The Scot's Scoop
HPMS Family Newsletter for September 28, 2025
Highland Park Middle School families,
A reminder that the district has updated the phone number we use to send text messages. Our outreach text messages are sent using a local 10-digit phone number.
New Text Message Number for Outreach: 651-705-2351
We recommend saving it in your contacts as “Highland Middle School Alerts” so you always recognize messages from us.
Have a good week!
Monday, September 29 (A day):
- 4:00pm Boys Soccer vs Humboldt/OWL, at El Rio Vista Recreation Center
- 4:00pm Flag Football vs Humboldt/OWL, at Baker Park
- 4:00pm Volleyball vs Humboldt, at Humboldt
- 6:00pm FCC (Family Community Connection) meeting at HPMS library
Tuesday, September 30 (B day)
Wednesday, October 1 (A day):
- 4:00pm Flag Football vs. Murray, at Murray
- 4:30pm Girls Soccer vs Capitol Hill, at Capitol Hill
Thursday, October 2: NO SCHOOL - staff development day
Friday, October 3 (B day):
- 6th Grade Family Movie Night 5:00-7:00pm
Monday, October 6 (A day)
- Flipside Afterschool Program begins 3:15-4:45pm
- 3:30pm Boys Soccer, Flag Football, Volleyball vs Washington, at HPMS
Tuesday, October 7 (B day)
Wednesday, October 8 (A day)
- 3:30pm Girls Soccer vs Humboldt/OWL, at El Rio Vista Recreation Center
Thursday, October 9 (B day)
Friday, October 10 (A day):
- Picture Day
Monday, October 13 (B day)
Tuesday, October 14 (A day)
Wednesday, October 15 (B day)
- 3:30pm Girls Soccer vs Washington, at Washington
- 4:30pm Boys Soccer, Flag Football, Volleyball vs Battle Creek, at HPMS
- Noche Latina 5:30-7:30
Thursday, October 16: NO SCHOOL
Friday, October 17: NO SCHOOL
The Smore family newsletter, along with other school documents and notices, can be translated. For the newsletter, click on the button for translation and select the language preferred.
Chinese & Spanish Immersion Bonfire
The Chinese and Spanish Immersion bonfire at Como Park was excellent! On Friday evening, family, students, and staff gathered together to enjoy food, a bonfire, social time, and activities. Thank you to all who helped in putting this event together and who contributed. Parents and families, it was great seeing you all there!
6th Grade Family Movie Night
6th Grade Families,
Our 8th grade WEB leaders will be hosting a 6th grade family movie night on Friday, Oct. 3rd from 5-7pm. There will be concessions for sale and face painting for younger siblings. A parent/guardian must be present in order for your student to attend. We hope you can join us!
Picture Day is coming on Friday, October 10!
You can place your order on mylifetouch.com using your Picture Day ID: EVT4G6TKB. Order before midnight on Picture Day to get FREE shipping!
Your child can also bring their completed flyer with cash or check on Picture Day. Orders after Picture Day must be placed online only on mylifetouch.com.
Parent Helpers Wanted:
Help us make the Picture Day smooth and effortless. Contact the office if you'd like to volunteer at Picture Day.
¡Noche de Diversión en Familia!
Únase a nosotros para celebrar el Mes de la Herencia Hispana con una noche llena de cultura, comunidad y diversión. ¡Tendremos lotería, un potluck delicioso, música y mucho más!
Cuándo: 15 de octubre
Hora: 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Dónde: Cafetería de la escuela
También compartiremos información importante sobre nuestra escuela y los programas que ofrecemos. ¡Vengan a celebrar con nosotros!
--------
Join us as we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with an evening full of culture, community, and fun! We'll have lotería, a delicious potluck, music and more!
When: October 15
Time: 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Where: School Cafeteria
We'll also be sharing important information about our school and the programs we offer. Come celebrate with us!
Family Engagement
We believe that a strong partnership between home and school is essential for student success. Join us for our monthly Family Community Connection meetings!
9/29/25 6:00pm
10/27/25 6:00pm
11/24/25 8:00am
1/12/26 8:00am
2/9/26 8:00am
3/16/26 8:00am
4/20/26 6:00pm
5/18/26 6:00pm
Know your child's Grade Level Norms & Practices and review them together!
Last week we met with each grade level (6th, 7th, and 8th) to go over a set of slides that establish shared norms, expectations, and practices for our school community. These slides can be found below. We kindly ask that you take a few moments to review them with your student. This will help reinforce what was discussed at school and ensure we are all on the same page as we move forward together.
Orientation and Open House
It was good to see many families at our Orientation for 6th grade and Open House! Here are slides of information about HPMS.
HPMS Parent Orientation 2025-26 (English)
HPMS Orientación para padres 2025-26 (español)
Parent session presentations:
Supporting the Middle School Transition 101 (English)
Welcome Back Letter From Principal Mohamed
Student Schedules
Student schedules are available for viewing in Parent and Student Campus! Please become familiar with your child's class schedule,.
If you have questions about your child' schedule, please contact your grade level school counselor :
grade 6, Elisabeth Mulvaney (elisabeth.mulvaney@spps.org; 651-744-3399)
grade 7, Danielle Seifert (danielle.seifert@spps.org; 651-744-7582)
grade 8, Nou Katzmarek (nou.katzmarek@spps.org; 651-744-3400)
Team Monthly Newsletters
Flipside after school program
Hello Flipside Families!
I’m so excited for another awesome year of Flipside! We’ve got an amazing lineup of hands-on classes—art, science, fitness, tech, and more—plus academic support, all led by our fantastic team of teachers.
New to Flipside? We’re a free afterschool and summer program for middle schoolers. Our goal is to help students grow socially, emotionally, and academically—while having a blast! It’s a great way to stay connected to school in a fun, positive way.
Here’s what’s coming up:
Start Date: Monday, October 6, 2025
Registration: The online form is open! Sign up here: Flipside Registration Form
Class List: Attached in today’s newsletter. Chat with your student and choose their top two classes for both Mon/Wed and Tues/Thurs. ➤ If they don’t list two different options per day, and I can’t place them in their first choice, I’ll assign them to any open class. ➤ Class descriptions are here: Class Descriptions
Transportation: To receive bus service, registrations must be submitted by Friday, Sept. 19. Late signups may experience delays.
Confirmation Letters: Sent out the first week of October, including transportation info.
I can’t wait to welcome your students back to Flipside this year!
Feel free to reach out with any questions—or just to say hi 😊
See you on the Flipside! Ms. Nikol
Every Meal Program
Healthy eating is so important for children. At HPMS, we work hard to ensure students receive a healthy breakfast and lunch each day to support their developing brains and bodies. Research shows that children who eat regular, nutritious meals are more likely to attend school and be engaged in learning.
We are excited to partner with Every Meal again to offer a free weekend meal program to all our students.
Every Meal is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to fight child hunger through community and school partnerships. They strive to make a difference in children’s lives by focusing on food gaps like weekends, school breaks, and summer when they can’t receive food in school.
- Free for all families
- No qualifications required
- Students enrolled in the program will receive a 4-5 pound bag of nutritious, nonperishable food each week
- Every Meal does not collect information from families; privacy is protected
- Families may choose to participate in the program anytime throughout the school year
- Families may choose from a variety of different weekend foodbag options
If you wish to participate, please fill out our enrollment form which can be found here. Or feel free to reach out to Katie Monroe, one of our social workers, at kathryn.monroe@spps.org or 651.744.4616.
At Highland Park Middle School, our mission is to:
- Provide our students with a sense of community and global perception in a nurturing and caring learning environment,
- Help students acquire the skills necessary to value themselves, and take pride in their accomplishments, and
- Develop respect and understanding of other people and their cultures.
Website: https://www.spps.org/highlandms
Location: 975 Snelling Ave S, Saint Paul, MN, USA
Phone: (651) 293-8950