This photo of the HMS staff spelling out the word together was taken by a drone during the August in-service days.
April 9, 2021
Dear HMS Families,
We appreciate your ongoing support as we move through this unusual school year! We are asking for your assistance again as we prepare for the majority of our students to return to the building four days a week on Monday, May 3.
Please note these important schedule changes:
- The spring break will go from Wednesday, April 14 - Sunday, April 26. Tuesday, April 13, will be the last day of school before the April break.
- Wednesday, April 14 and Thursday, April 15 will be teacher in-service days. Students will not attend school in person or virtually on these two days.
- We will have another in-service day on Wednesday, April 28. Students will not attend school in person or virtually on this day.
Much will feel familiar to your children as we transition from the hybrid model. They can look forward to seeing peers they haven’t been in classes with since last spring and enjoying learning experiences that include full class participation. The HMS staff is working hard on shifting the strategies they have been using during the hybrid model to those that will work best when the majority of students access in-person learning.
- The school day will begin and end at the same time that it does now.
- Students must remain at least 3 feet apart when masks are on. Staff will focus on continued vigilance around distancing protocols from the time students arrive at school through the end of the day. Staff will be available to support students with this as they enter and exit the building and move through the hallways.
- Students may not gather in large, mixed groups before school, after school, at recess, or any other times during the day as it will make contact tracing impossible.
- Students who want to eat breakfast will enter the building and go directly to the cafe. Students who do not want to eat breakfast will go directly to their classrooms.
- Students must remain at least 6 feet apart when masks are off for eating/drinking. This is not a change from our current practice. In order to make this work some students in each class will eat in the cafe while others continue to eat lunch in the classrooms. Your child(ren)’s teachers will review this information with them and fill them in on where they will eat lunch.
- We will dismiss students using the same process as we currently do. Students will be dismissed by grade level and groups within those grade levels: students who ride the bus, students who walk, students who bike/board, and students who are getting a ride home from a parent/guardian. Please wait for your child to be dismissed and meet you at the car instead of asking her/him/them to walk up and meet you in the upper lot before they are officially dismissed.
We know that you are with us in this effort and that together, we can make this work for our students!
Wishing you a safe and enjoyable spring break!
With appreciation for your partnership,
Joan Adler and Tom McDowell
HMS Administrative Team
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We hope you enjoy these recent Adventures in Learning!
HMS Unified Basketball
Congratulations to the HMS Unified Basketball Team on the completion of an outstanding season! Huge gratitude to Coach Condon, Coach Gillis, Assistant Coach Flanagan, Assistant Coach Gildart, and all of the staff members who supported this team! Take a look at our students in action:
Legenda Cover
The Legenda staff wishes to announce the COVER winners for the 25th Anniversary issue of our literary magazine. Front: Ella Huckel-Bauer Back: Ava Fox Congratulations to these two artists and heartfelt thanks to all who submitted. You may well see your child’s work INSIDE our magazine, which is due out in early June.
Ava and Ella:
Five 8th graders completed National History Day projects and are now Southern Maine District finalists. Their work will go on to the State Competition in May. The National History Day Contest encourages more than half a million students around the world to conduct historical research on a topic of their choice. Students enter these projects at the local and affiliate levels, with top students advancing to the National Contest at the University of Maryland at College Park. This year's theme was Communication: Key to Understanding. Our students are: Chris Augur: Civil War Letters: Documents from the Front (exhibit), Hadley Dillon: The Miscommunication of Vikings in Modern Media (exhibit), Maya Faulstich: A Climate Carol (performance), Maddie Fleming: Charlie Howard (paper), Sally Higgins: The Jacksons - Speaking While Singing (performance). Congratulations to all!
HMS Library News:
There is much to celebrate in April! Enjoy the April Choice Board brought to you by Brandie Burrows
In other library news:
Exciting Events At Merrill Memorial Library
Please see the attached flyer for the dates and times of all events!
A sign of hope : )
Thanks to Carlin Whitehouse for this photo of a bald eagle flying over the HMS playground today!
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