Hidden Valley Middle School

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Hidden Valley Middle School

• Helping Students Find Their Wings Since 1972

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Hidden Valley Middle School
Helping Students Find Their WingsSince 1972

• Academic Excellence
• (challenge students to meet high standards)
• Developmental Responsiveness
• (we understand students at this stage of life)
• Social Equity
• (opportunity individuality within the
  community)

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A school to be proud of !
HVM nationally recognized as a 2009 School to
Watch!
Earned Virginia (VIP) Excellence Award for 2010
Recognized by Virginia Holocaust Museum for study
of tolerance
HVM students performed over 4,000 hours of
community service and raised over 5,000 for
various charities last year
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A school to be proud of !
Robotics Team won best robot design award in
first ever regional competition
Math Counts Team was 3rd in Virginia
Of 240 Golden Apple teacher nominees in RCPS, 27
were from HVM
Roanoke Co. Education Foundation awarded grants
to 14 HVM teachers
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A school to be proud of !
Strong SOL Scores Overall Math 90 Pass
advanced 51 Overall Reading 97 Pass
advanced 57 Science 98 Social Studies
92 Writing 98
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FEDERAL AYP REQUIREMENTS

• Benchmarks increase 4 each year toward the goal
  of 100 in 2014
• Require that schools meet the benchmark for all
  students as well as for individual subgroups

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Our goalHelp all students (from advanced to
struggling) reach their potential
Helping Students Find Their WingsSince 1972
TARGETED INTERVENTIONS

• double block math classes
• small group classes
• developmental reading class
• in-class remediation
• extra help sessions

• balanced within challenging, well-rounded
  curriculum and broad spectrum of elective choices
  for all students

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Were all on the same team Your childs team!
Helping Students Find Their WingsSince 1972

• We value your help with
• Excellent attendance
• Homework completion
• Positive attitudes(especially about getting
  extra help)
• Effective communication
• Volunteering

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Parenting is a tough job!

• The Roanoke County Prevention Council
• is great resource for support

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Administrative StaffPrincipalMr. Ken
Nicely Assistant Principal / scheduling8th
grade and ½ 7th gradeMr. Mike Riley
Assistant Principal / athletics6th grade and ½
7th gradeMrs. Beth Mast
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Counselors

• Lisa Childress, Coordinator
• Students A F, Si-Z
• Rennie Bruno
• Students G Sh
• Tim Hayes
• Student Assistance Program (SAP)

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School Hours

• 825am 310pm
• Students may arrive at 745 am and will be
  supervised in the cafeteria until 815am.
• Office Hours are
• 800am 430pm

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ATTENDANCE

• Please call school when your child will be
  absent.
• All students must bring a note after an absence.
  Students turn in their notes to the first period
  teacher.
• For illness requiring a visit to the doctor,
  please bring a note from the doctors office.

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The Note (Bad example)

• HVMS,
• Please excuse my child, Jimmy, from
  school yesterday he was absent.
• Sincerely,
• Mom

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The Note (good example)

• 8/27/08
• HVMS,
• Please excuse Lauryn Childress (8th grade) from
  school Monday, 8/26/08. She was very ill, so I
  kept her home.
• Sincerely,
• Lisa Childress

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MAKE-UP WORK

• Make-up work is the students responsibility and
  should be requested from teachers the first day
  back in school.
• If students are out two days, work can be
  requested by 900 am of the second day.
• This can be picked up in the office after 315 pm
  in the front office.
• Make up work must be made up within 10 days for
  full credit if the absence is excused. Highest
  grade for unexcused absence is 69.

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LATE ARRIVALS

• Doctor and dentist appointments or illnesses are
  considered excused tardies
• Bring note from doctors or dentists office
• Parents must sign students in
• Three or more unexcused tardies per semester will
  result in assignments to the silent table at
  lunch or after-school detention

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EARLY DISMISSALS

• In the morning, student should bring a note from
  home to the attendance window
• Parent should present photo ID and sign out the
  student at the time of dismissal and wait in the
  lobby
• If returning from a doctor or dentist visit,
  student should bring a note from the doctors or
  dentists office

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ATTENDANCE IS IMPORTANT

• 5 DAYS, LETTER
• 10 DAYS, LETTER AND FOLLOW-UP BY HVMS STAFF
• 15 DAYS, CHILD STUDY REFERRAL
• NEXT STEP IS REFERRAL TO THE COURT SYSTEM

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Messages, Deliveries Dominos

• We do not interrupt instructional time to make
  student deliveries.
• We will, of course, contact a student during
  class in the case of an emergency.
• Please do not send flowers, balloons, etc. to a
  student at school.
• Sorry, we cannot accommodate lunch parties
  please do not bring in lunch for groups of
  students.

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Dress Code

• Student appearance may not be disruptive to
  classroom activities
• Lets work together to make sure all clothing
  follows the RCPS dress code
• Please monitor what your child wears to school to
  avoid the phone call
• Despite what you may hear at home (but
  everybodys wearing that!), most students follow
  the dress code and those that dont are issued
  warning letters or have to change clothes

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Dress CodeExamples
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Medicine

• Mrs. Johnson, school nurse, can administer
  Tylenol, and certain other medications if you
  return the appropriate card which comes home the
  first day.
• This will prevent calls home or to your work for
  a headache.
• All medication, prescription and OTC, must be
  brought to school by the parent in the original
  container and the permission forms completed.
• All medicines must be taken in the nurses office
  or the front office if the nurse is unavailable.
  

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Athletics

• 7th and 8th grade students participate in the
  following team sports
• Football, basketball, wrestling, soccer,
  baseball, and track for boys
• Volleyball, basketball, soccer, track, softball,
  and cheerleading for girls.
• Team sports require a physical dated after May 1
  of the preceding year.

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Lunch

• Each grade level will eat during separate lunch
  times (1110 for 6th grade)
• Students can pack or purchase lunch
• Lunch is 2
• Students have an individual account which is
  accessed by their pin number
• Federal regulations prohibit competition with the
  school lunch program please do not bring in
  outside food for groups of students

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Discipline

• Team Work School and Parents Working Together
• Teachers can assign after-school detention
• Principals assign silent lunch table,
  after-school detention, In-School Detention
  (ISD), Community Service, Suspension, and may
  recommend Expulsion
• Resource Officer Supports the staff whenever
  his services are needed.

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Emergency Closings

• Please discuss plans with your children prior to
  event
• County Information Line
• 562-6000
• Update your information in RCPS Instant Alert
  System

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Communication

• We value your involvement!
• School website including Parent Connection
  resources
• www.rcs.k12.va.us/hvms
• Parent Email Connection (this is our primary way
  of sending out information)
• Be proactive help us help your child

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• Please review, with your child, the student
  handbook and Roanoke County Student Conduct Code.
• Should you have any questions, please call an
  administrator or counselor.

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The Characteristics of the Middle School Student
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Adolescent Growth and Development

• The three main areas
• physical,
• intellectual,
• and social.

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Growth In All Areas Varies

• Individual variation is seen among the different
  areas.
• For example, early physical growth does not mean
  early intellectual or social development
• Lets look at growth in each grade level.

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Is there a typical Sixth Grader?

• NO! But there are similarities
• Usually enthusiastic about school activities and
  willing to try things. Want to please teachers
  and other adults.
• Anxious about how peers see them! Peers play a
  bigger and bigger role in their lives.
• Girls begin to become very critical of each
  other, tend to loose self-confidence.
• Boys are usually still pretty immature. Spend a
  lot of free time playing. Will still bring
  toys to school.
• Girls are more aggressive in boy/girl
  relationships.

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How about that Seventh Grader?

• Some are more mature and some are less mature.
  Sometimes it depends on the day of the week or
  the phase of the moon.
• Girls are generally in the midst of hormonal
  angst.
• Guys are definitely starting to notice girls in a
  more physical/sexual way.
• As a whole, this year tends to be the most
  traumatic for everyone especially the
  counselor.
• Difficult year academically as well as the
  social/emotional.

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Moving into Eighth as a Teenager.

• Start to become much more independent. Almost
  like when they were in the fifth grade.
• Seem to handle social situations more maturely.
• Girls still have group/friend issues.
• Boys have their crowd they hang with.
  Testosterone is taking over their lives. Music,
  video games, Facebook, and girls. Cognitively,
  they are developing very quickly.

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What role do school counselors play in the middle
school?

• Resource for students, parents, and teachers
• Academic, social, and emotional support
• Classroom, group, and individual

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Enjoy the Ride!

• This is an incredibly exciting time.