Another week in the books and I'm amazed at the progress our students are making. Hopefully all the 6th-grade students are now figuring out middle school life AND realizing that it's not as difficult as they thought it would be. For all our students - it's always a good time to be reminded that our counseling team is here to support them as they navigate a time in life that may come with complications.

• Lisa Edwards - 6th Grade Counselor
• Whitney Davis - 7th Grade Counselor
• Kim Treece - 8th Grade Counselor

As you can imagine, it's been an EXTREMELY busy week here at Heartland. We've had lots of great success and certainly identified areas for potential growth. That's the best part of a new school year - watching it all come together!

I want to take a few moments in this edition to talk about our desperate need for Classroom Assistants at Heartland. We currently need 5. That's a lot of need when you learn that each CA positively impacts multitudes of students each day. The CA role is crucial to our operation and the education of some of our learners who need very specific support. If you know someone who is in need of a M-F job and would like the opportunity to gain experience working with kids - this is the perfect job. It's also a great way for individuals who may be considering a career in education to gain real-world hands-on experience in classrooms. As a matter of fact, starting as a CA is a great way to begin the journey to alternative certification in teaching. Please see the information below and contact the school should you be interested in learning more about a CA position.

WE ARE...HEARTLAND!

Respectfully,

Veronica Johnson

Principal, Heartland Middle School

405-340-2972

HMS Sk8 Club’s hope is to create an avenue, an after school skateboarding club, that helps serve our population in an alternative way. Similar to other clubs, such as drama club, art club, and chess club, the skateboard club will provide a “home” for our students as well as provide other opportunities such as tutoring, mentorship, leadership and community service.

What: HMS Sk8 Club

When: 4:30pm-6:00pm every other Wednesday starting in September and ending in May

Where: TBD - Mathis Skateboard park and The Daily Shredd Indoor Skateboard Park

Who: Heartland MS girls & boys in grades 6-7-8

Who part 2: Skateboarders, roller bladers, and quad riders.

Who part 3: No experience necessary

Cost: **Free (Mathis Skatepark is free year round. **The Daily Shredd charges $10 per visit for HMS skaters). Skaters are financially responsible for paying for The Daily Shredd. HMS will not pay for students to skate at the skate parks.

CLICK HERE for more information!

• Eligibility is run mid-week. For example - we run eligibility on Thursday morning based on grades posted on Wednesday evening. If a student is listed as "ineligible" - that means they can not participate in any OSSAA games scheduled for the next calendar week of Sunday - Sunday. By OSSAA rules - students can still practice during that time. However, individual coaches may have other team rules regarding practice.
• Probation vs. Ineligible. The first week a student has a grade that qualifies them for the eligibility report - they are listed as "on Probation"... At that point in time - they can still participate and play in games. (Again - team rules may be more strict) If the student raises the grade by the next eligibility report run - their name comes off the list and they are good to go. If there is still a grade in question - the student becomes ineligible.
• If a student is listed as ineligible - AND - raises their grade (yay!!) the next time there is a grade in question -- they move back to the probation category. Therefore, there is always a week of grace after a student has worked to get their name off of the list.

Please feel free to contact Heartland Athletic Director Laura Brown with questions as I know it can be confusing.