Our Vision: The Herbert Akins Road MS Learning Community collaborates to facilitate equitable outcomes and growth through social, emotional, and academic opportunities.

Nighthawk Families,

• WE NEED YOUR HELP! The Build Our Nest fundraiser is the only PTA fundraiser of the school year and the majority of funding goes to support our FLIGHT Time Wednesday Clubs as well as our After School Clubs. Field trips, school dances, 8th grade EOY activities, and 6th/7th grade EOY activities are supported with these funds. We really need you and your student supporting by sending emails to all family, friends, and neighbors as EVERY donation helps, regardless the amount! Your student brought home an envelope on Friday for cash/check donations. ANY amount counts and students will get their names on a stick for the Nest in the cafeteria IF they get any amount of donation for our school. Thank you!

• Volunteer Renewal closes October 1st!

  As a valued member of our volunteer community, we would like you to renew your volunteer status for the 2024-25 school year.

  The volunteer renewal process is quick and simple for all volunteers who were approved for the 2023-24 school year. The renewal window is now open through Oct. 1, 2024. Go to the MyVolunteer Volunteer Renewal site to renew your volunteer status today! Log into your MyVolunteer account and follow the directions for Volunteer Renewal. The process should only take a few minutes. Once approved, the renewal date in your MyVolunteer profile will be updated.

  All 2023-24 approved volunteers received an email on July 1 from no-reply@criminalrecordcheck.com with a link to renew your approved volunteer status for the 2024-25 school year.

  If you have any issues during the renewal process, contact the MyVolunteer customer support team at 877-272-0266 or customercare@mycrc.com

• Please follow us on our school's Facebook page, X "Twitter" account, and Instagram to stay abreast of up-to-date news and reminders throughout each school week. Scroll all the way to the end of this newsletter and click on the buttons to follow us on each platform.

With appreciation for your support and partnership as we continue to #buildournest in Year 3,

Anne Marie Adkins

Principal

Dear Families,

This week, our school will focus on the character strength of Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence. This means noticing and valuing the world's beauty and people's skills and not taking things for granted.

Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence involves recognizing and enjoying what is admirable. Positive psychology identifies three types of goodness: physical beauty (like sunsets or music), exceptional skills or talents, and moral goodness (like character strengths). Appreciating beauty can inspire awe, skills can generate admiration, and moral goodness can elevate us. These feelings help us forget ourselves and find more joy and meaning in the world.

This strength helps individuals experience positive emotions and connect with the world around them. It is outward-facing, focusing on external beauty and excellence, often leading to deep absorption in awe or admiration, which can help alleviate anxieties. It is also linked to other strengths, such as gratitude, curiosity, love of learning, and purpose.

To practice and encourage this strength at home, visit the Positivity Project’s mobile-friendly P2 for Families. There, you will watch a video clip together and discuss a quote and three questions related to the appreciation of beauty and excellence.

Thank you for your support!

Meal Benefits Expiration Date HAS PASSED - Please see below.

Families must reapply every school year if they are interested in receiving meal benefits.

To apply for free or reduced-price meals, you can do so online by visiting www.MySchoolApps.com. Paper applications will always be made available in our school's front office, or you can call 919-588-3535 or 919-856-2920 to have one mailed to you.

• Application information
• Application information - información sobre la solicitud (Español)
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Frequently Asked Questions - preguntas frecuentes (Español)
• Sample application/Ejemplo de solicitud (Please fill out an original / Favor de completar una solicitud original)
• Meal charges policy | Cuentas de Alimentos

Online Application

• Apply for Free or Reduced Price Meals Online
• Solicitud en línea para las comidas escolares Gratis/Precio Reducido: Español

Questions about applying for free and reduced meals:

(919) 856-2920 (English)

(919) 588-3535 (English and Spanish)

cnsmealbenefits@wcpss.net

Free and Reduced-Price Benefits Office fax number:

(919) 856-3704

In our Parent/Family Survey that was sent to all families in July, one of the topics/activities of interest for families was the opportunity to learn more about workshops/meetings/seminars to help parents support their students to be more successful in their social, emotional, and academic development. As opportunities arise and/or are made available, we will be sure to communicate them to our families. See below for one of the first opportunities this school year.

On Sept. 18, Dr. Laura Politte, a board-certified child/adolescent and adult psychiatrist, currently serving as medical director of outpatient services in the WakeMed Health & Well-Being service line, will present “Smooth Transitions: Supporting Children and Parents in Returning to School”.

Dr. Politte will explain the unique emotional, social, and cognitive challenges children face when they return to school. She will also identify ways to face additional stressors while discussing strategies to support children and their parents during this season.

The event will be held from 5:30 to 7:00 at the William F. Andrews Center, 3024 New Bern Avenue, Raleigh, NC 27610. Registration is free and open to the to parents, guidance counselors, teachers and community members.

Sept 10th, Dec 10th and Mar 11th from 4-8pm

Please checkout this week's Nighthawk Athletic Newsletter . Practice schedules as well as the mandatory Parent Meeting on Tuesday, September 10th, are listed to update your family's calendar.

Over 215 students in 7th and 8th grades participated in Fall Athletics Tryouts! The positivity of students supporting one another during tryouts was fantastic and definitely shows that true Nighthawks live out the Other People Mindset! It takes a great deal of courage and bravery to go out for an athletic team, especially when there are less than 100 spots available on all of our fall teams. Congratulations to those that made one of the fall teams: Football, Girls Soccer, Volleyball, Cheerleading and Dance.

To prepare for future seasons ~

Click here for the video on how to do athletic physicals

*Check out our NEW athletic paperwork/physical Google Doc for information on how to load all paperwork on DragonFly

Brent Winston

Athletic Director
Herbert Akins Road Middle School

bwinston@wcpss.net

919-694-8300 ext. 53051

Cheerleading: Lauren McKenzie and Samantha Carrino

Volleyball: Carl Alombro and Grace Cascadden

Girls Soccer: Chris Tuggle and Sarah Maye

Football: Brent Winston, Joe Samuels, and Eric Knudson

Dance: Aliyah Echols and Trinity Harrison

The 2024-2025 PTA is very excited about this upcoming school year!

• Please join the PTA so that you can receive communications throughout the year (we promise to keep them to a minimum!) regarding school dances, fundraisers, Teacher Appreciation events, family fun nights, and more!
• Join here: Join the PTA - HERBERT AKINS RD NIGHTHAWKS PTA (weebly.com)

• Buy Spirit Wear (the PTA receives a portion of sales) - Herbert Akins Road spirit wear, Fuquay-Varina, NC, Nighthawks | 1st Place Spiritwear
• Rent the Spirit Rock (for birthdays and other celebrations)
• Find information on volunteering for events
• If you have any interest in joining a committee this year, please contact Alex Jamieson at herbertakinsmsptapresident@gmail.com. Examples of committee positions are:
• School Dances
• Fundraising
• Teacher Appreciation
• Audit
• Spirit Nights
• So much more! Do you have special interests? Let us know! We probably have a committee for it! :)

Thank you so much, and we look forward to a FUN and awesome school year!

Alex Jamieson, PTA President

Our large middle school has three parent groups that support the work of our students and parents: PTA, Athletic Booster Club, and Fine Arts Booster Club. The work of our parents and family members is crucial when ensuring our Nighthawks are able to highly participate in classroom learning experiences, after school and during school clubs, concerts, athletic competitions, dances, field trips, art studio nights, theater productions, and so much more! It takes all parents and community members to support the work of our parent groups so Nighthawk students and staff can rise in ALL they do!

Our students can arrive and dismiss from school via buses, carpool, walkers, and bike riders. Every student at Herbert Akins Rd MS was assigned a carpool number this school year. To ride the bus, parents need to complete the WCPSS bus rider request. To be a walker or bike rider at HARMS, families will need to complete this form for their student.

Please take a moment to click here and register NOW!