Thank you Meredith Bjorck Real Estate Team for sponsoring

Raider communications!

Thank you to our school counseling team for supporting our students and families.

Rae Harvill – Class of 2031

Charlotte Richter – Class of 2030

Buffy Summers – Class of 2029

Samantha Mooty – Class of 2028

Brenda Herrera – Registrar

Peggy Braddock Garrett – Assistant Registrar

Crossing Guard Appreciation Day is this Tuesday, February 6!



First Smile. Last Mile. 

Each and Every Day.

We've all seen them sweating in the heat, drenched in the pouring rain, and freezing in the cold temps, yet they are smiling. Let's show our crossing guards the Raider LOVE on Tuesday, February 6! Have your student make a card, bring a flower or treat, or simply say "thank you for being here and keeping me safe" - all great ways to show we appreciate the service they give each and every day! #showtheraiderlove

Our Dedicated Team of Crossing Guards

Reatha Chalmers

Granada & High School

Van Cole

McFarlin & High School

Kemberly "Peaches" Frye

Normandy & High School

Carolyn Henderson

Asbury & High School

Joe "Dancing" Lucero

Shenandoah & High School

Carla Sheffield

Binkley & High School

Want Another Way to Appreciate our Crossing Guards?

Help us keep our students safe and traffic moving smoothly

by observing our carpool guidelines.

Reminders from the MIS/HPMS Clinic

As we navigate through the winter season, we want to bring your attention to the increased prevalence of illnesses during this time. The health and well-being of our students are of upmost importance to us, and we would like to encourage a proactive approach in preventing the spread of illnesses.

It is crucial that if your child is not feeling well, exhibiting symptoms such as fever (100.0 or above), cough, vomiting or any other flu-like symptoms, they stay home from school to rest and recover. Your child must be free of fever (without the use of Tylenol or Advil), vomiting, and/or diarrhea for 24 hours before they return to school. This helps prevent the potential spread of illness to others within the school and community.

We also kindly ask for your support in reinforcing good hygiene practices at home and school, such as regular handwashing and proper respiratory etiquette to minimize risk of infection. If your child does need to stay home, please notify the school as soon as possible. Please refer to the

HPISD Illness Guidelines for more detailed information. Students are always allowed makeup opportunities for academic work due to excused absences due to illness.

By working together, we can create a healthier and safer environment for everyone. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Notes from the Raider Library

Raiders Read 2024

This week we are launching Raiders Read 2024! Students in grades 5-8 are encouraged to read as many books by New York Times bestselling author and Raider favorite ALAN GRATZ. Extra copies of the novels are available in the library; students who get their hands on one are invited to read it, log it in Beanstack (a new tool available through Clever in the HPISD portal), and then "read it forward" to another reader!   

For more information, watch this short video of Raider Librarian Mrs. Bellomy talking about this exciting new initiative. Watch this short video for details on how students can access Beanstack and log their reading of Alan Gratz's books or anything they are reading!

RED any good books lately?

This year's annual Raider Library Book Fair will follow the Raider Reads initiative and will run Wednesday, February 28 - Friday, March 1. The Scholastic fair will offer an incREDible variety of books to interest and engage our reading Raiders.  

If you would like volunteer to help cashier at the fair, watch for shifts to be added to VSP and sign up!  

Book fairs help raise much-needed funds for the library and get new books into the hands of our Raiders. Thank you in advance for your support of this year's fair! 

Alan Gratz Author Visit!

To culminate all of this literary excitement, our featured author ALAN GRATZ will visit MIS/HPMS Tuesday, March 5! He will provide an interactive presentation to all four grade levels! Additionally, Mr. Gratz will speak that evening at 5:30 p.m. HP families and community members are invited to attend and hear Mr. Gratz speak about his books and his writing process. 

Books are available for preorder to be signed by the author on the day of the visit. The form is available HERE, in the library, and at www.hpraiderlibrary.com. Completed forms with cash or check payment are due in the library by Wednesday, February 14.  

Thank you to HP LitFest for generously contributing to the speaker fee for this special event!

-Jill Bellomy, Raider Librarian

Please Join Us for Our February PTO Meeting 

Tuesday, February 6

12 - 1pm (lunch service begins at 11:45am)

7/8 Assembly Room

Guest Speaker: Kathleen Fischer

Topic: "Never Let a Good Crisis Go to Waste"

Thank you to our community sponsor, Johnson Oral Facial Surgery, 

for generously providing lunch at our February PTO meeting.

Sweet Rolls for February Cafeteria Volunteers

Everyone who helps at the Cafeteria during the month of February will receive Brenda's famous sweet yeast rolls. We love our volunteers and would like to show our appreciation. Grab any open shifts this month to get your treat!

We would also like to thank the crew who stepped in to volunteer on Thursday. Many of our regularly-scheduled volunteers were out sick and this group (mostly subs) rescued us! Thank you so much for your help!

Raider Pop-Up Shop

The Raider Shop will host a Valentine pop up shop this Monday and Tuesday during regular Raider Shop hours! Come by for some heartfelt happies for yourself, mom, bestie or someone special.

Letter from the Principal

Dear Raider Families,

Thank you for your continued support of great learning every day at McCulloch. One of the most important things we can do to support our students' success is to read every day. Research tells us that students' daily reading practice of 20-30 minutes will continue to strengthen skills in all domains. Have your child read to you; read with your child; and/or read to your child.

You can continue to help us strengthen your child's reading skills in the following ways:

• Students should always have an independent reading book with them.
• Ask your child what he or she is currently reading and what is on his or her "to-read" list.
• Ask your child what types of books he or she likes most and why.
• Take your child to the library on a regular basis; ask about weekly visits to the library with their language arts class.
• Have a variety of reading materials available including magazines and other periodicals.

Communicate with your child's teachers and our school librarian for other resources and support specific to your child's progress and reading achievement. Over the next month, join us as we read together in anticipation of Alan Gratz's visit to our campus on March 5:

https://sites.google.com/hpisd.org/hp-raider-library/raiders-read 

We hope to see you at this week's transition meetings as we prepare for the next school year.  We are excited about the continued growth and achievement of our students. 

Go Raiders!

Dr. Skip Moran, Principal

McCulloch Intermediate School

morans@hpisd.org (214) 780-3500

Letter from the Principal

Hello Parents and Families,

Thank you for helping us through another great week at HPMS! I know we have many students and staff out with illness. Here is a link to our HPISD Illness Guidelines. Please follow these guidelines for determining when to keep your child at home.

With that said, attendance at school is very important. The HPMS HERO (Here Every Day Ready & On Time) system is designed to help us measure daily and weekly attendance, set goals, and incentivize students who come to school every day they are able. Thanks for helping us meet our goals.

Attendance this week:

• 7th grade - 86%
• 8th grade - 92%
• Overall - 89%
• Goal for next week - 95%

Study Skill Focus - Time Management



1. Write everything down in one place!  When you use a planner or digital sticky notes, you will be less likely to forget things!
2. Use visual reminders. Set timers, set an alarm for break times, and know what commitments you have before and after school that will take time away from studying. If you have a big test or project due, have a countdown on your mirror or desk at home.
3. Prioritize! What is necessary today?  What can wait until tomorrow?  If it can wait, will you have time to do that task tomorrow?
4. Put away distractions like your phone, watch, or tablet.  If you don’t need your chromebook, put that away too. The less distractions you have, the better!
5. Ask for help. If you are struggling to manage your time, ask someone else to look at your schedule and help you out.

Our mission at HPMS is to ensure high levels of learning and personal growth for all Raiders in and beyond the classroom. Thank you for helping us achieve our mission!

As always, please let me know if you have questions, suggestions, or concerns.

Thanks and Go Raiders!

Dr. Kevin Hunt, Principal

Highland Park Middle School

huntk@hpisd.org  214-780-3600

Archery Tournament at HPMS

HP Archery hosted its first ever Scholarship Tournament last weekend at HPMS. 400 archers from 25 middle and high schools competed. HPMS Students volunteered to support Coach Blair at this awesome inaugural event. Highland Park Middle School placed took home the inaugural trophy scoring first overall!

Top overall archer for all middle schools was won by Spencer Wright with an incredible score of 281. Moshe Karr secured third place with an impressive 274. Fourth place was shot by Garrett Hardesty with 271, earning him first for 7th grade boys.

Vivian Haworth led the HPMS girls with an impressive 274, placing second overall for middle school girls and first for 7th grade girls. Alana Schroeder scored a 267 which earned her the 3rd place spot for 7th grade girls and 7th for overall middle school girls.

Raider Career Review

Emily Wang and Kennedy Delpho interviewed Dr. Lisa Pruett this week. Dr. Pruett is a board-certified dermatologist who has many years of experience treating patients of all ages.  She has been in practice in the Dallas area since 2009 and, together with her husband, founded Revival Dermatology in 2021. Dr. Pruett loves building relationships with her patients and helping them with all of their medical, surgical, and cosmetic skin needs. To view this interview, please click HERE.

HPMS musical theatre presents

The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley Jr. 

Come see your 7/8 classmates bring this beloved children's book (and pop culture phenomenon) to life. Everyone's favorite two dimensional hero, Flat Stanley and his friends will take you on a fun, family-friendly musical adventure around the world! 

Two performances will be held on Friday, February 23rd at 4pm and 7pm at the HPMS Auditorium. Tickets are general admission and available for $5 at the door and in the cafeteria the week of the show! Follow us on Instagram at adventures_of_hpms_flatstanley. 

Thank you to HP Arts, Raider Drama Booster Club, HPMS and Highland Park Education Foundation for their generous grants that made this show possible!

"Find Flat Stanley in Snider Plaza" Contest

HPISD students - Find our small Flat Stanleys in businesses throughout Snider Plaza and enter to win fun prizes!! Win show tickets, concession vouchers, gift cards to JD's Chippery, Yumilicious, Supercuts, Dear Hannah Prep, jewelry from Gemma Collection & more! We will announce winners on our Instagram page @adventures_of_hpms_flatstanley on Tuesday, February 20! 

HPMS Flat Stanley Jr. Restaurant Weekend Fundraiser at Slider and Blues!

Dine-In or carryout at Slider and Blues on Hillcrest anytime Friday, February 9 - Sunday, February 11. Mention "HPMS Flat Stanley Jr." and 10% of sales will support our show! Come grab "Sliders for Stanley!" for dinner or the big game!

All-Region Choir Performance

Congratulations to the following students who earned a spot in the Region 20 All-Region Choir, and performed at the All-Region Choir concert on Saturday, January 27 at the Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy.

6th Grade Choir: 

Laila Alfia, Mateo Cura, Daisy Donaldson, Espen Enoksen, Grace Goodwin, Claire Liang, Alexandra Long, Sam Preston

Tenor/Bass Choir:

Brooks Buis, Ford Ellis, Evan Martinez, Winston Ventouras

Concert Treble Choir:

Clara Davidson

Honor Treble Choir:

Margaret Bickel, Mary Doran Cosgrove, Farah Ferdows, Anna Kate Herron, Madeleine Mayfield, Aria Wasson

Lady Raiders had a great trip on the road at Prosper Hayes. B and C teams are 8-0 going into our district tournament this Saturday. A team competed hard but lost a nail biter. Please congratulate them on a great season so far.

Please congratulate your 8th grade basketball teams on their wins against Prosper Hays! All teams played hard and the B team pulled a nail biter out in over time. Next Thursday we will play our final home game of the season at the high school. Come by to watch if you can!

Please congratulate the 7th grade boys on their sweep of Prosper Hays on Monday night. This Saturday, our Red and White Teams will travel to McKinney Johnson for their District Tournament. Wish them luck as they go for District Title! Next week, your Raiders will travel to Prosper Rushing to play in their final regular season game of the year. Please come out and support them!

Please congratulate the 8th grade boys basketball teams in completing the sweep against Prosper Hays in their final games at HPMS! A major shout out goes to all of the teachers from grades 5-8 who came out and supported both former and current student-athletes! This meant a lot to our students and program. Toughness Belt Award winners this week were Charlie Flint and Corbin Gray. Thank you Dr. Hunt for presenting these awards at practice.

The HPMS wrestling team ended the season last Thursday night with a dual at TCA. The Raiders dominated in the competition winning 66-12. Unfortunately, the MS State tournament, which was scheduled for last weekend, was cancelled, and HPMS was unable to defend its title. Nevertheless, the season was highlighted by an undefeated dual record (5-0), including an exciting victory over Rockwall-Heath, who had finished second to the Raiders at State last season. The team also had strong performances at the Allen and St. Mark's tournaments. HPMS coaches noted the overall strength of the 8th grade wrestlers who will be moving on to HPHS. According to Coach Trip Rodgers, "This team includes a very talented group of wrestlers that should immediately make a large impact on HPHS wrestling and ultimately lead to individual and team state championships. It's an exciting time for HP wrestling."

Save the Date: Transition Meetings Coming in February

6th to 7th Grade Upcoming Transition Dates

HP Class of 2030

• Monday, February 5: 6th to 7th Transition Presentations for Students during their Social Studies classes
• Wednesday, February 7: 6th to 7th Transition Presentations for Parents in the MIS/HPMS Auditorium (9:00 a.m. or 6:00 p.m.)
• Friday, February 16: 7th grade Elective Choice Sheets due to Students' Advisory Teachers
• Friday, February 16: Deadline for 7th grade elective selections submission on Skyward
• Friday, February 23: Deadline for Skyward Parent Verification of 7th grade elective selections

Google Slides from the Transition Presentations will be posted on Mrs. Richter's webpage after those meeting dates. Students & parents can also access additional helpful transition resources on the same website as the information is released in February.

Questions? Please contact 6th grade counselor Charlotte Richter.

5th to 6th Grade Upcoming Transition Dates

HP Class of 2031

• Thursday, February 8: 5th to 6th Grade Transition Presentations for Parents in the MIS/HPMS Auditorium (9:30am or 6:00pm)
• Monday, February 12 - Friday, February 16: 5th to 6th Grade Transition Presentations for Students during their Advisory by House
• Wednesday, February 21: 6th Grade Elective Choice Sheets due to Students' Advisory Teachers
• Friday, February 23: Deadline for 6th grade elective selections submission on Skyward

Questions? Please contact 5th grade counselor Rae Harvill.

TAG Waiver Application (Current 8th Graders)

Thank you to Meg Boyd and Emily Klein, our 5th Grade Coffee Talk Chairs, for putting together a wonderful coffee talk with guest speaker Jodie Elder. Parents received such useful information about supporting our children!  

Thank you to the members of our Newcomers Committee, Annie Cochran, Stephanie Rushing, and Kathia Steel along with 2nd VP of BSSU, Jacky Pincoffs, for hosting Newcomer’s Coffee last Monday. Parents who were able to visit with Dr. Moran, Dr. Hunt, Assistant Principals, Counselors, Coaches, and other staff to learn all things MIS/HPMS.

Thank you to Haylie Crouch and Ashley Shull, our 7th Grade Coffee Talk Chairs, for bringing guest speakers Drs. Alex Foxwell, PhD; Hayley Fournier, PhD; and Betsy Kennard, PsyD, ABPP. These women, who are both moms and psychologists, empowered our parents with tools to help our children navigate today's technology, screen time, and social media.

HPHS Golf

Do you have a child who loves to play golf and might be interested in playing on the high school team one day? If so, Coach Mercedes Trent (girls golf) and Coach Richard Wager (boys golf) would love to get to know who those kids are.

With most high school sports, coaches get to know their future players through middle school athletics/youth sports organizations. Golf is not one of those sports. Coach Trent and Coach Wager would like to get to know their future players earlier than right before their freshman year. If you think your child could be interested in playing high school and would like to know what you should do to him or her them prepare, please reach out.

Coach Trent – trentm@hpisd.org

Coach Wager – wagerr@hpisd.org

Thank you and we look forward to hearing from you!

For more information click HERE.

SEPAC Valentine's Day Fundraiser

Show Your Love to Staff Members During the Valentine's Day Notecard Sale

Recognize special teachers and staff members by purchasing a Valentine's Day gift! This year, sale features packs of blank notecards with the theme "Kindness Matters" for $7 or 4 packs for $20. Our teachers and staff are always in need of blank notecards for use throughout the year for thank you notes and sending words of encouragement to students and each other. Ordering is easy. Just click HERE. The Special Education Parent Advisory Committee (SEPAC) will take care of delivery, so this is a super easy way to show your support and treat our amazing teachers and staff!

Deadline to order is February 8 or when our stock runs out, so please hurry! We have limited quantities available.

Money raised funds school materials, technology, events, and education that benefit special education teachers and students within HPISD.

HP Cheer

Raiders Reaching Out

Raiders Reaching Out is ready to serve our Raider students, families, and staff in need of support and to honor those who go above and beyond to serve our school and children. Please let us know if you know someone in our Raider community who needs some sunshine sent their way! You can email us confidentially raidersreachingout@mishpmspto.org.

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McCulloch Intermediate & Highland Park Middle School