HEMLOCK SCHOOL NEWS

Happy November! I hope you are all enjoying the beautiful Fall season. As Thanksgiving approaches, we are reminded to be thankful for all of the dedication and hard work that goes into creating such an amazing school atmosphere.

Looking back on October, Hemlock students enjoyed many fun events. The Kindergarten classes took their first field trip to the Science Museum of Long Island and got to sport their colorful class t-shirts for the first time. The children and their families also enjoyed seeing everyone dressed in costume at the annual Storybook Character Parade, and the Pumpkin Hunt and Decorating activity afterwards was a great success. Thank you to all the families who donated funds for this year’s pumpkin decorating. 

While you were at the Storybook Character Parade you may have had a chance to see the fantastic job the Beautification Committee, led by Tania Sofia and Amanda Ferrari, did decorating for Fall! We couldn’t have done it without the generous donations from our families. Thank you. Next up for the Beautification Committee’s agenda: Winter decorations! 

Thank you to all the Hemlock students who submitted entries for the PTA’s annual Reflections Contest. Lauren Peeples, our Reflections Chair, worked hard to get the word out and even visited each classroom to read the students’ a story, “The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes”, related to this year’s theme “Accepting Imperfection”.  There are still 2 more days for children to submit their work & entry form to the Reflections drop off box in the school lobby.  Contest info can be found here. Good luck to all those who submitted!

Since colder days are approaching, our Health & Safety Committee, led by Andrea Baglio, has been putting together play bins for our children to enjoy during Indoor Recess.  The committee also recently set up a Teal Pumpkin display at Hemlock. This was designed to educate children about food allergies and safe items that could be distributed on Halloween. 

We have a lot to look forward to in November. Please keep in mind your child’s first Parent/Teacher conference should be scheduled for either Thursday, November 7th (6:30 PM-8:30 PM), Friday, November 8th (9 AM-12 PM), or Wednesday, November 13th (6:30 PM-8:30 PM).  We invite you to bring a canned food donation with you to conferences and drop it in a labeled box at the front entrance - all food will be donated to the Life Lutheran Church Social Services in Uniondale.

The Hemlock Service Learning Committee will also be collecting donations of non-perishable goods November 1st-15th for Island Harvest Food Bank.  Donations can be sent in to school with your child, or dropped off to a donation box in the main lobby.  You can also donate money directly to Island Harvest here.

Also in November, SEPTA is kicking off their SEPTA Connect program - a way for veteran special education parents to connect with parents who may be navigating the special education world. If interested in participating please fill out this intake form and the SEPTA Connect Committee will match individuals based on responses from the form.

On Friday, November 15th we will be holding a Photo Make-Up Day. Please send a note to your child’s teacher if you would like retakes. Hemlock will be taking a photo of the whole school that day as well. To any parents who already purchased photos and supported our PTA and schools, we thank you! 

For those who purchased Fall Sportswear, the pick up will be Saturday, November 16th from 9 AM-12 PM at the Middle School. Thank you to everyone who supported this fundraiser. 

We will be holding our Joint Primary PTA Meeting on Tuesday, November 19th at 9:30 AM here at Hemlock School. We highly encourage you to attend. The meeting will be for all three Primary Schools and will include important updates and a presentation from the new Digital Citizenship Committee. Be on the lookout for more information in your inbox. 

We will be closing out the month with a spectacular Hemlock Fall Festival on November 22nd planned by our Family Fun Committee led by Sophia Armieri and Danielle Cullum.  Families are invited to join students for games, activities, and a special balloon float craft and parade that will get us into the Thanksgiving spirit!  Kindergarten will be from 9-10am and First Grade from 10:30-11:30am.

As always, if you have any questions please feel free to reach out to me or your Class Parents at any time. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families! 

Kristen Whitaker

Hemlock PTA Director

hemlock@gardencitypta.org

www.gardencitypta.org

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