Freshman Memo
December 2024
865 Academy Updates
Upcoming Events/Speakers
UPCOMING EVENT
On December 5th, HHS will host a Dream Days Event for our Freshman Academy students through their Freshman Seminar classes.The event aims to give students a
hands-on opportunity to explore various industries. If you’re available to participate from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM on December 5th, please contact me.
Thank you to the following businesses for confirming participation in this event already! I have reached out via email with details, so please let me know if you have any questions or have any special accommodations. THANK YOU to the following businesses for helping us with this event:
Shoffner Kalthoff MES
Knoxville TVA Employees Credit Union
Ironworkers Local 384 Training Center
HPUD
McCoy Construction
Proffitt and Sons
Del-Air Mechanical
Regions Bank
Local 102 Plumbers & Steamfitters
UT Construction Science
Douglas J. Aveda
City of Knoxville
UPCOMING GUEST SPEAKERS
We are pleased to have the opportunity for more guest speaking events focused on various industries, providing students with insights into the diverse pathways offered at Halls High School. Specific dates and pathways for this event are detailed below:
December 4th - Human & Social Services Pathway - Thank you to Cherokee Health Systems, Rhonda Lee, Cassidy Gresham, Gregg Bostick and Quint Elkins for participating in this experience!
December 11th - Engineering Pathway - Thank you to Intuitive, HPUD, TVA and ORNL for helping with this!
December 16th (NOTICE DATE CHANGED) - Transportation/Automotive Pathway - Thank you to King Collision, ORNL and McCoy Construction for volunteering for this event.
Post-Secondary Readiness
State Testing Begins!!
TNReady tests begin December 3rd. Please remind students to charge their Chromebooks each night! Attendance is important for these dates, as the End-of-Course tests are 15% of students' overall average for the class!!! Student must complete ALL parts of the test in order to receive credit.
Refer to your student's class schedule in Aspen, and compare to the testing schedule below. Please note that I have only included Freshman core classes in the schedule below.
December 3rd-9th- English 1
December 9th- Biology
December 11th-13th- Algebra 1
Schedule Changes for Spring Semester
Students who would like to request a schedule change for the spring semester can do so now! Please fill out the referral form linked here to discuss changes with Dr. Hoskins.
Graduation Requirements
Use the link below to familiarize yourself with Knox County graduation requirements to ensure your student stays on-track for graduation. Often, freshmen enter high school and have to learn the hard lesson that each class is important and core classes must be repeated if failed the first time. Now is a great time to discuss this with your student while there is still time left in the semester to submit missing assignments and attend tutoring. **PLEASE NOTE THIS LIST HAS NOT YET BEEN UPDATED TO INCLUDE COMPUTER SCIENCE**
Academic Support
Weekly Tutoring at HHS
A math and English teacher will be available in the College and Career Center from 3:30-4:30 to help students every Monday and Thursday. Students DO NOT need an appointment for tutoring; they simply need to go to the College and Career Center at 3:30 and sign in.
National Honor Society Peer Tutors
Need extra help in a class? The HHS National Honor Society can match students with a peer tutor to meet with them before or after school. This service is free, and requests for tutoring can be made through the link below.
Benefits of peer tutoring:
-Sometimes students understand content better when another student explains it
-Helps NHS Tutors get volunteer hours
-Available before and after school
Freshman Meetings
Freshman meetings are still ongoing! As of right now, Dr. Hoskins has roughly 30 (out of 325) more students to meet with.
Information from September Newsletter:
Dr. Hoskins will have a brief, individual meeting with each freshman before the end of the fall semester. Students should come prepared to discuss how their transition to high school is going, academic progress, and any concerns they may have! If a need arises prior to the meeting, students can request a meeting with Dr. Hoskins by completing the form linked here: Freshman Referral Form.
Mental Health Events and Resources
McNabb Family Walk-in Center
Hotlines
Mobile Crisis: (865) 539-2409
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Crisis Text Line: Text “TN” to 741-741
Family Violence Crisis Hotline: (865) 521-6336
HHS School Counseling Resources
Important Dates
Dec. 3- State Testing Begins
Dec. 18- 1st and 2nd block finals
Dec. 19- 3rd and 4th block finals
Dec. 20- 1/2 day for students (end of first semester)
Dec. 21-Jan. 2- Winter Break
Jan. 13, 5:30-7:30pm- Open House
