INFORMATION

• Approved District Reopening of Schools Plan
• Register Students Online
• Pay School Fees Online Instructions -Please note the link to pay fees will be active August 3, 2020.

August 2020

Dear HMS Parents and Students,

I hesitate to send this letter out to you as things seem to change daily, but I also feel like we can’t wait any longer to get you the information that you will need for a successful start to the school year.  As you read this letter please know that things may change as we move towards the first day of school, and that the decisions we make are what we believe are best for your students, and our faculty and staff.  With that said, we also realize that we need to be flexible in our approach to reopening Hurricane Middle School. We may need to adjust on the fly as we try to figure out the best ways to keep our school open.  Be assured that we will take care of your students the best we can with the tools we have.  I realize that communication is maybe the most important factor to you at this point and I urge you to email me with any questions you may have.    

It’s been way too long since we have had students in our school, and we are more than looking forward to having them back.  The first day of school will be Thursday August 13, 2020, the first bell will be at 8:13 AM and students will attend all the first four classes on Thursday (A day) and the second four classes on Friday (A day).  As I’m sure you have already anticipated, there will be many small changes to normal activities to start the school year in an effort to follow the Health Department and WCSD health and safety guidelines.  Please read below for more information concerning our health and safety plan.

Please plan to register your student and pick up class schedules at the HMS main office sometime between Tuesday August 4, 2020, and Wednesday August 12, 2020.  We are still planning on having you come into the school in-person to register with our secretaries. Please wear a face covering and practice social distancing. Detailed information will be emailed out soon outlining registration times and procedures.

We will be offering several educational options to our students this year to help parents and students make the best decisions for education. Please contact the HMS counseling center if you have questions. Here are our options:

1. Traditional in-person school, regular 8 period A/B schedule.
2. Online or remote (at-home) learning through WCSD.
3. A modified or blended schedule that will include a combination of in-person and online classes.
4. Online school through Utah Online School (UOS)

We are anticipating up to 850+ students in our school this year in addition to faculty and staff.  I 100% believe that schools need to be open again for our student’s well-being academically, emotionally, and socially.  In addition to the WCSD guidelines that were posted but not yet approved by the school board, here is a list of precautions we plan to take in an effort to protect our students, faculty, and staff.

Face Coverings

• It is required by the State that all students and adults in our school wear face coverings (unless an exception is granted).  My thoughts are that if there is even a chance that face coverings work, let’s wear them so we can keep our schools open this year.  The school

will be providing two cloth face masks to each student during registration.  Students do not have to wear the mask we provide but they do have to wear a face covering at school.  The last thing we want to do is force your student to leave school because they refuse to wear a face covering, but at this point it is a mandate we have to follow.  Please have a conversation with your child about the importance of face coverings.

• Busing
  • Your students must wear a face covering to ride the bus.  They will not be allowed on a bus without a face covering.
• Classrooms
  • We will provide as much spacing as possible in our classrooms. Hand sanitizer will be available in every classroom, and frequent hand washing will be encouraged throughout the day.  Classrooms will be fully sanitized by our custodial staff daily if not multiple times a day.  And teachers will be continually sanitizing high risk areas of their classrooms.
• Hallways and Commons Areas
  • We will have two-way traffic in all hallways and open areas at HMS.  We will discourage large group gatherings in the commons areas and hallways in between classes and during other unstructured time.  
• Lunch and Breakfast
  • We will physically space students as much as possible during lunch and breakfast.  Tables will be sanitized between each seating.  Students will be required to wear face coverings while in the lunch line but obviously not when they are eating.  We also will have a touchless system in place when ordering lunch and breakfast.  Tables will be spread out and we will also have areas and tables outside to eat as well. 
• Before and After School
  • Our doors will open at approximately 7:55 AM (about 20 minutes before the first bell) to discourage large gatherings in our commons areas and still allow time for students to eat breakfast before school starts.  There will be supervision of students outside our building before the doors open, and we will encourage students not to gather in large groups outside.  We will open our doors earlier if the weather is inclement or cold.  If your student does not ride a bus please try to drop them off as close to the first bell ringing as possible at 8:13 AM to avoid students gathering.  We also ask that if your student is not riding a bus that you pick them up as quickly as possible after the last bell rings at 2:37 PM Monday – Thursday, and 12:30 PM on Friday. If your students walk home we will ask them to leave campus as soon as they can after school.  
• Keeping our facilities sanitized and clean.
  • We will clean and disinfect daily, and in most areas more often than that.  Our custodial staff will clean and disinfect high touch points like drinking fountains, doorknobs, counters, desktops, etc., regularly and frequently throughout the school day.  We also have a plan in place to clean electronic devices after every use.
• 9th Grade (freshman) UHSAA Activities
  • All UHSAA activities are scheduled to start on time.  Fall sport athletes are currently preparing for competition under strict guidelines. At this point spectators will be allowed to watch games and activities if they wear face coverings and practice social distancing.
• Please keep students’ home when they have symptoms.
  • If your student has any symptoms please keep them home.  Our teachers have been instructed to go out of their way to provide instruction and assignments to all students at home without penalty.  Please be aware we will still be using CANVAS as our learning platform. Canvas is where students will access all assignments and instructions if working from home.
• Here is the link to the WCSD reopening plan.
  • https://www.washk12.org/district/district-blog/415-2020-21-reopening-of-schools-plan

Along with our new set of pandemic rules we still have our regular rules and regulations in place that allow our school to run smoothly and provide a framework for educating our students as effectively as possible.  Here are some updates and reminders:

• Security Doors and School Safety
  • We still care about the safety of your students outside of the pandemic.  We had new safety doors installed that should be fully functional by the start of school. We have a full time Resource Officer that is committed to keeping all of us safe in the building. We will still practice safety drills on a regular basis to keep our students and faculty safe.
• Back to School Night and Parent Teacher Conferences
  • As you probably have anticipated, gatherings like back to school night and parent teacher conferences are cancelled until further notice.
• Dress Code
  • Please send your students to school dressed modestly.  Please do not allow your students to wear clothing to school that promotes illegal activities.
• Cell phones, earbuds, and electronics
  • HMS Students will be able to use phone and electronic devices before school, during their lunch period, and after school.  They will not be allowed to use them in any way during class.
• Early Out Fridays
  • WCSD and the school board have approved early-outs for all secondary schools in the district.  Hurricane Middle School will let out at 12:30 PM every Friday of the school year to allow teachers to work in teams.

Each school year brings change. As personnel move on, we strive to hire great people to replace them.  We have added several teachers and support staff that we are very excited to have, and we know will be great additions to the HMS team.  Here is a list of our new Teachers and Staff Members for the 2020-2021 school year:

Gavin Rhade (Science)              Anthony Vick (Computer Science)                      Juan Sun (Chinese)

We look forward to creating a partnership with you to ensure your children can achieve their highest potential.  We are fully aware that each student will need support from both school and home to get the most out of their HMS experience.  Here are a few suggestions that we feel will help you and your student optimize your time here at Hurricane Middle School.

• Help us manage your student’s phones and electronic devices.  Please support our device policy.
• Make school attendance a priority, arrive on time, and come to school prepared to learn.
• Encourage and support daily reading to develop a love of reading, and improve literacy skills, which help in all classes and phases of your child’s education.
• Use PowerSchool to monitor your students’ grades and attendance – It is an amazing tool that can help you as a parent.
• Check the HMS website and calendar often to stay in the loop – http://hms.washk12.org
• Encourage your students to get involved in extracurricular activities – Clubs, Music, Sports, etc.  We want all of our students to be connected to something positive.

We live in an unprecedented time.  I think it is as important as it has ever been to be positive about everything that we can be right now.  Our “why” is your students, and we need to work together to make sure that we take care of them the best we can.  We will work every day to make sure our school is a safe place for your student to be.  As mentioned earlier, communication is key at this point.   Please reach out to administration, counselors, and teachers as you see fit to make this work.  I wholeheartedly believe that education, and the process of being educated, is still a foundational piece to being the greatest country in the world.  Our students need school for so many reasons and we want to make sure that we do everything in our power to make that happen in a safe way.  I look forward to seeing our students in a few short days.  I hope you will have the confidence in us to take care of each of them.

Sincerely,

Chris Homer – Principal