Tiger Weekly Update #6
Friday, October 16, 2026
Dear HMS Tiger Families,
Happy Friday, HMS!
I hope everyone had a wonderful week! Please take a few moments to review this week’s newsletter for important updates and upcoming events at Hoboken Middle School. As always, please reach out with any questions or concerns at ryan.sorafine@hoboken.k12.nj.us.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Please take some time to read through the updates below to learn some more about this past week and upcoming events. Some highlights are:
- Smart Tech Chromebook Insurance
- HMS PTO Corner
- HMS Showcase of Excellence Information
- HMS Halloween Guidelines
- Athletics Corner
- HMS Clubs & Activities Corner
- Guidance Counselor Corner
- Grade and content level summary to give you a peak into the classroom
- 2025-2026 School Year Information for Families (Nurses' Corner, Breakfast/Lunch Program; Technology; FAQs)
National Civics Bee
We are thrilled to announce that Grace McMullan represented the state of New Jersey at the National Civics Bee this week in Washington D.C. at the Chamber of Commerce and televised live on C-Span! Her performance and knowledge of Civics was commendable. There were over 20,000 middle school students competing and she made it into the top 25! Grace, you made HMS very proud and represented not only your school, but your city, state and country wonderfully! Congratulations and keep up the great work!
Ridgefield Park XC Meet
1.75 miles
Girls: 35 runners
M. Mckendra 2nd 13:18
K. Broderick 4th 13:48
L. Demergy 7th 15:10
M. Hari 8th 15:16
L. Balagula 13th 16:20
M. Gallagher 15th 16:54
Boys: 60 runners
C. Delvechio 2nd 11:23
B. Kunz 5th 12:05
C. Boynton 7th 12:16
E. Metelitza 10th 12:20
F. Batcha 14th 13:05
N. Renoni 16th 13:26
C. Dalley 17th 13:27
HMS Student Council
Next Thursday October 22th Student Council will be welcoming representatives from Dove’s Self Esteem Project. This is an interactive workshop aimed to build body confidence and self-esteem. The program empowers young people to challenge stereotypes and embrace their own unique strengths. Student Council members must RSVP on the Student Council Google Classroom to attend. If you would like to attend and are not a Student Council member please email Ms.Rivera: Srivera@hoboken.k12.nj.us (limited # of spots available )
Officer campaign flyers are due this Monday, Oct 19th, please be sure to share on Canva with Ms.Rivera
Student Council invites our HMS Community to join us in our Second Annual Pink Out throughout the month of October. To participate wear pink on Fridays throughout October to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Thank you to all students and staff who wore pink today! Please see our flyer for more information.
Dress Down Rules: No pajamas No slides or slippers
Follow dress code guidelines for shirts and pants
Suggested Donations:
Students: $1 donation Staff: $5 donation
Ms. Rivera & Ms. Drew
Please see below for your child’s school counselor’s contact information:
Last Names A-L for grades 6-8: Ms. Rivera
Email: SRivera@hoboken.k12.nj.us Phone: 201-356-3600 ext.3669
Last Name M-Z for grades 6-8: Ms. Drew
Email: BDrew@hoboken.k12.nj.us Phone: 201-356-3600 ext.3746
Please also ensure your child has joined our grade level Counselors’ Corner on Google Classroom.. Throughout the year we will post updates and announcements from the Guidance Department.
6th Grade: 3tt7d5ma 7th Grade: 3vy3q5f6 8th Grade: gvv5u5cw
Digital Citizenship Week
Next week begins Digital Citizenship Week! This is an annual event held during the third week of October focused on teaching students how to use technology safely, ethically, and responsibly keep your personal information private and make smart choices!
Monday — Protect Your Presence
Wear blue to show your commitment to online safety.
Tuesday — Pause and Think
Write a kind or inspirational sticky note to share in your classroom!
Wednesday — Kind Connections
Spread kindness online and offline. Use respectful and supportive communication in all digital spaces. Wear blue and gold or HMS spirit wear to show your Tiger pride!
Thursday — Find the Balance
A healthy you includes a healthy digital life. Make time for things you love and find a balance with screen time. Wear your favorite workout or sports gear to celebrate healthy choices.
Friday — Pink Out For a Cause
Students and staff are encouraged to wear pink to raise awareness and show support for individuals and families affected by breast cancer. Donations of $1 for students and $5 for staff are encouraged. All proceeds go to the American Cancer Society.
Spanish
This week in Spanish class, students have been exploring new vocabulary and grammar concepts!
6th Grade: Students are learning about cognates (cognados), words that look similar and have the same meaning in English and Spanish. These connections help students recognize and understand new vocabulary.
7th Grade: Students have been working on their Family Tree Projects (Árbol Genealógico), using family vocabulary, possessive adjectives, and descriptive words to introduce and describe family members in Spanish.
8th Grade: Students are learning about the present progressive tense (presente progresivo) to describe actions happening right now. They are also practicing the structure hace + time + que + present-tense verb to express how long an action has been taking place.
Students continue strengthening their Spanish communication skills through engaging activities, grammar practice, and creative projects!
Mandarin
This week in Mandarin class, students have been practicing Chinese character writing while learning vocabulary related to days and time.
Students are learning how to say and write today (今天), tomorrow (明天), and yesterday (昨天). They are also practicing the days of the week using 星期 (xīng qī) and learning how to ask and answer the question “What day is it today?” (今天星期几？).
Through handwriting activities and sentence practice, students are developing their Mandarin vocabulary, character recognition, pronunciation, and writing skills!
Individualized Learning Pathway - Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth - Verbal
During the Individualized Learning Pathway (ILP) period, students who have qualified to
participate in the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY) verbal programming engage in
a variety of verbal course offerings. Johns Hopkins CTY believes in researching and advancing
ways to identify and nurture academically talented learners. CTY furthers research, guides
educators and families and inspires students from diverse communities and backgrounds to
pursue their intellectual passions and create the world of tomorrow.
* * *
This week, our students enrolled in the Johns Hopkins CTY verbal course, Greek Myths, have
been reading the novel Oh My Gods while exploring the differences between internal and
external conflicts in literature. Throughout their current CTY unit, students have been examining
how these conflicts contribute to character development and create dramatic tension within a
story. As a culminating activity, students were challenged to creatively write their own stories
featuring a character who experiences both internal and external conflicts. Students will share
their original writing with peers and their course instructor to receive constructive feedback,
providing opportunities to revise and refine their work while strengthening their creative writing
skills.
Language Arts
ELA:This week, ELA students participated in a "Take a Stand" Activity, in which students independently decided whether they agree or disagree with the following statement: Is Salva becoming a leader in Chapters 13-15, or is he still primarily a follower? Additionally, students prepared for and participated in a Socratic seminar discussion focusing on questions such as: What does the novel suggest about human nature when faced with survival? Is water presented mainly as a source of life in these chapters or can it also be viewed as a source of conflict and suffering? Next, students read an excerpt from Red Scarf Girl and annotated for personal connections to characters and events. Finally, students compared and contrasted how the settings in Hatchet, Red Scarf Girl, and A Long Walk to Water influence the characters and plot.
Math
Math: This week students completed the Topic 2 mid-topic assessment in which students were assessed on their ability to compare positive and negative integers and rational numbers. Next, students learned how to graph coordinates in all four quadrants on a coordinate plane. Students learned the parts of a coordinate plane and the vocabulary associated with it. To conclude the week, students will use their knowledge of plotting coordinates to create a picture. Next week, students will learn about reflections and distance between two coordinates.
Science
Science: This week we entered STEAM Tank - Week 2. Students continued developing their presentations of inventions that will help solve community issues in Hoboken. Students researched existing ideas and developed their own spin on these inventions. Afterwards, they learned the elements of good marketing - a logo, catchphrase, and a jingle to help sell their product. In two weeks, the students will pitch their ideas to the class like an episode of Shark Tank.
Civics
Civics: This week in Social Studies, students developed their understanding of different forms of government. From autocratic and dictatorial governments to understanding what a Constitution is, students’ knowledge of governments has increased tremendously. They also finished their Hispanic Heritage Month projects, where students completed a research project about an important Hispanic figure. They practiced their research skills for National History Day, and learned something new about a historical figure of their choosing! Coming up next week, students will be wrapping up the unit with a summative assessment to explain their understanding of the world around them.
Creative Writing
Students in 6th Grade Creative Writing are beginning an exciting new unit on poetry! In this unit, they are exploring how poets use words, imagery, and figurative language to express ideas and emotions. To kick off the unit, students are learning about haikus, a traditional Japanese form of poetry that follows a 5-7-5 syllable pattern. They are writing and illustrating their own original haikus about various topics that inspire them. These poems will serve as the first pieces in their very own poetry books, which they will continue to build throughout the unit!
Language Arts
ELA: This week in 7th Grade ELA, students continued their reading of Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, focusing on theme and conflict. As students read the climax and falling action of the novel, they are tracking theme topics and types of conflict in their notes. Students also practiced these two skills in their reading of Langston Hughes’ short story, “Thank You, M’am.” Next week, seventh graders will begin their final extended writing projects for Unit 1.
Language Arts
Pre-AP Algebra
Pre-AP Algebra: Happy weekend everyone! During this short week algebra students reviewed for and took an assessment on the big ideas from Topic 1 - real numbers and linear equations and inequalities. The work we have done during these first few weeks has created some of the base blocks of understanding that we will build upon through the year. During these next few weeks we will move into a study of functions and their notation, beginning with linear functions. We will also look into different forms of linear equations. Functions - relationships between variables in which there is only one output for each input - are seen in many real contexts but this week we had some fun playing the game of “guess my rule” or “black box” as we call it in math circles in which students first worked to guess and use a rule based on a group of inputs and outputs and then developed their own rules for new rounds, making sure that each input given would only have one possible output. We have had a good bit of fun with these. Hopefully students will try some out with you at home!
Pre-Algebra
Pre-Algebra: This week, students wrapped up Topic 1: Real Numbers by reviewing key concepts as a whole class and completing their End-of-Topic Assessment. To prepare, students also competed in teams in a fun, Jeopardy-style review game to strengthen their skills with rational and irrational numbers, square and cube roots, exponent rules, and scientific notation. Next week, we will begin Topic 2: Analyze and Solve Linear Equations, where students will build on their algebraic skills and explore strategies for solving equations.
Science
Science: This week, students revisited their monthly Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (CER) writing tasks, participated in peer revisions, and used feedback to improve their claims, evidence, and scientific reasoning. This process helped students recognize the importance of revising and refining their explanations to communicate scientific ideas clearly. To finish the week, we introduced our next unit, The Geologic Time Scale. Students will begin exploring Earth's history and examining how scientists use fossils and rock layers to understand how Earth and life on our planet have changed over time.
Full Year Theater
Theater Class: This week in theater class the 8th graders finished casting their one page plays and experimented with an ensemble building activity called "Mind Twist" which combined layers of theatrical skills they have already developed in a new and chaotic way. Students in 6th and 7th grade began a unit on pantomime in which they will work towards telling a story without dialogue or props. This week they played a game called "Throw Away" which splits the class into two teams and challenges them to pantomime as many objects as possible in a short time frame without repeating any. Next week students across all three grade levels will continue to practice this form of silent storytelling.
Junior Thespians Club
This week in Junior Thespians we held our first rehearsal for the upcoming one page play festival. Everyone who auditioned received multiple roles to perform. Members were assigned these roles and met with their directors. Directors distributed scripts and conducted a first read-through. Some directors were even able to begin blocking the scenes. Our next rehearsal will be on Monday and participants should work on getting off book. Please join us on October 27th at 5pm in the HMS auditorium for this annual event. The one page plays are student written, directed, and performed!
Physical Education & Health
This week in PE at HMS, students continued learning and playing Handball! They focused on improving their teamwork, hand-eye coordination, and cardiovascular endurance while practicing offensive and defensive strategies during gameplay.
During our PE Fine and Performing Arts class focusing on underhand and overhand throwing. Students have been enjoying various activities, such as bean bag tic tac toe and cornhole, which both focus on the underhand throw or toss.
SCHOOL LUNCH AND BREAKFAST PROGRAM
If you are not interested in applying for free or reduced lunch, we kindly ask that you submit a hardcopy of the free/reduced lunch application by filling out your child’s name on Step 1 and note anywhere on the application that you are not interested in applying for free/reduced lunch.
What is for Lunch?
We offer hot school lunch daily in our cafeteria through Chartwells, our district’s food provider. You do not need to order lunch in advance, however, you can preview the daily lunch menu using the following link and then clicking on Hoboken Middle School. Each day, we offer a vegetarian option. Lunch is $3.85 per day per child, however it is at no cost for all students who qualify for free or reduced lunch. https://hoboken.nutrislice.com/menus-eula
How can I pay for Lunch?
Please ensure that you made a Pay Schools Account. Use the link below for the instructions that will walk you through the process of making a payschools account.
https://www.hoboken.k12.nj.us/log-_in_options/meal_time
Is there School Breakfast Available?
Morning Breakfast is from 7:30-8:10 am in the cafeteria. Breakfast is $2.60 per child per day, unless your child qualifies for reduced or free breakfast/lunch, in which both breakfast and lunch will be at no cost for you. All children who would like breakfast should enter through the 4th Street Entrance. There will be staff at the door to greet you and your child. Additional staff members will escort your child to the cafeteria. There will be additional staff members supervising morning breakfast in the cafeteria. At 8:10 am, students will be escorted by our staff members to their designated homeroom location. In order to receive morning breakfast, please ensure that you have filled out the online lunch application when it is available as well as created a payschools account.
Parents/Guardians/Caregivers:
Here is the link for parents to sign up for Oncourse Connect:
https://hoboken.oncourseconnect.com/login
I am also including the link that has FAQ's and videos to assist parents logging in:
https://www.hoboken.k12.nj.us/log-_in_options/on_course_connect_parent__student_login_portal
HMS Locker Schedule
Students are not permitted to utilize lockers between class periods. Backpacks, coats, cell phones, and sporting gear must remain in student lockers from 8:15am - 3:00pm.
Locker Schedule (6th)
8:15 arrival
11:18 Before 5th Period Lunch
12:03 After Period 5th Period Lunch
3:00 Dismissal
Locker Schedule (7th)
8:15 arrival
12:03 Before 6th Period Lunch
12:48 After Period 6th Period Lunch
3:00 Dismissal
Locker Schedule (8th)
8:15 arrival
12:51 Before 7th Period Lunch
1:33 After Period 7th Period Lunch
3:00 Dismissal