Heartland MS Family Newsletter

I hope that each of you have enjoyed your Spring break and that you've had the opportunity to take advantage of the sunshine! I don't know about you but I'm looking forward to getting back in the swing of things! No matter how excited I get about an approaching break, I always end up missing the students after a couple of days and counting down the days until we return. This 4th quarter is going to fly by! The end of the year is always jam packed with activities, events, State testing and all the things necessary to tie up the loose ends of the school year. I encourage you to keep close tabs on your student's grades and missing work because finals will be here before we know it!

As we dive headfirst into this 4th quarter, let's be reminded that learning can be fun if approached with the right mindset and strategies. Be sure to prioritize having conversations with your student about how to be successful as the year comes to an end. To make the final quarter of this school year enjoyable, here are a few talking points:

• Set goals: Set achievable goals for yourself and work towards achieving them. Using the time in class or advisory on the first day of the week. This will give you a sense of accomplishment and motivation to continue learning.
• Make it interactive: Try to make learning interactive by participating in class discussions, group projects, and presentations. This will help you understand the topic better and also make learning fun.
• Explore different ways of learning: Try out different learning methods, such as visual aids, videos, and games, to make learning more engaging.
• Collaborate with classmates: Collaborate with your classmates to work on assignments and projects. This will make learning more enjoyable and also help you build strong relationships with your peers.
• Celebrate achievements: Celebrate your achievements, big or small. This will help you stay motivated and positive throughout the final quarter of school.

The week before break, we conducted our second tornado drill of the year! If you've never tried to fit 1000+ students into a small space...please reference the picture below! It's definitely a collaborative effort and takes communication, attention to detail and flexibility from all parties involved. I am so proud of our Hawks as we completed the drill in fantastic time! Our students were great as we practiced for the upcoming tornado season. Safety is always our number one priority and we want to ensure that our students and staff are prepared should we encounter any Spring severe weather.

We had the esteemed pleasure of welcoming our 25/26 incoming 6th graders from all of our feeder elementaries to tour Heartland the week before Spring break! It's always fun to see the look of excitement on their faces as they see all that they have to look forward to during their middle school years! Our WEB leaders did a fantastic job of hosting them and making the experience interactive and fun! We also sent our 8th graders off to tour Edmond's Francis Tuttle Technology Center. We want to ensure that as they transition to high school, they know of all the opportunities afforded to them as they look toward the future! Also, our current 6th & 7th graders will be meeting with their grade level counselors this week and receiving their enrollment forms for next year! Be sure to see the graphic below regarding those dates and speak with your student about their options for classes next year!

We look forward to welcoming our students back tomorrow and reiterating our building level behavior expectations. After a long break, it's always good to get back to the basics. As always, should you ever have any questions, ideas or suggestions please feel free to reach out to our office! Let's have a wonderful week, Thunderhawks!

WE ARE...HEARTLAND!

Respectfully,

Veronica Johnson

Principal, Heartland Middle School

405-340-2972

Hello, parents of future 7th graders! As we begin to think about enrollment for next school year, I wanted to make you aware of Oklahoma immunization requirements for students before entering 7th grade. All 7th-grade students will need to have documentation of a Tdap vaccine on file - this is typically given between ages 10-12 and serves as a “booster” to the DTaP vaccine given at an earlier age.

Alternatively, you may complete an Oklahoma Vaccine Exemption form and return it to the school.

Please email all immunization records to torie.moore@edmondschools.net.

As you already know, the district sent out communication regarding the need to add additional minutes to the school day due to unforeseen inclement weather days. In order to stay in compliance with State regulations for required seat time, EPS middle schools are required to add 10 minutes to the school day making the day last from 7:35am - 2:25pm. I have dispersed the 10 minutes amongst classes adding 1 minute to all instructional class periods. I have created a graphic for you to reference below. Please note that this effective immediately. Should you have any questions regarding the new bell schedule, please feel free to reach out to our office. Thank You!

Now that we are in the process of running eligibility for OSSAA activities - there always tends to be some confusion as to when a student can and can not participate. Here are some bullet points to help define when a student can and can not participate.

• Eligibility is run mid-week. For example - we run eligibility on Thursday morning based on grades posted on Wednesday evening. If a student is listed as "ineligible" - that means they can not participate in any OSSAA games scheduled for the next calendar week of Sunday - Sunday. By OSSAA rules - students can still practice during that time. However, individual coaches may have other team rules regarding practice.
• Probation vs. Ineligible. The first week a student has a grade that qualifies them for the eligibility report - they are listed as "on Probation"... At that point in time - they can still participate and play in games. (Again - team rules may be more strict) If the student raises the grade by the next eligibility report run - their name comes off the list and they are good to go. If there is still a grade in question - the student becomes ineligible.
• If a student is listed as ineligible - AND - raises their grade (yay!!) the next time there is a grade in question -- they move back to the probation category. Therefore, there is always a week of grace after a student has worked to get their name off of the list.

Please feel free to contact Heartland Athletic Director Laura Brown with questions as I know it can be confusing.

Honesty - Being truthful in what I say and do

Enthusiasm - Expressing interest and excitement in what I do

Attentiveness - Concentrating on the person or task before me

Resiliency - Recovering from adversity and finding the inner strength to withstand stress

and do my best

Tolerance- Demonstrating respect for others who do not share my perspective

Leadership- Knowing the way. Going the way. Showing the way.

Accountability - Accepting responsibility for my actions

Nice- Dude. Be Nice!

Discipline- Choosing behaviors to help me reach my goals and finish strong!

Veronica Johnson - Lead Principal

Laura Brown - Asst. Principal, 8th Grade/Athletic Director

Dana Williams - Asst. Principal, 7th Grade

Paul McQueen - Asst. Principal, 6th Grade

Kim Treece - 7th Grade Counselor

Neika Jackson - 8th Grade Counselor

Cara Bowerman - 6th Grade Counselor

Email: heartland.middleschool@edmondschools.net
Website: https://heartland.edmondschools.net/
Location: Heartland Middle School, Explorer Drive, Edmond, OK, USA
Phone: (405)340-2972
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heartlandmiddleschool