Hickory Creek Middle School

Academic Goal:

• We will continue to provide rigor and opportunity for academic growth to all students in grades 6th- 8th.

Social/Emotional Goal:

• We will support staff and student social and emotional needs and enhance the opportunity for growth in relationships with one another.

Communication Goal:

• We will increase opportunities for family engagement both during the school day and through extra-curricular activities.

Safety Goal:

• We will provide a safe learning environment for staff and students in our learning community.

Tricia Dotson tdotson@fsd157c.org

Jason Crockett jcrockett@fsd157c.org

Tyler Sinclair tsinclair@fsd157c.org

• 5-7 Hot Lunch Education Foundation
• 5-14 Hot Lunch FSP
• 5-15 5th Grade Step-Up
• 5-16 thru 5-18 Spring Musical
• 5-21 Hot Lunch Education Foundation
• 5-23 School Improvement Day Early Dismissal 10:45 a.m.
• 5-26 NO SCHOOL
• 5-27 Hot Lunch FSP DATE CHANGED
• 5-28 8th Grade Great America Trip
• 5-30 Last Day of School for 8th Graders
• 5-30 Graduation 8th Grade 6:00 p.m. LWW
• 6-2 Sixth Grade Shoreline Boat Trip
• 6-2 Seventh Grade Trip to Springfield
• 6-3 Last Day of School Grade 6 & 7
• Early Dismissal 10:45 a.m.

• End of year field trips are fast approaching. If you have any concerns about the trips please call my office. I only send medications that are in my office. If your child is permitted already to self-carry, please make sure they have it with them before they come to school on the day of the trip. If you don’t know if your student has medication here, please call to confirm.
• Dental Exams - All 6th grade students need a dental exam form turned in by May 15th, 2025. The form can be completed for any exam done between 11/15/23 to 5/15/25. If you have not turned this in, please do so very soon. Here is a link to the form: DentalExamProof.
• Eye exam referrals- If your child was recommended for an eye exam and you have those completed forms, please return those to the office at your earliest convenience.
• Medication from home- Please do not send your child to school with medications. Any medication that is needed at school must have a completed medication authorization form on file in the nurse’s office. If you have any questions about students taking medications at school, the information is posted on the district website, and you can always call the nurse’s office for more information. Forms for next school year are already available on the district website. Forms – Parents – Frankfort School District 157-C
• Nurse appointments for 2025-2026- For students that will need medications and health care plans at school for next year, please make an appointment to meet with the nurse to review everything and drop off paperwork. These appointments can be made through the front office. Be on the lookout for when you can start making these appointments which start approximately 2 weeks before school starts. Coming in early will help you avoid the line on supply drop off day.
• Fall Sports- Try-outs will start in July. Your student must have a Sports Physical, with all parts completed, on file with the front office in order to participate. You can drop them off in person at the Hickory Creek office location or email them to jburns@fsd157c.org. Coaches will not be accepting these. Form attached here: 172419-cf6dd699-be11-48f7-ac68-0b98b04bd754.pdf

We look forward to celebrating the Class of 2025- Friday, May30th at 6:00 P.M. Ceremony will be held at Lincoln-Way West High School, in the main gym. Each graduate will have 6 tickets for guests.

It is hard to believe that we are almost at the end of the school year! Advisory classes have finished up the Second Step lessons. For the final few weeks, lessons focus on Civil Discourse and Financial Literacy. We are still viewing Tiger TV on Monday, using Wednesdays for a W.I.N. day, and team building on Fridays. It has been a great school year, and our advisories have covered a variety of important topics. We hope everyone has an amazing summer break!

As we near the end of the school year, students will continue to watch episodes of Tiger T.V. and This Week at the Creek on Monday’s, W.I.N. Days on Wednesdays, and Team Building exercises on Friday’s. On Tuesday’s and Thursday’s of this month, students will be learning about the importance of financial literacy. The lessons will consist of basic financial vocabulary, budgeting, and how to achieve their financial goals. Crazy to believe we are in our last month of advisory for the school year! Students have been working hard, we hope you all can enjoy summer break!

The end of the school year is almost here! During this last month of 8th grade advisory, we will continue to view Tiger TV on Mondays, have WIN days on Wednesdays, and participate in Team Building activities on Fridays. Our Tuesdays and Thursdays will be focused on Financial Literacy, learning and reviewing the topics of “Managing My Money”, “Paying for My Wants and Needs”, and “My Credit and Spending”. The students will also participate in a Career Exploration, which ties into our ELA curriculum. We are looking forward to ending the year strong and then enjoying the upcoming and well-deserved Summer Break.

The end of the school year is fast approaching. The last time to check out books will be the week of May 12th. The following weeks, we will be doing a couple of activities and making sure ALL books are returned. If your student has overdue/missing books, please encourage them to locate and get them turned in ASAP.

Summer Reading - The Rebecca Caudill list for 2026 is out. Currently, I have four of the 20 titles available in our library. We’ll have the entire list available in the fall. If your student would like to get a head start on the reading, the books are available at the Frankfort Public Library. After reading a Caudill book, the student should make note of the title, the central idea and whether they liked or disliked the book and why. Once they return to school in the fall, they can transfer the information to our online form. Happy Reading!

Students in grades 6th- 8th will have a 30 minute lunch period daily. The time for grade level lunches are:

• 6th Grade 10:52 A.M. - 11:22 A.M.
• 7th Grade 11:33 A.M. - 12:03 P.M.
• 8th Grade 12:15 P.M. - 12:45 P.M.

Students should bring their own lunches to school unless your family has pre-ordered one of the designated Hot Lunches at the start of the year - through My School Bucks.

Students are not allowed to receive delivery of food at school from anyone other than a guardian or parent during the school day.

The expectations for deliveries are as follows:

• Food must be clearly labeled with student's first and last name and grade level.
• Only drinks with screwed on caps will be accepted- nothing with straws or lids can be accepted.
• Guardians will put lunches in grade level bins found in the vestibule by the front doors. Deliveries must be received prior to student's grade level designated lunch period.
• Students are only allowed to receive food for themselves. They will not be able to share large orders of food dropped off.

Families are encouraged to access Power School regularly to monitor student progress. Grades will be update at a minimum of every two weeks. Staff are happy to answer any questions or concerns that may come up throughout the school year in regard to student progress. 🙂

If families would like to check student GPA for National Junior Honor Society, please reference the desktop version of Power School to access students' Cumulative GPA. Students applying for NJHS or wanting to stay eligible for NJHS must have a 3.8 GPA or higher.

Attached below is the link to our Parent and Student Handbook.

Band and Orchestra

• Summer Band and Orchestra will be open soon. Watch your email for announcements and sign-up links for this year’s program!

Spring Musical

• It’s almost time for this year’s spring musical, “High School Musical 2”! Over 100 students have been hard at work rehearsing for this high-energy production! Performances will be Friday, May 16 at 7:00 p.m., Saturday, May 17 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, May 18 at 2:00 p.m. This fun-filled show is perfect for all ages – come enjoy the show!
• To purchase tickets, use this link :Hickory Creek Middle School Musical Presents: High School Musical 2

Chorus

• Our choruses will be preparing for their final event of the year, “Music in the Parks” on Saturday, May 24. They will perform at Beach Park Middle School for judging, then spend the day at Great America, including an award ceremony in the park. The link to sign-up HCMS chorus members has been sent out to parents – the deadline is Tuesday, May 13th.

NJHS

• The Hickory Creek Chapter of NJHS is excited to welcome 121 new members this Spring! It is a true testament to the hard work and dedication of not only these students, but the teachers of the district who provide the students with such enriching learning opportunities.
• Our final member meeting is this month where we will elect a new group of student leaders for next year’s class.
• Lastly, congratulations and job well done to all the current NJHS members, this school year they have completed more than 1,885 service hours!

Student Council

• The HCMS student council has just finished another busy month. The members organized and advertised “Theme Thursdays” to boost school spirit and create a fun atmosphere throughout the month. This time, the themes included “Rhyme Without Reason” and “Culture Day.” Additionally, the council celebrated Earth Day by participating in an engaging scavenger hunt. To conclude the school year, the members are preparing gifts to honor our amazing HCMS staff in celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week.

Best Buddies

• What a year it has been! Best Buddies had another successful year. We wrapped up our final Chapter Meeting with an Ice Cream Sundae Party. On May 4, many of us will participate in the Will County Best Buddies Walk held at Lincoln-Way East. This is a great way to celebrate the inclusion of all. This year, a few students were randomly chosen to assist our “Buddies” on a Field Trip to Navarro Farms. Thank you to Navarro Farms for giving us such a great day! Thank you to all who have supported Best Buddies this year!

Fitness Room

• The fitness club rolling admission is still open to students to sign up to participate for this “open gym” style format. We have seen an increase in participation with this new approach. We only have a few weeks left, so get your child signed up today!

Cheerleading Intramural

• This week, we held first cheerleading intramural practice with 5th, 6th, and 7th graders. We focused on dance movements, jumps, tumbling, and stunting techniques. We are looking forward to our upcoming practice, where we will continue to learn additional parts of our routine.

Scholastic Bowl

• The Hickory Creek Scholastic Bowl Team is an impressive combination of 6th-8th grade students, with high-level scholastic aptitude and a competitive spirit.
• The Tigers finished their regular season with 6 wins and 1 loss. The IESA Regionals will take place on Wednesday, April 30th, at Summit Hill. The Tigers will face Summit Hill, Beecher, and University Park-Crete, in three rounds of intense, competitive play. The IESA Regional winner will advance to the IESA Sectional Tournament on Monday, May 5th. We are so proud of the way this team has represented our school this season, demonstrating good sportsmanship and positive attitudes, whether at practice or a competitive game. Well done, Tigers!

Intramural Boys Basketball

• The intramural is going extremely well and the boys are getting a tremendous amount of basketball and exercise. There are just under 40 boys that signed up this year. Everyday we have put new teams together and played multiple games. The last few weeks there will be a team they select and we will have a season ending tournament to crown a champion.

Intramural Volleyball

• The Spring intramural volleyball program was a fun and engaging opportunity for students to build their skills and enjoy the game! Participants learned proper techniques for passing, hitting, and serving through hands-on drills and teamwork. Each session ended with exciting gameplay, giving students a chance to put their new skills into action and have fun on the court.

Boys and Girls Track

• The HCMS Track and Field Team has had an amazing start to the season. So many athletes are working hard, trying different events and above all becoming great teammates. At this point of the year, 7th and 8th have had four meets and 6th will have had three. In all meets, we have had athletes improve their times, jumps and throws and many of them set personal records. Overall, our teams have performed very well versus the competition. In the next few weeks, we will be preparing for the DPVC Conference meet on May 8th and the IESA Sectional Meet at Kankakee on May 17th. Looking forward to the chance to qualify for the State Tournament.

Hickory Creek is extremely grateful to the parent volunteer groups that help support our students and programs. There are many opportunities to get volunteer and get involved. Please see the organizations and contact information for these groups linked here: Parent Organizations – Parents – Frankfort School District 157-C (fsd157c.org)