Hidden River Newsletter
Week of June 3rd - 7th, 2024
Weekly Reminders
- SAVE THE DATES:
Thurs., June 6th - 8th grade field trip to ValleyFair 10:00am-6:00pm
Next Week 6/10-6/14:
Mon., June 10th - Last day of school!
- 6th grade - Field trip to PINZ from 10:30am-1:30pm
- 7th grade - Field trip to Skateville from 10:00am-1:30pm
- 8th grade - Grand March at 2:00pm
School Information
8th grade Families:
- 8th Grade Valleyfair Field Trip is Thursday, June 6th. Please be sure your student has a ride home arranged and is picked up from HRMS by 6:15pm. Reminder that Valleyfair is cashless. If students bring cash, they can use a kiosk to convert it to a visa/mastercard like gift card. Un-used money on the card can be spent at other locations beyond Valleyfair. It is recommend you bring the following: sun screen, swimsuit under clothes, water bottle, home/school lunch. Please do not bring anything to school you are not wanting to bring to Valleyfair. We are looking forward to a fun filled day celebrating our 8th graders!
- Grand March/Celebration: 8th grade families, please join us at 2:00 PM on Monday, June 10th for a new tradition at Hidden River - the Grand March! Hidden River has a day full of fun planned for just our 8th graders (contests, DJ, photo booth, food truck and MUCH MORE) and at the end of the day, we will gather as a community to wish them well as the head off to high school. 8th graders will "march" through the school past 6th and 7th graders and out on the Cambridge St. lawn where we hope to have families there to welcome them! Please arrive early - parking is a challenge in the neighborhood and there will be no parking on the Summit or Cambridge sides of the building (we have to keep these areas clear for the buses).
7th Grade Families: Please view the link below for field trip info for 7th graders! All the underlined words are clickable for more information and permission slips. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Avx6FitGCJ5dKfR3rdxeHIkYBwGT-FpW/view?usp=sharing
6th Grade Families: Field Trip to PINZ (in Oakdale) on June 10th. Field Trip Permission Slips will be handed out on Tuesday May 21st (in your mailbox) and are due back by Monday June 3rd! Field trip cost is $25 (includes 2 hours of bowling, unlimited arcade games, pizza and soda, and transportation). Permission slip below as well.
Student of the Month (May) - Thinker
Principal's Note
Hello Hidden River Families and Students,
The end of the school year is always bittersweet. We will miss seeing students everyday and yet know students have earned a break with all the hard work this year. We also recognize our 8th graders are transitioning to high school and wish them well. We are celebrating them all day on Monday, June 10. Please see the flyer above for family participation on this day!
I want to encourage our students and families to read a lot this summer; explore our city and beyond; and find time to enjoy each other and friends. We look forward to seeing our current 6th and 7th graders back next year as 7th and 8th graders at our new location: The Wilson Building, 631 North Albert St.
Have a great summer!
Teresa Vibar
Classroom Updates
8TH-GRADE FRENCH IMMERSION
Congratulations to our 8th graders for achieving intermediate proficiency and receiving the Minnesota World Language Proficiency certificate! Bilingual and biliteracy skills are valuable assets to the state's global community and International Baccalaureate schools, enhancing personal education and career opportunities. We adhere to the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages.
Moss - 6th Grade MN Studies
Students should be submitting all assignments on Schoology through Schoology. With is unexpected departure, we are working to ensure all students who submit assignments receive a grade reflective of their work. Please check in with your 6th grader to see what work they might be missing and turn it in by Friday, June 7. Contact Ms. Vibar if you have any questions.
Health Education - Ms. Kaufenberg
Parents of current 6th and 7th grade students: What topics in health education do you hope your children spend time learning? While we will be covering national standards, state mandates, and aligning with other SPPS middle school health programs, it would be helpful to know which topics and skills you value most. I will use this survey to help inform timing and pacing of health units next year and to know which topics are most important to you. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSccqPjlhtp-hpEPrx-oBd7p_ruNE2lp4i6Mw5LWoCKM_fOhAg/viewform?usp=sf_link
Ms. Selnes - Art grades
Students should be submitting all assignments on Schoology. All art grades have been updated, please student should take this last week of school to turn-in any missing work by Friday, June 7th. Contact Ms. Hayes (april.hayes@spps.org) if you have any questions.
7th-grade French Immersion
As we approach the end of the school year, we encourage our 7th graders to make use of Lingco, the platform we utilized for the Grand Concours, in order to enhance their language learning experience prior to the proficiency test they will take next school year. Materials from the platform are available for free for 7th-grade French immersion students until the end of July 2024. Students can access materials for all contest levels from 2014 to 2023. For any questions or additional information, please contact Mme Payia Yang at rachel.payia-yang@spps.org.
7th Grade Field Trip
Thank you to the Office of Equity for providing the opportunity to go to the Minnesota Zoo. The 7th graders at Hidden River Middle School benefitted from seeing animals in their habitats before starting their final Life Science unit about natural selection and animal ancestry. For some of our students, this was their first visit to the MN zoo. Therefore, our thanks go to everyone who provided all of our students access to see this amazing place!
iPad Collection for Summer
Students returning to any SPPS school, including a high school, are welcome to keep their iPads over the summer. However, students on an iPad contract for the school year will be required to turn in their iPads. All students attending summer school are required to keep their iPads, except those on a contract.
Students whose families do not want their iPads kept over the summer, who are on a contract, and students who will not be returning to an SPPS school for the 2024-25 school year should turn in their iPads, cases, and chargers according to the below schedule:
• Eighth Grade: Wednesday, June 5, before school or during third period Foundations.
• Seventh Grade: Thursday, June 6, before school or during second period Foundations.
• Sixth Grade: Friday, June 7, before school or during first period Foundations.
Please note that students who do need to turn in iPads must do so prior to attending the end of year field trips, including Valley Fair for eighth grade.
If you have questions, please text me at (612) 568-2358.
Thank you for your support.
Cara Hagen
iPad Teacher
2024 - 2025 Family Engagement Plan Draft and Survey
Hidden River is committed to supporting our students, and their families! Each year we update our Family Engagement Plan and Family-School Compact with your input to make sure we are letting families know that are welcome in Hidden River, and there are many different ways to engage and become involved with the school. Thank you to the families who commented on our Family Engagement Plan last week! This week we are updating our Family-School Compact. Here's a link to a draft of next year's plan. Please take a look and fill out this short survey.
Still want to provide feedback on the Family Engagement Plan for next year? We REALLY appreciate your input. Here's a link to a draft of that plan. Please take a look and fill out this short survey.
Email wendy.caucutt@spps.org with any questions.
Health Office Message
If your child has medication in the health office it will be sent home with them on Friday, June 7. Please contact me as soon as possible if you prefer other arrangements be made 651-888-7857 Medication forms need to be updated every school year and the forms for next school year will be included for your convenience. Thank you and have a great summer. Nurse Mary.
Keep Connected 360 - Family Engagement
We are excited to share we have partnered with Search Institute and Change Inc. to offer a pilot program to Hidden River families this year. Keep Connected 360 offers resources to families, including tips, ideas, activities and learning opportunities to support strong family relationships.
Please help us improve Family Talk Sparks by completing this short survey by June 10th. For your time you will be entered to win one of two $25 Amazon gift cards!
Week 32 Challenge Growth (Expect my best)
This Week’s Focus: Encourage each other to reach your potential. This is a great way to CHALLENGE GROWTH through family relationships.
When you have a few minutes, ask other family members a question or two. Enjoy the conversation!
- Who is someone who brings out the best in you? How do they do it?
- How do different people in your family expect you to do your best? How do they communicate this expectation?
- When has someone set an expectation that was so unrealistic that it became ridiculous or comical?
- What does it mean to you “to live up to your potential”? Why?
- When have you accomplished something that you thought was impossible, but someone believed you could do it and cheered you all the way to the finish line?