Heartland MS Family Newsletter

Events - Events - Events... That's how you can best describe the next few months here at Heartland!! It's INCREDIBLE to look at all we have going on. Soon we will tackle 25/26 enrollment, transition to Spring sports, Black History Month assembly, Double PUP Dare Week, honor society induction, staff celebrations, Spring State testing preparation and so much more! As always - we'll do our best to keep you informed here in the Heartland Happenings. As all of these events come and go, I can't tell you how important it is for your student to be at school! Research shows that the best learning takes place at school and although there are now avenues to stay caught up from home, nothing can take the place of in person instruction. Please continue to have meaningful conversations with your student regarding the value of being actively engaged in the learning process.

It hadn't felt much like Winter until here recently but we're in the thick of it now! Thank you all for your flexibility as we transitioned in and out of virtual learning this past week. I can't stress enough how difficult it is for district administrators to decide whether we will be in our out of school on less than optimal weather days. Remember, should we ever have an inclement weather situation arise - you can always get the latest information on school closures or switches to virtual learning by looking at your local news sources or district social media. It will be posted everywhere. Expect to receive a timely email from me detailing all the ins and outs of how your student will do school virtually. Hopefully you've felt that you've had all the information needed for your student to be successful during the virtual learning process. As we've witnessed, below freezing temperatures combined with precipitation is never good so please stay weather aware!

We're in the very beginning of the course request process for 2025/26. In the next few weeks - 8th graders will begin to think about their high school schedules and our 6th & 7th graders will get course request information. It's CRAZY to think that we're already underway in prep for next school year. 8th-grade parents - should you have any questions about the scheduling process - please be sure to contact the high school. Current 6th & 7th-grade parents - as always - please give your counselor a call if you have course request questions...In the meantime, stay safe and warm!

Don't forget - we are out of school next Monday, January 20th - for the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday. As always, should you have any questions, ideas or suggestions please feel free to reach out to our office!

WE ARE...HEARTLAND!

Respectfully,

Veronica Johnson

Principal, Heartland Middle School

405-340-2972

If you have heard from your student, we are in the process of modifying our hallways procedures starting Spring 2025. The change was motivated by a couple of things:

1. We've noticed that the unstructured time of the day (passing period, lunch, courtyard) are the times that we see most student misbehavior. With this unstructured time, we've been experiencing hallway congestion as students stop to socialize with friends, unnecessary roughhousing, and issues with self control. Mind you, this is not the case for all students but we do know is that middle schoolers thrive in structure and the ability to predict their day and create their own success.
2. Because our students have multiple teachers throughout the day, it's hard for our students to get acclimated to a new classroom in a timely manner so as to not waste valuable instructional minutes.

After collecting feedback from staff/students and in an attempt to address some of these issues, we have modified how we do our passing time:

1. Our passing time is 4 minutes between classes. We have created a pathway for students to walk during the first 2.5 minutes of this time. Students can talk and socialized but must keep their feet moving to address the congestion issue. Think of it as a "lazy river." This is always a great way for students to move around and get their blood flowing as they have likely been sitting in classes for long periods of times. Students are consistently hearing the words "walk and talk" from the adults supervising.
2. Once 2.5 minutes have passed, students will hear a bell and they have the remaining 90 seconds to go directly to class and complete the "Strong Start" tasks. Those tasks include entering the class calmly, going directly to their seat, getting out their supplies/chromebook, and start on their "do now" or "bellwork." If they have not completed these tasks by the time the 4 minute bell has rang, they are tardy. This "Strong Start" procedure is consistent from classroom to classroom so students know exactly what to do without being prompted by their teacher and allows for the teacher to get started with instruction without having to wait for students to wind down from an unstructured passing time.

This procedure was created by teachers and presented to staff for their approval as we need all adults to be on board with implementation for optimal success. Obviously we will assess over the next few weeks and modify as needed. But we have to start somewhere rather than continue to be reactive to student behavior. We are well aware that specific accommodations will be made for students as needed. Thank you for your support and for speaking with your student regarding appropriate behavior at school. The below button is the presentation used to introduce this modified procedures to our Hawks. Please reach out to your grade level administrator should you have any questions or concerns.

Ms. Johnson

Dear Parent or Guardian:

The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services is conducting an important survey on student behaviors and beliefs. The survey is called the Oklahoma Prevention Needs Assessment(OPNA) Survey. Your child’s class is set to take this survey in early February 2025. The purpose of the survey is to gather information needed to plan prevention and intervention programs in our community and schools. These programs will address problems of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use, school dropout, delinquency, violence, mental health, and other issues in our schools and communities. Please click the button below for more information.

Now that we are in the process of running eligibility for OSSAA activities - there always tends to be some confusion as to when a student can and can not participate. Here are some bullet points to help define when a student can and can not participate.

• Eligibility is run mid-week. For example - we run eligibility on Thursday morning based on grades posted on Wednesday evening. If a student is listed as "ineligible" - that means they can not participate in any OSSAA games scheduled for the next calendar week of Sunday - Sunday. By OSSAA rules - students can still practice during that time. However, individual coaches may have other team rules regarding practice.
• Probation vs. Ineligible. The first week a student has a grade that qualifies them for the eligibility report - they are listed as "on Probation"... At that point in time - they can still participate and play in games. (Again - team rules may be more strict) If the student raises the grade by the next eligibility report run - their name comes off the list and they are good to go. If there is still a grade in question - the student becomes ineligible.
• If a student is listed as ineligible - AND - raises their grade (yay!!) the next time there is a grade in question -- they move back to the probation category. Therefore, there is always a week of grace after a student has worked to get their name off of the list.

Please feel free to contact Heartland Athletic Director Laura Brown with questions as I know it can be confusing.

Honesty - Being truthful in what I say and do

Enthusiasm - Expressing interest and excitement in what I do

Attentiveness - Concentrating on the person or task before me

Resiliency - Recovering from adversity and finding the inner strength to withstand stress

and do my best

Tolerance- Demonstrating respect for others who do not share my perspective

Leadership- Knowing the way. Going the way. Showing the way.

Accountability - Accepting responsibility for my actions

Nice- Dude. Be Nice!

Discipline- Choosing behaviors to help me reach my goals and finish strong!

Veronica Johnson - Lead Principal

Laura Brown - Asst. Principal, 8th Grade/Athletic Director

Dana Williams - Asst. Principal, 7th Grade

Paul McQueen - Asst. Principal, 6th Grade

Kim Treece - 7th Grade Counselor

Neika Jackson - 8th Grade Counselor

Cara Bowerman - 6th Grade Counselor

Email: heartland.middleschool@edmondschools.net
Website: https://heartland.edmondschools.net/
Location: Heartland Middle School, Explorer Drive, Edmond, OK, USA
Phone: (405)340-2972
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heartlandmiddleschool