The Hive

August 26th

First Week Updates!

HMS Families,

First, we would like to send out a HUGE thank you to those of you who came to our parent night. It was so fun to connect with you all and talk about the expectations and hopes we have for this year. We are so excited about all the opportunities that are awaiting our school community. You all are such an important part of our community, it's essential that we work together toward common and positive goals.

Second, we wanted to provide you with a detailed update for events that will take place this week. Please make sure and read all the details in this newsletter if you are looking for specifics for next week. We have a lot of exciting things happening and we are looking forward to welcoming everyone on campus. We cannot believe the first day is on Wednesday! It's going to be awesome.

With kindness,

BC and SS

2023-2024 School Supply Lists

Free & Reduced Lunch Information

Reminder

The first day of school is on Wednesday, August 30th! Due to it being on a Wednesday, it is an early release day. Students will be released at 2:20pm on the first day of school.

Picture Day!

You all should have recieved picture order forms in the mail today. HMS' picture day takes place during 6th Grade Hornet Academy on 8/28 and 7th & 8th grade orientation on 8/29. If you would like to pre-order your child's school picture, please use the following link:

School Picture Online Order

Schoology

We are in the process of setting up family access to Schoology. We appreciate your grace as we begin the year and enroll all of our new families. We will share your access code with you via email as soon as your family is enrolled.

You will have one account for all of your children but different access codes for each child. Please do not create a new account unless you have never had one before. You will be able to link all of your children's accounts by using the different access codes.

Thank you for your patience.

Chromebook Insurance - PLEASE READ

We offer all new students and 6th graders at the time of Chromebook checkout insurance for their Chromebooks. You can accept or decline through the Intouch program.This year, Assurance will be a bit different because we did not collect the Chromebooks. We are allowing a two week grace period for signing up for the program. If a family chooses to not sign up for the program in this time frame (before Wednesday, September 13th), the family will be automatically marked as not participating. If the family does not participate in Assurance and the Chromebook gets damaged, they are liable for the damages in the form of a fine. A family can purchase Assurance at any time during the school year (after the grace period), as long as the Chromebook does not have damage.

You can find the assurance form and payment links here: https://www.hocksd.org/quick-links/forms

Intouch

You can make online fee payments, add money to lunch accounts, and review Assurance forms through our Intouch payment system. If you don't want to make online payments, we can take payments in the front office. Please let us know if you have any questions.

Intouch

Schedule Changes

I try to always be as proactive and transparent as possible. Students will be receiving their schedules on Monday and Tuesday. Schedule changes are complex and involve a lot of moving parts. This year, we have a full roster of students and due to this we do not have flexibility to move students from one class to another. I wish I could show all of you the intricate chess game that is played when scheduling students. It takes a lot of time, patience, and flexibility.

Please know that when your child receives their schedule, that will be their schedule for the first semester.

Thank you for your understanding.

6th Grade Hornet Academy

Who: 6th Grade Students

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

Where: HMS (enter through the main entrance)

Parents: Please plan on dropping off your student for this event.

6th Grade teachers will welcome students throughout their shorted scheduled day. They will be getting their picture taken, ASB card, review behavior expectations, check-out Chromebooks, go on a school tour, play a get to know you game, and learn about clubs and activities.

7:45 Doors Open

8:00-8:20 Mrs. Colpron & Mr. Slom Welcome 6th Grade Students

Period 1: 8:25-8:45

Period 2: 8:50-9:10

Period 3: 9:15-9:35

Lunch: 9:40-9:55 Cookies!

Period 4: 10:00-10:20

Period 5: 10:25-10:45

Period 6: 10:50-11:10

Period 7: 11:15-11:35

Pep Assembly 11:40-12:00

If your student wants a locker, sign ups will start at 12:00pm.

11:00 am - 12:00 pm, we will have a Schoology session for families to learn how to navigate our learning management system. Please join us on the 2nd floor in our computer lab, which is next door to the library.

Parents can also pay fees and sign Assurance forms for the Chromebooks. It helps if you use our online Intouch payment system.

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!

Athletic Director's Corner

Practice for cross-country and volleyball tryouts are on Monday 8/28 starting at 3:30pm! Please make sure you arrive on-time.

Parents: Please make sure that your child is cleared to try out and practice. If forms are not signed, or physicals are not submitted, they are not eligible for fall sports.

I am happy to announce that so far we have 62 students registered for fall sports!

Practices will be 3:30-5:00pm
8/31, 5:00-5:45 Fall sports parent meeting for students participating in volleyball & cross country
9/4, NO Practice in observance of Labor Day
9/11 Games begin

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.

Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions!

Sid Slom

sid.slom@hocksd.org