The Eagle Express

I hope this email finds you and your family well and enjoying the hot summer days of July. While we certainly don't want the summer to come to an end, we are also getting so excited as we prepare to embark on another exciting academic year! Therefore, I wanted to reach out with some important information and updates. Below you will find some back to school highlights, and then I have expanded on some of the bigger sections further down in this newsletter.

Back to School Essentials

1. First Day of School - Our first day of classes will be Tuesday, August 25th.
2. School Hours - Regular school hours are 7:45 AM to 2:50 PM, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. We will run a 1 hour early release on Wednesdays and our school day will end at 1:50. You can find the district academic calendar below.
3. Orientation/Registration - We invite you to attend our HMS Orientation Days that run like an Open House on August 11th or 12th from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Please feel free to drop in when it's most convenient for you and your family. This is a great opportunity to get lots of information about middle school. Students will be able to pick up schedules if the returning student registration has been completed..if it has not, schedules will not be ready for pickup. More info on that is below!
4. Renovations- Thanks to the amazing support of our community with the bond that passed in 2023, renovations inside HMS for the past 2 years are now DONE!!! We are very hopeful to open our main staircase and entry before school starts, but that does remain closed for now. Should you need to stop by the school, please use the temporary entrance on the track side of the building by the flagpole. We will be sure to share what entrances to use for Orientation/Registration prior that based on that construction.
5. Join Our Incredible PTSA - We are excited to kickoff another great year at Heritage Middle School and would love to invite you to join the PTSA. The funds raised by the PTSA are used to host fun events for the students throughout the year, field trips, teacher grants, teacher appreciation events & meals as well as special projects that benefit teachers and students! Your support is greatly appreciated. Click here to learn more and join! PTSA will also have a table set up during registration here at HMS as well to order spirit wear and ask questions!

We're looking forward to a year filled with growth, learning, and achievement. Your partnership is crucial to our success, and we encourage your active involvement in our school community. Please continue reading through this newsletter, as there is a lot to digest!

Here's to a fantastic school year ahead! Enjoy the rest of your summer.

Best,

Dr. Allegri

We are so excited to serve you this year!

Aug 11 & 12 - Heritage Orientation/Registration (9:00- 5:00)

Aug 21 - WEB Leader Training Day (12:00-4:00) - only for 8th Grade WEB leaders

Aug 24 - WEB Day for 6th Grader (8:30 am - 11:00)

Aug 25 - First day of School (Start Time 7:45)

Aug 31- Individual Staff & Student Back to School Photos (Cafe)

Sept 1 - Back 2 School Night (6:00 - 7:30)

Sept 7 - No School (Labor Day)

Sept 18- 2 Hr Early Release - Staff Development

Oct 16- 2 Hr Early Release - Staff Development

Oct 19 & 20 - Parent Teacher Conferences (3:00-7:00)

Oct 22 - 2 Hr Early Release

Oct 23- No School

Nov 6 - Heritage HOUSE Hustle

Nov 25-27 - Thanksgiving Break

Dec 18 - End of Semester 1

Dec 21- Winter Break Begins

Tuesday, August 11th & Wednesday, August 12th from 9am-5pm (Open House Format)

We are looking forward to seeing all of our Eagle families for Orientation Day. Below is all of the information regarding the format of the day and the stations available. If you are unable to attend these days, you can come to the HMS office to pick up your student’s information folder any school day between 8am-3pm after August 12th (with the exception of August 21st when all staff will be at the LPS convocation all morning.)

During orientation, families will be able to:

• Get familiar with the district calendar
• Join PTSA
• Pay lunch money on student accounts
• Pay device insurance
• Check out the school supply list
• Take care of online payments for yearbooks and pay to play
• Opt in for transportation - completing this form annually is the only way to have your eligible student assigned to a bus route. Due to the high volume of activity at school start up, requesting transportation the week before school starts could cause a delay of up to two weeks for bus service. If you have any questions, please call Transportation at 816-736-5360. This link is also available through the returning student registration.

• Order Spirit wear (updated link coming soon!)
• Pick up School Pictures order forms
• Learn about sports and what's required
• See class schedules and team placement
• Fill out class schedule change requests- Please note that a request does not mean changes will automatically be made
• Meet the grade level counselors

If you have a student that completed the 2025-2026 school year with Liberty Public Schools, and will be returning for the 2026-2027 school year, you will be required to complete a Returning Student Registration. Parents are able to log onto their PowerSchool Parent Portal account and select the Returning Student Registration tab in the left column. When arriving there, you will then be able to update your student’s information for the upcoming school year. We ask that this process be completed for each of your students before August 1, 2025.

Finally, if you have a kindergartener, 6th, or 9th grade student, you will be required to verify residency. You will be able to upload your residency verification items within the Returning Student Registration (ex: utility bills, lease agreement, etc.). If you do not already have a PowerSchool Parent Portal account and need to set one up, you can do that at any time by following the steps on the Liberty Public Schools website under “For Families” then “PowerSchool” or click here.

Helpful Tip: To save time, please have your Required Documentation (residency proofs) ready before beginning the registration process. This will help you complete the registration in one setting. The documents you will need are listed below.

Accepted Documents for Residency Verification

All must be dated within the last 60 days.

Two (2) different types of utility bills: gas, water, or electric. These bills must include service address, name, and date. (Please note that cable bills, cell phone bills, internet bills, loan statements, property tax receipts, etc. are NOT acceptable proofs of residency. Please do not provide these documents.)

OR a new lease agreement

OR a non-contingent sales contract

OR a settlement statement

For more information regarding required documentation to prove residency, Click here.

Lastly, there are hyperlinked buttons below that parents can click on to knock many of these items out prior to orientation if they so choose. We highly recommend this to make this process smooth!

8th Grade WEB Leader Training

8th grade students that have been selected to be WEB leaders are asked to participate in the training day on Friday, August 21st from 12:00-4:00 . Please ensure students have had lunch before they arrive. We are also asking that WEB leaders arrive at HMS on the actual WEB day at 8:00 am and stay until 11:30 to help with set-up and clean up on those days. *If there are further questions about WEB, please contact Mrs. Schmitt at emily.schmitt@lps53.org. We ask that all WEB leaders be dropped off and picked up in the bus loop at the back of the building (west side-by the track.

Incoming 6th Grade WEB Transition Day

This will be held on Monday, August 24th (day before school begins) for our 6th grade students from 8:30-11:00. All 6th graders will get to do a variety of activities throughout the morning that will get them ready for middle school. They will start with an assembly and end up in smaller groups that are led by their 8th grade WEB student leaders. We encourage all 6th grade students to attend! No sign-up is required. Transportation must be provided by parents to and from the event. We ask that all students be dropped off and picked up in the bus loop at the back of the building (west side-by the track).

HMS Fall Sports Information

Fall sports are offered at HMS including: 7th and 8th grade Cross Country, 8th grade Cheerleading, 8th grade football, and 8th grade volleyball.

This school year, Liberty Public Schools Athletics will be continuing to use Final Forms as our hosting site for all required MSHSAA forms, emergency documentation, and a current physical. If you have any questions regarding HMS sports, please reach out to our Athletic Director at HMS, Ryan Stegall, at ryan.stegall@lps53.org

Get started today for 26-27 by clicking here to learn more about Fall Sports!