Hidden River Newsletter
Week of April 24th - 28th, 2023
Weekly Reminders
- SAVE THE DATES:
Tues., April 25th - MCA Math Testing all grade from 9:00-11:00am
Thurs., April - SPPS African American Parents School Safety Meeting at Progressive Baptist Church from 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Fri., April 28th - Quarter 3 Honor Roll Ceremony from 9:00-10:00am in Cafeteria
Next Week: (5/1-5/5)
Wed., May 3rd - National Bike/Walk to School Day
What's in the Newsletter?
- School Information
- Counseling Corner
- FSO Meeting Info
- Classroom Updates
- Staff Appreciation Week
- Bike/Walk to School Day
- FLIPSIDE
- Summer Learning Program
- Family Feedback Form
School Information
MCA Information: Hidden River will be doing the MCA Math test on Tuesday 4/25 during the morning. Please help your student prepare by asking them if they have their iPad, if it is updated, and helping them make sure they bring a charged iPad to school on testing day. Reminder that students cannot have phones, or any Bluetooth technology on them during testing. Students can leave these items at home, in their lockers or their teacher will have a safe space to hold these items. If you have any questions, you can email the testing coordinator at kathryn.bannon@spps.org Additional information please click the link. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YLO2TclPzDh1g3feUCOkAATq4GXQBcquDjLrTkK7txo/edit?usp=sharing
3rd Quarter Honor Roll Ceremony - Friday, April 29th at 9:00 AM: Come celebrate our scholars' success during the third quarter at the honor roll recognition event. Students who qualify will receive invitations to the ceremony this week. Planning on attending and willing to help us set up refreshments? Please sign-up here. (You won't miss any of the ceremony! We do our work in the back of the cafeteria while the ceremony takes place on the front stage.)
Become a Language Development Tutor: Hidden River Middle School is looking for tutors for the 2023-24 school year. You can take action in our community by giving your time and talent to help multilingual students strengthen their skills! As a Language Development Tutor, you’ll mentor middle school students and provide support in and out of the classroom to help them understand lessons, navigate assignments and build their confidence. Full-time positions are available with opportunities to begin in July.
Perks as a Tutor:
· Receive a paid stipend every two weeks
· Earn up to $4,546 for college tuition or student loans. Tutors 55 and older may gift the award to their child, grandchild, stepchild or foster child.
· Free health insurance and child care assistance for those who qualify Ready to put your passion in action? Learn more at ampact.us/language. Questions can be sent to join@ampact.org or call 866.859.2825
Counseling Corner
2023-24 Course Registration
- 8th Graders: Course Registration Assembly and visit from Central High School student choir & Counselors was on Tuesday, April 18th. Central High School staff meet with the 8th graders to discuss high school course selection, sports options and answered questions about high school (CHS specifically). Students were given a blue 2023-24 Course Registration form to share with families. If your child is not attending Central, but rather another SPPS or other twin cities high school and has NOT selected their classes, please check in with your child counselors if needed. Students attending Central High School (CHS) who still need help to select classes can stop by the Hidden River counseling office for help.
- Current 6th/7th: In-house course registration will take place the first week of May during Math classes. On Thursday & Friday, April 27th & April 28th, students will be given a course registration form to bring home to share with parents. While much of the middle school schedule is pre-filled with required core classes, students will have an opportunity to select a few enrichment/elective classes to be added to their schedule. Please watch for the course registration form in the coming week. This page is for you/your child’s information and does not need to be returned. Please know that class schedule placements are random and special requests cannot be honored. Thank you for understanding. Please direct all course schedule/registration questions to the HRMS Counselors, Ms. Woodruff and Mr. Nigatu.
- Current 5th/Incoming 6th Grade Families: New Student Communications is set to be shared with families as soon as the official list of incoming students is shared with Ms. Woodruff from the SPPS Placement Center. Once this happens, families will begin to receive text messages, emails, and a robo-call (or two) as we prepare for the arrival of new students. In the meantime, we ask that families make sure their contact information is up to date so that there are no missed connections.
8th Grade Individual Academic Conference
- As part of the transition to high school, HRMS counselors are meeting with 8th grade students individually to answer questions and ensure that students are on track for high school. The individual academic conferences started in late September and will continue through the end of May. Topics include goal setting, the review of middle school transcripts, course credits and the role credits play in middle/high school; and the more immediate, 8th grade recognition ceremony. If you would like a copy of your child’s middle school transcripts, please let your child’s counselor know and we will be happy to mail or email them to you.
- The 8th Grade Recognition Ceremony (much like a graduation) is the year-end celebration honoring our 8th graders in their last days of middle school. This year’s ceremony will be held on the morning of June 13th (more details later). Students are aware they must be academically eligible to participate. HRMS counselors will continue to connect with parents/guardians during the individual academic conferences to ensure that students have an added layer of support in these last 2 months of middle school. Families, please contact the HRMS School Counselors with any questions you may have.
Grades Request, Report Cards, Q3 Honor Roll
- Quarter 3 grades have been finalized and posted to student transcripts district wide. This means that counselor can now provide grade reports to families (upon request). Previous Grade Requests will be honored from Q1 & Q2 so families are not required to complete new requests. For families who have not yet requested grades, please click the link below to let the HRMS Counselors know how you would like to receive your child’s Q3 grades. As a reminder, quarter ending grades become available 2-3 weeks after the quarter ends. This gives teachers time to finalize their grade books and ensure proper grades have been entered.
- Request Q3 grades here - https://forms.gle/Q83FXoVRDM5F7jSh7
- Honor Roll Recognition: Friday, April 28th, Hidden River Cafeteria, 9:00am. Honoring students with 3.33 - 4.0+ gpa rankings in Q3. Eligible students will receive a printed invite on Monday 4/24 & Tuesday 4/25. Invites will be distributed at the end of the school day.
Got Questions? Let the HRMS Counselors know.
Student last names A-L (all grades) Barbie.woodruff@spps.org
Student last names M-Z (all grades) Ayoub.Nigatu@spps.org
FSO Meeting on "Screen-Smart Parenting"
Thank you to presenter Patty Ostberg-Speiker and the parents and guardians who came together for a discussion on how our families approach screen time. Feeling overwhelmed and unsure of where to start when it comes to setting guidelines for your middle-schooler? Patty pointed us to a number of great resources - including Common Sense Media (www.commonsensemedia.org). You can download a Family Media Agreement to start the discussion around expectations and involve your child in the process of setting limits and assuming responsibility. You can also find more information on Patty's professional practice - including Parent Coaching - on the Evergreen Therapy and Coaching website.
Classroom Updates
French Classes
History Day State Competition
Otters competed in State History Day at the University of Minnesota with more than 700 other students coming from different schools in Minnesota. It was an authentic and academic adventure, and our students have considerably matured from this experience: J. C., F. E., William Jordan, James McCann, Georgia Kotsonas, and Alma Mbangwana.
Thank you to all the guardians and families who supported our students. Thank you so much for your trust in Hidden River Middle School. As we say in French: “Je vous tire mon chapeau !”
One of our Otters, Georgia Kotsonas, was awarded Honorable Mention in the Junior Individual Exhibit category for their topic “The Godmother of the Galaxies: How Henrietta Leavitt’s Discovery Shaped the Universe as We Know it Today” (Kotsonas, 2023).
Hidden River Staff Appreciation Week
The first week of May is Teacher/Staff Appreciation! Help us shower our Hidden River educators with love. If you'd like to write a card to a special teacher or staff member, we've got a collection box set up in the office (we've even got extra blank cards if you need one). If families and students would like to post notes online, they can do so here. We'll also provide a special breakfast and lunch that week so stay tuned for opportunities to help with set up and clean up
Bike/Walk to School Day - Wednesday, May 3rd
How should I get to school?
When thinking about which streets you’ll take to get to school there are a couple of resources that may help you decide. First, the city of Saint Paul has information on bikeways, which you can find here: https://www.stpaul.gov/departments/public-works/transportation-and-transit/bike-saint-paul/bicycle-maps. The map shows where there are a in-street bikeways and off-street side paths. People who bike are to ride like they are driving a car. The Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota has more on the rules of the road here https://www.bikemn.org/mn-bicycling-handbook/rules-of-the-road/. When approaching intersections be sure to look for people driving, and make sure to stop at stop signs and follow traffic signals. At stop signs, check for traffic in all directions and make sure it’s safe to cross. Follow traffic signals and pay attention for turning drivers. If you are turning, signal your turn by pointing the direction you want to travel.
If you are crossing a multi-lane road like Snelling make sure all lanes of traffic are clear. If you are in the crosswalk, and a driver stops for you to cross, proceed carefully and continue to check for other motorists.
Find a Biking Buddy
We love to see the bike racks filling up each morning as the weather improves. Do you have a student who is interested in biking to school, but hesitant to get started? Or is your student an experienced biker who's willing to help a neighbor get started? We would love to connect students in your neighborhood to encourage more biking. If your student is interested in participating, please fill out this form and we will reach out to you if we can make a connection.
FLIPSIDE
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Flipside Summer Camps see flyer here. Registrations will be available on April 10th with the Flipside Coordinator, Teanna Rouillard. ALL REGISTRATIONS WILL BE ON PAPER and paper registrations must be turned into Ms. Teanna.