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Hastings Middle School Family Flier

February 25, 2024

Hastings Middle School Family Flier February 25, 2024

Hastings Middle School 2024-2025

January 19, 2025

As a reminder, there is no school on Monday, January 20th and we have an early release on Wednesday, January 22nd. Students will be released at 1:30pm on the 22nd.


Student Names for Yearbook, Programs and End-of-Year Awards

If you would like your child’s name to appear as something other than what is listed in PowerSchool in the yearbook, any event programs and/or end-of-year awards, please complete the form below by Monday, February 3rd. Please know that this form does not change their official name PowerSchool.

https://forms.gle/NMgP1W6LG6LKTERf7

If you are unable to attend, all of the information will be shared via email on Friday, February 27th. If you have any questions regarding the scheduling and/or transition process, please feel free to contact Megan Lippert (mlippert@uaschools.org).

Going on vacation? Traveling for an athletic tournament? etc.

Please email hastingsattendance@uaschools.org regarding any student absences. For extended absences (vacations, travel, etc.) please submit a pre-planned absence form. For all medical appointments, please provide a doctor’s note.

Ski Club

If your child does not participate in Ski Club, please drop them off in the parking lot only.

Upcoming Important Dates

January 20th: No School for Staff and Students

January 22nd: Early Release Schedule (1:30pm)

January 23rd: Club Picture Day

January 24th: Frozen Fridays! ("Play BINGO")

January 31st: Career Day (more information to come!)

January 31st: Frozen Fridays! ("Balloon Archery")

February 11th: IPRs Available

February 7th: Frozen Fridays! ("UA Rocks")

February 13th: SRO Appreciation Day!

February 13th: Family/Teacher Conferences

February 14th: Frozen Fridays! ("Hastings Loves Our Buckeyes")

February 18th: Juvenile Law and Sexting 101 Presentation

6th Grade

No new items this week!

7th Grade

No new items this week!

8th Grade

9th Grade Parent/Guardian Meeting - January 28th

Be on the lookout for more information from UAHS Administration regarding the upcoming 9th grade information night. It is currently scheduled for Tuesday, January 28th at 6:00 PM in the Performing Arts Center, Upper Arlington High School.


UAHS Counselor Visit - January 29th **date change**

The counselors at Upper Arlington High School will be meeting with out current 8th grade class on Wednesday, January 29th during Enrichment! Each counselor will meet with their future 9th graders (organized by last name) to review curricular options and the scheduling process. Please be on the lookout for paperwork that they will be brining home.


UAHS International Baccalaureate Diploma and Career-Related Programs Information Session - January 30th

Middle School Parents and students: are you interested in finding out more about the International Baccalaureate Diploma and Career-related Programs? It is never too early to plan ahead and consider either of these programs for your high school experience. There are some things that you can do now to guarantee your success. Start by attending our IB Information Meeting on Thursday, January 30th, at 7pm at Jones Middle School.


8th Grade Shadowing - January 31st

Hastings Middle School is committed to providing our students with career exploration opportunities. Job shadowing is an excellent opportunity for a student to spend a day observing work place behaviors, skills, and interviewing an employee. This year 8th grade students are shadowing on Friday, January 31st, 2025.

Since this is a student's first shadowing experience, we encourage all students to shadow a parent/guardian. If that is not possible, students may shadow another relative or close family friend. Please fill out the form below and let us know where your child will be shadowing by January 24th, 2025.

Washington DC Trip Information

Dates: May 13, 2025 - May 16, 2025

Website: www.studentadventures.org

Trip Code: HMS2514

Questions?: Cathy Johnson or Evie Lay

Counselor's Corner

Service Hours

Middle School students in Upper Arlington are asked to complete five hours of community service each year. If your child is volunteering anywhere this year for the MLK Day of Service or even just out shoveling a neighbor’s driveway (and not getting paid), those things count toward hours.


The information about community service and logging hours is on the Hastings website: https://hastings.uaschools.org/academic-program/community-service


We will be working with students to help them log hours later this month. Students should see their grade level counselor if they have questions.


Career Exploration/Shadowing Day

On January 31st, Hastings eighth graders will be job shadowing out in the community. Our sixth and seventh grade students will be working on activities to help them understand how their talents, gifts, and passions might lead to a career path in the future. They will also logging service hours and completing activities linking classroom skills to future skills (paying bills, researching careers, etc.).


Juvenile Law and Sexting 101

Each year at Hastings we partner with the Franklin County Prosecuting Office to come in and talk with our students about Juvenile Laws, Sexting Laws and Online Safety. This year, on February 18th 2024, the Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Irene Knapp will be joining us to talk with our students about these issues. Each grade level will listen to the presentation in school during their enrichment period. Please feel free to check out this flier that shares more about what will be discussed. If you have any questions and/or concerns about this presentation, please reach out to your grade level counselor.


The students will then have a follow up conversation on some of the topics covered during their advisory period on February 21st, 2025, to ensure that students have understood and absorbed the key content from the presentation.


If you want to opt your student out of the presentation, and the follow up conversation, please click here.

Contact Information

6th Grade: Tina Farbizo, tfarbizo@uaschools.org

7th Grade: Catherine Shapiro, cshapiro@uaschools.org

8th Grade: Kelly Dainton, kdainton@uaschools.org

District Updates

Two-hour delay / inclement weather reminders

When we experience inclement weather during the school week, we have two options. The first is closing school, which is known as a calamity day. The second is using a two-hour delay schedule. We haven’t used a delay in recent years, so here are some reminders:


  • As you might expect, our K-12 schools start two hours later than the normally scheduled times.

  • Burbank Early Childhood School’s tuition-based program would open at 11:00 a.m. The morning intervention program, including peers, would be canceled, and the afternoon intervention program would begin as scheduled at 12:45 p.m.

  • Morning sessions of School-Age Child Care (SACC) are canceled.

  • Students who use school transportation can expect their bus two hours later than the normal pick-up time.

  • Dismissal times remain as usually scheduled.


Please refer to the cancellations and delays information on our website for additional information.


Requesting Retesting to Qualify for Concilium (gifted English language arts)

Requests for gifted testing for the purpose of qualifying current 6th and 7th graders for Concilium (gifted English language arts) in the 2025-2026 school year must be received by March 1, 2025.


Students must be identified as gifted in both superior cognitive ability and reading to receive gifted services through Concilium. The STAR Reading assessment is used to identify students in reading. In middle school, students are identified as gifted in superior cognitive ability via individual or small group testing.


If your student is identified as gifted in reading and you would like to refer them for evaluation of giftedness in superior cognitive ability, please email Shannon Gagel, Gifted Education Coordinator, at sgagel@uaschools.org.


K-12 Visual and Performing Arts Gifted Identification Process

Parents, teachers or students can nominate students for Visual and Performing Arts assessments. This is a multi-step process where students will first be rated on their artistic talent by a teacher with knowledge of the student. Then, if that rating meets the screening criteria, your student will be invited to bring a portfolio of art or to audition outside of the district for trained arts instructors on 3/8/25 in New Albany. All of the information on this process is available here. The deadline to submit nominations is 2/10/25, though I would encourage you to complete the nomination process as soon as possible.


Helpful Links

Transportation Questions: schoolbusquestions@uaschools.org or call 614-487-6477

Upper Arlington Schools Lunch Information link: https://www.uaschools.org/NutritionalServices.aspx

PowerSchool Parent Portal: https://ps-uar.metasolutions.net/public/home.html

If you need assistance logging into PowerSchool, you may reach out to: familytechhelp@uaschools.org

Student Fees/SPS EZpay: https://www.spsezpay.com/upperarlington/login.aspx

PTO

Hello Hastings Community! Check out the updates below for what’s shakin’ with the Hastings PTO:


The PTO is in dire need of a Co-Treasurer for 2025-2026 and a Spirit Wear chair. These positions are critical to the success of the PTO. Please reach out to hastingspto@gmail.com to get more details!


FROZEN FRIDAYS have started - the PTO provides entertainment for the students during the winter weeks when they cannot go outside for “recess.” Support this committee by purchasing supplies to keep the activities going - we appreciate your donations! Please volunteer your time to support each Frozen Friday - see the sign up genius below to volunteer!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0D4EA4A722ABFC1-54253250-frozen#/

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/27HBH2CHJQYE5?ref_=wl_share


TISSUES are in major need at the school - please send a few boxes with your student so their classrooms are ready to handle the winter sniffles.


Come work the school store!! Check out the great social experiment, lunchtime at a middle school - work a shift at the school store! Volunteers needed during all lunch periods on Wednesday and Friday every week. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090F4AABA82DAAF49-46358601-hastings#/


If you can’t volunteer at the school store, support them by donating goods to be sold - check out this Amazon Wishlist and help out if you can!

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1BANH6EA6GJAN?ref_=wl_share&fbclid=IwY2xjawE-qdZleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHYYoErmftwP89Z563hfcGyHjxNMDfodzTgQmR0fKtdP2rcaeDIu-QsFMCg_aem_WRjA0RikO5eNEziSudOwuQ

Megan Lippert
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