HSD News Round-Up

October 28 is a big day in the HSD. It is the day of both the HHES Halloween Carnival and Haunted Hustle 5K and Kids Costume Mile made possible by PWT and AAA Boosters, respectively.

The carnival is a community tradition designed to give Hockinson’s younger students a fun and safe Halloween event. Ditto that for the costume mile (and 5k!). But the fun run, which takes place at Hockinson Community Park, is also a fundraiser for HHS athletics and activities as is the week-long event that precedes it: The Hawk-o-Ween Virtual Auction.

Click HERE to register for the Fun Run or Costume Mile and HERE to register/bid on auction items.

The HSD is committed to keeping families informed about important information impacting students and schools. On Wednesday, we received concerning information from the Seattle FBI warning schools about violent online groups targeting young people on social media and other public platforms. While we are not aware of any local incidents, we are sharing this information to promote awareness, encourage preventative conversations, and help families understand warning signs.

According to the FBI, the group, which goes by many names (676, 764, CVLT, Court, Kaskar, Harm Nation, Leak Society, and H3ll) targets minors on publicly available messaging platforms and extorts them into recording or live-streaming acts of self-harm or producing child sexual abuse material. This footage is then circulated among members to further coerce and exert control. You can view the FBI's public service announcement HERE.

In reported cases, the groups target young people between the ages of 8 and 17, specifically LGBTQ+ youth, racial minorities, and young people who are impacted by mental health challenges like depression and suicidal ideation.

Awareness for Families

• Talk with your student(s) about the presence of these groups online and urge them to be cautious when posting photos, videos, or any identifying information on social media, dating apps, or other online sites. Publicly posted images and videos combined with advancements in technology provide bad actors with a supply of content to target and exploit young people and foster criminal activity.

• Monitor the online activity of young people and discuss risks associated with sharing personal information online.

• Understand the warning signs of self-harm and/or suicidal ideations and provide immediate support.

• Sudden behavior changes such as becoming withdrawn, moody, or irritable.

• Sudden changes in appearance, especially neglect of appearance.

• Dropping out of activities and becoming more isolated and withdrawn.

• Scars, often in patterns.

• Fresh cuts, scratches, bruises, bite marks, burns, or other wounds.

• Wearing long sleeves or pants in hot weather.

• Threatening suicide and openly talking about death or not being wanted or needed.

• Resource: Preventing Suicide: A Toolkit for High Schools

• Resource: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

If you or your student needs support, please reach out to your school's administrators or counselor(s). We understand this information is deeply disturbing, and our goal in sharing it is to provide families with awareness, resources, and support when navigating these difficult conversations.

We want HSD parents and guardians to understand how your children use Google-related services in the classroom. This letter is intended to:

1. Explain Google Workspace for Education and how it currently accesses third-party online services, such as educational apps and extensions, which have different privacy policies and data-sharing agreements; and

2. Notify families of the opportunity to opt out of these third-party services.

What is Google Workspace for Education?

Currently, HSD students operate under Google Workspace for Education (GWE) accounts. GWE offers two categories of Google services: Core Services (like Gmail, Drive, Calendar, and Classroom) and Additional Services (like YouTube and Maps) that can be used with GWE accounts if allowed for educational purposes by a school’s domain administrator. This article explains more about the differences between Core and Additional Services.

The HSD is learning how we can manage which Core and Additional Services our students can access with their Google Workspace for Education accounts. HSD schools and teachers use multiple Additional Services, which students access using their HSD student accounts. While these services have educational value, they come with privacy and security considerations. Both Google and the HSD both want parents to be aware that their students are accessing these online learning services and that they have the option to opt out of these services for their children who are under 18 years of age. You can learn more HERE.

Hockinson Hornets have been buzzing with kindness at HHES!

HHES students and staff have been enjoying a spirit day, an activity, and a challenge each week leading up to Kindness Day on Wednesday, October 18. All of this is to promote positivity within HHES and foster a welcoming school environment.

Students donned red, white, and blue to kickstart the first spirit day and pay respects to those lost on 9/11. They were challenged to compliment 5 people throughout the week and design a poster representing what kindness meant to them. Posters were chosen to be displayed in the cafeteria, and 26 artists received 3 prizes: One for themselves, one for their teacher, and one to give away!

Kindness shone brightly on 9/13 as students and staff rocked neon clothes and bright colors. Students spent last week filling up Kindness Walls around HHES with positive notes and compliments for others at school. A ‘try not to smile’ competition ran during lunchtime all week. (Students had a hard time not cracking a smile or two.) Last week, students were encouraged to go “wild about kindness” and wear their silliest, craziest mismatched outfits and write a nice note to a teacher or loved one. Riddles guaranteed to make students smile were placed in the lunchroom for the weekly challenge. This past Wednesday, students “tipped their hats” to kindness.

HHES is looking forward to two more weeks of spirit days and festivities leading up to October 18. On this day, all HSD students are encouraged to wear orange as a sign of commitment to kindness. HHES will celebrate with orange prizes, a student kindness pledge, and volunteers to greet students at the start of the school day.

The HSD is extending an invitation to our community to take an inside look at a day in the life of our students and teachers on Wednesday, Oct. 18. We would love to have you join us on this year’s “Focus on Learning” School Tour. According to HSD Superintendent Steve Marshall, the tour “is an opportunity for our community to observe and experience what it’s like to attend school today. Guests will visit classrooms to see what students are learning and how our schools are working to equip them for success every step of the way, even post-high school.”

Participants will get better acquainted with each school’s campus, learn about each school's improvement plan and student-learning initiatives, and observe a classroom in action. They will also meet School Board members Patrick Carter and Teresa VanNatta, Superintendent Steve Marshall, and Principals Meredith Gannon, Bess Colpron, and Tim Fox.

Click HERE for additional details and registration information.

The HSD pursues a number of school improvement initiatives, but we make it a point to stick close to the “Big Three” priorities of our district’s strategic plan: Academics, School Culture & Facilities, and Community & Communications. Regarding our facilities, HSD Operations Director Dave Wilson coordinated the completion of a number of important facility maintenance projects this summer. We will be highlighting these improvements on social media through our Facilities Friday posts (click here to view a document version of the post). The first project featured was a new retaining wall along the HMS track. Stay tuned this Friday to learn more about the parking lot repairs at the Hockinson Community Center.

The first Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) Meeting of the 2023-24 school year will be held at 6 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 2. This is a public meeting that our community can sit in on via Zoom, if interested. What is the CAC? Its twofold purpose is to keep the School Board informed on the needs of the community and to also inform the community of district needs.

Also, the HSD will facilitate the first Facilities Planning Committee meeting of the year on Wednesday, Oct. 25 at 6 pm. The Facilities Planning Committee will pick up where our Long-Range Facilities Task Force left off last spring by studying district facility maintenance and construction needs before ultimately recommending a proposal for addressing those needs to the School Board. There are a limited number of seats available for this committee. Apply HERE if you are interested in participating in this process.

As with the CAC, these meetings will be broadcast on Zoom so interested community members can sit in.

Keep an eye out for information about our two other opportunities to get involved: HSD's Wellness Committee, which meets quarterly, and the Budget Advisory Committee, which will meet in the spring.

This summer, HSD parents were asked to share their input and rate our district and schools on a variety of factors. Raw survey data was shared with the School Board at its September 11 Work Session and school administrators at a meeting three days later. Data was disaggregated by school and principals were asked to consider their parents’ scores and commentary when creating their school improvement plans, which will be presented to the Board in October.

A sampling of response data from the survey’s quantitative (Likert scale) questions appears below. To protect the confidentiality of survey respondents, we are reviewing written responses and identifying themes that will be shared along with all quantitative survey data, in next month’s Round-Up. Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s perception survey. This input, along with that from our school’s parent and student surveys, helps inform our improvement initiatives.

Please click on each image to expand.

As agreed to in the HSD’s 2023-26 teacher collective bargaining agreement, the HSD’s parent-teacher conference schedule will look different for our secondary schools than in years past. The biggest change? Whereas HHES will continue to operate on its 5-day model for fall-spring conferences, HMS and HHS will have 3 days of conferences in the fall and 2 in the spring. Unlike the designated conference days, which are half-days, the remaining 5 days at HMS and HHS will be full days. Confused? We understand! In short, all three schools will be on the same schedule for 3 days in the fall and 2 days in the spring:

Fall Conferences: Oct. 23 & 24 HHES only & Oct. 25 - 27 All three schools

Spring Conferences: Mar. 25 - 27 HHES only & Mar. 28 & 29 All three schools

We will be posting an updated 2023-24 calendar on our website next week.

As we conclude our first month of school, we are seeing an increase in student and staff illness. Families are asking how HSD schools are helping to prevent the spread of infectious respiratory illnesses including flu, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), and COVID-19.

All schools continue to adhere to best practices such as enhanced ventilation and air filtration, providing hand sanitizing stations, and disinfecting common surfaces. Students are also encouraged to wash their hands frequently and to practice good respirator etiquette. Respiratory etiquette means practicing healthy habits, including:

• Covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.

• Throwing used tissues in the trash.

• Coughing and sneezing into your elbow, not your hands, when you don’t have a tissue.

We ask that families encourage these practices at home (Handwashing - A Family Activity.) Regular handwashing is one of the best ways to remove germs, avoid getting sick, and prevent the spread of germs to others.

As a reminder, Department of Health COVID guidance for schools and child care remains the same as it was last school year and can be found here. Follow this decision tree to determine when kids and staff should stay home and get tested. HSD schools will continue to provide at-home COVID-19 tests to families.

Finally, if your child has any symptoms, such as cough, fever, sore throat, vomiting, or diarrhea, (or other symptoms of COVID) please keep them home. Remember that students should not return to school until they have not had a fever for a full 24 hours without a fever-reducing medication. Thank you for helping to keep our students and staff healthy this winter.

All of today’s News Bites share three themes: Shout-outs, Partnerships, and Service.

The HSD enjoys a high level of parent involvement and support. There are two parent organizations, in particular, that benefit our classrooms, schools, and their extracurricular programs: PWT and AAA Boosters. While the focus of the latter is primarily around HHS athletics and activities, the Boosters do an incredible job of creating community identity and opportunities for our families to gather and connect. Five examples are the annual Fun Days carnival and Holiday Bazaar, the Haunted Hustle fun run, its line of HHS and Hockinson wear and spirit items, and the school’s new concessions stand that enlivens and enhances our home stadium games. Meanwhile, our PWT supports our schools’ academics and school cultures by organizing a number of recurring events, such as Scholastic Book Fairs and events like the upcoming Halloween Carnival.

Bill Hibbs and Clark Public Utilities: Bill Hibbs, who works as a Key Accounts Manager for Clark Public Utilities, has been an integral part of our energy management program. Our district’s Strategic Plan places a high emphasis on cost-effectiveness, namely:

- Seek efficiencies and look within to maximize existing HSD resources;

- Apply a frugal approach to achieve every identified priority;

- Pursue grants and partnerships to reduce maintenance costs with an eye on sustainability.

We have saluted Bill and CPU before, but they deserve another shout-out for helping the HSD secure grants and realize big energy savings. Hibbs has directed the district to a $40,000 exterior lighting grant, a $470,000 Department of Commerce energy efficiency grant, and the utility’s Strategic Energy Management program. In total, these programs have assisted the HSD in reducing its electricity usage by 19% over the past four years (corrected for the pandemic).

Thank you, Price Foundation! The Frank and Arlene Price Foundation, based in Woodland, WA has been a generous supporter of Hockinson schools. This year, the foundation awarded the HSD $22,000 to support our district’s multilingual and career education programs.

Big Thanks to Citizens for Hockinson Schools who contacted Clark County to inquire about the status of striping crosswalks at the intersection of 182nd Ave. and 159th St. This critical safety need is now on the county’s radar and we expect the crosswalks to be in place soon.

Finally, we want to acknowledge the generous contributions of local businesses on our recent facility improvement projects such as Greenwood Painting, Superior Sweeping, Cornerstone Masonry, Breckinridge Construction, G3 Electric, AKS Engineering, Dynamic Drywall, Krippner Painting, R & S Manufacturing and more. Thank you for making a difference in our schools!

-Sept. 29 Submit FRL Application and Consent to Share to qualify for free lunches and fee waivers or continue existing FRL benefits
-Oct. 6 HHS Homecoming Tailgate 5 pm (and HHS Spirit Wear Pop Up) & Football Game 7 pm
-Oct. 9 HSD School Board Work Session 6 pm via Zoom
-Oct. 13 State Inservice Day for teacher trainings * No student attendance *
-Oct. 18 Community “Focus on Learning” Tour
and Unity Day at HSD Schools - Students & staff wear orange!
-Oct 21-28 HHS Boosters’ Hawk-o-ween Virtual Auction (More info HERE)
-Oct. 23 - 27 Fall Parent-Teacher Conference Week (HMS and HHS on Oct. 25, 26 & 27)
-Oct. 28 PWT Halloween Carnival at HHES and HHS Boosters’ Haunted Hustle Fun Run Registration info
-Oct. 30 HSD School Board Regular Meeting 6 pm at HCC & Zoom

HHS Fall Sports Schedules available HERE

Email: amelia.holmes@hocksd.org
Website: https://www.hocksd.org/
Location: 17912 NE 159th St, Brush Prairie, WA 98606, USA
Phone: (360) 448-6400