Week of 1/22/18

Quote of the Week: 

Evening Parents!

What a week last week! Snow, ice, wind, and now rain. We have almost experienced two seasons in one! Oh well, we are back and will finally have a true week of school. We have a few reminders and announcements for the week. 

Reminders:

We want every student present and on time at school! However, if your child is sick, please keep them at home. Please read the letter from the nurse. 

2018 Flu Letter English and Spanish

Geography Bee will be held at the Media Center on Thursday in the Media Center. This competition will begin at 8:30am. Please contact Mr. Hussain for specifics about the bee itself.

The CCSD Social Studies Fair will be held at HMS on Monday, January 29.

Congratulations

Special Congratulations to our top three:

Ella Johnson, 7th grade -- First Place winner and our Hilsman representative at the CCSD Spelling Bee on February 1.

Mark Gemao, 6th grade -- Second place winner and runner up. He will join us at the district bee as well.

Antwon Pitts, 6th grade -- Third place winner and an excellent competitor. 

Thanks to 

-Ms. Gonzalez for hosting the bee and recording the event.

-Ms. Clark who returned to Hilsman to be our reader of definitions, word origins, etc.

-Ms. Maxey for judging the bee.

-all of our teachers who support the study of language and literacy each day at HMS!

Ramyia Adams has won the DAR Essay contest at the 7th grade level. She has been invited to attend a luncheon hosted by the Elijah Clarke Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Congratulations to her!

4-H

Congratulations to the students listed below that competed at 4-H County Project Achievement on Saturday from your school! They will compete at Rock Eagle on Saturday, February 17 at the District competition. We had 70 fifth & sixth grade students at the competition at Clarke Middle School.

Chloe Smith: Performing Arts - Instrumental

Ethan Greene: Engineering & Mechanics

Social Studies Fair

Hilsman had a very successful Social Studies Fair this week with over 60 students, from all three grade levels, participating. We are happy to announce that 31 projects will go on to the CCSD Social Studies Fair on January 29.

Special thanks to Ms. Tillotson for helping us with devices; Ms. Gonzalez for providing much needed space for the computers and display boards; Ms. Maxey for setting up all digital displays; social studies teachers and student teachers who gave up planning time to judge the many projects; and Mr. Ray Clark for judging at our fair. Your time and expertise were most appreciated!

Tutoring Opportunities

Students of all grades are invited and encouraged to attend after school tutoring and makeup sessions with Ms. Jones each Tuesday in room 112 from 4 until 5.  Students must be picked up by 5:00 or have permission to walk home.  HOUSE POINTS AWARDED FOR ATTENDANCE!  Come help your grade AND your house!

Family Science Night

Family Science Night has been rescheduled for March 29, 2018 from 5:00-7:00 pm.

Game Day

*Team Gora’s Game Day Social will be held January 26th in the Media Center 6th and 7th periods.

 The House of COPPER won the House Points contest for Quarter 2!

  As a reward, we will have the Quater 2 House Party Celebration at 2:49. Students will be dismissed to the cafe at 2:49.

      Students in House Copper may uniform free dress down on Friday 1/26.  Please follow Clarke school district guidelines which includes no rips in pants, leggins/jeggins, etc. Teachers from House Copper will participate in the house party as well.  The house party will include activities such as basketball, football, soccer, board games, dance party, and karaoke. A more detailed schedule for the house party is to follow.
     Parents of students in House Copper and welcome to join and celebrate with their students. 

8th Grade News

8th Grade Parent Night will be held on February 6, 2018 @  6:00. Please come out to get informed about the upcoming events and activities for your 8th grader!

• 8th Grade Teacher Registration Training for High School. 2/15/18
• Rising 9th graders meeting 2/15/18
• UGA Georgia History Field Trip  Monday 2/26/18
• Cedar Shoals Field  Tuesday 2/27/18

Week at a Glance

Monday
21st Century
PSP
SAE Workday 4-5

Tuesday
21st Century
PSP

Makeup Workday (Including Missing Tests)- Homeroom and 4-5

Agriscience Fair Practice 4-6

Wednesday
21st Century
SAE Check for ALL Agriculture Classes in Class. 1 hour/1picture Due. Make sure to have the picture saved in your Google Drive.

Thursday
21st Century
Agriscience Fair Practice 4-6
HMS v/s BHL @ BHL @ 4:30 Girls, 5:30 Boys


Friday
21st Century

Friday and Saturday: FFA Discovery Conference Leave Friday at 10am. Return Saturday at 3.

Week of 1/15/2018

Quote of the Week:  Stay positive and happy. Work hard and don't give up hope. Be open to criticism and keep learning. Surround yourself with happy, warm and genuine people. 

Tena Desae


Happy Friday!

It is rainy outside, but the sun was shining bright throughout Hilsman Middle School. It has been a long but productive work. As we have observed classes, we have noticed that students are engaged in their learning and taking notes! This is great news. Hopefully you received your scholar's report card. I strongly encourage you to remain aware of your child's progress. As mentioned before, it is important that we monitor our students' learning and hold them accountable. If we all remain on one accord then we should expect great results. If your child failed a class, please contact the teacher to arrange a conference to develop a plan that will help your child successfully end the year. Students must pass 6 or 7 classes to be promoted to the next grade. It is imperative that we do not wait until the last minute to address the deficits. We want to see smiling faces at the end of the year!

The 8th grade trip to Athens Tech will not take place this month. It will be rescheduled and communicated with you in a timely manner. We realize that there is a discrepancy with the 8th grade annual dance and the band field trip. The team is working to find another date that will allow all of the students to participate in the dance. 8th grade teachers are working to schedule a meeting to provide detailed information about the 8th grade activities. Please stay tuned for the date. If you have questions or concerns, feel free to contact Mr. Eric Blake or an administrator. 

As always, we invite you to visit Hilsman and participate in our extracurricular activities. It is a pleasure to receive volunteer forms and calls that simply asks what do we need. We need all of you and your support as we continue to move forward and finish strong.

Kindly,
Principal Tolbert

Announcements:

Due to poor participation the Panther Prowl will be cancelled for this year. If you registered, your money will be refunded.


The Hilsman Spelling Bee will be held Wednesday, January 17, 2018 in the Media Center at 9:00. Parents are welcome to attend!

Below you will find the CCSD SPED Parent Night Flyer (East-Side and West-Side, respectively). 

CCSD SPED Parent Night Flyer

*The Spanish version has been added (2nd page of the document).

Week a Glance

Monday-NO SCHOOL MLK DAY


Tuesday
21st Century
PSP


Wednesday
21st Century
Spelling Bee at 9:00 am. Contestants will report to the Media Center at 8:30 am.


Thursday
21st Century
Agriscience Fair Practice 4-6
HMS v/s BHL @ BHL Girls 4:30, Boys 5:30


Friday
21st Century

1/6/2018

Quote of the Week: 

It is Saturday in Athens! 2 more days to go before UGA honker down in Atlanta. The excitement is outrageous as well as contagious. If you are not a Georgia fan and will be rolling with the Tide, we respect your excitement too! Due to this event, students and staff will be allowed to dress down Monday and Tuesday. Dr. Means has declared Monday and Tuesday as Bulldog Days! Please allow students to wear their UGA, Alabama, or red and black gear to school both days. Yes! You are reading it right, no uniforms on Monday and Tuesday.  Please ensure that the students follow CCSD's Dress Code. 

Moving on to the business of HMS, we had a great return to school. The students were constantly reminded of the expectations throughout the day by Mr. Forker. Although it drove the students crazy, it definitely grabbed most of their attention. A huge shout out to Mr. Forker for being creative. As we continue moving forward together, let us all be sure to keep the focus on the students. We must remain focused on their academic and social emotional progress. Parents, I ask that you remain connected with the teachers to ensure your child is progressing. I also suggest that you get connected to Parent Portal to see your child's grades. This is a great way to always be made aware of any changes to your scholar's performance. Again, this is 3rd quarter. We must  continue to execute our plan well to ensure that all of our students are successful at Hilsman. 

I am excited about the progress that has been made at Hilsman. The students are definitely putting forth more effort to meet the demands that are being placed on them academically. The staff has embraced the changes and is working diligently to reach every student. Our community is becoming more and more involved in our journey to success. Thank you to all! Although it is not a new school year, it is a new year! 

Kindly,

Principal Tolbert

Announcements:

Science Fair Update

I received word this morning from Mrs. G that of the 30 projects that went forth to the District's Science Fair, 22 projects placed, with 10 first place winners going on to the Regional Fair in February! Congratulations to the students! A huge shout out to the teachers, parents, and community members that helped make this possible! Our Panther Nation rocks!

5K Panther Prowl

The Panther Prowl 5K is almost here!! We are still looking for sponsors and runners. If you would like to become a corporate sponsor, let Meganne Skinner, or Christina Fassbender know at skinnerme@clarke.k12.ga.us and we will get you the paperwork! Thank you to all those who have already signed up to race with us! Runners, you can sign up at active.com 

You can still sign up at the discounted price until January 26th! 

For every student that signs up, Mrs. Tolbert will take a pie in the face! I challenge members of our community to sign up and please sponsor this event!  

Family Science Night

Family Science Night

Thursday, Jan. 18

5-7 pm

​

 Family Science Night Invitation Slide 2018

Tutoring Opportunities

Students of all grades are invited and encouraged to attend after school tutoring and makeup sessions with Ms. Jones each Tuesday in room 112 from 4 until 5.  Students must be picked up by 5:00 or have permission to walk home.  HOUSE POINTS AWARDED FOR ATTENDANCE!  Come help your grade AND your house!

PSP will be back up running on Monday! Sudents that have signed up are encouraged to attend.

Important News from Mrs. G and Mrs. Maxey

HMS Social Studies Fair will be held on Wednesday, January 10. We will be setting up projects during first period, and we will have judging by social studies teachers throughout the day. Members of the community trained in the social sciences (sociology, psychology, geography. political science, anthropology, history, or economics) are welcome to share time with us at Hilsman as a guest judge. This was a much appreciated contribution during our recent science fair.

HMS Spelling Bee will be held on Wednesday, January 17. ELA teachers are working with their classes to select candidates for the bee.

Soccer Information

For 7th & 8th graders interested in soccer:

Try outs will be the first full week of February(5th-9th). You MUST have a current physical on file to try out, no exceptions. Contact Coach Destefani or Coach Spinks for questions. 

6th Grade News

6th grade students that signed up for intramural sports have received their waivers this week. They need to be turned into Ms. Rohrbach in Room 123. If a student hasn't turned in their waivers, then they will not be able to participate. First practice for Intramural Sports is on Monday from 4-5! Students need to be picked up promptly at 5:00. 

Arrival Time

Please be advised that students should not arrive on campus before 7:45 am. There is no one available to supervise the students and this is a safety concern. A 21st Century staff member will be on the premises to receive 21st Century students at 7:00. It is important to us that we offer assistance to our parents that must drop our scholars off early. However we are respectfully asking that you do not drop them off before 7:45 to avoid any safety concerns.

Visitors

There is a myth that parents' help is not welcomed in middle school! This is NOT true. We welcome all of our parents in to visit, to volunteer,  as well as to observe your child's environment. Upon entering the building to volunteer or to observe,  you must be sure to sign in and get a visitor's pass. We also ask that you not interrupt the instructional time or interfere with other students. If you would like to speak to a teacher, feel free to contact them via email or by phone to schedule a conference. 

Phone Calls

We understand that emergencies occur and that you will need to contact your child. We want to help you! If you call the school and leave a message for your child, we will ensure that they receive it during transition or lunch. We will not interrupt the instructional time but will guarantee that the message is delivered to the student.

Outside Food

We are noticing an increase in outside food being brought to students during the day. Although we encourage you to have lunch with your child, outside food is not allowed in the cafeteria. The day is long and we realize many of our  students are in need of snacks to make it through the day. Please be sure that students have their snacks before arriving to school. Otherwise, snacks brought in throughout the day will be given to students after school. There will be no exceptions.

No Flex Zone

This is a reminder that students are NOT allowed to have their phones during the hours of 8:25 am-3:45 pm. If phones are confiscated they can be retrieved on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the hours of 4:00 pm-5:30 pm. Parents, please remind your child about this rule and help us to help them! I would also encourage you to perform a social media check and remind our scholars about the power of their words.

Uniform Reminder

Parents please help ensure that your child is wearing Hilsman's uniform. Shirts should be gold, white, or black polos. Many students are reporting to school with navy shirts or simply a t-shirt. This is not acceptable and will result in the child receiving a consequence. Pants should be black or khaki. NO legging, jegging, or jean material. The pants must have belt loops. Many students are wearing red, blue, and other color shirts underneath their polos. Under garments should not be visible however if students are wearing garments that are visible, they need to be in compliance with the uniform policy. We relaxed the policy just a little as a result of students' voice. We are asking that you help us to help the students by making sure that they are appropriately dressed in the right uniform before the arrive to school. If we have any families that are in need of assistance, please contact the office.

Week at a Glance

Monday
PSP
21st Century
SAE Workday 4-5

Tuesday
PSP 
21st Century
Agriscience Fair Workday 4-6

Wednesday
21st Century

Thursday
21st Century

Agriscience Fair Workday 4-6

HMS Basketball- HMS v/s CMS @ CMS, Girls 4:30, Boys 5:30

Friday
21st Century

Week of 1/1/2017

Quote of the Week: 


Happy New Year!

2018 is here and it has arrived with a ROAR! It is surely cold outside. I hope all of you had a fantastic break and was able to spend some much needed time with your family. Today, we all united back at Hilsman! We were excited about our return and the fact that we have only 90 days of school left. I am not sure if you watched the Dawgs play Monday but during the 3rd quarter they made some necessary adjustments resulting in a huge win over Oklahoma! This is the expectation for all of Hilsman's stakeholders. We are approaching the 3rd quarter! It is important for us to return prepared to end the year successfully. Students must be prepared to give their all as they will continuously be held to high expectations.

Several adjustments have been made in an effort to focus more on our students' learning. Prior to leaving for the break, we announced that students' personal learning devices will no longer be allowed to come home. They will continue to have access to their computers during their instructional time if the teacher has planned for the use of technology. Students who are enrolled in GAVS will continue to have access to their computers as well as bring them home.  All homework assignments will be paper and pencil unless it is a GAVS course. It is our hope to help minimize the disruption to the learning environment by providing what many recall as being "good old fashion teaching"  or high quality instruction.  A list of supplies was sent home before the break. We are also going to host a school supply drive to help our families and students get the necessary supplies for class. If you would like to donate or help assist us, please contact Ms. Tolbert. 

Thank you,

Ms. Tolbert

Arrival Time

Please be advised that students should not arrive on campus before 7:45 am. There is no one available to supervise the students and this is a safety concern. A 21st Century staff member will be on the premises to receive 21st Century students at 7:00. It is important to us that we offer assistance to our parents that must drop our scholars off early. However we are respectfully asking that you do not drop them off before 7:45 to avoid any safety concerns.

Visitors

There is a myth that parents' help is not welcomed in middle school! This is NOT true. We welcome all of our parents in to visit, to volunteer,  as well as to observe your child's environment. Upon entering the building to volunteer or to observe,  you must be sure to sign in and get a visitor's pass. We also ask that you not interrupt the instructional time or interfere with other students. If you would like to speak to a teacher, feel free to contact them via email or by phone to schedule a conference. 

Phone Calls

We understand that emergencies occur and that you will need to contact your child. We want to help you! If you call the school and leave a message for your child, we will ensure that they receive it during transition or lunch. We will not interrupt the instructional time but will guarantee that the message is delivered to the student.

Outside Food

We are noticing an increase in outside food being brought to students during the day. Although we encourage you to have lunch with your child, outside food is not allowed in the cafeteria. The day is long and we realize many of our  students are in need of snacks to make it through the day. Please be sure that students have their snacks before arriving to school. Otherwise, snacks brought in throughout the day will be given to students after school. There will be no exceptions.

No Flex Zone

This is a reminder that students are NOT allowed to have their phones during the hours of 8:25 am-3:45 pm. If phones are confiscated they can be retrieved on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the hours of 4:00 pm-5:30 pm. Parents, please remind your child about this rule and help us to help them! I would also encourage you to perform a social media check and remind our scholars about the power of their words.

Uniform Reminder

Parents please help ensure that your child is wearing Hilsman's uniform. Shirts should be gold, white, or black polos. Many students are reporting to school with navy shirts or simply a t-shirt. This is not acceptable and will result in the child receiving a consequence. Pants should be black or khaki. NO legging, jegging, or jean material. The pants must have belt loops. Many students are wearing red, blue, and other color shirts underneath their polos. Under garments should not be visible however if students are wearing garments that are visible, they need to be in compliance with the uniform policy. We relaxed the policy just a little as a result of students' voice. We are asking that you help us to help the students by making sure that they are appropriately dressed in the right uniform before the arrive to school. If we have any families that are in need of assistance, please contact the office.

Science News

Family Science Night will be on Thursday, Jan 18 from 5-7pm.  All families are welcome! 

6th Grade News

6th graders who signed up for intramural sports will be given waivers this week upon return. They need to return the signed waivers to Ms. Rohrbach in Room 123. Practice starts on January 8th! 

Spelling Bee

HMS Spelling Bee will be held on January 17. ELA teachers should work with each of their classes to choose candidates for the Bee.

Science and Social Studies Fair Information

Thirty Hilsman projects will compete at the CCSD Science Fair on Saturday, January 6. It is being held this year at Clarke Middle School.

The HMS Social Studies Fair will take place on Wednesday, January 10, in our Media Center. We will be displaying tri-fold boards and will also have digital presentations, introduced this year by Ms. Maxey. Set up will be during ELT on the January 10, and we will close the fair at 6th and 7th periods on Thursday, January 11.

Thanks to all of the science and social studies teachers who helped their students reach higher in their performance at these fairs.

Soccer Information

For 7th & 8th graders interested in soccer:

Try outs will be the first full week of February(5th-9th). You MUST have a current physical on file to try out, no exceptions. Contact Coach Destefani or Coach Spinks for questions. 

Thank you!

Special thanks to our Science Fair volunteer judges. We could not have done it without you.

Jason Wallace

Anke Linz

Erin Lipp

Sam Wilson

Week at a Glance

Monday-No School


Tuesday- No School

Wednesday
PSP and 21st Century resumes

Thursday
Hilsman v/s Coile @ Hilsman Girls 4:30,  Boys 5:30

Friday

Week of 12/18/2017

Quote of the Week: 


Good evening!

Well we are two days away from our holiday break! The students and staff are excited about another opportunity to spend time with family and to relax.  Please be encouraged to take an extra moment to just love on your family members. Also take a little time to reach out to those that have suffered losses and are missing those that have helped to make this time special. Our school community has definitely had our share of challenges this year but thanks to your generous hearts, we have made it! I want to take a moment to simply say THANK YOU for taking the extra time to come out to school activities, participating in fundraisers, and supporting our scholars and teachers. 

The dance was a huge success and the students had a blast. Let the truth be told, the teachers had a great time too! Thank you to all that donated food or funds. Last week was just filled with activities and events throughout the school. A huge shout out to Mr. Lawrence, Mrs. Floyd, and Mrs. Camp. Our students were nothing short or phenomenal. 

Below you will find more information and the week at a glance. As always, it is a pleasure to serve you and your child at Hilsman Middle School. I wish you and your family a fun, safe, and relaxing Holiday Season! T'is the season!

Principal Tolbert

Announcements

Students will be need to be dressed in uniform on Monday and Tuesday.

Device Information

Thank you for your feedback regarding the restructuring of the 1:1 initiative at Hilsman Middle School. The conversations held on FaceBook, the emails, and the face to face discussions with parents implicated that there were an overwhelming number of parents and teachers that supported our decision to decrease the usage of computers. There are several parents who raised some great concerns and please know that we are working to communicate answers to you. Our GAVS students will continue to receive instruction via computer. Due to the make up of the class, they may be allowed to continue to use their devices both at home and at school. We are currently working to ensure that we do not interfere with the progress that they are making in the program. Please note that students will continue to have access to technology during instructional time. The only major change is that students will no longer bring devices home. Data used to help make this decision showed that students are not using the computers for instructional purposes. Instead more than 60% of their usage is on social media or google chatting. Discipline data was not our only indicator for wanting to make this shift. 

Our primary focus is to help improve student achievement. Instructional time has been negatively impacted due to the inappropriate usage of technology. Teaching and learning will only be strengthened by using other instructional strategies to deliver instruction to our students. I agree that students will find access using other devices. This is why we will continue to reinforce the No Flex Zone rule at Hilsman. This rule prohibits students from using their cell phones during school hours. I will send a reminder of the rule before we return to school in January. 

In an effort to not burden parents or teachers with purchasing school supplies, we are hosting a school supply drive. I will also allocate funds to purchase more classroom supplies. A list of supplies is attached in a letter from Mr. Forker. If you have any further questions or concerns, please see Mr. Forker or Ms. Tolbert.

Forker's Corner

Thank you for your feedback regarding student devices.   Please see the letter attached below. This letter was also sent home in paper copy on Friday the 15th.

HIL - Tech Update

In addition, please see the video linked below.  It provides additional information about our technology initiative.

HIL - Tech Announcement 

Panther Prowl

The Panther Prowl 5K is almost here!! We are still looking for sponsors and runners. If you would like to become a corporate sponsor, let Meganne Skinner, or Christina Fassbender know at skinnerme@clarke.k12.ga.us and we will get you the paperwork! Thank you to all those who have already signed up to race with us! Runners, you can sign up at active.com 

You can still sign up at the discounted price until January 26th! 

Science Night

Family Science Night will be on Thursday, January 18 from 5:00-7:00 pm.

All students, families, staff, and community members are welcome to attend!

​

 Family Science Night Invitation Slide 2018

Sock Hop Information

7th Grade ELA "Soc Hop" Dance on Tuesday, 12/19/17 during 6th and 7th periods. Parents are welcomed to attend and donate food items such as chips, cookies, cupcakes, and drinks.

Upcoming Events

Hilsman had an amazing showing in the school science fair. The top thirty scoring projects will go on to the CCSD Science Fair in early January.

Hilsman Social Studies Fair January 10, 2018

Hilsman Spelling Bee January 17, 2018

Hilsman Geography Bee January 25, 2018

Students wanting to help care for the animal over the break should email Ms. Smith at smithj2@clarke.k12.ga.us. A parent must be present when you are feeding. 

Week at a Glance

Monday- Students ARE in uniforms

21st Century

PSP

All Ag Classes- SAE Projects Due in Class 3 hours and 3 pictures on the template in Google Classroom. 

Agriculture Class Makeup Work Day- (This is for any student missing work in an Agriculture Class).

8:00-8:25 and 4:00-4:30 

Tuesday-Students ARE in uniforms

21st Century

Wednesday-Friday-NO SCHOOL