Dear Families in the Middle,

Good news! Hudson Middle School is getting ready to begin constructing the classroom and gymnasium addition on the south side of the school. A construction zone and safety barriers will begin appearing on the site beginning Monday, September 26, 2016. 

What does this mean for families, staff and community coming to the site?

• The parking lot immediately outside the Middle School Office on the south side of the school will be closed beginning September 26^th.
• Visitor parking will be available along the current bus lane on the west side of the school except during the following time periods
• 6:30-8:00 AM No Parking
• 2:00-3:00 PM No Parking  
• Access to the gated driveway along the south side of the school and along the east side will be closed.
• Access to the east side pool entrance will be closed.
• An alternate field and bleacher entrance will be created on the south west corner of the field.

Hudson Middle School Groundbreaking – Tuesday, October 18 at 6:00 PM

Please join our groundbreaking celebration on the south side of the Middle School site.

Community Information Meeting – Tuesday, October 18 at 7:00 PM

Following the groundbreaking celebration, a Community Information Meeting will be held in the Middle School Multipurpose Room. This community meeting will include a presentation on both the Middle School and High School projects. Representatives from Bray Architects, Kraus Anderson construction managers, and school district administration will be available to answer questions. 

Mrs. Ann Mitchell

Dear Families in the MIddle,

In the middle of the middle of September, we have a couple of invitations to share with you! 

Please mark your calendars for our Parent Chromebook Orientation Monday, September 19, 5:30 PM in the Media Center. John Kurkowski, Steve Schoeneker (Instructional Technology Coaches) and Jen Lotze (District Technology Coordinator) will share information to help you navigate use of the Chromebook, Google Classroom, School Blocks and our district website to support your child's learning at the middle level. ALL grade level parents are welcome! Our first fall Parent Group Network meeting follows at 6:30 PM, also in the Media Center. 

As a Learning Community, we are focusing on Knowing ourselves AND each other as learners. Asking thoughtful questions is one way to learn more about each other. Check out this blog post link for a terrific family KEY JAR idea! Please consider posting a question you've included in your family jar for others to try as well! 

TECHNOLOGY Council - Our district is changing the structure of the technology council. There will actually be two groups - a smaller group including one parent representative from each building, a teacher from each level, and administrative representation. This group will meet three times each year and will help to develop the agenda for the TILT meeting. The TILT (Technology Integration Leadership Team) will function as the tech council previously has, but will only consist of Hudson staff members. As we build the new Tech Council group, please use this link: Tech Council Application if you think you might be interested in representing our building as a middle school parent. The form will close on Friday, September 16. Ms. Jennifer lotze, District Technology Coordinator, will notify applicants when decisions are made.

We are in need of a Lifeguard at Hudson Middle School during the school day:
 7 hours / day 150 days / year
Please share and use this WECAN link to apply.

Lastly, we want to share with you a few reminders we shared with staff last week as we begin another school year: 

*Please review the cell phone and Personal Device Use guidelines for yourself and with your child Click Here

*Gum chewing by students is at the discretion of each teacher

*Water bottles are allowed and should be clear.

*A Chromebook advisory activity is required for all students to become familiar with the student and family handbook. Students will sign a form indicating their understanding of the information in the student family handbook by Friday, September 23. 

Thank you for your attentiveness to these reminders. We appreciate your questions and positive support of student learning! 

Sincerely,

Mrs. Ann Mitchell

Dear Families in the MIddle,

In the middle of the middle of September, we have a couple of invitations to share with you! 

Please mark your calendars for our Parent Chromebook Orientation Monday, September 19, 5:30 PM in the Media Center. John Kurkowski, Steve Schoeneker (Instructional Technology Coaches) and Jen Lotze (District Technology Coordinator) will share information to help you navigate use of the Chromebook, Google Classroom, School Blocks and our district website to support your child's learning at the middle level. ALL grade level parents are welcome! Our first fall Parent Group Network meeting follows at 6:30 PM, also in the Media Center. 

As a Learning Community, we are focusing on Knowing ourselves AND each other as learners. Asking thoughtful questions is one way to learn more about each other. Check out this blog post link for a terrific family KEY JAR idea! Please consider posting a question you've included in your family jar for others to try as well! 

TECHNOLOGY Council - Our district is changing the structure of the technology council. There will actually be two groups - a smaller group including one parent representative from each building, a teacher from each level, and administrative representation. This group will meet three times each year and will help to develop the agenda for the TILT meeting. The TILT (Technology Integration Leadership Team) will function as the tech council previously has, but will only consist of Hudson staff members. As we build the new Tech Council group, please use this link: Tech Council Application if you think you might be interested in representing our building as a middle school parent. The form will close on Friday, September 16. Ms. Jennifer lotze, District Technology Coordinator, will notify applicants when decisions are made.

We are in need of a Lifeguard at Hudson Middle School during the school day:
 7 hours / day 150 days / year
Please share and use this WECAN link to apply.

Lastly, we want to share with you a few reminders we shared with staff last week as we begin another school year: 

*Please review the cell phone and Personal Device Use guidelines for yourself and with your child Click Here

*Gum chewing by students is at the discretion of each teacher

*Water bottles are allowed and should be clear.

*A Chromebook advisory activity is required for all students to become familiar with the student and family handbook. Students will sign a form indicating their understanding of the information in the student family handbook by Friday, September 23. 

Thank you for your attentiveness to these reminders. We appreciate your questions and positive support of student learning! 

Sincerely,

Mrs. Ann Mitchell

Dear Families in the Middle,

Please forgive my oversight in not sharing more information about our Middle School Open House earlier! Our Middle School September Open House has a very similar purpose as the Elementary Meet Your Teacher evening. It is an opportunity for your child to show YOU around their middle-level learning community and also an opportunity for you to personally meet each of your child's teachers and for your child's teachers to meet you. We so enjoyed the brief chats and visit last evening with several families! Your questions, feedback and suggestions help us in our efforts to live out the Raider Way at Hudson Middle School! The Raider Way is Welcoming, Student - Centered, Transforming, and a Culture of Excellence.

Please note the following additional opportunity to "hang out" in our Middle Learning Community, connect with other parents, and ask questions:
* Monday, September 19 - Parent Chromebook Orientation - 5:30 PM (Media Center)
                      Hudson Middle School Parent Group Network - 6:30 PM (Media Center)

Thanks to one of our Middle School families, you may find value in this link regarding Instagram
http://howdoesshe.com/5-alarming-things-know-instagram/
Instagram is the online photo-sharing arguably at the top of the social media empire. It is owned by Facebook and is a fantastic place to post interesting photos that illustrate your life---like a daily visual journal! On Instagram, you can find drool-worthy food shots, artsy-type photos, and fun pictures of your friends and family. We love Instagram! But sadly, there are people out there who try to corrupt a good thing.

Each week, I plan to feature a student or two I've learned something about. Today, I had the pleasure of meeting Will Golden, a seventh grader. Will has already thought about his 8th grade electives, his plan after graduating from high school, and even his plan after retirement! I am amazed at his kindness (he sat down with me after all students had left the lunchroom), his communication skills, and his thoughtfulness. Will and I agreed, "Life is full of connections between ideas, people, and places!" 

Chase James, a sixth grader here at HMS, shared his short research and slides on "black holes." I had very little knowledge of that phenomenon and Chase indicated he first developed an interest in black holes from his second and third grade teachers. "They let us choose what we wanted to learn about in science," he said. Kudos to Mr. Sahli (Houlton) and Ms. Swanson (EPRock) for fostering Chase's love of science! 

Sophia Nault, another sixth grader, did a bit of research on Habits of Mind. She has also applied to serve in a Student Leadership role. So proud of the positive risks our students are taking in-the-middle! 

Construction Update: Please anticipate the parking lot closest to the south entrance (near the main office) closing September 26. Staff and visitors can park in the south-south parking lot (near the fields) and along the sidewalk (NOT during bus times). The south lot near the building will be used for construction deliveries. Thank you for anticipating this change! 

Enjoying the start of a positively hope-filled year,
Mrs. Ann Mitchell

Dear Families in the Middle,

Based on my observations in several classrooms throughout the day, I'm thinking your 6th, 7th or 8th grader came home yesterday with a combination of exhaustion and excitement for the year ahead. I enjoyed watching the embraces as students reconnected, the joy as students teamed up in games, and the opportunity to learn something about each person I visited with throughout the day.

We are welcoming MANY new students and families to Hudson Middle School this week. Please encourage your middle schooler to keep an eye out for the loner, the anxious and nervous, and the child who is joining a community that may appear to have friendships already established. It takes a village to make sure each person feels comfortable, cared for and needed.

A small group of staff members were visiting for a few minutes during the day and all of us noted an unusually high level of consideration among our students today! From frequent and sincere "Thank You's", to unprompted "Excuse me...I'm sorry," to quick and positive responses of "How are YOU?" we have been impressed with the positive leadership and kindness among our students! Talk about Raider Pride!

Monday evening provided my daughter's and I a little insight about a source of that kindness. Megan and Libbie stopped by the middle school to help me haul 14 - 8 foot boards from the ballfields (where our HMS staff had used them earlier in the day) to the school entrance. As we started to stack and carry the boards, two Dads and two boys immediately stepped up to load the boards into a pickup and haul them to the school entrance. A 40 minute work out became a five-minute task, thanks to the immediate helpfulness of these guys! Thank you, Jeff and Jaiden Warner, Carter Mears and one more generous man with a truck!

Happy Labor Day Weekend!
Mrs. Ann Mitchell