Our Vision: The Herbert Akins Road MS Learning Community collaborates to facilitate equitable outcomes and growth through social, emotional, and academic opportunities.

Nighthawk Families,

• We hope our Track 3 students and families have a wonderful track out! We welcome Track 4 back to the Nest on Monday, October 21st for their start of the 2nd quarter.
  

• Thank you to our Nighthawk PTA for the best 6th Grade Social! The games, food, and music provided a great opportunity for over 50% of the 6th grade students to engage in time together. The students were amazing at the event and showed how Nighthawks Rise as Nighthawks Stick Together in ALL we do!

• Class attendance and participation are critical elements of the educational process. Any absences, whether excused or unexcused, can have a negative impact on a student’s academic achievement. Regular attendance must be prioritized and encouraged throughout our school community.
  

  We want to reward and acknowledge those students who attend school regularly.

  • Each month, students with Perfect Attendance (no excused or unexcused absences) will be recognized.

  • At the end of each quarter, students with 2 or fewer absences (excused or unexcused) will be recognized.

  If there are extenuating circumstances for your student with regards to attendance, please contact your grade level counselor for support.

• We have so much going on outside the Nest this week for our students and school community! Please see all the details below for details about Tuesday's Fat Cat Ice Cream Eating Contest and Spirit Night and Wednesday's home games against FVMS all being played at Willow Spring HS!

• Track 4 students will bring home their Q1 report cards on Friday, October 25, 2024.

• We are excited to announce that our Spring Play Production will be Willy Wonka Jr.! See below to learn how you can take part in this production.

• The 7th and 8th Grade Fall Dance is Friday, November 8th! Mark your calendars now!

• Please see below in the Athletics Section for this week's game schedule. This week is a special week. All three Fall Athletic Teams will play their games on Wednesday against FV Middle School at Willow Spring HS! We hope you will come cheer for our Nighthawks. One ticket of entry gets you admittance to all three games. (4:30- Girls Soccer; 5:30- Volleyball; 6:30- Football)

• Buy Spirit Wear (the PTA receives a portion of sales) - Herbert Akins Road spirit wear, Fuquay-Varina, NC, Nighthawks | 1st Place Spiritwear
• Rent the Spirit Rock (for birthdays and other celebrations)

• Please follow us on our school's Facebook page, X "Twitter" account, and Instagram to stay abreast of up-to-date news and reminders throughout each school week. Scroll all the way to the end of this newsletter and click on the buttons to follow us on each platform.

With appreciation for your support and partnership as we continue to #buildournest in Year 3,

Anne Marie Adkins

Principal

Dear Families,

This week, Tracks 1 and 2 will focus on the character strength of Humility. Humility means not seeking attention and letting your actions speak for themselves. Humble people understand their abilities and achievements without underestimating them. They can admit mistakes, accept advice, and are open to new ideas. They don't show off their successes or possessions.

Developing humility helps people reflect on how they can improve and work well with others. It allows them to grow and become valuable team members.

This week, Track 4 students and staff will focus on the Other People Mindset of Knowing That My Words and Actions Affect Others, which means having an awareness that everything that we say and do can affect others — and our relationships with them.

Whether we speak, email, text, or post, our words and actions can have a positive or negative effect. The words and actions we choose can lift others up or bring them down, and they also impact us. When we all think carefully about our words and actions and show respect and care for those around us, we create a happier and healthier community.

To practice and encourage this Other People Mindset at home, please visit the Positivity Project’s mobile-friendly P2 for Families. There, you can watch a video, read a quote, and discuss three questions together.

Thank you for your continued support!

Veteran's Day Appreciation Event

Herbert Akins Road Middle School is proud to announce our first annual Veteran's Day Appreciation Event. We would like to honor all immediate family member veterans of our wonderful students. The event will take place on November 6th, during the halftime break at our home football game. We would like to show our appreciation by personally thanking the parents, grandparents, and siblings of our students, who have served our country. Veterans will be individually escorted onto the field, displaying their name, rank, service branch, and years of service. Following the ceremony we would like to show our appreciation by providing catered food for our veterans. Veterans will have free admission to the game and are welcome to attend the whole game.

In addition, we will be selling American flags prior to the game. Each flag will be sold for $5 and proceeds will be donated to The Joel Fund, a local veterans organization. Students will be able to personalize the flag stick with a label, thanking a specific veteran, writing a personal message, or just generally thanking those who have served. Flags will be used to create a "field of flags" at school on Monday before the football game. Students will be able to retrieve their flags before the game on Wednesday afternoon and show their support for our veterans during the game and during the halftime break.

Flags will go on sale two ways: through PTA Givebacks/Memberhub, or during lunch October 23-25. Students can personalize labels/stickers during lunch.

Link to purchase flags online:

https://harmsmemberhubcomstore.givebacks.com/store/items/1118002

Givebacks

Givebacks helps you engage your supporters, raise money online with less work, and harness innovation to build up your entire community through GIvebacks. See why over 12,000 organizations and over 2.4 million people use Givebacks to thrive.

harmsmemberhubcomstore.givebacks.com

If you have a Veteran attending the game please fill out this google form so we can plan accordingly:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc5UUAjabEY33urHeUT0Ve4U9mZtTUXFzTuMHJUmhxoFpbc9Q/viewform?usp=sf_link

Veterans Day

Please fill out this form if you have an immediate family member (siblings, parent, or grandparent) that has previously served our country who would like to be honored at our home football game at halftime on 11/06. As a thank you we will feed our Veterans during the game.

docs.google.com

We need parent and family support to work our Concessions Stand at each home game. We ask all Student Athletes' parents to sign up to work once. Please see Communications from your Student's Coaches.

Please checkout this week's Nighthawk Athletic Newsletter .

⚽ GIRLS’ SOCCER 🏐 VOLLEYBALL 🏈FOOTBALL / 📣CHEER

Wednesday 10/23/24

Home games against Fuquay Varina MS all being played at Willow Spring HS

4:30 - Girls' Soccer

5:30 - Volleyball

6:30 - Football/Cheer/Dance

* One ticket gets you entrance to ALL THREE!

To prepare for future seasons ~

Click here for the video on how to do athletic physicals

*Check out our NEW athletic paperwork/physical Google Doc for information on how to load all paperwork on DragonFly

Brent Winston

Athletic Director
Herbert Akins Road Middle School

bwinston@wcpss.net

919-694-8300 ext. 53051

Now's the time to order a yearbook for your student and SAVE. https://bit.ly/3B8oAKd

The yearbook is a record of moments in time for your student. Order today for $45.00.

JOSTENS PAYMENT PLAN: Spread out the cost of your yearbook order with three interest-free payments.*

Nighthawks,

We are excited to announce that our spring musical this year will be WILLY WONKA JR.

Please read through the following information carefully to ensure you are prepared for auditions by clicking here.

Meal Benefits Expiration Date HAS PASSED - Please see below.

Families must reapply every school year if they are interested in receiving meal benefits.

To apply for free or reduced-price meals, you can do so online by visiting www.MySchoolApps.com. Paper applications will always be made available in our school's front office, or you can call 919-588-3535 or 919-856-2920 to have one mailed to you.

• Application information
• Application information - información sobre la solicitud (Español)
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Frequently Asked Questions - preguntas frecuentes (Español)
• Sample application/Ejemplo de solicitud (Please fill out an original / Favor de completar una solicitud original)
• Meal charges policy | Cuentas de Alimentos

Online Application

• Apply for Free or Reduced Price Meals Online
• Solicitud en línea para las comidas escolares Gratis/Precio Reducido: Español

Questions about applying for free and reduced meals:

(919) 856-2920 (English)

(919) 588-3535 (English and Spanish)

cnsmealbenefits@wcpss.net

Free and Reduced-Price Benefits Office fax number:

(919) 856-3704

The Community Partnership Mapping Initiative is a strategic effort to compile a contact list and mapped database of new and existing community partners. Through this initiative, WCPSS stakeholders can share specific needs and will be connected with the community partners that have the ability to provide the needed resources or services.

Once approved by WCPSS staff, your organization's profile will appear in a mapped database that will be accessed and used by district staff, school administrators, social workers, and counselors. The information you provide will not be made available to the public.

This form is specifically for nonprofit organizations, religious organizations, and private foundations that provide goods and/or services to individuals or school communities. If you represent a business vendor, grantor, or if you are an individual volunteer, please review our vendor approval process or volunteer clearance process.

The Community Partnership Mapping Initiative aligns with Aim 12 of our Strategic Plan, which aspires to "Build strong relationships among staff, families, and community organizations in order to share resources and promote well-being." This aim reflects our commitment to Priority 2: Student Disposition and Well-Being. As noted in Core Belief #6: "The Wake County residents value a strong public school system and will partner to provide the support and resources to fully realize our shared vision, accomplish the mission, and sustain our core beliefs." Thank you for joining us in these essential efforts. We appreciate your support!

The 2024-2025 PTA is very excited about this upcoming school year!

• Please join the PTA so that you can receive communications throughout the year (we promise to keep them to a minimum!) regarding school dances, fundraisers, Teacher Appreciation events, family fun nights, and more!
• Join here: Join the PTA - HERBERT AKINS RD NIGHTHAWKS PTA (weebly.com)

• Buy Spirit Wear (the PTA receives a portion of sales) - Herbert Akins Road spirit wear, Fuquay-Varina, NC, Nighthawks | 1st Place Spiritwear
• Rent the Spirit Rock (for birthdays and other celebrations)
• Find information on volunteering for events
• If you have any interest in joining a committee this year, please contact Alex Jamieson at herbertakinsmsptapresident@gmail.com. Examples of committee positions are:
• School Dances
• Fundraising
• Teacher Appreciation
• Audit
• Spirit Nights
• So much more! Do you have special interests? Let us know! We probably have a committee for it! :)

Thank you so much, and we look forward to a FUN and awesome school year!

Alex Jamieson, PTA President

This past week 16 schools out of 200 were recognized in WCPSS by the Risk Management Department for going above and beyond to ensure a safe and orderly environment in the school building. HERBERT AKINS ROAD MS was one of the 16 school! We are so proud of our staff and school community!

On Wednesday, October 16th, our football team played at Apex Friendship MS. While the Nighthawks won the game, more importantly we received an email on Thursday commending the coaches and players for their honorable mindset toward the game. The game ended with a player on AFMS being injured. Our coaches and players remained calm, supportive, and put the outcome of the game as a secondary thought to support the players and coaches of the other team during this unfortunate situation. We are proud of our coaches for teaching the bigger message of supporting others when they struggle and for molding our athletes into better people. We are extremely proud of them for being recognized for demonstrating the Other People Mindset!

Please take a moment to click here and register NOW!