Friday Memo - 11/12/21

Important dates
November 15 - 19 - NEA American Education Week
November 17 - Choir Concert, 6:30 pm
November 18 - National Parental Involvement Day
November 19 - Hixson Staff Crock Pot Celebration! + National Substitute Teacher Day
November 24 - 26 - Thanksgiving Break
December 1 - School Play
December 2 - School Play, National Special Education Day
December 5 - Hixson PTO Holiday House Tour
December 6 - Faculty Meeting, 3:35 pm to 4:35 pm
December 8 - 6 - 8 Band Concert, 6:00 pm
December 13 - School Improvement Team meeting
December 21 - Quarter 2 ends/end of 1st semester

93rd issue of Hixson Happenings
Click HERE to access the newest issue of Hixson Happenings.

Hixson Middle School Warrior Wall in honor of Veteran's Day
Thank you to Lisa Rodriguez (pictured on the Warrior Wall) for your service!

Hixson Standardized Testing Procedures

Starting with the winter NWEA test in January, we will be changing our testing procedures from testing occurring only in ELA and Math classes to testing taking place at the beginning of the day. Currently, ELA and Math teachers use 3 class periods every time we take the NWEA, for a total of 9 class periods a year. With this new process, all classes will give up one period every time we take the NWEA. We hope that this process goes smoothly in January so that we are ready for MAP in May. 

For detailed information regarding testing procedures, dates, and schedules, please click here. 

Field Trip Checklist
As you are probably aware, the district is allowing classes to go on field trips this year. We have created a new field trip checklist to assist with your planning. The checklist includes an updated permission slip for your use. The checklist may also be found in the faculty briefcase. 

We have received recent communication from Central Office that outside (parent) volunteers should not accompany students on field trips. If you are planning a trip and need additional support with supervision, please let us know and we will see if we can coordinate this support with our current staff.  

Rock n' Roll Bingo

We still hope to have our Rock n' Roll Bingo as a fundraiser this year and it is currently scheduled for Friday, April 1. This event is a TON of fun and open only to adults. Gail Tumminello has spearheaded this event in the past but we are asking for some volunteers to form a committee to share the responsibility. The committee would shadow Gail this year to see how things are run and take over officially next year. Please contact Gail, Dana Mitchell, or Jordan Haddock if you are interested in helping. 

If we don't get any volunteers, this will be the last year we have Rock n' Roll Bingo. Bingo has helped keep our Social Courtesy dues low and helps offset the cost of several things Social Courtesy does in the building.

Need a break?
As we approach Thanksgiving break, your admin and instructional support teams would like to give you some time to yourself. While we don't have the power to call school off for a day or make other changes to the calendar, we are in the position to give you some time off during the school day!

There may be times coming up in the next three weeks that you could use to take a break. Maybe your students are taking a test. Maybe they are having a work day on a project. Or, maybe there is an easy activity you can leave for someone else to facilitate. You may choose a 24 - 48 minute break. You could choose to use this as a mental health break or an extra plan period. It's up to you, but please take a break!

To ensure there is someone available to cover your break, please sign up HERE!