Highland Middle School

For Students, Valentine's Day is quickly approaching and HMS has a wonderful opportunity for you to do something for that special someone -- purchase a candy gram. Candy grams will be sold from January 28th - February 5th. Please see the schedule below for the day your team is allowed to purchase candy grams. Students may purchase candy grams for $1.00 during their advisory and ELP in the HMS Plaza. Your valentine will receive a full-size candy bar and a special handwritten message from you on Friday, February 12th during ELP. Happy Valentine's Day!! Purchase Dates: *Thursday, January 28th -- Team 6 Black *Friday, January 29th -- Team 6 Red *Tuesday, February 2nd -- Team 7 Black *Wednesday, February 3rd -- Team 7 Red *Thursday, February 4th -- Team 8 Black *Friday, February 5th -- Team 8 Red Candy Gram Message: *Give Me A Break . . . Be My Valentine! (Kit Kat) *You Are Magnificent & Marvelous! (M&Ms) *You Color My World! (Skittles) For Parents, We have lots of parents ask about whether or not they can purchase candy grams for their own children, their children's friends, teachers, etc. . . . the answer is yes you can. If you would like to purchase a candy gram, please fill-out this form -- https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe3kGb1X2015yEz95iVu0xe874HIzxxDahlHVhdYtT7DZyLAA/viewform. Please have your student turn in the money for candy grams in an envelope to the office. They will need to give it to either Jill Reaka or Kateri Odle by Friday, February 5th. Please make sure you put on the outside or inside of the envelope who the candy gram is for or who is giving it. Each candy gram is $1 for a full-size candy bar, and they will be handed out on Friday, February 12th. Happy Valentine's Day!! If you have any questions, please contact me at dhubbard@highlandcusd5.org. Thanks, Dawn Hubbard and Mecala Scholl HMS Student Council Sponsors Candy Gram Message: *Give Me A Break . . . Be My Valentine! (Kit Kat) *You Are Magnificent & Marvelous! (M&Ms) *You Color My World! (Skittles)

Congratulations to Sophia Fleming for being selected our HMS nominee for the SIJHSAA Jim Burns Award. She will be representing HMS in our conference this year for outstanding academic and athletic leadership.

Mrs. Stephanie Schwappach, 6 Red Math teacher, has been teaching for 15 years. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her family, studying genealogy, and traveling. Some of her favorite foods include chocolate, steak, chips with pineapple salsa, and pasta. One thing you may not know about Mrs. Schwappach is that she can sing. In fact, she used to sing in weddings many years ago. The best part about teaching at HMS is that Mrs. Schwappach loves being around her kiddos. Her favorite time is when she sees that "Aha" look on her students' faces after understanding a new math concept. Thanks Mrs. Schwappach for all that you do to help students grow.

Mrs. Mindy Bernal, our 7 Red Science teacher, has been teaching for 28 years. In her free time, she enjoys journaling, hiking, photography, scrap booking, painting, and yoga. She loves spending time with her husband and kids as well. Some of Mrs. Bernal’s favorites are soda, especially Coke. Something unique about Mrs. Bernal, is that she makes and keeps a picture collage for each year she has been teaching, and they are displayed throughout her classroom. She also has an uncanny resemblance to Ms. Frizzle from Magic School Bus at times. Her favorite thing about teaching HMS students is having fun lessons and watching the kids enjoy learning. Thanks for making science fun Mrs. Bernal!

Mrs. Amanda Holcmann, our Special Education transition room teacher, has been teaching for 18 years at HMS. When she is not teaching, Mrs. Holcmann loves spending time outdoors, camping, and going to sporting events for her 3 children. Some of her all time favorites are dark chocolate and Mexican food. One thing you may not know about Mrs. Holcmann is that she is a great cook. According to her, the best thing about teaching is getting to know the kids and interacting with her students helping them learn new things each day. Thank you Mrs. Holcmann for all that you do to help our students learn and succeed.

Mrs. PJ Bolk has been working with students as our librarian secretary for 28 years in the Highland School District. In her spare time, she enjoys going camping and boating with her family and loves reading from her Kindle. She loves brownies, snickers, Almond Joys, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups for sweets. Other favorites include pork chops, Chinese, and Mexican food. One thing you may not know about Mrs. Bolk, is that she worked for U.S. Secret Service for 10 years before coming to the Highland School District. She met Ronald and Nancy Reagan and Jimmy Carter. Mrs. Bolk and her husband also owned their own napery business - making cloth tablecloths & napkins in South Carolina. Her favorite time at HMS is when she is busy with all of the students coming to the library to read or pick out a great book. Mrs. Bolk will be retiring at the end of this school year. We will sure miss her. Thanks for your dedication to HMS, Mrs. Bolk.

This week's Mag 7 winners for team 7 Red. Nice work!

A huge THANK YOU to Jennifer and Clare at Apex Physical Therapy for the yummy donuts for our staff today! It was much appreciated!

7B 2021 Word Projects

7Black students did an amazing job presenting their 2021 Word Projects today.

6th grade students tested the properties of rocks and minerals in science.

7 Red had a guest speaker today to talk to students about how fun science can be!! Can you guess who she is??

Our first Positive Pups of 2021! Our students continue to impress!!! Way to go Above and Beyond!!! Positive Pups 1/15/2021

Congratulations to the Quarter 2 award winners for 7 Red! Nice work!

Mr. Greg Allen, our HMS Band instructor, has been teaching for 25 years. In his spare time he enjoys playing frisbee golf and cooking barbeque. Obviously, his favorite food is barbeque. One thing unique about Mr. Allen is that he used to play drums in a rock-n-roll band. According to Mr. Allen, the best thing about working with HMS students, is watching the moment the students eyes light up when they achieve success. He enjoys their sense of humor and loves watching them progress. Thanks for bringing the joy of music to our kids Mr. Allen.

Mrs. Karen Nave, 6 Black science, has been teaching for 31 years. When at home, she really loves to be outdoors landscaping and taking care of her animals. For a sweet treat, Mrs. Nave enjoys chocolate with nuts and ice cream. One thing you may not know about Mrs. Nave is that she loves to do Zumba workouts. According to Mrs. Nave, the best thing about working with HMS students is doing hands on activities. She likes the discovery part of science and to see the problem solving ability of her students in action. Thanks for all that you do for our students at HMS! Keep recycling.

Mrs. Kris Reed has been teaching for 12 years, but this is her first year teaching 8th grade ELA on team 8 Black. In her spare time she enjoys reading, hanging out with friends and family, and going to concerts. Anything gluten free is her go to, and she loves Hershey’s Chocolate as well as all kinds of coffee. If you did not know this, Mrs. Reed is an open book! She loves sharing her experiences with her students. What she loves the most about teaching is making relationships and getting to know kids and then seeing them grow and change. Another thing that is important to her is knowing that her kindness can make a difference in her students’ lives. Thanks for going that extra mile for your students every day Mrs. Reed.

Mrs. Sue Zuccarrelli, an assistant on team 7 Black, has been working with kids for 12 years. In her spare time she enjoys cooking, baking, reading, and spending time with her grandchildren. Some of her favorite things are plain Lays potato chips, Hershey’s Gold, and anything with chocolate and caramel. You may not know this, but Mrs. Zuccarrelli is a tumbling and trampoline judge, and she can make an amazing monkey sound. She enjoys working with our HMS students because everyday is a different adventure. She loves working with our staff because they make her laugh. She also enjoys being able to joke with our students and get to know them as individuals instead of just looking at them as only students. Thanks for all that you do Mrs. Zuccarrelli!

Link for Information for our HMS Musical Auditions for Dear Edwina Jr. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sGj9orWVBwhzIpd5iPMeM_cmgWTge9Wn-g2lx3EZX8k/edit?usp=sharing

Celebrate your 8th grader with a personalized ad in the HMS yearbook. All information is included on the attached flyer.