Friendly Friday Update

It was a pleasure to meet those of you who attended our open houses! We look forward to working with you and your child over the course of the school year. Please make sure you are signed up for Infinite Campus Parent Portal to view your child’s grades and any absences that occur. This will help keep you up-to-date and monitor progress in a timely manner.

Please remember to be patient and drive slowly as you enter school grounds. Students can appear at any time, and may not be paying attention to their surroundings.

• September 2 - Labor Day, No School
  
• September 3 - First Day of School (5th Grade ONLY)
• September 4 - First Day of School (6th, 7th, and 8th Grade)
• September 14 - Warrior Rally at Two Rivers High School, 11 a.m.
• September 16 - Lifetouch Picture Day

Practices start on Wednesday, September 4th from 3:40 - 5:05 p.m.

If your student will be practicing at Heritage or Two Rivers, there is an Activity Bus that will transport students from FHMS to the other schools. This bus information will be communicated to students on Wednesday.

7th Grade Girls' Volleyball at Heritage

8th Grade Girls' Volleyball at Friendly Hills

Cross Country (grades 6-8) at Friendly Hills

Boys' Soccer (grades 7 & 8) at Friendly Hills

Girls' Tennis (grades 6-8) at Two Rivers High School

It's not too late to register your student for athletics! Click here for more information, including forms, registration link, and FAQs.

All students will be taking the FAST aReading and aMath assessments between September 9th - 20th. See the attachment below for more information regarding the assessments.

Families are encouraged to use the free TalkingPoints for Families app to stay in touch with Friendly Hills Middle School and classroom teachers. Please see the flyers below for more information and to get started.

In May 2024, Minnesota lawmakers passed a bill requiring school districts and charter schools to adopt policies regarding students' use of cell phones in school. It aims to reduce the risk of cyberbullying and minimize the negative impact of cell phones on students' academic performance, mental health, and behavior.

Please see the attachment below for our full cell phone policy and procedures.

The building is open to students beginning at 8:30 a.m. on school days. The front parking loop and lot quickly become places of high traffic where extra precautions are necessary during the drop-off and pick-up times. Student safety is our priority!

To cooperate in our efforts, please follow these parking loop and lot guidelines:

1. Use the left lane of the parking loop only to slowly pass the parked cars on the right. Do not park in the left lane to drop off your student(s).
2. Park only in the right lane, closest to the school building, to allow your student(s) to safely exit the car onto the sidewalk or grass. Encourage your student(s) to only walk on the sidewalk or grass, rather than through parked or moving cars.
3. Use the parking lot only for parking and escorting your student(s) to the school. Do not drop your student off in the main parking lot. Families are welcome to park along Mendota Heights Road. There is a crossing guard and sidewalk leading from the road to the school building.
4. Do not park in the handicapped parking spaces unless you have a valid hang tag/license plate to do so.
5. The parking zone behind the school building is for school buses and vans only.

Your participation helps the parking loop run safely and efficiently, thank you!

Students are not permitted to have outside food and beverages from coffee shops, restaurants, and food services (such as Uber Eats, DoorDash, etc.). This includes special occasions such as birthdays.

Students may bring a hard-sided water bottle (not flexible plastic, which can be squeezed to shoot water) and bag lunch from home, but other food and beverages are not permitted. Hot breakfast and lunch are served daily to all students at no cost.

If your student brings outside food or beverages, it must be finished before entering the school.

At Friendly Hills, we prepare, challenge, and empower.

Friendly Hills Middle School educates students in grades 5-8 and is part of the tight-knit community of Independent School District 197.

Follow ISD197 on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!

#TogetherWeThrive197

Email: christopher.hiti@isd197.org
Website: friendlyhills.isd197.org
Location: 701 Mendota Heights Road, Mendota Heights, MN, USA
Phone: 651-403-7600
Facebook: facebook.com/FriendlyHillsMS

Instagram: @friendlyhillsmiddle