"We are Family!"

Sing it with us! We are all a family, striving to provide your child and our students with the highest form of education possible. Family involvement is a top priority at HMS and we encourage you to get to know your child's teachers. Speak up! Ask Questions! Get Involved! We welcome your concerns and value your opinions. Throughout the school year you will notice that your child brings home important information that we wish to communicate to you. Other times, there will be open house, family-teacher conferences, or student-led conferences. We strongly encourage you to talk to your child and be involved in their school-work as much as possible. We understand that most students come from families in which both parents hold full time jobs but we cannot stress enough the importance of talking about your child's school day with them as much as possible! 

 

So the million dollar question is, "How can you get involved?" There are a number of ways that your family can get involved in your child's education at Higgins Middle School. 

• Career Day - come share your interest with the students!
• Participate in "Make Our School Pretty" day
• Ride along on field trips and service learning opportunities
• Assist in a position at the school where help may be needed (e.g. library, front office, etc)
• Sponsor clubs and help out at fund raisers

Community involvement means that we take pride in the community and schools in which our students live and attend. The school, the children, and the community are inextricably linked. Students are in school from 7-10 hours a day so with family and community involvement, we as teachers and administrators can truly work to make an impact on the future leaders in our societies.

Instructional Strategies & Exceptional Learners

There are many ways in which our teachers can instruct your students on a day-to-day basis. We understand and respect the fact that all students will not learn the same way and we must adhere to the different ways in which they process information. A teacher may use any of the following strategies to engage active learning in the classroom.

• Students have a choice
• Lecture
• Demonstration
• Teacher Think-Aloud
• Think-Aloud
• Questioning
• Class Discussions
• Brainstorming
• Notetaking
• Drill and Practice
• Graphic Organizers
• Enhancing Vocabulary
• Sharing Vocabulary
• Role-Play
• Projects
• Think-Pair-Share
• Jigsaw
• Learning Centers

You might wonder if your child is an exceptional learner. An exceptional learner is a student who has abilities and/or disabilities that set them apart from other students. The following resources are available to you and your exceptional learner. At the end you will find an example IEP that one of your student's teachers may use for his or her benefit.

Exceptional Abilities
Pull-Out Programs
One period a day with other gifted students
Grade skipping
Compacting by learning the curriculum at a faster pace
Tracking with other gifted and talented students for some or all of the school day

Students with Disabilities
Inclusion
Individualized Education Plans (IEP's)

Our School Curriculum and Flexible Scheduling

C O R E

At HMS we strive to provide a curriculum that meets the philosophy of our school. our curriculum will be challenging, yet rewarding to your student here at HMS. We aim to meet our students where they are academically, build on their prior knowledge and experiences, and continue to challenge them throughout the school year. The main focus in our curriculum is within the subject-centered courses that your child will take including Math, English, Science, and Social Studies.

R E L A T E D  A R T S

Along with our core-curriculum, we believe its important for your child to be socially involved with their peers at school. In addition to building their social skills, students will be able to select from a number of programs that allow them to express themselves as individuals. While academic success is crucial at HMS, students should have a trusted network of peers outside of the classroom and we feel as if these activities will do just that. Activities include but are not limited to:
P.E., Home Economics, Choir, Computer Basics such as Keyboarding, and Foreign Language.

S E R V I C E  L E A R N I N G

Students will be able to voice what community projects are important to them and will be assisted in securing a service learning project to complete by the end of the school year. Service learning is important to our curriculum because it allows students to take what they've learned in the classroom and apply their knowledge in the community around them. It builds relationships within the community and allow the students to develop as leaders and demonstrate their abilities while helping others. Check out the websites listed here to find out more information on how your child can get involved!

Kids Care

Habitat for Humanity

Youth Noise

So that teachers are able to meet the learning needs of the students, HMS will implement flexible scheduling. This means that a creative use of time will be used by teachers in order to match the instructional time and format to the learning needs of the students. There are different types of flexible scheduling such as block scheduling, alternate day classes, rotating schedules, and dropped schedule. HMS will implement the alternate day classes and your child's school day may look like this:

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday = Core Academics

Tuesdays and Thursdays = Art, Home Economics, or Study Skills Classes

So as you can see, students will alternate the school days between core academics and electives.

 

S-U-P-P-O-R-T... find out what it means to us

We are able to provide support to you and your student in a number of ways. Middle grades counseling serve students, teachers, and families through a comprehensive, preventive, developmental, and systematic approach that is aligned to the school mission. Physical, Emotional, and academic safety will be stressed thoroughly for all students thus creating a positive and productive learning environment.

Services available to you and your child will include:

Guidance counselor

Academic counselor

School safety officer

Concern Specialist

Tutors

Nurse

We're a T.E.A.M.

Here at Higgins Middle School, we believe in interdisciplinary teaming. What this means for your student is that he or she will have a dedicated group of professionals working alongside them, ensuring a partnership between the two that will ultimately lead to an effective learning environment. We don't want your child to go unnoticed here at HMS. Since research has shown that interdisciplinary teaming results in positive achievement, we want to ensure your child is able to take advantage of this. Another goal of the teams is to collaborate to make sure that your child is progressing in each subject area and performing to the best of their ability.

This school year marks the beginning of Advisory Programs. These programs have been set up to allow students to meet face to face with one teacher or administrator in the building multiple times a week in hopes to build trust and partnerships between the two individuals. Activities in each program will range from help with homework, studying for upcoming tests, talking with students about their concerns in school or personal life, or helping the student develop a positive self-concept. This program will also allow students to get to know one another and have a wider scope of friends within the school community.

What's so special about 6th, 7th, and 8th grades?

We at Higgins Middle School serve to function as a bridge between the gap in elementary school to high school. 6th, 7th, and 8th graders are near and dear to our hearts. Why, you might ask? Because this time frame in your student's life is so unique! They are emerging from self-contained classrooms in elementary schools and into more appropriate learning environments for their age group. Most kids this age are beginning the onset of puberty and starting to align themselves with friends they may keep for life. It's important that we guide them at this age to make the right decisions and be sensitive to their emotions as they go through adolescence. During this time, students especially feel a need to belong in an acceptable group of friends. It is our desire to take this unique time in your child's life and make it a time to remember and grow from as they enter into adulthood.

"Every aspect of middle level philosophy is developed distinctly for the unique stage of early adolescence."
- Sara Davis Powell