More details next week, but please mark your calendars for the return of the Fall Parent Social on Friday, September 27, from 4:00pm- 5:30pm. This Family Association event includes all parents/guardians of current HRS students (all grade levels). Come as you are, enjoy appetizers and a mocktail, and get to know others in our community. HRS is offering free after-care for this event – registration begins next week. We can still use parent volunteers, so if you'd like to help with decor, serve drinks, or meet and greet in other ways, please email Shannon or Carly to let them know.

All parents, guardians, or family members of current students are invited to attend our first Family Association meeting of the year on Wednesday, September 11, in the 4th floor large Conference Room of the Middle School. Coffee will be served!

You won't want to miss hearing from our Family Association chairs, learning about changes based on your feedback, discovering new opportunities to volunteer across the school year, getting the latest news from Stacy Turner, and learning Slingerland Basics from our Instructional Support Team. You can also meet your parent reps. See you there!

We are heartbroken at the news of the devastating violence at Apalachee High School in Georgia this week. We know that discussing these kinds of tragedies with children can be challenging. Remember that you can always find a list of resources on our website to help navigate these conversations. Should your student need additional support at school, please have them reach out to their teacher or their division counselor.

We are excited to welcome Kelly Dobelstein to our school as the Lower School Counselor while Ms. Tipton is on leave. Ms. Dobelstein brings a wealth of experience and a strong commitment to supporting our students, families, and staff during this time.

With a professional background as both a clinical psychoanalyst and a School Counselor, Ms. Dobelstein has experience in both private practice and educational settings. She specializes in working with students who have ADHD, anxiety spectrum disorders, and other diverse learning profiles. If you would like to connect with her, please email kdobelstein@hamlinrobinson.org. 

The HRS Learning Center is delighted to introduce its newsletter, The Link, which will be shared monthly in Thursday Thoughts. Check out the first issue here! In The Link, you’ll learn about upcoming Learning Center initiatives, events, and programming. It’s an exciting time at the HRS Learning Center – stay updated by reading The Link! 

We hope to see all HRS families today (Thursday, August 29) at the Back to School Bash. Check-in opens at 3:30pm, with locations on State Street between 20th Avenue S and Valentine Place. Casual attire suitable for indoor and outdoor activities is encouraged.

At check-in, families will receive maps, rotation assignments, and color-coded name tags (based on student grade level). Some past event favorites (e.g., frozen treats!) will be back, along with new activities. Brand-new spirit gear will also be for sale! All spirit gear sales will require a physical credit card. Sorry, no phone/tap app!

Please be respectful of access to driveways and personal property when parking throughout our neighborhood. Special Accessible-only parking spots will be available on 20th Ave S, on the Lower School side of the street. See you soon!

Hamlin Robinson School uses the emergency messaging system, BrightArrow, which is integrated with myHRS contacts. BrightArrow delivers important, school-wide, time-sensitive information such as weather closures to our HRS community via email and text message. All enrolled families will receive communications on Friday, August 30, as a test. Emails will be addressed from info@hamlinrobinson.org. Texts will be from BrightArrow. 

• Returning families: No further action needed unless your myHRS information has changed.
• New families: You must opt in to receive future text messages. To do so, you will need to reply YES to the text message alert. BrightArrow will send a follow-up confirmation text.

If you need to update your contact information, please do so in your myHRS account. Send any questions to info@hamlinrobinson.org. 

Hamlin Robinson School is proud to partner with Green Sprouts Food to offer a fresh menu of sustainable and delicious choices for student lunch at school. Green Sprouts customizes meals for dietary preferences, including vegan, gluten free, and soy free. If you would like to purchase lunches for your student, access the Lunch tile on myHRS. 

For the month of September, the ordering deadline is tomorrow, August 30 with the first day of service on September 4. Going forward, the ordering deadline will be the 25th of the month for the following month (i.e. the deadline for October orders will be September 25).

For additional information, please see the introduction letter from Green Sprouts, also available on the Lunch tile.

Fall conferences will be held on Friday, August 30 and Tuesday, September 3. Homeroom teachers and advisors have reached out to schedule with you. If you have any questions, please connect with them directly.

Be sure to stop by the Family Association table at the Back to School Bash. Meet Shannon, Carly, and other parent volunteers, learn more about parent community, and check out volunteer opportunities.

All parents, guardians, or family members of current students are considered participating members of the Family Association and are invited to attend all scheduled meetings. The first meeting is on Wednesday, September 11, in the 4th floor Conference room of the Middle School. The Conference Room gives us more space this year!

And, you won't want to miss a new addition to meetings: Slingerland Basics. Many parents have asked for more bite-sized pieces about Slingerland, and our Instructional Support Team is happy to offer this new series.

Be sure to visit the Family Association tile on the myHRS Resource Board to view the 2024-25 schedule of meetings, the Family Association Handbook, and Activity suggestion list. See you soon!

Welcome to the 2024-2025 school year – and to the first Thursday Thoughts of the year! Thursday Thoughts is a weekly communication for current HRS families. Stay up-to-date by reading Thursday Thoughts each week! 

Faculty & staff kicked off in-service this week, and campus is full of joyful noise and good work. We can't wait to welcome new and returning students back on campus for classes starting Wednesday, September 4. This year is sure to be filled with excitement, friendship, and learning at all levels – we are so happy to have your family as members of the HRS community. 

For everything you need to know for the first day of school, be sure to visit myHRS and click on the Back to School Information tile.

Thursday, August 29: Back to School Bash, 3:30pm – 5:00pm 

Friday, August 30: Conferences (No Class) 

Tuesday, September 3: Conferences (No Class) 

Wednesday, September 4: First Day of School 

Wednesday, September 11: Family Association meeting, 8:30am – 9:30am 

Wednesday, September 18: Middle School Curriculum Night, 6:30pm – 8:00pm 

Thursday, September 19: Lower School Curriculum Night, 6:30pm – 8:00pm 

We know that you are excited to find out your student’s homeroom or advisory teacher and view the class roster for Lower School homerooms and Middle School advisories. To do so, please follow the step-by-step process below:  

• Login to myHRS.  

• Click on your student’s name in the upper left-hand corner of the landing screen.  

• Under Courses, you will see your student’s homeroom/advisory teacher as a link.  

• To view the roster for homeroom/advisory, click on the homeroom/advisory teacher link, then proceed to the Roster tab.  

• To connect with other parents in the class via email, you can click on the three buttons on each student tile and select View Relationships. 

Homeroom and Advisory Teachers will reach out to schedule a Back-to-School Conference with your family. These conferences provide an opportunity for parents and students to meet their teacher, become familiar with the classroom and school building, and share valuable information before the school year begins. 

We hope to see all HRS families at the Back to School Bash on Thursday, August 29. Check-in opens at 3:30pm – look for welcome tables on State Street.  Families will rotate through a series of stations. Some past event favorites will be back, including musical chairs, community art, frozen treats, lawn games, and more. And, did someone say “new spirit gear sales?!” See you next week!  

If you would like to change your preferences or privacy settings in myHRS, you can find step-by-step directions here (they can also be found under the Technology tile on the Resource Board). It is important to understand that if your address is marked as private to other parents, you will not show up on the Directory Carpool map.   

Please take a moment to review your personal settings. If you have questions regarding settings, please contact the Technology Department at techsupport@hamlinrobinson.org. 

Registration for Extended Day and Cross Country are now open for all ages. To register, click the Auxiliary Programs tile on myHRS. You will need to create a CampBrain account, if you do not have one already. 

Registration for additional After School Programs will open in the fall. Keep an eye out on Thursday Thoughts for updates!

When you visit Hamlin Robinson School, you may notice refreshed furniture in many common spaces and offices. We're incredibly grateful to a local organization for donating these stylish furnishings to our school. Enjoy!  

The mission of the HRS Family Association is to promote belonging, participation, education, and awareness for the families attending Hamlin Robinson School. All parents, guardians, or family members of current students are participating members of the Family Association and may attend all association meetings.  

What can you do to get involved?  

• Visit the Family Association tile on the myHRS Resource Board to view the 2024-25 schedule of meetings, the Family Association Handbook, and Activity suggestion list.  

• Visit the Family Association table at the Back-to-School Bash to meet other parent volunteers and learn how you can be involved! 

The HRS Learning Center is excited to announce the rollout of the Parents of Adolescents and Teens (PAT) program, a new initiative that supports families navigating the challenges of raising older children. The program will provide parents with valuable resources, including expert-led workshops, webinars, and discussion groups focused on understanding adolescent development, fostering effective communication, and addressing issues like peer pressure, academic stress, and social media influence. By participating in the PAT program, parents will gain practical strategies and insights to help them better support their teens during this critical stage of development. PAT is open to parents of Level 5 - 8 students. 

To learn more and submit an interest form, click here.