Hastings Middle School Family Flier
February 25, 2024
Spelling Bee
Any student at Hastings is welcome to partake in the Spelling Bee Qualifier on Wednesday, December 4th at 3:30pm in the cafeteria. Students with the highest scores will move on to the District Spelling Bee at Jones Middle School on January 8th! Please have your student stop by room 203 for a list of words to study prior to the qualifier.
Service Learning Highlight
Thank you to the students and advisory teachers from House 7 Black. They have been learning about food insecurity and the value of food pantries in communities. They collected over 850 pounds of food for the Northside Food Pantry.
Student Attendance Update
We are seeing an increase in students being picked up from school due to illness without seeing Nurse Fleege first. Unfortunately, students are texting their parent(s) during the day to come pick them up. Moving forward, if a student is signed out due to illness and they have not been evaluated by the school nurse (Nurse Fleege or substitute), their absence will be unexcused.
If your child calls/texts/emails you and says that they are ill and want to be picked up, please remind them that they are not to use their personal device during the school day and that they must go see the nurse. Again, we are unable to excuse a student absence due to illness if they have not been seen by our nurse.
Yearbook Photos Needed
As the fall sports season winds down, we want to capture the memories in our yearbook! If you have any pictures from the fall sports season, please email them to our yearbook advisor Allison Tomlin (atomlin@uaschools.org). Thank you!
Lockers
Is your child still struggling opening their locker? Here are a few quick tutorials on how to open a locker.
7th Grade Vision Screenings
In accordance with Ohio Revised Code 3313.673, students in 7th grade will have vision screenings conducted at school. The nurse will begin these screenings in the month of October. Parents will be contacted only if your student does not pass, or if there are any vision concerns shared at this time by the student.
If you would like to opt your student out of this screening or have any questions, please contact our nurse by September 30 at: hastingshealthclinic@uaschools.org
Signs of Suicide
Your child will have the opportunity to participate in a Signs of Suicide in-school presentation and training that will be led by middle school staff on December 16 and 17 at Hastings Middle School. During the program, school counselors and mental health professionals as well as mental health professionals from Nationwide Children’s Hospital will be available if any student needs support. Parents and guardians can preview the SOS program here. If you have any questions about the SOS program, please feel free to contact Cathy Ely, Director of Well-being, Prevention and Intervention at cely@uaschools.org. If you do NOT wish for your child to participate in the SOS Prevention Program, please complete this Signs of Suicide Presentation Opt-out Request by Monday, November 4, 2024.
HMS Book Talk
The Counselors are excited to announce this year's first book talk, featuring The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt.
Thank you parents for your input on preferred time!
Due to feedback, our Book Talk will officially take place on Tuesday, November 19, 2024 from 6:00-7:30 pm.
This event will be held in person @ Hastings Middle School, in the media center, and our Mental Health Specialist, Alma Lovins, MSW, MA, LSW, will be joining us.
While we highly encourage you to read the book, please don’t feel any pressure if you cannot. You’ll still gain valuable insights from the discussions during the book talk.
Can't wait to see you there!
Helpful Links
Transportation Questions: schoolbusquestions@uaschools.org or call 614-487-6477
Upper Arlington Schools Lunch Information link: https://www.uaschools.org/NutritionalServices.aspx
PowerSchool Parent Portal: https://ps-uar.metasolutions.net/public/home.html
If you need assistance logging into PowerSchool, you may reach out to: familytechhelp@uaschools.org
Student Fees/SPS EZpay: https://www.spsezpay.com/upperarlington/login.aspx
