News from the Nest

Greetings Evergreen Community,

And just like that, the 2024/2025 school year is underway!

Wednesday was a day filled with all of the emotions (every single one of them) as students, staff, and families were anxious, excited, scared, overwhelmed, tense, relaxed, sad, and every other feeling that comes with the first day of middle school. Mr. Harrington, Mr. Yabu, and the 8th grade Eagle Leaders were stellar in leading the efforts of welcoming students to Evergreen and helping them get oriented to middle school.

On Thursday, the familiar faces of the 8th grade class returned and everyone took another step toward settling in for a great school year. Smiles were aplenty as friends and classmates greeted each other.

When I addressed both the 7th and 8th grade classes, the message that I shared with them is that they are capable of great things and that we are poised to help them take huge steps towards this greatness this year, both academically and behaviorally.

One of the ways that we are going to support students with achieving greatness this year is by focusing on helping all students “arrive prepared to class.” We will approach this in two ways: One, teachers will work to ensure that students know what is needed to be prepared for their classes, both in terms of what they need to physically bring with them and in terms of their mindsets. Two, teachers will work with students at the end of each class to help them think through what they need in order to be prepared for the next class. All staff members are committed to supporting this effort throughout the school year to ensure that we are able to maximize instructional time.

One of the ways that you can support this effort at home is ensuring that your student charges their Chromebook each night (they will receive their Chromebooks on Monday morning) and that they bring their Chromebook with them each and every day. Before bed, “Hey, is your Chromebook plugged in?” As they’re leaving, “Hey, do you have your Chromebook?” Your support in developing this specific organizational skill is greatly appreciated.

With that, we are looking forward to our first full week of the year (and some cooler temperatures)

Go Eagles!

The bell schedule for the upcoming school year has some slight adjustments. Classes will be 44 minutes long (up from 43-minutes) with passing time being 4 minutes long (down from 5 minutes). We will be working with students throughout the beginning of the year to ensure they plan their days accordingly to ensure they arrive to all classes on-time and prepared.

Cell phones will remain in lockers during the school day at all four comprehensive middle schools in the Hillsboro School District. When students enter the building in the morning, cell phones need to be off and away (this includes any type of headphone). Once students are able to access their lockers on their way to class, cell phones (and headphones) are to be stored in their lockers. Students may access their phones when the dismissal bell rings at the end of the day.

Here is the process if a student is in possession of their phone at some point during the school day.

1. The first time a student is in possession of their phone, it will be held in the office for the remainder of the school day. The student can retrieve their phone at the end of the day.

2. The second time a student is in possession of their phone, it will be held in the office and a parent/guardian/caregiver will need to pick up the phone.

3. The third time a student is in possession of their phone, it will be held in the office, a parent/guardian/caregiver will need to pick it up, and, in collaboration with the parent/guardian/caregiver, a plan will be developed to either have the phone kept at home or phone stored in the office throughout the day.

While we recognize the convenience of being able to communicate with your student directly, your support is appreciated with ensuring students uphold these expectations. If you need to get information to your student throughout the day, please contact the main office.

With Eagle Pride,

Website: https://www.hsd.k12.or.us/evergreen
Location: 456 NE Evergreen Rd, Hillsboro, OR, USA
Phone: (503) 844-1400