HMS Hiller Heads-Up
All the news from Hopkinton Middle School
Note from the Principal
Last night we were very happy to host our 7th Graders for this year’s Fall Fest. The event was well-attended, and seeing students and teachers enjoying each other's company demonstrated the sense of community we are looking to foster here at HMS.
And, because we send lots of reminders about our pick up and drop off procedures, we want to point out that the pickup after last night’s event went very smoothly! Thank you! It can take a little extra time for us to dismiss students safely after an evening event and everyone remained patient and took their time, creating a safe and smooth dismissal. Thank you!
Rotation Cycle - Week of November 16
- Day 1: Monday, November 16
- Day 2: Tuesday, November 17
- Day 3: Wednesday, November 18
- Day 4: Thursday, November 19
- Day 6: Friday, November 20
Important Upcoming Dates
November 16-18
6th Grade Outdoor Classroom Trip 1
November 18-20
6th Grade Outdoor Classroom Trip 2
November 23
Picture Retake Day
November 25
Early Release - 11:20 Dismissal (no lunch provided)
November 26 & 27
No School - Thanksgiving Break
December 4
Trimester 1 Ends
December 8
MS Winter Concert - Grades 6 & 7 Band
December 9
MS Winter Concert - Grades 6 & 7 Orchestra & Chorus
December 22
MS Winter Concert - Grade 8
December 24 - 31
No School - December Recess
MATHCOUNTS School Competition Registration ENDS TODAY
Greetings, Parents and Guardians!
My name is Yongjian Zheng, and I am the volunteer coach for the 2026-2027 MATHCOUNTS program. As we begin preparations for this year’s competition series, I would like to invite your child to join our school-level contest, taking place on November, 20th 2026. The Registration link is down below and will close on TODAY, November 13th. If you have trouble completing the form from a Hillers account please try from a personal email address.
Participating in MATHCOUNTS is a great math enrichment opportunity for 6-8th grade students to challenge themselves and improve their problem-solving skills. If you’re unfamiliar with the Competition Series, there are 3 main components for all schools:
1. A School-round competition, which will be held on Friday, November 20th, 2026, after school, at 3:00 pm in the HMS cafeteria. This will help us select 14 students to advance to the Metrowest Chapter Competition.
2. Chapter Competition, which takes place in February, 2027. We will send the top contenders from the school round to represent HMS at this event. I’ll share more event info as soon as I have it from our local MATHCOUNTS coordinator.
3. Team practices that are led by a coach to prepare students for the chapter competition. I’ll share more information about when/where/how frequently meetings will be after the chapter team is formed.
Depending on how they do at the Chapter level, the students may advance to the State Competition in March. Then, the top 4 students from each state receive an all-expenses-paid trip to compete at the National Competition, which takes place in May. Last year, the HMS team achieved outstanding results, placing 3rd in the Metrowest Chapter and 10th in the Massachusetts State Finals.
MATHCOUNTS problems are unique, unlike anything your child will see in their regular math classes. They focus on critical thinking and problem-solving skills and are aligned with many sets of standards across the country. Here is a sample Chapter competition problem from last year for practice and assessment of difficulty levels:
MATHCOUNTS is a fun, exciting, challenging experience that helps kids think of math in a different way, and they’ll build skills that will serve them well in their current math class and beyond. I hope your child is able to join us for the Competition Series this year! Please use the link below to sign up by November 13th, 2026, if you are interested in participating.
https://forms.gle/156pC61XX jYu v9
Please check out the MATHCOUNTS website for info and FAQs, and reach out if you have any questions.
https://mathcounts.org/programs/competition-rules-faq
Thank you and best regards,
Yongjian Zheng
Volunteer Coach, MATHCOUNTS 2027
zhengyongjian2009@gmail.com
Picture Retake Day is here!
HMS will have picture retakes on Monday, November 23rd. Please note there are no pre-orders for retakes and you need to remember to bring in your original picture proof and photo for replacement.
HPTO Event Updates!
Game Details
Wednesday November 18th
7 PM - Hopkinton High School
Tickets are on sale - get them today!
Design the Hiller Hut!
The contest invites students in grades K–12 to help reimagine the outside of the high school concession stand. It’s a fun opportunity for students across the district to share their creativity and Hiller pride!
Submissions are due November 24. Details and the submission form are available at hptoonline.com/hillerhut.
Keefe Tech Career Night - Thursday, November 19 from 5:30pm - 8pm
Keefe Tech is hosting their Career Night next month for prospective students and families. If your student is thinking that Career and Technical Education could be a good fit for high school, this is a great evening to attend. All 16 Career and Technical Programs will be open, academic teachers will be there to answer questions about their curriculum, as well as multiple presentations on the high school experience Keefe has to offer.
Families can pre-register for this event here: https://www.keefetech.org/admissions/career-night
HMS Winter Atheletics Offerings
Hello,
With the winter season fast approaching, please take a look at the below information regarding our 3 sport offerings.
8th Grade Girls Basketball - Tryouts begin Monday, December 7th
There will likely be cuts due to numbers
For more information please reach out to Varsity Coach Mikayla Pucci (mpucci@hopkinton.k12.ma.us)
8th Grade Boys Basketball - Tryouts begin Monday, December 7th
There will likely be cuts due to numbers
For more Information please reach out to Coach Dan Carrai (dcarrai@hopkinton.k12.ma.us)
MS (6th-8th Grades) Coed Wrestling - No cuts, will begin the week of December 7th
For more information, please reach out to Varsity Coach Corey Mills (cmills@hopkinton.k12.ma.us)
Please use the link below to register. Complete registration includes:
1) Parent Registration and Sign off
2) Student Registration and Sign off
3) Uploaded physical that is within 13 months of last physical
*Please note that the student school emails may not work when registering. Personal emails should work.
If one of these three things is not complete prior to the start of tryouts, you will not be eligible to participate on Day 1.
https://hopkinton-ma.finalforms.com/students
Tryout/Practice times will be sent out in the coming weeks.
Regards,
Hopkinton Athletics Staff
Hopkinton Parks & Recreation News
The Chess Wizards Chess Tournament will be held on Saturday December 12th from 10 AM - 1 PM. Registration is required and this event is free!
Ski Club registration is open. Weekly trips on Tuesdays from January 5th - February 9th. Lift tickets, lessons and equipment rentals are made directly through Wachusett Mountain after purchasing a bus pass through Hopkinton Park and Recreation for $230 at hopkintonrec.org. Registration Deadline is December 11th. For questions please contact Hopkinton Parks & Recreation directly.
For the registration link please click here.
