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STAAR Testing Dates

5th Grade Mind Masters Team Wins Third Place in State Competition

YEE HAW! Thanks to the support of Dr. Moran and PC-TAG, McCulloch's 5th grade Mind Masters Team won third place at the State Destination Imagination tournament last Saturday night at Globe Life Field! The team competed against 40 other elementary teams across Texas in a Fine Arts Challenge that included 3 components: reimagined existing art, kinetic art, and story. Earlier this year, the team took first prize in Regionals. Now with a third place finish in State, the 5th grade Mind Masters Team has earned a coveted spot to go to the DI Global Finals in Kansas City in May. We are so proud of all of our students' hard work and personal growth in leadership, risk-taking, innovative thinking, and creativity. Congratulations!

Health Education Opt-In

In 2022, Texas adopted learning standards for Health instruction in Kindergarten-High School Health. If you would like to review these learning standards, you may find them here:

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Health Education

In accordance with state law and Board policy EHAA(LOCAL), the Highland Park Independent School District provides instruction relating to reproduction, sexual health, and the prevention of child abuse, family violence, dating violence, and human trafficking. As the law requires, the district must obtain written consent before we can provide a student with instruction on these topics. Instruction is scheduled to occur on all campuses between April 22 and May 10.

Parents are welcome to view the lessons for their child by clicking on the appropriate link below:

We encourage parents to review the content of these lessons and discuss with your child. The links listed above may not be reproduced, shared, or posted on a public domain. Click the link below to complete the opt-in form for your child. A separate form must be completed for each child.

6th Grade Health Lesson Opt-in Form

5th Grade Health Lesson Opt-in Form

If you have any questions, please reach out to your child's campus.

4th to 5th Grade Transition Meetings

Current families of 4th graders transitioning to 5th grade for the 2024-25 school year are invited to MIS for upcoming transition information sessions.

• Tuesday, April 23, 9:30am OR 6pm, at MIS auditorium.
• Information will be provided on the academic program for students as well as family involvement opportunities.
• To preview information about MIS, please visit our MIS Round-Up webpage here.

4th grade students will have the opportunity to visit MIS for a campus tour on Thursday or Friday, April 18-19, with their 4th grade classes. 

Letter from the Principal

Hello Parents and Families,

I am proud of our students for working hard last week. We have several busy weeks left of school with STAAR tests, after school performances, exams, MAP testing, final exams, and the normal excitement associated with the end of the year. We want our students to enjoy their final weeks in 7th and 8th grade while being successful and achieving their goals. Thanks for your support.

• 8th grade Science & Social Studies - Tuesday, April 23 and Thursday, April 25. Students will eat in the cafeteria. 7th grade will eat first and 8th grade will eat last.
• 7th & 8th grade Math STAAR - Wednesday, May 1. All students need to bring a lunch.

Please click HERE for more information about STAAR testing.

Our Skill Focus for next week is “Doing your best on STAAR.”

Doing Your Best on STAAR

1. Look at your task (STAAR).
2. Think about the skills, strategies, and concepts you need to apply to be successful.
3. Focus all of your attention on your exam.
4. Take your time.
5. Do not stop working until you are finished or told to stop.
6. Go back and check your work / answers.
7. If you need help, raise your hand.

Attendance this week: Being Here Every Day and On time is so important. Attendance was better last week. Let's keep it up.

8th grade - 95%

7th grade - 95%

School - 95%

Goal for next week - 96%

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.

Raider Career Review: Taylor Ramo and Kennedy Delpho interviewed Carrie Martinez this week. Carrie has owned her own video production company, CM Productions, for the last 24 years. CM Productions is an award-winning visual content agency of experienced video and graphical storytellers who work with corporations, non-profits, school districts, and small businesses. To view the full interview, click HERE.

Raider Roundup (episode 7): In this week's Raider Roundup, Dr. Hunt has a conversation with our teacher of the year, Coach Thomas, the 7th Grade Texas History Department Head and Middle School Boys Athletic Coordinator. The Teacher Feature this week is with our very own Health Teacher, Ms. Dennehy. To view Raider Roundup episode 7, click HERE.

The 4th to 5th Grade Transition t-shirts are ready to go, thanks to Raider Shop Apparel Chair-Elects, Deanna Carrell and Mary Chaney Spencer! Thank you for designing and ordering the t-shirts. Our incoming Raiders will love them!

Thank you to our amazing Finance Team, Tracy Cohen, Kelley Curtin, Lauren Haig, Christine Lee, Allison Lockard, Marcy O'Connor, Paige Deskin, Marisa Stockwood, Julie Meliherchik, Nicole Vanderstorm, GeeGee Hammel, Mary Margaret Neff, Divia Dayalji, Rochelle Mayfield, Kitsy Smith, Amy Barker, Alexa Snelleman and Margaret Kelley. The work you do to wrap up one year and prepare for the next is amazing! We are so fortunate to have all of you working to make everything run smoothly. Thank you for your dedicated service to our schools!

Thank you to our Cafeteria Finance Team, Lauren Haig, Brenda Vardell, Tracy Cohen, Kelley Curtin, Amy Barker, Kitsy Smith, Katherine Issel, Tracy Port Melech, Julie Melihercik, Kevin Hunt and Skip Moran. Thank you for your reports from the District, managing the financials, and providing the most delicious food for our students and staff. MIS/ HPMS is so proud of our amazing cafeteria!

Lady Scots Open Gym

The Lady Scots Basketball Team will host a MIS/HPMS Open Gym for any girls in 5th-8th grade who are interested in developing skills, shooting on their own, or even playing games. All levels will be there, and this will be a great introduction to the Lady Scots program for current 5th and 6th graders. Each week, high school coaches and athletes will be present, and students are invited to attend one open gym or all. We look forward to seeing you in the gym.

HP Crew

Register Now for Summer Rowing Camps!

Space is Limited!

Now in its 22nd year and boasting 44 USRowing Central Region Titles and 84 Collegiate Division 1 recruits, HP Crew welcomes Scots to explore the sport of Rowing! Adolescence is the perfect time to start. No experience is necessary. Try something new and develop the athlete within yourself!

HP Crew rows with Dallas United Crew (DUC), on the waters of White Rock Lake. Camps introduce rowers to the equipment and the fundamentals of rowing over four consecutive mornings. All equipment and coaching are provided. Athletic attire and a bottle of water are all you need.

For more information on HP Crew's Learn-to-Row Summer Camp, please click HERE.

HP Boys Soccer Camp

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