HMS December Newsletter

Monica Turner, Principal

Haley Street, Assistant Principal
Mark Mattingly, Counselor (A-L)
Kristin Godoshian, Counselor (M-Z)
Phone: (248) 328-3400
Attendance Number: (248) 328-3426
Fax: (248) 328-3404

Dear HMS Families,

We are thrilled with the fantastic start to our 2nd Trimester! Our students are shining as they embrace our PBIS initiative, LEAD, and adapt to their new schedules with enthusiasm and positivity.

As we move forward into this new term, we want to express our deepest gratitude to you, our HMS families. Your partnership is invaluable and plays such an important role in shaping your child’s experience here. Together, we are building a school community where students can thrive academically, socially, and personally.

One powerful way you can continue to support your child is by having regular conversations about the importance of a strong work ethic and doing their best in all areas of life. While pre-teens and teenagers may not always show it, your encouragement and guidance leave a lasting impression. Your reminders about completing assignments, making thoughtful choices, and staying engaged in their learning journey truly make a difference.

As we embrace the holiday season, we wish you a joyful and peaceful holiday spent with loved ones.

Best regards,
Haley Street

Please see this important announcement regarding cancelled bus routes. The letter is below.

HAS Announcement of Cancelled Bus Routes December 2nd 2024.pdf

2024-25 BUS ROUTE CANCELLATION SCHEDULE (1).pdf

Our doors open for students at 7:25am. They will have an opportunity to get breakfast and eat at this time. The start of our instructional day is 7:44 am - 2:41 pm.

Visitors will not be allowed to access the hallways during arrival or dismissal time. This is for the safety of our students and staff. We are unable to process visitors during these busy times of the day. If you need to make an appointment with a teacher please email or call to set that up. Thank you for your cooperation in keeping everyone safe.

The LEAD program, a Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) initiative, stands as a cornerstone in promoting a nurturing and respectful school environment. Each letter in LEAD represents a key principle:

• L "Listen to Others" encourages active listening and understanding, fostering an inclusive community where every voice is valued.

• E "Encourage Everyone" focuses on building a supportive atmosphere, where students uplift one another and celebrate each other's successes.

• A "Act Responsibly" instills a sense of accountability, guiding students to make thoughtful decisions and take ownership of their actions.

• D "Display Kindness & Respect" emphasizes the importance of treating others with compassion and dignity, creating a positive and harmonious school culture.

Together, these principles form the foundation of the LEAD program, driving positive behavior and enhancing the overall learning experience.

Mark your calendars!! We will hold our 2nd set of Parent-Teacher Conferences on Wednesday, January 29th. Please watch your email from Mrs. Turner for more information in January's newsletter. We will be using the School Soft Conference Manager again.

If you were on the waitlist and didn't arrange payments you need to sign up again.

Sign up is still open for the Washington DC and Gettysburg 8th grade Trip...We have 20 seats still open.

Attached is the trip information as well as a fundraising opportunity. We are currently 15 people away from filling a 2nd bus. If you have any other fundraising thoughts please share.

The calendar fundraising is attached if completely filled out would raise almost $500 per student. This is an individual fundraiser, whatever you raise you keep. How is this going if you're doing it?

Please email any questions to marc.loria@hask12.org

Information Packet

Families, we are here to help support your child!! If there are any topics you'd like us to connect with your child on, please reach out. We can also work with you to connect you to resources and supports in the community.

Mrs. Godoshian & Mr. Mattingly

A - L contact Mr. Mattingly, mark.mattingly@hask12.org

M - Z contact Mrs. Godoshian, kristin.godoshian@hask12.org

HMS staff are offering after-school tutoring sessions on Mondays and Thursdays. Tutoring sessions are held from 2:45 - 3:45. Any student who wants to participate in tutoring will need to sign up in the Student Office prior to each session. If you have any questions please contact your child's counselor.

Holly Area Schools families,

Today, we want to share with you our December Newsletter. This month there is information about understanding how your childhood impacts how you parent, resources from our Raising a Child with Anxiety and Depression Workshop and Mental Health Resource Fair, how to talk to your kids about alcohol, and more!

Stay tuned regarding our upcoming event in partnership with the HAS Early Childhood Programs in December, details will be available soon.

Thank you for being such an important part of our school community - we hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families!

Best,
Cheryl Price and Sydney Sinclair, The Holly Area Schools Parent Outreach Team

The start of winter 2 sports is quickly approaching and we are looking forward to an exciting and enjoyable 2025 season. MS Boys Basketball, MS Coed Swim/Dive and MS Competitive Cheer begin their first official practices on Monday January 6th. Below are some important pieces of information that will assist parents and athletes during the next few weeks.

Athletic Department Hours: The athletic office will be open daily from 8:00-4:00 Monday - Friday. Athletic fees and physicals can also be taken care of at the Holly Middle School main office.

FinalForms: FinalForms is the student management system that is used by our athletic department and coaches throughout each sport’s respective seasons. It is a great tool for monitoring compliance and communication purposes. If you have not registered on FinalForms, please use this link: https://holly-mi.finalforms.com to create a parent account. Once the parent account is completed and you have selected the sports in which your child would like to participate in for the 2024-25 school year, an email will be sent to the student for them to create and verify their account. For those of you that have used FinalForms in past years, please log in and confirm your sport selections for this upcoming year.

***This is the process that will populate athletes onto the sport specific rosters and will allow our coaches to communicate directly with their teams with information that is pertinent to their sport.

Physicals: The Michigan High School Athletic Association is requiring all athletes to obtain an updated physical for the 2024-25 school year. This physical must be dated on or after April 15th, 2024. Physicals can be completed by your family doctor or many different urgent care facilities in the area offer sports participation physicals at a reasonable rate. Walk-up physicals are also available this Saturday (Saturday Aug. 3rd) at Holly HS between 11:00-1:30 at the annual HAS Health and Enrollment Fair. I have attached the MHSAA Physical Form that will need to be filled out to this message. Once completed, please send an electronic copy to casey.lombard@hask12.org or feel free to bring the hard copy into the athletic office during our office hours listed above.

MHSAA Physical Form.pdf

***Athletes will not be able to participate in any practices/tryouts or competitions until this requirement is met.

Schedules: Competition schedules can be accessed using your mobile device using a free app called Activity Scheduler (the icon is a blue baseball cap). Please download the app on your mobile device and follow the prompts to select Michigan as the state and Holly High School (all MS schedules are included under the HS selection). This platform provides dates, times, locations, and bus times for all events in our athletic department and any changes that are made on our end are updated instantaneously within the app.

Sport Specific Practice and Contact Information for HS Sports:

--Boys Basketball (7th and 8th Grade Boys):

Coaches: 7th Grade - Marc Loria / 8th Grade - Matt Weisdorfer

Contact Info: Coach Loria – marc.loria@hask12.org / Coach Weisdorfer - matthew.weisdorfer@hask12.org

--Coed Swim and Dive (6th - 8th Graders):

Coach: Madison Dahlin

Contact Info: Coach Dahlin - mgdahlin13@gmail.com

--Competitive Cheer (6th - 8th Grade Girls):

Coaches: Tiffany Hyvonen and Cara Dovre

Contact Info: Coach Hyvonen - tiffany.hyvonen@hask12.org / Coach Dovre - cara.dovre@hask12.org

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to the respective coaches or to the athletic department at Holly HS. We look forward to seeing you all participating in middle school athletics this year.

Thanks,

Casey

Click the link above to view the UPDATED 24-25 student handbook. Please review the new cell phone policy for students.

BACKPACK/BOOKBAGS/COAT POLICY Backpacks, book bags, and bags may not be used in the school building during school hours. Medical exceptions, which require a doctor's note identifying a need for a student to use a backpack during the school day, must be turned in at the office. At this point, the student will either be given a clear backpack or a medical tag for their bag.

To Access information on any of these topics click the button above.

• Drop off/Pick up
• Student Access to the building - times and locations
• Dropping off items for students
• Scheduling meetings
• Student sign-out procedures
• Attendance

**Parents, as a reminder, we do not require a phone call prior to your arrival if you are picking up your student early. Please just come up to the building with your ID and we will call your student at that time. We can not call them prior to your arrival. If you have a prearranged appt, see Option 1 in the student sign-out procedures instructions.**

To minimize classroom disruptions, we are asking you to communicate with your student regarding their transportation home prior to the school day whenever possible. We understand that emergencies happen, if you do need to call we ask that you call the office no later than 2pm so that we have time to relay the message. We kindly ask that you make every effort to do that before 2, it would be greatly appreciated.

The Parent Lighthouse Team meets once a month. For meeting times and other PLT information please visit our site to find out how we are working to support our students and school!

Please reach out to our PLT via email for information on meetings, volunteering, and donations.

hollymiddleschoolplt@gmail.com

The PLT is running its very popular pickle sale fundraiser! At lunch students can purchase a pickle for $1. The next scheduled day is Dec 20th.

Jan 24, Feb 28, March 28, May 30

PLT is offering popcorn for purchase for $1 during lunches. The next popcorn sale will be on Dec 19th.

Jan 23, Feb 20th, Mar 20th, Apr 24, May 15, Jun 5

Medication

Please have all appropriate paperwork and Dr authorization forms signed and fully completed. Renewal of medical alert information is required to be updated every school year.

**Students that have chronic medical conditions that require a rescue medication such as seizures, severe allergies, or asthma can self-carry and are encouraged to. The school MUST have a current medical care plan on file with Dr authorization.

See the district website for more details on our medication policy and printable forms to take to your family Dr.

Please reach out to our district nurse with any questions. jessica.morantes@hask12.org

Health Guidance

Showing up to school every day is critical for children’s well-being, engagement, and learning.

Click here for more information on when to keep your child home from school and when to send them.

This year Breakfast and Lunch are free for ALL HAS students!! ONLY IF you've filled out your Education Benefits form!!

To see what we offer each day, check out all of the great menu options here!!

For assistance or questions please reach out to the Food Service Dept or visit their website.

248-328-3036

Holly Area Community Coalition and Holly Area Youth Assistance are community based organizations that can provide a multitude of resources for students and families. Please visit their websites for details.

Holly Area Youth Assistance

Holly Area Community Coalition

After school programs

For Questions regarding any of these programs, please reach out to HACC. 248-328-3135

District 2024-25 Calendar

Holly Middle School Webpage ( supply lists are under the "Parent/Student Resources" Tab)

Schoology Parent Access

Technology Protection Plan

Efunds for Schools

12/6 - Jamfest - 2:45pm - 4:00pm

12/6 - UMatter Week Pep Assembly

12/23 - 1/3 - Winter Holiday Break

1/6 - School Resumes

Daily Announcements, pictures of HMS students in action and more, are easily accessible by following us on Facebook and Twitter!!

Website: http://www.hask12.org/schools/holly-middle-school/

Location: 14470 North Holly Road, Holly, MI, USA
Phone: 248 328 3400
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Holly-Middle-School-Sherman-Campus-634705656664993/
Twitter: @HMSBronchos