Hixson Happenings

126th Issue, October 14, 2022

Important Dates

October 18 - Parent Teacher Conferences, 4pm to 8pm, in person

October 19 - Parent Teacher Conferences, 4pm to 8pm, in person

October 20 - Parent Teacher Conferences (no school), 9am to 4pm, virtual

October 21 - No School
October 24 - Late Start Day
October 25 - 1st quarter grading window closes

November 11 - Veterans' Day; Rock n' Roll Bingo

November 23-25 - Thanksgiving Break

December 22 - January 3 - Winter Break

January 4 - School Resumes

There will be no Hixson Happenings on Oct 21, 2022. Hixson Happenings will return on October 28, 2022!

Parent Teacher Conferences Sign Up

Hixson's parent/teacher conferences are as follows:

October 18, 4:00-8:00pm, in-person at Hixson
October 19, 4:00-8:00pm, in-person at Hixson
October 20, 9:00am-4:00pm, virtual on Zoom

To schedule a conference with your child's teachers, please click on the link below. If you prefer a virtual conference, please scroll down to the "V" section on the page. All conferences that will be held virtually are indicated by the word "VIRTUAL" at the beginning of the conference title.

https://ptcfast.com/schools/Hixson_Middle_School_1

Food Drive!

Hixson Middle School Thrive Jr. After School Program

Parents! Please help us spread the word about this exciting opportunity for Hixson students!

Have you ever wanted to start your own business? Join our new club, Thrive Jr., powered by Freshinc and Mxinc curriculum. Club members will progress through the milestones of starting up a new business: they identify a problem to solve, design and pitch a product concept, and make and sell this product. The club will participate in a district-wide pitch competition in April.

Who: 6, 7, and 8th grade students (25 max per grade)

When: 3:35 pm - 4:20 pm

6th Grade: Wednesdays after school with Mr. Pitlyk

7th and 8th Grade: Thursdays after school with Ms. Fox and Mrs. Siebe

How: Register for Thrive Jr. by completing this form. Paper copies of the registration form will be available in the Main Office starting Monday, October 3, 2022.

The club will run from October 24, 2022 - April 4, 2023.

Book Fair!

The Book Fair is coming to Hixson October 6 through October 20. Please click the following link to learn all things Book Fair / sign up for E-Wallet! We strongly encourage families to sign up for E-Wallet (video for more info); a great way to provide money digitally for the book fair. Thank you for your support.

Click here to see some book trailers for the book fair!

Science Fair!

Do you love science? Come learn how to do a science fair project via Zoom on Thursday, November 10th from 6:30-7:30 pm. You will need to register prior to attending. If you have any questions, please visit our Science Fair website or contact Sha

Haunted House of Hoops!

Rock & Roll Bingo Date Change (Save the NEW Date!)

Hey Hixson Families! Don't forget to save the date for this year's Rock & Roll Bingo night. The event will be held Friday, November 11 at the Shrewsbury City Center. Doors will open at 6pm, and the Rock & Roll Bingo will start at 7pm. Be on the lookout for registration information in early October! If you would like to donate to our bingo prize collection or our silent auction, please contact Megan O'Brien at obrien.megan@wgmail.org.

PTO Updates

Navigating family conversations about sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression: An evening organized for parents, by parents, to support each other in building the confidence, compassion, and understanding necessary to approach these topics with our children

Wednesday, November 9, 6:30 - 8:00 pm at the Hixson Auditorium. Free childcare provided by Adventure Club staff, but only with advance registration.

All district parents and caregivers are invited to come together for this opportunity to learn current information about sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression (sometimes abbreviated as SOGIE). As parent organizers, we understand that even if we don’t think these topics are immediately relevant within our own family, they absolutely have critical relevance to many of the friends and classmates woven into our family's social fabric. We believe members of the LGBTQIA+ community should be affirmed and heard, and our goal is to create a safe space for honest and vulnerable questions and dialogue. The overall wish is for our village of adults to learn how to fully love and care for all young people in the community.

Hear from a panel of health providers, parents, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and have a moderated opportunity to ask questions.

Submit questions ahead of time via this form (Form at bit.ly/Nov9questions)

Complete this form to RSVP for childcare (Form at bit.ly/Nov9childcare)

Hixson Parent University!

We're piloting something new this year! In an effort to increase parent engagement at Hixson, we are piloting an idea called Hixson Parent University this year. The goal for the pilot is to offer four webinars this school year that will educate parents about topics that are highly relevant to the middle school child. We will have two webinars in the fall and two in the spring. The first fall webinar will focus on cell phones, social media and the adolescent child. The second fall webinar will occur during the November 17 during the PTO meeting, and it will focus on mental health and the middle school child. This webinar will be facilitated by Hixson counselors.

We hope to engage more parents through these opportunities. Please join us if you can!