HEMLOCK MIDDLE SCHOOL
Mar. 27th - Apr. 9th
Weekly Update from our Superintendent
This week is our 29th week for the 2020-2021 school year.
We have been very fortunate to provide face-to-face instruction throughout this school year with minimal disruption. All facets of our school community have worked together to make this possible for our students.
Friday, March 26th, will be an asynchronous remote learning day, and we will be on spring break with no face-to-face or remote learning on Monday, March 28th through Monday, April 5th, Tuesday, April 6th will be remote synchronous learning with students and staff returning to school for face-to-face instruction on Wednesday, April 7th. This is a strategy that we have used for past breaks when people may travel or gather in larger groups while away from school. Please remember to vigilant and follow all protocols and conduct health screeners when returning to school. Upon return from spring break, we will work to open our cafeterias to students gradually.
As I said last week, we know that some students need to catch up academically. With that in mind, we are developing a robust learning program offering for our students and families to help all children achieve at their personal best.
At this time, we do not have any new COVID-19 school-related cases to report; click here to review our COVID-19 Dashboard with data updates in real-time. This link brings pertinent information together into one easy-to-access place.
As mentioned previously, we will start to work on version 3.0 of the district's strategic plan this spring and will be seeking input from our stakeholders. Click here to view our current plan.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to let me know.
All the best,
Don
CONGRATULATIONS HMS POM TEAM!!!
We are super proud of our HMS Pompon team as they finished
2nd at the State Competition last weekend.
Click the link below to watch their performance.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Kae97lq101XVzTRldZV7eWKXzNARLD25/view?usp=drivesdk
GREAT JOB GIRLS!!!
Mrs. Kato's News
Have you ever tried coding before? You might be amazed if you were to ask your kids
today if they have ever coded before inside or outside of the classroom. Coding is for everyone, no matter their age or occupation. The best part about learning to code is
that you will also develop a wide range of soft skills needs to be successful in the world
we live in. Here are just a few communication, empathy, creativity, logic, problem-solving, enterprise, abstract thinking, project planning, attention to detail, and resilience.
Check out these sites where you and/or your children can learn to code.
MUSIC FOR ALL INITIATIVE #LET_THEM_ALL_PLAY
Hemlock Public School District is committed to providing students with a world-class educational experience and removing educational barriers. Music for all initiative is a project that has been designed to give EVERY student at Hemlock Public Schools the opportunity to participate in band at the beginner level. Now, more than ever, the importance of a school set of instruments is crucial. The economic downturn that has been caused by COVID-19 left a good deal of parents in a place where they couldn’t afford to rent or purchase an instrument. While some students were able to borrow school-owned instruments, some missed out because their parents did not want to take school handouts. With a full set of instruments, every 5th-grade student will be able to participate in our music program. Should they want to rent their instrument, they will still be offered that opportunity to do so. Funding will go to purchase 90 instruments through Conn-Selmer’s Instrument Stimulus Program, to be used for the 5th-grade beginning band rotations.
The total cost for the project will be $50,552.65. We have secured an internal grant that will match up to half of the total cost of any external funds that we raise, or up to $25,276.33. For us, this is more about friend-raising than fundraising, we want to connect with musicians and band supporters in our community, area, region, and beyond.
Funds will need to be raised by May 1, 2021, which is the expiration date of the matching internal grant. The instruments will be in the school’s hands shortly after and will be issued to students in the first three weeks of the 2021-2022 school year. The residual instruments will be going out to students for the last bit of the 2020-2021 school year who need a better instrument than what the school can currently provide. The first community impact will occur at the 2021 Holiday Concert, where the 5th grade will perform. The long-term impact on the community will be seen as the bands grow. In five years, those first students who were issued school instruments will be in the high school groups and will be eligible to participate in the community bands that will be established by then.
This project will be sustained in the future in three ways.
- The directors will keep a detailed inventory of the purchased instruments, and use a tech-based sign-out system to keep records of instrument assignment, as well as instrument condition upon sign-out and sign-in.
- The class set will be used for the 5th grade only, and remain in use for that grade for years to come; 6th graders will have access to the smaller amount of currently-owned school instruments if they can’t rent or purchase one by that time. They may also be moved onto the various instruments that they want to play, such as Tuba or Bass Clarinet, which are usually only available from the school, as they are typically cost-prohibitive to individual students.
- We are in the process of establishing an on-site repair center for school and student-owned horns, with the intention of building a curricular repair program for students. This class set of instruments will be maintained in-house as much as possible, providing great practice subjects for students to work with.
While the directors in charge of this project are new to the district, they have already gotten equipment donated for two smaller projects; the Hemlock Instrument Center and the future recording studio. Grants and fundraising have procured new tech for the music program as well; roughly $4,500 worth for a computer and software powerful enough to write music and marching drill on. This was all accomplished in roughly one semester.
The directors and students thank you for your consideration and hope that you will collaborate on this project. Our goal is to build a community music and theatre program in Hemlock that rivals that of much larger communities; something that is very possible with help from organizations like you.
Being Gracious During the Grind
Our school district has been around since before motorized transportation. Our current campus was designed in an era when most students arrived and departed via bus, but over the years, that has gradually changed. This school year we have had an increasing number of parents driving their children to school. As you can imagine this has placed additional stress on our roadways, parking lots, and perhaps you. We all seem to be busier these days, and waiting in the drop-off/pick-up line is the last place we want to spend our precious minutes. We at Hemlock Middle School have been reviewing how our parent drop-off/pick-up should function and working to address these student safety concerns.
Moving forward, we have determined that we need to:
1) Provide additional parking lot supervision, for a short time as we work to facilitate routines.
2) Add signage to help with traffic flow and procedures.
3) Have parent cooperation in allowing students to cross at the crossing areas. (Front of school by the main entrance)
4) Ensure that students utilize the crosswalk at the front of the school by the main entrance.
5) Help inform parents about who is able to assist them in parking lot procedures regarding student drop-off/pick-up at the Middle School.
If you should have additional ideas, I am all ears. My number is (989) 642-5253 and my email is chase@hemlockps.com.
If your student is interested in participating, they must be registered on FinalForms (add Boys Track or Girls Track for their sport) and have a NEW physical on file or last year's physical along with the complete MHSAA Health Questionnaire. (https://www.mhsaa.com/portals/0/Documents/health%20safety/healthquestionnaire.pdf)
If you have any questions regarding the above information, please feel free to contact our Athletic Secretary Jamie Galbraith at galbraith@hemlockps.com.
WHAT'S GOING ON AROUND TOWN ........
Rauchholz Memorial Library News
What is MAP? It's another great perk of having a library card in Michigan!! Visit www.michiganactivitypass.info to discover all the fun places that offer discounts and passes just because you have a library card. Tour the Jiffy mix company, visit Peppa Pig World of Play, Sea Life Aquarium, and much much more. #visityourlibrary #exploremichigan #librariesmatter #MyRML
FREE BREAKFAST AND LUNCH TO ALL STUDENTS FOR 2020-2021 SCHOOL YEAR
Holidays that occur in Spring include Easter, Passover, April Fool's Day, Earth Day, Arbor Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Cinco De Mayo and Holi (festival of colors in India).
Spring fever is a term applied to several sets of physical and psychological symptoms associated with the arrival of Spring.
Tornadoes are most common in Spring and least common in Winter.
Spring is often associated with rebirth, renewal and regrowth.
Keygon Gilbert, 3/27
Emma Jaremba, 3/28
Aidan Kulhanek, 3/30
Lauren Lagalo, 3/30
Mrs. Frost, 4/1
Mr. Stedry, 4/2
Kamryn Steckert, 4/2
Tanner Wesener, 4/2
Ryleigh Bain, 4/4
Allie Watson, 4/4
Mrs. Masters, 4/5
Tyler Dotson, 4/5
Steven Katzenberger, 4/5
Samuel Dunton, 4/6
Cash Jungnitsch, 4/6
Lexie Rump, 4/6
Brooke Williams, 4/8
Kaylee Burns, 4/9
Meika Haven, 4/9
WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT ..................
- Friday, 3/26: Virtual day for everyone!
- Friday, 3/26: End of 3rd Marking Period
- Monday, 3/29 - Monday, 4/5: Spring break!!!
- Tuesday, 4/6: Virtual day for everyone!
- Wednesday, 4/7: School resumes!
- Tuesday, 4/6: Track Practice Starts
- Tuesday, 4/20: Track - St. Louis Tri at 4 pm
- Tuesday, 4/27: Track - Hemlock Tri at 4 pm
HEMLOCK MIDDLE SCHOOL
Email: kienitz.kris@hemlockps.com
Website: hemlockps.com
Location: 525 North Maple Street, Hemlock, MI, USA
Phone: 989-642-5253