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"One of the lessons that I grew up with was to always stay true to yourself and never let what somebody else says distract you from your goals.”

– Michelle Obama • American attorney and author & former First Lady of the U.S.

• Monday, March 20: Online Course Registration for 2023-24 Begins (see more information below)
  
• Monday, March 20: FCC Meeting • 6 - 7 p.m. • Room 1314 (see more information below)
• Wednesday, March 29: Flipside Family Showcase • 4 - 4:45 p.m. (see more information below)
• Friday, March 31: Last Day of Quarter 3
• Friday, March 31: Last Day to Register for HPMS Spring Sports (see more information below)
• Mon., April 3 - Fri., April 7: No School • Spring Break
• Monday, April 10: Beginning of Quarter 4
• Monday, April 10: Beginning of HPMS Spring Sports
• Mon., April 17 - Thu., April 20: MCA Testing • Science – 8th grade only
• Friday, April 21: No School • Staff Development Day
• Monday, May 29: No School • Memorial Day Holiday
• Wednesday, June 14: Last Day of School / End of Quarter 4

Current 6th and 7th graders will be able to register for 2023-2024 classes beginning the week of March 20. Counselors will go over course selections and registration directions with students in class during the week. The registration information is also available on our website (Counselors’ Corner) for parents' information.

Completed course selection options will be emailed to students once they submit their registration google form. Please review these selections with your student. Online registration forms are due Friday, March 31.

Contact your student’s counselor if you have any questions/concerns:

• Danielle Seifert (grade 7) danielle.seifert@spps.org
• Elisabeth Mulvaney (grade 6) elisabeth.mulvaney@spps.org

On Wednesday, March 29th, from 4-4:55 p.m., Flipside will be having a Family Showcase. Come see what our students are doing in their classes. See our Theater class act, play games with our Board Game class, and test out some snacks from our Cooking Class. If you have any questions, contact Ms. Nikol at nikol.gordon@spps.org.

The following spring sports are offered at Highland Park Middle School -- registration has already begun:

• Girls’ Badminton

• Boys’ Baseball

• Girls’ Softball

• Co-Ed Track

For more information about sports at Highland Park Middle School, including on–line registration and sports physical information, please go to https://highlandparkms.rschoolteams.com/.

Deadline for middle school sports spring sign-up is Friday, March 31. All middle school spring sports start on Monday, April 10.

HPMS Staff thank all those families who helped in any way in our pre-conference meal this past Thursday evening, March 16. It was delicious! We are grateful for your support!

The Highland Park Middle School community would like to congratulate 7th grade Lobos Ruby Anders, Highland Park Middle School Spelling Bee Champion for 2023, who went on to participate in the Twin Cities Regional Spelling Bee, held on Thursday, March 9. Ruby tied for 6th place, an outstanding result. We are so proud of her accomplishments. Congratulations Ruby!

On March 7, 2023, the HPMS Debate Team competed in the Conference Championship - and the following debaters earned medals for their performance......

In the Rookie Division....

....the team of Isra Abdi, Sara Kahsay, and Maryama Adan placed 4th!

Also meddling in the top 20 were the teams of Ada Petersen & Charlotte McMahon, River Alcenat & Eden Lentsch, Syd Wilson & Maisy Mau, and Suraya Mohammed & Helen Aweke.

Eden Lentsch won the 6th Place Individual speaker award, and River Alcenat won 7th.

In the Novice Division.....

.......the team of Emma Connelly and Tai - yu Hanson placed 2nd! ....and the team of Najaha Mohammed and Hamdi Mohammed placed 8th.

Emma, Tai -Yu, and Hamdi all earned individual speaker awards, as well.

Finally, In the JV Division.....

......Harper Zimney and Anna Warren took the 4th place award, while Moemma Jimenez and Brennan McMahon took 5th.

All four debaters won top 10 speaker awards.

Congratulations to all the HPMS debaters on their fine performances and great season, and thanks to Mr. Gollon for advising them!

Attention HPMS community!

The staff at Highland Park Middle School is in need of some odds and ends to help us make it to the end of the school year. To help us meet these needs, HPMS science teacher Ms. Jung has put together a large DonorsChoose project. This project includes materials for ELA classes, math classes, Spanish classes, cooking classes, science classes, as well as classroom incentives and art supplies.

If you are able to donate, then please click on this link: HPMS Needs an Upgrade!. Your donation is tax deductible. Thank you!

The Every Meal to offer a free weekend food program to all our students. Every Meal is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to fight child hunger through community and school partnerships. They strive to make a difference in children's lives by focusing on food gaps like weekends, school breaks, and summer when they can't receive food in school.

About Every Meal:

• Free for all families,
• No qualifications required for enrollment,
• Students enrolled in the program will receive a 4-5 pound bag of nutritious, nonperishable food each week,
• Every Meal does not collect information from families; privacy is protected,
• Families may enroll in the program anytime throughout the school year, and
• Families may choose from a variety of different weekend meal bag options.

Please complete the enrollment form here or contact Katie Monroe (kathryn.monroe@spps.org) to enroll your child.

Families,

The AVID program at Highland Park Senior High School is recruiting current 8th graders for next school year, 2023-24. This is an elective class at the high school. AVID applications are due March 31, 2023. Interviews will take place after spring break.

For more information, please see the photos below. If you have any questions, please call or email Ms. Katzmarek at 651-744-3400 or nou.katzmarek@spps.org.

A new feature, called Community Upload, has made submitting pictures easier for everyone! Everyone means students, teachers, parents can submit pictures that they would like to see in this year's yearbook. The yearbook advisor (Ms. Wise) will double check that each & every submitted picture is appropriate.

Note: please be aware that just because you submitted a picture(s), does not guarantee that the picture(s) will be in the yearbook. We only have a limited number of pages in the yearbook and therefore not all pictures submitted will be used. Thank you for your understanding! You may have already received a link in your email. However, here is the link to submit a picture(s) for the yearbook as well: https://community.lifetouch.com/invite?code=HPMS2023-23

SPPS Summer School registration is currently open, with priority registration closing Friday, April 15, 2023. After April 15th, you may still apply for Summer School, but your student may not get the course(s) they wish. All registration forms, in multiple languages, may be found at https://www.spps.org/summer.

Middle School Families:

The IB Diploma Program at Highland Park Senior High School is inviting parents, guardians, and community members to volunteer to help monitor our IB Exams in May. The exams run each school day from May 2 to May 18.

This job is not glamorous, but it is an important aspect of our Diploma Program, and your help is most valuable and appreciated! Please go to the SignUp link below and consider registering for one or more spots. Encourage friends to sign up, too!

Here's how it works in 3 easy steps:

1. Click this link to see our SignUp: https://signup.com/go/MAZfKxT
2. Review the options listed and choose the spot(s) you like. Scroll down the page to see the available slots.
3. Sign up! It's Easy - you will NOT need to register an account or keep a password on SignUp.
   
   

Note: SignUp does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact me and I can sign you up manually.

Thanks so much for considering this opportunity to help our students at Highland Park Senior H.S.!

R. Lee Stagg, IB DP Coordinator

Randolph.stagg@spps.org

The Highland Park Girls Soccer team is running a soccer camp for girls going into 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. The camp is run by head coach Chris Steenberg and members of the girls varsity team. Please use this link for more details and learn how to register for the camp.

Contact Chris Steenberg if you have any questions at chris.steenberg@spps.org.

We have seen an increase in some students selling candy, chips, pop, and other items throughout the school day. The practice of students selling these items is NOT ALLOWED.

Students are not allowed to sell any items on school grounds. If found doing so, the items will be confiscated and a parent will be asked to pick the items up from school.

Please read more about what to leave at home here.

We have seen an increase in students eating candy, chips, and pop throughout the day & in the hallways. However, snacks are to be eaten only during Foundations (11:16 - 11:41). Furthermore, pop and other sweetened drinks are not allowed during the school day outside of the cafeteria. Water is allowed throughout the school day.

Please go to this link for information regarding TutorMe tutoring.

Please go to this link for information regarding free homework help for students.

REPORT STUDENT ABSENCES

Please call (651) 744-3393, the HPMS Attendance Line, or send an email to highlandmsattendance@spps.org, when your child is unable to come to school.

PICK UP STUDENTS EARLY

Please send a note with your students on the morning of the planned absence. The note should state the date, time and reason for the early dismissal. The student should bring the note to the office first thing in the morning. Office staff will give the student a pass to leave early and record their absence in the Campus system. At the time indicated on the pass, the student can leave and meet their ride at Door #20 (parking lot).

LATE ARRIVALS

No need to call the office if your student arrives to school late. Please send a note with your child. Have them check into the main office.and we will adjust the attendance.

At Highland Park Middle School, it our mission is to:

• Provide our students with a sense of community and global perception in a nurturing and caring learning environment,
• Help students acquire the skills necessary to value themselves, and take pride in their accomplishments, and
• Develop respect and understanding of other people and their cultures.

Website: https://www.spps.org/highlandms
Location: 975 Snelling Ave S, Saint Paul, MN, USA
Phone: (651) 293-8950