Summer is almost here! The year didn't end exactly how we expected!  While it's disappointing we can't all be together to end the school year, we can all breath a sigh of relief as we take time off from distance learning and zoom calls! 

In addition to a farewell to the school year, we also say goodbye to Principal Machado.  Parents of older children at HMCRA will remember the feeling of gratefulness at having a dedicated leader join our school.  Parents of younger children will remember his candor during school tours of the good and “in progress” at our school – helping to attract an invested school community.
 
Mr. Machado, thank you for building a foundation and providing direction at a time when our school needed it most.  Thank you for working hard to bring together our community while honoring our diversity.  You will be missed as we tread into a new school year with many unknowns.  We look forward to seeing you once we are able to all be together again.  Good luck in your next adventure and thank you for giving so much to HMCRA. Your legacy will always be a part of our school.

We also say goodbye to Mr. Muratet, Ms. Kia, Mr. Martinez, and Ms. Stuti. You will all be missed! Full details of these staff changes can be found in the latest Machado Messenger here

Although it's sad to say goodbye to Mr. Machado, we are excited to welcome our newly appointed Principal, Emmanuel Stewart, to the HMCRA community! We are looking forward to collaborating with Principal Stewart and establishing strong partnerships which support our HMCRA mission to empower student learning by teaching awareness, acceptance and non-violence, celebrating our diversity, achieving academic excellence, and fostering strong family-school-community connections. If you haven't had an opportunity to read Principal Stewart’s introduction letter, you can read it here.

The Fifth Graders took part in a virtual graduation ceremony on Friday to end their time at HMCRA. We are so proud of all they've accomplished, and know they'll do great things in middle school! Goodbye and good luck and we hope you'll all see each other in person again soon. 

Incoming Kindergarten families, we’re looking forward to welcoming your children to HMCRA in August!

This year, due to social distancing, our usual Kindergarten Playdates may not take place. To allow incoming families to connect over the summer a google group has been created for you to get to know each other. It is also an opportunity for new families to ask questions of existing families. If social distancing recommendations change, playdates can be arranged though this group.

Details on how to join the group are below: 

It's the last week of school! Why not make a healthy, delicious green smoothie to celebrate and share with your loved ones at home? The kindergarteners end their Edible Social Studies unit with Green Smoothie Magic (click here to watch a readloud with Ms. Joyce). We can't wait to have a proper smoothie party in the school garden together when we're able to gather again as a community. You can find our recipe here, or make your own with whatever you have on hand. 

We want to extend a special thank you to Ms. Stuti for dedicating a year of service to cook, eat, and learn outdoors with all the students of HMCRA and to Mr. Machado for his tireless support of our program for over three years now. We will miss you both and are forever grateful. Keep cooking and exploring this summer, everyone! See you next year!

As the school year comes to an end, I want to make sure I extend a heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you.  We were able to raise over $1400 for the food pantry, as well as numerous food donations.  During the 11 weeks of shelter in place we consistently helped 4 HMCRA families.  This was crucial as these families either lived in areas where it was difficult to get food, or had medical needs for which they needed to limit their exposure to others. 

Fortunately, starting last week, the state of California increased their support for families with children in SFUSD so we will not have a need for the food bank over the summer! 

Again, the warmth and care that comes from this community to help one another is overwhelming. Time and time again I put out the call and you jump in with no questions asked; just kindness and generosity leading your decisions. We might not know what the future holds, but it is good to know our community will weather this storm together. 

Take care, 
Ms. Summer

Construction at the school has been progressing well while we've all been home and in some cases it is already ahead of schedule. Please see this letter from the SFUSD Bonds team with a full update and their commitment to advocate for HMCRA until the construction is 100% complete.

To fully support our diverse student body, to create a rich learning environment, and to maintain our focus on civil rights — the PFC needs your help!  Please consider joining a PFC Committee. 

We have a number of committee positions that we need to fill for the 2020/21 school year, including Events Coordinator, Tour lead, Co-Treasurer, and Yearbook lead. If you are interested, or know anyone else who might be interested please fill out this form. This form also includes the full list of openings

This is the last newsletter for the academic year. We have made the decision to keep the google classroom groups active over the summer so we can continue to share relevant information with you as we receive it.

Also, if you haven't done so already, please consider joining the HMCRA Community Google Group. It is open to all HMCRA families and staff to share questions, ideas and information.

Click on the link below to join the group. Make sure to include the following in the additional information text box:

Finally, in this last newsletter of the year, we wanted to take a minute to say a huge thank you to all the parents and volunteers who make our school community so special. Whether at an event, in the classroom, through donations, or helping with the many tasks that need to be accomplished, HMCRA just wouldn’t be the same without you, and we’re deeply grateful. 

Have a Great Summer!