Friday Memo - August 6, 2021

Important dates
August 9 - 6th grade orientation; orientation for 8th graders who were virtual in 7th grade, build the courtyard volunteer day #1
August 10 - rising 7th grade orientation, build the courtyard volunteer day #2
August 11-13, 16-18: Back to school professional development days for teachers
August 18 - Hixson Middle School Open House
August 23 - First day of school!
September 19 - Hixson Community Open House, 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

80th issue of Hixson Happenings
Click HERE to read the most recent Hixson Happenings!

Agenda for Upcoming Professional Development Days
In case you need it again, click HERE to access the agenda for our professional development days in August.

Staff t-shirts are in!
As you know, the district Ra-Ra is on Wednesday, August 11 starting at 8:00 am on Moss Field. Staff t-shirts will be available starting on Monday, August 9 for those who want to pick it up early and wear it to the Ra-Ra. Please wear Hixson gear to this event! We will also make the Hixson Bag o' Spirit available for staff who'd like to add extra flair to their spirit wear! The Bag o' Spirit includes the items pictured below. They will be available at 7:00 am on August 11. Hixson staff can use Hixson parking on this day. Park your car on our lots, stop by the cafeteria to get a spirit item if you want, and walk on down to Moss Field. PLEASE DRESS AS OBNOXIOUSLY AS YOU CAN IN HIXSON GEAR!!!

Return to school plan
Now that the WGSD Return to School Planning Guide has been released to staff and families, I will share the Hixson Middle School plan with our families on Monday.  Click the link below to read a draft of that plan. Do not share this plan with anyone outside of our staff. You will notice that this plan is much shorter than last year's plan due to some health and safety guidelines being relaxed or discontinued.

DRAFT HXMS Return to School Plan, 2021-2022

Open House - August 18, 2021
Open House will be a casual, drop by style for Hixson families. There will also be food trucks for our families and staff to enjoy. Due to the increase in cases of COVID-19, students are allowed to have one parent or guardian per household accompany them to Open House, masks will be required, and families will need to sign in upon entering the building so that we have a reference point for contact tracing, if needed

On the day of Open House, you are required to work 11:00 am to 7:00 pm. You will take your staff/team/department photos on this day as well before Open House actually starts. I will share a schedule for that next week. You will need to prepare a one page eSyllabus for parents. We will let you know next week how we will disseminate it to parents. During the event, you will be expected to be in or near your classroom, greeting parents, and answering any questions they may have about your class/role within the building.

Community Open House - September 19, 2021
Hixson will host a community Open House and ribbon cutting on Sunday, September 19 from 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm. During this time, community members will have the opportunity to participate in student-led tours, view the ribbon cutting, listen to a few short speeches (Dr. Simpson, BOE, etc), hear Cbabi Bayoc conduct "artist talks" about our murals, enjoy refreshments, take fun pictures at a Hixson photo booth, and more! 

Since this is a Sunday, your attendance is not required. However, please consider attending because we have been asked to offer teacher-led activities around the building such as games in the gym, STEAM activities, music (band/orchestra/choir) etc. More details on the community open house will be forthcoming. 

Update on Lunch Duty
As most of you know, we no longer have the support of the supervision squad from last year. Therefore, some staff members (mainly electives, PE/Health, counselors, admin) will have to assist with lunch supervision two or more times per week. You can view the lunch supervision schedule at the link below.

HXMS Lunch Supervision Schedule