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TIGER
From the Principal:
What an exciting and busy school year it has been at Hastings Middle School! It’s hard to believe another year is almost over. I hope your child had a great experience this year and was able to grow both academically and socially. Our students excelled in the classroom, on stage, in athletics, and in different leadership roles. We should all be very proud of our kids and look forward to what the future holds for them. Thank-you parents for all that you do to support your students, the teachers, and our school.
By the time you get this newsletter, we should be finished with our NeSA (Nebraska State Accountability) Testing. All grades were tested in reading and math, and the 8th graders also took a science test. This was the first year that all testing had to be done on computers, which was a new challenge for everyone. We don’t know for sure how our students did yet, but we know they worked hard and gave their best effort.
As you know, the last few weeks of school can be a very busy time. Our teachers will do their best to keep students focused and actively engaged.
Please help encourage your children to come to school and finish out the year strong. There are a lot of activities scheduled during May. The 8th graders’ last day will be Wednesday, May 15 and the 6th and 7th graders’ last day will be Thursday, May 16. The 8th graders do not have to attend on May 16, but will need to report to the high school at 1:30 to get ready for 8th Grade Promotion at 2:00
no cost and those who have been recommended for summer school will receive a letter in the mail. If your child does not receive a letter, but is still interested, forms can be picked up at the middle school office.
This has been an enjoyable year working with your students. For those students heading to the high school, we wish great things for you and your future. For students coming back to HMS, we can’t wait to see you in the fall!! In the meantime, have a safe and enjoyable summer!
David Essink
Principal
Health Notes
1. All students in every grade must have received two chicken pox (varicella) shots or have had the chicken pox disease. Please check on your student’s immunizations to make sure you have this requirement met.
2. All students entering 7th grade must have a physical exam before school starts in August. Forms were included in your midterm grade mailings. Completed exam forms must be turned in to the school before school begins in August. If your child plans to participate in athletics, the exam must be done after May 1. (May 1 and May 8, are the community physicals)
3. Students entering 7th grade are also required to have a Tdap immunization. An immunization report must be turned in with the physical exam form.
Awards Ceremony
6 A MAY 14 11:00-11:45 Multi-purpose room
6 B MAY 15 11:10-11:45 Multi-purpose room
7 A MAY 16 11:00-12:00 Multi-purpose room
7 B MAY 14 2:00-3:30 Multi-purpose room
8 A MAY 15 1:10-2:30 Multi-purpose room
8 B MAY 15 1:00-2:30 Commons
THE MIDDLE SCHOOL OFFICE WILL BE OPEN DURING THE SUMMER FROM 7:30-4:00
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
SCHEDULE PICK UP WILL BE AUGUST 8
9:00-10:00 8th GRADE
1:00-2:00 6TH Grade
10:30-11:30 7TH GRADE
6:30 PM 6th Grade/New Student PARENT MEETING
6TH GRADE
As we wind down the school year, it is time to start thinking of our end of the year festivities.
MAY 16
All students in good standing academically and behaviorally will get to go bowling at Pastime Lanes and watch a movie at Imperial Theater. Our students get an excellent deal for an entire day of fun: $5.00 includes two games of bowling with shoe rental and the movie! Look for more information to come home as this event gets closer.
HEALTHY CHOICES DAY
Speakers from throughout our community will come and inform our sixth graders about fun and safe ways to get involved in the community, both with activities and volunteer opportunities, during the summer months.
Even though the end of school is drawing near, we have a number of important things to accomplish during the rest of this school year. Please encourage your student to have good study habits, complete homework, and follow school expectations.
7th Grade
4. Parents of students with special health care needs should schedule a time to meet with the school nurse before school begins in August.
7TH grade reading students will be entering the world of The Outsiders. Pony Boy, Johnny and the gang will be teaching lessons about friendship and family that they can apply to their lives. This is a great way to end our year.
In science, students are wrapping up ecology and will be discussing human impact on the environment and the world. The year will end with the dissection of both the worm and the frog. Also, the HMS garden is coming along. Several plants have been started and the outside work is progressing. There will be an outside workday on Saturday, April 27, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Everyone is invited to come and help. Lunch will be served, so feel free to come and help out and get your hands dirty!
Social studies students are busy studying colonization and life in colonial times. This will lead the students into the American Revolution. Some classes will be doing some ibook research as they finish up the year.
English students are vigorously preparing their persuasive writing projects. They will finish with a debate and then will be starting poetry. They will be expressing their creative writing skills with a poetry slam.
Math students have been reviewing the last couple of weeks to prepare for the state math test. After the test, students will be diving into the world of algebra. Some of the topics that students will be learning about are square roots, solving multi-step equations, and graphing linear functions.
8TH GRADE
English—thanks to everyone for their great effort on the State Writing and State Reading tests. Official scores will not be available until sometime this summer. English classes will be working on parts of speech for the remainder of the school year. We will also tackle a persuasive writing essay before we send our students off to the high school. The final L to J test will be the beginning of May. Start studying those flashcards.
Math—In pre-algebra students are working on how to interpret charts and graphs. They will finish out the year working with measurements including area, volume and surface. Algebra students are in a unit on quadratics. Ask them to tell you the quadratic formula! We are proud of the goals that our students have set to improve their math skills in preparation for the NeSA test and for mastering the 8th grade learning objectives. Thanks for supporting your student—we appreciate it.
HMS WILL BE HOSTING THE 1ST ANNUAL SCIENCE FAIR FOR 8TH GRADE THIS YEAR ON MAY 2.
Projects will be presented on tri-folds and judged by community members. Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Slechta are excited to share what students have learned at HMS in regards to scientific inquiry.
