VHMS Hamilton Headlines

Hamilton Headlines

News and notes from Hamilton Middle

November 10, 2022

Vol. 4, Issue 15

Using Infinite Campus to Monitor Your Child's Progress

As we head toward parent-teacher conferences, I want to remind and encourage parents to install the Infinite Campus app on their phones (students can too!). Infinite campus can also be accessed from any computer. Infinite Campus, or IC, is the main data warehouse of your child's educational progress. Downloading the IC app to your phone allows you to see grades on assignments, including the designation of "Missing" immediately after the teacher enters the information in their electronic grade book. The same type of notification will arrive to your phone for attendance where you can see immediately if your child has been marked absent or tardy. There are a variety of options in the app's settings for receiving notifications, including choices on the types of notifications you want to receive and those you do not want to receive. To download the IC app to your phone, see the below link, which also includes information on how to configure the appropriate notification settings in the app.

Infinite Campus (IC)

Excited to Share: Dances are Back!!

Our first Hamilton School Dance in quite some time will take place this Friday, November 11th, 6-8pm. Below are the key details for this event.

Tickets: $2.00 purchased within student Advisory classes. (Students' names will be checked off on their teachers lists once money is given, wristbands will be given upon entrance to the dance for those that paid in advance. Tickets will still be sold at the door, however, to expedite students entrance to the dance it would be best to purchase them ahead of time.)

Entertainment:

Dancing in the gym
Games in the LMC
Cafeteria - Ping pong and foosball

Food: Pizza/drinks/chips $1.00 each. Candy while supplies last $1.50-$3.00

Expected Student Behavior: Students are asked to use school appropriate language and behavior throughout the evening. Students will not be allowed into the building until 6pm. Please plan to have your child arrive home per the usual end of school day and return when the dance begins.

Backpacks and purses will not be allowed to enter for student safety purposes. We encourage students to wear clothing that will hold necessary items (for example, jeans/pants/sweatshirt with pockets to hold money and cell phone etc.).

Chaperones include volunteers and Hamilton Middle staff members.

We appreciate your support and look forward to seeing the students back at the building for a really great time!

UW School of Public Health Brain Study Opportunity

The UW School of Public Health is once again seeking youth ages 10-16 and their caregiver to participate in a research study. The study is looking at normal brain development in youth as well as the impact of childhood adversity on the brain. Study visits include clinical interviews, MRI brain scans, surveys, and various computer games/tasks. All visits take place outside of school hours at a clinic on Madison's West Side. Families are compensated after each study visit. For more information, see the link.

UW Public Health Brain Study Link

StuVoCo Bake Sale!

As you may know, Hamilton has a newly banded Student Voice Collective, and we have decided to have a bake sale. This fundraiser is to support things like our school dances as well as other expenses. The funding for dances (among other things) will be from the bake sale. We will have an assortment of goods ranging from cupcakes to brownies, and everything will be priced from 25 cents to three dollars. We will be conducting the sale during the lunch period of each grade (for 7th grade it will be third hour, for 6th grade it will be fourth hour and fifth hour for 8th grade.)

We highly appreciate any form of contribution as well as donations!

~ Student Voice Collective

Bake Sale Details

Date: Tuesday, November 15

Time: During each grade levels lunch period

Location: Hallway outside of cafeteria

Purpose: To support school-wide events and activities for Hamilton students.

Safety Is No Accident

A couple of other important safety items to share with you as we head into the time of year when it is already getting dark outside by the time school gets out Tuesday-Friday.

Waiting for a Ride After School: Given how dark it is after school and that it is getting cold outside, I want you to know that students waiting for a ride after school are always welcome to wait in the breezeway inside our main front doors. In fact, it is preferred that students wait inside at this time of year. Please know that students are not directly supervised in this location after school and appropriate behavior is expected.

Walking Home in the Dark: Many of our students cross busy streets in the dark on their way home from school or bus stops. As a school, we have approximately 100 orange safety vests that we are making available free of charge at the request of any student. Students can not wear the vests while at school, but will be encouraged to put on the vests as they begin their walk home. Interested students should stop by the Hamilton Middle main office to request a vest.

Last Chance: Thanksgiving Food Drive

Our Hamilton Middle AVID program continues to host our school-wide Thanksgiving Food Drive through November 15. Please consider sending in a donation with your child as part of this effort. Thank you!