Hickory Creek Middle School
November Newsletter 2023
A Notes from the Administration Team
- Each Friday, families will continue to receive Team Newsletters with curricular updates. We hope that this information provides families the opportunity to be connected with your child's work at HCMS.
- 8th Grade Graduation date has been set- we will celebrate the Class of 2024 on Wednesday, June 5th at 6:30 P.M. The graduation ceremony will be held in the Lincoln-Way West gymnasium.
- The 8th Grade Class trip to Great America is scheduled for Monday, June 3, 2024.
- The 7th Grade Springfield Class trip is scheduled for Monday, June 10th. Information will be shared with families in the next couple of weeks about this trip.
- The 6th Grade Class trip will be scheduled and shared in March. The date of the 6th Grade Class trip will be in June as well.
- Our doors at Hickory Creek are always open. Please reach out throughout the year with celebrations, questions and concerns. We appreciate our family partnerships!
Building Goals for the 2023-2024 School Year
Academic Goal:
- We will continue to provide rigor and opportunity for academic growth to all students in grades 6th- 8th.
Social/Emotional Goal:
- We will support staff and student social and emotional needs and enhance the opportunity for growth in relationships with one another.
Communication Goal:
- We will increase opportunities for family engagement both during the school day and through extra-curricular activities.
Safety Goal:
- We will provide a safe learning environment for staff and students in our learning community.
November Calendar
October 30th - November 3rd - FSP Scholastic Book Fair
November 1st - Education Foundation Lunch
November 2nd and 3rd - Honor Flight Chicago Popsicle Sale Fundraiser
November 3rd - End of Quarter 1
November 3rd - Honor Flight Chicago Hot Lunch Fundraiser
November 8th - FSP Hot Lunch
November 9th - Community Band Concert for Veterans Day
November 10th- Quarter 1 grades and comment can be viewed online, through Power School. Honor Roll certificates will be sent home.
November 10th- Veterans Day Celebrations - Breakfast at 7:15, Assembly at 8:00 A.M.
November 15th -FSP Hot Lunch
November 17th- 10:45 A.M. Dismissal & Endo of Quarter 1 celebration assembly.
November 20th- 24th - No School due to Parent Teacher Conferences and Thanksgiving
November 29th -Chorus Booster Hot Lunch
Quarter 1 Grades and Celebrations
- Quarter 1 ends on Friday, November 3rd.
- Staff will have all grades updated and comments entered into Power School by Friday, November 10th.
- We will be using electronic report cards again this year. Families should log into Power School on November 10th to review Quarter 1 achievement.
- Honor Roll certificates will be distributed to students during Advisory on Friday, November 10th.
- We will celebrate student success for Quarter 1 with a celebration assembly on Friday, November 17th. This will be a "Neon Glow Day" and student will participate in various games and activities during the assembly.
Parent Teacher Conferences
- We will hold Parent Teacher Conferences on Monday, November 20th and Tuesday November 21st.
- There will be two options for families to choose from when scheduling meetings with teachers. In person and virtual meetings will be offered.
- Information about registering for conferences will be sent out by the District on November 10th.
- Middle School children are encouraged to attend Conference with their families if possible.
Hickory Creek Veterans Day Celebration
- Students are invited to bring family members who are Veterans to school on Friday, November 10th.
- There will be a gratitude breakfast at 7:15 A.M. on November 10th.
- There will be a school-wide assembly at 8:00 A.M. on November 10th.
- Family member are welcome to attend one or both of the events above. Please RSVP with the link below to let us know you are coming.
- In addition, the Community Veterans Day Band Concert will be held Thursday, November 9th at 6:00 P.M.
A Note from Nurse Bush
A Note from Our Librarian, Ms. Testerman
- Our second LitWits book club will be on November 17th at 7:15 a.m. In honor of Turtle Adoption Day (Nov. 27th) students will choose a book from the library with “turtle” in the title (Turtles All The Way Down, Turtle Boy, Turtle In Paradise, and The Turtle of Oman) to read before the meeting. Grand Prairie’s very own Stella the Tortoise will be visiting HCMS during the meeting so students will definitely not want to miss it!
Social and Emotional Learning Updates
Test anxiety is that nervous feeling students may get when they’re about to take a test. It's normal to feel some pressure before an exam, and a little stress is a good thing. It can actually help children focus, prepare and do better.
But for some children, the worries are so strong that they can’t concentrate and don’t do as well as they'd like.
The good news is that there are many ways to stress less over tests. Below are some tips to support your child to stress less.
- Encourage your child to start studying the day the teacher first says there will be an exam. That way they won’t be cramming at the last minute.
- Schedule study time. Encourage your child to write it in their assignment notebook and/or set an alarm on their phone to remind them.
- Focus on smaller chunks of material during study sessions so they’re easier to handle.
- Students should be encouraged to use positive self-talk to counter negative thoughts and beliefs about their abilities. Teach them to replace self-doubt with positive affirmations such as "I am prepared" or "I can do my best."
- Relaxation techniques - Teach students relaxation techniques such as deep breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, or visualization. These techniques can help reduce stress and promote a sense of calmness before and during tests.
- And lastly, always remind your child that they don’t have to get a perfect score on every test. Everyone slips up, has different strengths and challenges, and if they are trying their best and learning, this is what counts. Every mistake is a chance to learn for the next time.
Hickory Creek Monthly Highlights
Red Ribbon Week and Bully Prevention Week at Hickroy Creek
We celebrated Red Ribbon Week from 10/23-10/27. Each grade level, learned about the importance of a pledge. Our advisory classes worked together to create awesome pledges to stay drug and bully free, which are displayed around the school. The students watched videos and held great discussions on how others are choosing their Natural High over drugs and alcohol. The students also discussed how they can be an upstander against bullying. It only takes one to make a difference, and the difference creates more than one. We will be having an assembly speaker, Terrence Tally, on 10/31 to wrap up these lessons.
Terrence Talley’s message: Today, students face an uphill battle against bullying, peer pressure, family hurts and life altering choices. If we can help bring students together, give another option, heal some hurts and help realize positive life choices; we would have better students and a positive school atmosphere. My hope is that students will know “that you matter and because you matter you can make a difference.” With the battle students face, they have to know there’s hope.
Letters to Santa Outreach Program
For the past twenty years, Hickory Creek Middle School has been “adopting” Santa Letters from Chavez School, an inner-city Chicago School, with a 99% poverty rate. HCMS will soon be receiving close to 600 handwritten letters from Chavez School children, grades Pre-K through 4th grade.
Permission forms and a more detailed letter will go home the second week of November and letter adoption will occur in ELA classes during silent reading time, the week of November 13th-17th. Families adopting letters will shop and wrap a gift for their chosen child returning it to HCMS, by December 8th. HCMS will deliver the packages to the school, and the children will open your generous gifts at a special Chavez School celebration, Wednesday, December 20th. For many students, your gift will be the only one they receive this holiday. The letters go out quickly and are on a first come basis. (We are usually out of letters in 3 days)
Gifts must be new (no used items)
Student wraps the gift at home & carefully labels the child’s name and Div. # on tag
A limit of 2 letters per HCMS student will be in place for the first 2 days (more letters can be requested after 2 days)
Please try and stay between $20-$25 gift value, as the students open their gifts together as homerooms
NJHS Student Peer Tutoring available on Wednesdays
Starting November 8th, students who wish to have an NJHS student tutor them after school, can come to the Library after school on Wednesdays for this support. All students should check in with Ms. Testerman, the Librarian, and she will help get them connected with a peer tutor.
All students staying after school must have rides promptly at 3:15 P.M. on Wednesdays.
Extra-Curricular Updates
Athletic Updates
Boys Golf
- The boys golf team had a great season this past fall! All the boys showed a lot of improvement during the year, and we are excited for many of them coming back next year.
Girls Golf
- The girls' golf team had a great post season this fall. The sectional team consisted of six talented golfers including Grace Zhang, Hannah Brown, Bella Versetto, Gianna Chikerotis, Katelynn Lincoln, and Claire Connolly. Grace finished 1st overall, Bella came in 2nd, and Hannah was 4th at the IESA sectional in Pontiac. The girls played together and qualified as a team for the IESA state tournament. Grace, Bella, Hannah, and Katelynn headed to Metamora to tee off against the top golfers in the state. The competition was fierce. The girls ended up in a tie for 1st place, but unfortunately lost a close tie breaker and headed home as the state runner up. As individuals, Hannah finished 9th, Grace finished 6th, and Bella came in with an impressive 2nd place finish. Congratulations to the girls on an unforgettable and amazing season.
6th Grade Girls Basketball
- The 6th Grade Girls Basketball Teams have been playing great as we reach the midway point of the season. At the time of writing, both the A and the B teams have 10 wins and only 1 loss! Recently, the girls played their best games of the year at the Pink Out game against Nelson Ridge! The A team won 35-2 and the B team won 18-5. There are only a handful of home games left before the conference tournament on November 10th so make sure you come out and support the girls!
7th and 8th Grade Girls Basketball
- Both 7th and 8th grade girls' basketball have had incredible seasons and crushing their competition in every game with high scoring and great defense. Post season for both teams start in November. The 7th grade team will play regionals on Saturday November 11 and Tuesday November 14 at Markham Prairie Hills and will hopefully advance to the sectional championship on Wednesday November 29 at Chicago Heights Middle School. The 8th grade team will play their regionals on Saturday November 18 and Tuesday November 21 at Markham Prairie Hills. Coach Martin and Coach Filippo are so excited to lead these hardworking girls to victory!
6th Grade Boys Basketball
- The 6th grade boys' basketball teams have been selected. We are going into our second week of practice. We start off our season with the Joliet West Middle School Tournament on November 3rd and 4th.
7th and 8th Grade Boys Basketball
- The boys' team has been selected and will be working hard during practices with Coach Ford. The first game will be on November 8th.
Cheerleading
- The HCMS cheerleading team has been working hard to learn new choreography for their halftime show and upcoming competitions. Stay tuned for competition dates and come support our lady tigers!
Wrestling
HCMS Wrestlers/ Future Wrestlers,
Registration is now open for 2023/24 Wrestling Season. Come join one of the fastest growing sports! We will provide instruction and technique to all wrestlers so that they can be successful on and off the mat and get prepared for high school wrestling! Wrestling is a sport that promotes hard work, sacrifice, determination, and integrity. The Hickory Creek wrestling team is a no-cut sport that is available to all students in 6th thru 8th grades. Registration is limited to the first 60 students. The IESA season runs from just after Thanksgiving thru late February / early March with the conclusion of the Individual State Tournament. Practices will run from Monday-Friday with some optional Saturdays when needed.
Come see what all the talk has been about wrestling! Talk to a wrestler from HCMS last year or the Freshman at LWE!
Registration Link: https://forms.office.com/r/i8wi4Uf02t
NEW this year. Our Spirit wear Store is open early because you have the ability of purchasing your own personal Singlet (wrestling uniform) if you wish to own your own. There is a quick turnaround for this in order to receive them by the first meet. First ordering ends Nov 3rd.
HCMS WRESTLING 2023 - Action Sports
We look forward to working with all the athletes and reaching new heights!Domnic Adamo - Head Coach
Vince Adamo - Asst Coach
Jack Johnson - Asst Coach
Intramural Soccer
- Intramural soccer concluded its Fall session on October 24th. Thank you to all students that came out to play soccer this session. We had a great turn out with 30 students playing every Tuesday and Wednesday. Ms. Ziemba and Mr. Mays appreciate everyone that came out for Soccer Intramurals. We enjoyed seeing the progress made each week and watching everyone play. We look forward to continuing this program for another session.
Intramural Fitness Room Club
- The Intramural Fitness Room Club is going well! There are approximately 15-20 students participating 3 days per week. Students have the option of completing a pre-made workout from a choice binder or they can workout at their discretion. Many students enjoy the use of the weight machines, cardio machines, and much more. It has been a great use of our fitness room, and it is a great way for students of all abilities to get involved!
Club Updates
Student Council
Student Council Spotlight: Meet Your New Officers!
This month we're shining a spotlight on the incredible achievements of our HCMS student council. First and foremost, we swore in our dedicated student council officers. Leading the way is Samuel Vondrak as our President, with Jenaan Tomalieh as our Vice President. Danielle Hampton takes charge as Secretary, and Brendan Cristoff keeps our finances in check as Treasurer.
Our School Relations Committee has been hard at work, recently creating vibrant posters for the "Pink Out Game" to support breast cancer awareness. But the spirit of giving back doesn't stop there, this committee is eagerly looking forward to helping out with Veterans Day activities, including a special breakfast for our honored veterans.
Lastly, student council members rolled up their sleeves and worked tirelessly during our student council hot lunch, ensuring a fun and successful event.
We're proud of our student council's dedication to making our school community a better place for all. Stay tuned for more exciting updates and initiatives from these fantastic leaders!
NJHS
At Hickory Creek we had an amazing start to our school year! This upcoming November has some fun events to look forward to. We have Veteran's Day followed by Fall break! Every year we have a great school assembly where many Veterans come and are acknowledged, but as well as having a big school fundraiser, Honor Flight. This is where all the students and teachers come together and raise money, while also having fun! NJHS officers made posters to raise awareness to all students for our Honor Flight fundraiser. NJHS students also sold popsicles during lunch on 2 Fridays where the proceeds go to Honor Flight Chicago.
On October 20th, we had a meeting where we discussed upcoming service hours. Then, the students created cards for Veterans.
Our next meeting will be Friday, November 10th.
POZ Squad
- Poz Squad had two very meaningful and exciting meetings in the month of October. Our first meeting centered around the idea that good deeds are not about monetary rewards or even recognition. When we do kind things for others, the emotions are our rewards. All parties walk away happy and hopefully a new positive friendship results! Our second meeting taught us how to let go of the negative things that tend to ruin our days. We created an interactive display to help all of our peers understand this very important lesson. Stay tuned for Poz-Squad gear announcements. November 1st Poz Squad will be taking a group photo for the yearbook after school. Our November meetings are on November 15th and 29th.
Best Buddies
- Best Buddies had our first meeting and we are thrilled to have over 60 members!! At our meeting, we were able to spend time getting to know each other and beginning to build friendships. Our next meeting is Monday, November 13th!
Dungeons and Dragons Game Club
If anyone is interested in learning about or participating in Dungeons and Dragons club, there will be an informational meeting next Friday, November 3rd right after-school until 2:45. This will take place in Nemeth's room. Please reach out to her through Teams if you have any questions!
Dungeons and Dragons will not begin until Tuesday, December 5th. We will meet every Tuesday from 2:30-3:30.
Maroon and Gold Club
- The Maroon and Gold Club is our student fan section at Home Athletic events. Students who want to stay and cheer on their Tiger classmates can stay after school an attend a study hall until the game begins. During the games, students will sit together in a fan section and cheer their peers on. We are selling “This is Our House” t-shirts at lunch and at games for $10. Students are encouraged to show their school spirit and wear their fan section t-shirts
Art Club
- Art Club is excited to be working on a collab with the school library. We are designing and hand painting bookends to help enhance and show off the library’s book collection. Once our book end project is complete, we will explore a variety of other media like clay, textiles and printmaking.
Spanish Club
- Spanish club is kicking off on November 9th with an engaging first meeting featuring fun ice breakers and a comprehensive introduction to what our club has to offer. Please note that we won't have another meeting until December 14th, where we'll be delving into the culinary delights of Cordoba, Spain by making traditional sopapillas.
Drama Club
- The HCMS Drama Club team will compete at the IESA Regional State Contest, Friday, November 3, 2023. This year’s state host is the Barak Obama School (Hazel Crest School District) The performances will be judged and rated on memorization, character development, articulation, blocking, and staging. Students also have the opportunity to earn an Illinois State Judge’s Choice Award, if selected as a “best performance” of the evening. The students put in a great deal of practice to prepare for the event.
Tiger T.V.
The purpose of the Tiger TV club is to teach students how to properly produce a news broadcast and record and edit videos. Skills taught include how to read a teleprompter, operate cameras, operate sound and lighting equipment, edit video and audio in WeVideo, and record live streams for HCMS events.
You can check out our weekly broadcast and live streams on our YouTube channel: (5) Tiger TV - YouTube
There will be monthly meetings where any club member will have opportunities to create and edit videos and features that may be featured on our YouTube channel or the broadcast. These meetings are called: Video Editing Challenges. Video Editing Challenges meet every Thirdt got mine Thursday of the Month.
Maroon and Gold Club
- The first ever Maroon and Gold Club is starting off very well! The students who attended and supported the girl's basketball teams last Thursday for the Pink Out game sure showed school spirit! This club is meant for students to promote their spirit for HC! We look forward to the club continuing to grow with the student body. Friendly reminder, if you want to stay after school on the days of Maroon and Gold Club there is a supervisor you can stay with until game time!
Music Department Updates
Band/Orchestra
- Come see members of the Band and Orchestra, as well as special guest Mayor Keith Ogle, as we honor our local-area veterans. Thursday, November 9, 6:00 p.m. at HCMS!
Chorus
- The HCMS Chorus members are almost ready for their first performance! Everyone is welcome to come to our Fall Choral Concert on Thursday, November 16 at 7:00 p.m.! We’re also looking forward to performing at the Frankfort Tree Lighting at Breidert’s Green in downtown Frankfort on Thursday, November 30 at 6:30 p.m. Bring your family and help usher in the holiday season!