![page background](https://cdn.smore.com/_fr/vintagebeach.42a1d6a8.jpg)
HAWK TALK
![HAWK TALK](https://cdn.smore.com/u/thumbs/110b/thumb-5b3d9fbfee02e0da21bd02cc50e7b583.jpeg)
Hawk Talk
March 29, 2024
CALENDAR AT A GLANCE
April 12 - PTA Spring Fling
April 22- May 10 Milestones Testing
May 10 - LAST day to turn in missing assignments for credit
May 21 - Remote Learning Day for students
Save the Dates:
May 22: 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony (1:00 PM)
School Hours and Important Times
Office Hours: 8:15 - 4:15
Instructional Hours: 8:55-4:05
Breakfast: 8:25 - 8:55 AM
Students should be in class by 8:50 AM.
Dismissal is at 4:05 PM.
Walkers/Car riders are dismissed first, followed by bus riders.
Bus students are dismissed in the order that buses arrive.
Car line: Students must enter/exit a vehicle at the sidewalk area. Please pull forward as far as possible to keep the car line moving. All students must be picked up by 4:25 PM.
May 21 - Student Remote Learning Day
Due to the statewide election being held on Tuesday, May 21, the district will be changing this date to a virtual day for students. The 6th and 7th grade awards ceremonies previously scheduled for that date will be rescheduled. We will announce the new dates/times in our newsletter on April 12. Thank you for your patience as our school team revises the end of year activity schedule.
Student Laptops
Each student has the opportunity to be issued a laptop for school use. We need parents to help us improve the number of students who come to school daily with a charged laptop. We do NOT have loaner laptops available for students in our inventory. Create a routine at home for students to plug in their laptop each night before bed, and bring their laptop to school every day! Thank you for your support.
😃 THANK YOU, HAWK FAMILIES!! 😃
Our Nest library staff thanks you, Hawk families, for shopping at our book fair this past week. We love seeing our readers' excitement when the book fair rolls into town, and thanks to your participation and support, our book fair was a success! Did you miss out on getting the titles your kids were asking for? Don't worry-- from now until April 3rd, 25% of every purchase you make in the online Scholastic store goes back to our book fair fundraiser to help us buy more books for our school's media center! Head to our school book fair website and scroll down to the "Shop Now" link to purchase online:
https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/holcombbridgemiddleschool
Thank you from our Athletics Department!
Thank you to HBMS parent Margaret Gunter for helping us to organize a sprit night at Whit's Custard in support of our basketball program. The funds we are raising will be used toward new uniform purchases for our basketball teams. Your support helped us earn $195 from Whit's. We appreciate everyone who came out on a rainy evening to enjoy a custard for our students!
HBMS Parent Engagement Input Wanted!
If you missed our parent input meetings on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, we still want to hear from you! The presentation is attached for your reference. Please give us your input on our family engagement programming and how we can better serve parents. We use your input to guide our planning for the next school year. Survey Link: https://bit.ly/Input-Survey_MS_HS_2023
We are collecting your feedback on:
- HBMS School-Family Compact
- HBMS Parent-Family Engagement Plan
- 1% set-aside of Title I funding for parent engagement activities
- The above resources are available on our school website: https://www.fultonschools.org/domain/6142
Solar Eclipse April 8, 2024 - School Implications
On Monday, April 8th, a total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun. The sky will darken as if it were dawn or dusk. This is an exciting and significant event from both an instructional and a safety perspective, respectively. In Atlanta, we will experience an 80% partial solar eclipse. The partial eclipse will begin at 1:08 PM, hit maximum at 3:04 PM, and end at 4:21 PM.
All student absences and/or checkouts on this day will be counted as excused without requiring written documentation from the parent. Parents who wish to pick up their students should do so prior to 1:00 P.M. We will take our students outside to view the eclipse from 2:45 - 3:15 PM. Solar eclipse glasses will be provided to students and staff who are on campus that day. If you do NOT want your child to participate, please notify the school in writing by Friday, March 29. Dismissal will proceed as normal and students will be sent home with their solar eclipse glasses.
The following safety information will be reviewed with all students who participate in the viewing at school:
- One of the most important messages to convey is not to look directly at the eclipse with your naked eyes. You should only use sanctioned or certified eclipse-viewing glasses or some other type of solar viewer. The danger is permanent damage to the retina of the eye.
- NASA's website is very clear: The only safe way to look directly at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun is through special-purpose solar filters, such as "eclipse glasses" or hand-held solar viewers. Homemade filters or ordinary sunglasses, even very dark ones, are not safe for looking at the sun.......Do not look at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun through an unfiltered camera, telescope, binoculars, or another optical device. Similarly, do not look at the sun through a camera, a telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device while using your eclipse glasses or hand-held solar viewer — the concentrated solar rays will damage the filter and enter your eye(s), causing serious injury.
Centennial HS CHEER TRY OUTS!!
Save the date for upcoming Centennial HS cheer tryouts from 4/9 - 4/12.
Basketball Cheer tryouts will be from 4-5pm and Football Cheer will be from 5-6pm.
8th Grade Parents - Please consider supporting Centennial HS PTA
The Centennial High School PTSA is looking for volunteers for the 2024/2025 school year. There are several positions available with varying levels of commitment.
The Board of Directors meets one time a month from approximately 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. Joining the board is a great way to get insight into the school's direction and to be able to work directly with school leadership on events and contribute to the success of the school. The opportunities truly are endless to make Centennial an even greater place for our children! If you are interested in either a board position or a chair position, please email Marci Saunders, at Parliamentarian@CentPTSA.org.
Get involved, know your school, the leaders and MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND BE PROUD TO BE A CENTENNIAL KNIGHT!
We are currently looking for the following Board of Directors positions:
-Co-President - This Person will work directly with the other Co-President-Elect, Heather Mines and is a 2-year position. There will be plenty of training provided. In cooperation with the other Co-President, the position oversees and coordinates the work of the board, presides at the board meetings, serves as the official contact, communicator and representative of the PTSA, and works with other PTSA leaders to connect families, school and community to support student success.
-VP of Communications - This Person works with their committee chairs to communicate with the Centennial parents via Membership Toolkit and all social media outlets regarding events and general school and district information. They will also update and maintain the PTSA website to include campaign and ad creation for social media platforms, maintaining communication lists, etc. This person will be trained on the Membership Toolkit platform. A technical background will really help in this position.
-VP of Academic Enrichment - This person is responsible for the following chair person positions: Exceptional Children/CBI, mini grants, Principal's Honor Roll Breakfast, Reflections, PTSA Scholarships, College and Career Center Support, and Grant Writing/Applications.
-Director of Community Events & Fundraising - This is a NEW board position to the PTSA and we are excited to have someone who is enthusiastic about creating fun events for our Knight community! This person will be responsible for the coordination of fun, engaging activities where the community can be involved and help support our efforts. They will oversee events, spirit nights and all fundraising efforts. They will work directly with the Co-Presidents and Treasurer to coordinate events that will ensure that the fundraising profits meet the budget for the year. They will work directly with the Treasurer to track and validate the budget line items throughout the year.
We also have the following chair person positions available:
- National School of Excellence (October)
- PTSA Reports for North Fulton County (Jan-Mar)
- Caring and Sharing (year-round)
- Reflections (Oct/Nov)
- Family Engagement (year-round)
- Wellness Wednesday Co-Chair (year-round)
- Business Partner Relations (year-round)
- Open House Coordinator (June-Aug)
...And even more. The positions vary in time commitment, ability to work from home, time of year the position is needed, etc.
Attendance Matters ALL DAY, EVERYDAY
If you haven't done so already, now is a great time to check in on your child's school attendance. You can do so via the parent portal. Click HERE to sign up. Daily and on time attendance is crucial to your child's academic success and future! 🙂
WHEN DO ABSENCES BECOME A PROBLEM?
GOOD ATTENDANCE: 5 or fewer absences
WARNING SIGNS: 6 to 10 days
CHRONIC ABSENCE: 10 days or more
Have a planned absence or emergency? Contact the school to request a "participate remotely" day. Students can use up to 5 per semester and the day be considered "present"!
Help Your Child Succeed in School: Build the Habit of Good Attendance! School success goes hand in hand with good attendance!
Happening in our Community
Jr. Knights Cheerleading Interest Meeting
Junior Knights Cheer is preparing for the 2024 season. Please join us as we host an Interest Meeting for prospective athletes (Rising 5th-8th graders). The meeting will take place in the Media Center of Holcolmb Bridge Middle School at 6:00pm on Thursday, April 11th. For any questions, please reach out to Mikkia Lewis at juniorknightscheer@gmail.com.
Who can I contact for help?
Kim Kapella, Assistant Principal, 6th Grade administrator
470-254-8422
Hannah Milligan, 6th grade counselor
470-254-8425
7th Grade:
Kenneth Greene, Assistant Principal, 7th grade administrator
470-254-2423
Hannah Milligan, 7th grade counselor - GIRLS
470-254-8425
Glenn Johnson, 7th grade counselor - BOYS
470-254-8424
8th Grade:
Jennifer Cassidy, Principal, 8th grade administrator
470-254-5285
Glenn Johnson, 8th grade counselor
470-254-8424
Student Records/Enrollments/Withdrawals/Immunizations:
Ansel Comer (bilingual - Spanish)
470-254-8428
Bilingual Parent Liaison (Spanish):
Maria Baron
470-254-8427
Front Office - Attendance/Absence Excuses:
Sarah James
470-254-5280
Clinic (Bilingual/Spanish)
Lina Nava
470-254-8438
navadeparral@fultonschools.org
Special Education Services
Leslie Mason
470-254-8444
Holcomb Bridge Middle School
Website: https://www.fultonschools.org/holcombbridgems
Location: 2700 Holcomb Bridge Road, Alpharetta, GA, USA
Phone: 470-254-5280
Twitter: @HolcombBridgeMS