JH/HS Principal Newsletter

I hope this months newsletter finds you and your family doing well as we enter the mid point of the month of June!!! Since school dismissed one month ago, there has been a flurry of activity here at HPS with summer school activities, summer strength and conditioning sessions, summer sport camps, and all of the building project items taking place. In two short months we will be welcoming staff and students back into the building and getting ready to kick off the 2024-2025 school year!!

There are a couple items of note in this month's newsletter. First, please check out the IMPORTANT DATES for the months of June and July. There are a number of activities, camps, open gyms, etc...that we encourage our 7-12 students to take part in over the course of the next two months. There still are a number of activities on the schedule and many opportunities to support our students as we close out the school year! Second, I have included a couple of ITEMS TO BE PREPARED for as we return for the 2024-2025 school year. Finally, there are links to summer resources for students and families to look at to help continue their learning and growth over the summer months!

Finally, I encourage us all to continue to strive for excellence and make Hershey Public Schools a place where all students can LEARN, THRIVE, and GROW to be the best version of themselves they can be!

Meaningful Engagement

cOmmon Expectations

Joy in Learning

Opportunity to Grow

Congratulations to HPS Senior, Kandice Thompson, on being selected as the HPSEF May Student of the Month! Kandice is an active member of the Hershey student body as she participates in FFA, FBLA, and is a member of the Hershey National Honor Society. Kandice will graduate with a 4.0 GPA is will be recognized as a Summa Cum Laude graduate this weekend!

Hershey staff commented that Kandice "Is a top-notch student! She is extremely engaged and takes every opportunity to learn seriously! She is appreciative of others and is extremely supportive of her peers, their activities and their success! If she is not involved in an activity, she shows up for others!!! Another Panther staff member commented that "Kandice embodies the essence of a hard worker. Her commitment to excellence is evident in the consistent effort she puts forth in her studies. She strives for academic success, always has a smile on her face, and radiates positivity to those around her!"

Again, congratulations to Panther Senior, Kandice Thompson, on being selected as the HPSEF May Student of the Month!!!

6.17.24 - HS WR @ UNK Team Wrestling Camp

6.18.24 - HS WR @ UNK Team Wrestling Camp

6.18.24 - Softball Open Field

6.19.24 - HS WR @ UNK Team Wrestling Camp

6.19.24 - HS GBB Team Camp @ Concordia University

6.20.24 - HS BBB @ Maxwell Team Camp

6.20.24 - Volleyball Open Gym
6.21.24 - HS FB @ Harding Team Camp (Summers Field)

6.22.24 - HS FB @ Harding Team Camp (Summers Field)

6.23.24 - Wrestling Open Mat

6.25.24 - Softball Open Field

6.25.24 - HS Football Open Field

6.26.24 - HS BB @ Cozad Team Camp

6.26.24 - JH Football Open Field

6.27.24 - HS BB @ Hershey Team Camp

6.30.24 - Wrestling Open Mat

7.1.24 - HS FB @ North Platte 7 v 7

7.2.24 - Softball Open Field

7.7.24 - Wrestling Open Mat

7.7.24 - HS Cheer Camp

7.8.24 - HS VB Team Camp @ NPCC

7.8.24 - NHS Blood Drive @ Legion Hall

7.8.24 - HS FB @ North Platte 7 v 7

7.9.24 - HS Cheer Camp

7.9.24 - HS VB @ NPCC Team Camp

7.9.24 - Softball Open Field

7.9.24 - HPS School Board Meeting

7.10.24 - HS Cheer Camp

7.10.24 - HS FB Team Camp @ Cozad

7.11.24 - HS Cheer Camp

7.11.24 - HS FB Team Camp @ Cozad

7.12.24 - HS FB Team Camp @ Cozad

7.12.24 - HS VB Team Camp @ UNK

7.13.24 - HS VB Team Camp @ UNK

7.13.24 - Marching Band @ DCI Band Trip

7.14.24 - Marching Band @ DCI Band Trip

7.14.24 - Wrestling Open Mat

7.15.24 - HS VB @ Steve Morgan Volleyball Camp

7.15.24 - HS FB @ North Platte 7 v 7

7.16.24 - HS VB @ Steve Morgan Volleyball Camp

7.16.24 - Cross Country @ Cozad Team Camp

7.16.24 - Softball Open Field

7.17.24 - HS VB @ Steve Morgan Volleyball Camp

7.21.24 - Wrestling Open Mat

7.22.24 - Hershey Youth Football Camp

7.23.24 - Softball Open Field

7.23.24 - Volleyball Open Gym

7.23.24 - Hershey Youth Football Camp

7.24.24 - Hershey Youth Football Camp

7.25.24 - Volleyball Open Gym

7.28.24 - Wrestling Open Mat

7.29.24 - 8.4.24 - HPS Main Gym Closed for Floor Refinishing

7.29.24 - Softball Open Field

7.29.24 - Volleyball Open Gym

7.30.24 - Softball Open Field

7.30.24 - Volleyball Open Gym

7.31.24 - JH Football Camp

Below are some of the items to make note of as your student returns to Hershey for the 2024-2025 school year. These items/initiatives are designed to make HPS the best learning environment for all students and follow best educational practices in the classrooms!

• Updated Cell Phone Policy - It has been proposed to the school board to look at possibility of banning cell phones from school grounds starting the second semester of the 2024-2025 school year. The district is still in the research phase and there will be information shared out on social media as well as town hall meetings for all stakeholders during the first and second quarter to prepare students, staff, and parents for the potential change.
• Updated Food & Drink Policy- In order to comply with FDA guidelines as well as promote healthy decisions and lifestyles, we will begin limiting food and drink in the building for students at the start of the 2024-2025 school year. Students MAY NOT bring in outside food or drink into the classroom and/or any food or drink brought into the building must be consumed before school starts at the beginning of the day or before classes resume following lunch.
• Tardy Policy - In order to get students to class on time and begin lessons, the HPS tardy policy has been updated to the following
• Weekly Tardy List Ran Monday AM from Previous Week
• Detentions / ISS Assigned by Assistant Principal
• All to Be Served by End of Current Week

• Discipline Progression
  • 0-4 Tardies - Grace Period
  • 5-9 Tardies - 30 Minute Detention
  • 10-14 Tardies - 60 Minute Detention
  • 15-19 Tardies - 1 Day ISS
  • 20-24 Tardies - 2 Day ISS
  • 25-29 Tardies - 3 Day ISS
  • 30+ Tardies - TBD

• Quarterly Parent Meetings - These meetings to be held at Hershey High School are a way for administration to connect and communicate with the stakeholders at HPS. They will be held in a townhall format and will highlight important items parents need to be made aware of heading into a new quarter!
• HS and JH Student of the Month - Now all students in grades 7-12 will be eligible for Student of the Month honors. Each month there will be individual grade level winners who will then be voted upon by the staff for the overall student of the month for both the junior high and high school.
• JH National Honor Society - In an effort to provide more motivation for junior high students in and out of the classroom, we are looking at piloting a national program for a Junior High National Honor Society that mirrors and aligns with the national High School NHS program.
• Panther Power Hour - This will be a designated time from 4:00-5:00 PM after school 3-4 times per week where students can work under the supervision of a HPS staff member on credit recovery, missing assignments, and/or test makeups. This will provide students a great environment, supervised by a teacher, for them to make improvements in their educational journey!
• Zero Hour S & C for Credit - We will be offering a Zero Hour Strength and Conditioning class for credit starting with the 24-25 school year. The class will begin at 7:00 AM and run until 7:51 AM Monday - Friday. Students will have 24 minutes to prepare for the day and get breakfast prior to the tardy bell ringing at 8:15 AM. If you are interested in your son or daughter taking part in this, please contact HPS 7-12 Guidance Counselor Jolene Pettera.

The success of any athletic program in today's day and age is dependent on students and parents placing a PRIORITY on summer attendance at strength and conditioning sessions. We will continue to update numbers on social media throughout the summer to highlight the young men and women willing to come in dedicate their time and effort to be the best version of themselves they can be!

Through 8 sessions this month, here is the breakdown on attendance for all 7-12 HPS students:

**PERFECT ATTENDANCE**8/8 Sessions (8 of 96 athletes = 8%):

HS = Max Berntson / Daytona Cohn / Landon Kennicutt / Jaydon Parker

JH = Ty Kindig / Kole Norquest / Jaxon Parker / Macin Summers

6/8 Sessions: (25 of 96 athletes = 26%)

Less than 6 Sessions = 63 of 96 athletes = 66%)

We cannot stress enough, the success on the field, court, mat, diamond is DIRECTLY related to one's commitment to personal improvement. As a district we must improve on the number of students and families willing to prioritize time spent within the strength and conditioning program here at Hershey. The time spent within the program will help build overall athleticism, build confidence, and help to prevent soft tissue injuries and lead to more positive outcomes on the field, court, mat, and diamond. Please consider your son(s) or daughter(s) attendance as we make our way through the summer months!

2024 Summer School ran from Monday, May 20th to Friday, May 31st. There were 9 students that attended a morning (9:00-12:00 PM) and a afternoon (1:00-4:00 PM) session. Of the 9 students, 7 students successfully recovered the credit they needed to stay on track to graduate. Thank you to Mrs. Swartz and Mrs. Copper for serving as proctors for our summer school program.

Starting with the 2024-2025 school year, Hershey Public Schools will begin the use of weighted grading for ALL Dual Credit Classes. This list of dual credit classes offered at Hershey that will count towards this include the following:

English 1010

English 1020

College Algebra

College Speech

College Psychology

College Sociology

College Trig

College Stats

College Wealth Build

College Accounting

The grading scale that will be used will be similar to a number of other area schools who use weighted grading for dual credit courses.

Grading Scale
A = 5.0
B = 4.0
C = 3.0
D = 2.0
F = 1.0

Below is the proposed bell schedule for the upcoming school year. We will plan on having ONE LUNCH for all 7-12 students with a staggered release from 5th period as detailed below:

1st Period 8:15-9:03

2nd Period 9:06 - 9:54

3rd Period 9:57 - 10:45

4th Period 10:48 - 11:36

5th Period 11:39 - 12:26

JH Lunch 12:20 - 12:57

1st HS Lunch 12:23 - 12:57

2nd HS Lunch 12:26 - 12:57

6th Period 1:00 - 1:48

7th Period 1:51 - 2:39

8th Period 2:42 - 3:42

On Friday School is let out at the end of 7th Period at 2:39 PM.