Dear Families in the Middle,

February is I Love to Read Month! Our Hudson Middle School students have been asked to partner with Hudson Prairie to promote reading. Having raised six readers and now enjoying seven "grand-readers," I most certainly have favorite books I've kept for years. However, I've also discovered multiple copies, books in-between developmental levels, and simply too many books piling up on our shelves at home. Let's clean our bookshelves and consider bringing a book to school to give to a Prairie student.  Our cast-aways may be the delight for an elementary reader. We will have a "book collection box" in each House area of the middle school January 30 - February 7. Students in the House collecting the most books will have the opportunity of reading to Hudson Prairie elementary students during the month of February! Happy reading to all this month!

Each House is also collecting box-tops for Education for the next two weeks. Thanks to our HMS Parent Group, this fundraiser generated $453.80 during the most recent collection. It's time to clean out those kitchen drawers where you've been stashing those box-top labels and send them in. The House collecting the most box-top labels wins an ice cream sandwich party!

Once again, we enjoyed an immensely popular Women in STEM event at Hudson Middle School. One of my favorite learning stations was the UWRF Physics Department's electrons demonstrations. The power of magnetic energy and the movement of electrons is fascinating! If you drop a magnet down a PVC pipe and a copper tube, will the magnet move at the same speed? Why or why not?

Please consider helping us find experts! 

Throughout the middle school experience, we ask students to consider particular areas of interest as they learn content, develop skills and consider career possibilities. It is especially beneficial if we can assist students in identifying individuals in our community or through an online communication to offer an expert perspective to their learning as they explore topics and issues.  

Mrs. Conklin's 8th grade science students are working on a year long Passion Project. One of the requirements to be completed during 2nd trimester is to find an expert in their field of study. Please consider helping us identify individuals in our community or beyond who may have an interest or know of someone who has an interest. Please use and share the following link to help us gather potential experts for students to contact. Expert Sign-up

Students have prepared and presented information on a specific topic once. Their next step is to meet with an "expert," share what they've learned so far, seek feedback and collaborate to enhance their learning and presentation during third trimester. Though not a requirement, supportive experts are more than welcome to co-present with the student - whether in person or via live streaming. 

We're seeking experts in the following 8th grade science topics: chemistry, weather, plate tectonics, metric system, human body, disease, earthquakes & volcanoes, oceanography, physical therapy, medicine, robotics, safari animals, nuclear power, black holes, ecosystems and space. Thank you for considering and sharing this opportunity to learn with our 8th grade scientists! 

Expert Sign-up

May this fast and furious month of February be filled with family and fun! 

Ann

Dear Families in the Middle,

I'm wondering whether most people prefer warm and wet or cold and dry weather. Everything in life has benefits and challenges, doesn't it? I find it much easier to navigate and think when I'm not trying to get warm; however, wet feet or the smells associated with wet boots and socks tend to impact my productivity as well.

Our HMS Learning Community is anticipating significant change in the coming year - expanded space, an added House to each grade level, likely re-location of grade-level houses, and re-embracing our team members who have been at Prairie for a few years. While we eagerly anticipate the benefits of these changes, we also anticipate the challenges. Working with new teammates, scheduling program changes to meet the needs of our students, and re-envigorating our interdisciplinary efforts means dedicating time and energy to collaboration, flexible thinking and multiple and varied perspectives.

We've begun studying personalization in teaching and learning, and meaningful ways to use the Habits of Mind to know ourselves and our students, and alternative scheduling frameworks. As we embark on this journey, we ask our HMS families to be attentive to the changes, supportive of our efforts, and open with your feedback.

One of the innovative interdisciplinary projects our sixth grade team of learners (students and teachers) tackled this year is an authentic project with the Minnesota Zoo. I describe the project as "authentic" because the students have been researching the habitats and habits of specific animals housed at the zoo to solve a dilemma or challenge the zoo staff have identified. Some students are learning more about providing grizzly bears with enrichment opportunities while others are looking for ways to enhance the Snow Monkey exhibit. Our sixth grade students will be sharing their learning and proposing solutions to MN Zoo staff over the next few weeks.

We look forward to seeing many of you at the January Parent Group meeting Monday, January 30 at 6:30 PM in our Media Center. Your input on conferences, parent seminar topics, sixth grade orientation and registration days will help us continue to improve our efforts! You'll also hear about a couple of student-initiated projects planned for this spring!

Warmly,
Ann

Dear Families in the Middle,

You've probably noted a rather drastic change in the construction progress at HMS! Walls are going up rather quickly and our office windows (counselors, social worker, associate principals) are no longer providing natural daylight. The Kraus Anderson team has been working quickly, safely and diligently to complete crane work fast to minimize disruption to our learning.

The progress can also be felt in our morning and afternoon car traffic. Please be patient with each other during this challenging time. Essentially, buses ALWAYS have right-of-way and parent traffic is ONE LANE. Thank you for doing your part to help us create a SAFE drop off and pick up zone.
If you need to pick your child up early from school, please park your car in the Prairie or South lot; do not park in the parent traffic lane west of the middle school. Thank you for your consideration.

This past weekend, a group of five 8th grade students had the honor of representing Hudson in Wausau with 125 other Wisconsin Middle School students at the All State Choir event.  Zachery Meyer, Maxwell Fey, Keegan Foster, Peyton Poling and Parker Johnson and Ms. Erin Maher, HMS Choral Director, traveled to Wausau to sing in the 2017 Wisconsin Choral Directors Association Middle Level All-State Choir.  They rehearsed for two days and performed Saturday, January 7.

We know this can be a very stressful time of year - between the cold weather, dense traffic, illness, post-holiday financial stress and blues, work demands, falling short of New Year's resolutions, and other changes in life - we could all probably use more moments of peace in our lives. A friend shared this little tidbit with me this morning:

The secret to living well and longer is to eat half, walk double, laugh triple, and love without measure.

            ~ Tibetan proverb

One of our Hudson High School students has initiated a Happy Healthy Life group and she is especially interested in promoting this with our middle level students. Please check out her flyer and encourage your middle level student to invest in themselves!

Happy Healthy Life Group with Sydney Rossini

May you and your family find opportunities for family meals together (January is National Soup month!), physical activity, laughter and fun! And despite the crazy and frustrating daily happenings, take time to let someone know you love them. Sometimes that's what they need to hear most.

Warmly,

Ann

Dear Families in the Middle,

Happy New Year! We hope the break provided your family with fun, memory-making time together.
Construction progress is becoming more visible now that the work is happening above ground!

Krause Anderson will be needing to close the entire parking lot nearest our main office for the rest of the month of January, beginning Friday, January 6. The farthest south parking lot is still available; however, you've likely discovered it is full most of the day. If parents need to pick up a child during the day - after 8 AM and before 2 PM - please use the lane just west of the school. Please DO NOT park in that lane between 7 - 8 AM and between 2 - 3 PM. Thank you!

On a related note, our buildings and grounds crews are working diligently to try to improve the safety of our parking areas and sidewalks, given the challenge of icy conditions. Please let us know if there are specific areas needing additional attention. Thank you!

Anticipating some of our New Year's resolutions might be focused on health, I thought you might appreciate a reminder from Herophiles (about 300 BC):

When Health is absent 

Wisdom cannot reveal itself,

Art cannot become manifest,

Strength cannot be exerted,

Wealth is useless, and

Reason is powerless. 

We hope 2017 has begun with health and happiness in your life!

Warmly,

Ann

Dear Families in the Middle,

We hope you are anticipating family, food, flannel and fun (our family would add five hundred, the card game) over the winter break next week! My husband reminded me today was the Winter Solstice and the daylight would gradually lengthen. Yay! Daylight is a source of energy for me.

Thank you for your patience, understanding, suggestions, support and sense of humor through our efforts to provide a safe and smooth traffic flow around HMS each morning and afternoon. We know the flow wasn't good BEFORE construction, and we're hopeful for continuous improvement as we make changes. Please DO NOT PARK in the south lot nearest the building. These spaces must be reserved for specific vehicles (School Resource Officer and handicapped, for example). Thank you for following guides at intersections to provide safe and quick traffic flow.

Whether you have a sixth grader learning about a bear's need for enrichment, a seventh grader learning about Islam, or an eighth grader learning about slope, we hope you're seeing progress in their thinking, speaking, writing and reading skills. Your questions and interest in their learning fuels progress!

We know this can be both a stressful and highly spirited time of year for all. Many families have shared kindnesses this past week - treats, candies, cookies, nuts, fruit. We are so grateful for your generous gifts. Most significantly, we are thankful for your kind words. Every person contributes to the positive learning community we enjoy here at HMS!

Warmly,
Ann

Dear Families in the Middle,

We have a Science Olympiad Team, advised by Mr. Anderson (8th grade science), in their second year of competition. They competed in the Regional meet in Boyceville this past weekend and represented Hudson Middle School well! Last year our team won two medals; this year they brought home a whopping 22 medals! Watch for a story in the Hudson Star Observer in the coming weeks!

Construction activity is in full swing at HMS, despite the colder temperatures. We are grateful for the stamina and strength of these workers as they dig, drill, pour and fill the footings and foundations. Hudson Prairie Kindergartners occasionally visit our Media Center for a close-up look at the construction. Following their visit, they write a sentence about the progress and changes they see in each visit.


In anticipation of some MAJOR equipment and materials on our HMS site, please note a change in our parking and traffic on the south and west sides of our school. We strongly encourage all families to make use of the Safeway Bus Transportation OR to carpool during this busy construction time. There will be very limited access to the south parking lot and parent pick-up and drop-off will be limited to ONE LANE on the LEFT side of the west drive. Please be alert, patient and safe!

Congratulations to our Hudson Middle School creative students for their recognized artwork in the Stop Drugs Calendar Program, sponsored by the St. Croix County Sheriff's office: Trista Oberle was the overall grand prize winner ($250) and Maddi Gillen was a 7th Grade winner.

Some of you may be aware of a Yankee Candle recall. Fortunately, our HMS fundraiser catalog did not include the item on recall. Here's a link to the article in case you know of someone who may have shopped online and purchased the item.

As you anticipate the winter break here in Hudson, we want you to know the YMCA will be open EVERY DAY! Activities and snacks are available and the linked flyer provides more details.

Dear Families in the Middle,

Recognizing December brings all kinds of positive and negative stressors to our lives, we want to encourage you to seek out moments for peace and appreciation. This morning's professional learning for our teaching team focused on finding, creating and sustaining balance in our lives as we engage in this very important people profession. Whether you find balance in meditation, time with family, a visit with a friend, exercise, creating and crafting...to care for others, we know it is important to attend to care of self.

Special thanks to Elizabeth Sommers, Molly Powers, and several parent helpers and HMS ambassadors who worked together to sort and distribute Yankee Candle fundraiser items yesterday. We are so grateful, not only for the generous gift of time and energy to this fundraiser, but also for the many opportunities the parent group funds afford to our students. Most specifically, those funds provide bus transportation for field trip experiences at all three grade levels (For example: MN Zoo, Guthrie, Hudson's History Walk), House supplies, and support for families unable to afford the cost of a field trip experience admission.

When you come to the HMS site, you may notice several additional trucks, more equipment, and increased activity this week. We are anticipating the arrival of pre-fabricated walls to frame the two-story addition later this month. Please be very alert to parking lot access changes during this busy construction time.

In this time of cell phones and immediate connectivity, please help us ensure the safety of your child by encouraging him / her to check in at the health office when he/she is not feeling well, rather than to only text a parent. This helps us help you by allowing us to check symptoms, offer support, and ensure teachers know where students are at all times. Thank you for partnering with us on this important safety concern.

Attending music concerts is one of the ways I find balance in my life. Music provides peaceful, rhythmic inspiration for me. I hope you have enjoyed a band, choir or orchestra concert this season!

Warmly,

Ann