HSD News Round-Up

Walk into Nicole Schneider's counseling office at Hockinson Middle School and you'll find a sign that reads, 'everything is figureoutable.' Nicole is here to help figure it out! With a welcoming demeanor, open mind, and careful protection of student privacy, Nicole welcomes students into the counseling space to talk about what matters most to them. The counseling office at Hockinson Middle School is open for drop-ins before school and during lunch.

Thank you for everything you do to support HMS students and staff, Ms. Schneider.

HSD Schools are committed to student and staff safety. This commitment is comprehensive and includes: Monthly building- and district-level safety committees, ongoing maintenance and improvements, inspections, health protocols, tabletop emergency exercises, and monthly safety drills, such as the Great Shake Out earthquake preparedness drill on October 10.

As they do every year, HSD employees are participating in a diverse set of online Safe Schools courses designed to make our school communities as safe and healthy as possible. This year, with the help of PWT volunteers, we have assembled buckets of classroom safety supplies as well as first-aid kits for each of our campuses and school buses.

Starting in 7th Grade, HMS fall scholar-athletes can participate in Boys and Girls Cross Country or Volleyball. It is one of six fall sports offered at HHS (Girls Soccer, Boys Golf, Football, Girls Swimming, and Girls Volleyball). Middle school runners compete on a 3200 m (2 mile) course, 1.1 miles shorter than the 5,000 m high school course.

On September 14 the Hockinson Middle and High School Cross Country Teams hosted cross country meets at Hockinson Meadows Park. The top times of the day belonged to:

HMS Girls - Graysen Aldridge (Grade 8); HMS Boys - Lucas Fosterman (8); HHS Girls - Lyla Taylor (9); and HHS Boys - Daniel Fedorenko (11). All results HERE.

When asked about what they like best about Cross Country, Julia Ritton (Grade 11) replied, “I am home schooled, so I think it is really awesome to be part of this team, Hockinson High School, and the community, really.” Lyla Taylor, a three-sport athlete, pointed out that while cross country is somewhat of an individual sport, it also has a strong team component. “I really like that we have a team atmosphere and support each other,” said Taylor.

Come support the Hawks at their next home meet versus Ridgefiled on September 24 at Hockinson Meadows Park. Admission is free.

A reminder that applications for the Free/Reduced Lunch program (and fees/services covered by HB 1660 such as ASB and sports fees) must be submitted in the first 30 days of each school year (Sept. 30). Parents can access the Free/Reduced Lunch application HERE or apply through Skyward Family Access.

On September 9, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction released Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) scores from Spring 2022. The SBA performance of Hockinson's students was encouraging and showed strong academic growth compared to Fall 2021, a trend noted by HSD Superintendent Steve Marshall. “In talking with our principals, we know it is a single measurement, but it is an important measure of student learning. As such, we are not particularly satisfied with our test scores…we know we can do better,” Marshall said. He added, “But we are impressed with and appreciative of our students’ level of growth in ELA, Math, and Science over last fall. Our staff and students really stepped up last spring and that kind of resilience and improvement gives us a lot of optimism moving forward.”

Hockinson's ELA, Math, and Science scores were among the top of Clark County's eight school districts. Click on the following links for additional information on the Spring SBA:

LINK to Spring 2022 Assessment Results for the Hockinson School District

LINK to Spring 2022 SBA Comparison Data (among Clark County School Districts)

Thank you to all parents who participated in the parent perception survey earlier this month. Your input will help to guide school improvement efforts and enhance our students’ school experience. The responses have been compiled and will be shared with building leaders next week. It is anticipated that administrators will be asking follow-up questions through a short survey that will be sent out to parents at some point later this fall.

October 14 is a day off for our students, but not necessarily for HSD educators. In years’ past, district staff would have to seek out professional development opportunities around the region - sometimes around the state. This year, however, HSD’s Teaching & Learning Coordinator, Jennifer Sawyer, organized on-site trainings for our teachers and paraprofessionals that not only expand their instructional repertoires, but enable them to earn clock hours to maintain their certificates.

Superintendent Steve Marshall praised Sawyer for creating these learning opportunities for staff. “Jennifer knows that in high-performing schools, learning is not exclusive to our students,” said Marshall. “For us to improve and take student learning to the next level,” he added, “our adults need to have the opportunity to reflect on current practices and develop new skill sets. Jennifer has made sure the inservice topics are relevant and taught by experts. The day is just an incredible investment in our staff and students.”

The October 14 Inservice Day includes sessions on student growth goals, effective communication strategies with students, and the Workshop model, which is a lesson structure that gives students ample time to explore and engage with new content. This day embodies the all three Upward Together goals:

• Safe, welcoming, and positive learning environments that support high academic and behavior expectations for all.

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• Aligned and effective teaching practices that promote a high level of student learning and achievement.

• Everyone working together to lift Hockinson’s students and schools to new heights.