The Hive

March 24th

Happy Sunday!

HMS Families,

We hope this newsletter finds you all well. The week before spring break is always an adventure on campus. The kids are ready for a break and you can feel the anticipation in the air. Wherever your spring break adventures find you, we hope you all have fun and hopefully get some quality family time in. I will introduce a spring break post on Facebook on Saturday, March 30th and we hope you will share photos with us on your adventures.

We have arena style conferences this week on Thursday, 3/28. We will have two sessions for parents to visit with teachers. The first session will be 12:45-3:45 and the second session will be from 5:00-7:00. Both sessions will be in the commons. Sid and I will be in the commons during this time as well, so please stop by and say hello. We look forward to seeing all of you.

When the rain returned last week, we noticed our kids were bummed. Due to this a happiness campaign started around campus. We are excited to share that all of our students should know how to respond when asked, "What are we choosing today?" Today, we are choosing happiness!!!

Please scroll below for a few more updates!

With kindness,

BC & SS

zoom_out_map

Marching band season

zoom_out_map

Our second community tour!

zoom_out_map

Lunch conversations

Please join us for spring conferences!!!

We hope you will join us in our commons for conferences this week on Thursday, 3/28. The first session will be from 12:45-3:45pm and the second session will be from 5:00-7:00pm. Sid and I will be in the commons during this time as well, so please don't hesitate to stop by and say hello. We look forward to seeing you all!

Bell schedule for the week of March 25th - March 29th

Monday, 3/25 - Regular schedule

Tuesday, 3/26 - Regular schedule

Wednesday, 3/27 - 1 hour early release

Thursday, 3/28 - 3 hour early release, kids released at 12:20pm

Friday, 3/29 - 3 hour early release, kids released at 12:20pm

Message from Leadership/ASB about the Spring Fling

Hello students and families!

As you may know, leadership students are planning to have a school dance on April 12th 5-7pm. The theme is Tropical so make sure your students are dressed up in tropical clothing. Tickets are $10 with ASB and $12 without ASB. Students can purchase them in the office starting on Monday, March 25. The last day tickets can be purchased is Thursday, April 11th.

Thank you and I look forward to seeing you at the dance!

Comprehensive Sexual Health Education

I sent this out in an email on Friday, March 1st, but I wanted to share this again. I will continue to share this out throughout the next newsletters as well. Some of you have already sent in the opt out forms. If you do not get a confirmation email from myself or Jennifer Sawyer that we have received the form, please know that we did not get the form. Sometimes emails go to our spam folders and get lost, even though we try and check them frequently.

Senate Bill 5395, requires all Washington public schools provide comprehensive sexual health education (CSHE) instruction that meets state standards. The bill defines comprehensive sexual health education as recurring instruction in human development and reproduction that is age-appropriate and inclusive of all students.

As has always been the case, parents and guardians have the right to opt their children out of sexual health education instruction at any time. This is your decision, and I encourage you to make the best decision for you and your family.

The HSD school board, with community and educator input, adopted G-W Essential Health Skills and the Human Sexuality Accompanying textbook in grades 6-12. This is what we use at HMS to teach CSHE. Our unit will run April 8th-April 12th. I have attached a document that contains the opt-out waiver, as well as a detailed outline of the topics covered throughout the lessons. You are welcome to email jennifer.sawyer@hocksd.org if you would like to review or preview any of the materials. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns around CSHE.

pdf

insert_drive_file

HMS Sexual Health Waiver_Scope 2024.pdf

Download

189.9 KB

Athletic Director's Corner

Co-Ed Spring Track

Track season runs from April 8th - May 14th. Currently we have 75 athletes signed up to participate! This is AMAZING!!! Please make sure you sign up your child and are cleared in Final Forms

Practices will be 3:30-5:00pm Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Practice will be 3:30-4:30pm on Friday. There will be 6 meets for students to participate in, and if your child qualifies for district, there is an additional meet to participate in.

Events: Sprinting, Long Distance, Hurdles, Throwing & Jumping

Coaches: Mrs. Broten, Mrs. Elgin, Mrs. Shinn, and Mr. Vettrus

Wouldn't it be awesome if we could get 100 athletes out for track?!?

Thank you,
Sid Slom

From the HSD Round Up

HSD Students Poised to Show What They Know on SBAC Tests

We’re gearing up for Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) standardized tests in April and May. This time of year is an opportunity for students to showcase their hard work and progress. In order to reduce testing fatigue and set students up for success, we have shorter testing windows spread across more days this year. We encourage families to mark these dates on your calendar so students will be present and ready for the upcoming SBAC tests:

HHS: April 22-26, 2024 and May 20-24, 2024
HMS: May 6-31, 2024
HHES: May 6-31, 2024

School Funding at Stake if SBAC Participation Rates Dip Below 95%

The SBAC test plays a role in school funding, which directly impacts the quality of education and resources available to our students. Schools and districts that fall below a 95% participation rate on SBAC tests jeopardize eligibility for state or federal funding, awards and recognitions. Last year, participation rates in Hockinson were below or dangerously close to that 95% threshold.

In a small school district like ours, participation rates are impacted significantly when even one student opts out - as are overall tests scores. When a student opts out, it counts as a zero for the HSD! Student participation helps to inform our families and our schools of how well or students are progressing, on an individual and collective basis. We really are committed to preparing our students for future success and this performance data is valuable feedback for teachers and helps the HSD set goals and plan for professional development and other supports. The SBAC is more than just an assessment of student learning—it's a vital contribution to our school's success.

The HSD Communications Survey is Now Open!

It’s that time of year again. Let us know how we’re doing! We’d love to hear your feedback about the communications that you receive from your school and the district. Your insights are valuable to us, so please take a moment to share your thoughts and let us know how we can continue to improve our communication with you and your family. You can complete the survey HERE. We're listening!

Chromebook Information

This is a friendly reminder that it is important for students to keep the protective cases on their school issued Chromebooks to protect them from accidental damage. If you opted into the Hockinson Assurance Program at the beginning of the 2023-24 school year, and your student's Chromebook is damaged while any part of the case is off, the cost of repair will not be covered by your assurance as is stated in the exclusions section of the assurance form.

Here is the Hockinson Assurance Program form if you would like to take a closer look at what it offers, including coverage and exclusions. If you opted out of the assurance program at the beginning of the year and would like to have assurance coverage, you can opt-in at any time after your student's Chromebook has been inspected for damage. A paper form can be sent home with your student, or you can make an online payment through InTouch, the HSD payment portal.