Dear Patriots—
This is an important message from Dr. Brenda Russ, Principal of Hugh Mercer Elementary School. I apologize in advance for the length of this message as we have a lot to cover. We had a great week last week both instructionally and with extra curriculars! Congratulations to all our Talent Show participants and winners last week. You made us all very proud. A special THANK YOU to our PTA for their leadership and sponsorship. Thank you, School Board Members, Pomeroy, McFadden, and Langdon for being our judges, Ms. Duffer for her leadership and support with Technology, and Ms. Mitchell for emceeing the event!
Here are the updates for this week:
March 2-6, 2026:
📖 Read Across America Spirit Week! We look forward to having our students and staff participate. Refer to the flyer for details on each spirit day. 🔗 HMES Read Across America Spirit Week Flyer
We will hold our
📚 Spring Scholastic Book Fair. More information will be provided below.
March 4:
Spring Math & Literacy Night from 6:00–7:00 PM. Our teachers and staff will host fun and engaging lessons that you can do at home to reinforce learning in the classroom. At 7:30 PM, we will hold a spaghetti dinner for participating families in our cafeteria.
RESCHEDULED Spring Pictures. 📸 We accept cash or checks. Checks must be payable to Strawbridge. For online orders, please use the code ➡️FM498178⬅️. Extra forms are available in the front office.
Additional Information for our Spring Scholastic Book Fair
In conjunction with Read Across America Week, our school librarian, Mrs. Garman, is hosting the Spring Scholastic Book Fair from March 2-6, 2026. Students will have an opportunity to visit the Book Fair during their library specials that week, and it will be open to Patriot families on March 4 from 6:00 – 7:30 PM during Math/Literacy Night. Preview and shop online through March 15 @ Book Fair Homepage or use the attached QR code to connect to our Scholastic webpage.
Looking Ahead
The Spring PTA Snack Drive will take place from March 9 to March 20. Re
fer to the flyer for more details: 🔗 HMES Spring PTA Snack Drive Flyer
Here is the Q3 CIP Grade-level Benchmark Assessments Schedule:
Monday, March 16: 4th Grade VA Studies
Tuesday, March 17: 2nd Grade Reading
Wednesday, March 18: 5th and 3rd Grade Reading
Thursday, March 19: 5th Grade Science (4th grade content) and 4th Grade Reading
Monday, March 23: 5th Grade Mathematics
Tuesday, March 24: 2nd and 4th Grade Mathematics
Wednesday, March 26: 5th Grade Science (5th grade content) and 3rd Grade Mathematics
FCPS Spring Break: March 30–April 6, 2026
We have busy weeks ahead as we continue to prioritize instruction, student learning, and safety. We remain focused and committed to doing what is best for our students and staff at all times. Let's continue to work together — we are stronger together!
As always, please contact your child's teacher or the front office if you have any questions or concerns.
Today and always, Go Patriots! 💛💚
Dr. Russ, Principal