The Scot's Scoop

Archived 2026-2027 Family Newsletters

Monday, September 28 (B day):

• 6:00-7:00pm Family Communication & Connections (FCC) mtg in the HPMS library

Tuesday, September 29 (A day)

Wednesday, September 30 (B day):

• Eagle Bluff family information session for 8th Grade Spanish and Chinese immersion families, from 6:00-7:00pm in room 1415

Thursday, October 1 (A day)

Friday, October 2 (B day)

Monday, October 5 (A day)

Tuesday, October 6 (B day)

Wednesday, October 7 (A day)

• 6:00-7:00pm Lotería night in the cafeteria

Thursday, October 8 (B day)

Friday, October 9 (A day):

• Picture Day

Monday, October 12 (B day):

• 6:00-7:00pm (virtual) Family Communication & Connections (FCC) mtg

Tuesday, October 13 (A day)

Wednesday, October 14 (B day)

Thursday, October 15: NO School - MEA

Friday, October 16: NO School - MEA

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.

Dear Highland Families,

Thank you for another successful week! Our middle schoolers are settling into their routines, making meaningful connections, and diving deep into their learning.

As we enter Week 4, we want to share a few important updates and reminders:

• Healthy Snacks: Because our lunch times fall later in the day, we strongly encourage students to bring a healthy snack to eat during Foundations class. Please help your student remember to pack one each morning!

• Mid-Quarter Grades & Assignments: As we prepare for mid-quarter progress reports, please keep the following in mind regarding student grades:

  • Missing Assignments in Schoology: When formative assignment is not submitted, teachers will flag it as "Missing," which defaults to a zero in the gradebook. If it is a summative assignment, student will still get a missing comment. This will better track whether an assignment was completed or not. We strongly encourage students to turn in missing work as soon as possible.

  • Standards-Based & IB MYP Grading: Highland is proud to be one of five Saint Paul Public Schools pilot sites for Standards-Based Grading. This means grades reflect a student's mastery of specific learning standards rather than points earned just for completion. In this presentation from open house, you will find details about grading along with the corresponding IB MYP (International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program).

    The International Baccalaureate (IB) World Schools undergo a formal program evaluation by the International Baccalaureate once every 5 years. This year is an evaluation year for Highland Middle and Highland Senior. The Middle Years Program (MYP) begins in 6th grade and ends in 10th grade, and we collaborate between our two schools.

• Want to learn more about MYP? If you missed our IB MYP orientation session during the first week of school (would like a follow up), we encourage you to join our upcoming Family Communication & Connection (FCC) meetings to learn more about how standards-based learning works at Highland. See here for FCC dates. We purposely held an MYP info session before our first parent teacher conference on October 29.

• Monthly Team Newsletters- Each of the 6 teams write monthly newsletters. Scroll below to get an account on what is taking place in each classroom that week. Here you will find what is the unit of study, questions to ask your students and any upcoming assessments for that month. We encourage families to read through these before the upcoming October 29 and November 5 conference. We will share more details about conference registration on the October 11 Scoop.

If you ever have questions about specific grades or assignments, please do not hesitate to reach out directly to your student’s classroom teacher. Here is a directory of all HPMS teachers and staff.

Thank you for your ongoing partnership!

Principal Hibaq Mohamed

Click on your child's team link below to view their monthly team newsletter, which shares information about curriculum and important things to know.

6th grade Phoenixes (Chinese & Spanish immersion)

6th grade Eagles (community school)

7th grade Panthers (Chinese & Spanish immersion)

7th grade Jets (community school)

8th grade Tecolotes (Spanish immersion)

8th grade Sharks (Chinese immersion & community school)

Click on the following link for the counseling curriculum, mental health core curriculum, October college knowledge month and bullying prevention month information, and important contacts. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fQohCHvvPycwQ4CJHTv6G1uueWcUItS1WvqSAZyyOIc/edit?usp=sharing

Dear HPMS Families,

As the weather turns cooler, cold and sniffle season is officially upon us! To help keep our classroom clean, healthy, and stocked up, we are asking for donation of a few essential supplies that we are running low on.

If you are able to donate, we would greatly appreciate any contributions of:

• Kleenex / Facial Tissues

• Hand Sanitizer (pump bottles)

• Disinfecting Wipes

How to send donations:

• With your child: Send items directly in their backpack to bring to the classroom.

• Drop-off: Leave items at the main office with our class name attached.

Thank you so much for your generosity and for helping us keep our students healthy and ready to learn!

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 here: https://forms.gle/WkUSJ62opzE8wxFLA Or feel free to reach out to Leah Rosen, one of our social workers, at maryleah.rosen@spps.org, 651-744-7946.

Hello Flipside Families,

Fall registration is officially open, and I’m so excited for what’s shaping up to be an AMAZING year. We have a wide range of classes, and I’m confident there’s something for everyone.

A few important reminders:

• Flipside begins October 19.

• Registration: Please make sure students select their top TWO choices for each day. If a class fills, I want to be able to place them in another option they’re excited about. ➤ Please avoid choosing the same class twice. Here is the link to register for Fall Flipside: https://forms.gle/SuWRR5Z3WcfUrz3L6

• Transportation: ➤ To receive a bus on the first day of Flipside, registration must be submitted by Sept. 25. ➤ Forms will still be accepted after that date, but bus service may take 1–2 weeks to begin. ➤ Sports students must register for Flipside to receive a bus. Athlete busing will begin Oct. 19, when Flipside starts. ➤ Please make sure your student has a bus assigned—do not assume one is already in place.

• Confirmation Letters: These will be sent the week of Oct. 12.

• Family Newsletter: Starting next month, I’ll be sending a monthly Flipside Family newsletter with program updates, staff introductions, and fun highlights. I’ll also continue posting updates in the Scot’s newsletter.

If you have any questions, please reach out anytime—I love hearing from families. Nikol.gordon@spps.org or 651‑420‑0134

See you on the Flipside! Ms. Nikol

We believe that a strong partnership between home and school is essential for student success. Join us for our monthly Family Community Connection meetings!

Family Communication & Connections (FCC) Dates: Below are the dates and times for the upcoming FCC meetings. These meetings are a great opportunity for us to connect, share important information, and answer any questions you may have.
9/28/26 6:00pm

10/12/26 6:00pm

11/23/26 8:00am

1/11/27 8:00am

2/8/27 8:00am

3/22/27 8:00am

4/19/27 6:00pm

5/24/27 6:00pm

Know your child's Grade Level Norms & Practices and review them together! During the first week of school, 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. Please 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.

6th grade Slides

7th Grade slides

Hola Familias,

¡Bienvenidos al Nuevo Año Escolar 26-27!

Les quiero compartir el boletín mensual dirigido a nuestras familias latinas. En este boletín encontrará actualizaciones e información relevante sobre asistencia y apoyo para las familias Latinas de las Escuelas Públicas de Saint Paul.

Por favor, abra el siguiente enlace:

Boletín Informativo para Familias Latinas

Gracias,

8th Grade 2027 Travelers (current enrolled):

• The deadline to apply for an EF Tours scholarship is September 30, 2026.

8th Grade families:
Haven’t signed up yet? Enrollment is still open for any 8th graders interested in joining our 2027 trip to Washington DC. This year’s trip runs from Wednesday, March 10, 2027 - Saturday, March 13, 2027. (Hint: Enroll now to be eligible to apply for an EF Tours scholarship. Scholarship applications are due September 30th).

7th Grade families:

Stay tuned. We will start sharing information about our 2028 in late October / early November. 7th graders will learn about the trip in their American Studies class. Information will go out to families in the Scoop.

Email Kristin King (kristin.king@spps.org) for more information.

Highland MS Winter 1 sports season begins November 9th. Registration will open on October 5th for GIRLS' BASKETBALL and CO-ED WRESTLING. Look for more registration information in upcoming Scots Scoop emails.

All middle school teams practice Monday - Thursday, 3:15 pm - 4:45 pm. Game schedules and locations can be found on the BOUND St. Paul Highland Park MS Scots page either by clicking on the activity link for a specific sport or choose the 'Calendar' link near the top of the page.

We are the Highland Park Middle School Solidarity Parent Network. If you are looking for a way to get involved as a parent, we would love to have you join us! We are a 501c3 focused on mutual aid, fundraising and supporting the school to increase equity, and building community across all programs at our school. If you are interested in joining, please email us at highlandmiddlesolidarity@gmail.com. Thank you!

There are rights students are guaranteed when they are at school as well as responsibilities that accompany those rights. Both are summarized in the Rights and Responsibilities Handbook. In addition, the Rights and Responsibilities Handbook outlines the work SPPS is doing to build a positive school culture and hold students accountable for behavior that is not appropriate.

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