HDMS Newsletter

The past month was busy with so many activities taking place at HDMS! The 6th grade’s passion projects, along with Junk to Funk, were a great way to end the month of October. The students did a great job for their Junk to Funk concert Friday night with close to 200 people in attendance. The 6th grade also hosted Animal Adventures, which is always a big hit with the students! We were fortunate to have Cam Awesome present to the students on Friday, November 8. We are so fortunate to have the Duncan-Jenkins Trust in our community. All of these activities were funded through the trust!

A big shout out to the Student Advisory Committee, the HDMS chorus, Mrs. Johnson, and Mrs. Metric for all their work with the Veteran’s Day breakfast. It’s a great way to say thank you to our Veterans. Over 50 veterans attended the breakfast!

October 31 was the last day of the first quarter. The second quarter started on November 1. The girls’ and boys’ basketball seasons are underway this month along with after school clubs. After school clubs meet Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm. Registration forms are in the main office.

We are all looking forward to the annual Turkey Trot Race on Tuesday, November 26 at 1:00 pm! The top 5 finishers for boys and girls in each grade will receive a T-shirt. The following prizes will be awarded for the top 3 finishers in grade level for boys and girls:

1st Place - Turkey

2nd Place - Pie

3rd Place - Cookies

We hope you are able to enjoy time with family and friends during the Thanksgiving Holiday!!

Go Hillcats!

HDMS Administration

ELA - In ELA this month, students explored the historical context and possible causes behind the Salem witch hysteria by delving into a variety of nonfiction texts, including both primary and secondary sources. Through a unique civics connection, they also examined the events from a legal perspective, enhancing their understanding of the social and judicial implications of the period. Now, students are diving into Animal Farm by George Orwell, where they will analyze themes of power, corruption, and social structure, drawing connections to the historical insights they've gained. This interdisciplinary approach enriches their comprehension and critical thinking skills, making for an exciting and insightful unit.

Science - In 8th grade science, we have just started our chemistry unit. We are learning about the organization of the periodic table and how to use it to obtain information about the elements. We will be moving onto ions, isotopes and allotropes before experimenting with types of chemical reactions.

All of the students did an excellent job participating in the October, Caught You Being Kind Challenge. There were so many kind things that students did for each other! November's Kindness Project Challenge will be collecting food for the local food pantry. If you can, please send in non perishable, non expired items for your child to give to their advisor. The last day for collection is November 25th. Last year we had 500 items to donate, and we are looking to give them more this year!

The Bridges Program had Officer Mike as a guest speaker to discuss some of the issues taking place in the book "Hoot" they are reading as a class, including truancy, criminal mischief, and vandalism. Officer Mike shared a lot of good information and the students were welcoming and asked some great questions! Thank you Officer Mike!!"

The Chorus performed admirably at the Veterans Day Breakfast! They will be performing on the 15th at Hillsboro House!

Observe the rare woodwind unicorns that occasionally come out in force during PREP!

"Over the last couple weeks, students in HDMS Journalism have been working on improving and elevating their writing skills by creating various news columns and reviews based on many different topics. Check out these projects done by "Video Game Review HQ", "Custom Car Corner", and "MJ vs. Lebron". Proud of how well these turned out!

Video Game Review HQ

Custom Car Corner

MJ vs. Lebron

Math - 7th grade math is finishing up their Proportional Relationship Unit and will be moving into Integers after Thanksgiving Break. Students have worked in groups to make posters showing proportional and non proportional relationships using real world concepts.

Social Studies - In social studies th grade students have gone through the Constitutional Convention and the compromises that eventually made our founding document. We are now diving into the roles and applications of the Articles and Amendments.

ELA - 7th ELA has just finished up reading "Zane and the Hurricane" and have been working on analyzing many different parts of the book which include plot development, character development, types of conflict, figurative language, character dialogue, textual evidence location, and other activities that are focusing on elevating vocabulary and reading comprehension skills. Students will end this book study unit by creating their own board games based on various elements of "Zane and the Hurricane" as a fun way to demonstrate their understanding of the text. Looking forward to seeing what games they create!

Thank you to all of our HDMS Families for supporting the Fall Scholastic Book Fair! Your support is greatly appreciated.

Media Lab students were very busy this month taking the Cardboard Creation Challenge. Students used cardboard, hot glue, and paper mache to express their creativity and to demonstrate the Design Process. Students created hammerhead sharks, cars, Halloween-themed items, and much more! Great work!

Thank you to the HDMS students that participated in the Great Pumpkin Challenge! Your artistic talent was truly evident.

The November Challenge celebrates the idea of Friendsgiving! Check out the same book as a friend to read together! See Mrs. Petersen for more details.

Math - Students will be working with integers and will order, compare, and plot integers on a four-quadrant coordinate plane.

ELA -This month, we will start our nonfiction unit, which focuses on author's purpose, text structure, and evaluating sources for credibility.

Science - Students will be learning about gravity, complete with a paper airplane competition and an egg drop.

Social Studies - 6th grade student studied prehistoric man and their ability to move from collecting/hunting food to planting/growing their own food through a a mammoth hunt to working in our district greenhouse with guest teacher Anna Muncy.

8th grade - we are in need of baby photos! We have several, but are missing more than half. If you want add-ons, please use the coupon code previously sent before the end of December to get your yearbook for FREE. You will get a FREE yearbook if you do nothing. The 8th grade info sheet will be shared with students this week. Please fill this out ASAP.

6th and 7th graders - order your yearbook today! The basic yearbook is $25. You can order using the paper forms found in the office or Mrs. Drew's room, or order online using this link https://yearbookforever.com/school-store/n3Ns4TRfuW8bqyPq4TuzYt39

The yearbook needs your help with sports photos! Please email Mrs. Drew at jdrew@hdsd.org with any good photos from this year and 2024 baseball and softball.