Author: hollymeadptocommunications

Happy last week of school! We are so excited to celebrate our students’ successes this week as they prepare to finish out the school year and head into the summer. As we wrap up the year, there are several people that we want to be sure to thank for all the support they have given Hollymead throughout the years. Please join us in thanking the following individuals who will be moving on to new adventures next year:

• Alison Agarwal and Shannon Hall who have served as Hospitality Chairs for Hollymead for several years. Thank you for making sure our staff has always felt appreciated, especially over the past few years. 
• Nicole Felini and Kristen Jones for coordinating all of the awesome Dining Nights Out we’ve had over the past few years. We have enjoyed gathering as a community to support both Hollymead and local businesses; thank you for all of the wonderful experiences you have coordinated!
• Vanitha Perumal for coordinating the Scholastic Book Fair for several years. This has always been a highlight of the school year, and you have always done such a tremendous job making it an enjoyable experience for everyone involved (even as a virtual event during COVID!). 
• Crystal Pariseau, Sara Harrison, Kate DeLuca, Marion Hight, and Vanitha Perumal (yes, again!) who are stepping down from their PTO Board positions for the next school year. Thank you for all you have done to support the PTO over the past few years. We could not have kept things running without each of you. 
• And finally, Mr. Dommer–thank you for being supportive of the PTO and a true partner in helping to foster such a wonderful sense of community for our students, staff, families, and caregivers. 

We are sincerely grateful to all of you for your support, and we will miss you all next year!

Finally, we wanted to extend a final “thank you” to all of the volunteers that have helped make this year feel as “normal” and fun as possible. Thank you for your time, your generosity, and your support across the past year. We look forward to seeing most of you back for the 2022-2023 school year. And for those who are moving on from Hollymead this year, we wish you all well! 

We hope everyone has a safe, happy, and healthy summer. And, as always–Go Hornets!

Your Hollymead PTO Co-Presidents

Meagan Gregory and Crystal Pariseau

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Happy (almost) March! Now that the weather is getting a little warmer it certainly feels like spring is just around the corner. The third semester is flying by!

This coming week is Read Across America Week and all Hollymead students are invited to participate by showing their bookish spirit! The theme schedule for the week is as follows:

• Monday – Hats Off to Reading (wear a hat)
• Tuesday – PAWSitively Wild About Reading (wear animal-print clothing or clothing with an animal on it)
• Wednesday – Team Up for Reading (wear a sports shirt)
• Thursday – Snuggle Up and Read! (Wear pajamas)

As a reminder, Friday, March 4th is a Teacher Work Day so there will be no school for students. 

We also wanted to extend a big THANK YOU! to everyone who donated to our most recent Stock the Lounge for Hollymead staff. And of course thank you to our wonderful Hospitality volunteers, Shannon Hall and Allison Argawal! We’re so grateful to be able to show such appreciation for our awesome Hollymead staff!

A few additional dates for your calendars include:

• Wednesday, March 2nd – PTO Board Meeting (7:30 PM)
• Friday. March 11th – Kids Night Out (6:00 PM)
• Saturday, March 26th – Hollymead Talent Show (4:00 PM)

Events are definitely starting to pick up as the weather (and COVID numbers!) improve, and we’re excited to hopefully be able to host more events this spring. As we solidify more events, we will be sure to keep you updated through newsletters and social media. Stay tuned, and go Hornets!

Meagan Gregory and Crystal Pariseau

Hollymead PTO Co-Presidents

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Happy February! We hope everyone is enjoying the nice reprieve from winter weather we’ve had this week.

All families and caregivers should have received a copy of the Hollymead Directory in the past few weeks. We’d like to take a moment to thank our Directory volunteers–Tara Goodrich, Jonelle Kinback, Rachel Cann, and Kate DeLuca–for putting everything together and making sure that this year’s Directory was such a success! If you see any of these wonderful volunteers around the neighborhood or at school pick up/drop off, please be sure to thank them for all of their time and expertise!

Thank you, as well, to everyone who attended our February Dining Night Out at Skrimp Shack! We love to see everyone coming together to support both Hollymead and a local business. As always, thank you as well for our DNO volunteers Nicole Felini and Kristen Jones for putting the event together!

Finally, please save the date for our next Hollymead Talent Show, which will happen in-person, outside on March 26th (rain date: April 16th). More details will be going home in folders soon!

Wishing everyone a fun-filled weekend of football and Valentines,

Hollymead PTO Co-Presidents

Meagan Gregory & Crystal Pariseau 

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 

Thank you, Hollymead, for a year we’ll not soon forget. We’ve been so proud of how the Hollymead community has stepped up to make sure our students and staff had all the things they needed to make this challenging year go as smoothly as possible. You’ve turned in your Box Tops, emptied your closets of shoes, Dined Out, kept kids reading, made magic, created an amazing yearbook, showed tons of teacher appreciation, and got competitive with a raffle. All those things allowed the PTO to purchase different kinds of playground equipment, buy outdoor seating pads, help adapt classrooms, and keep our teachers and staff fueled. 

Hollymead is an incredibly special community. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all the ways, big and small, that each of you have contributed. A strong PTO and family involvement really does make a huge difference – that’s you! 

Enjoy your summer! Congratulations to our fabulous 5th graders and those who will be moving on. For all you returning to Hollymead in the fall, we look forward to seeing you again soon. Go Hornets!

Crystal Pariseau & Amy Cochran

YEARBOOKS 

LAST CALL FOR YEARBOOKS! The yearbooks are in and are being distributed to students. If you have not purchased a yearbook, but wish to buy one, please contact hollymeadPTOpresident@gmail.com. There are a very limited number of yearbooks left, and they will be sold on a first come first served basis.

SILENT AUCTION SUCCESS 

A big thank you to Ann Lawrence Grasty for organizing a very fun and successful auction. And a big thank you to all of the teachers that participated by volunteering their time and creativity. The auction provided options to bid on a variety of 43 items. In total we had 306 bids, raising $1,848.57 for your Hollymead PTO! 

JOIN THE PTO 

We’re looking for a few fun people! PTO Board positions will be open for the coming school year as well as event chairs. If you’re looking for a way to meet a great group of people, be more involved in your student’s school activities, and have fun along the way, there’s a spot for you on the PTO. Everything from helping out with an event to Board positions like Treasurer, Vice President, and more will be open for the coming year. Check out the PRO site for job descriptions, or email hollymeadptovolunteer@gmail.com or hollymeadPTOpresident@gmail.com with any questions. We’d love to have you! 

FIELD ‘DAY’ IS THIS WEEK! 

The fun, annual tradition of field day is here! On Tuesday and Wednesday, Kona Ice will be at Hollymead. Virtual students can stop by between 11:30 & 11:50 for their shaved ice. Asynchronous activities will be posted daily in Seesaw. If you would like to share some pictures of your family partaking in the challenges, you can post pictures to Ms. Kopley’s Seesaw page. 

NEED LABELS? 

As you are prepare for summer camps and summer school, consider Mabel’s Labels. From the school search, look for Hollymead, and 20% of all purchases will then support your Hollymead PTO. 

HOLLYMEAD MURAL FEATURED ON NBC 29 

Did you see Hollymead featured on NBC29?! Ms. Foster and Charlottesville illustrator, Scott DuBar, worked with students to create a mural for our school!

Watch Now

UPCOMING DATES 

MON 6/7-11 // Field “Day”

TUE 6/8 // PTO Meeting, 7:30 pm

WED 6/9 // Long Range Planning Advisory Committee Meeting, 5:30 pm

THU 6/10 // School Board Meeting, 6:30 pm

TUE 6/15 // Last Day of School, Half Day

THANK YOU HOLLYMEAD PTO BOARD 

Please join me in thanking the 2020-21 Hollymead PTO Board and Activity Chairs. Every one of these people volunteered significant time and energy to make sure Hollymead had a great year, and we are so appreciative!

Amy Cochran, Co-PresidentCrystal Pariseau, Co-President

Meaghan Gregory, Vice President

Sara Harrison, Co-Treasurer

Tiffany Lynch, Co-Treasurer

Kate DeLuca, Secretary

Jonelle Kinback, Co-Communications

Sarah Wilson, Co-Communications

Marion Hight, Co-Volunteer Coordinator

Ashleigh Wright, Co-Volunteer Coordinator

Allison Agarwal, Co-Hospitality Coordinator

Shannon Hall, Co-Hospitality Coordinator

Cindy Hersman, Teacher Representative

Craig Dommer, Principal

Laura Morris, Vice Principal

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 

Hello Hollymead! It’s hard to believe that the end of the year will soon be here, but exciting to look ahead to summer and be out in the sunshine. Have your students told you about the new cushions they’ve been sitting on during lunch and outdoor time? The PTO was pleased to purchase branded stadium cushions with pockets for all Hollymead in person students so they can take work or lunch outside and have a little protection from wet or muddy grass. Thank you to all who have donated to the PTO through direct contributions, box top and grocery card scans, and fundraisers to make purchases like these possible for our students! 

BOOKFAIR

The Hollymead Bookfair may have looked different this year being entirely online, but our community still stepped up to show it’s love of reading! Huge thanks go out to 4th grade parent Vanitha Perumal and librarian Joette Crone for organizing such a smooth event. Over $2,800 was raised this year, most of which will be invested into our very own library. Way to go, Hollymead! 

STAFF APPRECIATION

Hollymead LOVES our staff! Teacher and staff appreciation week 2020 was a blast, thanks to generous family donations and the hard work of 3rd grade parent Corey Hawker & team. All 75 of our teachers, cafeteria workers, office staff, bus drivers, and assistants received gift cards, giant Hollymead beach towels, and delicous gourmet popsicles from La Flor Michoacana (a Hollymead-family owned business). The Attractions coupons company also donated free 2021 books for our entire staff. Thank you to all who helped us recognize those who work so hard for our students every day! 

MAGIC SHOW

3-2-1 Presto! The Hollymead/Baker Butler magic show with Wes Iseli was a great success! It was fun to join friends from another school and watch the illusions, as well as learn some magic ourselves. Many thanks to Baker Butler’s Allison Ochs and Hollymead’s Amy Cochran (5th grade parent & PTO Co-President) for organizing the show, as well as Avenue Realty for stepping up to serve as the last minute venue host when there were technological challenges. It was a fun and magical night! 

SHOES, SHOES, SHOES

Hollymead’s newest fundraiser, the Got Sneakers drive, exceeded our expectations. Piles and piles of pairs of shoes were donated by the community, which we sent in to be given to people in need or repurposed into new surfaces such as playgrounds and track. Hollymead received a good sized check, and we are very grateful for the time of 3nd and 5th grade parent Kate DeLuca in organizing both the fundraiser and lots of old shoes.

HUNGER HEROS DRIVE

Thank you Hollymead Hornets for participating in the Hunger Heroes Drive for the Blue Ridge Food Bank. We are excited to share that Hollymead collected 177 lbs of food that will help provide 148 meals to our community members.

Thank you so much for your donations that help combat food insecurity!

JOIN THE PTO!

We’re looking for a few fun people! PTO Board positions will be open for the coming school year as well as event chairs. If you’re looking for a way to meet a great group of people, be more involved in your student’s school activities, and have fun along the way, there’s a spot for you on the PTO. Everything from helping out with an event to Board positions like Treasurer, Vice President, and more will be open for the coming year. Check out the PRO site for job descriptions, or email hollymeadptovolunteer@gmail.com or hollymeadPTOpresident@gmail.com with any questions. We’d love to have you! 

SILENT AUCTION STARTS MAY 21ST 

Hollymead’s PTO will be hosting a silent auction running May 21st through May 29th! Look to Hollymead’s PTO Facebook page for more information. Any questions please email Ann Lawrencewith your ideas. 

JUNE DINING DAY OUT 

Dining DAY Out! Support a local business and our school by visiting Daily Grind

anytime on Friday, June 4th, from 7 am – 7 pm. Treat yourself and your family to coffee,

smoothies or ice cream! Just remember to drop your receipt in the bin before you

leave. A portion of all receipts will be donated to the Hollymead PTO. Thank you for

supporting our community!

CUB SCOUT PACK 206 CLEAN-UP 

Cub Scout Pack 206 is a chartered organization of the Hollymead PTO. On May 8th, 17 scouts and their families came to Hollymead to clean up the outdoor classroom. They removed all of the brush and fallen limbs from around the stage, weeded all of the gardening beds, washed off the benches, and repaired one of the beds that had started to come apart. The kids had a lot of fun, and look forward to doing another project for Hollymead in the fall. 

POP-UP CLASS FLAVORS OF BELGIUM! 

This week, Tuesday, May 18th at 6:30 pm is the first class

Alliance Française de Charlottesville is offering a new pop-up class (3 lessons of 1 hour each)! Come and explore Belgium with its rich architecture and art. This Pop-Up is the perfect class for beginners in French to start exploring new topics.

More Information and Registration

UPCOMING DATES 

TUE 5/18 // Community-Wide Strategic Planning Focus Group Session, 6:30 pm

TUE 5/18 // PTO Meeting, 7:30 pm

WED 5/26 // Virtual School Information Session #1, 6:30 pm

MON 5/31 // Memorial Day, No School

TUE 6/1 // Virtual School Information Session #2, 6:30 pm

MON 6/7-11 // Field “Day”

WED 6/9 // Long Range Planning Advisory Committee Meeting, 5:30 pm

THU 6/10 // School Board Meeting, 6:30 pm

TUE 6/15 // Last Day of School, Half Day

SPIRIT WEAR SALE EXTENDED 

The spring spirit wear sale has been extended to May 12th! Take advantage of this opportunity to get your favorite green wear for the summer.

SHOP NOW

SEEKING DONATIONS FOR A SILENT AUCTION 

Hollymead’s PTO will be hosting a silent auction running May 21-29 and we are looking for donations. We know this has been a challenging year for businesses so we are also thinking out of the box. Donations of a skill, talent, time, or a unique experience could be accepted. Feeling short on time or talent? We welcome cash donations that we may build experiences and gift baskets using local businesses. We are accepting donations with a minimum value of 20 dollars and the deadline for donations is May 14th. Thank you so much for your consideration and support, please email Ann Lawrence with your ideas. 

SIT-UPONS HAVE ARRIVED 

Check out these awesome cushions the PTO bought for our Hybrid students outside. Thanks to everyone for your ongoing support. 

UPCOMING DATES 

MON 5/3 – FRI 5/7 // Teacher Appreciation Week

WED 5/12 // Long Range Planning Advisory Committee Meeting, 5:30 pm

TUE 5/18 // PTO Meeting, 7:30 pm

MON 5/31 // Memorial Day, No School