The Hive

August 4th

Welcome to the 2023-2024 School Year!

HMS Families,

I would like to officially welcome you to the 2023-2024 school year! I have been back at work for the past two weeks as we prepare for our students to come back. It's always so quiet around here during the first part of August. I have enjoyed connecting with many of you via email, telephone, the Barnes & Noble book fair (there is a picture of Buzz and myself from that event below), or at the Raptors baseball game last night. We truly have a wonderful community and I continue to feel lucky to be part of it.

Some of you may know that Caleb Millay has taken a new position in Idaho to be closer to his family. We wish him well on his new adventures! As the saying goes, when one door closes another one opens, therefore, I am very excited to announce that we have hired a Dean of Students/Athletic Director for HMS. With student and staff input, I know we have hired a wonderful addition to our Hockinson Middle School Community. I am happy to welcome Sid Slom into this role. He comes to us from Hudson's Bay High School in Vancouver. You can find more information about him below.

Below you will also find details about upcoming August events. I hope to see everyone there!

Please know that it is a priority of Sid and mine that we have open and consistent communication with all of our families. It is also a priority of ours to be present and available during the school day and at after school events. We are going to continue to look for opportunities to create connections with students and families. We look forward to partnering with all of you as we continue to elevate our HMS community.

We are going to have an amazing year!

With kindness,

-BC

Welcome Sid Slom!

Hello!

My name is Sid Slom and I am so excited to be a part of the Hockinson Middle School community as the new Dean of Students/Athletic Director. I am coming to Hockinson from Hudson’s Bay High School in Vancouver where I taught physical education and coached football, boys basketball, boys golf, and track and field.

I look forward to learning more about Hockinson Middle School and working together to build a strong community connection. Please stop me and say hello if you see me at an event or game and do not hesitate to contact me with any questions, comments, or concerns that may arise so we can work together to get them taken care of as quickly as possible. You can email me at sid.slom@hocksd.org.

My family and I could not be more excited to meet you all and we look forward to having a great 2023- 2024 school year!

Calling Student Artists!

Do you have a student who is creative and would like to come in a design a bulletin board? During the week of August 14th, I would love to have some students come and design a couple bulletin boards for our hallways.

I would love the themes to be around kindness, welcome to the new year and HMS pride.

Please email me at bess.colpron@hocksd.org and let me know so we can make this happen.

Family Night with Mrs. Colpron & Mr. Slom

Who: HMS Students & Families

When: Tuesday, August 22nd (5:00pm-6:00pm)

Where: HMS (cafeteria/commons)

Please join Mrs. Colpron & Mr. Slom for a presentation about the upcoming school year. We wanted to take this time to introduce ourselves and talk to families before the year begins. Our PWT has arranged for the Kona Ice Truck (hopefully an ice cream truck too) to come at 6:00 pm, where families can purchase treats if they would like.

We look forward to meeting as many families as we can!

6th Grade Hornet Academy

Who: 6th Grade Students

When: Monday, August 28th ( 8:00am - 12:00pm)

Where: HMS (enter through the main entrance)

During this half-day event, students will meet their teachers and run through their daily schedule. In each class, students will complete a different activity designed to help them get to know their school and prepare for their first day as a middle schooler. These activities will include taking their photo, getting their school ID card and signing up for a locker if they want one.

Parents: Please plan on dropping off your student for this event. Also, from 11:00 am - 12:00 pm, we will have a Schoology session for families to learn how to navigate our learning management system. Parents can also pay fees and sign Assurance forms for the Chromebooks.

7th & 8th Grade Orientation

Who: 7th & 8th Grade Students

When: Tuesday, August 29th (8:00am - 12:00pm)

Where: HMS (enter through the main entrance)

Details: Students, along with their parents, can pick up their class schedules, pay fees, sign Assurance Chromebook forms, take their school photo, sign up for a locker if they want one and learn more about school activities.

Open House

Who: 6th, 7th & 8th Grade Students & Families

When: September 5th (6:00pm-7:00pm)

Where: HMS

Parents and families are encouraged to stop by to meet their child’s teachers and learn more about the curriculum for each course. We hope to see you there!

Free & Reduced Lunch Information

Athletics Update!

As we begin the 2023 - 2024 school year, there are a few upcoming events and dates for you to keep in mind:

Family Night, Tuesday, August 22nd 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
This is an opportunity for you to meet myself and our Principal Bess Colpron and for our community to come together before the start of the school year.
If your child is planning to participate in athletics this school year please attend this meeting for information on the upcoming seasons.

Fall Sports Begin 8/28 (Volleyball & Cross Country)

This season we will begin using the Final Forms system for registration to participate in middle school athletics. You will need to create a new profile and be fully cleared to participate in the 1st practice on Monday 8/28. More information about registering can be found here -> Final Form Registration
All athletes must have a current sports physical on file, sports physicals are good for 2 years. Physicals previously uploaded to FamilyID do not automatically transfer over to Final Forms. Physical Form
While the Final Forms system is new this year, it should help improve communication between coaches, athletes, families, and myself. We want to be very intentional about communicating information throughout this school year.

I look forward to meeting you in the coming weeks and please do not hesitate to contact me (sid.slom@hocksd.org) with any questions, comments, or concerns that may arise so we can work together to get them taken care of as quickly as possible.

Sid Slom