The Hive

Dear HMS Families,

We had a great three day week with the kids. Our leadership kids organized a fun fundraiser to raise money for our new hornet mascot costume that involved duct taping Mr. Slom to the wall. It was fun to see all the kids having fun making it happen.

Semester 2 starts on Monday, which is crazy to think about! It's hard to believe that half of the year is already over. The second half of the year brings a lot of events and activities which we are looking forward to experiencing with our amazing students.

We hope you have a great weekend!

With Kindness,

Bess & Sid

Hockinson School District has a measure on the ballot to renew funding for student programs and school operations. Remember to vote: mail ballots or drop ballots in a drop box by Tuesday, February 10.

Without levy funding, HSD would face difficult decisions including potential reduction or elimination of art & music programs, Advanced Placement & elective classes, sports & extracurricular activities, staffing to maintain small class sizes, school Nurses, extracurricular transportation, learning technology replacement cycles, textbooks & curriculum replacement cycles, security staff & school/family communication tools, and building maintenance.

Find more information on the HSD levy webpage or in this informational mailer.

Students will be able to access their student schedules on Friday, 1/23 through Skyward family access. We will also have printed schedules available for students on Monday, 1/26. Most of our student's schedules stay the same for the most part. We do not change year long classes in the middle of the year, but the period they are in might change. If your child has a one semester elective, they will have different classes next semester.

I say this at the beginning of the year and at the start of second semester - building student schedules is an incredibly complicated process - more than I could ever imagine. For us, it's especially complicated because we are a small school and some of our classes are only offered during one period a day. We cannot change anyone's schedule because all of our spaces are full. We try our best to accommodate with what students forecast for, but not all students are able to get their first selections. I hope we have shown you that we try to work with families as much as possible and I wish we could accommodate everyone's schedule requests. We really appreciate your understanding.

If you notice an error on our part - for example, if a student has two math classes - please email or counselor, Ben Nelson (ben.nelson@hocksd.org).

At the end of each semester our teachers each nominate two students to be honored for their academic achievement. Our assembly will be on Friday, January 30th starting at 2:35. Celebrating student academic success is one of our favorite things to do. If your child was nominated, you should have received an invitation via email inviting you to this event. We are looking forward to celebrating our students.

Upcoming Sports Registration - Boys Basketball STARTS THIS MONDAY - 1/26/26

Boys Basketball is open to 7th and 8th grade students. We will have 3 teams and not all athletes who try out will make a team.

Boys basketball registration is currently open and tryouts will begin THIS Monday January 26th. Please make sure that your athlete has a current physical on file and all forms are signed through FinalForms prior to the first day of tryouts (Monday 1/26).

Tryouts will be from 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM in the HMS Gym. Please have athletic clothing, shoes, and a water bottle. Athletes do not need to provide their own basketball. More detailed information will be sent through FinalForms from the coaches to those who are registered this weekend.

Hello! I’m an 8th grade Video Production student. Since it’s almost the end of the semester, I want to talk about some stuff we did over the months and spread some positivity about the class. Throughout most of the semester we wrote down multiple different editing and photography terms and got tested on them, including rule of thirds, cross-cutting, split edits, and more! Our biggest projects were definitely the Hockinson Happenings that we worked on in groups throughout the years. Hockinson Happenings are informational videos we played in Homebase to let everyone know all the events that were happening throughout the school. Others videos we worked on were the 10 Second Commercial, Book Trailer Video, PSA Video, and more. Overall, the class really helped me on the aspects of video production and what goes into filming. If you’ve been interested in knowing more about what goes into filming videos, this class is perfect for you!

We are excited to partner with Hockinson High School Athletics to offer all 8th grade students the opportunity to participate in Strength and Conditioning with new Coach Louden Seekins at HHS beginning 1/26/26. Students must have an account in Final Forms and join the Hawk Strength and Conditioning (under Activities). There is no cost to attend but attendance will be taken.

Student-athletes are encouraged to attend consistently and arrive on time, ready to train. Sessions will emphasize proper preparation, safe progression, and accountability. Athletes should wear appropriate athletic clothing and footwear and be prepared to actively participate.

Coach Louden Seekins is a Hockinson High School alumnus (Class of 2014) who has remained deeply connected to education, health, and youth development. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Health from Luther College and has built a diverse professional background that strongly aligns with the goals of high school athletic development

As Strength and Conditioning Coach, Louden’s focus will be on:

Teaching proper lifting technique and movement mechanics

Developing speed, strength, agility, and power safely

Supporting injury prevention and athletic longevity

Building confidence, discipline, and accountability in student-athletes

Creating an inclusive, positive training culture that supports all sports

We are excited for the impact Louden will have across all athletic programs and are confident his experience and passion will benefit our student-athletes both in-season and out of season.

If you have any questions please feel free to to reach out to me - sid.slom@hocksd.org

Final Form Registration

The Hockinson PWT is excited to continue supporting the students and staff at Hockinson Middle School this year! In partnership with school administration, we are raising funds for two important initiatives: Staff Appreciation activities HMS Staff Hospitality and new Recess Equipment HMS Recess Equipment.

• Our fundraising goal for staff hospitality this year is $2,500.
• Our fundraising goal for recess equipment this year is $300.

Your support makes a big difference in creating a positive, engaging environment for our students and showing appreciation for our hardworking staff. We would love your help in contributing to these important fundraisers, thank you for being part of our community!

January

School Board Appreciation Month

January 23rd No School - Semester Break

January 29th HMS Clark Jazz Festival

January 30th Carnation Sales Begin

January 30th PWT Binglow

January 30th Semester 1 Academic Awards

February

February 6th & 7th North County Honor Band

February 6th Mini Spirit Day - Super Bowl

February 13th - 15th All-State Honor Band

February 13th Carnations Delivered

February 13th Mini Spirit Day - Valentine's Day

February 16th-20th No School: Mid Winter Break

We really try to post one thing a day that is student centered. If you are curious what we are up to throughout the day, please consider following our Facebook or Instagram accounts. We love to give you all insight to all the amazing things that happen here.

We have such an awesome community and it's wonderful to be able to celebrate it!

We teach, guide, and support students and our community by creating a safe environment where we learn and grow together.

School Hours: 8:50am-3:20pm

Wednesdays: 1 Hour Early Release

Office Hours: 8:00am - 3:45am

Email: bess.colpron@hocksd.org
Website: https://hms.hocksd.org/
Location: 15916 NE 182nd Ave, Brush Prairie, WA, USA
Phone: 360-448-6440
Facebook: facebook.com/HockinsonMS/