Week of 2/18/2019

Quote of the Week:

Happy Tuesday Panther Nation!

We are back at it for the week!  I hope that you enjoyed your scholars yesterday. Our teachers and staff were engaged in professional learning throughout the district that allowed us to sharpen our skills in an effort to sharpen our students’ skills and knowledge of the standards. We were excited to welcome everyone back to Hilsman today! We are looking forward to a great week.

It was brought to my attention on Saturday morning that our buses did not operate due to a shortage of transportation staff. We regret not being able to inform our school community in advance however we were not notified until Saturday morning. Thank you to all of the parents that jumped in to help transport students to the school. We greatly appreciated all of your help. Your kind gestures and support really shows how our village is becoming stronger and better every day!

I continue to encourage our school community to promote academic and behavior excellence at Hilsman Middle School. Although we have much work to accomplish within the next three months we have many students that are working hard to earn great grades and serve as role models in the building. I want to take a moment to highlight the effort of both the parents and the students.  Thank you for your commitment to excellence! We are working to begin planning the dinner for 2nd quarter honor students. Our last celebration was a huge success. I am sure that this one will be even better!

Please do not forget to read your grade level’s blog for more detailed information about what is happening this week. We will see everyone on Tuesday!

Better Every Day,

Principal Tolbert

Announcements

Rising 9th Graders Band Information

There will be a parent informational meeting for rising 9th graders interested in band at Cedar Shoals.  Additionally, this meeting will also be for rising 8th-grade parents and students who are interested in marching in the band at Cedar Shoals High School as 8th graders.  The meeting will take place Tuesday, February 19 at 6:00 in the Cedar Band Room.

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 have received our first delivery and is working to get the pantry stocked and ready to receive families that are in need of assistance. The committee met last week to establish some basic procedures and routines for the pantry. We invite you to join us on February 25, 2018.

Calling all softball players

If you are a RISING 8th or 9th grader there will be a softball interest meeting during your lunch period on Tuesday, February 26th. Please see Coach Pullen if you have any questions or concerns!

Building Construction Meeting

Our new home is coming along well! The administrators had an opportunity to do a walk through and were overwhelmed with the size and the pure beauty of the building. We will host a Building Construction Committee Meeting on February 26, 2019, at 6:00 pm to share updates and answer any questions related to the new building. Please join us to learn more about our transition and the new building.

Family Science Night

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

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.

Local School Governance Team

Are you interested in playing a key role in helping your school grow, plan for the years ahead and constantly improve to benefit students? Consider serving on a Local School Governance Team. These teams give parents, community members and educators a greater voice in important decisions regarding their schools.

Community information sessions will be held on Tuesday, February 26, from 5:30-6:30 at Gaines Elementary School and Wednesday, February 27, from 5:30-6:30 at Oglethorpe Elementary School.

Learn more and apply to serve on an LSGT at https://www.clarke.k12.ga.us/lsgt

Parents, community members and teachers who are interested in serving on your LSGT must complete this form.

CCRPI School Climate Survey

Hello Parents, Guardians & Family Members,

Please take some time to respond to the Georgia Parent Survey, which provides critical information on the Social Emotional health of your Hilsman Middle School. Your voice is critical in the area of Social Emotional Learning, which is one of the three focus areas of the Clarke County School District.

Filling out this survey will also help your school with its CCRPI School Climate Star Rating! Please complete this survey by March 1st!

• How do I take the survey?  CLICK HERE
• How long is the survey? 24 questions.
• How long will it take me to fill out the survey? 10-15 minutes
• What type of device do I need? You should be able to take the survey on any device, including smart phones, laptops, tablets, desktops or netbooks
• Is the survey anonymous? YES!
• What types of questions are asked? Questions focus on Connection to your school; Behavior at your school; Academics at your school; Fair treatment at your school; Safety at your school; Student Relationship at your school; and Maintenance & Cleanliness of your school

Thank you so much in advance for your participation

Week at a Glance

Monday-NO SCHOOL

Tuesday

21st Century

PSP

Agriscience and Nursery Practice 7:15-8:00 and 4:00-5:00 (Lorax movie)

LSGT Meeting-6:00

Wednesday

21st Century

Meet The Mayor for FFA Members who signed up and brought in forms. (Agriscience Worksheet)

Thursday

21st Century

Agriscience and Nursery Practice 7:15-8:00 and 4:00-5:00 (Lorax movie completion) Makeup Test and Quiz Day- 7:45-8:15 and 4:00-4:30 in Mrs. Martin's room.

Friday

21st Century

Agriscience Topic Selection in Class.

Saturday

Saturday School

Week of 2/10/2019

Quote of the Week:

Happy Sunday Panther Nation!

Thank you for your continued support of our Panther Community. It was a busy week at Hilsman Middle School but we are continuing to remain focused on teaching and learning. Saturday School is up and running. On Saturday we doubled the number of students that were in attendance last week. I want to emphasize that this opportunity is available to ALL of our students. It is not a punishment to be in attendance rather an opportunity for students to gain additional instruction to help every child master the standards and meet expectations on the Georgia Milestone Assessments. The program is free of charge and transportation is provided to students that live within HMS’ school zone.

As we continue to promote a positive school climate and culture, I encourage members of our school community to get involved in activities that help provide students with positive experiences within our community. Volunteers are always welcomed at Hilsman and we welcome donations that enable teachers to provide every child an opportunity to participate in projects and labs that are have previously been assigned as home-based projects. We are in the planning phase to host a school dance, establish a school-based food pantry, and restocking our uniform closet to help offer clothing to our families that are in need of assistance. We would love to have your help or donations to ensure that these initiatives are successful.

I want to offer my sincere thanks to our school community for your patience as we continue our search for qualified and committed teachers. At this time we currently have 4 teacher openings, Chorus, 6th grade Math, Interrelated SpEd, and Science. It has been and continues to remain a top priority to fill the openings as soon as possible. We have remained in constant communication with district personnel regarding our needs at Hilsman to be sure that we continue to provide quality instruction to our students. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at 705-548-7281 or via email at tolbertu@clarke.k12.ga.us.

Working alongside you,

Principal Tolbert

Announcements

Dress Down Fridays

At this time our staff has decided to halt No Dress Down Fridays for the month of February. Although we noticed a decrease in physical aggression, we have noticed an uptick in disrespectful behaviors. Please know that our school data show a significant decrease in our overall discipline infractions. Our school community has been negatively impacted by incidents within our surrounding communities. We are working with local counseling services and community law enforcement agencies to brainstorm interventions to help our students make better decisions and cope with the negative impact of community incidents. If you would like to offer your services to our students, please contact Principal Tolbert.

Discipline Data Review

Monthly Data/No Fight Friday

Food Pantry

We are PROUD to announce the opening of our Panther Nation Food Pantry. With the hard work and dedication of Ms. Katie Stanhope, we were awarded a 500.00 grant to help us get started. A meeting is scheduled for all interested community members that would like to help with this great initiative on Tuesday, February 12, 2019, at 6:00 in the cafeteria. We look forward to seeing you!

Saturday School

Our Student Achievement Data indicates that more than 60% of our students are not meeting or exceeding the learning expectations. Our staff is working daily to provide every child access to differentiated and rigorous instruction. Teachers are offering afterschool tutoring in addition to remediation/enrichment instruction offered in PSP and Saturday School to help our students. It is hard to teach to reach every student when everyone is not participating in the work. I encourage everyone to join the race.

Panther Prowl

Are you ready to run! The Panther Prowl will take place on April 7, 2019, at 2:00 pm. We are in need of sponsors, volunteers, and most importantly, runners! We would love for corporations, local businesses, and families to help support this race.

For more information, contact Catherine Neace at catdemesa@yahoo.com on sponsorship levels.

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.

8th Grade Washington D.C. Trip

As of Friday, our annual 8th-grade field trip to Washington D.C. was in jeopardy of being canceled due to the low participation. This trip has proven to offer exciting learning opportunities to our students. We are in need of at least 14 students to sign up and make the initial down payment of 100.00 before February 15, 2019, to avoid cancellation. Payment arrangements can be made for the remainder of the balance. Please contact Mr. Blake for more information at blakee@clarke.k12.ga.us.

LSGT Meeting

Hilsman’s Local School Governance Team meets every third Tuesday of the month. We will meet this month at 6:00 in the Media Center.

Building Construction Meeting

Our new home is coming along well! The administrators had an opportunity to do a walk through and were overwhelmed with the size and the pure beauty of the building. We will host a Building Construction Committee Meeting on February 26, 2019, at 6:00 pm to share updates and answer any questions related to the new building. Please join us to learn more about our transition and the new building.

Family Science Night

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

Calling all softball players

If you are a RISING 8th or 9th grader there will be a softball interest meeting during your lunch period on Tuesday, February 26th. Please see Coach Pullen if you have any questions or concerns!

Important News from the Counselors

The Cottage, Sexual Assault Center & Children's Advocacy Center, will be at Hilsman on February 14th to facilitate a Media Safety presentation to all of our 6th-grade students. The presentation will cover hot topics for middle school students, including social media, inappropriate texting, and cyberbullying. This will be done in small groups so that students have opportunities to interact and ask questions. If you prefer your child not participate in this event, please contact Ms. Moore, School Counselor, by February 13th via email at moorea@clarke.k12.ga.us.

Week at a Glance

Monday

• PSP/21st Century
• AgScience-Creed 3 Crossword Worksheet
• Agriscience/Nursery Landscape 7:15-8:00
• College and Career T-Shirt Day: Students and staff are encouraged to wear a college or career t-shirt and uniform bottoms. Please make sure the college or career is visible, as solid colors are not permitted. If you do not wish to participate, please be in regular uniform.

Tuesday

• PSP/21st Century
• Creed 3 Quiz-  Afterschool: SAE Workday 4-5
• Agriscience/Nursery Landscape 7:15-8:00

Wednesday

• 21st Century
• Creed 4 Worksheet and SAE Check #2 (see Google Classroom for more information)
• Agriscience/Nursery Landscape 7:15-8:00

Thursday

• 21st Century
• Wildlife Test Review
• Agriscience/Nursery Landscape 7:15-8:00
  

Friday

• 21st Century

Saturday-Saturday School-8:00 am

Looking ahead- Ag class test/quiz makeup day on February 21 7:45-8:15 and 4:00-4:30.

Week of 1/27/2019

Quote of the Week: 


Happy Sunday Panther Nation!

We have been busy at Hilsman Middle School the last several weeks. There is so much to celebrate in the Panther Nation! Shout out to our girls and boys basketball teams. The girls placed second while the boys brought home the championship trophy! It is also important to point out that both teams had a great number of players to earn Honor Roll! Super congratulations are also in order for Ryan Xiao for winning our school spelling bee. Ella Johnson was not far behind him in 2nd place. Ryan will represent Hilsman in the district's spelling bee that will be held on February 7, 2019, at 9:30 in Cedar Shoals High School's Theater. Still clapping loudly, we want to celebrate Ellie Crane, Tory Ratzjczak, and Ella Johnson who all placed 1st place in the FFA Northeast Georgia Regional Science Fair. Finally, we had a host of 6 graders represent HMS at the Regional Science Fair. Way to go Panther Nation! 

As evident by the number of Dress Down Fridays, our students are settled and our race to the end of the year is well on its way! We are excited about the many positive learning opportunities that our students have been engaging in and are looking forward to our students growing and excelling on the Georgia Milestone Assessments. Although we are showing growth, we still have work to do at Hilsman. As we gear up to break down the Milestones, I want to reiterate the hard work that must be done by every member of our school community. If your scholar is in need of remediation, please be sure that they are participating in tutoring provided by their grade level teachers. The Milestone Assessments measures your child knowledge of the standards. The standards are taught daily in the classrooms. At this time we have less than 30% of our students that are on track to master the Milestone. Our Pathways to Success Program began in September. At this time we have less than 50 students that consistently participate weekly. This program is free of charge, offers remediation as well as preparation for the Milestone Assessments. Beginning February 2nd, we will begin our Breaking Down the Georgia Milestone Saturday School Program. This program is NOT just to remediate but will also offer students testing strategies and academic advisement to help them exceed the standards! Please get your child signed up ASAP. Applications were distributed last week to students and are due no later than Wednesday, January 30, 2019.

Panther Nation, it is imperative that we remain focused on teaching and learning for the remainder of the year. Everyone must put their best efforts forward to help ensure that our students are proficient in literacy and numeracy. WE can do it and WE will do it! Let us all work together to provide every student with the opportunity to experience success. Please continue to look for opportunities to get involved at Hilsman to positively impact the education of a child. I look forward to seeing you soon!

In partnership with you,

Principal Tolbert

Announcements

Elevate K-12 Spanish

Great news! Elevate K-12 has been successfully implemented with our 7th graders who are enrolled in what is formerly known as Mr. Mundy's class. The students have been highly engaged and are doing a great job of interacting with the teacher. Mr. Scott is supervising the students during their instructional time and is doing a phenomenal job!

Chorus Update

Unfortunately, we have not found a committed Chorus teacher despite our best efforts. Our students were split among other Connection teachers for most of the first 2 quarters. Although our Connection teachers have done a great job of supervising and monitoring the learning of the students, the classroom sizes have admittedly caused some challenges. Starting Monday 1/28/19, students enrolled in Chorus and General Music will no longer have their class split to other classes. Alternatively, we will have students report back to their grade level to work with teachers for extension/remediation and support with academics such as reading, math, science, social studies and GA Milestones prep.

We look forward to providing our students with additional opportunities to engage in academic content and focus on being successful.

If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know. 

Outside Food Reminder

Our faculty and staff encourage you to come in and eat lunch with your child. We do want to remind you that outside food is not allowed in the cafeteria. If you want to enjoy lunch with your child, we invite you to join them in the cafeteria or find alternative space in the school to enjoy your lunch. We also want to remind you that food deliveries are NOT allowed for students. We have noticed an increase in food deliveries for students. Please do not order food and have it sent to the school for your child.

Great News

7th Graders interested in architecture, construction, landscape design, and interior design: New after school program! *design challenges *guest speakers from the design fields *skill-building activities *field trips to construction/building sites Begins February 6th Wednesdays 4:00-5:30 7th grade only Contact Ms. Seymour for more information or to sign up! seymoure@clarke.k12.ga.us

Family Education Night #4: Nacho Night Hilsman Families are invited to join us in the HMS Cafeteria on Wednesday, January 30th from 6-7:30 for a Q&A panel about the parent portal, upcoming testing, teen behavior management strategies, and more! Free nacho bar and child care--bring the whole family!

Athens Community Career Academy Info Night and Spaghetti Dinner: Drop by the Career Academy (440 Dearing Ext.) on Thursday, Jan. 31st between 5:30 and 7:30 to learn about Career Academy and internship opportunities in high school and beyond! Free spaghetti prepared by ACCA Culinary Arts students, blood pressure screenings, college information, and prizes.

Uniform Reminder

Please remind and ensure that your child arrives at school dressed in the appropriate attire. Students are permitted to wear khaki or black bottoms. Black, gold, or white polo style shirts are permitted. Jackets must be black, gold, grey, or white with minimal writing. Hilsman hoodies are permitted.

Week at a Glance

Monday-
PSP/21st Century
Nursery Landscape and Agriscience Fair- Practice 4:00-5:00

Tuesday
PSP/21st Century
FFA Meeting Tuesday January 29. The leadership team is going to playing fun games all related to the number 19 for our New Year Party Meeting! Leaders, please let me know what your game will be on the post on Google Classroom by Sunday Night!

Wednesday
21st Century

Thursday
21st Century
Nursery Landscape and Agriscience Fair 7:15-8:00 am.

Friday
21st Century

Week of 1/6/2019

Happy New Year Panther Nation! 

Are you refreshed, refocused, and ready to send your scholars back to school? A little voice whispered to me that many of you are willing to give them all back to us early Monday morning! We are ready to receive every one of them back with a great big smile and open arms. I hope each of you had a relaxing Winter Break and celebrated the holidays with those that are dearest to you. The blog this week will be lengthy as I want to be sure to provide you with some reminders and information that will be important to you as we return back to school. 

Thank you for the many emails of concerns following the incident that took place on December 20, 2018. The student is doing well and is looking forward to returning to school. Parent communication was sent out to our school community to provide you with clarity regarding the incident. I will also host a Parent Coffee soon to review our emergency procedures and to provide you with data related to our School Growth Plan. 

As we are preparing to return to school, I want to take a moment to review and reiterate our vision and mission for Hilsman Middle School. 

Our vision at HMS is to build a culture of high expectations and equity where all students will grow academically and socially to improve our community and our world.

Our mission reflects the district's mission which is as followed: CCSD is an ambitious community of learners in a diverse and culturally rich county. We are committed to equity and excellence by the implementation of rigorous standards-based instruction in a safe and supportive environment - on every campus, in every classroom, and for every child.

As you reflect on what is written, I challenge you to join us in our quest to improve our school community academically and socially. There is much work to be done for us to reach our goals! Our school goals were shared with the community at the beginning of the year. As you are aware, there is no room for continued poor performance. There is a little less than 4 months of school left. It is imperative that we work together to do what is in the best interest of children. Admittedly, we have had our share of challenges this year however we can not allow them to continue to impact the work that must be done to teach our students. We will continue to place a strong emphasis on teaching and learning. If your child is signed up to participate in PSP or is in need of after-school tutoring, you are encouraged to work with teachers to make it happen. Saturday School will begin later this month. If your child receives an invitation, please make sure that they are in attendance every Saturday. Please work with us as we help our students avoid discipline infractions that are impeding their learning and resulting in suspension. We want every student to be present every day to learn like champions for the remainder of the year. Remember that it takes a village! It is time for our village to unite, push through the obstacles and raise student achievement at HMS. We must pledge to make the remaining two quarters of the year our BEST!

For the children,

Principal Tolbert

Announcements

New Building Update

Wowsers! Our new building is coming along well. I met with the architects before the break to select the flooring and colors! Remembering the concerns of the Building Construction Committee, I was sure to select colors that were a representation of our students! They are lively yet subtle. I will share the color board for feedback as early as next week. As of December 18, 2018, the projected date of completion is September 1, 2019. I will keep you posted as information is shared with me.

Good News

Shout Out to Ms. Katie Shanhope and Mrs. Floyd for the establishment of the HMS Food Pantry!

Hilsman Middle School plans to establish a food pantry that will be stocked with dry, non-perishable food and hygiene products available to students and families in need. Katie Stanhope is the Hilsman Middle School AmeriCorps VISTA service member who is organizing the effort to set up the food pantry as requested by the principal, Utevia Tolbert and in coordination with the school counselors, Hilsman PTO, parents, and other community members. Funds have been raised through a school produce market at a total of $163. Hilsman has been awarded a $500 grant from ALDI. All of the funds will be used to purchase non-perishable food and hygiene products from the Northeast Georgia Food Bank as well as storage materials and office supplies. We plan to have the pantry up and running by mid-January. It will be located in the office of the school social worker Ms. Kellee Williams. The Food Pantry Coordinators will work with students/families to communicate how to access the pantry. 

Spanish

We have been given the District's approval to move forward and will implement Elevate K-12 in Spanish. This program will allow our students that were formerly served by Mr. Mundy to receive Spanish instruction live online at school. We will begin implementing the program January 14, 2019. A short video and more information are linked below to provide you with more insight about this great learning opportunity for our students.

Elevate K-12 Parent Letter

Elevate K-12

Elevate K-12 Presentation

Frequented Asked Questions Elevate K-12

Chorus

We have experienced great difficulty hiring and retaining a Chorus teacher this school year. At this time our students are divided among other Connection classes to provide them with a structured learning environment. We are continuing our search for a qualified candidate to serve our students. Thank you for patience and continued support!

Report Cards

Report cards will be sent home Thursday with the students. Parent Portal is not accessible at this time as teachers are working to post grades. It will reopen Friday.

New Additions

Please welcome Ms. Christy Navarro and Fabian Jones to the Panther Nation! Ms. Navarro is the new Registrar and is coming to us from Fowler Drive Elementary School. Mr. Fabian Jones will also officially join us as an Assistant Principal. Mr. Jones is no stranger to our community as he is a native of Athens and formerly served as the Director of Transportation. We are excited to have them join our team and is looking forward to a great rest of the school year!

Reminders

The doors of the school are open to students at 7:45 am.  I want to stress the importance of not dropping your child off at school before 7:45 am. This poses a huge safety concern as there is no supervision for students at this time. Students are also leaving campus to go to local stores and restaurants. To help ensure the safety of our students please do not drop your child off before 7:45 am. Remember class begins at 8:25 am and students arriving after this time will be marked tardy. 

Uniforms

Students should arrive at school Monday dressed in their uniform. Students are permitted to wear black or khaki bottoms (no jeans, leggings, or joggers). the shirts should be black, white, or gold polo style. They are not permitted to wear black shirts with black pants. Bandanas of any color are not permitted. Jackets or hoodies should be black, white, gold, or gray with minimum writing. Hilsman hoodies are permissible. Please be advised that this does not apply to outer coats. Students should leave outer coats in their homeroom along with their bookbags throughout the school day.

No Flex Zone

Please be reminded that students are not permitted to use their cell phones between the hours of 8:25 am-3:45 pm. Telephones are in every classroom and students will be allowed to call you if there is an emergency. If students' phones are confiscated by an administrator or the SRO they can be retrieved on Tuesdays and Thursdays between the hours of 4:00 pm-5:30 pm. 

Early Check-Out 

We respectfully ask that parents refrain from checking students out after 3:15 pm. If you must check your child out of school early please arrive before 3:15 pm and be sure to bring a picture id.


Grade Level Blogs-Please be sure to read your grade level blog for specific information for your child's grade.

6th Grade: hilsman6.blogspot.com

7th Grade: www.hilsman7.blogspot.com

8th Grade: http://hilsman8.blogspot.com/ 


The Week at a Glance

Monday
21st Century


Tuesday
21st Century

Wednesday
21st Century

Thursday
21st Century

Hilsman vs. BHL When: Thursday, January 10, 2019 Time: Girls - 4:30, Boys-5:30 Location: Hilsman Middle Gymnasium

Friday
21st Century