Happy” kids perform in person with their peers! Don’t forget a blanket to sit on and your ID!

Also taking place this month is our annual Hemlock Staff Appreciation lunch! Tara Kelly and Shanna Maier are kindly co-chairing the event for us and will feature a “grab and go” lunch for our Hemlock staff to enjoy. This event is only possible with the support of our Hemlock families – please consider contributing a donation as specified on the Staff Appreciation Sign Up Genius once it is circulated and thank you as always for your support!

Ms. Bellovin is also hard at work leading our students as they prepare the Hemlock garden for planting! The PTA has donated 14 new PVC planter beds as well as weed control nets for use in the courtyard garden (see photos below!). Another exciting contribution from the PTA was the grant approved for the Primary School Mindfulness Resources to be used to support our primary staff as they focus on improving student wellness, teaching mindfulness, and supporting emotional regulation. Both contributions are a direct result of the support received through the dues paid by our members each year – we thank you for your support and for helping to enrich our children’s primary educational experience! 

I also want to thank all the parents that donated planting supplies and tie dye t-shirt supplies (first grade families) last month! Your support is always appreciated! We hope your children enjoyed planting the tomatoes, peppers and/or sunflowers as well as tie-dying their t-shirts! A big thank you as well to those families that joined Ms. Bellovin in cleaning up the garden on Saturday, May 1st! Many hands make light work, and we appreciate you volunteering your time to help with this initiative (see photos below)! 

May is also the month in which the Budget Vote takes place at the High School. The PTA supports voting “Yes!” for the budget. Please see the main PTA newsletter for more information about the upcoming vote, budget chats with Dr. Sinha and Board of Education meetings. We will also once again be conducting our Hemlock student vote online! Keep an eye on your inboxes for more information about this super fun vote! 

PARP is also still in full swing, with a Mental Health Awareness Read Aloud on May 6th at 7 PM and the much anticipated “Reading Minutes Tracking” taking place May 17-27! Please see the main newsletter for more information about these events!

Our final All-Schools PTA meeting will take place on May 11th at 7:30 PM and will be conducted virtually. Please join us for our final PTA meeting of the year!

Jillian Berbari

Hemlock PTA Director

hemlock@gardencitypta.org