Welcome Back to HHS

Dear HHS families and scholars,

Welcome to the 2024-2025 school year! As we embark on this journey together, I am thrilled to extend a warm welcome to each of you and share some exciting developments happening at Hopkins High School (HHS).

At HHS, we are deeply committed to the well-being and success of our scholars, and this year we have improved our support systems to ensure that each scholar thrives. We have expanded our partnerships to include chemical dependency counselors through Reed Behavior Health who will be available to our scholars at no cost to families. This addition will strengthen our ability to provide comprehensive support for scholars facing substance abuse.

In addition to this, we are in the process of adding more mental health therapists to our team. These professionals will work alongside our already dedicated and skilled school counselors, social workers, and school psychologists to ensure that all scholars have access to the emotional and mental health resources they need.

We are also continuing our valued partnership with myHealth. Through this collaboration, we are fortunate to have a Health Mentor located at HHS who will support our scholars with a variety of health needs and co-teach lessons in our health classes. This partnership has been instrumental in fostering a healthier school environment and providing our scholars with the knowledge and support they need to make informed decisions about their well-being.

I am also pleased to share that our digital learning days have been a significant catalyst for improving our instructional practice and curriculum development. These experiences have allowed our teachers to innovate and refine their teaching methods, ensuring that we provide an enhanced academic experience for our scholars. We are committed to leveraging these lessons to continually elevate the quality of education at HHS.

Additionally, I am excited to announce that we will debut a new college readiness platform this year, replacing our previous platform, Naviance. The new platform, Maia Learning, will allow scholars to personalize their college readiness experiences based on their unique interests. At HHS we value each scholar having a clearly articulated plan that will lead them to a 4-year, college, 2-year college, military, trade school, gap year, or workforce experience upon graduation. Maia Learning is a tool that will empower our scholars to take ownership of their futures in a way that is tailored to their goals and aspirations.

In addition to these enhanced resources, I am excited to invite you to join us in learning about our school goals and progress toward them each term. We believe that transparent communication and collaboration with families are key ingredients to the success of our scholars. To further this, we will also be offering monthly opportunities for you to engage in meaningful conversations before and after school on high-interest topics. These sessions are designed to keep you informed and involved in your scholar’s education and to address any questions or concerns you may have. Information regarding these opportunities will be shared in a later communication.

We are looking forward to a year full of growth, achievement, and strong partnership. Thank you for your continued support and dedication to our school community. Together, we will make this school year a successful and rewarding experience for all.

Orientation is also the First Day for Ninth Graders scheduled for August 29, from 8:40-3:25. Our school buses will pick up scholars on this day. Breakfast and lunch will be served free of charge to scholars. During Orientation, freshmen will be issued Chromebooks, identify where their classes meet, meet their teachers, and participate in team-building activities with our Link Crew. Link Crew is a group of juniors and seniors who have volunteered to take on additional leadership responsibilities to welcome the newest members of HHS. Our Hopkins Schools Calendar can be found here.

Our open house event on Thursday, August 29, is structured so that families can attend anytime between 4:00-6:00pm. Principal Ballard will be hosting two presentations in the auditorium at 4:30 or 5:30. New high school scholars can stop by to tour the school, pick up their Chromebooks, and meet their teachers. Counselors will be available to meet with scholars and their families to discuss how they can support your scholar during the upcoming school year and to begin to build a relationship with you and your scholar.

This year we have adjusted our counselor caseload to an alpha split. This means each counselor has a caseload at each grade level. Each of our 6 counselors will have a portion of the alphabet based on scholars’ last names.

The counselor configuration is below:

• Samantha Bratrud: A-Ce

• Dana Baker: Ch-G

• Denise Nohlquist : H-K

• Janelle Gillis: L-N

• Jeff Matchette: O-Sm

• Rachel Nelson: Sn-Z

Our counselors are working to balance schedules. Counselors will release schedules on Friday, August 23rd. They will be available to view in Infinite Campus.

Each scholar receives 1 free breakfast and 1 free lunch. Scholars who would like to purchase additional food items may add money to their accounts. Details can be found here.

Applications for Educational Benefits must be submitted each year. Scholars who are eligible for educational benefits receive discounted rates for but not limited to:

• School Dances

• Parking Passes

• Athletics

• ACT Registration

• College Applications

• Internet for certain providers

• Scholarships and Grants

Use this link to fill out an annual application to determine eligibility.

First block starts each day at 8:40AM, and scholars are expected to be in their first block class at this time. A copy of our bell schedule can be found here.

Our vendor for electronic payment for parking passes has experienced some technical difficulties. As such, electronic payments for parking passes are not ready yet. We anticipate the system will be up and running next week. More details about parking passes can be found here. Parking passes are $160 per year and $80 for scholars who are eligible for educational benefits.

Our Homecoming Dance is scheduled for Saturday, September 28. The dance will take place at HHS in the Mall. Ticket sales will start 2 weeks before the dance during school lunches. Scholars who would like to bring a guest from another high school must fill out a guest form that will be shared closer to the date of the dance. The guest must be in good standing at their high school. Scholars who are not enrolled in high school are not permitted to attend our dance.

Lockers are issued upon request. Scholars scan QR code in main office and complete form. A locker #, combination, and location will be listed in the scholar's Infinite Campus under the ‘Lockers’ tab within 24 hours. Scholars will keep the same locker for all their years at Hopkins High School.

All scholars wishing to participate in prayer during the school day must have a signed permission slip from a parent/caregiver. The largest population of scholars who pray during the school day at HHS are scholars who are Muslim. We would love help with facilitating safe prayer spaces for our scholars. If you are interested in helping supervise the Dhuhr prayer at HHS, please let us know by signing up here.

Scholars may use the restrooms before school, during passing time, during lunch, or when given a pass from a staff member. HHS has 10 all-gender restroom locations. The locations are below.

• Second floor south (1)

• First floor south (1)

• Second floor west (1)

• Near the little theater (2)

• In the RAC (2)

• Behind the Stage (ask the greeter for access) (2)

• In the Health Office (1)

The locations for the all-gender restrooms are also posted outside of our gendered restrooms.

Fall sports have started. Scholars who are involved in activities typically have a better overall school experience. We have a strong desire for scholars to be involved in school beyond academics. Registration information for athletics can be found here. During the 3rd week of school, we will host an activity fair. During the fair, existing clubs will table during lunches to seek new members. An updated list of clubs will be shared on our website shortly after the fair.

Transportation information can be found here.

Email: crystal.ballard@hopkinsschools.org
Website: https://hopkinsschools.org/schools/secondary-schools/hopkins-high-school
Location: 2400 Royals Drive, Minnetonka, Minnesota 55305, USA
Phone: (952) 988-4500
Facebook: facebook.com/hopkinsroyals270/
Twitter: @HopkinsHigh270