Hopefully a December to Remember, HMS Families!

Well...November definitely left an impression! Any month that ends with bomb cyclones, destructive lightning strikes, and tornado warnings during a triple header basketball game with a packed gym...well that is a month for the memoirs! We now enter the glorious craziness of the holiday season in December. While the holidays are commonly portrayed as a joyous time of togetherness, the reality for many is that they can be times of great stress. While we focus on our own families, and work hard to provide a holiday season for them, please be mindful of friends and neighbors who may be struggling during this time. We focus a lot on gift giving, and generosity during this month. Sometimes the best gift we can give is grace, patience, and a quiet word of support to those around us when they are struggling. With all of that said, I wish you all a peaceful holiday season. Before we get there, we have a lot going on in December that we will guide you through in this newsletter! Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns that we need to be aware of. Our office phone number is 360-538-8220.

Our 6th Graders who have returned permission slips will be attending the Northwest Ballet's annual production of "The Nutcracker" Ballet at Seattle's McCaw Hall this December! The Grays Harbor Community Foundation sponsors this event for our students, sponsoring ticket and travel expenses. We are splitting our 6th Grade and sending them up on two different dates. The groups going up on December 5th and 12th both need to be at HMS by 7:00 a.m. so that we can take role, load busses, and depart HMS by 7:15 a.m.

Students will be provided a sack lunch on the day of the trip. They will additionally be provided with a Subway sandwich meal for the ride home in lieu of a meal stop. Our busses should return back to Hoquiam Middle School around 5:30-6:00 barring any major traffic issues. Students with cell phones will be encouraged to call parents when we reach Elma so they can be picked up on arrival at HMS.

Students are asked to dress nicely for this event. Should your student need appropriate clothing please contact us at school, and we can arrange that. All inquiries will be discretely handled.

If you have any questions about the trip please contact Ms. Ounsted, our Dean of Students, at 360-538-8220 ext 1236, or via email at eounsted@hoquiam.net.

8th Grade

Adalie Morton, Audrey Gray, Bella Garcia, Carlos Lopez Perez, Carson Baller, Cesar Gonzalez Nieto, Christofer Rodriguez, Dawson McFadden, Eder Estrada-Portillo, Enrique Juarez, Iker Garcia-Boyzo, Isabel Johnson, Iza Frye, Jace Charley, Jayden Vazuez-Hague, Kane Mondragon, Kenneth McCoy III, Kenny Canel Huinil, Kyah Kramer, Kylie McCoy, Lucas Montoure, Maggi Quigg, Maria Torres, Owyn Golder, Raelynn Nielsen, Ryder Arnold, Tanner Shaw, Taylor Pettit, Teagan Bradshaw Pigott, Ty Thao, Tyson Moore, Yazmin Balagot

7th Grade

Adrian Servin, Aeriauna Shapansky, Aiden Davis, Alan Hernandez Nieto, Amadeus Robison, Amelia Lenz, Andres Carrada-Morelia, Andrew Hagen, Annabella Oliver, Anthony Gunter, Ash’lynned Donovan-Iverson, Boston Olson, Brandon Frost, Cale Wood, Carter Granberg, Chase Mealey, Christopher Acuna, Davyn Stewart, Declan Potter, Eduardo Florek Meneses, Eli Jones, Emmanuel Ortiz, Fenix Aguilera, Grayson Black, Hunter DeWald, Jasmine Johnson, Jillian Watkins, Juan Quintero-Arellano, Kanon Larsson, Keegan Rice, Kenzie Stankavich, Kevin Lowe, Kyron Calica, Leviathan Larrson, Lincoln Antonson, Logan Bloom, Mackenzie Rice, Maria Gum, Matthew Dollarhyde, Mayerick Gertson, Michael Watkins, Mitchell Sherwood, Mycah Smith, Nayeli Mendoza Hernandez, Noah Longenbaugh, Paisley Shaw, Peyton Tobias, Ryder Lorton, Santiago Garcia, Tallon Leamer, Thaddeus Koth, Vernon Fox, Yutaka Hughes, Zoey Shope

6th Grade

Achilles Holcomb, Alivia Bell, Alleigh Stout, Allie Smith, Arya Calica, Ashlynn Arndt, Avery Smith, Brook Wilson, Brooklee Coleman, Brynn Hnilica, David Osorio, Dessa Orris, Jazlynn Vaca-Figueroa, Jeremiah Ryland Jr., Kail Vaughn, Kenneth Howard, Lawyer Niemi, Layna Bozich, Lillian Gruber, Lucas Mousely, Jr., Maggie Johnson, Malachi Combs, Martin Felipe-Morales, Mason Dhooghe, Mason Ounsted, Mathias Bentley, Metra Belcher-McCrackin, Ryan Quigg, Rylie Smith, Sydney Osborne, Tiffanie Crow, Tyrone Fambro III, Tyson Velez, Willow Levesque, Xiomara Trujillo Cervantes, Xzavier Meyer-Perez

The holidays bring their own unique stresses on parents and children alike. We all want our families to have a great holiday, but that often comes at the expense of our time, and mental health. Here are some resources to try and help you keep the stress manageable this holiday season.

1. A Parents Guide to Doing Less for the Holidays: A collection of good ideas to help make the holidays affordable, and a bit easier for parents, without skimping on the family time.

2. Parent's Guide to a Warm and Inviting Home on a Budget: Explains how to make your home suitable for the holiday season, if you are on a budget. Lots of really simple good ideas.

3. Navigating Holiday Spending: A Parent's Guide to Financial Wellness: Some money saving ideas and plans on what you can do to get through the season without spending the rest of the year paying for it.

4. A Parent’s Guide to Holiday Shopping: Its an older article (2017) with some good ideas for saving money and setting yourself up for not just this year, but years to come.

5. Holiday Cooking on a Budget: Some recipes that range from the simple and practical to the luxurious.

6. 20 Flavorful Holiday Entrees You Can Make for $20 or Less: Some more recipe ideas. Can't have enough good recipes!

7. 10 tips to reduce stress and take care of yourself during the holidays: Some really good information on what you can do to try and calm down during this busy time.

There is a wealth of good advice and tips to make this time focused on the things that really matter: quality time with your family, and taking a break for yourself. We hope your holiday season is filled with opportunities for both!

The BIG news for December is that we are into concert season, and our Holiday Concert is on Wednesday, December 18 at 7:00 p.m. at the 7th Street Theater. We look forward to seeing you there!

Another change is that this year we are asking Band and Choir families to sign up their child in Final Forms. This is due to the travel that both programs have, and the need to have student information if medical attention is required.

If you are looking for Final Forms, you can find it at this web address: https://hoquiam-wa.finalforms.com/

Parents need to create an account. Here is where you can find directions for making an account: https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/sportshub2-uploads-prod/files/sites/2656/2020/12/14094353/Hoquiam-FinalForms_ParentPlaybook.pdf

Counselor's Corner

Happy Thanksgiving!  This is a time of giving, but it doesn't have to mean monetary giving.  We can give in so many ways this holiday season.

Smile.  A smile can go a long way for a lot of people.  The holidays can bring on stressors for many.  Just having someone smile at them can bring a bit of joy.

Say hello. This is another very simple thing to do.  If you are standing in a long line, just saying hello to someone brings a smile.  When you pass by someone, say hello.

Be helpful.  Offer to help a neighbor with cleaning up the yard, bringing them something yummy to eat or drink, inviting them to share in your holiday meal, etc.  There are a lot of different ways to be helpful.

If the holidays are hard on you, doing these little things can help you.  You will feel a bit lighter in your heart.

Counselor Talk

This last month the topic for all three grades was microaggression.  Have you heard of this?  I had not until I took a class when I was in Spokane for a counseling conference.  I didn't understanding the speaker until I Googled it.  Then it all made sense because I hear our students saying these.  

Microaggression is “everyday, subtle put-downs directed towards a marginalized group which may be verbal or nonverbal and are typically automatic.” For example, "You are so smart for a woman", a hostess at a restaurant not giving you an option to sit at bench seating because of your weight, assuming someone doesn't speak English, etc.

Students played a game about understanding why certain sayings are microaggressions. We had some good conversations about the why. I am challenging them to think about what they say before saying it. And if the microaggression is coming towards them, to not be afraid to let the person know that what was said is not okay. The more we learn, the kinder we are.

There will be no Counselor Talk in December. January will start the double talks. I will continue with SEL and start talking about high school and beyond.

Hope Squad

Our students are now trained in the HOPE approach, which is the new method of Hope Squad.

H-- Heads Up!

O-- Offer support and acceptance.

P-- Provide resources.

E-- Empower to seek support.

But I also trained them in QPR (Question, Persuade, and Refer). They were given Hope Squad cards with numbers for peers to use when in crisis. This training is very important because it is our why. I have said we are the bridge between students and adults. It is very important that they tell an adult--- they are not counselors!!

Currently, we are getting ready for our middle school Family Hope Night, December 10, from 6:30-8:00. They are putting some holiday crafts together and have contacted some agencies to come join us. We are hoping we get 150 people here for our family night at the middle school.

Attendance

#ShowingUpMatters because regular attendance is an important building block for student learning. #AttendTodayAchieveTomorrow

Reminder!!  Parents/guardians have 48 hours to call and excuse your child.  Per the state, students should not have excessive absences, whether excused or unexcused.  Letters are going out for excessive absences.  Make sure you are calling your child in for absences!  It is important to be in school.

Last month Mr. Brewton's homeroom class won with the most students attending school!!

We love seeing your child(ren) at school!  If they are absent, make sure you are calling the school to excuse them.  If they have a doctor's appointment, bring in a doctor's note to excuse.  If you are planning a vacation, contact the office to set this up in a timely manner.  Mrs. Glasgow is our attendance person, 360-538-8221 or hms.attendance@hoquiam.net.