April Update

April 5 - West Blount Chamber Craft Fair in HMS gym

April 8 - HMS PTO @ 5:30 in the library

Week of April 14 - ACAP Summative Assessment. Attendance is important! Testing tips for parents are found below. We appreciate your support!

April 17 - Progress reports go home, and Hayden Spring Band Concert @ 7:00 PM hosted at Wallace State.

April 18 - Good Friday, no school

April 21 - KONA Ice at school.

April 24 and 25 - Course Requests collected from students. See below!

April 26 - Little Miss Town of Hayden @ HMS gym

April 28-30 - 5th grade @ Camp McDowell

May 16 - Anything Goes. Want to volunteer? Reach out to PTO. This is not an event open to spectators. We just don't have the room.

May 19 - Awards Day @ HMS. See below.

On Friday, March 21, KONA Ice was at HMS. The workers had the sweetest things to say about our students! They were clean, respectful, and one said that "He didn't hear one disrespectful word spoken" by a student all day. I am so proud of our kids, their behavior on Friday, and how well they represented their grown ups at home! I wanted to let you know that our kids were bragged on by visitors!

It's course request season! At the end of the month, Dr. Hicks, Mr. M, Mrs. Etheredge, and Mrs. Hicks will go to classes and complete course registrations individually with students in grades 5 and 6. Current 7th grade students will be scheduled by HHS based on their transcripts. When we meet with students on April 24 and 25, they should be able to tell us the information listed below.

For UPCOMING 6th graders - All we need to know is if students are interested in taking band classes for 6th grade. We offer advanced math and ELA classes, but those are data-based decisions where we look at grades, ACAP performance, work ethic, etc.

For UPCOMING 7th graders - We need to know if students are continuing in band and if they are interested in taking Accelerated 7th grade math. Taking AC Math in 7th grade allows students to take AC math in 8th grade. You must take AC 7 to enroll in AC 8. Students in AC 7 will have one opportunity to drop back to regular math classes at the end of the 1st nine weeks.

Advanced ELA and Science courses are data-based decisions where we look at grades, ACAP performance, work ethic, etc. Upcoming 7th graders who earn a spot on an HJH athletic team will be placed in Athletic PE. There will be a weight room fee of $50.

Please be sure about course requests. Changing schedules once school starts is not an easy thing to do.

Date: Monday, May 19, 2025

6th grade - 1:00 PM HMS gym

7th grade - 8:00 AM HMS Gym

7th grade awards will look different this year with the introduction of semester exams. Because awards day is before the exams are given, academic awards (A Honor Roll, A/B Honor Roll, Highest Average) will not be given this year. This is a change from previous years. Historically, grades were complete by awards day. However, now it is impossible to give accurate academic awards because of exams. For example, a student might have a 90 average in math on awards day, and end up with an 88 on their report card because of their exam performance. Or you might have two students with a 98 average for Math but only one has to take the exam. The student taking the exam could end up with a 99. This change also gets them ready for awards day at HHS. They don't do honor roll awards for 8th graders.

What awards will be given at 7th grade awards day?

Perfect Attendance

PE Awards

Ambassadors recognized

Peer Helpers recognized

Most Improved from each teacher

Citizenship Awards

Students of the Year

What does 7th grade awards look like now?

We will still host the annual 7th grade breakfast but are moving it to the gym so we have room for parents to attend the breakfast. After breakfast, we'll move into awards day in the same routine from previous years. More information about 7th grade breakfast will come home toward the end of April.

Can students check out after any awards day ceremony?

Yes! Students can be checked out in the lobby of the gym.

What awards are given out at 5th and 6th grade awards day?

Perfect Attendance

PE Awards

Ambassadors recognized

Peer Helpers recognized

Most Improved from each teacher

Citizenship Awards

Students of the Year

Highest average in each subject

A honor roll

A/B honor roll

1. Make sure your child gets plenty of sleep each night before a test.

2. On the morning of the test, make sure your child has plenty of time to get ready and doesn't feel rushed.

3. Make sure your child eats a healthy breakfast on the morning of the test.

4. Encourage them to try their best, even when they don't feel confident.

5. After the test, talk to your child about it and praise them for a job well done!