What's Happening on the Hill

My name is Dr. Allison Hepfner. I am so excited to be back in middle school this year and officially a Tiger! I taught Middle School English and English I in Philadelphia, PA and Sumter School District before becoming an assistant principal in Kershaw County. I became a principal is 2018, and most recently, I was principal at Lyman Elementary. I have a B.A. in English Literature from the University of South Carolina, a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Scranton, and my doctorate in Education Leadership from Liberty University. At home, we are a proud D5 family. My husband is a teacher at Byrnes Freshman Academy, and my daughter and son are both students at other D5 schools. We are proud to be a part of the #D5family!

We have had a wonderful beginning to our school year. I have been in and out of classrooms over the past three weeks, and students are engaged and working hard in their classrooms. Our administration is also at every lunch and recess, and we have enjoyed getting to know your students on a personal level. We have been impressed by our Tigers so far, and we feel this is an excellent indicator for the year to come.

If you ever need anything, we have an administrator for every need.

Mr. Ooley - 7th grade admin - robert.ooley@spart5.net

Mrs. Lemon - 8th grade admin - elaina.lemon@spart5.net

Mr. Aiken - Bus admin - tyrone.aikenjr@spart5.net

If you have any issues this year, please do not hesitiate to reach out to one of them to help make this year a better experience. If you need me, please do not hesitate to reach out at allison.hepfner@spart5.net.

Go Tigers!

It is the goal of D.R. Hill Middle School to keep parents, guardians, and students up to date on everything happening at The Hill. Information can be found in several areas.

If you have a student on the bus, you can download a new app called Ride360. It allows you to see where your student's bus is in real time.

Students are permitted to use their cell phones and ear buds during non-instructional time. This includes before school (unless otherwise determined), during lunch/recess, and after school. Students should have their cell phones turned off and put away during all classes and transitions.

D.R. Hill Middle School promotes a safe environment for our educational community. Proper identification of all students and staff members is essential to ensure that all persons on campus are approved to be in our school. The student identification (ID) badge is required for students to participate in many school sponsored activities and daily activities. Students must comply with the following ID policy:

• Students will receive a new official school identification (ID) at the beginning of each school year for the cost of $5.
• Students are required to wear their valid ID cards on a lanyard at all times while on campus or when participating in any school-sponsored activity.
• Student must have their own ID cards (sharing ID cards is not allowed).
• Neither the bar code or student photo can be defaced or covered in any way.
• Student must report a lost or stolen ID and obtain a replacement immediately.
• If a student does not have their official ID, a temporary one will be issued for that day for up to 3 incidents per semester
• The cost of a replacement ID card is $15.00.

Welcome back to our returning and new eighth graders and families! I will continue to serve as your child’s School Counselor. We are going to have a busy and productive year preparing your student for the 9th grade academy! As the year progresses I will be communicating with you via email for important testing dates, academic programming and other pertinent information pertaining to preparation for your student’s success during their post-secondary education. Please ensure your emails are up to date so as not to miss any of this information as it pertains to you and your student.

The PSAT is just around the corner! This exam is given to qualifying eighth grade students to assess their understanding of Reading, Written Expression and Mathematical related skills. The exam is used to determine placement into the countywide Junior Scholars recognition program.

Testing will take place in late October at the school and more information along with an introduction to the exam will be given to students during their Language Arts classes soon.

Should you have any questions/concerns along the way please do not hesitate to reach out to me at: danielle.akey@spart5.net

Michelle Zwicker, M.Ed.

7th grade school counselor for the 23-24 school year, will continue with this group as their 8th grade counselor for the 24-25 school year

Bachelor’s Degree: B.A. Winthrop University, Psychology with a minor in History

Master’s Degree: M.Ed. Clemson University, School Counseling.

Years at DRH: This school year will be my 12th at DRH but my 14th as a middle school counselor

What is the role of a school counselor?

School counselors are highly educated, professionally certified individuals who help students succeed in school and plan their career. An integral part of the total education system, school counselors help students form healthy goals, mindsets and behaviors. With the aid of a school counselor, students learn to develop effective collaboration and cooperation skills, to practice perseverance, to develop time management and study skills, and to learn self-motivation and self-direction habits.

Check out more information on the essential role of middle school counselors here: https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/7ed7a427-a87a-4609-a4e1-ee8e5358df29/Why-Middle.pdf

Parent Survival Tips for Middle School Transition

For children going into middle school, there are many anxieties, apprehensions and fears to deal with and overcome. Middle schools are larger than elementary/intermediate schools, the school work is harder, there are more classes and more teachers – all with different expectations and personalities. If you have a child who is entering middle school for the first time, know that it is normal for your child to express concern.

1. Don’t be too anxious about your child going to middle school. Talk about the middle school experience in a positive way! Your enthusiasm and support can help make this BIG change in your child’s school life a positive one.

2. Help your child develop an organizational strategy. Designate a study space and set a consistent study time. Buy your child the necessary folders and binders to stay organized. Conduct a weekly clean-up. Keep a master calendar. Prepare for the week/day ahead. Provide help and support while your child is learning to become more organized. Check Schoology/PowerSchool. Check your child’s assignment book daily.

3. Practice a combination lock with your child at home.

4. Talk about social skills. Talk about traits that make a good friend. Discuss how words and actions can affect other people. Practice skills needed for difficult social situations.

5. Openly communicate with your child. Keep the lines of communication open between your child and school staff. Be informed, listen, and talk to your child.

6. Get involved as a parent. Attend parent-teacher nights, open houses, PTO meetings and/or other events where you can connect with your child’s teachers and the school.

7. Encourage your child to get involved in school activities! Have them join a team, club, or other extra-curricular activity and attend after-school events.

8. Help your child to be his or her own advocate. Encourage your child to discuss problems and solutions with teachers on their own, but be ready to help as needed. If a problem arises in a particular class about assessment/homework, email the teacher directly. E-mail the school counselor with family or social concerns.

RELEASE TIME

Release Time through Friendship Baptist Church will start on Tuesday, September 12th. This is an opportunity for both 7th and 8th grade students to join in fellowship with others at Friendship Baptist during their assigned elective time each Tuesday through first semester.

All interested students need to pick up a Release Time application from Guidance to be signed by a parent/guardian by/on September 1st in order to attend. Completed permission forms should be returned to Guidance by this date.

Middle Tyger Community Center is a community based and housed service provider to help D5 families with a multitude of support related services from counseling to adult education as well as basic need assistance. This is a most wonderful resource that D5 has available to help our families that other districts do not have available to them. Please contact Middle Tyger at: 864-439-7760 to help assist your needs.

SCHOOL BASED COUNSELING

Here at D.R. Hill, we are fortunate to have THREE school based counseling programs available to meet our students emotional needs apart from working with the school counselors. Please contact your child’s grade level specific counselor to find which service best fits your child and meets your insurance/medicaid guidelines.

Mrs. Akey- eighth grade 864-479-9910

Ms. Zwicker- seventh grade:864-479-9909

By now your student may be enrolled in the AVID elective, or perhaps they are bringing home their binders. You may have heard the buzz word "AVID" and wonder, "what does that even mean?"

AVID is a system that is implemented in every school across our district that helps support students during their educational journey. AVID stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination and provides students with instruction and skills to become college and career ready in a global society.

So far this year we have contacted over 1200 colleges and universities who provided various spirit items to our school. We have used them in every classroom to promote different college paths to our students. We want them to hear the many possibilities for their futures, as well as help them create the path to get there. Additionally, we provided every student with binders to help them learn organizational skills in their various subjects.

This is just the beginning on our AVID journey!

Want to see all the amazing things your student is doing in the library? Follow their journey through inquiry, collaboration, curation, exploration and engagement on the D. R. Hill Library Instagram account @drhlibrary.

Things to look forward to in the library:

The Bedford Falls Book Fair will be October 16-20.

Book Clubs, Monthly Maker Programs (friendship bracelets, poetic pottery, etc.), Lunch & Learns.

Could your student benefit from academic support? Visit www.scdiscus.org/discus-resources & click on Tutor.com for free, live tutoring!

The D.R. Hill Fine Arts Department consists of performing arts (band, theatre, chorus, and orchestra) as well as art creation and design in different mediums.

Upcoming Events:

CELLObration- September 16th @ Furman University

Double Bass Workshop- September 23 @ SCGSAH

For this issue we would like to recognize the new Teachers to D.R. Hill. We are thrilled to add their expertise, enthusiasm, and energy to the Tiger Family:

Mrs. Abby Taylor - 7th Grade Math

Ms. Mary Cooper - 8th Grade Math

Mrs. Daphne Hughes - 8th Grade Math

Ms. Rhonda Cotterman - 7th Grade ELA

Ms. Melissa Reynolds - 7th Grade Math

Mr. Greg McCullough - 8th Grade ELA

Mr. Phillip Swann - 7th Grade Science

Mr. Timothy Arbour - 7th Grade Science

Ms. Patricia Icart - 8th Grade Science

Ms. Kay Hampton - 8th Grade Science

Dr. Michelle Rhodes - Theatre

Mrs. Jill Waldrop - Special Education

Mr. David Melton - ISS Coordinator

Mr. Haskins, Coach Coco, and Coach M. Henderson have been working hard to organize our Student Council for the 23-24 school year. Students gathered together the second week of school to learn about the ins and outs of Student Council, including what it takes to be a leader at D.R. Hill. There was so much excitement in the air, and we are thrilled with how many Tigers are interested in leading at The Hill.

Website: https://www.spart5.net/o/drh
Location: 1303 Holly Springs Road, Lyman, SC, USA
Phone: (864) 949-2370
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DRHillMiddleSchool/