Hermosa School Family Newsletter

Hornet Families,

We’ve had an exciting week filled with creativity and culture! Our students enjoyed a wonderful short concert by A Moving Sound, a talented group of musicians from Taiwan. Their unique blend of traditional and contemporary music captivated everyone and inspired our students to explore new artistic horizons.

As we wrap up this vibrant week, we’d like to remind you that the end of the 1st quarter is today Thursday, October 17th. This is a great time to reflect on your child’s progress and celebrate their achievements. As we will host our Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences on Friday, October 18th and Monday, October 21st. All elementary conferences will be scheduled by the classroom teacher for preschool - 4th grade. Middle school (5-8) conferences are open house style unless scheduled by the teachers. PLEASE CHECK THE LOST AND FOUND IN THE MAIN ENTRY WAY WHEN YOU ARE HERE FOR CONFERENCES.

Next week is packed with exciting events for our students and community! Here’s what you can look forward to:

• Tuesday: Our preschoolers will head to the pumpkin patch for a fun-filled field trip. Also on Tuesday, Hollie Strand will present a digital safety program for our 4th through 8th graders during the school day, followed by a parent and community presentation in the lower learning commons from 6:00 PM to 7:15 PM. We encourage all parents to attend this important session.

• Wednesday: The 8th-grade students will take a field trip to the South Dakota School of Mines to celebrate Mole Day. Additionally, girls basketball practice kicks off after school, and there will be a parent meeting at 5:30 PM to discuss the season.

• Thursday: The 8th-grade Leadership Class is excited to host a Haunted School House from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM, followed by the much-anticipated middle school dance from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM.

We hope you and your children can participate in these engaging events! Thank you for your continued support of our school community.

It's a great day to be a Hornet!

Principal Paris

At Hermosa School, we believe in nurturing the diverse interests of our students through our engaging exploratory classes for 6th to 8th graders. From Cooking Around the World to STEM, Yearbook, and Musical Theater, our wide array of offerings allows students to choose classes that ignite their passions. With dedicated teachers who tailor lessons to spark excitement and curiosity, students can dive into subjects like Archery, Graphic Design, and Choir. This unique approach not only enhances learning but also fosters creativity, confidence, and essential life skills. New this year is our Life Skills class and Hunter Safety, but we still offer popular classes such as Photography and Spanish! We’re excited to see our students explore new horizons and develop their talents in a supportive and inspiring environment!

Another week down!

This week in classroom counseling lessons we focused on Bully Prevention to celebrate National Bully Prevention Month. We read The Invisible Boy in Kindergarten, 1st, 4th, and 5th grades. The Invisible Boy is a story about a student who feels invisible at school. Classmates overlook him, don't talk to him and teachers are too busy with other students to pay attention. This all changes with the arrival of a new student who notices the invisible boy and invites him to be his partner and sit by him at lunch.

Small acts of kindness can mean the world to someone by helping them feel seen, included, and liked. Kindness spreads and we can make a big difference by going out of our way to check in, include, and notice others. Students also did a paper-crushing activity, where they took a piece of paper, and every time they remembered someone hurting their feelings, they crushed it. After our papers were crushed into balls, we imagined all the apologies we'd had as each apology smoothed out our paper. Even though the paper was smoothed out, there were still lines and wrinkles from the hurt words. Apologies help us feel better but do not always take the hurt away. Our words matter and can have a lasting impact on others. 5th and 6th graders learned about the four types of bullying: physical (physically hurting someone or damaging their belongings), verbal (saying hurtful things to someone's face), social (negatively impacting a person's reputation behind their back and telling others to not be their friend), and cyber (posting or sending hurtful messages and spreading lies and rumors online). Again, bullying is a repeated behavior that continues to happen after being asked or told to stop.

Next week the rest of the students will continue with our bully prevention but we will also highlight healthy and safe choices as we begin our Red Ribbon Week celebration during the final week of October. How do you model healthy choices at home?

Enjoy the weekend!

Hello!

Miss Henwood & Miss Venhuizen are excited to offer a fun Friday Opportunity!

Friday, October 25, we will be taking students to Rapid City to participate in the Downton Presidential Scavenger Hunt, as well as explore the newly renovated Dinosaur Hill. Before heading back to Hermosa, we will eat lunch at Uptown Rapid (the mall food court). Students can bring a packed lunch or money for lunch in the food court.

This field trip is open to students in 5th – 8th grade. We will be taking school vehicles, so we can ONLY TAKE 24 students. The first 24 students signed up will be the only ones able to go.

We will meet at the school @ 7:45 am and will leave at 8:00 am.

We will leave the Rushmore Mall at approximately 12:30 pm and arrive back in Hermosa around 1:00 pm.

Date: Friday, October 25th

Time: Meet at the school @ 7:45 am

Cost: Money for lunch (or a packed lunch)

Please Bring: a water bottle and snack if needed

Below is the link to sign up for this field trip. Please remember that there are limited spots available – we would appreciate it if you only sign up if you know your child is able to go. We understand that things come up. If you are signed up and are unable to attend, please let us know as soon as you can.

LINK: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1TqIupz2XhERg77bjdyKB7eoHru4-tp8OPaZcI2CnQcY/edit?usp=sharing

As always, please let us know if you have any questions! Thank you for all you do!

Oct. 19th - 7th Grade Volleyball @ Hill City

Oct. 19th - 8th Grade Volleyball @ Hot Springs

Oct. 23rd - Girls Basketball Practice Begins 3:30-5:30

Oct. 23rd - Girls Basketball Parent Meeting 5:30

Oct. 28th - Boys and Girls Wrestling Practice Begins 3:30-5:30

7:30 Morning Playground Opens

7:40 Student Line-up

7:45 School Day Begins

3:30 Student Dismissal & Pick-up

* STUDENTS MUST BE PICKED UP IMMEDIATELY AFTER SCHOOL

* PLEASE CONTACT THE OFFICE IF YOU PICK-UP PLANS CHANGE

Jennifer Conley (Admin Assistant)

Jennifer.Conley@k12.sd.us

Laura Butler (Secretary & Attendance)

Laura.Butler@k12.sd.us

Seanna Hewett (School Nurse)

Seanna.Hewett@k12.sd.us

Scan the QR code below to get the new Custer School District SD app. This app will be your hub for all things Hermosa School and Custer School District.

Hermosa School

To educate every student to his or her potential.

Email: forrest.paris@k12.sd.us
Website: https://www.csd.k12.sd.us/Domain/11
Location: 11 4th St, Hermosa, SD 57744, USA
Phone: (605) 255-4345
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/340944485980158/