Hines Herald 2020-2021 Second Quarter News
News from Hines Middle School
Home of the Spartans
Mark your Calendar
11/11— Veterans’ Day
11/11— Hines Fundraiser Due,
See Page 3 for details
11/11— Report Cards posted in
ParentVue & StudentVue
11/16-20-American Education Week
11/17 — Hines Monthly Parent Forum
11/17—School Board Meeting , 6:30
11/25-27—Thanksgiving Holiday
Schools are Closed
12/01-15—Magnet Schools Virtual
Open Houses
12/15—School Board Meeting, 6:30
12/21-01/03—Winter Break
Schools are Closed
01/04—Schools Reopen
01/08—Magnet School Applications
Due ,See Page 9
01/18—Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Schools are Closed
01/19—School Board Meeting, 6:30
01/27—2nd 9-Weeks MP Ends
01/28-29—TWD and Regional PD
Schools are Closed
Please check your Canvas page for
announcements and Hines events daily!
Please Sign In at the table
inside the front door upon arrival to HMS.
Thank you !
Important Numbers Office: 591-4878, press 5
Fax: 591-0119
Clinic: 591-4878, press 3
Cafeteria: 591-4878, press 4
Table of Contents
Communication…………...2
FOCUSED on HMS……. 3-9
One Down Three to Go!
We have survived the 1st 9-weeks of school together !
All of US working and learning Together! Students
have survived coming to school via Zoom and learn-
ing Canvas! Congratulations! Give yourselves a
BIG round of applause! And, a HUGE THANK YOU to parents and families for being supportive and
working through this anxious time in your lives!
We understand that this situation is not ideal and we would rather be at the school with col-
leagues and students than apart, but we do want to be safe and not contribute to spreading
COVID to our families or yours, so for now, this is the safest environment during this pan-
demic. There is so much unknown, we need to continue to move forward doing our best to
learn together!
We have a staff member who sends out “Mindfulness“ messages every Monday, her name is
Jamicia Davis. These are just a few of the messages we have received:
Purposeful — The last months have been different for everyone. As we leave the house we
have to remind ourselves to wear a mask, wash our hands, and social distance. We just have
to think of it as taking steps and know that we are in this together for the health and well-
being of all. Take a few breaths in and slowly exhale, relax and be grateful. — We can do it!
Embracing Change—It’s important to acknowledge the ways school is going to look different
this year. What are you nervous/anxious about? Choose to stay positive and give yourself
time to adapt. Showing up is the first step. — We’ve done that, check the box!
Motivation — How do you motivate yourself to get started/take action? Choose to try, once
you get started you can see it begin to take shape and once you experience success your moti-
vation will grow and carry you through. — Got it!
We look forward to a productive and successful year working together at Hines!
“Hines IS where the heart is”
Are you Hungry? Curbside Dinner, Breakfast & Lunch Available
at Hines Middle School
Hines Café Workers prepare FREE meals Monday-Friday for Curbside Pick-Up 4:00-5:00 PM. Pick up hot evening meals and get breakfast and lunch for the next day. Drive up and tell them how many meals you need, pop your trunk, and be nourished. A service from NNPS Child Nutrition Services Free for all children
HINES
HEROES
CARE
HMS Canvas
Since returning to school in the fall, your student’s Canvas page has been an integral part of delivering news of events, activities, and surveys. The Announcements tab is located at
the top of the page.
Connect 5
Connect 5 is the system that makes computerized phone calls to families about important events. Please provide regular updates of your email addresses, home and cell numbers to the main office so that you will receive Connect 5 communication.
Conferences In addition to an individual meeting with your child’s teacher, conferences are a great way to assemble a group of people to discuss your student’s successes or areas of concern. While it is difficult to have an actual face-to-face meeting at this time, it is possible to have one-on-one or teacher team Zoom conferences, please contact your student’s teacher, counselor, or administrator to request a conference.
E-mail is an efficient way to communicate about your student’s academic performance or for other reasons. Please allow 24 hours for a return e-mail from your child’s teacher/school staff.
Letters/Post Cards
Letters and post cards are additional ways a teacher or school staff might communicate about a stu-dent’s good behavior, academics, or citizenship. Letters from Hines will be sent home throughout the school year. Current addresses are requested; postage costs for undeliverable or returned mail add up!
ParentVue/StudentVue
Please sign up for this valuable tool in keeping up with your child success with ParentVue. There is also StudentVue for students to see their grades so they can keep themselves on task and up to date. During this time of Virtual education, this tool will serve as you and your student’s link to Report Cards and other important information regarding attendance and keep you and your student up to date on their progress in turned in assignments and class grades.
Telephone Calls
The majority of our teachers are working from their homes. You may leave a message with our office staff and they will forward your message to the classroom teachers. Please allow 24 hours for a return phone call.
Facebook, Twitter, and Hines Home Page
Please visit our Hines Home Page. There is a wealth of information on this page. Please check Hines Facebook for announcements and get a visual image of good things happening at HMS. NEW — The Living Tree APP —This new Engagement tool can be a very
useful communication tool in learning about activities and what is happening in your student’s classes and communicating with his/her teachers.
Safe line - See Something, Say Something
Our See Something, Say Something safe line is checked daily and our school staff works tirelessly in partnership with our students to ensure that HMS remains Safe. Please call 283-7855 to anonymously report incidents of unsafe behavior including bullying.
NNPS SafeSchools. NNPS Identification code: 1869 Download the SafeSchools Alert app
Visit the website http://1869.alert1.us Email your Tip to [email protected]
Call to report your tip 757-750-1854 Text your Tip to 757-750-1854
#HinesIsWhereTheHeartIs
Spartans are Respectful-Reflective-Resilient-Responsible-Positive-Readers
FOCUSED ON HMS!
Spartans, The deadline to participate
in our Hines Fall Fundraiser has been
extended to November 11, 2020.
To help us meet our goal, please reg-
ister at www.FundPrizes.com and
share the fundraiser with friends and
family. Orders will be sent directly to
buyers, so no sorting of orders and
making sure everyone gets what they
purchased.
Spartans help Hines meet their goal
so you can help turn Principal Gatz
into a human sundae — Even though
she is not looking forward to being
smothered in sticky whip cream and
chocolate syrup she is looking for a
successful fundraiser so we have the
funds to purchase items you need to
be successful, and items to keep fun
activities that you like at Hines!
DEADLINE EXTENDED TO NOVEMBER 11, 2020
In November we begin thinking about the upcoming holidays — honoring our Veterans on the
11th, celebrating American Education Week the 16-20th, eating well and being with family on
Thanksgiving.
Begin each day with gratitude. Look for the positive instead of focusing on what you can’t do or
where you can’t be. Count up the good things that you have and the good things you can do. Per-
form random acts of kindness and feel yourself being less stressed and less anxious. We nay not
be able to choose or control our circumstances, but we can choose our attitude toward those cir-
cumstances. Think Positive, Be Positive!
In Art Club, Mrs. Hodge and Mrs. Williams-Smith asked students to draw pictures or make
cards for veterans that were hurt to cheer them and show them that they have not been
forgotten, and to thank them for their service.
Let us ALL be Thankful for being able to be together as a Hines Family of
Students, Parents, Teachers & Staff! #HinesIsWhereTheHeartIs
FOCUSED ON HMS!
SEPTEMBER SPARTANS OF THE MONTH:
Arnez Knight
Elmer Sierra-Velasquez
Joshua Carter
Kelcey Thigpen
LaCari Scott
Lena Strickland-Nunez
Nila Thigpen
Z’niya Williams
OCTOBER SPARTANS OF THE MONTH:
Ameena Yon
Benjamin Perry
Dignalys Maisonet Ortiz
Machorne Ball
Makale Barnett
Ny’Anna Wilson
Raishaun Young-Swanigan
Vonnaisha Ryland
Zion Anderson
SPARTANS — Are YOU:
Coming to your Zoom classes EVERY day?
Participating in class discussions?
Completing assignment?
Turning them in on time?
You COULD be recognized and recommended by your teachers as a Hines Student of the Month!
The Spartan Patrol could show up at your house or apartment with a COOL sign and a bag of treats!
#HinesIsWhereTheHeartIs
Spartans are Respectful-Reflective-Resilient-Responsible-Positive-Readers
FOCUSED ON HMS!
Hines PTA Pease contact our PTA at
HMS PTA supports many
projects and programs at Hines.
Link your VIP card from Harris Teeter — an easy way to support the PTA
Keep sending in your Box Tops !
Get the Shoparoo App and link it to Hines PTA and snapshot your receipts
Check out our Facebook page!
https://m.facebook.com/hinespta
FOCUSED ON HMS!
Mrs. Hodge and Mrs. Williams-Smith distributed art supply packets
to students early in September so they would start art class with the
supplies they need. They enjoyed seeing their students bright faces.
Ms. Lee has been making short videos and
posting them on our Hines Facebook page and
#HinesIsWhereTheHeartIs on Twitter, showing
how to place a HOLD for books so students can
get them curbside . Please note
the following change — beginning
November 10th our scheduled
curbside day and time will be on
TUESDAYS, 4:00-5:00 PM
FOCUSED ON HMS!
NNPS Youth Development
For their annual ‘Day of Ser-vice” CNU Captains created a video welcoming 6th, 9th, and 12th grade students. CNU students will also assist with virtual activities, mentoring and providing academic support for our students. #NNPSTogether
Hines PBIS Team coordinated their first
stock event of the year “snow cones for
stocks” at Pelican’s Snowballs on Warwick
Boulevard. Keep earning those stocks!
These are definitely “Nacho” Average Administrators! They are very PROUD Administra-tors of Hines Middle School! Principal Gratz, 8th AP Ms. Epps and 7th AP Dr. Stafford.
6th AP Mr. Pettaway did get in on this picture of our Admin-
istrators wearing blue for Bullying Prevention and the Hines
Café staff wearing Blue in support of Say No Bullying.
Mrs. Kirsteatter is Ms. Piersol’s Morning
Meeting Buddy. They figured out how to
make a Pixon class picture of their class.
Cool! Their first picture is on the left and
they made the picture on the right for Hal-
loween. We may see more classes doing
this activity with their classes.
Mrs. Kirsteatter sent out the instructions
so other teachers could try this. Thanks!
FOCUSED ON HMS!
Spartans what are you reading? We hope you are reading the newspaper, the cereal box, directions in recipes so what you are making turns out delicious, and books you like to read.
Some of you like scary horror stories, strange fanta-sies, intriguing mysteries, realistic fiction novels full of drama, and graphic novels. Other students are knowledge seekers that love non-fiction because they want to know about the who, what, when, why, and how.
Spartans, we have all of those things available for you at your Hines Library! We are working in the library most days Monday thru Friday, 8:00 am—3:00 pm. Our designated date and time has changed for curbside pick-up to 4:00-5:00 pm on TUESDAYS, but you can call or e-mail us and we will meet you in the circle in front of the school with your book request.
All Hines students and staff have access to the school library database, Destiny Discover, through the Library tab on the Hines Home Page. Below is a quick link that takes you directly to the page so you can log in with your first.last name and your
password is your student number. — just click here and log in. Place a hold for the book(s) you want and we will get them ready for you to pick up.
If you still have books from the spring, you can drop them off anytime the school is open. We have moved the orange bookdrop to the front entrance of the school for easy access. There are no fines on overdue books, just bring them here or to any public school in Newport News and we will get them back .
Thanks and Enjoy Reading!
Recognizing the social nature of middle school students , Newport News middle schools offer a variety of enrichment activities that expose students to higher level thinking, real world application, and fun. Students may participate in stu-dent newsletter, anime, art club, Project Discovery, SCA and more. While a school staff person serves as the club or activ-ity sponsor, students are encouraged to become actively in-volved in establishing agendas and goals, recruiting and organ-izing its activities. Every club and activity offers students numerous opportunities to develop and hone their leadership skills, and explore and develop new talents to highlight their strengths. Most clubs and activities are held after school for 1 hour from 3:30-4:30 pm.
We encourage all Spartans to participate in an activity.
We will continue with our Spartan Academy which meets Monday thru Thursday afterschool from 3:15-5:30 PM. This program focuses on English and Math with tutors available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The Academy begins Sept 30th.
Afterschool Activities began at Hines on Monday, October 19th. Club dates and times are shown as an announcement on your Canvas page once you have been invited to the activity.
All clubs are meeting Virtually at this time through Zoom.
Listed below are all the clubs and activities:
Anime
Art Club
BLOOM
Books & More
Drama Club
English Help
FCCLA
GEMS
Live Well Club
Pep Band
Project Discovery
SCA
Spartan News
Youth Development
Youth Volunteer Corp
If you haven’t joined a club or activity, you can still join. You may have an idea for a club, just ask one of your teachers what they think about your idea and start a discussion to see if the club you want is doable. All OPEN Minds here!
FOCUSED ON FAMILIES
8TH GRADE SPARTANS —MARK YOUR CALENDARS AND GOOD LUCK!
SUCCESS: Don’t just wish for it, WORK FOR IT!