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Heritage Middle School PTA

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Make life easier and order school supply packs now for next year! The deadline to order is 5/18 and you will be able to pick them up in August at the schedule pickup/registration. Log on to www.shopttkits.com and enter the HMS school ID: 93505.
Please participate in the annual district-wide parent satisfaction survey which can be accessed through the GCISD homepage (link on this website). It only takes about 20 minutes to take the survey and parent input is valued by our district. The survey will run from April 23 to May 4.
HMS Staff Appreciation Week will be April 30-May 3. The PTA will host a luncheon for teachers and staff as well as give them small gifts. Parents are also encouraged to send notes to teachers and staff expressing their appreciation for their hard work for our kids.
ATTENTION RANGERS FANS! Support Texas PTA by purchasing tickets to certain Rangers baseball games! Please go to the Forms page for more information!
GCISD middle school libraries and CHHS library are hosting a Barnes & Noble Book Fair May 5 at the Southlake Barnes & Noble. You can also make purchases on-line May 5-9. All the proceeds will be split evenly to all schools participating in the book fair. For HMS students only, there will be an “Open Mic" poetry reading from 10-11 a.m. May 5. Poems should be dedicated to the greatest woman the student knows, their mother. Every student who reads a poem dedicated to their mother will be entered into a drawing for a free mani/pedi for their mom! Look for your flyer in ELA class May 2 for more details. Or contact HMS Librarian Donna Rayburn at donna.rayburn@gcisd.net.

Two programs that stretch your dollar as well and help HMS are: Target Red Card (Take Charge of Education Program) Account number is #98378 and the Tom Thumb Reward Card (Good Neighbor Program) Account # 5449. If you have any questions concerning any of these programs, feel free to email PTA VP Laurie Denny at laurob9951@verizon.net.
NOTICE: HMS PTA is proposing a change to the By-laws for the 1st VP to include membership. This was announced at the General meeting in March, and it will be voted on at the next General meeting on May 17.
HMS 2011-2012 Yearbooks are still on sale. All yearbook money must be sent to school. In February, the price will is $50 through the month of March, payable by cash or check to HMS. In the month of April, the price will be $55, and in May, the price is $60, if there are any books left for sale. Please contact Yearbook teacher Alice Fitzgerald at alice.fitzgerald@gcisd.net with questions.

Please mark your calendars for these remaining and important STAAR 2012 dates:
April 27 - STAAR Social Studies for 8th grade

Attention Students & Parents: The 15% Rule is delayed but the test results still count toward graduation. State law requires that the new STAAR End-of-Course assessments account for 15 percent of a student's final grade in each course. The Commissioner of Education recently gave school districts the ability to defer implementation of the "15 % rule" for the 2011-2012 school year and the GCISD Board of Trustees has approved a resolution to delay the state requirement for the current year. The Board's decision gives students an extra year to adjust to the new STAAR system. However, it is important to remember that although the end-of course assessments will not count toward a student's final course grade this year, student performance on the STAAR will still count toward the accumulation of points required for graduation. STAAR end-of-course tests are being given in Algebra I and II; geometry; biology; chemistry; physics; English I, II and III; world geography; world history and U.S. history. More information is available on the district website and STAAR Resources page, and you are always encouraged to contact your HMS counselor or principals if you have further questions. Thank you for helping us navigate these new assessments and prepare your student for success!

Congratulations to the HMS students who gained State Recognition with the Duke University Talent Identification Program. Out of 28 HMS students tested, 9 gained State Recognition, 8 qualified for Academy for Summer Studies (AC), and 4 qualified for Center for Summer Studies (CE)
- State Recognized: Claire Buckley, Autumn Fuller, Bryce Holladay, Bihan Jiang, Gabriella Knox, Tiffany Mier Perez, Austin Nguyen, Katrina Widmann and Rachael Zemmin.
- AC qualified: Claire Buckley, Autumn Fuller, Emerson Lout, Tiffany Mier Perez, Breckenridge Millard, Chanyeong Park, Katrina Widmann and Rachael Zemmin.
- CE qualified: Bryce Holladay, Bihan Jiang, Gabriella Knox and Austin Nguyen

HMS teachers need volunteers for the 8th grade picnic May 11. This is a wonderful event for the 8th grade class and cannot be done without the help of volunteers. If you are interested in helping out, please visit the following website to sign up: www.SignUpGenius.com/go/20F0A48AAA623A46-8thgrade. Please make sure you have a background check on file with GCISD.

Checklist for HMS Parents:

1. Join HMS PTA

2. Contribute to Bronco Bucks Campaign

3. Sign Up to Volunteer through PTA website

4. Complete online GCISD Volunteer Background Check

5. Check calendar on website continuously for updates

6. Attend PTA general meetings

7. Make a significant impact on your child's middle school years and meet some wonderful people!

Where else?

* Find us on Facebook at "Heritage Middle School PTA".

* Read your weekly e-mail updates from Mr. Valamides titled "HMS News".

SAVE THE DATE 8TH GRADERS!

Friday, May 18th

7:30 - 10:30 p.m.
The theme is
"Party Rock in the House."

The event will be held at the HMS SAC. There will not be a sit-down dinner this year. Instead, students should come prepared for lots of active fun, including a DJ, bungee run, a photo booth, mechanical bull, and lots of food! You will even have a chance to win an iPad if you buy advance tickets! Contact PTA chair Natalie Walden at
gnwalden@gmail.com if you are interested in being on the committee planning the event. Please see the Volunteers page for info. on volunteering for the actual party.