General News
CCSD School Year Update
Last week, Clarke County School District provided this Official Update regarding grading practices and plans for the end of the school year. For all CCSD schools, there will be no more new assignments for students after this Friday, May 1st. If you haven't a had chance yet, please read over the Update for more details.
How Will Grades Work?
For all middle school level classes, students will be graded on a Pass or Fail basis. Students who have an average from Quarters 1, 2, and 3 of 70% or higher will be given a final course grade of "Pass." Students whose average for the first 3 quarters is below 70% will be given a final course grade of "Fail" but can continue to complete digital work through May 22 in order to improve their grade.
For high school level classes (HS Physical Science, Spanish I, and Coordinate Algebra), these students will be graded using the high school grading guidelines for grades 9-11 (see the CCSD Official Update linked earlier.) Students in these high school level classes now have the option of taking their grade as of April 25th as their final grade, or they may choose to continue working until May 1st in order to improve their grade. Grade acceptance forms have not been sent out like they were for the high schools, so your child's teachers should be in touch this week about accepting final course grades, if they haven't been in touch already. For any questions, please reach out to your child's teachers. A list of 8th grade teachers and their contact info is included at the end of this blog.
Pick-Up Procedures
We have created a closeout plan for families to collect their students' belongings from Hilsman during the week of May 18th-May 22nd. So that we adhere to our district, county, and state guidelines for social distancing, it is important that families adhere to the guidelines below:
- The pick-up process will be drive-thru only. All students and families must remain in their cars throughout the pick-up process.
- Cars will pull up the front of Hilsman and identify their student(s) to a staff member.
- That staff member will retrieve a bag that holds all of the student's belongings and hand it to the person sitting in the passenger-side window.
Please see the schedule below for your child's designated pick-up date and time:
Hilsman Cyber Days
Be sure to check out the following links and resources for for full details on our digital learning, assignments, schedules, meal services, laptops/WiFi, contact info, etc:
- Panther Cyber Days One-Stop Shop
- HMS Cyber Lesson Plans - 8th Grade (contains lesson plans from each subject for each day)
Meal Service for CCSD Students
Meals for students will continue during our school closure. As of now, meal services will run on Mondays and Thursdays only via drive-thru service at Hilsman and Chase Street Elementary from 10:00am-12:00pm, as well as busy delivery service in select neighborhoods (check website or online map for neighborhoods). Our district has an updated list of food resources available to our families and staff during this period of school closure and the "shelter in place" ordinance enacted by the Athens-Clarke County government.
Meet With Teachers via Zoom!
Our teachers are available to video chat with students via Zoom each day. Each subject has a specific time where they will be available to meet with students. These are excellent chances for students to ask questions about their work, to review, play games, or simply just catch up. We miss our students dearly and Zoom has proven to be a great way to stay connected!
ELA - 9:00-10:00am
Math - 10:00-11:00am
Science - 11:00am-12:00pm
Social Studies - 12:00-1:00pm
Panther Tech Support!
If you or your student are having issues with Zoom or other technology problems, our very own Ms. Holcomb is here to help! Anyone is welcome to join Ms. Holcomb for Panther Tech Support HERE every day from 8:00-10:00am, *OR* you can fill out this form: Request for HMS Tech Support. Ms. Holcomb can help with USA Test Prep passwords, Zoom issues, etc.
Panther Support
Every single student has been assigned a Staff Support who will be reaching out to every family every week! Because we are in this together, please do not hesitate to ask for help, share concerns, or simply vent. We are stronger together and we are here to help. We want to support our students and families in any way that we can, so please let us know what you need!
- Online Academic Resources
- CCSD Behavior Support
- Crisis Text Line -- This resource offers 24/7 crisis counseling to those who text HOME to 741741
- Care for your Coronavirus Anxiety -- A website with resources for addressing the anxiety that educators, parents, and families may be feeling
Free Online Libraries!
Ms. Gonzalez has put together a list of free online library sources HERE. Check it out!
Content News
Digital Learning Updates
NEW MATERIAL is being presented 2 days per week and support is being offered the other days:
- Math and ELA will present new material on MONDAYS & WEDNESDAYS
- Science and Social Studies will present new material TUESDAYS & THURSDAYS
As new material is presented, it will be especially important for students to attend their Zoom sessions (if possible) if they need help. Let us know if/how we can help!
Cyber Lesson Plans:
Please be aware of the following information regarding assignments:
8th Grade Faculty
Math:
Enjoy the weekend, and go Panthers!
Last week, Clarke County School District provided this Official Update regarding grading practices and plans for the end of the school year. For all CCSD schools, there will be no more new assignments for students after this Friday, May 1st. If you haven't a had chance yet, please read over the Update for more details.
How Will Grades Work?
For all middle school level classes, students will be graded on a Pass or Fail basis. Students who have an average from Quarters 1, 2, and 3 of 70% or higher will be given a final course grade of "Pass." Students whose average for the first 3 quarters is below 70% will be given a final course grade of "Fail" but can continue to complete digital work through May 22 in order to improve their grade.
For high school level classes (HS Physical Science, Spanish I, and Coordinate Algebra), these students will be graded using the high school grading guidelines for grades 9-11 (see the CCSD Official Update linked earlier.) Students in these high school level classes now have the option of taking their grade as of April 25th as their final grade, or they may choose to continue working until May 1st in order to improve their grade. Grade acceptance forms have not been sent out like they were for the high schools, so your child's teachers should be in touch this week about accepting final course grades, if they haven't been in touch already. For any questions, please reach out to your child's teachers. A list of 8th grade teachers and their contact info is included at the end of this blog.
Pick-Up Procedures
We have created a closeout plan for families to collect their students' belongings from Hilsman during the week of May 18th-May 22nd. So that we adhere to our district, county, and state guidelines for social distancing, it is important that families adhere to the guidelines below:
- The pick-up process will be drive-thru only. All students and families must remain in their cars throughout the pick-up process.
- Cars will pull up the front of Hilsman and identify their student(s) to a staff member.
- That staff member will retrieve a bag that holds all of the student's belongings and hand it to the person sitting in the passenger-side window.
Please see the schedule below for your child's designated pick-up date and time:
Hilsman Cyber Days
Be sure to check out the following links and resources for for full details on our digital learning, assignments, schedules, meal services, laptops/WiFi, contact info, etc:
- Panther Cyber Days One-Stop Shop
- HMS Cyber Lesson Plans - 8th Grade (contains lesson plans from each subject for each day)
Meal Service for CCSD Students
Meals for students will continue during our school closure. As of now, meal services will run on Mondays and Thursdays only via drive-thru service at Hilsman and Chase Street Elementary from 10:00am-12:00pm, as well as busy delivery service in select neighborhoods (check website or online map for neighborhoods). Our district has an updated list of food resources available to our families and staff during this period of school closure and the "shelter in place" ordinance enacted by the Athens-Clarke County government.
Meet With Teachers via Zoom!
Our teachers are available to video chat with students via Zoom each day. Each subject has a specific time where they will be available to meet with students. These are excellent chances for students to ask questions about their work, to review, play games, or simply just catch up. We miss our students dearly and Zoom has proven to be a great way to stay connected!
ELA - 9:00-10:00am
Math - 10:00-11:00am
Science - 11:00am-12:00pm
Social Studies - 12:00-1:00pm
Panther Tech Support!
If you or your student are having issues with Zoom or other technology problems, our very own Ms. Holcomb is here to help! Anyone is welcome to join Ms. Holcomb for Panther Tech Support HERE every day from 8:00-10:00am, *OR* you can fill out this form: Request for HMS Tech Support. Ms. Holcomb can help with USA Test Prep passwords, Zoom issues, etc.
Panther Support
Every single student has been assigned a Staff Support who will be reaching out to every family every week! Because we are in this together, please do not hesitate to ask for help, share concerns, or simply vent. We are stronger together and we are here to help. We want to support our students and families in any way that we can, so please let us know what you need!
- Online Academic Resources
- CCSD Behavior Support
- Crisis Text Line -- This resource offers 24/7 crisis counseling to those who text HOME to 741741
- Care for your Coronavirus Anxiety -- A website with resources for addressing the anxiety that educators, parents, and families may be feeling
Free Online Libraries!
Ms. Gonzalez has put together a list of free online library sources HERE. Check it out!
Content News
Digital Learning Updates
NEW MATERIAL is being presented 2 days per week and support is being offered the other days:
- Math and ELA will present new material on MONDAYS & WEDNESDAYS
- Science and Social Studies will present new material TUESDAYS & THURSDAYS
As new material is presented, it will be especially important for students to attend their Zoom sessions (if possible) if they need help. Let us know if/how we can help!
Cyber Lesson Plans:
Please be aware of the following information regarding assignments:
- Students, parents, and families can CLICK HERE to see what their assignments are each day.
- Students should check their CCSD email daily for updated information.
- All assignments will be posted through Google Classroom and/or USATestPrep, both of which 8th graders are familiar with. (All assignments will be to review old material, not to learn new material!)
- If students have questions about an assignment, they should contact their teacher first, either through Google Classroom or through email.
- All teachers will be available to answer emails during the work day (8am-4pm). Please allow up top 24 hours during the business week for a response.
- Teachers will also be available to video chat on zoom.us for a period of time each morning. Links to these video chats will be posted on the Cyber Lesson Plans document, which is linked above.
- If you need to contact a teacher or staff member, here are all of our staff's email addresses.
- If students have technology issues, they should contact Ms. Neace (neacec@clarke.k12.ga.us), Ms. Gonzalez (gonzalezl@clarke.k12.ga.us), or Mr. Hussain (hussainn@clarke.k12.ga.us).
Connections Class Assignments
Here is the link for Connections student work options for the next two weeks (due Thursday 4/30). This has been posted for every student in their Google Classroom!
Suggested Daily Schedule for Students
Below is a recommended schedule for students to follow each day. However, it is ONLY a suggestion! We know that not everyone's schedule is the same, so try and find something that works for you and your family!
8th Grade Faculty
Math:
Tonya Ward, wardt@clarke.k12.ga.us
Mark Martin, martinm@clarke.k12.ga.us
Conor Naughton, naughtonc@clarke.k12.ga.us
Jason Pratt, prattj@clarke.k12.ga.us
ELA:
ELA:
Eric Blake, blakee@clarke.k12.ga.us
Cindy Blair, blairc2@clarke.k12.ga.us
Tangernika Winston, winstont@clarke.k12.ga.us
Linda Allen, allenl3@clarke.12.ga.us
Science:
Science:
Diarra Mosley, mosleyd@clarke.k12.ga.us
Lara Zwald, zwaldl@clarke.k12.ga.us
Lara Zwald, zwaldl@clarke.k12.ga.us
Brandi Holcomb, holcombb@clarke.k12.ga.us
Karen Myers, myersk@clarke.k12.ga.us
Social Studies:
Karen Myers, myersk@clarke.k12.ga.us
Social Studies:
Nyla Bell, belln@clarke.k12.ga.us
Morgan Archer, archerm@clarke.k12.ga.us
Brandi Holcomb, holcombb@clarke.k12.ga.us
Angela Bright, brighta@clarke.k12.ga.us
Brandi Holcomb, holcombb@clarke.k12.ga.us
Angela Bright, brighta@clarke.k12.ga.us
Enjoy the weekend, and go Panthers!
