Middle School -

Extended Absences--Occasionally, a parent or guardian may decide it is important to remove the student from school. While the school does not approve of such absences, it will be responsive to family needs and wishes. Parents may request work a maximum of two (2) days in advance; however, teachers are not required to prepare detailed advance assignments or assist students who have prearranged absences. Please keep in mind the Saginaw County Truancy policy mentioned in previous posts when planning student absences from school.

Communication--Collaboration--Creativity--Critical Thinking. What does have to do with gummy worms and paper clips? If your child is in one of our STEAM classes today with Mrs. Kato, ask them when you are together what they worked on today. These 4C's are the kinds of skills that will make all of our students more successful in their classroom, post-high school, and in the careers. We practice them every day in many different ways.

Parents and students can access the middle school student handbook on the district website at https://www.hemlockps.com/o/middle-school/documents

Welcome Back! We're excited to get started!! Please remember, parents, to pull as far ahead as possible in the lineup to drop your child off, regardless of which for they are headed to. Let's have smooth traffic flow. Have a great day!!

What's going on? WEEKLY SCHOOL EVENTS NOTIFICATION One of our school district goals is to provide parents and students with complete and up to date information regarding school activities and events. This is accomplished in many ways. We post upcoming events on our school sign; we maintain a building Twitter and Facebook page; we post daily announcements to the middle school portion of the district app; we provide parents and students with e-mail access to staff; we provide parents and their designees secure access to their student(s) grades and attendance information via Skyward; we provide automated calls each day notifying parents of student absence; we staff our office each school day from 6:45 AM to 3:30 PM; and we provide regular calls/emails to parents detailing school events for the ensuing weeks using the district messaging system. This regular event notification is intended to be as comprehensive as possible at the time it is sent. Parents should still arrange for receipt of daily announcements to ensure that information is as up to date as possible.

Back to School starting Monday! Time for some reading, writing and 'rithmetic.

DIRECTORY INFORMATION and STUDENT IMAGE INFORMATION Directory information may be released to the public unless such release is objected to, in writing, by the parent or guardian at the beginning of each school year but no later than September 15. You may opt to exclude your child from being photographed here at school or to exclude any distribution of photos taken of your child by notifying the office of your wishes in writing.

Effort will go a long ways in helping you be successful in school. Effort means being in school every day, paying attention in class, using class time wisely, completing and turning in assigned work, studying until you have mastered material, and keeping track of your progress so you know what your standing is in each class and how to improve it.

HMS LUNCH PERIODS AND CAFETERIA PROCEDURES It is each student’s responsibility to act in an orderly fashion, be well mannered at all times, and clean up after her/himself. Failure to do so will result in disciplinary action. A. Food and drinks must remain in the cafeteria area unless special arrangements are made with your teacher. If you bring your lunch or buy it in the cafeteria, please finish eating it before you leave. B. Areas of the building where classes are in session are closed to traffic during the lunch periods. C. Students must remain on school grounds during the lunch periods. D. Students will properly dispose of the lunch refuse as directed.

Good school attendance is...

GOT POP or OTHER DRINKS? Please remember that drinks except for water are not allowed in classrooms or hallways. Drinks must be consumed in the cafeteria during non-class times.

Should you need to contact someone here at school for assistance, please email that person directly or use the following information to get started: SCHOOL PERSONNEL AND INFORMATION PRINCIPAL: Terry W. Keyser keyser@hemlockps.com ATHLETIC DIRECTOR: Frank Yell yell@hemlockps.com COUNSELOR: Jamie Otter otter@hemlockps.com DIRECTORY OF TEACHERS: https://www.hemlockps.com/o/middle-school/staff OFFICE HOURS: 6:30-3:30 PHONE: 989.642.5253 WEBSITE: www.hemlockps.com For ease of usage, get the district app--use your phone's app store to search for Hemlock Public School District to download the app. Also check out our Hemlock Middle School Facebook and Twitter pages.

Research shows that missing 10 percent of the school, or about 18 days in most school districts, negatively affects a student’s academic performance. That’s just two days a month and that’s known as chronic absence.

Getting a good education is a two-way street between students, school staff and parents. With that in mind, the following are the expectations we expect to meet ourselves as well as those expected from our students: Hemlock Middle School Student/School Contract Student: I understand that as a student of the Hemlock Middle School I agree to the following: I will come to school ready to learn and work actively for success. I will attend all classes on any day school is scheduled and remain in class unless released by the teacher. I will be punctual and prepared for class; submit each day’s work completed as directed; and fully utilize materials provided for planning.. I will work to reach the highest expectation and be responsible for my actions. I will respect our school and private property when on school grounds. I will be courteous and respectful of each person’s right to an education, to instruction and to be instructed. I will respect our school staff members and not criticize them. I will participate in learning conflict resolution. I will make my parents/guardians aware of parent/guardian-teacher conferences and encourage them to attend. I will adhere to state laws and district policies concerning drugs, alcohol, weapons, assault, and harassment. I will maintain appropriate behavior on school grounds, under the jurisdiction of school personnel. I will be involved in at least one extracurricular activity during the school year. I will complete make-up assignments when absent. I will respect other people’s ideas and opinions. I will remain fully informed of these written expectations. School: As a school, in order to give students every opportunity to be successful, we agree to the following: 1. We will make every effort to provide you with a safe environment. 2. We will offer to you challenging instruction in a respectful environment. 3. We will offer a variety of extracurricular activities. 4. We will notify your parents/guardians whenever there is an unusual situation involving you. 5 We will treat you and your parents/guardians with respect. 6. We will give you the necessary time and help to learn conflict resolution skills.

Ready to Ride the School Bus? School bus transportation is provided for all students living within the confines of the school district. This privilege may be denied for improper conduct while riding the bus. The length of this denial may vary from one day to the complete school year depending on the number of times reported and the seriousness of the misconduct. Students are not allowed to ride a different bus to another student’s home. Each driver reviews the basic rules and regulations regarding riding a bus with his/her students. He/she has authority to stop the bus to talk with a student who is not conducting himself/herself properly and to report the student to the bus supervisor and/or principal. Proper disciplinary action will be reported to parents or guardians. When your child remains after school or is required to serve a detention, transportation is the responsibility of the parents/guardians. Students are required to travel by bus to and from extra-curricular activities unless prior arrangements are made in writing through the office.

Did you know?...Students who missed 2 or more days in September were significantly more likely to be chronically absent for the year. In fact, • Students who missed 2 to 4 days in September were 5 times more likely to be chronically absent than students who were absent fewer than 2 days • Students who missed more than 4 days were over 16 times as likely to be chronically absent than students who were absent fewer than 2 days This suggests that parents and schools need to pay attention to student attendance from the earliest days in September, and intervene to get students back on track quickly.

What do students do after school is over for the day? When school is not in session, students are to leave school property. Students should leave immediately after dismissal unless under direct supervision of a teacher or coach. Athletes/special group activity members are to leave the building until their group is scheduled to depart. Our library is open for student use from 7:00 AM until 4:00 PM each day. Students remaining here for any reason should stay in the library engaged in school work.

Saginaw County truancy policy requires us to report all absences, regardless of reason, to the Intermediate School District and to send written absence notifications to parents regularly. The county does not differentiate between excused absences and unexcused absences. We believe, and the court system supports, that students should be in school every day for their maximum academic potential to be realized. Please keep this in mind when planning your student’s day around things such as health professional appointments, family vacations, etc. We are required to report excessive (TEN OR MORE DAYS PER SEMESTER) student absences of any reason to the county truancy office for follow-up. We will contact parents/guardians by letter when your child has been absent four (4) and eight (8) times before contacting the truancy authorities.

Does your child ride the bus? The district provides bus transportation to and from school for students. A list of bus stops is published at the beginning of the school year before student registration. Parents/guardians must at the beginning of the school year select a bus stop at which the students to be picked up, and a stop at which a student has to be dropped off. Students are not permitted to ride a bus other than the bus to which they are assigned. Exceptions must be approved in advance by the transportation supervisor. When students are on the bus, they are under the supervision of the bus driver. In most cases, bus discipline problems can be handled by the bus driver. In the case of a written disciplinary referral, student bus problems will be investigated and handled by the transportation supervisor. Parents will be informed of any and all inappropriate student behavior on the bus. Parents are encouraged to discuss bus safety and appropriate behavior with her children before the beginning of the school year and regularly during the year. In the interest of the student safety, students are expected to observe the following rules: Choose a seat and sit in and immediately upon entering the bus. Do not stand in the interest or in the isles. Do not move from one state to another while on the bus. Keep all parts of the body and all objects inside the bus. Loud conversation, singing, boisterous activity, unnecessary noise, or profanity is not allowed. Enter and exit the bus only when the bus is fully stopped. All school rules apply while on the bus, at a bus stop, or waiting for the bus. Use emergency door only in an emergency. In the event of emergency stay on the bus and await instructions from the bus driver. Good behavior and behavior that will not distract the bus driver from operating the bus safely as required. Crowding, pushing, scuffling, and other needless commotion are grounds for disciplinary action. Do not open windows unless Directed to do so by the bus driver. Keep the bus neat and clean. Athletic footwear equipped with cleats or spikes are not allowed on the bus. Inappropriate behavior will be be reported to school authorities and failure to observe safety rules may result in suspension from bus services.

Back to School Anxiety? Read this article! https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2017/08/28/545393966/how-to-counter-back-to-school-anxiety