Raider Update
December 10, 2023
Message from the Superintendent
Greetings Raider Families and Staff,
Today’s Raider Update is full of important information including: winter weather reminders and the process to close school, a follow-up to the recent survey that you hopefully participated in, an opportunity to provide your thoughts for our 25-26 school calendar planning, January school board information and finally, the usual calendar reminders.
Winter Weather
We can’t continue to get this lucky with our winter weather, can we??? With the likelihood of our luck running out, I wanted to remind you of the process for closing school and encourage you to opt-in to receiving texts for early notification. For your convenience, text notification opt-in information is available by clicking here.
A full explanation of the philosophy and process to close school is available here; however, the general parameters for making decisions is as follows:
HASTINGS SCHOOL CLOSURE PARAMETERS:
When decision is made, regardless of the time, a text notification will be sent to all who have opted in AND an email notification will be sent.
At 6AM, a phone call will go out to all numbers in our Infinite Campus system.
In the event that the decision is made the night before, the latest phone call will be at 8PM.
Early release decisions will be made with as much advance notice as possible.
Please be sure to have family plans in place for possible early releases.
2023 Parent Survey - The results are in and work is underway to be responsive to your feedback.
When you were asked what the district priorities should be for our future planning, the top 5 are as follows: (parents/guardians were asked to select 4 top priorities):
School Safety and Security 50.9%
Recruit and retain high-quality staff 46.2%
Student behavior/discipline 43.5%
Mental health services for students 41.2%
Career and technical education (trades, business/marketing, health services) 40.8%
Parents Survey Feedback - By clicking here, you can access summary information, including the top 5 areas as indicated by our parents and the bottom 5.
Student Survey Feedback - By clicking here, you can also access the summary feedback information reported by our students.
Our district is committed to excellence and continuous improvement. Thank you for providing this valuable information and please reach out with additional feedback to ensure our district is the very best that it can be.
January School Board Organizational Meeting - On January 3rd at 6pm, the annual organizational meeting will be held in the MS media center and will be streamed by HCTV. An annual organizational meeting includes:
- Seating of New Board Members
- Officer Elections
- Designation of business partners and approval of authority for responsibilities
2025-2026 Calendar Planning - As we gear up for calendar planning for 2025-2026, we value your input and want to ensure that the 25-26 schedule aligns with the needs and preferences of our school community. Your feedback is critical to shaping a calendar that best serves the interests of our students, parents, community and staff.
We invite you to share your thoughts, suggestions, and preferences regarding key aspects of the school calendar, such as:
Start of the school year: Is the preference for starting school before Labor Day or after?
Winter Break: What’s the preference for the timing and duration of winter break?
Spring Break: What’s the preference for the timing and duration of spring break?
Professional Development Days: What’s the preference for the scheduling of professional development days?
End of the school year: What’s the preference in timing for wrapping up the year?
Your input is invaluable in shaping a calendar that reflects the priorities and preferences of our school community. Please take a moment to share your thoughts by clicking here. This survey will remain confidential and open until January 1, 2024.
2023-2024 Calendar Reminders - Our last day of school prior to winter break will be Friday, December 22 with our return to school date January 3, 2024. Please click here for the entire 23-24 calendar. Prior to the start of the new year, there are many not-to-be-missed Raider events. Please click here to review our entire events calendar.
In closure, thank you for all you do to support Hastings Public Schools. As always, please contact me with any questions or feedback regarding our schools.
Sincerely,
Dr. Tamara Champa
Superintendent
(651) 480-7001
November Rotary Student of the Month
Congratulations Jolie Pettit! Jolie was recognized at the Hastings Rotary Club's Student of the month for November, 2023. The Hastings Rotary Club recognizes Hastings High School seniors who exemplify Rotary’s motto of ‘Service Above Self’, as a way to reward and foster these ideals, and also build mutually rewarding relationships between school administration, staff, students, parents and the Rotary members.
Jolie is an extremely dedicated student-athlete who inspires others with her unwavering discipline, work ethic in the classroom, example she displays in sports, and her leadership throughout the school. She has been a four sport athlete, but is now down to three sports, and competes in volleyball, wrestling, and track and field. Jolie is a Link Crew Leader, French Honor Society member, and an FCA huddle leader. She also excels in the classroom, boasting a 3.829 G.P.A. all while taking strenuous classes such as AP Lang, APUSH, AP Calc AB, AP Chem, AP Macro, College Lit, College Psych, and College Public Speaking.
Hastings High School Holiday Choir Concerts
2 PM Holiday Vocal Concert Tickets
4:30 PM Holiday Vocal Concert Tickets
- Tilden Community Center 651-480-7670
- Kennedy Elementary (K-4) 651-480-7221
- McAuliffe Elementary (K-4) 651-480-7390
- Pinecrest Elementary (K-4) 651-480-7280
- Hastings Middle School (5-8) 651-480-7060
- Hastings High School (9-12) 651-480-7470
- Hastings Alternative Learning Center 651-480-7690
*If you need any assistance in translating the Raider Update, contact us at kgorr@isd200.org.