February Update

• Be sure you check the HMS website calendar for club dates!
• February 3 - 7th grade teachers will start selling CRUSH grams for Valentine's day. Details can be found below.
• February 6 - This is the last day to show your support for 5th grade by participating in their Little Cesar's fundraiser for Camp McDowell! Find the button at the bottom of the newsletter.
• February 11 - PTO in HMS Library @ 5:30
• February 17 - No school, President's Day
• February 18 is our Annual Cookie Dough kickoff! The sale will run for two weeks. This is a great fundraiser for us and we appreciate your help! Orders will be due March 4. We are using a larger catalogue this year, and there is so much more than cookie dough available!
• March 7 - 6th grade spring dance after school.
• March 3 - March 21. 7th grade spring semiformal tickets ($45) will be for sale online in your MySchoolBucks account. Tickets will be distributed the week of the semiformal. 7th grade parents, you will get a SMORE newsletter in late February with all the details.
• But the burning questions...
• What do we wear?? Semiformal attire (cute dresses or jumpsuits for girls, and ties, or jackets, or both for boys). Girls dresses should be age-appropriate, fingertip length or longer. No mini dresses!
• Date: Saturday, May 3, 2025, 6:00-9:00 PM at the Blount County Multipurpose Building in Cleveland (Co. Rd. 1).
• Formal includes a professional DJ, sit-down dinner, games, announcement of Who's Who, and more!
• The theme? "Middle school was a WICKED good time! Visit the Emerald City."
• Spring Break begins March 24
• April 5 - Deadline to order a year book (form linked below)

Did you know that permit eligibility, issuance of a driver's license, or other operator's licenses are impacted by student behavior at school? Check out the button below and read all about Taylor's law, the guidelines, and keep encouraging good behavior at school! It matters!

We believe that middle school is best experienced offline. Waiting until students are in 8th grade or later allows for them to mature enough to be able the freedom a smartphone provides. However, we know that parents often want a way to communicate when kids are home alone. There are smartphone alternatives!! Student already has an iPhone? Do you know you can lock it down and keep them off the internet and out of the app store? Check out these helpful guides to phone alternatives and iPhone parental controls!

Are you a parent and want to send your student a Crush gram? Send or deliver a note with your $2 to the office, attn: Mrs. Smalley, and we'll take care of it! Be sure to include your child's first and last name and their homeroom teacher on your note! Students can purchase their grams at 9:15 snack OR in the lobby of the gym before school.