HMS Newsletter February 2024
Go Hawks
Contact Information
- Orin P. Wear , Principal: 892-9402
- Brian Beaudry, Assist. Principal: 892-9403
- Amy Hina, Administrative Assistant: 892-9401
- Chloe Palmer, Office Secretary: 892-9400
- Michael Clauson, School Resource Officer: 892-9506
- Tanya Boehm, Safety & Security Coordinator: 892-9485
- Virginia St. John, School Nurse: 892-9406
- Matthew Rush, School Counselor: 892-9407
- Camile Rusher, Registrar: 892-9479
Email: hms@matsuk12.us
Website: www.matsuk12.us/hms
Location: 12501 Hawk Lane, Houston, AK, USA
Phone: 907-892-9400
Principal Wear's Monthly Message
Houston Middle School Families & Friends!
Welcome to February! It's exciting to see more and more daylight each day. It won't be long before spring arrives and we transition into warmer weather. Believe it or not, we're almost halfway through the 3rd quarter!
Our staff and students are doing amazing things each and everyday to be successful. Please take time to review your student's grades and progress to help monitor their education and participation. Active parents and guardians are critical to a student's success in school.
Also, there is no school for students on Monday, February 19th for Parent Teacher conferences.
Finally, please remember that HMS has an open door policy for parents and guardians. We want to make sure everyone feels welcome in our school to ask questions, share concerns, give constructive feedback, and visit staff.
Have a Great February & Go Hawks
-Orin P. Wear
Congratulations to the following students:
Brook Troy-Newell
Gabriel Zivotic
Emily Rouse
Liam Bethel
Kasen Nelson
Connor Proveauex
Aspen Jefferson
Upcoming Events
Title 1 Family Event
Chili Cook Off February 29th
Brrrrrrrr!
With these temperatures being unkind, we thought of a great way to warm our insides- Ms. Sommers’ cooking classes will host a chili cookoff. Please mark your calendars for Thursday, February 29th from 6-730PM for our 3rd family engagement event hosted by Houston Middle School. Prepare to be amazed when you taste the chili creations our middle school chefs proudly create for your eating enjoyment – bragging rights are on the line! This will be a friendly competition between the kitchens and a great way to show off our CTE culinary skills at the middle school level.
Mr. Prosser will host more information on iReady and we will share the growth we are seeing with our students in reading and Language Arts. To round out the night, we will have the nets in the gym set-up for badminton.
GO HAWKS!
Parent Teacher Conferences
Parent-Teacher Conferences are scheduled for Monday, February 19th, from 7:15 AM - 2:45 PM. Conferences will be offered in person and or can be scheduled with the individual teachers on a first-come, first-serve basis with a 15 minute limit.
Teachers will be available to answer questions, discuss grades, or address any concerns about students. If you are unable to join us for Parent Teacher Conferences, please know that you can contact any teacher by emailing or calling them directly to schedule an appointment to discuss your child’s academic status.
Teacher contact information and the HMS staff directory are on the HMS website under the Staff tab. We look forward to seeing as many parents and guardians as possible on Monday, February 19th.
Go Hawks!
-Orin P. Wear
HMS Counseling Corner
Greetings Hawk Parents and Guardians,
This month 8th grade students will be selecting classes for the their freshman year! On the week of February 19th Mrs. Haddeland and Mrs. Showers, our HHS school counselors, will be coming to HMS to assist students in selecting course requests for the 2024/25 school year. Each student will select their core classes, their first choice of electives and several alternates. The exact dates will be February 21st, 22nd and 23rd. Students will select their classes during 8th grade 4c/Connections time. Please make sure your child is present on those days if they would like to pick their electives for High School.
6th and 7th grades will be doing their course requests in April.
Thank you,
Matt Rush, LPC
Middle School Counselor grades 6-8
Houston Jr/Sr. High School
(907)-892-9407
Nurse Office News
Houston Middle School has seen an increase in illnesses since our return from Winter Break. Please be sure to keep your student(s) home if they are feverish, vomiting, have diarrhea, or do not feel well enough to participate in class.
A recent Alaska public health update states the Norovirus has made its way to the valley and is in our schools. For more information, you may visit the State of Alaska website. Increased cases of COVID, Influenza, RSV, and Strep throat have been reported in the past 7-10 days. Please be sure to take care of yourself! Stay healthy and wash your hands!
Virginia St. John, BSN RN - Houston Middle School Nurse
Matanuska -Susitna Borough School District
Ph: 907-892-9406 l Fax: 907-892-9460
HMS Sports Info
Sports Scheduled Dates and Times are Subject to Change at any time.
All participation forms and physicals must be uploaded into Big Teams to participate in any practices. Please contact your student's coaches with any questions regarding game times, changes, locations and practices.
JV/V Volleyball:
2/1/24 games @ PJMS JV: 3:00 V: 4:00
2/2/24 games @ WMS JV: 400 V: 4:00
2/6/24 games@ HMS vs RJSH JV 3:00 V:4:00 AND V vs Su Valley 5:00
2/8/24 games @ TMS JV: 3:00 V: 4:00
2/12/24 games@ CMS JV 3:00 V 4:00
2/13/24 games @ HMS JV: 3:00 V: 4:00 vs TMS
2/16/24 games @ HMS JV: 3:00 V: 4:00 vs RJS
2/20/24 games @ HMS JV: 3:00 V: 4:00 vs MCCA
2/23-2/24 JV Championships @RJS game times TBD
2/28/24 games @ HMS JV: 3:00 V: 4:00 vs Grace Christian
3/1-3/2 V Championships @ CMS game times TBD
C Team Volleyball: Game times are TBD-each school creates their own jamboree schedule
2/7/24 games @ CMS
2/21/24-2/22/24 C Team Tourney @ HMS
Wrestling:
2/2/24-2/3/24 Tourney @ TMS: JV- Friday V-Saturday
2/9/24-2/10/24 Tourney @ Redington: V- Friday JV-Saturday
2/16/24-2/17/24 Tourney @ PJMS: JV- Friday V-Saturday
2/23/24-2/24/24 Championships @ CMS
JNYO:
Attention 6th grade parents: Junior NYO is still accepting athletes for the season. Any 6th grader interested in competing in the Eskimo stick pull, scissor broad jump, 1 foot high kick, and/or Alaskan high kick can still join the team. The 11th Annual JNYO Event is scheduled for February 16th (for 1st and 2nd graders) and February 17th (for 3-6 graders) at Houston High School. The event for 6th graders starts at 9:00 am February 17th. If any 6th graders are still interested in joining, please contact Coach Sommer Zavorka, located in room 130 at HMS, by phone (907)892-9429, or by email: sommer.zavorka@matsuk12.us
Other HMS News
February Spotlight on Literacy
My literacy spotlight for the month of February is: Comprehension and checking for understanding. Checking for understanding has 4 main levels. Your child's Teacher takes them through text is always digging deeper for understanding. The chart below shows some sample questions Teachers ask in the classroom, students ask of themselves and each other. I encourage you to use these as well at home when your child has read something.
Enjoy your time reading with, to or listening to your child read. If you would like to come in a see this type of questioning in action check in with your child's Teacher for a good time to come in.
Please feel free to contact Deb Pomelow at Houston Middle 892-9496 for more helpful hints and suggestions: Next month comprehension strategies: how to support or guide students in improving their comprehension and understanding.
Youth 360
Youth 360 News
Did you know that Youth 360 can pay school sports and activities fees for Houston students? We also support activity fees at local youth activities, including All About Dance, Susitna Karate Academy, Mat-Su Seahawks Flag Football, and more! How do you sign up for this program? Simple; visit www.youth-360.org and click on “apply for a scholarship”.
Youth 360 is planning 2024 activities for the whole family! Please give us your feedback on which activities you’d like to see! Parents/caregivers: take a quick survey at the following link:
Title I Information
Title I Parent and Family Engagement Survey
The Title I Parent and Family Engagement Survey was distributed to Title I families and staff on February 1, 2024. The survey will be open until February 16, 2024.The information provided helps our district provide services and will be shared with your school's Principal to help us all better meet your needs. Click on this link to view the survey.