Hello HMS parents,
Unfortunately due to low participation from the involved middle schools, Operation Snowflake has been cancelled for Friday, February 24th and will not be rescheduled for this school year. If you have submitted a registration form and payment, they will be sent home with your child this week.
Thank you for your support and if you have any questions or concerns, please contact Mary Lynch or Stacie Popowski at HMS.
Operation Snowflake will be take place Friday, February 24 from 3:00-8:00 p.m. at Hinsdale Central High School.
Operation Snowflake is an annual event hosted by Hinsdale Central High School students to share conversations and knowledge involving: communication skills, positive mental attitude, peer pressure, self-esteem, improving relationships, and the reality of high school. Your child will get to meet and make new friends from surrounding middle schools, while working in small and large groups to promote social and emotional development. It will be teens working with teens!
Registration forms are available in the HMS Student Services Office. You can also access the form by clicking here. Forms are due to the HMS Student Services office by Friday, February 17th.
This event is sure to provide your child with FRIENDS, FACTS, FOOD and FUN!
If you have questions, please contact Mary Lynch or Stacie Popowski.
WWII Day Volunteers Needed – 8th Grade Parents
World War II Day at HMS will take place on Friday, March 10, 2017.
The PTO needs 8th grade parent volunteers to chaperone the veterans, staff the check-in table, act as parking lot attendants, provide and/or maintain food and beverages, and provide general assistance as floaters.
Volunteers should plan on being at HMS from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome to stay after lunch to hear a moving account by a Holocaust survivor. World War II Day is one of the highlights of the 8th grade year and we are sure you will enjoy being a part of this inspiring event. Please click here to volunteer.
Join us at our next PTO meeting as HMS social workers discuss anxiety among middle schoolers. Social workers will share insights into the world of middle schoolers, help us to understand the drivers of stress and anxiety, and provide suggestions as to how we help our children cope. The PTO meeting will take place on Friday, February 10th at 9am in the MRC. (Please note date change.)
Hope to see you there!
There’s still time to reserve your Team Table for Trivia Night, HMS PTO’s only fundraiser this year!
– Match Wits and Socialize with HMS Teachers
– Enjoy the talents of the HMS Jazz Ensemble
– Auction items donated by Mr. Pena and Mr. May that your KIDS will not want to miss out on!
Event Date is February 24th! Click Here for Flyer
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If you cannot attend, please consider making a Direct Donation at the bottom of the Ticket Order Form
If you have any questions, please contact Janet Lahr and Carol Stephenson at VPFunding@hmspto.org
We’re now on Facebook
Community Welcomed to “Mindful Parenting” Speaker Series Event
The next event in the Community Speaker Series hosted collaboratively by District 181 and District 86 is “Mindful Parenting” with Dr. Kristen Race. She will be presenting on Tuesday, February 7 at The Community House (7pm) and Wednesday, February 8 at The Community House (9:30am). Registration is requested and can be completed online; visit www.d181foundation.org for details. Event Overview: “Between academic pressures, over-scheduled after-school activities, homework, and demanding careers, parents today find it difficult just to get dinner on the table. Dr. Race speaks directly to today’s busy families who make up what she calls ‘Generation Stress’ and presents an alternative – a mindful approach. Drawing on the latest research, Dr. Race shows how mindfulness helps us and our children feel happier, healthier, calmer, less anxious, less stressed, and more focused. This humorous and engaging talk provides simple solutions that move us from surviving in our family lives to thriving.”
Registration for returning students entering Grades 1-8 is slated to begin after spring break. Please visit our website for more information about D181 registration.
D181 is Seeking Your Input on School Times and Special Education
We are interested in your feedback on two very important topics. Two online surveys are open now through February 7. The first survey is focused on the concept of potentially changing our school start and end times, with three options being presented for consideration, including an option to leave the times as they are now. Your input is essential in helping to inform a recommendation to the Board of Education. Click here to access the School Start Time Survey. The second survey seeks feedback on services provided to special education students, as well as topics for future professional development and training. Click here to access the Special Education Survey. Your input is truly appreciated as we consider the best ways to invest time and resources in support of our students.
Simplify Summer Planning with the Summer Camp Expo
All community members are invited to the annual D181 Summer Camp Expo, taking place Thursday, March 9 at Prospect School (6-8:30pm). This is a one-stop-shop to meet with exhibitors one-on-one and learn about local and regional overnight camps, sports camps, fine arts programs, science and educational camps, recreation activities, and more. New exhibitors are added every year. Children are welcome, and no registration is needed.
There will be an informational meeting for all girls interested in learning more about the spring season of Heart & Sole. It will be held Tuesday, February 7th, in Room 221. It will start at 3:00 and will end before 3:30. It is open to all HMS girls!
If you can’t make the informational meeting, please come by Rm. 221 for a handout with important information and registration instructions.
Heart & Sole is part of the national program of Girls on the Run. The Heart & Sole program was specifically created to meet the developmental needs and interests of girls in grades 6-8. Girls on the Run® is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to creating a world where every girl knows and activates her limitless potential and is free to boldly pursue her dreams.
Meeting twice a week in small teams of 8-15 girls, we teach life skills through dynamic, conversation-based lessons and running games. The 20-lesson curriculum is taught by certified Girls on the Run coaches and includes three parts: understanding ourselves, valuing relationships and teamwork and understanding how we connect with and shape the world at large.
Running is used to inspire and motivate girls, encourage lifelong health and fitness, and build confidence through accomplishment. At each season’s conclusion, the girls and their running buddies complete a 5k running event. Completing a 5k gives the girls a tangible sense of achievement as well as a framework for setting and achieving life goals. The result—making the seemingly impossible, possible and teaching girls that they can.
For more information about Girls on the Run and Heart & Sole click here.
– Our season will start on March 7th.
– We meet Tuesdays & Thursdays, 3:00 – 4:15, starting in Rm. 221
– Our culminating event is the Girls on the Run/Heart & Sole 5K held on May 13th in Joliet, IL
Barnes & Noble’s “My Favorite Teacher Writing Contest” is officially under way. Students write an essay, poem, or thank-you letter (500 words or less, in English on 8.5″ x 11″ white paper) sharing how a teacher has influenced their life and why they appreciate and admire them. Each entry should be submitted with the entry form and a parent or legal guardian must sign the entry form acknowledging that they have read the Official Contest Rules. Entries are judged on the compelling nature of the teacher’s inspiring qualities, the sincerity of the student’s appreciation and the quality of expression and writing.
The local winning teacher and nominating student will be recognized at an event held at the Oak Brook Barnes & Noble in spring of 2017. Each regional winner will receive a $500 Barnes & Noble Gift Card and a NOOK by Samsung device. From the pool of regional winners, Barnes & Noble will name one teacher the “Barnes & Noble National Teacher of the Year.” The winning teacher will receive $5,000 and the title of “Barnes & Noble National Teacher of the Year.” The national winner will be recognized at a special community celebration at their local Barnes & Noble store, and the winning teacher’s school will receive $5,000. The student who writes the national winning essay, poem or thank-you letter will win a $500 Barnes & Noble Gift Card and a NOOK.
Submissions must be received in our store by March 1, 2017. Only middle and high school students and active teachers are eligible to win. Click here for more details about contest rules.
District 181 is hosting a Hinsdale Middle School Construction Update event on Tuesday, January 24th at HMS from 6:30-7:30pm. All community members are welcomed; no registration is required. This session will be an opportunity for the administration, construction partners, and Village leaders to meet with residents interested in learning more about all key aspects of the project, including timeline, budget, design, and site logistics, as the on-site work is scheduled to begin this spring. There will also be time for community Q&A. For more information, call 630.861.4924 or visit the district website.
Click here to see attached flyer
