HIll Country Middle School MESSAGE FROM PRINCIPAL KATHLEEN SULLIVAN October 6, 2017 These days you cannot turn on the news without hearing about some sort of hate or discrimination against others being discussed. Some of these are even life threatening or life ending. It is so sad to see all these examples, and even harder knowing that our kids are seeing them too. We want better for our children, and for our world! In an effort to counteract this, HCMS students participated in a lesson on respecting differences and accepting others this week. This lesson is in conjunction with them signing a Resolution of Respect. (View Resolution) I am proud to say that HCMS will become a No Place for Hate Campus this year. The No Place for Hate® initiative provides educators and students with the resources to ensure that anti-bias and diversity education are an integral part of the school curriculum. No Place for Hate® also helps to create and sustain inclusive school environments where all students feel valued and have the opportunity to succeed by promoting respect for individual difference while challenging bigotry and prejudice. We are excited to offer numerous activities throughout the year to celebrate diversity and promote acceptance. IMPORTANT REMINDERS COUGAR CLUB NEWS Check out this week's newsletter! You'll find out the winning grade of the Cougar Dash. And parents of 8th graders, you can get the 411 on the one-and-only 8th graders only school dance of the year! Plus, there's a whole lot more!!! SCHOOL CALENDAR Thursday - October 12, 2017 8:30 AM - 10:30 AM HEALTHY STUDENTS Relationship Skills Tips An important part of teaching the curriculum in any classroom is having a positive and safe learning environment. Social and emotional learning (SEL) provides the foundation for this environment. EISD has chosen to highlight relationship skills as our SEL focus for the first nine weeks. Using Second Step as our curriculum, teachers are helping students develop the skills necessary to develop healthy relationships with others. As our partners in education, we encourage you to support our efforts in this area. The Parent Toolkit is a resource for parents that was developed by NBC News Education Nation and is supported by Pearson. The Toolkit provides parents a wealth of information, in English and Spanish, on social and emotional development in addition to academics, health & wellness, financial literacy, and college & career. According to the Parent Toolkit one way to help middle school students learn social skills and relationship-building abilities is to talk about first impressions. Teach your teen “how to maintain eye contact, speak clearly, introduce themselves and smile or convey warmth to make a good first impression.” Support your teen by role-playing and helping them introduce themselves to others.
HILL COUNTRY MIDDLE SCHOOL |