Hopkins Middle School Newsletter
September 17, 2020
From Mr. Stockwell
Students and Parents,
We have received a number of concerns this week about our hybrid model, and specifically the effectiveness of our distance learning plan. Thank you for your feedback. It does help us make necessary adjustments to improve. I would like to share one adjustment we have made and offer some suggestions and insight.
First, the adjustment. Each grade-level team has decided to put their late-work penalty on hold for the time being. We understand that many home situations are different and we believe full credit should be given to the student once the assignment is turned in. Please understand that students will still be marked “M” or “0” for a missing assignment until it is turned in. This will lower the student’s grade until it is turned in. This will be done so that students know exactly what their grade will be if they never turn in the work. It will also help students and families know exactly what still needs to be done.
I do have some suggestions to help make distance learning better: First, make sure your student has a quiet place to do their work. Students should have a routine at home. I recommend writing out an hourly schedule. For example, 8:00-9:00 AM could be set aside for whatever class your student has the first hour. The expectation would be that the student first checks their Google Classroom for that class. They are looking for new announcements, lessons, and assignments. If they finish before 9:00, they should take a minute to jot down any questions they have and email their teacher. This should be done before moving on to the next class.
This brings me to the next suggestion: Please reach out to your classroom teachers if you have questions. These questions could be procedural or content-driven. If your student says they turned something in, but it is shown as missing, have them reach out! (On a side note, many students are still not “attaching” their assignment when they click “turn-in” in Google Classroom). Our teachers understand this year has been completely different and students are still figuring out the most effective routines to put in place.
I’d like to end with a little insight. The past month, I’ve seen a pattern develop. That pattern usually starts with a period of heightened anxiety and stress about the unknown or change, a period of troubleshooting and innovation, and finally, acceptance and determination to “make it work”. This final phase usually comes with a reduction in the initial anxiety and stress. So far, this pattern has made its way through the administrative team (myself included) and teaching staff. It seems to me that this week it has made its way to students and families. I’d like to encourage you by saying that it will get easier! Once the right routine is in place, and the communication lines have been established, the anxiety and stress over this distance learning will subside.
Thank you for all the extra time and effort you are putting into this school year. As always, please reach out to me with any questions or suggestions you may have.
Sincerely,
Scott Stockwell
HMS Principal
NWEA
Dear Parent,
During the week of September 21, 2020, your child will take a MAP® Growth™ test from NWEA® on a computer or tablet. MAP Growth scores help teachers check student performance by measuring achievement and growth. Teachers use results to tailor classroom lessons and set goals for students.
MAP Growth tests are unique, and it adapts to your child’s responses to measure your child skill level. If your child answers a question correctly, the next question is more challenging. If they answer incorrectly, the next one is easier. These results will provide a more complete picture of what your child knows and is ready to learn—whether it is on, above, or below their grade level.
Since MAP Growth tests provide immediate and accurate information about your child’s learning, it’s easy for teachers to identify students with similar scores that are generally ready for instruction in similar skills and topics and then plan instruction accordingly.
MAP Growth reports also provide typical growth data for students who are in the same grade, subject and have the same starting performance level. Each school year, students in grades 6, 7, and 8 take the tests in September, January, and April. Following each testing period, you will receive a Family Report showing a summary of how your child is performing academically.
We are truly excited to focus on your child’s individual growth and achievement. For more information about MAP Growth, visit NWEA.org/familytoolkit.
Sincerely,
Scott Stockwell
HMS Principal
From Mrs. Tamara Johnston, School Counselor
Feeling anxious? We all do sometimes. It is normal and anxiety can actually be helpful in some situations. Here is a 2-minute video of what anxiety is and why your body responds with anxiety to certain thoughts and situations. Once you know more about anxiety you can control it and regain your calm.
Students that want to talk are welcome to come down to our office anytime. Mr. Crook is at school everyday and Ms. Johnston is there on Mondays and Fridays. Students can also email us or call us on their online learning days. (269) 793-7407
If you are in crises TEXT "HOME" TO 741741
Free Breakfast and Lunch until December for Every Student
ATTENTION!!
All students are now eligible to receive FREE breakfast and lunch, five days a week from now through December, regardless of income.
Breakfast
Students who would like to eat breakfast at school on their in-person days should go to the cafeteria after dropping off gym bags and band instruments. They will remain in the cafeteria until they are finished and then report to class. They will NOT be marked Tardy if they arrive to class after the tardy bell has rung.
Take-Home Meals
Take-Home Meals can be picked up after school in the cafeteria by your student. If you would like to order meals for the days your students are at-home learning, please complete the form below. Each student will need to complete their own form. DEADLINE TO ORDER is Friday, September 18. Meal request information is available at www.hpsvikings.org.
DEADLINE TO ORDER Take-Home Meals is Friday, September 18
Please click on the link to place your order today!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSePgfXWiiMs08f6mAU_toIxho1XPm3OC6zf5_tTAyVOFS_NWA/viewform
Hand2Hand
Dear Parent/Guardian:
We would like to offer your student the opportunity to participate in a program at Hopkins Middle School called “Hand2Hand”. This program helps provide a student with food for the weekends and is intended for families who currently may be experiencing a financial burden. The first backpack is set to be delivered on September 24.
Here’s how Hand2Hand will work: At the end of the week students who are signed up for the program will receive a minimum of 10 food items in a black school logo drawstring bag that will be provided at the first week of participation. These food items will be a combination of breakfast, snacks, lunch and/or dinner items. While the food items are meant for the student, they can be shared among the family as well. (Please note: if your student or another family member has food allergies it will be the responsibility of the parent/guardian to check the contents of the backpack each week to ensure the food doesn’t contain ingredients which could cause an allergic reaction).
To learn more about Hand2Hand, please visit their website: http://h2hkids.org.
If you feel your student would benefit from this opportunity, please complete the response form at the bottom of this letter and return it to your student’s teacher and we will make sure that your student’s name is then added to the list. Your response will be kept confidential.
Sincerely,
Scott Stockwell
Hopkins Middle School
News From the Sixth Grade.....
The Sixth-grade team has been enjoying getting to know our students so far as we finish up week four of school already. We hope you are finding that things are going fairly smoothly for your child in this new Hybrid model of school. We've compiled a list of information that we want to make you aware of, so please read through it carefully. If you have a question or concern, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us. Keeping the lines of communication open is very important.
1. Next week we will be administering the NWEA test. Your child will be taking it on both of the days they attend school. Attached is the exact schedule we will be following all next week.
2. If your child doesn't already have earbuds or headphones to bring to school with them, we would appreciate it if you could get him/her a pair in the very near future.
3. Our team will not be counting work as late if it is not turned in on time. If an assignment has not been turned in by the time a grade needs to be entered into Powerschool, you will see a zero entered. Students have the opportunity to change the zero to a grade as soon as they turn in the missing assignment. No penalty will be given.
4. Finally, your child's first-hour teacher should have invited you to their Google Classroom at this point. You have the option of receiving a weekly summary or a daily summary. If you know that your child tends to not always get his/her work done in a timely manner, we suggest opting for the daily summary. Otherwise, with the weekly summary, you will not be made aware of, missing work until Friday of a given week. Missing work can have piled up by then. Mr. Stockwell posted a video about Google Classroom for parents a couple of weeks ago in the newsletter. The link is being posted again. The last two minutes of the video talks about the types of summaries you can receive.
Thanks, and have a wonderful weekend!
Pat Weick
Kathleen Aleman
TJ Rynsburger
Molly Klumpp
Joe Barry
Hopkins Boys Basketball Shooting Club
Hopkins Boys Basketball Shooting Club: How it Works
Let the coaching staff know your intentions to join by signing up on the following Google Doc.:
If you have trouble viewing or editing the Google Doc., feel free to email Coach Jewett at coachjakejewett@gmail.com, and he will put your information in.
Players will start shooting and keep track of the number of shots they MAKE. Shooting distance (i.e. three-point shot or two-point shot) is not a factor. A parent, guardian, or coach must validate each entry with initials (IN). This club is on the honor system, so please don’t cheat the rules.
Please indicate your progress by keeping up with filling out the Shooting Club Log Sheet below. Players will be recognized for their achievements at halftime of one of the home boys varsity basketball games during the 2020-2021 season.
Status will be determined based on the total shots made from mid-September 2020 through January 31, 2021. Sheets must be turned in or emailed to Coach Jewett no later than Friday, February 5, 2021. Again, this is an honor system, and players are encouraged to accurately chart their shots. It is highly recommended that a parent, guardian, or coach is present to legitimize shots taken.
Awards will be presented at halftime of one of the home boys varsity basketball games during the 2020-2021 season.
Dress Code
Good Afternoon,
We are posting a reminder about our Dress Code. Please share the Dress Code Expectations with your student.
1. Dress should be neat, clean, comfortable and in good taste. Shoes will be worn at all times. 2. The wearing of hats and head coverings is prohibited in school. Exceptions may include Spirit Days.
3. If poor personal hygiene becomes disruptive to the educational environment, parents will be contacted and appropriate steps to resolve the issue will be taken.
4. Non-prescription sunglasses will not be worn in the school building.
5. Shirts need to be appropriate: Tops that expose the midriff, cleavage, back, or bare sides (such as muscle shirts, tank tops, or cut-off t-shirts) are considered inappropriate. Sleeveless shirts must be a minimum of a hand’s width wide on the shoulder. Strapless tops are not allowed.
6. Skirt/Skort/Shorts length must come to a minimum of the student’s fingertips when arms are naturally at the side.
7. Clothing must not be too tight, too short, too sheer, or too revealing whether standing or seated, this includes tights and leggings, that may be deemed inappropriate by an administrator. If you choose to wear these items where the outline of private body parts are noticeable, a long top must cover all a student’s privy parts fully.
8. Clothing that allows undergarments to be seen are not allowed. This includes pants with holes and “sagging” pants.
9. Any article of clothing that graphically depicts anything in poor taste (i.e. tobacco/alcohol products or advertisements, profanity, etc.) will not be allowed. 5
10. Coats and backpacks shall remain in a student’s locker. ***We have instituted an exception to rule 10 until Covid 19 Restrictions are lifted and locker are assigned.
NOTE: Interpretation of the Dress Code is left to the discretion of school staff members. Any form of extreme or conspicuous dress that disrupts the educational process will be subject to corrective action and/or disciplinary action see page 10 for consequences. Students in violation of the dress code will not be permitted to attend regular classes until properly dressed.
Picture Retakes
Please call the office at 269-793-7407
Google Classroom tips for students (and parents)
Athletic Department Statement on Guest/Spectator Requirements and Expectations
With the Governor's Executive Order 2020-176 we were given the go-ahead to provide and compete in HS and MS organized sports. This EO came with guest/spectator limitations for each event. We are allowed to have 2 people as guests/spectators per participant at each event. A participant is categorized as players, coaches, and game workers. These are the only people who are allowed to enter the facility for any event. Participants inform the athletic department of their guests/spectators and a pass list is generated for the people allowed to attend the event.
For away events, we are required to send our pass list to other schools, and only the people on the list will be the ones allowed into away contests.
THESE ARE THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO WILL BE ALLOWED TO ENTER ANY ATHLETIC EVENT.
Masks:
Masks are to be worn by all participants during any events that Hopkins Public Schools participates in. All players, coaches, game workers, and guests/spectators are required to wear a mask for the duration of the athletic contest, even if social distancing can be achieved. The host school has the authority to stop any game/match until all in attendance are wearing a mask. This mandate was also part of the EO 2020-176.
Facilities:
It is Hopkins Public Schools' expectation that no spectators are standing around the outside of our facilities watching our events. Hopkins Public Schools can not be certain people are following mandates set forth by the Governor, therefore the safest approach is to not allow anyone standing around the outside of our facilities. If you are seen doing so you will be asked to leave.
Live Streaming Events:
Our technology department informed us today that our live stream camera for our football/track facility will not be able to be used for this week's football games as it needs to be calibrated before use. They informed us that the calibration is scheduled for next week. So for our 2 football games this week we will be streaming the game live via our athletic department Facebook page. There will be no cost to watch these videos via the Hopkins Athletic Department Facebook page. We anticipate this being the only week we will have to live stream via the Facebook page. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Moving forward after this week we plan to live stream all events at our Football/Track Stadium and our HS gymnasium with our Pixellot camera system. If you go to www.nfhsnetwork.com you can sign up for a subscription to watch all of our games at these two locations for a minimal cost. Many of these events will also be recorded and can be watched on-demand through this network.
Our plan to live stream soccer games at our soccer facility will all be done via our Athletic Department Facebook page, on a Facebook live feed. Currently, we are looking for people to record these events.
Away Games: If another school also has a Pixellot system, you can watch away games through the NFHS network website as well. Other away games we could also use Facebook Live to steam those events, but we may need volunteers to help us with the recordings.
Hopkins Middle School
Email: stepcaul@hpsvikings.org
Website: hpsvikings.org
Location: 215 Clark Street, Hopkins, MI, USA
Phone: (269) 793-7407
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HopkinsMiddleSchool/
Twitter: @hpsmiddleschool
Office Business
ATTENDANCE
Please call the Middle School office at (269) 793-7407 within 24 hours of your students' absence. You may leave a message on our voicemail system day or night. When reporting illness, please inform the secretary of the type of symptoms your child is experiencing (fever, sore throat, ect.). If your child is absent 2 days or more, you may request homework. If your student is absent only 1 day, homework may be picked up from their teachers the following day. You may also email absences to jennhitc@hpsvikings.org.
PHONE CALLS
Telephones in the office are to be used for illness and emergencies only.
IMMUNIZATIONS
Please report all immunizations that your child has had so we are able to keep our school records up to date. All new students and all 6th graders must be completely up to date on all immunizations. Contact the HMS office if you have any questions.
MEDICATION
ALL medications needing to be dispensed to students must be supplied from home. The school does not provide any type of medication. All prescription medication must be provided in a pharmacy labeled bottle. Tylenol/Aspirin must be brought to the office in an unopened bottle. All students requiring any type of medication must have a medication form completed by their parents and on file in the office.
CHANGES in Phone Numbers, Home Address & E-Mail
Please inform the office any time there are changes in your address or phone numbers. We need to have this information so we can update our records and successfully contact you if needed.
The Hopkins Public School District Board of Education complies with all federal and state laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, age, sex, marital status, height, weight, or disability in its programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies: Mr. Gary Wood Superintendent of Schools, Hopkins Public Schools, 400 Clark Street, Hopkins, MI 49328 Phone 269-793-7261.
Hopkins Middle School Contact Information
ADMINISTRATION: E-mail Address
Scott Stockwell, Principal scotstoc@hpsvikings.org
Pat O’Dell, Dean of Students patrodel@hpsvikings.org
Todd Crook, Counselor toddcroo@hpsvikings.org
Tamara Johnston, Counselor tamajohn@hpsvikings.org
Jennifer Hitchcock, Secretary jennhitc@hpsvikings.org
Jennifer Johnston, Social Worker jennjohn@hpsvikings.org
Stephanie Caulder SRC Coordinator stepcaul@hpsvikings.org
STAFF:
Aleman, Kathleen kathalem@hpsvikings.org
Barry, Joseph josebarr@hpsvikings.org
Bisbee, Kailee kailbisb@hpsvikings.org
Byville, Suzanne suzabyvi@hpsvikings.org
Dana, Katie kathdana@hpsvikings.org
Dykstra, Krystal krysdyks@hpsvikings.org
Fisher, Mark markfish@hpsvikings.org
Haverdink, Melissa melihave@hpsvikings.org
Hazen, Rick rickhaze@hpsvikings.org
Irwin, Julie juliirwi@hpsvikings.org
Kerber, Brian briakerb@hpsvikings.org
Klumpp, Molly mollklum@hpsvikings.org
Kok, Wendy wendkok@hpsvikings.org
Oaster, Jacob jacooast@hpsvikings.org
Osborne, Craig craiosbo@hpsvikings.org
Reszka, Richard richresz@hpsvikings.org
Rynsburger, T.J. tjryns@hpsvikings.org
Schoonveld, Missy missscho@hpsvikings.org
Scudder, Mack mackscud@hpsvikings.org
Smith, Julie julismit@hpsvikings.org
Tomaszewski, Katelyn katetoma@hpsvikings.org
VerMerris, Steve stevverm@hpsvikings.org
Weibel, Alexis alexweib@hpsvikings.org
Weick, Pat patweic@hpsvikings.org
Williams, Jessica jesswill@hpsvikings.org