HSD Communications Survey
This spring, Hockinson families shared their thoughts and feedback on school and district communications in the 2024 HSD Communications Survey. School and district staff use the results from this survey to adjust and enhance the effectiveness of HSD communications and best serve your needs.
What did we learn?
HSD families prefer e-newsletters, social media, and backpack flyers
Frequency of Communications Hitting the Mark for Most HSD Families
Families like the timeliness and trustworthiness of school communications
HSD Families Feel Informed about Facilities Projects
Readability an Area for Improvement
HSD Families Need More Info to Make the Most of Student Opportunities
To see the full survey summary and distribution of responses, click here!
Facilities Planning Committee (FCP) Survey
The Facilities Planning Committee (FPC) recently conducted a survey to gather community input on the most important facility projects in our district. There were four options that emerged as top community priorities:
- Addressing the overcrowding at Hockinson Heights Elementary School (HHES)
- Safety upgrades at HHES
- Track resurfacing at Hockinson High School (HHS) and HHS stadium field improvement
- HVAC/roof replacement at HHS, HHES, and Community Education Center/ District Office
Respondents voiced a strong commitment to addressing overcrowding at Hockinson Heights Elementary School which, with an enrollment of 923 students, is the largest elementary school in Clark County. As anticipated, school safety/security and critical building maintenance were also identified as strong priorities among HSD families.
On behalf of the FCP, we want to thank everyone who participated in this initial engagement in the facilities planning process. The FCP will be using community input from future outreach efforts to develop short-term and long-term solutions to facilities needs at its bi-monthly meetings. We look forward to collaborating with you. Learn more about the Facilities Planning Committee on the district website here.
- Submitted by Megan McChesney and Courtney Tomlinson
Mean Girls a Nice Opportunity to Enjoy Talents of HHS Theatre Students (and Staff, Volunteers)
Hockinson High School’s spring drama production, Mean Girls the Musical, opened this weekend on Friday, May 3. There’s still time to catch this entertaining PG-13 performance. The remaining showings are on May 9, 10, and 11 at 7 pm. Tickets are $12 for adults and $9 for students/seniors.
Principal Tim Fox, who attended opening night, walked away starstruck. "I cannot express how incredible impressed and proud I am with [Stephanie] Evans and her direction of this musical. A huge thank you to Mr. McEnry and the pit orchestra, Mr. Huset and his Stage Crafts students, and Mr. Curtland and Robotics for their contributions to the production. The effort of the students is obvious throughout the performance, but it only gives us a glimpse into how much time and energy they put into the preparing for a performance of this quality," said Fox.
Nearly 80 students in the cast, crew, and pit orchestra are involved in making this production come to life in the Hockinson High School Auditorium.
“Launching Futures” Event at HHS a College & Career Fair of Epic Proportions
On May 16, Hockinson High School (HHS) will host the second annual Launching Futures College and Career Fair event in the HHS Commons. The event brings together more than 100 organizations, including local colleges, universities, trade schools, and industry leaders. HHS students get exclusive access from 2:30-3:30 pm, and the Hockinson community is invited to join from 3:30 to 5 pm.
In the Trenches
Volunteers placed block along the HMS Track slope along with weed barrier and bark dust. Native groundcover will be planted next.
HSD Leaders Get on Board with Clean Up
Seven HSD staff members donated their time and energy to the cause, along with School Board Chair Teresa VanNatta.
Student Spotlight: Mailo Parthemer, Transitional Kindergartner
Let’s hear from one of our youngest learners, Mailo Parthemer in Ms. Crowley’s Transitional Kindergarten (TK) class at Hockinson Heights Elementary! TK classes help prepare students for kindergarten by teaching academic basics and social skills. Purposeful play in TK teaches kids to work together, communicate, and think creatively. Let’s hear from Mailo!
Q: What’s your favorite part of TK?
A: I like playing with my friends!
Q: What have you learned in TK so far?
A: One thing I learned is about colors and also counting. My favorite colors are blue and green.
Q: What do you think about your teacher, Ms. Crowley?
A: She helps me a lot!
Way to go, Mailo. We are so glad you are enjoying TK while you prepare for success in Kindergarten and beyond!
HHES After-School Clubs Offer Belonging, Fun
HSD's theme for the 2023-24, "You Belong Here," conveys our district-wide commitment to create welcoming school environments, remove barriers to involvement, value all input, and create diverse opportunities for students. These efforts look a little different at each school. At HHES, school leaders have organized after-school clubs where students can explore their interests and strengthen relationships with other students as well as club advisors. One such club is Quilting Club, led by teachers Justine Warunek-Lane and Keiera Hoffman, who volunteered every Thursday afternoon to teach sewing skills to students. At the end of the experience, students used their skills to create a craft to take home.
Thanks to school and parent volunteers, nearly 120 HHES students currently participate in the school's Quilting, Lego, Robotics, Soccer, and Art Clubs.
Just Marching in the Rain
Although the forecast isn't all that promising, Sunday's Loyalty Days Parade in Long Beach, WA promises to be a memory for the HMS Marching Band and Flag Team. This parade, which started in 1950, is organized by the Veterans of Foreign Wars and is touted as the "longest consecutive running Loyalty commemoration in the nation." This year, it involves over 80 entries, including 24 school marching bands.
The band will be performing "Crazy Train," which it has been practicing regularly throughout the spring, and marching behind a brand-new banner. If you didn't make it over to the coast this weekend to watch the band perform, you will have another opportunity in two weeks: The Hornets, along with their HHS counterparts, will be participating in the Hazel Dell Parade on Saturday, May 15. The HMS Marching Band is directed by Jennifer Ritenburgh.
A Long March through Long Beach, WA
Members of the HMS Marching Band and Flag Team play instruments and perform while walking the parade's 1-mile route down Pacific Ave.
Guest Author Visits HMS to Talk about PNW Dams and the Environment
Author Steven Hawley, who has spent years researching the history, politics, and impacts of dams in the northwest and around the world, visited Mrs. Shinn's and Mr. Hamil's Washington State History classes on May 1. Hawley spent hours answering students' questions about the life cycle of the salmon, the importance of salmon to our Washington State Tribes, the impact of dams and hatcheries on Salmon, and the efforts to restore salmon habitat and remove underperforming dams in the United States. The presentation provided a real-world context to the students' upcoming classroom based assessment focusing on the different economic uses of the Columbia River by Native Americans and Washington settlers.
ICYMI: Another Shot at the April 19 Round Up
Whether it is because we published it on a Friday or we missed the mark with advertising, readership was low for the April 19 Round Up. Because that edition had a lot of great content about HSD students, achievements, and events, we thought we'd promote the newsletter one more time.
Here's the lead-in: "Read about HSD being awarded a regional grant from the Gates Foundation, recent victories of the HHS Theatre Company and student musicians, and the collaboration between CTE students and community partners as they build toolboxes and explore career paths together. Find all these stories and more in the April 19 edition of the HSD Round-Up." And here's the link.
Thank You, HSD Teachers
Hockinson's schools are filled with wonderful educators. Next week is an opportunity to say "Thank You." May 6-10 is National Teacher Appreciation Week. This year's theme is: "Teachers are shining stars!" Every day, teachers ignite young minds to build brighter futures as well as positive school communities. There are many ways to acknowledge the efforts, contributions, and impacts of our terrific teachers. Here are some suggestions from the National PTA.
News Bites
Three Zeroes! Thank You, School Lunch Heroes: The health inspection scores of the kitchens at HHES, HMS, and HHS were recently released and they were consistent: All were zeroes. This is usually a bad score in schools. However, in the health department’s scoring system, a perfect score is 0! The worst possible score is 418 and an establishment with 100 or more points will be closed. The release of the scores coincided with School Lunch Hero Day this past Friday. Thank you, heroes!
Bravo, HHS Band Boosters: The Boosters hosted a highly successful benefit dinner-auction at HHS on Saturday, April 27. The event raised over $55,000 for the school's band program. A huge thank you to organizers Megan & TJ Bruning, Chantelle Castle, Jennifer Foster, Jamie Hebert, Aileen Kluth, Matt Pulsipher, Megan Schierling, and Barbette Schoening as well as to all of generous donors who made this possible.
2024-25 TK and Kindergarten enrollment is now open: Register online here.
Contact Us
Email: justine.hanrahan@hocksd.org
Website: https://www.hocksd.org/
Location: 17912 NE 159th St, Brush Prairie, WA 98606, USA
Phone: (360) 448-6400