HMS Connection

A Message from Mr. Smith

Hello HMS Community!

I hope our students, families, and teachers are getting back into the swing of things now that our first week is "in the books"! Making the adjustment from a more relaxed summer schedule to the more structured school days can be a challenge, but establishing good habits and routines right from the start will pay off in the long run. A consistent bedtime, a place to keep school materials, and getting up at the same time each day will all contribute to a child's overall success both at middle school and beyond.

While it's very typical for an adolescent to experience some "bumps" as they return to school, please let us know if you're noticing anything that seems out of the ordinary for your child. We want to be able to provide the supports they need in order for them to thrive while they are with us.

Picking Up Early?

Please be sure to send a note in with your child if you will be dismissing early. When students provide notes they are given a dismissal pass in the LMC first thing in the morning. This will allow them to come right down to the office at the appropriate time. If they do not have a pass we need to call to interrupt the class and you end up waiting longer. Thank you for your cooperation - this will help our office run smoothly.

Forms, Forms, Forms!

"Back to school" means homework for everyone, not just the students! We ask that if you have not yet done so, please complete the health form, which was previously sent home.

In addition, Hingham Middle School works closely with a number of local organizations which provide support to our school and our students. If you do not wish for us to share your contact information with these groups, or if you do not want your child used in any photographs or videos which might be shared, please click this link and complete the Opt Out forms.

Grade Six student and parents must complete the Chromebook Usage Agreement, which can be found here.

Finally, we ask that you and your middle schooler read and review both the Bus Safety Rules and the Food Allergy notification attached to this news letter.

Thank you!

Late Buses

HMS is happy to share that we will begin our late bus service on Monday, September 12. Late buses typically leave the middle school around 3:15, and follow routes that differ from those that run at 2:00. Please review the attached list and be sure students know which bus they should plan to take when staying after.

Late buses run Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. There are no late buses on Wednesdays.

Please note that late buses are for students who remain after school for school related activities, such as extra help with a teacher, a school sponsored club or activity, intramural sports, etc. All other student should exit the building promptly at 2:00 PM.

Daily Notices

Wondering what's going on at HMS each day? You can check out out Daily Notices by clicking here.

Academic Teams

If you have a student in grade six or seven, by now you have probably heard them refer to themselves as a "Greek", a "Barracuda", or maybe even a "Viking". Here at HMS, students are assigned to one of three academic teams in these grades. The teams are . . .

• Grade Six - School Counselor: Ms. Sherman, Adjustment Counselor: Ms. Roy
• The Vikings
• Mrs. Way (math), Mr. Johnson (science), Mrs. Farris (ELA), Ms. Orcutt (World Geography and Cultures I), and Ms. Hayes (special education)
• The Greeks
• Ms. Duncan (math), Mr. Weiss (science), Mr. Freedman (ELA), Mrs. McDonough (World Geography and Cultures I), and Mrs. Murray (special education)
• The Romans
• Mrs. Curran (math), Mr. Ferguson (science), Mrs. Stedman (ELA), Mrs. Gustafson (World Geography and Cultures I), Mrs. Weggeman (special education)
• Grade Seven School Counselor: Mrs. McGrath, Adjustment Counselor: Mrs. Lalli
• The Barracudas
• Mrs. Giordani (math), Mrs. Smith (science), Mrs. Foster (English), Ms. Corriveau (World Geography and Cultures II), and Ms. Whelan (special education)
• The Great White Sharks
• Ms. Baxter (math), Ms. Murphy (science), Mr. Sullivan (English), Mrs. McDougall (World Geography and Cultures II), and Mr. Jenkins (special education)
• The Pirates
• Mrs. Amonte (math), Mrs. Duncan (science), Ms. Cassidy (English), Mr. Florence (World Geography and Cultures II), and Mrs. Keary (special education)

Hello HMS Parents,

The HMS PTO welcomes you to a new school year! Our goal is to enrich the educational environment at school and to create a closer connection between school at home. To succeed, we rely on our parents and caregivers— the most important part of the PTO! Throughout the year we will be looking for volunteers and donations for events. Right now, we are asking that each family submit their annual due of $45. These dues go toward valuable initiatives including Teacher Appreciation, Teacher Mini Grants, Cultural Enrichment and Parent Education. Payment of dues also gives you access to our online directory.

Dues are $45/family and can be paid via Venmo (@HMSPTO-1103) or by check made out to HMS PTO and delivered to the Main Office.

We look forward to meeting all of you and wish all of your children a happy and successful school year.

School Council

We have an open position for a parent representative on the HMS School Council.

There are two School Council Representatives at HMS, each with a two-year term. The School

Council is responsible for developing an annual school improvement plan. Meetings are held

monthly with HMS administration, our two parent representatives, a teacher representative, a

community representative and our school committee liaison. Currently, we have one opening

for school council representative to serve alongside Laura Accettella, who is starting the second

year of her term.

If you are interested in this position, please send an email to HMSPTOnews@gmail.com by

Friday, September 16th. Please include a short description of what experience you will bring to

the role.

A vote will be distributed the following week via Google Forms and every HMS Parent will have

the opportunity to vote for the candidate they feel will best represent them for the 2022-2024

school years.

Please contact Karen Daly at dalykare@gmail.com with any questions.

Thank you,

Karen Daly (Co-President - HMS PTO)

Brian Sweeney (Co-President - HMS PTO)

Bus Safety Drills

On Tuesday, September 13, all students will participate in a bus safety drill just prior to dismissal. Students will review safety procedures and practice a bus evacuation. Walkers and students who are picked up will be assigned to a bus in order to take part. Students should dress appropriately for this exercise. We expect to dismiss students at their usual time once the drill has been completed.

Open House

The HMS Open House is planned for the evening of Thursday, September 29. More details regarding times and programs will follow, but please save the date.

Picture Re-Takes

Students who missed picture day or would like to have them retaken can do so on October 18 from 2:00 to 4:00 in the cafeteria.

Student Social Events

Each year our amazing PTO plans and organizes a number of after-school events for our students. We have several planned for the coming weeks. All require tickets in advance and are open to HMS students only. Please watch for more information on the following . . .

• October 14, 2:00 PM - Grade Six Fall Fest
• October 14, 7:00 PM - Grade Eight Campfire (at PRS back field)
• October 28, 7:00 PM - Grade Seven Halloween Social

We hope to see many of our students there!

Chromebooks

Please be reminded that Chromebook insurance protection plans are now available for HMS issued Chromebook devices. This insurance plan, through Securranty.com, is not required but highly recommended, and is only available to HMS students.

Enrollment is now open and includes . . .

• 1 year full protection for $27 per device
• Unlimited claims
• All claims processed and handled by HMS Technology Coordinator.

• Enrollment is open to all HMS students, including those in grades seven and eight.

Any non-warranty repairs are the responsibility of the students (for example, cracked screens, liquid spills, physical damage to any part of the device) unless a protection plan has been purchased. The current cost to replace the LCD screen is $32.95 and a complete Chromebook replacement costs $242 (this includes the cost of the Google license).

Please note, students should not put stickers or otherwise "customize" their Chromebooks, as they are the property of the HPS. They should be treated similar to a textbook. We will not be providing cases this year.

Please see the attached flyer for more details about the plan and a link to purchase.

Any questions can be directed to the Technology Director, Caryn Condon (ccondon@hinghamschools.org)

Hingham CARES Events

The Hingham CARES organization is sponsoring the following events:

TUE, 9/27 @ 7PM

Hingham Middle School auditorium

TEENS AND MARIJUANA

Keynote speech by Laura Stack on the risks of today's marijuana on the developing teen brain.

Laura will be signing her book after her speech.

Hingham CARES and Duxbury FACTS are co-sponsors of this FREE event.

Seats can be reserved here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-risks-of-todays-marijuana-with-laura-stack-tickets-407517093597

WED, 9/28 @ 11AM

Hingham Town Hall

RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH MODERN DAY MARIJUANA

Panel discussion on various aspects of modern marijuana

Panelists include: Laura Stack, DA Tim Cruz, Dr. Todd Kerensky of South Shore Health and Jack Richman who is a Drug Recognition Expert with the Hingham Police Department