It is my pleasure to serve our exceptional students, parent community, and staff, and welcome you to Harriet Eddy Middle School. We hope that your child is as eager to start this new school year as we are. Our staff strive to provide an exceptional educational experience for our students. This is accomplished through our collective commitments of High-Quality Instruction, Collaborative Culture, and Community Involvement.

We are proud of our International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP)! Information regarding our IB/MYP implementation is located on the IB Programme page on our website. I would also encourage you to visit our Vision page to learn more about Eddy's initiatives and commitments to providing an Exceptional Educational Experience for all students. Our web address is hems.egusd.net where you can find a variety of information on Parent and Student VUE. We are happy to answer any questions you may have pertaining to Parent VUE during our Back to School Night Celebration/Night at the Nest on August 9th beginning at 5:30 pm. We also frequently post on our Facebook and Instagram

This marks my 16th year in education, formerly serving as an elementary school teacher, Migrant Education Program Specialist, Teacher in Charge, and Vice Principal. This will be my sixth year serving as an administrator at Eddy. As an advocate for students, first and foremost, my greatest priority is to ensure all students have learning opportunities that are equitable and are facilitated in a safe environment. This includes practices that nurture their physical, mental, and social well-being. In addition to school guidelines: Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible. These three words serve as the foundation upon which our work is built upon to foster positive student behavior and attitudes.

The Eddy family is composed of teachers, administrators, classified, and support staff who are all vested in student success and well-being. Middle school is an exciting time in the lives of students and marks an important transition into a period of life that is characterized by accelerated physical, intellectual, social, and emotional changes. We endeavor to provide a supportive community where students feel like they belong and are safe to mature into the very best global citizens they can be.

As a reminder, we will be hosting our annual "Night at the Nest" coupled with Back to School Night on Wednesday, August 9th, 5:30-7 pm. The first day of school is Thursday, August 10th. On August 10th, 11th, and 14th students will report to all of their classes, beginning with 8th period on Thursday and Friday. On Thursday, school will be dismissed at 3:12 pm and on Friday, August 11th at 2:12 pm. Every Monday students are dismissed at 3:12 pm. I look forward to another great year at Harriet Eddy Middle School.

In Partnership,

C Norma Gillis

Principal

Parent involvement is an important component in developing and maintaining a positive learning environment. Harriet Eddy MS is committed to fostering and encouraging families to be active in their students' educational journey. To help meet this goal, parent volunteers can assist in maintaining our safe environment and help Harriet Eddy continue to provide an exceptional experience for all students.

The greatest need for parent volunteers happens during arrival time and dismissal time. Parent volunteers can help to guide our students to Be Safe, Be Respectful, and Be Responsible - a school motto our students hear on campus every day!

If you are able to volunteer your time please email the School Secretary, Kim Genereux, at kgenereu@egusd.net. You will be emailed a volunteer request form, and a request for a fingerprint appointment at the EGUSD district office for clearance.

If you couldn’t pick up your student class schedule at Night at the Nest, schedules will be available beginning at 7:45 am on the first day of school, Thursday, August 10th. The schedule will show teacher names and room numbers. Students will also receive a map of the school to help them find their classes. Leadership students (wearing leadership shirts) and staff members will be available around campus to help direct students to their classes.

School begins every day at 8:30 am. On Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, students are dismissed at 3:12 pm. On Wednesday and Friday, students are dismissed at 2:12 pm. We will adhere to normal dismissal times the first two days of school. Thursday, August 10th, students will be released at 3:12 and on Friday, students will be released at 2:12. Students do not need to bring anything with them on this first Thursday and Friday. These two days are dedicated to welcoming students back to school in an energetic, fun, non-academic way. Students will learn the Eddy Expectations and build relationships with their peers and teachers. *Student's will report to their 8th period/KT classroom teacher first on Thursday and Friday.*

Beginning on Monday, August 14th, students will be expected to bring their backpack containing the following: fully charged chromebook with the power cord, a pen, pencil, three ring binder with lined paper and dividers. Each teacher will send home a syllabus with specific materials suggested for their specific class.

Bicycles must be parked and locked in the bike area located in the east parking lot past the front of the school. State law requires that students under 18 years of age wear helmets. Bicycles must be walked while on campus and please note that Harriet Eddy MS is not responsible for unlocked bicycles or bicycles left overnight at the site.

In addition, EGUSD prohibits the use of skateboards, roller skates, in-line skates, or similar devices on school property including parking lots. Violators may be prosecuted under SCC 1084 sections 9.38.015 and be fined up to $250.

Students who use skateboards or scooters as transportation to/from school must take them to room B-2 for storage during the school day. The school is not responsible for any lost, stolen, or damaged items. Students may not ride or stand on scooters or skateboards on campus at any time.

Students requiring medication at school shall be identified to the school by the parent/guardian and/or physician. All student medication must be in the original container and kept securely locked in the School Nurse's office. Please be aware that no medication (prescription or non-prescription) can be dispensed to students or allowed on the school site without the Medication Assistance Authorization form on file in the nurse's office. Parents may obtain the form from the Health and Nursing Services page on the EGUSD website. A New medication from must be submitted each school year. Students may not carry any medication (prescription or over-the-counter) with them on campus.

The dedicated HEMS cafeteria staff offer a variety of nutritious and delicious food options each school day. New legislation, provided by the state of California, allows EGUSD to provide breakfast and lunch, at no cost, to enrolled students. Breakfast is available for students at 8:15 am. Many families may qualify for additional discounts if they are eligible. Please visit the EGUSD Food and Nutrition Services page for additional information.

Additional lunches and a-la-carte items can be purchased via www.myschoolbucks.com. By using this website or app, parents can use a credit or debit card to put money into an account for their child to use to buy an additional lunch.

ParentVUE helps parents/guardians stay informed and connected by providing day-to-day insight into their child's academic experience with access to important information. The ParentVUE Portal Provides:

• Single sign-on login for each parent, which gives access to all students associated with that parent across the district in any grade or school.
• Big picture information - the ability to view attendance, immunization compliance, transcripts, graduation status, and more.
• Grades and assignments to know if your student is on track academically and know when assignments have been assigned and are due.
• The ability to communicate with teachers via email.
• Both web portal and mobile app options are easy to access from anywhere anytime.

Parents need to register for a ParentVUE account using an activation code and instructions available from the front office staff.

StudentVUE helps student stay informed and connected by providing day to day insight into their own academic experience. Students can:

• Email their teachers and stay on top of their upcoming assignments
• Track graduation requirements and how many credits remain
• Receive notification when assignments are posted

Over the years, the staff and students at Harriet eddy Middle School and Laguna Creek High School have worked tirelessly to establish ourselves as a Laguna Creek regional Partnership in the International Baccalaureate (IV) Middle Years Programme (MYP). Over these years, nearly every teacher at HEMS has participated in official IB professional development in location across the United States and all teachers have worked collaboratively with their departmental colleagues to develop MYP unit plans which emphasize a student-0centered curriculum model that includes inquiry and concept-based learning with in a global context. The MYP has given teachers at HEMS and LCHS the exciting opportunity to collaborate across the campuses with has created a unique 7th grade - 12th grade learning experience for students in the Laguna Creek Region. The Laguna Creek Region MYP is looking forward to a very exciting 2023-24 school year. For more information visit the IB Programme Page on the Eddy website.

Our Eddy Design team has taken students on a journey of questioning, generating ideas, creating prototypes and evaluation of a variety of different tasks. Future Quest students gain a better understanding of career options and participate in hands on lab sessions. Yearbook students use their background research to generate new and innovative pages for the annual yearbook. AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) students learn how to succeed on a path for admission to universities and colleges. Forensics students apply knowledge of crime scenes to create their own scenes with both class and individual evidence. STEM class participants use the subjects of science, technology, engineering, and math to create innovative projects such as pull toys and robotics protocols. Our 7th & 8th grade design students gain a solid understanding of the design cycle which they are able to apply to real life problems and scenarios.

Department Point of Contact: Tiffany Planchon

In 7th and 8th grade, students are continuing to develop their math skills and broaden their understanding in the following math domains: ratios and proportionality, number sense, geometry, statistics & probability, expressions & equations, and functions. Most students will take Math 7 in seventh grade and Math 8 in 8th grade.

MYP mathematics can be tailored to the needs of students, seeking to intrigue and motivate them to want to learn its principles. Students see authentic examples of how mathematics is useful and relevant to their lives and be encouraged to apply it to new situations. (ibo.org)

Acceleration

• To provide opportunities for advanced math, we also offer an accelerated pathway for middle school students. These students would take Accelerated Math 7 in 7th grade and Math 1 in 8th grade. This sequence compacts three years of math into two. Math 1 is the first year of high school math.

• Laguna Creek H.S. has adopted the integrated sequence of courses for mathematics, which includes Integrated Math I, Math II, and Math III. They essentially cover the same standards, with the addition of a statistics domain, across the three years. Placement into the accelerated pathway is determined by multiple academic performance measures.

Support Classes:

Math Mindset

Students of this course begin to see mathematics as an open, growth, learning subject and themselves as powerful agents in the learning process. Teachers provide students with equitable access to learning through challenging puzzles, non-routine problem solving, and formative feedback, as well as plenty of opportunities for collaborative class discussions.

EL Math

Students who are new to the United States and who are also currently enrolled in English Language Development classes are offered placement in this course. Students in EL Math will be afforded more opportunities for speaking as well as extra support with mathematical terminology.

Department Point of Contact: Dee Duenas and/or Valarie Heng

The HEMS Individuals and Societies (History) Department is excited to continue to implement the MYP Programme in the 2023-24 school year. Our department members have worked hard over the past several years to create MYP units that push students to delve deeper into history and look at historical and current events with a global perspective.

In the 7th grade, students will focus on the Middle Age Civilizations of the Middle East, Africa, China, Japan, Europe, and the Americas. Students will have fun exploring various aspects of geography, achievements, and belief systems. The 8th graders will focus on United States History beginning with Colonization, and then studying the Constitution, Presidents, Western Expansional and the Civil War. We are very excited to implement an Interdisciplinary Unity in collaboration with our 8th grade Language and Literature team this year. In both grade levels, MYP units will include clearly articulated statements of inquiry, key concepts, and global contexts. Students will complete various formative and summative assessments that are aligned with both California State Content Standards and Common Core State Standards. Summative assessments may include speeches, presentations, posters, persuasive essays, newspaper articles, children's books, etc.

Students in I&S courses at HEMS will use the IB Learner Profile to analyze characteristics of historical figures and to reflect on their own progress as students. Using student-friendly news outlets, students will examine current events at the local, national, and global level. Our overall goal in the HEMS I&S department is to help our students become internationally minded and to investigate both historical and current events from multiple perspective and using various techniques. We are excited about the start of the school year and look forward to getting to know all our students!

Department Point of Contact: Carolynn Puccioni

All IB programmes value language as central to the development of critical thinking, which is essential for cultivating intercultural understanding and responsible membership in local, national and global communities.

Language is integral to exploring and sustaining personal development and cultural identity, and provides an intellectual framework that supports the construction of conceptual understanding.

As MYP students interact with a range of texts, they generate insight into moral, social, economic, political, cultural and environmental domains. They continually grow in their abilities to form opinions, make decisions, and reason ethically—all key attributes of an IB learner.

Schools are strongly encouraged to offer language and literature courses in multiple languages and to support students’ mother tongues.

MYP language and literature courses are designed to engage students in the study of many aspects of the language and literature of communities and their cultures. Language Acquisition courses offer a study of a wide range of literary and non-literary text types, writing styles and techniques, allowing students to comment on the significance of any possible contexts, audiences, purpose, and the use of linguistic and literary devices.

Department Point of Contact: Lora Rivas and/or Stephanie Pothier-Johnson

The HEMS Language Acquisition Department welcomes you to the 2023-2024 school year! We are excited to explore MYP units in French, Japanese and Spanish. Seventh graders will have the opportunity to be risk-takers and explore a new language through culture, geography, and linguistic components. Returning eighth graders will have the opportunity to be communicators and further develop the skills from their seventh-grade language courses.

Over the course of two years, students will be introduced to language basics such as the alphabet (writing system), colors & numbers, as well as learn to begin to speak the language. As part of the MYP, Language Acquisition courses are considered a core subject.

Department Point of Contact: Maho Ueyama

The HEMS Strategies department is committed to providing services and supports to students with special needs. The Resource Specialist Program (RSP), Language Speech and Hearing (LSH) and School Psychologist provide supports in the least restrictive setting for your student. While this varies from student to student, we mainstream all students to the greatest extent possible while supporting individual needs. Unlike elementary school, our middle school model does not allow for pull-out services such as a learning center support model. We, in turn, provide para-educator support to assist students while they are in general education classrooms. We are preparing students for success in middle school leading to high school graduation and beyond.

Our campus has three distinct district appointed self-contained classes on campus. These classes are the Academic, Behavior, and Social Supports Class (ABSS) the Independent Living Skills Class (ILS), and the Program for Acquisition of Language and Social Skills Class (PALSS).

We are also fortunate to house the Visually Impaired Program on our campus. This program supports students who have visual needs which are addressed within their classes. These classes are on campus, but are also run by the district office Special Education Department.

Department Point of Contact: Eliza Julian and/or Ambrosia Lamore

The MYP is a challenging framework that encourages students to make practical connections between their studies and the real world. Science is one of the eight subject groups required by the MYP. Science courses focus on using inquiry to help students to analyze complex issues and develop the habits of mind they need to participate in our increasingly interconnected world.

7th Grade Life Science

This is a high school preparatory science course consisting of the study of life science aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards with an emphasis on the Middle Years Programme (MYP) sciences framework. Students will independently and collaboratively investigate issues through research, observation, and experimentation. Throughout the year, the following four MYP core criteria will be explored: 1. Knowing and Understanding, 2. Inquiring and Designing, 3. Processing and Evaluating, and 4. Reflecting on the Impacts of Science. All Science Content Standards for California Public Schools, grade 7 will be covered as well as a unit on Family Life Education.

8th Grade Earth Science

This is a high school preparatory science course consisting of the study of physical science including structure of matter, chemical reactions, the periodic table, and density and buoyancy. Additionally, students will study the motion of objects, forces, astronomy, and earth in the solar system. Weaved throughout the year, students will conduct scientific investigations, test their hypotheses, collect, and analyze data, and draw conclusions based on their findings. All Science Content Standards for California Public Schools, grade 8 will be covered as well as a one-week unit on drug and alcohol prevention through the district approved Project Alert curriculum.

Department Point of Contact: Tina Lee

In the IB/MYP programme, students develop through creating, performing, and presenting arts in ways that engage and convey feelings, experiences and ideas. It is through this practice that students acquire new skills and master those skills developed in prior learning. Arts stimulate young imaginations, challenge perceptions and develop creative and analytical skills.

Involvement in the arts encourages students to understand the arts in context and the cultural histories of artworks, supporting the development of an inquiring and empathetic world view.

At Harriet Eddy, students will participate in Performing and/or Visual Arts Courses such as Music Appreciation, Drama, Film Studies, Band, Art, and Dance.

Department Point of Contact: Robert Holm

Physical and health education courses foster the development of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that will contribute to a student’s balanced and healthy lifestyle. Through opportunities for active learning, courses in this subject group embody and promote the holistic nature of well-being.

Through physical and health education, students can learn to appreciate and respect the ideas of others, and develop effective collaboration and communication skills.

This subject area also offers many opportunities to build positive interpersonal relationships that can help students to develop a sense of social responsibility. (ibo.org)

We know you have many questions pertaining to what PE looks like in Middle School. Here are some frequently asked questions:

Q: Do I need PE clothes for the first day of school?

A: No! Teachers will pass out a price list for clothes on the first day of school and students will go with their class to the Student Store on assigned days to purchase clothes.

Q: Do I need to bring a lock for my PE locker from home?

A: No. You can purchase a lock at school for $8. We prefer that you purchase your lock from the student store to ensure that it is durable and that it fits on the locker.

Q: Will I have to take a shower after PE class?

A: No. Students do not take showers after class. Students are encouraged to take daily showers at home to ensure proper hygiene after being physically active during the day.

Q: How much time will I have to get changed at the beginning and end of PE class?

A: Students are given approximately 5 minutes to change into and out of their PE clothes. They are also given 4 minutes passing time between classes.

Q: Do I need to lock my locker?

A: Yes. Under no circumstance should a student ever leave their possessions unlocked in the locker room. If your clothes and backpack are locked in your locker, they are safe, and no other student will have access to your belongings. Sharing lockers is never allowed. HEMS is not responsible for items that are left unlocked or in a shared locker. Please be aware that some oversized or rolling backpacks do not fit in the PE lockers. Please be cautious when purchasing oversized backpacks or rolling bags. Lockers are approximately 13 inches deep, 12.5 inches wide and 26 inches high.

Department Point of Contact: Lisa Ochieng

Chromebooks and textbooks are managed and issued to students from the HEMS library. Teachers will bring a class of students to the library during their instructional block to check out textbooks. Textbooks are the students' responsibility and fees may be assessed for lost or damaged books. Be sure to visit the library page on the HEMS website for more information on textbooks, library check outs, and other policies and library rescources.

• Girls Volleyball (Fall)
• Boys Volleyball (Spring)
• Boys and Girls 8th Grade Basketball (Fall)
• Boys and Girls 7th Grade Basektball (Winter)
• Wrestling (Fall and Winter)
• Cross Country (Fall)
• Track and Field (Spring)

Club are a great way to pursue an interest and make new friends! We strive to offer a diverse selection of clubs that meet after school. Please encourage your students to get involved! The Clubs tentatively planned for the 2023-24 school year are:

To achieve Hornet Honor Society status and receive the highest award at Harriet Eddy Middle School, the Silver Hornet Award, students must complete 16 hours or more of service in 7 out of 8 different areas of responsibility. Students earn letters (H-O-R-N-E-T-S) for their achievement in these areas of responsibility.

The areas of responsibility are school service, scholastic achievement, class achievement, leadership, arts, club participation, athletics, and community service. Students can learn more about this opportunity from their teachers, counselors, and/or the daily bulletins.

The HEMS Hornet Chapter of the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) is open to all students who have met five criteria: scholarship, leadership, service, character, and citizenship. Membership in the NJHS is both an honor and a responsibility. It is an honor to be chosen and recognize your service, citizenship, leadership, and character in addition to your academic excellence. If you choose to continue your membership, you will be required to:

• Maintain a 3.0 GPA each grading period with no Ds or Fs
• Complete 24 hours of community service over the school year
• Attend NJHS meetings (minimum of 80% of meetings)
• Maintain the highest standards of conduct and excellence

NJHS is a student-run organization and officers are elected by the membership. Officers and members are expected to help with the service projects sponsored by the society. Students should wear their Honor Society shirts on meeting days and for service projects. An Induction Ceremony for new members is held in the spring. This is a formal occasion; students wear dress attire. Families are invited to join in the festivities.

For additional information about the NJHS at Harriet Eddy, please contact Dee Duenas at dduenas@egusd.net.

Students are encouraged to start thinking about college or career opportunities and begin to speak with their teachers and counselors about the ways to prepare for college and future careers.

As we begin the new school year, please support your student's academic achievement by checking Synergy via ParentVUE often, fostering open communication with teachers, and by checking your students' academic planner to discuss assignments and due dates. Parents may call 916-683-1302 or email their student's counselor to request a meeting.

Harriet Eddy's School Counselors

Christopher Wong

Last Names: A-HAN

cswong@egusd.net

Dr. EriCa Wellington

Last Names: HAO - PHA

ewelling@egusd.net

Kindra Trice

Last Names: PHB - Z

ktrice@egusd.net

Use of cell phones and other devices during the school day (receiving or sending calls and/or text messages, photos/video/music or other) will result in the cell phone or device being confiscated. Confiscated devices will be stored in a secure location and a parent or guardian will be contacted to pick up the device. Your help in enforcing these policies is imperative. Cell phone and electronic use is a great distraction at school and negatively impacts the professional learning environment for all.

Students are permitted to carry their cell phones in their backpacks during the school day, cell phones and other electronic devices such as air pods, headphones, and tablets must be turned off and their use is prohibited during school hours.

We ask that no deliveries of food, balloons, flowers, or other items be made to the school. These items should be sent home rather than to school and students will not be allowed to pick up any delivered items during the school day. If deliveries are made to school, these deliveries may held in the front office until the end of the school day or may be rejected by the office staff.

Parents or guardians have the primary responsibility for appropriate standards of dress and grooming. However, as an educational entity, the Secondary Division of the Elk Grove Unified School District has the responsibility to establish and maintain standards of dress and grooming that support a positive, appropriate, and safe learning and teaching environment. The purpose of a dress and grooming code is to facilitate education, not to inhibit any person’s taste in attire or appearance. Students should be clean and neatly dressed in a manner that will be appropriate to the school setting, not hazardous to the health and safety of the students, and not disruptive or distracting from the educational program of the school. In addition, no articles of clothing, apparel, or school materials, including hats, backpacks, and binders, may have pictures, printing, or writing that is crude, vulgar, profane, sexually suggestive, racially, ethnically, or religiously intolerant, that contain images of weapons, tobacco, drugs and/or alcohol, or which the school’s administration reasonably predicts will disrupt the learning environment.

Specifically, the students at Harriet Eddy Middle School are expected to abide by the following dress code:

PANTS, SHORTS, SKIRTS

• No undergarments showing
• No “sagging pants”

• No “short shorts” or “short skirts.” *Shorts, skirts and dresses must not be shorter than mid-thigh
• No pajamas (except for designated spirit days)
• Belts must be tucked around the waist

TOPS, SHIRTS, BLOUSES

• No undergarments showing (including clear bra straps)
• No bare midriffs: tops must completely cover the skin and overlap the waistband of pants, shorts, or skirts. When arms are raised above the student’s head, if the garment does not fall naturally below the midriff area, the student is in violation.
• No low cut tops
• No “see-through” or fishnet fabrics
• No halter tops, strapless tops, off the shoulder tops, or bra-like tops

• No muscle shirts

FOOTWEAR

• Shoes must be worn at all times
• No house slippers, “slides”, flip flops, or “wheelies” are allowed
• Crocs and the like must be worn with straps around heal

HATS AND HEAD COVERINGS

The Elk Grove Unified School District allows students to wear certain types of hats on campus to protect them from damage caused by exposure to the sun. At Harriet Eddy Middle School, students may not wear baseball caps and visors with writing and/or images that are deemed by school administration to be disruptive to the learning environment. All cap bills must face forward.

In addition, the following rules regarding hats on campus must be observed:

• Bandanas or masks are not permitted on campus
• Grooming items and headwear such as hair rollers and/or picks worn in the hair are not allowed

Please note that teachers may prohibit the wearing of hats within their individual classrooms as consistent with their respective classroom policies.

The school administration may limit or prohibit specific clothing that has been determined by law enforcement or gang experts to be affiliated with an actual gang. In consultation with law enforcement or other gang experts, the school administration may limit clothing or apparel where there is a reasonable basis for identifying such clothing or apparel as gang affiliated. Limitations and prohibitions on gang-related clothing or apparel will be applied equally to all students, and in no instance will a student’s clothing or apparel be identified as gang-related based solely on the student’s race, national origin, or ancestry.

Students failing to comply with the dress code may be asked to change into “loaner” clothing or call their parents or guardians to bring a change of clothing and may have inappropriate items confiscated, or in the case of repeated violations, may be subject to progressive disciplinary consequences.

Below is the 2023-24 Bell Schedule. We realize that this schedule appears complicated, however we are confident that it provides a benefit to our students! Some important item to note regarding this schedule:

• Students will attend all class periods on Mondays (1-7)
• Students will attend Odd Periods (1,3,5,7) on Tuesdays and Thursdays
• Students will attend Even Periods (2,4,6, 8 (KT)) on Wednesdays and Fridays
• Break - each day students get a 14-minute break in the morning
• Lunch - each day students get a 32-minute lunch break
• Early Release Wednesdays and Fridays - students will be dismissed at 2:12 pm
• Students will have a Keeping Track (Teachers Reaching Out and Connecting with Kids) course each Wednesday and Friday

Early Release Wednesdays and Fridays provide collaborative time for our staff to structure and pace curriculum, develop common assessments, and improve instructional practices.

Keeping TRACK is a program designed to build positive student and staff relationships, monitor, and assist student academic progress, and teach appropriate student behavior. Staff members will mentor a group of students and meet twice a week. During these meetings, staff will review student grades, behavior, and other academic needs.

We strongly believe that school, in particular middle school, takes the strong partnership of both the home and the school. To support this effort, parents and/or guardians are encouraged to support both our students and our teachers by scheduling a time to observe their student’s class/es.

Parents and/or guardians are the only visitors permitted to observe their student in the classroom. To minimize classroom interruptions, we request that families adhere to the following procedures:

Notify the teacher and the school secretary at least 24 hours in advance of your visit.

On the day of your visit:

1. Sign in at the front office
2. Wear the Visitor's Badge you are issued during your entire visit
3. Enter the classroom quietly, introduce yourself to the teacher, and have a seat.
4. Remain closley near your student during break and/or lunch.

Please keep in mind that classroom observations are not the time for a conference. If you would like to schedule a parent-teacher conference, please contact your student's counselor.

For excused absences, all students have 5 days to clear their absence(s) for the school's attendance records, beginning on the day they return to school. Students who do not clear their absences will be considered truant from school. Excessive truancies may result in further ourtreach efforts from Elk Grove Unified School District Attendance Improvement Office and/or Elk Grove Police Department.

Excused Absence Procedures

A. Parent/guardian calls the office at (916)683-1302 each day that you are absent. Or

B. Student brings a note signed by parent/guardian to attendance office.

1. The note must be signed

2. Include student name & student ID number

3. Dates of absences

4. Reason for absences

5. Current telephone number where parent can be reached

Easy Dismissals

Parents should come into the office to request their student for early dismissal. Please allow extra time for the students to be retrieved and please understand that we cannot call students up to the office prior to your arrival.

Ongoing efforts and opportunities for parents to connect to the school and assist their child at home will be available at Harriet Eddy Middle School this year. This will be entitled “Parent University.” Parents/Families will be encouraged to attend and participate in classes that will offer families additional support for their student. Some topics that will be covered this year are Social/Emotional Awareness, Digital Learning, Mental & Physical Wellness, Vaping & Drug Use, and Jump Start to College! Students are highly encouraged to attend with their family. Light snacks will be offered and Mrs. Gillis, Principal, will attend each of these evening sessions. Dates and times for the year will be forthcoming. We look forward to supporting our families!

The School Site Council is an advisory group of parents and school staff with an even number of representatives from each group. The purpose of the School Site Council is to monitor the Site Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP). The Site LCAP is a legal document used to allocate the funds of various programs. The expenditure of every dollar of the Site LCAP funds must be directly linked to an activity in the school plan. The plan is developed to meet the educational, social, and emotional needs of all students at the school.

The Council meets five times per year. We need to elect 3 parent representatives to our Council for the 2023-24 school year. To be a voting member of the council, you must be elected to the position. You may self-nominate and vote for yourself.

If you would like to become a member oof the School Site Council, please nominate yourself, or another parent you know who may be interested, by completing the attached Google Form by Thursday, August 31st. Please clink on the link below (a google account is required).

Harriet Eddy believes in a strong parent and school partnership. The Harriet Eddy Parent Teacher Organization is a great way to support our school. Families can be involved in a variety of ways!

Please join us for a HEMS PTO Meet and Greet August 9th @ 5 pm just before the Back to School Night Celebration.

Stop by and meet the current President of the PTO Board and our principal, Norma Gillis.

Learn about open opportunities to serve on the PTO Board.

Meet other incoming HEMS parents looking to be involved!

If you have questions about the PTO please email harrieteddypto@gmail.com

Campus supervision is provided beginning at 7:45 am. Students are expected to leave campus promptly at the end of the school day (3:12 pm on M/Tu/Th and 2:12 pm on W/F) except for students participating in clubs, meetings, or athletics. There is no supervision after 4 pm. We appreciate your support in reinforcing this message at home.

Front Office Hours during the School Year

Mon. - Fri. 7:30 am - 4 pm

Minimum days 7:30 am - 1:30 pm