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August 28, 2006
Middle School Communique #1
Dear Middle School Parents:
Welcome! It was great to see many of you this morning. As chairman of the Middle School committee, I'd like to especially welcome the parents of new 6th graders. It looks like it should be a great year!
The theme this year is communication -- we'll try to do a better job of communicating everything we can to all parents as soon as we can. This includes emails such as this one, and also more complete information on the website as well, especially as far as sports and social events. As communication should be a two-way street, please feel free to contact anyone on the committee with any questions. Also, this one may be a long one, so bear with me!
Our first big event is next Wednesday, Back To School night. It is a chance to meet the teachers, understand the structure and curriculum, and ask questions. It is also your opportunity to sign up for volunteering! The support given to the Middle School by parents is critical in providing a great school experience for our kids -- from sports to art & PE class assistance to Pizza Fridays to ... well, you get the picture! Fundraising is also important in the Middle School, as it helps defray the costs of the spring field trip to Yosemite. Our fundraising consists of Pizza/Burrito Fridays (burritos are new this year!), the Pumpkin Patch, and the See's Candy Drive.
Speaking of finances, on Back To School night a spreadsheet will be handed out that should contain all of the first semester's expenses, except for Pizza/Burrito Fridays. The goal is for you to be able to write as few checks as possible. We would ask that you bring a checkbook to the meeting for simplicity's sake. If you can't attend, the spreadsheet will also be posted on the website, and you can print it off, fill it out, and send it in with your child to school. Envelopes will be in both classrooms.
Sports: For those of you new to the Middle School, we will have at least 5 teams this year: in the fall will be co-ed flag football and co-ed cross country. In the winter, we will have separate girls' and boys' basketball teams, with a strong possibility of both JV and varsity for both. In the spring, we have co-ed volleyball. While we had pretty strong seasons last year, especially in volleyball & football, the Hillcrest focus is on participation over winning. Of course, we love to win, too! The sports offer a great opportunity to really feel a part of the school, and get to know all the kids better. In order to provide resources for these teams, we do need to charge a fee to play. We rent the gym space, we pay the referees, we pay for various pieces of equipment, and we pay for a part-time coach when we can't find parents to be the primary coaches. This past year we had a Hillcrest alum coach, and before that, we paid Mr. Kumamoto to coach the various teams. The fee will rise this year, but we are still calculating how much. We have exceeded our budget every year, so we're trying to close the gap this year. We will provide scholarships if necessary, as we would rather have everyone who want to play be able to participate. We may also try to get a small committee together to help with the sports: money & forms collection, schedules, driving, fields/gym/playground usage, etc.
Social Events: The students' first event will be Friday night, September 15 at Albany Bowl where the kids will have a Rock & Bowl. We've been there in the past and they do a great job. Flyers will be handed out to the kids at school, and we'll have them as well for the parents at Back To School Night. For the parents, there will be an adults-only mixer on Thursday, September 21 at John & Kathleen Phillips house. It's a potluck get-together so that parents can meet each other, and an Evite will spell out all the details. Finally, we are tentatively planning a Halloween costumed dance where the kids can invite a friend (but we'll have to get permission slips back from the guests before the dance). We are also coordinating a student social committee so that the kids do more of the planning, and hopefully come up with events they're excited to plan and attend.
MS Calendar To Date
8/28 First day of School – Volunteer Sign Ups
8/30 TB Testing at school
9/1 TB Test Read at school
9/6 Back To School Night 7PM - Volunteer Sign Ups
9/15 Rock & Bowl at Albany Bowl
9/21 MS Parents Night – Phillips’ House – Evite will be sent
10/13 No School
10/26 Middle School information night for 5th grade parents
10/27 MS Halloween Invite-A-Friend Dance (still in planning stages)
11/10 No School
11/11 Hillcrest Auction at Claremont Resort & Spa
11/20-24 Thanksgiving break - No School
12/25 - 1/5 Winter break - No School
5/14-17 Yosemite Field Trip - $300 deposit, ~$390 total per child before fundraising
($325 per child + roundtrip bus rental)
Middle School Committee
Committee Head - Laura Carlson
Volunteer Coordinator - Sally Petru
Adjunct Teacher Liaison - Aileen Dolby
Social Chairs - Kathleen Phillips & Jennifer Chapman
8th Grade Rep & Graduation - Liz Agnello
6th Grade Rep - Open
Posted by LauraC at 11:48 PM