Wonderful Falcon Families,

“The one who falls and gets up is stronger than the one who never tried. Do not fear failure but rather fear not trying.” ~Roy T. Bennett

This weekend, I had the opportunity to see two amazing sports team who exemplify the phrase, "Never Give Up." I remember seeing the 7th grade girls volleyball team during their first game ever, and they were so nervous. None of them had ever played volleyball before. Many of them struggled to get the ball over the net on their serves. On Saturday, I watched them in a playoff match against Southwest Middle and I was in awe of their growth as volleyball players, individually and as a team. I also watched as they encouraged each other during the match. I was so proud of them. Then, I went to watch the second game in which our first-ever field hockey team was playing that day. These girls tried out for the team because we had a coach come during PE one Friday to show them how to play field hockey, which compelled them to sign up to play this sport. Not only were these girls fearless for trying out a sport they did not know but they will be forever remembered as the first field hockey team for Hilltop Middle School. I saw them persevere in the game and beat Bonita Vista Middle with a score of 2-1. Now they will play against Eastlake Middle School in their first playoff match ever. If they win, they will play in the championship game in their first season. These Lady Falcons from the 7th grade volleyball team and the field hockey team showed that they were not afraid to try something new, which meant they were not afraid of failing. They knew that these experiences are the foundation on building strong characters. make them strong. We have 24 days left of the school year, approximately the same number of days that these amazing girls have played in their new sports. They have won some games and they have lost some; yet, they never gave up. My encouragement to you Falcons is to remain persistent and never give up; EVER. You might still fail but it is not the end of your journey. The best case scenario is that you pass all your classes at the end of this semester. So do not give up. Do not be afraid to fail. You will only fail if you do not try and not give it your all.

Teacher Appreciation Week is May 1 - 5, 2023

Falcon families, we want to show appreciation to our teachers during this month. Please see the section below on what we would like for you and your children to do to show appreciation to our teachers this week!

Notice of Failing Classes for Semester 2

• Students with Fs in this progress report: this progress report serves as your final notice that you will be failing the class UNLESS you improve your grades before the end of the semester.
• Students with Ds in this progress report: you will receive an official notification of potential failure of the class from each teacher in whose class you have received a D.

Falcon Scolars and Saturday Academy Available This Week

Students, if you received poor grades (Ds and Fs) this past progress report, attend Falcon Scholars and Saturday Academy as much as possible to raise your grades up. Eighth graders, you have 20 days left before promotion. Seventh graders, you have 24 days before the end of the school year. Let's finish strong!

Important Dates for 8th Graders

Eighth graders, please read the section on Mark These Dates on Your Calendar so that you are aware and are ready for each event as they approach.

Eighth Grade Promotion Information

Families, this is a reminder that HTM's Eighth Grade Promotion will be held on May 31, 2023 at 6:00pm at Hilltop High Schools. Students will be expected to arrive one hour prior to the start of the ceremony to ensure that line up is ready for the procession. Guidelines for dress and behavior expectations will be coming shortly. At this time, no changes have been made to the requirement for participate. All 8th grades MUST pass all six (6) classes in order to promote. Additionally, each 8th grader will be given six (6) tickets for his/her guests on May 30, 2023. All attendees must show one of these tickets including all children in the family; the only exception is a child less than 1 year old. If you have questions about getting more tickets, please email Ms. Cruz at amy.cruz@sweetwaterschools.org.

Summer Bridge Program for Incoming 7th Graders

Families, if you have an incoming 7th grader, HTM will be offering Summer Bridge this summer for the very first time. It is a one-week program where students will be enrolled in two classes: 1) SEL/Study Skills Class and 2) Curriculum Camp. If you would like your incoming 7th grader to participate, please click HERE to enroll him. Our Summer Bridge Coordinate is Ms. Esparza. For questions, please email her at lilly.esparza@sweetwaterschools.org

Summer School for Current 7th Graders with Fs

7th Grade families, if your 7th grader has received an F in Science, World Cultures, Math and English, they will be signed up to attend summer school to recover up to 2 Fs. Please talk to your counselors regarding summer school. Summer School begins June 5 and ends June 23. 2023. Please see the Summer Programs Flyer below.

Math Acceleration Summer Program

Current 7th Graders, if you are currently receiving a C or higher in Integrated Math 7 and would like to take Integrated Math 1 (a high school class) in 8th grade, please check with your teacher to see if you qualify to attend. Please read Summer Program Flyer below.

Registration and Enrollment for 2023-2024 School Year

ALL students (current and incoming) MUST REGISTER for the following year. Please read the section on Registration Section below. All current 7th grade families, please complete this process for your 7th grader sooner than later. It helps us with master schedule building

Falcons, let's have a wonderful and safe week.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Finley

This is Teacher Appreciation Week! Let's give a lot of love and recognition to our teachers. Students, click HERE to access the teacher appreciation note that teachers love to get. We will also have them in the front office for you to access. Please give your notes to Ms. Puga in the main office, who will ensure that all your notes get to your teachers on Thursday.

Read the information below regarding promotion. Once again, many of you have been asking if there has been a change in promotion requirements. To date, the requirements for participating in promotion is that you have to pass all your classes this semester. If we receive new information, I will pass the information to you as soon as we get it. If you are have not taken the time to attend tutoring, this week is a great week to start.

Falcon Families,

It is that time again to register your children for the 2023-2023 school year. ALL students (current and incoming) MUST REGISTER for the following year. Online Registration (OLR) opens Monday, March 13, 2023.Below are all the links that are important for registration.

• Click HERE to access the registration page on our website.
• Click HERE to access Parent/Student Campus Portal to register.
• Click HERE to access the district transfer process.

Starting tomorrow, you can register your child for next year. Go to Campus Portal to register your child. If you have moved, you will need to complete the required documents.

New Students:

You should have received an email from the district with an activation key. If not, wait for it as you will need the activation key to open an account for the district. Click HERE to access all the required registration documents.

New Transfer Students

You will receive your email with the activation key from the district also. If you have not received it, please reach out to your home school and see if they have your email and/or activation key. Once you have that email, click HERE to create your district account. Then apply for an intra-district transfer in your Campus Portal Account. The transfer application is online and can be found in the tab that is titled "More." The open enrollment transfer window opens starting April 3, 2023 until May 5, 2023. Once your transfer has been approved, then you can start the registration process at HTM.

• Click on either English or Spanish version to access the Open Enrollment FAQs
• Click on either the English or Spanish version of the Open Enrollment Flowchart.
• Click either the English or Spanish version of the Open Enrollment Parent Letter.

For more information, please contact at school at 619.498.2700.