We had an AMAZING week both in the classroom and on the court/field. I want to take a moment to shout out our Heartland athletes! It takes a lot of responsibility and time management to be a middle school student athlete. They not only have to handle their business in the classroom by completing their work and staying eligible but they also spend hours upon hours after school at practices, games and meets. Additionally, we expect for our students athletes to be leaders amongst their peers and exhibit the true meaning of being a Heartland Thunderhawk! I am the biggest advocate of sports & extracurricular participation as they are symbolic of life. Life requires teamwork, discipline, resiliency, respect, compassion and character. These extracurriculars help to develop those skills. Our Fall athletic teams have shown great sportsmanship/dedication and have truly represented Heartland with pride! Way to go, Hawks!

Looking back, we had a really special week as we celebrated Pink Out, together, as a Heartland Community. I can't be more proud of our volleyball girls as they took ownership of the week and truly brought awareness to the cause. Our student body came together and showed their school pride as they participated in the dress up days, purchased items being sold and showed support to those leading the charge! I'm proud to say that our volleyball girls raised close to $1200 that will be donated to the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer Research. We were also able to honor a former Heartland teacher at the game that was diagnosed last Fall. Our girls did a special tribute to Mrs. Evans between games and reminded her of the difference she's made in so many lives! What a magical moment! There wasn't a dry eye in the gym! I've included just a couple of extra pictures below of all the fun that we had!

A few other house keeping items:

• Parent/Teacher conferences will be held in-person on Oct 6th & 10th. This will be the first time since COVID that parent/teacher conference will be held face-to-face. It will be come and go so stop by anytime from 4:30pm - 8:00pm on both days.
• Our school is in need of substitutes! If you are looking for ways to serve, please see the information below on how to get started!
• Picture retakes will be on Friday, October 21st. If your student missed out on the first round of pictures last Monday...no worries! More information to come as the day gets closer.
• MANY of our 6th grade students have an elective class called "Elective Exploration"... There are some 6th graders that do not because they may happen to be in semester-long electives like Band or Multimedia. The elective rotation switches every 6 weeks. The first 6 weeks ended on Friday and students will be in their new course starting Monday the 26th.
• Our football teams play in a big game against our vertical rival, Summit Middle School this week! Come out to Santa Fe's football stadium and support our 7th grade and 8th grade teams on Thursday (9/29)!

Looking forward, we will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month this week! Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) takes place September 15 to October 15 every year as a time to recognize and celebrate the many contributions, diverse cultures, and extensive histories of the American Latino community. I look forward to another great week!

WE ARE...HEARTLAND!

Respectfully,

Veronica Johnson

Principal, Heartland Middle School

405-340-2972

Resiliency Makes a Difference!

What makes students persevere despite adversity? Resiliency makes the difference!

Resiliency is a set of protective characteristics possessed by those who are able to

adapt to hardship and succeed. It determines why one group or individual student

succeeds and another does not. Research found six interrelated resiliency skills that

are critical to student success. These skills include: valuing education, academic

confidence, connectedness, stress, health and well-being, and intrinsic motivation.

A student becomes more resilient if they improve performance (includes

attendance, behavior, coursework), take ownership of their education, set and work

towards goals, take responsibility for their lives, manage adversity, and thrive in

school and beyond.

Edmond Public Schools is implementing a Resilience Curriculum and survey called,

Success Highways and Intellispark. Our 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th-grade students will

take a resiliency survey during Advisory or other class time to aid the district in

determining student needs and providing proactive, prevention programs. Sample

questions from the surveys will be made available for viewing at our schools or the

district office.

You may choose to withdraw your child from the surveys at any time. This is NOT

a psychological evaluation, and the information will NOT be included in your child’s

permanent academic records.

Our 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th grade students will then receive lessons on resilience,

through Advisory in middle school and Health/History classes in 9th grade.

If you have any questions or would like to opt your child out you can reach the

following grade level counselors by email:

6th Grade - Lisa Edwards - lisa.edwards@edmondschools.net

7th Grade - Whitney Davis - whitney.davis@edmondschools.net

8th Grade - Kim Treece - kim.treece@edmondschools.net