Thank you Meredith Bjorck Real Estate Team for sponsoring

Raider communications!

5th Grade Coffee Talk 

Tuesday, January 30 at 8:30 am

5/6 Assembly room 

Please save the date!

We will have a great guest speaker. Details coming soon.

6th Grade Coffee Talk

Thursday, January 25 at 9:00 am

5/6 Assembly room 

Guest speaker: Counselor, Charlotte Richter

Topic: "Finishing 6th Grade Well & Looking Toward 7th Grade:​ ‌Supporting your student in the transition to HPMS"

Note: This 6th grade Coffee Talk presentation will focus on social & developmental components, not course selection. Please be sure to attend one of the 6th to 7th Grade Transition presentations for parents on Wednesday, February 7 (9:00 a.m. or 6:00 p.m. in the MIS/HPMS Auditorium) for information regarding academics & 7th grade course selection.

7th Grade Coffee Talk

Thursday, February 1 at 8:30 am

7/8 Assembly Room

Topic: "Empowering Parents with Evidence-Based Tools for Managing Screen Use in Adolescence" 

Come hear from Moms and Psychologists, Drs. Alex Foxwell, PhD; Hayley Fournier, PhD; and Betsy Kennard, PsyD, ABPP, about how provide science-driven strategies to manage screen time in families. The presentation will cover self and adolescent assessments of screen time, recognizing the pros and cons of social media and technology, signs of problematic use, and how to communicate with your teens about social media and technology, including listening/validation skills and tips for checking in. There will be an opportunity for Q&A, and you'll leave with a collaborative family social media plan to take home. For more details about the presenters and their backgrounds, please click HERE.

New to MIS/HPMS? Join Us for a New Parent Coffee

If you are new to HPISD, please join us to connect with other parents and learn key information to help you navigate MIS/HPMS.

Monday, January 29, 9-10 am

5/6 Assembly Room

MIS Principal Dr. Skip Moran, HPMS Principal Dr. Kevin Hunt, counselors, and others will share valuable insight and information about our schools, what parents need to know, and other helpful tips for MIS/HPMS.

Questions? Please contact Newcomers Chairs: Annie Cochran, Elizabeth Conger, Jackie Converse, Stephanie Rushing, or Kathia Steel.

In honor of School Board Appreciation Month, we want to thank HPISD School Board Trustees Bryce Benson, Maryjane Bonfield, Jae Ellis, Pete Flowers, Blythe Koch, Ellen Lee, and Doug Woodward for their commitment to the students and staff of HPISD and for supporting our school community! We are grateful for this dedicated group of leaders who serve on our board of trustees. A donation from the MIS/HPMS PTO has been made to the Highland Park Education Foundation in their honor.

Letter from the Principal

Dear Raider Families,

High levels of learning are happening in our classrooms every day. Our goal is for each student to be challenged and supported to develop critical and creative thinking skills.

During adolescence, students are also developing their interests and passions and making new friendships. Our leadership team is reading Phyllis Fagell's Middle School Matters and this month we are thinking about how to support students with the challenges of making and keeping friendships and relationship conflict that we see. Remember, it is normal for friends to shift and conflict to occur; we can help by encouraging kids to make good friend choices, connect with those with similar interests, and remember to control what you can control, like how you treat others with kindness. When conflict does occur with others, help them re-write their story so they don't see themselves as a victim, but the main character in their own story, and remember bullies need help, too, in developing appropriate social skills in interacting with others. Of course, real bullying needs to be reported to an adult so that it can be addressed directly; it doesn't go away on its own without intervention. We can work together to help our kids develop the strong connections during adolescence that build confidence and character.

Thank you for your support in raising safe, kind, respectful, and responsible students.

Go Raiders!

Dr. Skip Moran, Principal

McCulloch Intermediate School

morans@hpisd.org (214) 780-3500

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

• Friday, February 2: 5th Grade Fine Arts Showcase for Students during their Fine Arts Specials classes
• 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.

Letter from the Principal

Hello Parents and Families,

We had a great week at Highland Park Middle School. There are many things to celebrate. Our girls and boys basketball teams competed successfully this week. And last Sunday, our 8th grade Choir students sang the National Anthem at the Dallas Mavericks game. We are proud of all of our Raiders for beginning the spring semester successfully. Below is our study skill focus for the week. Thank you for supporting us each and every day. Have a wonderful long weekend.

Study Skill Focus - Goal Setting - Setting short and long term goals

Set SMART goals at school

1. Specific - Make your goal as specific as possible.
2. Measurable - What gets measured is what gets done.
3. Attainable - Make sure your goal is realistic.
4. Relevant - Your goals should relate to and help you be successful at school.
5. Time-Bound - There should be an end date or "finish line" so you can recognize and celebrate success.

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

Attention 7th Grade Parents:

Is Your Student Interested in 8th Grade Cheerleading?

Does your student want to be an 8th grade cheerleader for the 2024-2025 school year? 

If so, please save the date of Tuesday, January 30, at 6:30pm for a mandatory parent meeting at HPMS in the 7/8 Assembly Room.

Please contact Erika Hultsman with questions.

Raider Career Review

Matteo Negri and Kennedy Delpho interviewed local artist Lindsey Meyer for Raider Career Review this week. Lindsey is an abstract artist whose love for art spans back as far as she can remember. Her works are alive with rich color, texture, and movement, valuing non-objective properties more than a recognizable image. Her work has been featured in various shows throughout the South and can be found in private collections across the United States.

To view this interview, click HERE.

Raider Roundup

This week, Raider Media launched a brand new segment entitled "Raider Roundup." Raider Roundup is a bi-weeekly news update that is filmed, edited, and produced at HPMS. It is designed to give a news update from Dr. Hunt and to feature one of our many talented HPMS teachers. In the first episode, which can be viewed HERE, Dr. Hunt visits with Jill Bellomy, our school librarian, and the featured teacher is choir teacher Katie McDaniel ("Ms. Mac").

Raider Choir

HPMS Raider Choir members had the honor of singing the National Anthem at the Dallas Mavericks game on January 7. Congratulations to Ms. Mac and these talented students on a beautiful performance! 

Please congratulate the 7th grade girls basketball team on another sweep against McKinney Faubion. We are halfway through the season and all three 7th grade teams are 5-0 in district!

Please congratulate your 8th grade basketball team on their wins this week against McKinney Faubion!  

The 7th grade boys basketball teams were back in action at home on Wednesday. All teams improved their record to 5-0 on the season. Please come out and support our teams next Wednesday when we travel to McKinney Dowell and look to move our record to 6-0. 

Please congratulate the 8th grade boys basketball teams on their road sweep Wednesday night at McKinney Faubion. The Toughness Award this week went to James Axley & Jackson Helms.

Notes from the Raider Library

Raiders Read 2024

On February 5, we will launch the first Raiders Read. This will be a schoolwide initiative and will replace One School, One Book for MIS. Students in grades 5 - 8 are encouraged to read any of the novels by one of our Raiders' most popular authors (to be announced soon!). Extra copies of the novels will be available in the library and students are encouraged to "read it forward!" if they get their hands on one. Minutes can be tracked using our new tool, Beanstack (details to come!). 

Raider Library Book Fair

This year's annual book fair, formerly held in December, will follow the Raiders Read initiative and lead up to Read Across America Day. The fair will run from Wednesday, February 28 - Friday, March 1. Mark your calendars and watch for opportunities to volunteer!

Author Visit

To culminate all of this literary excitement, our featured author will visit MIS/HPMS the first week of March and will provide an interactive presentation for each grade level! Books will be available for purchase and signing as well.

The Raider Library

Our library is honored to support our students and staff in their reading and learning journeys. Please click HERE to learn more about our library services. 

Watch for more information about these upcoming Raider literary events, and please contact me if you have any questions or if I can be of service to your student. 

Happy 2024! I hope you and your families have an excellent start to the new year and new semester.

Jill Bellomy, Raider Librarian

Thank you to the Finance Committee for the reports that are thoughtfully provided by each Treasurer and for managing all things with budgets: Tracy Cohen, Kelley Curtin, Christine Lee, Allison Lockard, Marcy O’Connor, Marisa Stockwood, Paige Deskin, Lauren Haig, and Julie Melihercik. You all are amazing!

Our BSSU Chairs Elect, Laura Hornbach and Laura Terry, have been busy getting our new families completed with late BSSU. They have worked along with our School Registrar, Brenda Herrera, to get these families registered for our schools. Thank you!

The Hospitality Chairs, Beth Beakley, Sara Egan, Lacy Lange, and Lisa Palmer, coordinated a lunch for all of us to enjoy during our PTO meeting last week.  Put the February 6 PTO Meeting on your calendar! Big thanks to our Publicity Chair, Margaret Neubauer, for coming to each PTO meeting and special event and then showcasing it in the HPISD news.

Instructional Materials Reconsideration Committee Interest Form

HPISD parents who are interested in serving on the Instructional Materials Reconsideration Committee should submit an interest form by Jan. 26. Per EF (LOCAL), reconsideration committees shall consist of at least seven members. The chair shall be a District-level administrator and a non-voting member. The remaining committee members shall consist of an equal number of District staff and parents who are not employed by the District. Parents/Guardians who serve on a reconsideration committee shall have students enrolled at campuses with the grade level in which the challenged instructional resource is being used.

Applicants will receive notification after the form submission deadline. The committee will meet up to four times for the remainder of the 2023-2024 school year. Committee members can choose to discontinue their participation at any moment. The administration will work to accommodate the schedules of committee members. If you have any questions, please contact Deputy Superintendent Dr. Shorr Heathcote at heathcs@hpisd.org.

To submit an interest form, click HERE.

HP Arts

HP Arts encourages our community families/students to nominate teachers for the following three awards: HP Fine Arts Teacher Award, Arts in Education (Non-Fine Arts) Teacher, and Arts Advocate (Community Member) Award. Nomination links and suggested guidelines outlining the awards can be found on the HP Arts website. Help us recognize our amazing teachers. Nomination deadline has been extended through the end of this weekend.

Meet the Scots

Calling all baseball players and fans!  

Come out and meet the 2024 Highland Park High School Scots on Saturday, January 20 from 1:00-3:00 pm at Scotland Yard. Enjoy freshly grilled burgers from In-N-Out Burger and participate in an afternoon filed with fun activities hosted by our very own Varsity and JV players.

The first 200 families will receive their choice of the exclusive Scotland Yard Rope Hat or Swinging Scottie Stadium Seat and the first 200 youth attendees will receive a Swinging Scottie Drawstring Bag and baseball for autographs by the Varsity and JV Players.

Purchase raffle and In-N-Out Burger tickets HERE. And don’t forget to purchase your commemorative Kershaw & Young HP Jersey Retirement shirt while suppplies last!  

HP Cheer

City of UP Centennial Art and Essay Contest

The City of University Park is calling on HPISD students to join in celebrating its Centennial through an art and essay contest.

This contest welcomes submissions from University Park residents and all HPISD students. Students from kindergarten through 12th grade are eligible to participate in the art contest, while the essay contest is open to students in grades 4-12. The deadline for all entries is March 8, 2024. For more details and to access the contest forms for both the art and essay competitions, please follow the links provided below.

• Art Contest Form
• Essay Contest Form

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