HSD News Round-Up

Happy Friday! We are now over a week into the 2024-25 school year and settling into new routines. This is a busy time for our schools and HSD families, so we will do our best to condense our latest updates and deliver them to you here. Pictured above are HMS Band members welcoming their peers to the first day of school. HMS was recently recognized as a "School on the Rise." Read more about this special honor below!

Did you happen to see our Facebook post from last Friday? It featured the HSD’s 2024-25 staff t-shirt, which has the district’s Upward Together logo on the front and an Olympic-inspired design on the back. The logo is patterned after the iconic five interlocking Olympic rings. Inside the rings are the circular logos of HHES, HMS, HHS, and HSD and the “heart” design that has been used in the district’s “Heart of the Community” campaign. As Superintendent Steve Marshall shared with staff at the HSD’s first Learning Improvement Day, the logo is symbolic of our schools’ links with each other and the Hockinson community. At the center of our work is a love of teaching and learning and having a heart for our kids and community.

The HSD has provided t-shirts to all district employees for the past three years as a reminder of our Upward Together initiative, which is based on the district's Strategic Plan: Student learning; Positive school cultures; and Community).

The Facilities Planning Committee (FPC) is a team of community members, HSD staff, and one school board member. The team is collecting family input through a series of surveys to prioritize facilities projects and make a plan to address important issues like overcrowding at the elementary school and student safety needs. Today, we’re highlighting HSD parent Lisa Heath for her hard work on the FPC team!

Why did Lisa join the FCP? "With two daughters in the district, I have seen the growth of the community and its effect on the elementary school facilities,” said Heath.

"Hockinson has excellent schools, and I want to make sure that continues. The school facilities are more than just educational spaces. The Hockinson community centers around our schools," added Heath.

Outside of the FPC, Heath enjoys gardening, especially growing fruits and vegetables. She loves attending Hockinson Fun Days, the Blueberry Festival, and high school theater performances with her family. Thank you for being part of the community and the FPC, Lisa!

Learn more about the FPC: https://www.hocksd.org/fpc

Your input is the very heart of the FPC process. FPC Survey #3 is open now through September 10! Take the survey here: https://forms.gle/zqULLUcapWSjN2ud6

Hockinson School District is excited to welcome five Student Learning Advocates for the 2024-25 school year. They are funded by a grant with the AmeriCorps Washington Reading Corps (WRC) program and, as part of their 10-month assignment in the HSD, they will support elementary students in literacy skills and provide mentorship and homework help to middle and high school students. During non-attendance days they will participate in service projects in and around Hockinson.

The program builds on last year's success. In the 2023-24 school year, two Americorps volunteers supported the academic success of our students and enhanced our classroom resources by updating science kits obtained from ESD 112 - all at no cost to the district!

This year’s Americorps members are: Keeley Hall & Rachelle Hymas (HHES), Olivia Witherspoon (HMS), Elin Bony (HHS), and Adam Harris-Bloom (HHES and HHS). All five are looking forward to supporting our schools and enriching student learning. “AmeriCorps gives me an amazing opportunity to engage with kids in my community and to help them be the best possible version of themselves,” said Hall. “ I am looking forward to watching kids discover that reading can be easy and fun, and to supporting them as they do!” The HSD-WRC partnership is a win-win-win that benefits our students, our community, and the volunteers, too. We look forward to sharing their progress throughout the year!

Click here to get better acquainted with this year’s Student Learning Advocates!

We have exciting news. Boys Tennis is now offered at HHS! Not only has this team made history as…well, the first team in school history, with a turnout of 14 players, it has already exceeded expectations. The school’s tennis facility, which since its construction in 2017 has remained unused during the fall, offers the perfect opportunity to introduce a second tennis team (HHS offers Girls Tennis as a spring sport).

“As evidenced by our turnout, we have interest,” said HHS Associate Principal/Athletic Director Kathy Pacheco. “We are so excited to add another sport for our students. In terms of weather, student interest, and our existing courts, adding a boys team just makes a lot of sense,” she added.

Head Coach Scott Fish estimates about half of his players have prior tennis experience. The remaining half are first-year players who likely wouldn’t have had the opportunity to pursue an interest in tennis had HHS not offered it.

Assistant Coach Carrie Willis has been amazed by the level of improvement by those who are new to the sport. She appreciates how players are receptive to instruction and work hard during practices. Willis is pleased that they are seeing results. “They are picking up the fundamentals really fast,” Willis said. “I’m excited to see them in match situations.”

Even the team's newest players will likely get a chance to put their newfound abilities to the test. Fourteen players may sound like enough for Varsity and JV squads, but with varsity matches consisting of 3 singles and 3 doubles matches Fish predicts that nearly every player will get the opportunity to play a varsity tennis match. “With nine players involved in a varsity match and many of our players also involved in other activities, I expect most if not all of our players will get a shot at the ‘big time,’” Fish explained.

The team will kick off their historic season with their first-ever home match next Wednesday against Mark Morris High School. Matches begin at 3:30 pm.

HMS’s XC team is gearing up for a strong start this season with 17 participants who all share a love of running and representing their school. The team has been hard at work preparing for one of their biggest events, the Steve Maas Run-A-Ree, scheduled later today. Although the recent high temperatures are far from ideal, co-head coaches Janell Morley and James Vettrus expect that the relatively short and flat course will help to make conditions more tolerable for the runners.

The XC runners also have conditioning on their side. For the past two weeks, the team has been preparing for the race by working on pacing and getting mileage in to build stamina. According to Morley, “These athletes have been practicing hard and they’re ready to compete!”

A majority of this season’s team is new to Cross Country. Morley’s favorite aspect of coaching is cultivating an environment where athletes of all levels can be part of a team. She credits this inclusive climate with helping athletes to motivate each other to reach both individual and team goals. “They develop responsibility and realize the importance of accountability when they have a common goal in mind,” Morley said. For Vettrus, seeing the pride students feel each time they reach a new personal best is the best part of coaching.

Morley and Vettrus are excited by their team’s talent and collective attitude. Both coaches are optimistic for the season ahead and are looking forward to watching their runners push themselves - and each other - to higher levels of achievement.

Good luck today, Hornets!

Fall sports are underway, and the first HHS home football game v. Fife HS kicks off at 7 pm this evening. We expect that Hockinson pride will be on full display. HSD staff will gather for a pre-game tailgate event and HHS fans are sure to break out their spirit attire - although with temperatures forecasted for the mid-90s, we expect to see more t-shirts than sweatshirts!

Hockinson Heights Elementary students are again using milk dispensers to fill reusable glasses during breakfast and lunch. This initiative reduces milk carton waste and is also expected to help conserve district funds.

The return of these dispensers marks the end of a years’ long effort by HHES students, HSD administrators, and Chartwells Food Service. The pandemic disrupted the production of the milk “bladders” necessary for the machines and none were available in our region. Now that production has finally resumed, HHES is excited to reintroduce this sustainable practice at its mealtimes!

Hockinson Heights Elementary School is looking for parents and community members to share their time and knowledge with young learners through extracurricular activities and clubs.

Do you have a skill or interest you'd like to share with Hockinson kids after school? Past examples of extracurricular clubs include basic volleyball, cross stitching, bird watching, and even auto maintenance. Ideally, the clubs would run for 4-6 weeks from 2:30-3:30 pm once or twice a week on the HHES campus.

Interested? Please contact Michael Olson, HHES Associate Principal at michael.olson@hocksd.org.

Hockinson Middle School received some big-time recognition…over the summer. Despite the awkward timing of this award, we are celebrating it now! HMS was one of only 21 schools across the state to be named as a “School on the Rise” by the Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP).

What does it take to qualify for this distinction? The AWSP selection committee considered five selection criteria, looking for schools with

• Established systems demonstrating students and adults collaborating and leading school culture together

• Tangible examples of co-design, collaboration, joint leadership

• Examples of authentic student engagement and elevated student voice

• Examples of schools engaging multiple student voices and perspectives

• Quantitative and/or qualitative data to illustrate the outcomes of student-adult joint leadership

If you ask HMS Principal Bess Colpron, you will get a shorter answer: “We have the greatest

students and staff and [Dean of Students Sid Slom] and I love collaborating with them and our families to build up our school community,” said Colpron. Her sentiment parallels the purpose of this statewide honor. According to AWSP, the “Schools on the Rise” award recognizes schools where students and adults collaborate to improve culture and amplify student voice. Research shows that schools with an inclusive and respectful environment have higher levels of student attendance, involvement, and academic achievement.

Way to rise and shine, HMS!

• SRP and School Safety The next Round Up, which will be sent out later this month, will include a story on the HSD's safety initiatives and its Standard Response Protocol (SRP). The SRP is a set of response protocols for any given emergency situation.

• Curious about Spring SBA scores? In mid-October, student standardized test scores for the 2023-24 school year will be available in Skyward, under “Test Scores” in the left sidebar. We will notify HSD families via Apptegy, our new notification system, once these scores are posted. Printed student score reports will also be sent home with students in late October.

• Chromebook Assurance Program We encourage families to sign up for our assurance program as a way for families to greatly reduce the financial risk if a Chromebook is accidentally damaged or lost. Participation is voluntary. The annual fee is $20 and can be paid on inTouch.

• Families: Please update your Skyward Family Access Info Updating your Skyward account helps families and our schools! Please take a moment to confirm/correct your contact information as well as complete annual forms such as the Home Language Survey, Student Health Inventory, and Parent Military Affiliation and Military Opt-Out (HS Only) Forms.

• Local Author to Share Stories at 9/10 Silver Social: Al O'Connor will present on his book Memorable Life Adventures, a series of stories beginning with his childhood in southern Oregon and extending to his present-day adventures her in Hockinson. His narratives are universally relatable and inspire one to reminisce and reflect on our own past. RSVP to this free Community Education event by calling Katie O'Malley-Soot at (360) 448-6480.

- Fri. Sept. 6: 1st Home Football Game - HHS v. Fife at 7 pm

- Mon. Sept. 9: HSD School Board Work Session at 6 pm on Zoom

- Tues. Sept. 10: Silver Social at 11 am @ HCC

- Wed. Sept. 11: First-ever Home Boys Tennis Match at 3:30 pm @ HHS

- Tues. Sept. 17: Facilities Open House & Information Night at 6 pm @ HHES

- Mon. Sept. 30: HSD School Board Regular Meeting at 6 pm @ HCC or Zoom

- Sat. Oct. 5: HHS Homecoming Dance at 8 pm @ HHS

- Fri. Oct. 11: In-Service Day - NO SCHOOL

- Wed. Oct. 16: Unity Day at all three HSD schools

- Fri. Oct. 18: HSD Community Tour starting at 8 am at HCC

- Mon. Oct. 28: HSD School Board Regular Meeting at 6 pm @ HCC or Zoom

- Nov. 1, 2 & 7, 8, 9: HHS Fall Play - The Giver at 7 pm @ MPR

Email: justine.hanrahan@esd112.org
Website: https://www.hocksd.org/
Location: 17912 NE 159th St, Brush Prairie, WA 98606, USA
Phone: (360) 448-6400