HMS March 2025 Newsletter

Principal Corner

Dear HMS Parents, Guardians, and Students,

March has arrived, bringing longer days, the first signs of spring, and plenty of exciting happenings at Hastings Middle School! As we move into the final stretch of the school year, I want to celebrate our students and staff and look ahead to what’s next.

I want to extend a huge thank you to all the families who attended parent-teacher conferences last month. These conversations play a vital role in supporting student success, and we appreciate your partnership in helping our students stay on track academically and socially. If you were unable to attend but would still like to connect with teachers, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re always happy to collaborate!

I want to recognize the dedication of our teachers and staff in providing students with the best learning experiences possible. We are also gathering feedback on student experiences to ensure we continue strengthening our Raider Way expectations.

Spring is a time for renewal, growth, and preparation for the next steps. Whether that means tackling MCA testing or just taking a moment to appreciate the progress we’ve made this year.

Thank you for your ongoing support, and let’s keep the momentum going!

Go Raiders!

Ryan Wynn
Principal
Hastings Middle School

Quick Updates

March Events

4 5/6 Choir Concert:
Grade 5 at 6:30 pm, Grade 6 at 7:30 pm
(HMS Auditorium)
6 7/8 Choir Concert:
Grade 7 at 6:30 pm, Grade 8 at 7:30 pm
(HMS Auditorium)
17- 21 Spring Break
27 HMS/HHS Jazz Concert
(HHS Auditorium)

Looking Ahead: April Events

1 Children's Concert: Spiral Singers
(HHS Auditorium)
4 End of Quarter 3
4 5/6 Dance Hosted by Student Council
6:30-8 pm (HMS Cafeteria)
10 Play: Sally Cotter and the Quest We Follow
7 pm (HMS Auditorium)
11 Play: Sally Cotter and the Quest We Follow
7 pm (HMS Auditorium)
15 Reading MCAs Grades 5-8
16 Reading MCAs Grades 5-8
22 Future 5th Grade Spring Orientation
6-7pm (HMS Auditorium)
22 Math MCAs Grades 5-8
23 Math MCAs Grades 5-8
24 HMS Jazz Night (HMS Gym)
25 7/8 Dance Hosted by Student Council
6:30-8 pm (HMS Cafeteria)
30/May 1 Science MCAs Grades 5 and 8

Scholastic Book Fair

Get ready--the Scholastic Book Fair is coming to Hastings Middle School! This is a great opportunity to connect with your child over the thrill of bringing home new books to dive into again and again. A love of independent reading boosts academic success.

Family Event Dates: March 4 and March 6 from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm

Location: Near the Hastings Middle School Auditorium

Our Book Fair homepage: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/hastingsmiddleschool

Visit our Book Fair homepage to set up a Book Fair eWallet, the digital payment account that allows your child to shop for books at the Fair without cash.

Lockdown Drills

The lockdown drill dates are listed below:

Thursday, March 6 at 2:10 p.m.
Friday, March 7 at 9:30 a.m.
Tuesday, March 11 at 10:30 a.m.
Wednesday, March 12 at 1:20 p.m.
Wednesday, April 3 at 8:40 a.m.

The first drill on March 6 will include a brief safety video, which you can view here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXG-Svddm1c&t=1s.

6th Grade Parents

A reminder that students entering 7th grade for the 2025-26 school year need to have TDap and Meningitis vaccines before the 2025-26 school year. Call nurse Rachel Propst with any questions at 651-480-7073.

Lost and Found

Lost and found items are primarily located near the gym. These include clothing, water bottles, hats, and similar items, which students can collect during the school day. After school, students and families can access these items by entering through the gymnasium doors.

Smaller valuables, such as headphones and jewelry, are kept at the Welcome Center. These can be retrieved during school hours or after school until 3:30 pm.

Lost and found donations will occur on the following dates:
April 17th
June 6th

Please remind your child to look for any missing items!

Student Illness

We are seeing a rise in student illness. We understand that when students feel ill, their first thought is to connect with a parent/guardian. Please remind your child to report to the nurse when feeling ill so we can follow our process for connecting with home. When a student reaches out first to a parent/guardian, this can cause confusion and goes against our cell phone policy. We strive for the best communication lines between school and parents/guardians and appreciated your support with this!

Reporting Absences Online

Parents/guardians can now submit full day absence requests directly through their Infinite Campus Parent Portal account. This can be used to inform the school attendance office in advance when your child is not going to be in school. This may be done using a computer or the Campus Parent Portal app on your mobile device. The portal absence request process is only available for full day absence requests. Absence requests for late arrivals or leave early requests must still be done by contacting the school attendance office. You also still have the option of calling the attendance office to report full day absences if you prefer. If you do not have a parent portal account, contact Lori Marsh at 651-480-7084 or lmarsh@isd200.org. More information including step by step instructions for how to submit an absence request directly through your portal account can be found on our website. Link: https://www.hastings.k12.mn.us/o/hps/page/attendance

Parent Lunch

Parent/guardians are welcome to eat lunch with their student. Please alert Rachel Gust in the Welcome Center 24 hours in advance either by phone (651-480-7062) or email (rgust@isd200.org). When notifying Rachel Gust, please state the day you planning on coming in to eat lunch and your child's name/grade level. To enter the building, you will need to show your driver's license as part of our check in system.

Grade Level Lunch Times are Below:
Grade 5 11:47-12:12
Grade 6 12:16-12:41
Grade 7 11:19-11:44
Grade 8 10:50-11:15

Drop Off/Pick Up Reminders

As a friendly reminder, please help us keep our drop-off and pick-up process running smoothly and safely for everyone.

Recently, we've noticed an increase in cars parking or stopping in the drop-off lane, causing traffic backups to Pine Street, and some vehicles entering the bus corral near Door 16 during pick-up times. These practices create safety concerns for students walking and biking and disrupt bus traffic.

To ensure the line moves efficiently and to maintain safety for all:

Avoid parking or stopping in the drop-off lane. This area is meant for quick drop-offs only.
Use the designated parking lot pick-up areas and avoid entering the bus corral.
Be mindful of others and keep the line moving by pulling forward as space becomes available.

We understand the colder weather can make things more challenging, and we appreciate your cooperation in maintaining a safe and efficient process for all students and families.

Thank you for your attention to this matter and for your continued support!

Academics

Academic Support
Quarter 3
January 22nd to April 4th
If you need assistance logging into the Parent Portal and Schoology, reach out to Lori Marsh.
Lori Marsh
lmarsh@isd200.org
651-480-7084

Schoology Help Video of the Month

Parent Notifications-Helping you stay connected

As a parent you have the option to turn on notifications regarding your students assignments, grades, and overdue work. You also have an option to get information via an email digest. This video will show you how to set this up for your student(s). This is only available to parent accounts, so this is not something that can be accessed through student accounts.

If you would like step by step directions on how to setup email digests for your parent account, you can go to the following link from Schoology, Email Digest Directions

If you do not have a parent login for Schoology and are ready to set it up, please contact Lori Marsh in the middle school counseling office at lmarsh@isd200.org. After you have your account setup you can watch this helpful video to see a brief overview of the benefits of Schoology parent.

AVID

Advancement Via Individual Determination

AVID is:

A program designed to increase thinking, processing, and sharing of information.

A 30 year record of proving that given the right resources and tools for academic rigor and support, virtually all students can be academically successful.

AVID Schoolwide Encourages:

Responsible use of daily planner
Organizational tools
Setting goals
Time management skills
Note-taking strategies
Inquiry and critical thinking skills
Collaborative learning
Effective reading strategies for increased comprehension
Building a community of learners

Living the Raider Way

We are fortunate to have PBIS at our school!
To find out more information on PBIS (living the Raider Way) check out this link on our website.

Student Opportunities

Encourage your student to be involved in HMS Athletics and Activities!
To learn more access our athletic and activities pages:
Athletics
Activities

Spring sport registration is now open!
Spring Sports for Grades 5-8 include:
Track and Field (Boys and Girls)
Tennis (Boys)
Spring sports begin Monday, March 31st. All registered participants should meet in the gym afterschool on the firs day to meet coaches. Make sure to have your child dress for the weather.
See the above athletics link for more information and how to register.

Parent Partnership

Parent partnership is one an important part of making Hastings Middle School a success! Whether it’s through volunteering your time or contributing resources, your support can make a big difference.

PTA Membership: Our PTA is looking for parents/guardians to help support students and staff! Meetings are on the second Monday of each month at 6:30pm in the HMS media center. Contact the Middle School PTA with questions or interest at: hastingsmiddlepta@gmail.com.
Volunteer at the Raider Cove: Students earn Raider Recognition tickets and can exchange the tickets for some fun things! 2-3 parents/guardian volunteers are needed to run the Raider Cover each Friday from 10:30am-1:00pm. Sign up for a shift or few on this link.
Donate Items to Support the Raider Cove: Any items purchased through this Amazon link is appreciated! Amazon PTA Link

7th Grade Shout Out!

Grade 7 recently completed a "Pop Tab Challenge" to see which house, Blue or Gold, could collect the most pop tabs to donate to The Ronald McDonald house in Rochester, MN. The pop tabs were donated in honor of an HMS staff member whose family has been staying at The Ronald McDonald House as the staff member's child receives medical care. 7th graders donated by collecting pop tabs from friends and family and earned bags of pop tabs to give to their advisory collections that were donated by members of the Hastings Community. In the end it is estimated that 50 pounds of pop tabs were collected, proving the lessons of our recent Courage Retreat, "One small act = a lot of good for someone else!" Way to go, 7th graders!!

Raider Rockstars!

A Standing Ovation for Our Exceptional Students!

We are proud to celebrate the incredible students who exemplify the Raider Way! Your dedication, leadership, and commitment to excellence make a meaningful impact on our community. Keep shining and striving for greatness!