HMS Connection

Greetings from HMS!

We are inviting parents and caregivers to provide us with important feedback on the "homework experience" for students in our school.

This brief, 15 item survey will provide us with important data regarding time spent on assignments, the level of support necessary to complete them, and other factors impacting students when it comes to completing homework.

When completing this survey, please understand that when we talk about time spent on assignments, we are talking about "focused attention" on assignments. Working free of distractions and interference.

You are also welcome to complete and share a log of your middle schooler's homework assignments and the time it takes to complete them for a one week period of time. The instructions and template are included in the survey.

To complete the survey, please click here.

We thank you in advance for your help and insight.

Join Superintendent Kathryn (Katie) Roberts at the Hingham Farmers Market this weekend from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM to share your input on our Portrait of a Learner work.

Congratulations to Abby Farris for being chosen as our HMS Project 351 Ambassador!

Project 351 has an 8th grade ambassador from each of the 351 districts in Massachusetts who serve their communities and exemplify the values of kindness, compassion, humility, and gratitude. Through service projects in their own communities, each ambassador from every district shows initiative and leadership.

Abby has shown all these traits in Hingham, in and out of school, through her volunteerism and compassion for others. She is excited to come up with her own service project and work with others to help those in need in our community!

This fall, Hingham Public Schools will begin a process known as Portrait of a Graduate (POG), or Vision of a Learner (VOL), which will serve as "pre-work" for our district's formal strategic planning that will begin in January. Through the Portrait of a Graduate/Vision of a Learner process, our community will work together to outline the skills and competencies that Hingham students will need to thrive in learning, work, and life.

We invite all parents, caregivers and community members to provide input through the attached survey.

HMS Ski Club sign-up is now open!

If you are interested in attending any of the three trips to Pats Peak with HMS this year, please complete the form below and return it to HMS by Friday, November 15.

As a reminder, the trip dates this year are:

• January 4, 2025
• February 1, 2025
• March 8, 2025

Students can also order Ski Club hoodies if they are interested. (Form is also attached.)

On Halloween all the eight grade science classes worked on a STEM project to make catapults to launch candy pumpkins down the hall.

Pictured above are members of the Judicial Jaguars team testing their creations.

We are thrilled to announce an upcoming team T-shirt design contest for our 8th graders, starting on Monday, November 4th, and running through Friday, November 15th. Winning t-shirt designs will be decided by the students and will be placed on their respective team shirts for the 24-25 school year. Please encourage your child to participate in the contest, we cannot wait to see what our talented students will create! See Mrs. Dillon in Room 316 for more information.

To order your team shirt click the link here https://forms.gle/cq5t7QzTn7cTm18p9

Thank you for supporting HMS 8th Graders!

Colleen Dillon cdillon@hinghamschools.org

Tim Galvin tgalvin@hinghamschools.org

Please remember that dogs must be on a leash at all times when on all Hingham Public Schools fields or grounds. This includes nights and weekends. This policy ensures a safe environment for everyone to enjoy the space. Thank you for your cooperation!

• 11/11 Veterans Day - No School
• 11/19 HMS PTO Meeting via Zoom, 7:00 PM
• 11/25 Harvard Veritones Performance for Students
• 11/27 Early Release
• 11/28 - 12/1 Thanksgiving Recess

Interested in what's going on after school next week?

Check out our Week-at-a-Glance below!

Huge thank you to our Staff Appreciation Chair, Leigh Roy, for coordinating this incredible Halloween spread, “No Tricks Here, Just Treats.” Thank you to all those who donated to the snack supply!

Our next HMS PTO meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 19, at 7:00 PM. This meeting will be held via Zoom and a link will be shared prior to the date.

Please reach out with any questions!

Crystal Sullivan, President (csullivan@sullivan-solutions.com)

Alison Chamberlain, Vice President (alison.deliachamberlain@gmail.com)

Molly Richards, Treasurer (mrichards0614@gmail.com)

Vanessa Peregrine, Secretary (Vanessa.Peregrine@gmail.com)

Kids grow like weeds! If your closets are overflowing in the way your kids Halloween candy stash is, save yourself a trip to Savers!

HMPA is seeking donations of youth sizes of the following items for our community concert clothing swap:

• Black pants/trousers (sizes to fit grades 5-12)

• Black shirts (sizes to fit grades 9-12- no t-shirts)

• White shirts (sizes to fit grades 5-8- no t-shirts)

Drop your middle school and high school kid’s outgrown black and white attire in the bins at the entrance of the middle and high school through the month of November and benefit other music students who need to swap up a size.

Bins will be available for donations throughout the month of November. Families will be invited to select complimentary items for their music students in advance of the winter concerts.

Please reach out with questions to hmpa.news@gmail.com.

Hingham High School Drama Presents: Hadestown: Teen Edition, November 21-23rd. Tickets on sale NOW! All performances will be at the Hingham Middle School Auditorium. Come see this not to miss musical theater extravaganza! For more information and to purchase tickets click here: https://www.onthestage.tickets/show/hingham-high-school/

What are you most concerned about in our community? How can we make Hingham more welcoming to all? Join us for some light snacks and libations at the lovely Ames Chapel and share your thoughts to shape our future programming.

Free and open to ALL who live, work, study, worship or otherwise have a connection to Hingham! Please register in advance to help us plan: https://hinghamunity.org/event/community-night-out-2024/