JH/HS Principal Newsletter

Welcome to the month of November at Hershey Public Schools! October was again a whirlwind of activity with a variety of Panther fall activities, classes transitioning from quarter one to quarter two, holding HOCO 2024, and hosting the 2024 Fall Parent Teacher Conferences! The students and staff continue to do a great job hitting the ground running, meeting building expectations, and excelling in and out of the classroom!

As I have stated before, please make note of a couple of items in this month's newsletter. First, please check out the IMPORTANT DATES for the month of November. These dates are critical to make sure of all stakeholders as we get into the start of a new school year. Second, I included a re-cap of Homecoming 2024 and the Parent Teacher Conferences that were held in the month of October here in Hershey. These two events helped bring the community and the school together and many positive outcomes came as a result of these two events! Finally, there are other items of importance for families to use as a reference as we continue throughout the school year here at HPS!

As always, if there is anything we can do to support you and your family, do not hesitate to reach out to me here at the school. We have the privilege of working with great students every day and if there is a way we can partner to make it a better experience, let’s have that conversation!

We are excited to announce the HPSEF October Students of the Month!! These students exemplify the hard work and character we seek here at HPS!! Grade level winners include:

7th - Tanner Abbott

8th - Halzee Etherton

9th - Ellie Hampton

10th - Rachel Simonson

11th - JT Lantis

12th - Jordan Arensdorf

Additionally, the following students were selected as the Junior High and High School Student of the Month!

Junior High - Halzee Etherton

Senior High - Demi DaMoude

We are excited to continue to work with the staff here at HPS on the importance of PANTHER MOJO. This provides a simple framework for our staff and students to come back to when remembering what is foundational here at Hershey! MOJO stands for the following:

Meaningful Engagement

cOmmon Expectations

Joy in Learning

Opportunities for Growth

This month we are focusing as a staff on the importance of COMMON EXPECTATIONS! We want all stakeholders to know that when students are in the classrooms that 1) Greeting at the Doorway 2) Prepared for Class 3) Active Engagement

This year we will continue to look at and focus on strengthening our instruction through the Marzano Instructional Framework. This year we will take time to focus on the importance of Engagement Strategies in the classroom.

Another layer to our framework on the 7-12 side will be the importance of Panther M.A.D.: 4 Ways Teachers Make a Difference each day in the classroom! We will collaborate with our staff to ensure that on a daily basis our students experience 1) On Grade Level Content 2) Strong Instruction 3) Strong Engagement 4) High Expectations.

It is our hope and expectation that, through deepening our understanding of the Marzano Framework as well as revisiting the 4 areas of Panther M.A.D, we can improve the student experience and see students Learn, Thrive, and Grow here at HPS!!

11.1.24 - No School - HPS Professional Development

11.7.24 - Junior High Wrestling @ Sutherland Invitational

11.9.24 - Play Production @ North Platte Invitational

11.11.24 - Veterans Day Program @ Hershey High School

11.11.24 - HPS School Board Meeting

11.12.24 - Play Production @ Elm Creek Invitational

11.12.24 - Junior High Wrestling @ Hershey Invitational

11.14.24 - Play Production @ Cozad Invitational

11.16.24 - FBLA Holiday Market Chilli Feed

11.18.24 - NSAA Winter Sports Practice Begins

11.18.24 - Junior High Wrestling @ NPSP Invitational

11.19.24 - Play Production @ Gothenburg Invitational

11.22.24 - Junior High Wrestling @ Mullen Invitational

11.22.24 - HPS Winter Sports Media Day

11.25.24 - Play Production @ SPVA Championships (Chase County H.S.)

11.25.24 - Junior High Wrestling @ Perkins County Invitational

11.26.24 - V GBB & BBB @ Sidney High School (HOF Jamboree Game)

11.26.24 to 11.29.24 - HPS Thanksgiving Break

All students are welcome to attend Panther Power Hour here at Hershey throughout the school year! Panther Power Hour is designed to provide a space for students to recover failed credit (11th & 12th grade only), make up tests and quizzes, or simply to have a quiet space to work on homework after school. Panther Power Hour is held Monday - Thursday from 4:00 - 5:00 PM and is staffed by an HPS teacher. The following rooms will be used for the following days:

Monday - Mrs. Swartz’s Room

Tuesday - Ms. Aylward’s Room

Wednesday - Mrs. Stoner’s Room

Thursday - Mrs. Eshleman’s Room

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Mr. Cudney or Mrs. Pettera for more information!

Hershey Public School Homecoming 2024 was full of spirit and festivities. The week kicked off with the high school beginning work on their class floats for the homecoming parade and the junior high students decorating the main hallway! The theme for HOCO 2024 was "Adventure Awaits". The 7th grade was decorated with a jungle theme while the 8th grade was decorated with a sea and land theme. On the floats, the 9th grade class went with a hunting theme, the 10th grade class went with a beach theme, the 11th grade class went with a safari theme, and the senior class went all in on the pirate theme! The week was also highlighted by very spirited dress-up days! Monday was "PJ Day", Tuesday was "Country vs Country Club", Wednesday was "Dynamic Duo", Thursday was "Famous People" and the week was capped on Friday with "Spirit Day".

This year HPS attempted to have a homecoming parade followed by a pep rally in the new Activities Center. It was an event the community and the entire PK-12 student body took part in. The band led off by heralding the school fight song to indicate the start of the parade. This was followed by the Hershey Cheer team, Dazzlers, and Sparklers walking and providing a short dance at a couple of points along the route. Next was the homecoming royalty and court in separate trucks. Finally, the grade level floats came down Lincoln Ave and ended the parade at Hershey Public Schools. The community and student body then transitioned into the Activities Center for the homecoming pep rally organized by the Hershey Cheer Team.

The action then transitioned to the football game versus Gordon-Rushville at Summers Field. The action in the first half was fast and furious and the game went into the half with the Panthers holding a 40-24 advantage. The Dazzlers and Sparklers followed with high energy and electric moves and the Panther Pride Marching Band was in fine form! It was also announced at halftime that the 9th grade class was a runner-up and the 12th grade class were the float winners. Additionally, it was voted that the 7th grade class defeated the 8th grade class in the hallway decorating contest! In the second half, the Panther defense continued to play tough and Hershey held on for a 40-30 homecoming win!

Following the game, the Homecoming Royalty and Court were presented. Hershey’s Homecoming Court for 2024 were Freshmen attendants Sophie Winter and Korbyn Herrick, Sophomore attendants Payton Jones and Houston Hill, and Junior attendants Clare Denny and Rhys Edelman. The Senior Royalty this year were Katie Abbott, Emma Elliott, Alysa Quiroga, Zoe Schmitt, Jordan Arensdorf, Ethan Elliott, Charlie Koch, and Ezra McConnell. The Homecoming Queen and King for 2024 were Katie Abbott and Charlie Koch.

To conclude the week, the students attended a very spirited Homecoming Dance on Saturday night, from 8-11:00 at Hershey High School. Hershey Public Schools would like to thank STUCO and Mrs. Pettera for all their hard work in the planning and execution of homecoming week, the class sponsors for the time and effort put in with the hallways and floats, the Hershey Cheer team for their organization of the parade and pep rally, HPS staff and students for their participation in the spirit of homecoming week, and the Hershey custodial staff for their work all week in keeping the facilities clean and looking great for homecoming week! It was a great week of celebration and excitement here in Hershey, and we are grateful and thankful for all the support of Hershey Public Schools!

Parent-Teacher Conferences were held on Thursday, October 24th and Friday, October 25th here at Hershey High School in the Competition Gym. All parents & guardians were encouraged to attend this event as it served as a great opportunity for parents and teachers to communicate about the students and how to partner to aid in the success of the student. Over the course of two days, over 100 parents came to meet with teachers to discuss their child's educational progress and ways both the school and family can partner for student success!

Additionally, for SENIOR & JUNIOR PARENTS, there was a College Night hosted by Education Quest for Hershey Seniors as well as a Next Step Ready hosted by Mrs. Pettera & Mr. Cudney for the Hershey Juniors.

Below are some GREAT tips and reminders shared by our 7-12 guidance counselor, Jolene Pettera!

• Make an appointment with Mrs. Pettera to review credits, career goals, and college plans.
• Make college campus visits!
• Continuing working on scholarships that are posted in the Class of 2025 Thrillshare Room. New scholarships are posted as they become available.
• Do you have your letters of recommendation?
• Is your biographical essay complete?
• Is your resume complete?
• The next ACT test is December 14th-late registration is November 22nd (register at www.actstudent.org)
• Fill out college applications. If you have any questions be sure to consult Mrs. Pettera. Submit your application now, along with all necessary forms and application fee.
• Tell Mrs. Pettera where you have applied so transcripts can be sent.

This is a friendly reminder that we want all students in school when classes are in session! We understand a variety of things come up which may make a student miss class. As a district, the following would be counted as excused absences for students if communicated by the parent/guardian:

• Physical or mental illness of the student or of a child whom the student is parenting (a physician’s verification is required after four (4) consecutive days of absence for illness)
• Severe weather
• Medical appointments for the student or for a child whom the student is parenting without a
• Death or serious illness of the student’s family member
• Attending a funeral, wedding or graduation
• Appearance at court or for other legal matters
• Observance of religious holidays of the student's own faith
• College planning visits
• Personal or family vacation
• School sponsored activities which require students to be absent from school
• Other absences which have received prior approval from parents and the Principal

For all unexcused absences, the following policy is in place to help ensure students have the needed class time to earn credit:

• Each student will be allowed a maximum of 9 absences per class, per semester. Time missed in excess of this limit will be made up in summer school or before and after school. Absences resulting from participation in school activities or suspensions will not count toward the 9-day limit. Students and parents will be informed after 6 absences from any class. Failure to make up the time will result in loss of credit. Elementary and Junior high absences in excess of 9 days must be made up or retention may become a consideration.
• A student may receive a waiver of make-up time if he or she can successfully demonstrate with documented evidence, to an attendance committee, that all absences, for which a waiver is requested, have been excusable absences.
• Note- Suspended days do not count toward the nine-day maximum if work is successfully completed.
• The following scale will be followed on reduction of credit for students grade 9-12:
• 10-14 days absent 1 credit deduction or waiver
• 15-19 days absent 2 credit deduction or waiver
• 20-24 days absent 3 credit deduction or waiver
• 25-29 days absent 4 credit deduction or waiver
• 30+ days absent 5 credit ded./no credit or waiver

In order to get students to class on time and begin lessons, the HPS tardy policy has been updated to the following

• Weekly Tardy List Ran Monday AM from Previous Week
• Detentions / ISS Assigned by Assistant Principal
• All to Be Served by End of Current Week

• Discipline Progression
  • 0-4 Tardies - Grace Period
  • 5-9 Tardies - 30 Minute Detention
  • 10-14 Tardies - 60 Minute Detention
  • 15-19 Tardies - 1 Day ISS
  • 20-24 Tardies - 2 Day ISS
  • 25-29 Tardies - 3 Day ISS
  • 30+ Tardies - TBD

These meetings to be held at Hershey High School are a way for administration to connect and communicate with the stakeholders at HPS. They will be held in a townhall format and will highlight important items parents need to be made aware of heading into a new quarter! The next one will be planned for later in the second semester!

Below is the bell schedule for the upcoming school year. We will have ONE LUNCH for all 7-12 students with a staggered release from 5th period as detailed below:

1st Period 8:15-9:03

2nd Period 9:06 - 9:54

3rd Period 9:57 - 10:45

4th Period 10:48 - 11:36

5th Period 11:39 - 12:26

1st HS Lunch: 12:20 - 12:57

2nd HS Lunch 12:23 - 12:57

JH Lunch 12:26 - 12:57

6th Period 1:00 - 1:48

7th Period 1:51 - 2:39

8th Period 2:42 - 3:42

On Friday School is let out at the end of 7th Period at 2:39 PM.

As district and breakfast menus are updated, they can be found at the following LINK: https://www.myschoolmenus.com/organizations/300

Students and families are encouraged to communicate concerns related to the mistreatment of others. For students, a trusted adult is the recommended point of contact. This can be an administrator, teacher, coach, or other trusted person. This adult will then work with administration to respond promptly and appropriately. Parents/guardians are encouraged to communicate concerns directly with HPS Administration.

The most important part of any school is the safety and well being of the students and staff! Several items exist within schools to support school safety. These include:

• Secured access during the school day. Visitors to school must check-in at the main office after they are allowed access through the office doors. All other doors are to be closed and locked during the course of the school day.
• Standard Response Protocol (SRP) is established. This provides a consistent student and staff response to potential emergencies. More information about SRP can be found at this LINK.
• Minimizing deliveries during the school day. We understand that a parent may wish to deliver food to students for special occasions, and we appreciate this. We discourage this from being a regular occurrence.
• Minimizing student visits to vehicles during the school day. Students that forget a school-related item in their vehicles may check-in at the main office before they are allowed to visit their vehicles.

We appreciate the important part our students, staff, and families play in keeping our school safe. This year we plan on running eight fire drills, four SRP drills, two tornado drills, and two bus evacuation drills all in an effort to help students and staff be prepared in the event of an emergency.

We believe that we want to continue to prepare our students in the case of an emergency so that we are prepared in the case of a true emergency!