Eagle Eye

Hello, HVMS Family!

We are excited to be approaching the start of the 2023-2024 school year. We look forward to meeting our new students and seeing those who were with us last year!

The Eagle Eye E-Newsletter is an electronic newsletter that we send out twice monthly to communicate what is happening at HVMS. In this newsletter, we will share general school information, upcoming events, celebrations of students and staff members, and information on the instructional program at HVMS.

Please take a few minutes to read through our summer newsletter to see what is coming up at HVMS and learn more about our operating procedures before the first day of school. As always, please do not hesitate to reach out if you have questions or concerns.

Thank you,

Hidden Valley Middle School

Our mission at Hidden Valley Middle School is to cultivate knowledge, to promote civic responsibility, to provide opportunities for the exploration of interests and abilities, to foster positive attitudes, and to develop essential skills necessary for all students to become productive citizens capable of thriving in the dynamic world of the twenty-first century.

• July 27: Schedule Pick-Up Night
• August 3: New Student Orientation
• August 3: Back-to-School Open House
• August 9: First Day of School
  

We invite students and parents/guardians to attend our schedule pick-up night on Thursday, July 27, from 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. At this event, students may pick up their schedules for the coming school year. Class schedules will include names of assigned teachers, classroom numbers, locker numbers, and locker combinations. The building will be open for students to find their classrooms and practice opening their lockers. Schedules may also be picked up after July 27 during regular office hours (8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.). Due to confidentiality, students are not allowed to pick up schedules for other students. Schedules will also be available through StudentVUE/ParentVUE before the start of school.

All new students (including all 6th graders) and their parents/guardians are invited to attend an orientation at the school on Thursday, August 3, from 2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. The program will provide students an opportunity to meet each of their teachers and to locate their classrooms. Parents/guardians will meet with the administration and the counseling department to learn about the middle school experience.

On Thursday, August 3, from 4:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m., HVMS will host a Back-to-School Open House to prepare students and their families for the upcoming school year. The building will be open to parents/guardians and students from 4:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m., and teachers will be in their rooms to meet you and your students. We will have food trucks on site if you would like to grab a bite to eat, and Freedom First Credit Union will be giving out free ice cream!

Wednesday, August 9, marks the first day of school for the 2023-24 school year. All students will report to their advisory room at 8:20 a.m. for attendance and opening routines. Plenty of assistance will be available in the hallways for our new students who might need some extra help finding their way. After meeting in advisory, students will attend all of their A-day classes. School is dismissed at 3:25 p.m.

Our HVMS administrative team looks forward to working with your kids this coming year to help them develop academically, socially, emotionally, and behaviorally.

• Principal: Chris Benson (cbenson@rcps.us)

• Assistant Principal: Heather Riganti (hriganti@rcps.us)
• Dean of Students: Kevin Richardson (krichardson@rcps.us)
  

The Annual Verification (ANVER - formerly known as Student First Day Forms Online) opens on July 7th and will stay open through August 4th. We ask that one parent per student log in to their ParentVUE account on or after July 7th to complete the Annual Verification. This process is extremely important since this is where you update your contact information, emergency contact information, student health information, and accept all needed acknowledgments. If you can’t access your ParentVUE account after July 7th or have any questions, please contact our front office.

ParentVUE

Students have the option to purchase some general supplies that we have found to be beneficial at the start of school. These items include:

• #2 pencils
• Pens
• Colored pencils
• Markers
  
• Large eraser
  
• Glue sticks
• Dry erase markers
  
• Highlighters
• Scissors
• Flash drive
  
• Ear buds
• Loose leaf paper
• Index cards
• Tissues
  

The Hidden Valley Middle School culture is based on collaboration between the teachers, staff, administration, students, and school community. We strive to create a safe learning environment that is conducive to student learning and the creation of positive relationships. S.O.A.R. Expectations, which is based on reinforcing positive student behaviors and correcting inappropriate student behaviors, is the primary tool to accomplish our goal. Please see our student handbook below for more information.

Please click on the file below to review our student handbook and learn some more details about our policies and procedures here at HVMS.

Breakfast: $1.50

Lunch: $3.00

Mrs. Farley and Ms. Long, our school counselors, are here to help our young Eagles succeed as students and citizens. Students are assigned to counselors alphabetically by last name. If you have questions concerning your child during the school year, please contact the appropriate counselor as follows:

• A-K: Melinda Farley (mfarley@rcps.us)
  

• L-Z: Maggie Long (mlong@rcps.us)

Counselors help students develop their educational potential through skill-based lessons and units that assist in developing competence in essential life skills such as self-confidence, motivation, decision-making and goal-setting, communication, interpersonal and cross-cultural skills, and responsible behavior. They intervene on behalf of students whose immediate personal concerns or problems put their continued educational, career, personal, or social development at risk. Counselors' primary tasks are to provide counseling to students individually or in group settings. They also consult with teachers, parents/guardians, and administrators on behalf of students.

The role of the LIFE counselor is to lead individuals and foster empowerment with our students. LIFE counselors provide individual and group counseling to students. Counselors also provide education on approved mental health, trauma, and substance topics to our students, staff, and parents. LIFE counselors focus on prevention and intervention to promote academic, personal growth, and well-being.

• LIFE Counselor: Maria Williams (mcwilliams@rcps.us)

RCPS Mission: To invest in our community's future by preparing our students with Opportunity Ready skills as defined in the RCPS Profile of a Graduate.

RCPS Vision: Preparing every student, in every school, and in every classroom to be Opportunity Ready.

Our HVMS students demonstrate opportunity ready skills on a daily basis both in the classroom and in the community. We would love to start sharing out more of what our students are doing that demonstrate the following skills:

• Citizenship
• Collaboration
• Communication
• Career Plan
• Creativity
• Competence
• Centeredness
• Critical Thinking

If you have photos of your students demonstrating the above opportunity ready skills, please email them to the Chris Benson (cbenson@rcps.us) to be included in a future newsletter.

Our PTSO is instrumental in providing support to our entire school community, and the success of the program depends on you! We will have opportunities to join the PTSO at our Schedule Pick-Up Night (July 27) and our Back-to-School Open House (August 3). Dues are $5 per individual who is joining. 100% of our membership fees go directly to supporting our school community.

Please click below to learn more about our HVMS PTSO:

https://www.facebook.com/hvmsptso/

Roanoke County Schools will be providing all middle school students a laptop they can use at home and school for the 2023-24 school year at no charge to students. Laptops will be distributed to students during the first few days of school.

Mornings: If you drop off your child in the morning, turn right into the first entrance past the football field. This is the drop off lane. Proceed all the way to the end of the building to drop off your child at the sidewalk near the bus parking lot. When exiting, be cautious of entering buses.

Afternoons: Please turn right into the second entrance and park in a space to wait for your child to exit the building. Please be very careful when leaving, and please watch for pedestrians and buses! Students may not be picked up from the car rider line in the afternoons.

6th, 7th, and 8th grade students are allowed to compete on the middle school athletic teams. All participating students must have a current sports physical dated on or after May 1, 2023. No student will be permitted to participate in tryouts or practice without a completed physical form on file. Additionally, all students must have health insurance if they want to participate.

Athletic ticket prices: adult tickets will be $5, and student tickets are $2. These funds are used to help offset the cost for officials, transportation to away games, and team equipment.

Volleyball tryouts for Hidden Valley Middle School are on August 1, 2023 from 2:30 - 4:00 PM and August 2, 2023 from 3:00 PM - 5:30 PM in the HVMS Gym. To prepare for tryouts, Hidden Valley Middle School Volleyball is hosting open gyms. The dates and times for summer open gyms are below.

• 7/17/2023 from 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
• 7/19/2023 from 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
• 7/27/2023 from 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM
• 7/28/2023 from 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM
• 7/31/2023 from 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM
• 8/01/2023 from 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM (Before tryouts)

Athletes will be notified of team selection on August 3, 2023 with a letter they can pick up in the HVMS main office as early as 12:30 PM. The first practice following tryouts is August 4, 2023. Athletes selected for the 2023 HVMS Volleyball team will participate in the William Byrd Middle School Volleyball Jamboree scheduled for August 5, 2023. Although this event is hosted by WBMS, it will take place at Northside High School this year.

Athletes must have a completed VHSL physical dated after May 1, 2023 on file with the HVMS Athletic Director to participate in HVMS athletic events including practices, open gyms, tryouts, and contests.

Website: http://www.rcps.us/hvms
Location: 4902 Hidden Valley School Road, Roanoke, VA, USA
Phone: (540) 772-7570
Facebook: facebook.com/HVMSConnect/