HMS & FWA

Hello, HMS & FWA Families!

As October comes to a close, we want to take a moment to reflect on the fantastic activities we've shared this month! From our upcoming Halloween festivities to the exciting sporting events and the engaging book fair, it's been a busy and fun-filled time for our students. Thank you for your support in making these events successful!

In the month of October, our SEL focus has been "Empathy ~ Seeing the World Through Kind Eyes!" As we progress through these advisory lessons, we want to celebrate the incredible displays of empathy we've witnessed throughout our school community. From small gestures to larger acts, our students and staff have truly exemplified what it means to care for one another. We've seen our student leaders step up during times of difficulty, offering their support and encouragement to peers facing challenges. These moments of connection remind us all of the importance of being there for each other. Let's continue to recognize and celebrate these acts of empathy, reminding each other that a small gesture can have a profound impact. Together, we are building a caring community, and we encourage everyone to keep spreading kindness.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Katie Proietti, HMS & FWA Associate Principal

November 11th at 10 am will be our Veterans Program, held in the HMS Gym. We encourage family and community members to attend.

Cards are available in the office.

12/9/24

2/3/25
4/14/25

Link for Google meeting

Blankets will be sold at the HHS craft fair on November 23rd. Get one while supplies last!

Please make sure that you have a current background check completed prior to volunteering for field trips or other activities. Once background check form is submitted you will receive an email from Diversified, the questions in that email need to be answered for the background check to be completed.

The 2024-25 Student and Parent Handbook can be found here. This handbook was approved by the Board of Education and is an extension of board policy.

Please see the following reminders related to our Healthy Snacks Policy:

• During the school day, students and families may bring in a snack and lunch for the student only. Students and families will not be allowed to bring in snacks from outside the District to share with any other student.

• Beverages other than water must remain in lockers, with the exception of lunch periods.

• Coffee must be consumed in the cafeteria prior to going to 1st Hour.

• Snacks should be single serving size only.

• No candy should be brought to school.

• No energy drinks should be brought to school.

For information on activity registration, winter athletics and activities, and upcoming co-curricular opportunities, please see our latest edition of the co-curricular newsletter

Did you know?

• Students should miss no more than 10 days of school each year to stay engaged, successful, and on track to graduation.

• Frequent absences can be a sign that a student is losing interest in school, struggling with school work, dealing with social issues, or facing some other difficulty.

• By 6th grade, absenteeism is one of three signs that a student may drop out of high school.

• By 9th grade, attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than 8th grade test scores.

• Missing 10%, or 2 days a month, over the course of the school year can affect a student’s academic success.

Wisconsin Statutes (118.16) requires that all school age children be in regular attendance at school with total absences not to exceed ten (10) full or partial days of school per school year. If your child has an appointment with a medical professional (counselor, doctor, dentist, etc), please obtain a letter from the professional and turn it into the office to exempt the time missed. After ten (10) absences, a doctor's excuse is required. Please refer to the HMS Student Handbook for more specific information about student attendance. Students who miss more than ten (10) days of school without a doctor's note will be marked as unexcused, which could lead to truancy.

Please note: any absence without a note from a medical professional counts toward the 10 excused absences. This includes illness, vacations, hunting, and any other personal reasons. When planning for appointments and vacations we ask that you try to limit days out of school. Please reference the 2024-25 school calendar as you plan for vacations and other events. For pre-planned absences of 3 or more days, please fill out and submit our pre-arranged absence form 5 days prior to the start of the absence.

If your child is needing to miss school, please notify the office by 7:30 am using the attendance line number 920-779-7928. This number should be used for all attendance calls. We will answer your call during our office hours between 7-3:30. If outside of these hours, you will be prompted to leave a voicemail. Please contact Kathy Paltzer with any questions or concerns related to daily attendance and Katie Proietti with questions or concerns related to supporting positive attendance for your learner.

We ask that all parents/guardians share this information with anyone who may be dropping off or picking up your student. If everyone follows the expectations and signage, we can execute the process quickly and safely. Please take time to review the drop off expectations:

• Please make sure that all students are being dropped off in the front of school in the designated drop-off area. Please do not drop off students in the crosswalk or other areas of Warner Street.

• Students may not walk or bike through the drop off lane or staff parking lot at any time. Do not park in the staff lot for student drop off or pick up. It is unsafe to walk through the moving drop off lane. Do not drop-off or pick-up in the staff lot or from visitor parking at any time.

• If you have elementary children and middle school children and want to have them exit one location, please drop off at HES and have your HMS student walk over using the sidewalk. It is much safer for our HMS students to walk the distance rather than our HES friends. Please do not drop off elementary school students in the HMS drop off lane.

• When you are in the HMS drop off lane, pull as far ahead in the drop off lane toward or past the Door 1 - Main Entrance as you can. At whatever point your vehicle makes its first stop, and you have sidewalk to your right, your student should exit the vehicle. Do not make multiple stops to get your student closer to the door, have them walk. This greatly holds up traffic.

• After your child has exited the vehicle or has been picked up, exit into the left lane to make your way out. Do not use the left lane to cut ahead of others and cut people off in the right lane (the drop off lane). Students should only enter and exit the vehicle on the passenger side.

It is very important for our drivers to ensure that your child arrives to and from school safely. Student safety is the drivers primary concern on every route (to and from school, activities, field trips, etc). When a driver is managing behaviors, it is distracting to their ability to drive safely. Consider yourself as a driver: would you want your student to behave in a way in which your ability to drive safely was compromised? We need your students(s) to manage their behaviors on the bus to ensure safe transport in the same way you would.

If your student is not able to manage their behaviors while on the bus, a behavioral referral will be made to school administration. Please review the following expectations with your student so that the driver can focus on driving.

1. There is no food or drink permitted on the bus at any time. It should remain in their backpack.

2. Students may not use their cell phone or any other electronic device to take pictures or videos on the bus.

3. The volume level on the bus must remain low. Students may engage in conversation at a low volume level with the student(s) they are seated with.

4. Just as we would use a seating chart to assist in the classroom, seating charts on the bus are an expectation. Students must sit in their assigned seat.

5. Students should be facing forward when the bus is moving. They should remain seated with their feet on the floor. Their feet should not be in the aisle. The aisle may not be blocked when the bus is moving. Students should remain seated until the bus makes a complete stop before they get up to exit the bus.

6. Swearing, inappropriate comments, teasing, name calling and unkind remarks to peers is not acceptable on the bus at any time.

If a second referral occurs, a conference may be held with any/all of the following: the Director of Transportation, the principal/associate principal, student, driver, and parent or guardian(s) with a written report sent to parent/guardian(s). Additionally, a student may be suspended from riding the bus for two (2) days at the discretion of the administrator. A third offense can result in a five-day bus suspension. In the event of a fourth offense, the student may be suspended from riding the bus and referred to the Board of Education for possible expulsion from bus riding privileges for the remainder of the school year. If you have additional questions please reach out to us and we will do our best to assist. You can also reference the School Bus Discipline and Conduct Policy #8610.

You can access the following under the Health services tab:

• Illness and Communicable Diseases

• Health Forms

• Vision, Dental, and Hearing Screenings

• Breakfast/Lunch menus

• Dietary Restriction Information

• Medical Emergency Processes

“Polar Parents” is a great way to get involved here at school. As we have a need for volunteers throughout the year, these will be shared in our newsletter. If you think you may want to volunteer or chaperone an event/trip at any point this year, please take the time to complete our background check form. This can take several weeks to process, so we encourage you to be proactive in completing it. This form must be completed and processed prior to your participation. Thank you for considering!

As we progress through the year, it is important that we work as a team to ensure your child’s academic success. To monitor your child’s academic progress, please visit Mastery Connect. We are here to answer any questions or should you have any concerns or wonders.

We are requesting to please label all items with your child(ren)'s name. Our lost and found often becomes overwhelmed with items, especially hoodies and other outerwear, and we would like to be able to return misplaced items.

Can Tabs for Ronald McDonald House!
For critically ill children and their families, the Ronald McDonald House® can be the most important house they will ever visit. Ronald McDonald House® Charities helps families of seriously ill and injured children cope with the stress and expense of daily living while trying to be close and emotionally strong for their child. More than just a room and a hot meal, the Ronald McDonald House© is a home away from home for families faced with a child’s medical crisis. It can be a quiet place to be alone, or a place of companionship, sharing, and emotional support.

Why are can tabs important to Ronald McDonald House®? The Can Tab program is important because it provides extra revenue that can help make up for the donations that families cannot make. Can tabs are the aluminum tabs found on the top of cans. Aluminum is one of the most recyclable materials in the world and, although the whole can is valuable, the can tab is smaller and cleaner, making it easier to collect in large quantities. They accept more than just can tabs. The tabs can come from energy drinks, soup cans, or anything with a metallic tab. Since 2000, recycling the little aluminum tabs from soda cans has generated over $400,000 for the Eastern WI Ronald McDonald House®. Your can tab collection helps keep families together.

We have a can tab container located in the Cafeteria. Collect tabs at home and have your students bring them to school for our collection. Just this little effort can make a big difference!