October 2021

Dear HP,
 
Welcome to October! It seems like fall hit fast. The leaves around HP are already changing colors, the rain has returned (thankfully!), and there is a crispness in the air. Already I am getting questions from students about Halloween activities, which is one more reminder of how excited our students are to be back on campus together again!

I hope September was a great month for everyone. At HP, students learned the routines and structures of our classes and lunches. Although there is still a lot of energy, we are getting into the rhythm of school again. We look forward to October for conferences, and an opportunity to connect with all of you again.
 
Have a great weekend HP!
 
Curtis Semana
 
 
 
October 8 - No school for students:
10/8 is a staff development day. Students do not have school this day.
 
Student-led Conferences:
BSD middle schools are doing Student-led conferences on October 13th in the evening, and all day on October 14th. There will be no school on the 14th and the 15th due to conferences. These conferences will be led by students to go over their current progress in classes, and an opportunity for them to share their academic goals with families. Advisory teachers will join via Zoom to help answer HP questions.
 
Mental Health Awareness:
BSD is recognizing World Mental Health Day (10/10) by offering Suicide Prevention Training (QPR) to parents/guardians next week on 10/7 from 6:30-8pm via Zoom. This is a great opportunity for our families to learn more about mental health and suicide prevention.
 
This week, we're be focusing district-wide on mental health and suicide prevention. We want to provide you with the information and tools that you need to be on the lookout for any signs of distress.

Washington County Health and Human Services is partnering with BSD to lead a parent/community virtual training event called "QPR - Question, Persuade, Refer."

The event will be held on Thursday, October 7 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. There is limited space, so please click on this link to pre-register: https://bit.ly/3ojjRgs
Due to copyright issues, we will not be able to record the session.

Thank you for partnering with us to keep students safe and healthy.
 
Community Message - Fir Grove Elementary
 
A huge thanks to Fir Grove Elementary and their amazing PTO for sharing the following opportunity with our HP community:
 
Fir Grove has partnered with Urban Gleaners and are doing a food table every Wednesday from 9:30-11am at Fir Grove Elementary School.  It’s a pretty amazing program getting free food to our families who need it.
 
Also, if your students walk to school please remind them that Fir Grove is a closed campus like all BSD schools. HP students should not walk through the Fir Grove campus, fields, or playground. Their school day starts before ours, and is in session when our students are walking to school. Please help us keep Fir Grove safe by reminding your students to not walk through their campus.

Greetings HP,
 
This week, I was happy to be able to spend time with our PE classes. In each class I observed, I saw students engaged in physical activity and having fun. From playing soccer, to creative warm ups in a musical roulette style, it is so great seeing students engaged in PE on campus again!
 
Another highlight of this week was a visit from our School Board representative Becky Tymchuk. During Becky’s tour, we spoke to several teachers, saw lunches and passing times, and talked to some students. We at HP appreciate Becky taking time out of her busy schedule to support our school and community!
 
I wish everyone a happy weekend.
Sincerely,
Curtis Semana
Principal

Conferences:

Student led conferences are this week. If you haven’t signed up for a spot yet, please do so through the link sent by your students advisory teacher. Conferences are Wednesday evening and all day Thursday. 
 
There is no school for students on Thursday or Friday.

 

Drop off / Pick up:

We have seen some cars during drop off in the morning who drive pretty fast through the parking lot. As we have students crossing, please keep parking lot speeds low for the safety of our students.

 

Front office access during the day:

If you need to pick up your student before school gets out, please use the buzzer on the post near the entrance to the front office. We will call for your student, and bring out a sign out sheet for you to fill out. We need to limit the number of people in the front office to ensure social distancing.

 

Attendance line:

Thank you to all families who are helping keep everyone at HP safe and keep Covid out of our school by accurately reporting any Covid symptoms your student may be experiencing.

As a reminder, if your student has any primary Covid symptoms including a cough, fever, or respiratory problems, please follow the BSD guidelines for testing prior to return to school. This is important to keep everyone safe. If you are calling in for attendance, we are required to follow up on all messages to determine if the symptoms are Covid related. Messages left on the attendance line saying “sick” require us to make a call to ask about the symptoms. This takes a lot of time from the front office staff. If you could please include the symptoms in your message that would be very helpful.

 For a list of testing locations, please visit:

https://www.co.washington.or.us/HHS/CommunicableDiseases/COVID-19/testing-sites.cfm

 

Lost & Found:

Please remind your student to visit our Lost and Found area for lost items.  We will be holding onto items from September for one more week and will then donate.   There are some really nice coats & sweatshirts along with water bottles & lunch boxes so please have them check it out.  Lost and Found is now located at the end of A Hall towards the back of the school.

Greetings HP Families!

It has been been both a great, and also a challenging start of the school year in many ways, but with amazing staff, students, and supportive families, we are working to find our way. Thank you for your positive feedback regarding parent conferences and your continued support.

This week’s update, I want to bring attention to a complex and challenging topic: harassment and bullying. Since the start of the school year, we have seen an increase in student behavior from previous school years. It might make sense to attribute it to the prolonged period students spent away from in-person school or the increased stress in our current pandemic and societal context. Teachers and staff are doing what we do best, taking students where they are and providing the best structure and support we can to help them grow, but it takes a village and we need your help.

Harassment and bullying of any kind — based on race, gender expression, sexuality, religion, etc. that is sexual, physical, verbal, written, or otherwise — is strictly prohibited in Beaverton School District and at Highland Park. If you have not recently, please take some time to speak with your child(ren) on this topic:

• paying special attention to harassment or bullying that is based on race, gender, gender expression, sexuality, and sexual harassment. 
• asking if they have witnessed harassment or bullying and discuss ways to interrupt or report it.
• and ways to encourage kindness at HPMS.

Students and families can report harassment and bullying to any staff member or anonymously through SafeOregon. All reports will be investigated following the BSD Code of Conduct which can include consequences for violation up to and including expulsion, suspension, detention, restorative justice and conferencing, community service, and parent involvement, among other options. Together we can ensure all children and families are supported and safe.

Thank you for your support in building a stronger community at HPMS.

Weekly announcements:

This week is HP Spirit Week!

Monday - Sports or HP Gear
Tuesday - Twin day
Wednesday - Crazy hair / hat day
Thursday - Comfy cozy day
Friday - Halloween costumes
 
Students will be allowed to dress up on Friday, 10/29. No masks (other than the required ones), blood, fake wounds, or weapons of any sort.

Food and candy in the classrooms / halls - Although we haven’t had any sightings of rats, they continue to remain a concern at HP. Please don’t allow students to eat food or candy outside of the cafeteria.

Parents, if you are not familiar with Canvas below are some tutorials we put together to help. This is a powerful tool to help you stay informed of what is going on in the classroom:
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-5sWZODhY8

Dear HP,
 
Hope you had a great week everyone! This week was fun at HP, it was wonderful seeing so many students showing their HP pride by participating in spirit week. The costumes today were a lot of fun, and from the Scooby Doo cast in the front office we wish you all a wonderful, and safe weekend!

 
Announcements:
 
Reminder - no food / candy in the classrooms due to previous rodent concerns on campus.

PTO meeting - Thursday 11/4 7:00 PM via Zoom:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87971450733?pwd=LzVPcnlZUUlGMHpxK0sxUlhsOXpuUT09
 

Picture Retakes - Thursday 11/4
You have the ability to order pictures online by visiting dorianstudio.com and searching for your school’s name. Your online order can be placed before and up to four (4) days after picture day.
Los padres pueden ordenar fotos en línea en dorianstudio.com buscando el nombre de su escuela. Su pedido en línea se puede realizar antes y hasta cuatro (4) días después del día de la foto.
After the 4-day grace period expires, a personalized access key will be sent home with picture delivery. A $7 shipping and handling fee will be added to all orders made with a personalized
access key and orders will ship directly to your home.
DESPUÉS DE QUE EXPIRE EL PERÍODO DE GRACIA DE 4 DÍAS: Un código de acceso personalizado le será enviado a su hogar con sus pedidos. Estas órdenes incluyen una tarifa de $7 de envío.