Week of 4/1/2019

Happy Sunday Panther Nation!

Monday is quickly approaching and I am sure that your scholars are so ready to return to school.  We will back on our mission to complete the year strong! Your scholars worked hard last week, did a great job of staying on task, and engaged in their instruction. Please encourage them to continue to do good work. I also ask that you continue to hold them accountable for their behavior. Our discipline data shows a decrease in physical aggression and this is worthy of a celebration. However, we want all of our students to practice being kind and respectful to every adult that they encounter in the building as well as their peers. This helps to maintain a positive school environment where everyone feels safe, welcomed, and important! Remember it takes a village!

I also encourage parents and students to be in constant contact with the teachers. Know where your child stands academically as the end of the year is not far away. Most of our pride is doing well however we do not want to get to the end of the year and realize that our scholars have failed. As educators, we commit to keeping you informed too. Your concerns were heard during conferences about feedback and support for your scholars. We are responding to your requests and concerns. Please make sure that you are reading the grade level blogs. They include information and important dates that pertains directly to that grade level. If you have any questions, please contact any teacher on the grade level or the front office.

Have a great Sunday,

Principal Tolbert

Announcements

New Registrar

Please help us welcome Ms. Crystal Ross to Hilsman. Ms. Ross is serving as our new Registrar and is eager to get to know all of you! She worked diligently last week getting attendance corrected for many of our students. If you have any questions related to attendance or school records, she is here to serve you!

Elevate K-12 (Online Platform)

Thank you to the parents that reached out to me regarding Elevate K-12. I had the pleasure of meeting with our representative last week to discuss the concerns that were communicated to me. We are planning a meeting on April 8^th or the 9^th to address your concerns. In the meantime, please know that your child will receive instruction Monday-Thursday of every week and a quiz is given every Friday. Students can access the platform from home to review and study for the weekly quiz. If your child is absent, they will be afforded an opportunity to make up the quiz. It is also important that they arrive to class with a notebook to capture daily notes.

Snacks

Parents, please encourage your child to not eat or buy snacks from their peers. With the drastic increase in snacks being laced with THC, it is extremely important that we ensure that our students are safe from any pranks or illegal activity. We have not had any incidents of this nature to affect our school community. However, we want to make sure our students are aware of the possible danger they may face from what appears to be safe snacks.

Smile, it is Picture Day At Hilsman

Spring Picture Day at Hilsman is on Wednesday, April 3rd. Flyers were given out by homeroom teachers last week for students to take home. Spring pictures are prepay only. If you did not receive a flyer, additional flyers are available in the front office. Prepayment methods are by exact cash (photographer is unable to make change), check or money order made payable to Lifetouch, or you may order online with a credit card. Ordering information and pricing are found on the flyers.

Students must adhere to the dress code expectations as set forth by CCSD and Hilsman. If you have any questions about appropriate attire, please contact the school or your child's homeroom teacher. 

Field Trip Information

6th Grade Field Trip to UGA on Wednesday, April 3rd!

Sounds of Music Announcement

Our Spring Orchestra Concert is coming up! The concert will be held on Thursday April 11th at 6:30 in the Cedar Shoals High School Theater. All orchestra students will perform! We'll see you there!

Gear Up

Gear Up 4 High School: The UGA Admissions and CCSD will be hosting the Gear Up 4 College Event for all 8th graders at the Tate Student Center Saturday, April 13, 2019, from 9am-12pm. Parents and students will learn about the college admissions process and other important information about attending college. There will be free food and prizes. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to Jonathan Brunson at jmaurice@uga.edu

Binder Dress Down Monday

Monday 4/1/10 is Dress Down Day for binder checks for the month of March. Students who received 200 or more pts on their March binder checks may dress down. Please make sure students follow the HMS dress code policy. If you have any questions or concerns about binder checks, please email or call your student's teachers.

Week at a Glance

Monday-Binder Dress Down Day

PSP

21^st Century

SAE Workday 4:00-5:00

Tuesday

PSP

21^st Century

HMS Soccer: Tuesday, April, 2

Where: CMS

Time: Boys- 4:30 Girls-5:30

Wednesday

21^st Century

SAE Check #1 in all Classes. Please see Google Classroom for ideas and directions. This is checked even if you are absent- it can be turned in early.

All students are permitted to dress down. Please remember to follow our dress code.

Thursday

21^st Century

FFA Trip to UGA for Wristband and Fundraiser. Agriscience Fair Practice 4:00-6:00 (Interview Practice)

Friday

21^st Century

HMS Track Meet

Where: CCHS

Start Time: 4:30 p.m.

Creed Paragraph 2 Quiz.

Saturday

Saturday School 

Week of March 25, 2019

Happy Monday Panther Nation!

We had a fantastic time meeting and greeting all of you last week. The Parent Conferences went well and we are pleased to announce that we are almost at our 100% mark! If you have not held your conference, please contact your child's homeroom teacher ASAP. There was some pertinent information shared related to your child's academic and behavior progress that you do not want to miss. If we are going to do better, we must remain connected with each other to ensure that our students continue to climb the ladder of success. I can not reiterate our motto "it takes a village" enough! It is going to take all of us to help move our school to another level. 

As we continue to focus on the next level, please do not hesitate to contact the school with any concerns or questions. During my time with parents last week, many questions were presented about the happenings in the school. Many of the questions were related to the great things that are happening in and around our school community. I found that a great number of parents are not connected with the school therefore, I have decided to provide a few printed copies of the blog to be posted in community centers to keep everyone informed. It is important that everyone is privy to the information and services offered by our school. If you are employed at an establishment that serves our school community and is willing to post a copy of our blog, please contact Ms. Tolbert at 706-548-7281. 

Our mission in CCSD expresses our commitment to excellence to the implementation of rigorous standards in a safe and supportive environment in every classroom for every child.  We are driven by our mission and therefore continue to urge our school community to join us in our walk to be BETTER EVERY DAY. 

For the children,

Principal Tolbert

Announcements

Rising 6th Grade Parent Night

Thank you to our rising 6th-grade parents and students! We held a Rising 6th Grade Parent Meeting tonight and it was well attended by our new Panther Nation members! A huge shout out to Dr. Ezekiel and the Gaines Elementary School community for allowing us to host the meeting at Gaines. The Eastside Family Engagement Specialists and counselors worked to make sure that the meeting was a success! 

Shout Outs

Congratulations to our Chess Team for bringing home the Championship this past Saturday at the Chess and Community Conference! Thank you, Coach Scott and Coach Pratt for all of your help and support.

Congratulations SET members!

Briggs, Ava, Annie, Alyssa, & Lily were honored today for their award-winning films about conservation and litter prevention.  The two films were, The Litter Critics and Water You Doing Littering?

The film, The Litter Critics, also won the Audience Choice Award!

Congratulations to the Boys Track Team! They took 3rd Place last Friday out of 18! Our Girls took 7th Place out of 18! Way to go Panther Nation!

Panther Prowl

We are fastly approaching April 7, 2019. At this time we only have 22 people signed up for the race. Our goals are to have 100 runners participate in the run and to raise at least $2000.00. If you are not a runner and would like to make a donation towards our cause, please contact Mrs.Catherine Neace at 706-548-7281. Proceeds from the race will allow us to plan incentives for our students. It also provides us an opportunity to bond as a school community. Please help us make this cause a success! 

LSGT Elections

Please use the link below to vote for parents to serve on our Local School Governance Team. These parents will play a key role in helping our school grow, plan for the years ahead and constantly improve to benefit students. The team will allow for parents, community members and educators to have a greater voice in important decisions regarding Hilsman. Please click the link below and vote for the two that you feel will best represent our parent community. I respectfully ask that you vote once.

Here are links to the parent ballots for Hilsman.

English ballot

Spanish ballot

Parent Conferences

Thank you to all of the parents that came out to your child's conference last week. If you have not held a conference, please contact your child's homeroom teacher or the front office ASAP.

Spring Pictures

Spring Picture Day at Hilsman is on Wednesday, April 3rd. Flyers were given out by homeroom teachers last week for students to take home. Spring pictures are prepay only. If you did not receive a flyer, additional flyers are available in the front office. Prepayment methods are by exact cash (photographer is unable to make change), check or money order made payable to Lifetouch, or you may order online with a credit card. Ordering information and pricing are found on the flyers. Only students who are prepaying for pictures may be out of uniform for Wednesday's picture day. Students must adhere to the dress code expectations as set forth by CCSD and Hilsman. If you have any questions about appropriate attire, please contact the school or your child's homeroom teacher.

Book Fair

Spring Scholastic Book Fair is still going strong! The last day is the 26th! We hope to see all our parents, faculty and staff, and students!

Panther Outreach Committee Information

Dear Parents, Hilsman Middle School is offering a new service to children and families in our school community. The Hilsman Food Pantry Program is available to students, families, and faculty that are dealing with temporary or long term food insecurity. Listed below is some information about the new program: The School Pantry Program will provide non-perishable food and hygiene products to your child to assist him or her when food is not consistently available at home. This support is also available for parents and student’s siblings regardless of their enrollment status in school. The program is scheduled to begin March 25, 2019 and will continue throughout the school year. There is no cost for this program. Distribution will be done in a discreet manner. To ensure that we can provide assistance to as many families as possible there may be limitations on the amount of food and frequency of access to the food pantry, but our main priority is to be as helpful as possible to those in our school community. Please be advised that these items may contain peanuts, nuts, soy, wheat eggs, and milk. Please let us know if you have any allergies or dietary restrictions and we will do our best to accommodate you. All food is labeled and sealed by the manufacturer. If you are interested in participating in this program you may con

Week at a Glance

Monday-
21st Century
PSP
Mammal Madness-Ag Science

Tuesday-
21st Century
PSP
Wildlife Notes-Ag Science Class
Soccer Game @ BHL
Girls 5:30
Boys 4:30

Wednesday-
21st Century
Wildlife Worksheet-Ag Science Class

Thursday-
21st Century
Kaibab Deer Lesson Part 1-Ag Science Class

Friday-
21st Century
Online Enrollment (Last day to turn in Syllabus during your class period).
Soccer Make Up Game @ Coile
Girls 4:30
Boys 5:30

Saturday-Saturday School FFA Tuesday- FFA Meeting 4-6 Thursday- Agriscience Fair Practice 4-6

Week of 3/18/2019

Happy Sunday Panther Nation! 

What a great Spring Break! I hope that you are enjoying your break and are ready to return to our last quarter of school. The year has definitely flown by and in just a few months, we will be saying goodbye to Hilsman 2.0 and preparing to transition into the beautiful new school! The transition is set for September. As more information is provided to our Admin Team regarding the transition, we will be sure to share our school community.

This last quarter will move swiftly. Please pay close attention to the blogs to stay abreast of the important events that will be taking place at Hilsman. I also want to remind you that students will return to school on Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Parent Teacher Conferences are March 20, 21, and 22. Students will be dismissed at 1:30 p.m. on these three days. Please make sure that you have arranged transportation for your child as well as making attending your child’s conference a priority. We want 100% of our parents to attend Parent Conferences. I encourage you to check Parent Portal for grades and to contact your child’s teacher if you have any concerns or questions.

Looking forward to seeing you soon,

Principal Tolbert

Announcements

Uniforms:

Parents, please help us to help our students. Many of our students are arriving at school out of uniform. Students are permitted to wear black, gold, or white polo style shirts. Undershirts that are visible will need to be one of the three colors too. We are noticing that students are arriving at school dressed in specific colors that are in violation of the uniform rule. This is not permitted. Please be reminded that if students are found in violation of the uniform rule, they will spend the day in ISS. 

Important Parent Meeting:

Several of our students received a letter requesting the presence of parents on Tuesday, March 19, 2019, for a meeting with Ms. Tolbert. A reminder was sent home with students prior to Spring Break. Please be sure to attend this meeting, as we will be discussing strategies and opportunities to help ensure students are better prepared for promotion at the end of the year. If you cannot attend, please contact Ms. Tolbert via email (tolbertu@clarke.k12.ga.us) or by phone (706-548-7281). If your child received a letter, you are highly encouraged to attend the meeting.

Family Science Night

Family Science Night
Date:  Thursday, March 21
Time:  5:00-6:30 pm
Location:  Hilsman Cafeteria

Come Run with the Panthers

Sign Up for the  Panther Prowl 5K!

https://www.active.com/athens-ga/running/distance-running-races/4th-annual-panther-prowl-5k-run-walk-2019?int=

Students and staff members who enter the Panther Prowl have an opportunity to win a prize pack to be announced after the race.

Panther Nation Outreach Committee

Dear Parents, 

Hilsman Middle School is offering a new service to children and families in our school community. The Hilsman Food Pantry Program is available to students, families, and faculty that are dealing with temporary or long-term food insecurity. Listed below is some information about the new program: The School Pantry Program will provide non-perishable food and hygiene products to your child to assist him or her when food is not consistently available at home. This support is also available for parents and student’s siblings regardless of their enrollment status in school. The program is scheduled to begin March 25, 2019, and will continue throughout the school year. There is no cost for this program. Distribution will be done in a discreet manner.

Donations

Parents, please bring any donations of canned items, non-perishable food, hygiene products or reusable bags to Parent Teacher Conferences if you can! There will be collection boxes at each entrance of the school.

Information regarding how to volunteer will be available during Parent Conferences.

Milestone Dates

Below you will find the dates for the administration of the Georgia Milestone Assessments. Please plan accordingly to avoid your child missing any section of the test. Please contact Mr. Forker if you have any questions or concerns.

4/29 - 5/1 : ELA EOC

5/2-5/3 - Math EOC

5/6 - Soc Studies EOC

5/7 - Science EOC

5/8 - 5/10 - EOC Make-Ups

News from the Counselors

Educational Talent Search with UGA: We have been on a hiatus with ETS, but we will be starting back up again next week with Ms. Ramsey. If your child has an application, please ask them to return it to Ms. Moore. For more information please go to http://dae.uga.edu/initiatives-2/trio/. 8th Grade Parents: Rising 9th Grade Parent Night will take place at Cedar Shoals High School on March 6th at 6pm.

Book Fair

Spring Scholastic Book Fair is right after Spring Break March 20th-26th! We hope to see all our parents, faculty and staff, and students!

21^st Century and PSP Announcement

The afternoon 21st Century Program and PSP will not meet during Parent Conference Week. The morning 21st Century Program will meet during Parent Conference Week.

Ag/ FFA Reminder

Ag and FCS swap students after spring break! For example-If you had Mrs. Martin during the 2nd period you will now have Ms. Seymour during 2nd period ETC. These are the only two classes (Ag and FCS) that switch at the 9 weeks. 

Wednesday and Thursday: Agriscience Fair Practice 2:00-4:00 please plan your conferences around this time.

Week at a Glance

Monday-No School-Teacher Work Day

Tuesday

21st Century Morning Session Only

Parent Meeting 6:00 p.m. (only if your child received a letter)

Wednesday-Early Release

21st Century Morning Session Only

Parent Conferences

Thursday-Early Release

Late Night Conferences (East Side)

21st Century Morning Session Only

Parent Conferences

Friday-Early Release

21st Century-Morning Session Only

Parent Conferences

Track Meet HMS @ North Oconee @ 4:30

Saturday

Week of 3/3/2019

Happy Sunday Panther Nation!

Thank you for another week of teaching and learning. This is the week before our most wanted Spring Break! We are excited about the break but I want to remind our school community that we must remain focused this week! The grading window will end next Monday and students must have all assignments turned in no later than this Friday. Parents, I encourage you to check Parent Portal for grades and contact your child’s teacher if you have any concerns or questions.

Thank you to the parents and community members that came out to join us last week for the Panther Nation Outreach Committee and Building Construction Meetings. Your presence and voices are important as we look for ways to serve our school community. The new building is coming along well. As of now, our move-in date is set for early September. Please look forward to updates regarding the transition in the upcoming blogs.

Thanks,

Principal Tolbert

Announcements

Uniforms:

Parents, please help us to help our students. Many of our students are arriving at school out of uniform. Students are permitted to wear black, gold, or white polo style shirts. Undershirts that are visible will need to be one of the three colors too. We are noticing that students are arriving at school dressed in specific colors that are in violation of the uniform rule. This is not permitted. Please be reminded that if students are found to be in violation of the uniform rule, they will spend the day in ISS.

Headphones and Cell Phones:

Students are not permitted to talk on their cell phones between the hours of 8:00-3:45. If students are found in violation of the rule, their phones will be confiscated and parents can retrieve them on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 4:00-5:30. Students will also not need to carry headphones as they are not permitted to listen to music on computers or cell phones.

Meeting:
Several of our students received a letter requesting the presence of parents on March 9^th for a meeting with Ms. Tolbert. The meeting date is actually March 7^th. A new letter will be sent home with students tomorrow. You are highly encouraged to be in attendance at the meeting.

Family Science Night
Family Science Night
Date:  Thursday, March 21
Time:  5:00-6:30 pm
Location:  Hilsman Cafeteria

Come Run with the Panthers

Sign Up for the  Panther Prowl 5K!

https://www.active.com/athens-ga/running/distance-running-races/4th-annual-panther-prowl-5k-run-walk-2019?int=

Students and staff members who enter the Panther Prowl have an opportunity to win a prize pack to be announced after the race.

Panther Nation Outreach Committee

Thank you to Ms. Stanhope for all of her help with establishing the Panther Nation Food Pantry! We will release the date of the soft opening tomorrow and provide everyone with a list of ways you can contribute to this initiative

Milestone Dates

Below you will find the dates for the administration of the Georgia Milestone Assessments. Please plan accordingly to avoid your child missing any section of the test. Please contact Mr. Forker if you have any questions or concerns.

4/29 - 5/1 : ELA EOC
5/2-5/3 - Math EOC
5/6 - Soc Studies EOC
5/7 - Science EOC
5/8 - 5/10 - EOC Make-Ups

Spring Break Reminder

This is the moment that we have all been waiting for! Spring Break 2019! Spring Break is the week of March 11-15, 2019. Students will also be out on March 18, 2019, due to a Teachers’ Work Day. Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held on March 20-22 and students will be released early from school.

Band News

The 7th and 8th Grade Band will be participating in the GMEA District 14 Large Group Performance Evaluation at East Jackson Comprehensive High School. The dates are as follows: 7th Grade: Tuesday, March 5 at 11:00 AM 8th Grade: Wednesday, March 6 at 11:00 AM.
The 7th and 8th Grade Band will leave for Universal Studios Friday morning!

News from the Counselors

Educational Talent Search with UGA: We have been on a hiatus with ETS, but we will be starting back up again next week with Ms. Ramsey. If your child has an application, please ask them to return it to Ms. Moore. For more information please go to http://dae.uga.edu/initiatives-2/trio/. 8th Grade Parents: Rising 9th Grade Parent Night will take place at Cedar Shoals High School on March 6th at 6pm.

Book Fair

Spring Scholastic Book Fair is right after Spring Break March 20th-26th! We hope to see all our parents, faculty and staff, and students!

The Week at a Glance

Monday-Binder Dress Down Day

21st Century
PSP

Tuesday

21st Century
PSP
FFA-Ag Science Practice 7:15-8:00 Ag Class- Bell Ringer Creed 5 Quiz Ag Class- SAE Workday 4:00-5:00

Wednesday

21st Century
Ag Class- SAE Check 3 hours/ 3 pictures (Test Grade)

Thursday

21st Century
AG/FACS Career Fair During Class Agriscience Fair Practice (Mandatory) 4:00-6:00. All projects are due at the end of practice.

 Friday

21st Century

Saturday


No Saturday School (Enjoy the break)