Hamlin Middle School Newsletter

March 2025

Principal's Message

Greetings Hamlin Families,

We can't believe March is here and Spring Break is just around the corner! We continue to be impressed by our students and the growth they are making.

As a staff and student body, we strive to make Hamlin a place where all students feel a sense of belonging and are happy. All students had the opportunity to participate in two belonging surveys; one in October and one in February. We will provide students with another opportunity to share feedback in the Spring.

Our staff and student voice group are using the results of the survey to adjust our practice and continue to develop activities and lessons to support areas where we need to grow. Below I have included the results from our February survey.

While these results are ultimately not where we want them to be, we are pleased to see that our efforts are having some positive outcomes. As we continue to adjust practice and gather feedback, we look forward to continuous improvement.

Thank you for sharing your students with us, we appreciate them!

Sincerely,

Brandi Starck

Principal

Student Celebrations

March-7th Period

We had to reschedule due to our snow day! We are celebrating 191 Hamlin students with a pizza party to celebrate meeting their growth goal on the Winter Math Diagnostic! We are so proud of their effort!

Semester 1 Honor Roll Party- March 19th

We will be celebrating our students who have Semester 1 GPAs above a 3.0, which is a B average. Those students will be enjoying Cinnabon during Advisory period on March 19th.

Staff Spotlight

Tracy Poe- Library Media

Hello, My name is Tracy Poe and I am your student's Media Center Librarian. After graduating from San Diego State University with a Bachelor's degree in Public Administration, I found my dream job as a Librarian. I loved it so much I continued working at a dual-language K-8 Charter School for 20 years. My husband and I decided to make a big move from San Diego to Springfield a year ago to be near extended family. Our 2 adult children followed us and moved to Oregon soon after. When I settled in, I put my experience to work at Hamlin. There are so many exciting things happening in our Media Center. We have added over 500 new books this year to include best sellers and high interest selections in both English and Spanish. We have created a quiet Reading Room space and we have a Book Fair coming up to be announced soon. Connecting with students and recommending books that fit their interests is my favorite part of being a library manager.

Student Voice

Student Voice has hit the ground running this winter. In February, we established our podcast team and have already produced our first episode, which can be found on YouTube and Spotify by searching "Hamlin Loggers" or "Teacher Talk with Talia Cherry." Three of our amazing Student Voice members, Talia, Odessa, and Sophia, interviewed Mrs. Kat Santoro and talked to her about how she got into teaching and some of her favorite things.

For March, we are excited about the spirit and awards assemblies we're planning for each grade level. Our three grade-level spirit teams have worked hard to put together some great games and great awards for students and staff as we head into Spring Break.

Going forward, we hope to begin producing student-made videos addressing topics like bullying and student expectations with a team of student scriptwriters and actors.

Family Resource Center

Hamlin Food Pantry will be open on March 14th from 1:00-4:00 in the Hamlin Family Resource Center.

Please feel free to reach out to Kahlea if you have needs around, food, clothing, or supplies for your family.

kahlea.babbitt@springfield.k12.or.us.

YouTube Channel

Daily Video Announcements

During Nutrition Break on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, our students watch our daily announcements. You can subscribe to our YouTube Page at www.youtube.com/@HamlinLoggers.

If you click on the Live tab you can see all that we have filmed so far.

ParentVue

Upcoming Events and Important Dates

Upcoming Events & Important Dates

March 12th- PTSO Meeting 6:00 PM

March 12th- 7/8 Orchestra Concert

March 24-28- Spring Break

April 17th- Huerta Chavez Event

PTSO INFORMATION

PTSO Meeting- March 12th 6:00 pm

Stay connected! The Hamlin PTSO (Parent Teacher Student Organization) meets on the second Wednesday of each month from 6:00-7:00. If you can't attend, catch up on important updates through the meeting minutes link. Stay informed and involved!