Heartland MS Family Newsletter

Happy Fall Ya'll! We had an AMAZING week both in the classroom and on the court/field. I want to take a moment to shout out our Heartland athletes! It takes a lot of responsibility and time management to be a middle school student athlete. They not only have to handle their business in the classroom by completing their work and staying eligible but they also spend hours upon hours after school at practices, games and meets. Additionally, we expect for our students athletes to be leaders amongst their peers and exhibit the true meaning of being a Heartland Thunderhawk! I am the biggest advocate of sports & extracurricular participation as they are symbolic of life. Life requires teamwork, discipline, resiliency, respect, compassion and character. These extracurriculars help to develop those skills. Our Fall athletic teams have shown great sportsmanship/dedication and have truly represented Heartland with pride! Way to go, Hawks!

We have been jammed packed full of activities and events over this first month of school! This past week was a little slower pace so we were able to catch our breath! I can't believe that October is just around the corner! Looking back, we had a really special week as we concluded our celebration of Pink Out, together, as a Heartland Community. I can't be more proud of our Fall sports as they each took ownership of the past couple of weeks and truly brought awareness to the cause. Our student body came together and showed their school pride as they participated in the dress up days, purchased items being sold and showed support to those leading the charge! I'm proud to say that, as a school, we raised close to $1200 that will be donated to the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer Research.

Looking forward, picture day will be this Friday (9/27). Additionally, a majority of our 6th grade students have an elective class called "Elective Exploration"... There are some 6th graders that do not because they may happen to be in semester-long electives like Band or Multimedia. The elective rotation switches every 6 weeks. The first 6 weeks ended on Friday and students will be in their new course starting tomorrow, Monday the 23rd. Our teachers will ensure that each 6th grade student knows who their new teacher is, where to go, and how to get there. As always, should you have any questions, ideas, or suggestions. Please feel free to reach out to our office! I look forward to another great week!

WE ARE...HEARTLAND!

Respectfully,

Veronica Johnson

Principal, Heartland Middle School

405-340-2972

This Fall Semester Edmond Public School Middle and High School Counselors are working to teach students about mental health and how to seek help if they are worried about themselves or a friend. We are using a program called SOS Signs of Suicide. The program teaches students about this difficult topic and encourages them to seek help.

SOS has been used by thousands of schools for over 20 years. Studies have shown that it effectively teaches students about depression and suicide while reducing the number of students’ self-reported suicide attempts.

Through the program, students learn:

• how to identify potential suicide risk in themselves or another student

• to ACT (Acknowledge, Care and Tell a trusted adult) if concerned about themselves or a friend

• who they can turn to at school for help

SOS curriculum is conducted in a classroom setting by a School Counselor. During this one time 45 minute lesson, students will watch age-appropriate video clips and participate in a guided discussion about depression, suicide, and what to do if they are concerned about a fellow student. Following the video, students will complete a brief depression screening form. This form cannot provide a diagnosis of depression but does indicate whether a young person should seek help from a mental health professional.

We encourage you to visit www.mindwise.org/parents for information on warning signs for youth suicide, useful resources, and some of the key messages students will learn.

If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s participation in this program please contact your student’s school counselor at

6th grade- Elaine Siemer/Cara Bowerman

7th grade- Kim Treece

8th grade- Neika Jackson

405-340-2972

Opt-out of the SOS Curriculum by completing this form.

Location: Ag-Ed Facility - 300 North Kelly Avenue, Edmond, OK

Payment Accepted: Cash, Cards, and Checks payable to the Edmond FFA Parent Club

Please take a few minutes to look over the Edmond Public Schools Dress Code policy #4510. and STUDENT DRESS CODE (REGULATION) Here are a few key points.

• Hats/Headwear: Students shall not wear hats or headwear in the building unless a medical or religious exception exists.

• Clothing: Clothing must cover areas from one armpit across to the other armpit, down to the upper thighs. Tops must have shoulder straps. Rips or tears in clothing should be below the pocket area of jeans or pants. The top and bottom clothing items must be touching (No mid-drift).

• Shirts may not be sheer or mesh and must cover the entire trunk of the body. Messages on shirts shall not include illegal drugs, alcohol, tobacco or other products that may not be utilized by children. Vulgar and/or obscene messages are prohibited and will be subject to discipline under the student discipline code.

• Pants, shorts, skirts, and skorts shall be worn at the waist and must be no shorter than mid-thigh.

NO BLANKETS-

• Over the past school year, we have observed more students bringing blankets to school. We would like to remind everyone that blankets are not encouraged. If a student brings a blanket to school, it will be confiscated and returned to them at the end of the school day. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Every Monday during advisory, teachers make it a point to have conversations with their students regarding their grades and missing assignments. Our teachers have access to the weekly eligibility reports and are working diligently to ensure that your student is making a plan to complete and turn in their missing work. In an effort aid in this process, every Monday each advisory teacher will hand out missing assignments reports to all students missing 1 or more assignments in total for all of their classes. If a student has 10 or more missing assignments, they will be instructed to take the report home, have their parent sign it, and return it back to their advisory teacher the next day. Your student's ability to complete this task will help to determine their "satisfactory" or "unsatisfactory" grade in advisory. Our goal is to ensure that there is transparent communication between school and home and that we are all working together to ensure the academic success of our students. Thank you for your support in this matter.

Now that we are in the process of running eligibility for OSSAA activities - there always tends to be some confusion as to when a student can and can not participate. Here are some bullet points to help define when a student can and can not participate.

• Eligibility is run mid-week. For example - we run eligibility on Thursday morning based on grades posted on Wednesday evening. If a student is listed as "ineligible" - that means they can not participate in any OSSAA games scheduled for the next calendar week of Sunday - Sunday. By OSSAA rules - students can still practice during that time. However, individual coaches may have other team rules regarding practice.
• Probation vs. Ineligible. The first week a student has a grade that qualifies them for the eligibility report - they are listed as "on Probation"... At that point in time - they can still participate and play in games. (Again - team rules may be more strict) If the student raises the grade by the next eligibility report run - their name comes off the list and they are good to go. If there is still a grade in question - the student becomes ineligible.
• If a student is listed as ineligible - AND - raises their grade (yay!!) the next time there is a grade in question -- they move back to the probation category. Therefore, there is always a week of grace after a student has worked to get their name off of the list.

Please feel free to contact Heartland Athletic Director Laura Brown with questions as I know it can be confusing.

Honesty - Being truthful in what I say and do

Enthusiasm - Expressing interest and excitement in what I do

Attentiveness - Concentrating on the person or task before me

Resiliency - Recovering from adversity and finding the inner strength to withstand stress

and do my best

Tolerance- Demonstrating respect for others who do not share my perspective

Leadership- Knowing the way. Going the way. Showing the way.

Accountability - Accepting responsibility for my actions

Nice- Dude. Be Nice!

Discipline- Choosing behaviors to help me reach my goals and finish strong!

Veronica Johnson - Lead Principal

Laura Brown - Asst. Principal, 8th Grade/Athletic Director

Dana Williams - Asst. Principal, 7th Grade

Paul McQueen - Asst. Principal, 6th Grade

Kim Treece - 7th Grade Counselor

Neika Jackson - 8th Grade Counselor

Cara Bowerman - 6th Grade Counselor

Email: heartland.middleschool@edmondschools.net
Website: https://heartland.edmondschools.net/
Location: Heartland Middle School, Explorer Drive, Edmond, OK, USA
Phone: (405)340-2972
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heartlandmiddleschool