Hamlin Middle School Newsletter

Greetings Hamlin Families,

Open House

We are looking forward to seeing all of you at our Open House on October 10th. Please note the date change. We coordinate this event with our feeder elementary schools so that families can participate in a progressive event. We will begin in our Main Gym at 6:30 where I will speak briefly about our Title programming and other school-wide topics. When we are finished in the Gym, we will have our classrooms open so that you can meet your student's teachers.The evening with wrap up with dessert in the Commons on your way out. We will have staff with computers available to help you login to Parentvue if you are unable.

Student Health Survey

Our school is participating in the Student Health Survey (SHS), a survey sponsored by the Oregon Health Authority Public Health Division and the Oregon Department of Education. The survey asks about health risk behaviors of students in grades 6, 8, and 11. The survey will be conducted online in the classroom and includes questions about student health and safety, mental and behavioral health, school climate and culture, and risk and protective factors.

The survey will take place between October 16th and 18th. For more information I have attached the parent notification letter below in both English and Spanish.

Parent Concerns

Hamlin staff and administration understand that there are times when concerns arise at school. It is important that we know about them so that we can work to resolve them. Concerns should start with the person closest to the situation. We have created a flowchart to help you with where to start if you have a classroom or teacher concern. It is shared below.

I also wanted to share a recent reflection regarding our communication as a school community. Unfortunately, we've seen a surge of rumors being posted on social media by students, parents, and community members.

These rumors have a direct impact on Hamlin Middle School. When misinformation spreads, it creates unnecessary anxiety and confusion among parents, students, and staff. Our students often see or hear these conversations, which can detract from their focus and our primary goal- fostering a healthy curious learning environment.

When you have questions or concerns, I encourage you to reach out directly to the school. We have developed a new process with our office staff to take down essential information so that it can get to the person who can respond with the most accurate information, and the most quickly. Through collaborative, thoughtful and open communication, we can address issues more effectively and help dispel any misunderstandings. It also sets a positive example for your children and students.

As always, if there are safety concerns, all of our students and families have access to SafeOregon. It's an online tool that allows people to report incidents of feeling unsafe or report someone who feels unsafe. After filling out an online form, SafeOregon sends an email to the appropriate school administrator with all of the details from the report.

I would like to take a moment to share that I am incredibly proud of our staff and students and their start to the school year. I am thankful to spend the majority of my days with these incredible humans. Our students are hardworking, thoughtful, empathetic people who are doing the right thing the majority of the time. Unfortunately, sometimes as 11-14 year olds do, they make mistakes. Our role as school staff is to help them navigate these and learn from them. What is most disappointing for me, is that this is often where the focus lies when people think about our school. We are focused this year on celebrating the success of our students both academically and behaviorally to help change the culture and how our students feel while inside the school. Our school is filled with 590 incredible students who are doing amazing things everyday; that is where we should focus.

Thank you for your continued support for the 2024-25 school year. Working together we can ensure that Hamlin Middle School is a successful learning environment for all of our students.

Sincerely,

Brandi Starck

Principal

PICTURE RETAKE DAY is OCTOBER 22nd.

Kahlea Babbitt has been hired as our new Family Resource EA. Stay tuned for information about resources and support. If you need assistance, please reach out at kahlea.babbitt@springfield.k12.or.us.

8th Grade students will be going on a field trip with their ELA/Social Studies classes to the UO Natural History Museum and a U of O Campus Tour.

Students will be attending from 10:00-2:00 on the following days:

10/14- Ms. Hylton's class

10/17- Ms. Critchett's classes

10/18- Ms. Thomas' classes

10/21- Mr. Miller's classes

Be looking for permission slips and more information from your student's teacher

Fall 2024

Hello families!

6th Graders at Hamlin have the AWESOME opportunity to attend Outdoor School the week of October 21-25 at Grove Camp in Dorena. Each student will travel with their first period teacher and spend three school days at the camp. Our daily schedule will be to leave HMS by bus at 8:30AM and to return at approximately 6:15 PM. Activities at Outdoor School will be related to community building, science, ELA, math, STEAM AND our school theme “Logger Leaders”.

Please be sure that your student is dressed for the weather (layers, hats, rain coats, etc.) and is wearing shoes they can hike in. A snack, lunch, and dinner will be prepared for us by the camp staff. Students are welcome to bring their own snacks, lunch, or dinner if there are food allergies or concerns.

Our administrators reserve the right to uninvite students who have shown they cannot be trusted to be safe, respectful and responsible.

Monday & Tuesday, October 21 & 22

Ms. Steward, Ms. Arriola, Ms. Kurtz, and Ms. Hylton

Wednesday 23

Ms. Steward, Ms. Meehan, Ms Brown, Ms. Hylton, Mr. Parkhurst, Mr. Cobb,

Ms. Arriola

Thursday & Friday October 24 & 25

Ms. Meehan, Ms. Brown, Mr. Cobb, and Mr. Parkhurst

If you have any questions, please contact tracey.steward@springfield.k12.or.us or maura.meehan@springfield.k12.or.us

Monday 10/28- Logger Pride- School gear or flannel logger attire

Tuesday 10/29- Twin Day- dress like your friend or favorite staff member

Wednesday 10/30-Monochrome Day- Wear all the same color head to toe

Thursday 10/31- Costume Day- costumes should be school appropriate (no masks, gore, weapons, and should cover all the bits)

Friday 11/1- Pajama Day- bring your favorite stuffy (no blankets please)

During Nutrition Break on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, our students watch our daily announcements. You can subscribe to our YouTube Page at www.youtube.com/@HamlinLoggers.

If you click on the Live tab you can see all that we have filmed so far.

October 10th- Open House

October 11th- No School: Statewide Inservice

October 25th- Early Release

November 8th- No school: Grading Day

November 15th- Early Release

November 21st & 22nd- Student Led Conferences

PTSO Meeting October 9th 6:00pm

October 25th- Fall Social 7:00-8:30pm

Website: https://hamlinms.springfield.k12.or.us/
Location: 326 Centennial Boulevard, Springfield, OR 97477
Phone: 541-744-6356
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HamlinMiddleSchool/