12/4 Weekly Newsletter
Upcoming Dates for HMS Families:
December 7th- HMS Winter Concert @HMS (7-8) CHOIR
Dec. 8- All School Assembly: BMX (SEE INFO BELOW) (1:00-2:42)
December 11- 7th and 8th grade band concert @ HHS (5:30-7:00)
December 14th- 6th grade band @ HMS (7:00-8:00)
Dec. 19- Student Council Sponsored Gift Making/Craft Night (see info below) (2:45-4:00)
February 8- Transition to 6th grade night! (TBD- Time is coming soon!)
HMS Updates:
BMX Assembly- Dec. 8
The speaker is Matt Wilhelm who is a BMX trick bike specialist. He was on America's Got Talent and apparently also qualified for the United States National Team this year. During his presentation, he talks about bullying and doing your best to reach your potential.
be nice. club sponsoring Collection for Community- “be nice. Be Warm”
Dec. 4 through Dec. 14, the be nice clubs are sponsoring a “be nice. Be warm” community collection. We are seeking donations of warm hats, gloves, mittens, scarves, headbands, and socks. We have a fireplace set up in the front of the school with a collection bin for the items. We will be donating items to both the Power H store (for HPS families) and the Holland Rescue Mission.
Candycane gram Sale: Next week, Student Council will be selling “candy cane grams” for 50 cents each. Parents and students are welcome to purchase for HMS students. The cost is 50 cents each and students will purchase them at lunch on Dec. 12-14. The person purchasing will write out a note and Student Council will attach a candy cane and deliver it to students 7th period classes on Dec. 21. If parents are interested in buying for their child, email Karen Legg at klegg@hollandpublicshools.org and we can get it set-up.
Upcoming Student Council Sponsored Event- All students Welcome!:
Mark your calendar! The student council will be sponsoring a student gift (DIY craft) making opportunity after school on December 19 from 2:45-4:00. During this time, students will be able to make 5-7 nice DIY/craft gifts that they can give to family and friends. The cost for attendance is $5. Tickets must be purchased in advance so we can buy supplies. Tickets will be available at lunch on Dec. 11-15. We need some parent/adult volunteers to make this event possible. Sign-Up At this Link to Help Transportation will NOT be provided for this event so families must make arrangements for your child to get home following the event.
Buy HMS Apparel!!FUNDRAISER
Interested in some HMS clothes? Thanks to PTOs assistance, we are able to have an online store through a local HMS family with Sonscreens. We will have this open for 3 weeks and then will open it again closer to conferences. All items will be delivered prior to the holiday break! The perfect holiday present! LINK
STARTING AFTER OUR HOLIDAY BREAK-
After School Tutoring: Coming Soon- We hope to gather the interest this week still for tutoring. We will then look at beginning in the start of December.Please fill this survey out if you are interested. This is not a homework help. Although time may be available to assist, it will be a time for math and ela support. We are still determining days, but are looking at possibly Monday and Thursday 2:45-3:45. Unfortunately, no transportation is available at this time.
STUDENTS GETTING INVOLVED!
Clubs
We have had 144 students involved in clubs this year! That is simply amazing! If your student wants to join, there is still room!
If you are still interested in joining a club- Extra permission slips are in the front office or email rbair@hollandpublicschools.org
Monday- Spirit Club
Tuesday- Robotics and Baking (Currently closed due to numbers- open after January)
Thursday- Crafting & Drama
Friday- Chess
ATTENDANCE CORNER
We are off to a great start on our grade level competition! Remember, the grade level that has the highest percentage in attendance for the entire month of November will win snow cones to be served during their lunchtime at the beginning of December.
When to Keep Your Student Home
Positive Behavior Team Update and Request PLEASE:
THIS FRIDAY at 2:35- Join in for the fun VIRTUALLY and watch this months basket winners get called! LINK
HMS Assistant Principal, Ms. Davis, and Counselor, Ms. Legg, held the first raffle drawing of the year for gift baskets put together from your donations. The raffle was broadcast on zoom with the entire school being invited to watch. 3 gift baskets, one for each grade level, were won by students who had turned in the DUTCH tickets they had earned by displaying the qualities of Diverse, United, Thrive, Committed, and Honorable. The gift baskets were overflowing with nice “stuff” that students were glad to win. We hope to continue motivating and rewarding our students who are positive influences to their peers by continuing to offer gift baskets that students find desirable. With that in mind we would like to thank all who have donated to our positive behavior team all ready. We are grateful for your support that makes our monthly drawings possible. WE ARE SEEKING DONATIONS OF $5-$10 GIFT CARDS TO ANY PLACES STUDENTS LOVE (Target, 5 Below, Peanut Store, Meijer, Starbucks, Bigby, Speedway, etc.). In addition, here is a list of donation ideas (an Amazon wish list is included but Amazon can be more expensive for the same items sometimes)… PBIS donation ideas for monthly raffle baskets We will be grateful for any donations at any time. Please feel free to drop them off at the main office. Thank you for any help you can give!
COUNSELING CORNER
Counseling Support Groups Starting Soon-
The HMS Counseling and Support Staff will be offering the following support groups for first semester. All groups will be 5-6 sessions and will happen during the school day at various times so students do not miss the same class repeatedly. Groups are open to all students 6-8 grade. To sign your child up or learn more about the groups please call (494-2425) or email one of the counselors Karen Legg (klegg@hollandpublicschools.org) or Nick Koessel (nkoessel@hollandpublicschools.org)
Families in Change- This support group will cover topics related to common changes in families such as parent’s divorce or separation, parents remarriage, visitation between houses, step-family issues, and more.
Organization Skills- The organization group will be for any students who would like extra help with keeping track of any assignments they might have. We will go over things such as how to use a planner, strategies for completing homework and assignments, and a few other things as well.
Healthy Coping Skills- Coping Skills Groups address a variety of different concerns in an open and supportive environment. We will have one of these groups for each grade level. Groups focus on identifying stressors, developing healthy coping skills and creating strategies for self-care. Members build skills through participating in open discussions and completing hands-on activities.
Friendship- Friendship group will look at ways in which we can be a good friend to one another. It will also look at ways we shouldn't treat our friends, and what can be hurtful or cause harm to the friendships that we do have. We will also demonstrate how we can go about making new friendships.
Anger Management- The group will focus on expressing and managing anger in an effective and healthy way. It is an opportunity to explore feelings and situations that lead to anger (anger triggers), recognize physical and emotional responses to anger, identify reactions to anger, identify and evaluate consequences of anger management styles and develop strategies to manage anger in safer and healthier ways.
Notes from the Nurse
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Staff Shout-outs:
Please email Rbair@hollandpublicschools.org if you have a staff shout out. We LOVE to brag on our amazing staff:)