Panther Peridodical
HMS 3rd Nine Weeks Newsletter 2016-2017 School Year
Half-way there
Please read the District Policy Change Section after this section.
The HMS Clean-Up efforts will continue this semester as we work to complete some of the things we did not have time to finish 1st Semester. Please take note of any announcements on the school's Facebook page, the HMS Clean-Up Facebook page and the weekly SchoolMessenger broadcast so that you can help us make Hueytown Middle School a better place for all of our students.
As many of you know, SchoolCast was replaced by SchoolMessenger this past summer. This new program does not give direct access to parents as a way to update contact information like SchoolCast did. Additionally, we have learned that some parent contact information is not transferring over from Chalkable to SchoolMessenger and in some cases, no contacts at all have been transferred. We are correcting these as fast as we are able and we ask for your patience. Please check our Facebook page regularly as we are attempting to post updates there on a regular basis. Not all updates posted on the Facebook page will be posted through SchoolMessenger in an effort to keep the weekly message a manageable size.
We know that money is important to everyone so in an effort to be more frugal with the funds entrusted to us, we are going green this year. All report cards and progress reports will be posed to the Home Portal in Chalkable and not sent via snail-mail. The only report card that will be mailed will be the end of the year report card. We estimate that we will be able to put almost $4,000 back into supporting our classrooms by not using snail mail to send home report cards and progress reports. Mrs. Amanda in the front office can help with log-in information for the Home Portal in Chalkable if you have lost yours. Hard copies of progress reports and report cards can be obtained through the office.
Go Panthers!
District Policy Change for Check-outs
Due to a district-wide re-evaluation of student check-out policies, effective January 1, 2017, high school age students will no longer be able to check-out younger students even if a note from a parent is sent to the school. Please do not ask for exceptions as we will not be able to grant your request. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
School Attendance
Under the Alabama Plan 2020, schools are required to maintain a 95% rate of attendance for all students for the entire year. Once a student misses nine days, that student is at 95%. Because of the way the College and Career Readiness Standards rely on cooperative learning, it is very difficult to duplicate cooperative learning groups in make-up work. When scheduling appointments please be mindful of the attendance requirement.
Parents may write an excuse to cover seven (7) days for the year. After the seventh day, only doctor’s excuses may be accepted. Please keep this in mind when scheduling family trips because once those seven days are used they are gone for the year.
Please also keep in mind that students have three school days in which to bring in their excuse for an absence. After three days, the absences become unexcused and no make-up work will be given out. Work missed for unexcused absences will be recorded in the grade-book as zeros.
Check-ins and Check-outs must also have excuses. Work missed because of an unexcused check-in or check-out is not eligible for make-up and will be recorded as zeros. Just like normal absences, parents have three days in which to turn their excuses for check-ins or check-outs. After three days, they become unexcused and cannot be changed.
Grading Parameters
For the 2016-2017 school year, middle school grading will remain as last year with the following parameters:
- 75% Assessments
- 25% Classwork/Homework
We do not administer nine weeks assessments. At the end of the 1st and 2nd Semesters, we will administer semester diagnostics on a modified schedule. The full schedule for 2nd Semester Diagnostics will be posted in May.
These diagnostics will be teacher created and cover the content covered for that semester. The diagnostics will count as a 100 point assessment in the 75% assessment category for the 4th Nine Weeks.
Pride of the Panthers/Panther Passes
For the 2016-2017 year, we are continuing our efforts to improve student attendance and encourage students to do the right thing. Students who are caught doing the right thing can receive “Panther Passes.” We also give Panther Passes on random days to students who are present and on time to 1st period so do not forget that school starts at 7:55 AM. Other examples of ways students can earn a Panther Pass include (but are not limited to): going out of the way to help another student, working diligently on an assignment while others are goofing off, etc...
Once earned, a Panther Pass can never be taken away.
Every two to three weeks, during morning gym time, students may have the opportunity to cash in their Panther Passes for various prizes.
Prizes range from 1 Panther Pass for a random prize drawing to 30 Panther Passes to exempt one semester diagnostic providing the student has a “C” average in the class. It is possible that a student could save up enough passes to exempt more than one diagnostic.
Additionally, any student who has an overall “A” average at the end of the semester, no unexcused absences, no unexcused tardies no unexcused check-ins, no unexcused check-outs and no discipline referrals will be eligible to exempt all semester diagnostics for that semester and will receive a free “T-Shirt.” Students who are eligible both semesters will be recognized at the end of the year awards ceremony and will receive a special prize.
Important Dates for the 3rd Nine Weeks
- Dec 21st - Jan 8th - School Closed for Mid-Year Holidays
- Jan 9th - Students return from Mid-Year Holidays.
- Jan 10th - Monthly Art Club Meeting after school in the Art Room
- Jan 12th - 1st Semester Report Cards posted to Chalkable-Home Portal
- Jan 12th - 13th - Spring Baseball Tryouts - Boys must sign-up with Coach Evans in the gym Jan 9th -11th.
- Jan 16th - MLK Holiday - School Closed
- Jan 17th - Monthly NJHS Meeting in Room 201
- Jan 19th - 2nd Nine Weeks Awards Day Ceremony
- Jan 23rd - Hueytown Area Schools Parent university Night II: Social Media in the Hueytown High School Auditorium (Tentative)
- Jan 27th - Final day to turn in registration packets for the Miss HMS Pageant
- Jan 30th - Pre-registration Meetings with Current HMS 6th Graders for 2017-2018 School Year
- Jan 30th - CARE Meeting at North Highland Elementary
- Jan 31st - Preregistration meetings with Current HMS 7th Graders for 2017-2018 School Year
- Jan 31st - NAEP Testing for selected 8th Grade students
- Jan 31st - Debate Competition at Samford University
- Feb 1st - Monthly FCCLA Meeting after school in the FACS classroom
- Feb 2nd - Mandatory Cheer Parent meeting for Cheerleader tryouts for the 2017-2018 Squad
- Feb 7th - Monthly FBLA Meeting after school in the Bus Tech Lab
- Feb 13th - Monthly NJHS Meeting in Room 201 After school
- Feb 14th - Monthly Art Club Meeting in Art Room after school
- Feb 17th - Progress Reports posted to Chalkable-Home Portal
- Feb 18th - Miss HMS Pageant in HHS Auditorium
- Feb 20th - President's Day Holiday - School Closed
- Feb 27th - Mar 3rd - Cheerleading Clinic and Tryouts
- Feb 28th - Debate Competition at Samford University
- Mar 1st - Monthly FCCLA Meeting after school in FACS classroom
- Mar 3rd - Career Day
- Mar 7th - Monthly FBLA Meeting in Bus Tech Lab after school
- Mar 10th - End of Third Nine Weeks
- Mar 15th - Report Cards Posted to Chalkable-Home Portal
- Mar 21st - 3rd Nine Weeks Awards Day Ceremony
These dates are current as of 12/21/2016. Additional dates and activities will be added over time. Please check the Facebook page on a regular basis.