February 21st, 2021 Hornet Happenings

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Hello again, Hollymead! It was great to see so many families of virtual students at Valentine’s pickup last Friday. Despite the snow, it was great to see our students shower one another with kindness – and treats.

The activities of the PTO depend entirely on volunteers, and we want to say a big thank you to parents Jill Dowling and Megan Haas. Both have volunteered at Hollymead for years to make sure activities including PTO Board and Dining Night Out occur without a hitch. This year they’re the keys to making sure our Hollymead yearbook comes together – no easy task, especially in a year when most students and staff have not been in the building! Please pay special attention to the note below about yearbook deadlines, and say a big thank you to Jill and Megan when you see them.

We are excited to share the new Hollymead Community Support Series. We know this past year has put a lot of stresses on families. We hope that this time to virtually gather, share ideas, and ask questions will increase our sense of community. We will kick of this series from 7-8PM on Tuesday, the 23rd with a COVID Resilience presentation from Region Ten. Every 2nd and 4th Tuesday thereafter we will meet virtually for further conversation. Please see more details and the zoom link below in this newsletter.

Have a great week, Hornets!

Crystal Pariseau & Amy Cochran

PTO Co-Presidents

WELCOME BACK STAFF LUNCH

As we prepare for Stage Four we would like to welcome back more staff to our building with a Wrap Lunch on March 9th and we NEED YOUR HELP!! Please sign up to donate towards the purchase of wraps from Revolutionary Soup or purchase some of the other lunch items.

Welcome Back Staff Lunch Sign Up

Monetary donations need to be received by March 5th and donated items can be dropped off at school by March 9th.

Thank you for loving our staff well!

DINING NIGHT OUT THIS TUESDAY

Virginia is for lovers…. lovers of Italian food and lovers of our local businesses!!! What better way to spread the love than to support Hollymead Elementary School and a locally owned restaurant all at the same time?!?! On Tuesday, February 23rd The Brick Oven will donate a portion of its’ takeout proceeds to Hollymead Elementary School. This event is all day long, and is for takeout orders only. Be sure to mention Hollymead Elementary School when placing your order or picking up your food (if placing an online order put “For Hollymead Elementary School” in the Special Comment section). The Brick Oven is located at 1966 Rio Hill Center, C’ville 22901 (near the Kroger at Rio Hill), thebrickovenva.com. Let’s do our part to support a local business, while enjoying a delicious meal at the same time!

YEARBOOK PHOTO SUBMISSIONS DUE NEXT FRIDAY

Hello Hollymead families! We have started working on the 2020/2021 Hollymead yearbook and as you can imagine, it’s a challenging task so we are asking for your help! We would love if you shared any photos you have of your Hollymead students at home.

What types of photos are we looking for?

We are hoping to get lots of candid photos (ie: your children participating in virtual learning with their homeroom teacher, virtual specials, spirit days, virtual field trips, ways they are spending their time at home such as hikes, crafts, biking, reading, etc.) as well as a close-up portrait/head shot type photo. You can submit your own portrait photo.

How can you submit photos?

You can submit photos using the secure/private links found on the PTO website. When submitting a photo, please include your child’s name and grade. If you share photos, you give permission for them to be used in this year’s yearbook (they will not be used anywhere else).

When do we need photos by?

Please submit your photos by March 5.

What is the 5th grade baby photo section?

The yearbook will include a 5th grade dedication section with baby photos and a short blurb from your family for your graduating 5th grader. If you would like to participate in this special section, you can submit a baby photo (please include your child’s name!) and we will be in touch soon to request your short blurb for that section.

If you have any questions, you can contact Jill Dowling and/or Megan Haas. Thank you!!

SUBMIT YEARBOOK PHOTOS

KROGER & HARRIS TEETER GROCERY CARDS

Do you have a Kroger Plus or Harris Teeter VIP Card? Simply by purchasing their regular groceries, our supporters earned over $1,900 for Hollymead classroom activities last year. The important thing to remember is that you have to relink your card to Hollymead PTO every year. Check your online accounts or give the store a call and make sure the Hollymead PTO is identified as your community rewards partner, then shop as usual, knowing you’re earning moey for the classroom. Thank you!

GOT SNEAKERS??

Hollymead PTO is sponsoring a sneaker drive! Bring your outgrown athletic shoes—all sizes, all conditions, all brands—to be donated in the labeled bin at Hollymead’s front door running from February 15th-March 15th. We will receive between $.25 – $7.00 per pair of sneakers based on the condition. All sneakers from our sneaker drive fundraiser program are recirculated to people who want quality, reusable footwear at affordable prices or repurposed into new surfaces such as playgrounds and tracks.

** Athletic shoes (sneakers, rubber cleats) only. Please no non-athletic shoes such as boots and flip flops.**

For more information check out gotsneakers.com or contact Kate DeLuca.

HOLLYMEAD COMMUNITY SUPPORT

The Hollymead PTO will be hosting bi-weekly zoom sessions for caregivers of Hollymead students looking to connect with others in our Hollymead community. Our hope is that it will be a place for people to share ideas, ask questions, and feel supported as we continue to navigate the obstacles COVID has created with regards to education and our children. Please come with ideas to share, questions to ask, or just to listen in on what others are sharing.

To kick off Hollymead Community Support, Region Ten will be hosting a zoom presentation titled “Resilience During COVID” for Hollymead families which will focus on strategies for managing the challenges students and caregivers continue to face during COVID.

Hollymead Community Support will meet virtually on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month

from 7:00 – 8:00PM beginning February 23rd.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83166254857?pwd=T0hzM2g0WndDK1pHdUVFWDVhbTg0UT09

Meeting ID: 831 6625 4857
Passcode: 715719
One tap mobile
+16465588656,,83166254857#,,,,*715719# US (New York)
+13017158592,,83166254857#,,,,*715719# US (Washington DC)

IT’S BOX TOPS TIME AGAIN!

Hello, Hollymead Elementary School Community! Even with all the strange times going on, we are still collecting box tops for our school! Thank you so much to everyone sending in Box Tops and to those who are using the App to scan Box Tops. If you’ve not added the App yet, here is a link to give you more info on that:

Box Tops for Education
For this collection, we are looking for box tops with a date of 03.01.2021 and beyond. We will be collecting physical box tops through Friday, February 26th. You can send them in to the school if you have children attending in person or you may drop them off during any of the drive-thru pick up days for the next few weeks.

Keep up the clipping and scanning!!!! Thank you so much for your efforts in raising Box Tops For Education funds for our Hollymead School; they really add up to help our community!