HMS News

HMS PTO seeks leaders for 2012-13 team

Our PTO Nominating Committee is currently seeking nominations for the PTO Executive Board for the 2012-13 school year. Self-nomination is also encouraged! Please e-mail nominations to Jan Burr and/or Sue Shupe at president@hmspto.org. Open Executive Board slots for the 2012-13 school year are: two co-vice presidents; the assistant treasurer; and one recording secretary. The vice presidents and assistant treasurer serve for two years. These Board members can be from any feeder school.

One-Act Plays hit the stage this week

Enjoy an evening of theater at HMS: The One-Act Plays will be performed on Thursday and Friday, Feb. 23 and 24 at 7 p.m. in the Commons. Tickets are on sale during lunchtime. Support the arts at HMS!

Math Team + hard work = Math Counts State Contest!

The Math Counts Regional competition was held on Feb. 18, and 11 students from the Hinsdale Middle School Math Team competed. Four HMS eighth graders have qualified to participate in both the individual round and the team round at the Math Counts State Contest on March 3. James Zhou (placing 5th individually), Beatrice Makdah (placing 19th individually), Sean Gai (placing 20th individually), and Mina Rao (placing 21st individually) together earned third place in the Team Round of the competition. Seventh grader Kendall Reichmann (placing 27th individually) will also be competing in the individual competition. Congrats to these math all-stars! Read more about Math Counts at http://mathcounts.org/about.

ISAT testing coming in March

District 181 will be administering the yearly ISAT tests at HMS from March 6-9 (with makeups the following week). All parents/guardians should have received an e-mail message on Friday about the testing schedule; a letter with the same information is attached at the end of this e-mail. If you have any questions about ISAT testing at HMS, contact Assistant Principal Martha Henrikson at mhenrikson@d181.org.

Cafeteria adds to allergy-conscious options

The HMS cafeteria now has more products that are good for our students and staff with food allergies. These are the "Enjoy Life" products which are free of: wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, fish, soy, dairy, and egg--AND they taste good! The cafeteria currently has cookies and granola bars from this brand (specifically: chocolate chip cookies, double chocolate brownie cookies, and carmel apple bars). For more information on this product line, visit the company's website: http://www.enjoylifefoods.com/. Enjoy!

Math Team gets ready to wrap up season

The regular Wednesday, Feb. 15 meeting of Math Team is cancelled; participating members are preparing for the Feb. 18 Math Counts meet. Students should mark their calendars for the end-of-season party on Wednesday, Feb. 22 after school!

8th grade graduation photos will be taken Thursday

Attention 8th grade families: Graduation photos will be taken this Thursday, Feb. 16. All 8th grade students will be photographed by Premier Studios in a graduation gown while holding the cap. The graduation gown has a high neckline, so only the collar area is visible. The studio recommends that boys wear a shirt and tie, and girls wear a non-bulky shirt or sweater. Families will receive a proof sheet of the cap and gown portrait with pricing and package information in March. Call the studio with questions at 708/502-5689.

WWII Day enlisting parent volunteers

HMS's World War II Day has been set for Friday, March 2. As many of you are aware, this is the culmination of the 8th graders' study of World War II. They get a chance to meet war veterans and hear their stories directly. In addition, they will hear from Magda Brown, a Holocaust survivor. The day is one of the highlights of the year and very inspiring. We are in need of parent volunteers. Many spots have been filled, but we still need a few helpers. Please click on this link at SignUp Genius.com to sign up. If you have any questions about signing up, please e-mail or call Roseann Coyner at roseanncoyner@comcast.net or 630/291-9641.

Missed the PTO meeting? Don't stress out....

If you missed last week's PTO meeting, you missed an interesting discussion about the stress our middle school students feel, and ways we can help them cope. Our school counselor, Mrs. Klara, was interviewed by The Hinsdalean about the topic; a copy of the story is attached at the end of this email.

MRC receives gift from special supporter

MRC Director Mrs. Tetreault would like to recognize a special supporter: Jane Fiala, the mother of 8th grade LA teacher Deb Cornacchia, made a $500 cash donation to the HMS MRC this week. Mrs. Fiala, clearly a "book angel," also came out to Barnes & Noble to support our in-store book fair last November. Thank you for this generous gift!

Register your student for Operation Snowflake

Our annual Operation Snowflake event is coming soon: Friday, March 9 from 3-8 p.m. at Hinsdale Central High School. Register your child for an evening of friends, facts, food and fun! Not only will children have the opportunity to meet and make new friends but they will also be engaged in fun activities and presentations that are geared towards enhancing self-confidence. Snowflake is a program that promotes teens working with teens and a wide range of topics are covered such as: communication skills, positive attitude, dealing with peer pressure, self-esteem, improving relationships and the realities of high school. Students from CHMS, HMS and Westview Hills Middle School are invited to attend. Please see attached flyer for more details and to learn how to register, or contact Mrs. Jandak in our Student Services Office at mjandak@d181.org. Hope to see your HMS child there!

Join us on Facebook for all the HMS news

Stay in the loop with everything happening at HMS in between Monday morning's e-mail newsletters by "liking" us on Facebook. Visit the HMS PTO Facebook page at facebook.com/hmspto and also check out the Hinsdale Middle School page--for links to our students and staff in the local news, event reminders, meeting changes, sports scores and everything else happening at school.

Community News

HCHS PTO meeting delves into the arts

The Hinsdale Central High School PTO's next meeting is Monday, Feb. 27. After the regular PTO meeting at 8:45 a.m., the special Conversation, beginning at 10:15 a.m., focuses on the HCHS Arts department. Art, Music and Drama staff will highlight the current curriculum, extracurricular opportunities and advice for those students interested in preparing portfolios or auditions for the college application process. Middle school parents are always welcome. Visit hinsdalecentralpto.org for more information.

Hinsdale Middle School PTO
100 S. Garfield Street, Hinsdale, IL 60521
webmaster@hmspto.org