March 18-22

Happy Sunday Panther Nation,

We have several more hours and we will return to HMS for our last quarter of school. I hope that you had a restful Spring Break and enjoyed your time away from work. The break was definitely good to me as I spent a great deal of time resting and being a mommy! 

As we prepare to return to work, I want to encourage you to remain focused on moving our students forward for the next 45 days. Dig deep and grab a hold of your WHY and let your WHY be your driving force from now until the end of the school year. We all made a commitment to do the work. We have proven that no matter what challenges stares us in the face that we will not give up on each other or our students! Our data tells our story. Let our story be one that ends happily ever after. We can and will do it! Let's move our students and move our data.

Please return and spend Tuesday reminding our students of the Panther PAW Expectations. Continue to hold them accountable for their actions and responsible for their learning. Be sure to enforce the No Flex Zone, No Hall Passes, and No Excuses expectations. Again, we are close to the end! In order to for us not to lose our heads as we are pushed to the edge, we must remain firm, fair, and consistent.

Below are some reminders for the week. I will see you all soon! 

Tolbert

Reminders:

Monday is YOUR day. At this time, I do not have any intentions of hosting any meetings. I will send Mid Year Conference invitations to those of you whose conferences had to be rescheduled. Although classes are short this week, please be aware that we will continue to perform observations.

Tuesday, I will host the Parent Meeting for our most challenging students. I am asking that 3 representatives from each grade level join me as I speak with parents regarding their child's academic and behavior progress. We will allow the parents that participate in the meeting to not attend their conference as the information will be the same. 

Wednesday-Friday is our designated Parent Conference days. Our late day is Thursday. All staff is expected to stay until 7:45 p.m. There are no exceptions.
Connections teachers will be required to attend 10 conferences on each grade level. Additionally, you are required to attend the conference of any child that failed your class. Please document your conferences on the conference sheet provided to homeroom teachers.

As you are preparing to host your conferences, please be sure to review the NWEA (MAP) Resources that were shared by Mr. Forker during Spring Break. It is mandated that we share the Student Growth Worksheet with parents during their conference time. Their signature is also required. A short video was shared to help you better understand the document and the data. 

LSGT-We are in need of  2 teachers to serve on our LSGT for next year. Please consider serving alongside members of the community to improve Hilsman.



Monday
School-Based teacher work day
Mid Year Conferences

Tuesday
RTI
Soccer HMS at CMS (4:15 boys; 5:15 girls)

Wednesday
Collab planning
Parent-Teacher Conferences
 Early Release Schedule 

Thursday
Collab planning
Parent-Teacher Conferences late night
 Early Release Schedule 
BBQ Food Truck at Lunch

Friday
Extended Homeroom for students and staff to participate in the School Culture Survey. We will transition once everyone has completed it.
Grade Level Meetings
Parent Teacher Conferences
 Early Release Schedule 


AVID
Teachers, please take the week when we return to help our students get organized. During classes, offer students the opportunity to clean out binders, papers, etc in preparation of the 4th qtr. Also, do not forget to utilize student agendas and your binder score card to determine specific assignments, dates, etc. If students are in need of supplies, please see me or an AVID Site Team member for a supply form.

Book Fair
Spring Scholastic Book Fair is right after Spring Break March 20th-26th! We hope to see all our parents, faculty and staff, and students!

21st Century and PSP
The afternoon 21st Century Program and PSP will not meet during Parent Conference Week. The morning 21st Century Program will meet during Parent Conference Week.

From our Counselors
Upcoming Classroom Guidance: As a part of Georgia Law under Senate Bill 401, the Clarke County School District is implementing a classroom lesson titled, My Body, My Boundaries, in grades 6-9 to teach child sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention. Teachers and school counselors facilitating the lesson have been trained to provide this important information to your student. If you would prefer your child not participate in the My Body, My Boundaries Lesson, please sign and return the opt out letter that was sent home by March 22, 2019, and return it to your student’s teacher.
Day as a Dawg (8th Grade ONLY): "Each year, Inspire UGA hosts Day as a Dawg, an event where we teach your 8th grader information on how to succeed in high school and beyond. This year, Day as a Dawg will take place on April 20, 2019, and we want your 8th grader to be there! Day as a Dawg is a completely free event that includes breakfast, lunch, and a complimentary t-shirt for your student to remember the day. After Day as a Dawg, your 8th grader will feel more prepared to transition into high school. Be on the lookout for Inspire UGA’s table at parent teacher conferences to sign your student up for Day as a Dawg!" Students that have already received their applications at lunch should hand them in to Ms. Moore, School Counselor, as soon as possible.

Upcoming Dates
Milestones EOG
4/17 - ELA Section 1
4/18 - ELA Section 2
4/19 - ELA Section 3
4/22 - ELA Make Ups
4/23 - Math Section 1
4/24 - Math Section 2
4/25 - Science Section 1-2
4/26 - Soc Studies Section 1-2
Milestones EOC4/29 - 5/2 - Make-ups
4/29 - 5/1 : ELA EOC
5/2-5/3 - Math EOC
5/6 - Soc Studies EOC
5/7 - Science EOC
5/8 - 5/10 - EOC Make Ups
Map Window - Updated Specific Dates to Follow 
4/17 - 5/17



Rising 6th Grade Parent Night: This will take place at Gaines Elementary School at 6 pm on March 25th. 6th grade teachers should plan to be in attendance as well as connections teachers and support staff who interact with 6th grade students. This will be your opportunity to provide relevant information to our families!