April 1-5

Good Sunday great people,

I hope that you have enjoyed your weekend! Thank you for a great week of conferences. You all did a great job of communicating the successes and areas of growth of our students to their parents. The parents were extremely complimentary of your work and expressed how they have noticed an increase of rigor in the classroom. Keep up the work! We must finish the year strong.

Please be reminded to provide students with feedback and support. We cannot expect our scholars to do better if we are not giving the proper feedback on tests, assignments, or adjusting instruction in the classroom. It is critical that they understand their areas of growth in an effort to help them improve. In the same manner, it is important to update your grade books every 5-7 days. This expectation is not new however; I found that many grades were not entered until the end of the grading term. This presents a problem to our families, as many are not aware that their child is failing until it is too late. Our job is to provide students with opportunities to be successful. I see evidence of this daily in your classrooms, be sure that parents and students are presented with the same view.

This week will be a busy one! Please be present at work and ensure that your instruction is infused with rigor and a high level of student engagement. If you did not read the email that I sent last Thursday referencing our School Readiness Assessment, please do so tonight. Remember that tomorrow is the last day to take the survey. I want to reiterate that April 3^rd is an opportunity for us to show the great work that we are doing at Hilsman. Know our vision and mission but most importantly know you WHY?

Attached you will find the schedule of events that will take place on Wednesday. I recognize that we will have many activities happening on this day however, we welcomes our visitors warmly into the walls of Hilsman Middle School. If you have any questions, please email or see me.

Schedule for Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Please submit the names of the two students from each grade level no later than 11:00, Monday, April 1^st to me via email.

Things to do and remember:

Ensure that you have a chair with a copy of your lesson plans in a designated area for the observer. Previously, I have known these observations to last between 7-10 minutes.

Make sure your standards are posted and are referenced throughout your instruction.

It is a great idea to make sure that your bulletin boards are updated and reflective of the student work with commentary.

Manage your class. If there is a problem in your classroom, address it. Please do not let the presence of visitors stop you from managing your class. Follow the discipline plan.

Please expect to be observed several times, as we will have an entire grade level out due to a field trip. All classes will be observed. This includes Connections.

Sample Site Visit Schedule
Time	SRA Team Member #1	SRA Team Member #2	SRA Team Member #3	SRA Team Member 4
7:30-7:55 AM	Team arrives at school; morning meeting and data review
8-9:20 AM	Interview with Tolbert
9:30-10:25 AM	Interview with Mr. Forker (AP)		Interview: Moore, Morgan, Williams
10:30-11:25 AM	Classroom Visits Connection Teachers will need to help provide coverage for teachers during this time.		Interview with Teacher Focus Group Q. Turner- 7th SpEd R. Dorsey-LID C. Holland-6th grade Science J. Pratt-8th SpEd M. Dalton-7th Science M. Aqui-7th Math K. Heu-7th Grade ELA
11:30-12:25 PM	Interview with SILT  Skinner Fassbender Watkins Holland Blake J. Page F. Jones		Interview with Student Focus Group
12:30-1:10 PM	Lunch, Mid-day meeting and SRA debrief (consider emerging themes) Callahan's Office
1:15-2:10 PM	Interview with AP or IC M. Skinner		Classroom Visits
2:15-3:30 PM	Team debrief, evidence review, summary writing
3:30-4 PM	Principal Exit Interview-Callahan's Office
4 pm.	SRA team departs

Week at Glance

Monday

Monday 4/1/10 is Dress Down Day for binder checks for the month of March. Students who received 200 or more pts on their March binder checks may dress down. Please make sure students follow the HMS dress code policy. If you have any questions or concerns about binder checks, please email or call your student's teachers.

504/IEP

Tuesday

HMS Soccer
When: Tuesday, April, 2 Where: CMS Time: Boys- 4:30 Girls-5:30

RTI
Wednesday
Relay for Life jeans day

6th Grade Field Trip to UGA on Wednesday, April 3rd!

Faculty Meeting - 4:00 -5:30

Spring Picture Day at Hilsman is on Wednesday, April 3rd. Flyers were given out by homeroom teachers last week for students to take home. Spring pictures are prepay only. If you did not receive a flyer, additional flyers are available in the front office. Prepayment methods are by exact cash (photographer is unable to make change), check or money order made payable to Lifetouch, or you may order online with a credit card. Ordering information and pricing are found on the flyers. Only students who are prepaying for pictures may be out of uniform for Wednesday's picture day. Students must adhere to the dress code expectations as set forth by CCSD and Hilsman. If you have any questions about appropriate attire, please contact the school or your child's homeroom teacher.

Collaborative Planning

Faculty meeting/ baby shower 4:00

Thursday

Collaborative Planning

Friday

PBIS Caring Climate Survey During Lunch Enrichment Time

Track
HMS Track Meet Date: Friday, April, 5 Where: CCHS Start Time: 4:30 p.m.


Upcoming Dates

Orchestra
Our Spring Orchestra Concert is coming up! The concert will be held on Thursday April 11th at 6:30 in the Cedar Shoals High School Theater. All orchestra students will perform! We'll see you there!

Gear Up 4 High School: The UGA Admissions and CCSD will be hosting the Gear Up 4 College Event for all 8th graders at the Tate Student Center Saturday April 13, 2019 from 9am-12pm. Parents and students will learn about the college admissions process and other important information about attending college. There will be free food and prizes. If you are interesting in attending, please RSVP to Jonathan Brunson at jmaurice@uga.edu

Monday 4/1/10 is Dress Down Day for binder checks for the month of March. Students who received 200 or more pts on their March binder checks may dress down. Please make sure students follow the HMS dress code policy. If you have any questions or concerns about binder checks, please email or call your student's teachers.

March 25-29

Monday
8th grade UGA Field trip
IEP/504

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

Wednesday
Collab planning

Thursday
8th grade UGA Field trip
Collab planning

Friday
Soccer HMS at WRC (4:15 girls; 5:15 boys)
Grade Level Meetings



AVID
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 Mrs. Fassbender or an AVID Site Team member for a supply form.

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

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!
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

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!

March 4-8

Monday
Advisement-preparing for parent conferences. An email will follow.

Monday 3/4 will be a dress down day for binder checks. Students who received 300 or more pts on February's binder checks will be able to dress down. Please make sure students follow the HMS dress code policy. If you have any questions or concerns about binder checks, please email students' teachers.

504/IEP Meetings

Tuesday
Soccer Hilsman V. Coile at Coile (boys 4:15, girls 5:15)

RTI

Wednesday

Relay for Life jeans day. Contact Chester, Dorsey, or Viera to pay and receive your jeans sticker. Cash, checks made out to American Cancer Society, and credit cards are accepted.

8th Grade Parents: Rising 9th Grade Parent Night will take place at Cedar Shoals High School on March 6th at 6pm.

Collab Planning

Thursday

Collab planning

Friday

School-wide house party 2:30 - dismissal. See email from Forker for detail and sign-up.

Sign Up Sheet Access

House Rosters

House Copper will receive a coupon for a dress down day and a sit where you want at lunch pass! This includes House Copper staff members!

Grade Level Meetings

Band
The 7th and 8th Grade Band will be participating in the GMEA District 14 Large Group Performance Evaluation at East Jackson Comprehensive High School. The dates are as follows: 7th Grade: Tuesday, March 5 at 11:00 AM8th Grade: Wednesday, March 6 at 11:00 AM The 7th and 8th Grade Band will leave for Universal Studios Friday morning!

From our CounselorsSex Abuse Prevention Lesson and Xello: Teachers, this is just a heads up that we will have to provide classroom guidance to ALL students on both of these topics prior to the end of the school year. These are state requirements and we will provide more details once everything is finalized with the district. I apologize that we were unable to spread these out over the course of the school year.

Educational Talent Search with UGA: We have been on a hiatus with ETS, but we will be starting back up again next week with Ms. Ramsey. If your child has an application, please ask them to return it to Ms. Moore. For more information please go to http://dae.uga.edu/initiatives-2/trio/.

Upcoming Dates

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!

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

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

February 22-March 1

Monday

504/IEP Meetings

School Climate Survey - 

9:00-9:30           6th Grade

10:20-10:45       7th Grade

12:20-12:40       8th Grade

Tuesday

Tuesday February 26, 2019 4-5 pm, the district will be providing a PL on how to implement more WICOR strategies into lesson plans. This is open to all teachers and all grade levels. Location is TBD based on registration. If you are interested in using more AVID/WICOR strategies, this is a great opportunity! Please see or email Mrs. Fassbender for registration

RTI Meetings

Soccer BHL vs. HMS at BHL

Wednesday

Severe Weather Drill - 9:30am -  REVIEW Procedures. 

Please continue supporting our RFL fundraising campaign with our $5 Wednesday Jeans Day!
Contact Chester, Dorsey, or Viera to pay and receive your jeans sticker. Cash, checks made out to American Cancer Society, and credit cards are accepted.

Collaborative Planning


Thursday

Collaborative Planning

Friday

Grade Level Meetings

School Wide House Party  2:30 - Dismissal




Panthers Celebrate Read Across America Day Friday, March 1st 1. Wear a Wacky Hat ! (Can’t cover face.)
2. Wear Wacky Socks! (Must wear shoes that cover whole foot.)
3. Wear colorful clothes in honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday! (Follows school
dress code; no rips/holes; jeggings, etc.)
4. Drop Everything And Read (D.E.A.R.)! (Read with your class and teacher
during Enrichment Time!)
**The homeroom with the highest percentage of students and teachers participating in the fun will win BRAND NEW BOOKS!!!


Sign Up for the Panther Prowl 5K! Students and staff members who enter the Panther Prowl have an opportunity to win a prize pack to be announced after the race. Mr. Naughton will buy pizza for any student that beats him in the Panther Prowl!



Any rising 8th and 9th graders interested in playing softball at Cedar Shoals there will be an interest meeting next Wednesday, February 27th during your lunch period. Any questions or concerns please contact Coach Pullen.

Saturday School will be in full effect this Saturday. Bus Routes are complete. Students should be at their bus routes 20 minutes early. If students need information on their bus route, please see their homeroom teacher or Ms. Ward on the 8th Grade Hall.

The 7th and 8th Grade Band will be participating in the GMEA District 14 Large Group Performance Evaluation at East Jackson Comprehensive High School. The dates are as follows:
7th Grade: Tuesday, March 5 at 11:00 AM8th Grade: Wednesday, March 6 at 11:00 AM


This is our last week for binder checks for the month of February. Please make sure you are checking based on content. Students will need 300 or more pts to have a dress down day.

February 11-15

Monday
504/IEP
College and Career T-Shirt Day

Tuesday
RTI

Wednesday
Soccer Game against Coile at Coile (Boys 4:15-5:15; Girls 5:15-6:15)
Collab Plannings

Thursday
Collab Plannings

Friday
Grade Level Meetings

Events

The Cottage, Sexual Assault Center & Children's Advocacy Center, will be at Hilsman on February 14th to facilitate a Media Safety presentation to all of our 6th grade students. The presentation will cover hot topics for middle school students, including social media, inappropriate texting, and cyber bullying. This will be done in small groups so that students have opportunities to interact and ask questions. If you prefer your child not participate in this event, please contact Ms. Moore, School Counselor, by February 13th via email at moorea@clarke.k12.ga.us.

Sign Up for the Panther Prowl 5K! Students and staff members who enter the Panther Prowl have an opportunity to win a prize pack to be announced after the race.

Saturday SchoolSaturday from 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m...There will be rigorous instruction in reading and mathematics. Students are encouraged to attend. Car riders should be picked up promptly at 12:30.


Upcoming Dates
Family Science Night
Date: Thursday, March 21 Time: 5:00-6:30 pmLocation: Hilsman Cafeteria

February 4-8

Monday

Dress Down Day for Binder Checks: Students who earned 300 or more points are eligible to dress down. Please make sure students are in compliance with the HMS dress code policy.

SILT meeting 7:00 AM

SMART Training 9:00-11:30 (Forker, Tolbert, Jones, Skinner, Fassbender)

504/IEP

Tuesday

RTI

Wednesday

Relay for Life jeans day

Faculty Meeting 4:00-6:00

Collab Planning

Marty out of the building (afternoon)

Thursday

Collab Planning

Friday

504/IEP

District Spelling Bee

FFA Carnation Sale

Feb 4- Feb 8. Flowers must be purchased by 4:00 pm on Friday.
Carnations will be $2 for 1 flower or $5 for 3 flowers- a card will be available to fill out the students name, 7th period teacher and a short note. They will be carnations and can be purchased from Mrs. Martin in room 804 by the media center. Parents wishing to purchase flowers can send the money and a paper with student name, 7th period teacher and a short note to Mrs. Martin or drop it by the office.