HCMS Newsletter
Welcome Back!
Medical Forms Due:
- All incoming 6th graders are required to have an IL Dental form and an IL Health Exam and immunizations on file. Please forward these to my office at your earliest convenience.
Students that do not have an IL Health Exam with proof that all required immunizations were received before the October 15th deadline WILL BE EXCLUDED from school. Remember to fill out, sign, and date the parent portion of the exam form.
IL Dental forms are due May 15, 2027.
-Students that are new to the district are required to have an IL Eye Exam completed and have a current IL Health Exam with proof of immunizations on file. IL Health Exams are due before October 15, 2026.
All forms can be found on the district website.
Other Important Information:
- Please call to update any health care plans for your student if you have not had a chance to do so already.
- Remember all medications that need to be taken at school must have a completed medication authorization form on file in the nurse's office.
- We have several new students this year, kindly ask your children to help make them feel welcome.
- Every year we are required to complete vision screenings for all 8th graders and new students will be screened for both vision and hearing. If you do not want your child screened, you must submit your request in writing to the school nurse at tbush@fsd157c.org.
- Students, please be careful when walking or riding your bike. Do not assume drivers see you!
Hope all the students are off to a great start!
A new school year is underway, and the library will be welcoming students back in the first week of September. I’m excited to see returning seventh and eighth graders and to welcome sixth graders and new students to the district.
The library is open every day after school until 3:15. Students are welcome to stay and do homework, read, or just hang out as long as parents are aware, and they have a ride home.
"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one." — George R.R. Martin
Band and Orchestra
- Summer Band and Orchestra were huge successes! As we move into the school year, please remember to check our online calendar for all upcoming dates:
- https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/newembed?src=157cinstrumentalmusic@gmail.com&ctz=America/Chicago
Chorus
- The HCMS Chorus program is ready for another great year! All HCMS students are welcome to join. Everyone who participates in any of our chorus groups will get to have fun at concerts, contests, community performances, field trips like Medieval Times and Great America, socials and more! Students who plan to participate in other activities at HCMS can split time – just contact Mrs. Walton with any conflicts.
- If your child missed sign-ups, there is still time to join – please contact Mrs. Walton at lwalton@fsd157c.org This year’s rehearsal schedule is as follows:
- Advanced Choir (7th/8th grades): Mondays from 2:15-3:45 and every other Thursday from 2:15-3:15
- Varsity Chorus (6th graders) : Tuesdays from 2:15-3:45 and every other Thursday from 2:15-3:15
- Show Choir (auditioned group, already set): Wednesdays from 2:15-4:00 and Thursdays from 3:15-4:30
- And already announced – this year’s spring musical is “Beetlejuice”! Auditions for the show will be in January. A great way to prepare for the show is to practice your skills in chorus!
NJHS
- The National Junior Honors Society is excited to begin the 2026-2027 school year. For the remainder of the school year, 7th and 8th grade members will meet separately. We feel that with a large number of members, smaller group settings will be more effective for creating and completing service projects. Member dues ($20) are due by the October meeting. You can pay for those dues in your My School Bucks app.
- Click the LINK to see grade level meeting dates.
Student Council
- Student Council will officially kick off on Tuesday, September 15th! We are excited to welcome our members for an introductory meeting, student speeches on September 29th, and the opportunity to begin planning an exciting year of school events on October 6th. Our first big event will be the Pink Out Game on Thursday, October 22nd! We can’t wait to see what this year’s Student Council has in store!
Best Buddies
- Best Buddies is ready for another year at "The Creek!" Sign-ups will be available soon. The first meeting is set for Monday, September 21st from 2:30-3:30. Please note that you will need to sign up through SNAP Manage as well as through Best Buddies directly.
Mathletes
- Math enthusiasts unite! Mathletes is an exciting after-school club that provides students who enjoy working with logic and numbers with the opportunity to compete against other students in mathematical contests. There will be an informational meeting on September 14th from 2:20-3:00. We will also meet from 2:20-3:00 on September 21st and September 28th for our first two competitions. We look forward to another phenomenal season!
Boys Intramural Soccer
- We are thrilled to announce that boys intramural soccer had an incredible turnout this year, with 60 students trying out for the team! While we could only select 22 players for the roster, the enthusiasm and talent displayed during tryouts was outstanding. This season brings an exciting new opportunity as our team will be competing against other conference teams for the first time. We're looking forward to a competitive season filled with growth, teamwork, and sportsmanship. Go Tigers! Come out and cheer us on at our first home game Wednesday, September 9th at 4:00
Fitness Room
- The fitness room is open from 2:30-3:15pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. After school students should report to the cafetorium where they can get changed for fitness club. Then at 2:30 the sponsor will come pick them up and they can use anything in that space until 3:15pm. We have a variety of free weights, cardio machines and strength training machines for use. Then students are asked to be picked up at 3:15pm from the main entrance.
- If you are interested, you can register and/or create an account using the link below. Students need to have a current physical on file with our nurse. After that, they are good to participate in fitness club! Our first day will be 9/9/26
Intramural Dance
- Students will choreograph dance routines as a team. We hope to finish the season with the students performing at the quarter assembly, lunch, half-time of a basketball game and/or for parents and/or guardians. Additionally, we have a volunteer from LWE who gives insight of what to expect at LWE as well as help teach the dancers various foundational skills. She is a great role model who makes a positive impact for our dancers. We will start in early October, registration will be available on SNAP manage in a few weeks!
Varsity Baseball
- Varsity baseball is off to a great start (minus the rain). We have won all 3 games leading up to the DPVC conference tournament the last week of August. Regional and Sectionals will be in mid-September.
JV Baseball
- The baseball season started in the first week of August. JV baseball has continued to improve throughout the season. The team has won some hard-fought games against Minooka Jr High and Bishop MacNamara. The JV team will finish off their season playing Troy and Manteno Middle School in the month of September.
Varsity Softball
- The varsity softball team has had a successful beginning to the season with a current record of 7 – 2. The team is coming together playing excellent defense, solid pitching, and they are starting to get hot at the plate. We already played in the Manteno Tournament and will be participating in the DPVC Conference tournament the week of August 24th. After that is the home stretch before our Regionals/Sectionals with our goal to make it back to the IESA State Finals on September 19th.
JV Softball
- The JV softball team is having a stellar year – currently, they are 7-1. The team is coming together playing excellent defense, solid pitching, and they are starting to get hot at the plate. Our team has 3 more games left in our season – we are looking forward to the future of HCMS Softball with this group!
Cross Country
- The Cross Country team is off and running! There are around 60 athletes on the team this year led by Coach Ford and Coach Rodgers. The team looks to make another state run as they will compete in about 11 meets/invites during the season. Some of the top runners so far have been Colton Friederich, Gavin McDermott, Olivia Lenahan and Cooper Lohrens.
Boys Golf
- 6 Members of the Hickory Creek Golf intramural were selected to the Hickory Creek Sectional golf team. The team will head to sectionals on September 9 at Minni Monesse Golf Course to compete against the best golfers in the area.
Girls Golf
- 6 Members of the Hickory Creek Golf intramural were selected to the Hickory Creek Sectional golf team. The team will head to sectionals on September 10 at Lincoln Oaks Golf Course to compete against the best golfers in the area.
Varsity Boys Volleyball
- The Boys Varsity Volleyball team has been working hard at practice and is excited to start their season next week. The players have been focused on improving their skills and working together as a team. They are looking forward to their first game and the opportunity to compete this season. Come on out and support your Boys Volleyball team, first home game Monday, August 31st at 4pm against Summit Hill!
JV Boys Volleyball
- The boys' volleyball season is officially underway! The team is ready to hit the court and get the season started. Come out and support the boys at their first home game against Summit Hill on Monday, August 31st. Varsity will play at 4 pm and JV will immediately follow at 5 pm. We hope to see you there! Go Tigers!
Cheerleading
- We have officially wrapped up tryouts, and our team is set! We are so excited to welcome our new team and kick off another fun and exciting cheerleading season. We can’t wait to see what this group accomplishes together and look forward to a season filled with teamwork, growth, school spirit, and lots of Tiger pride!
6th Girls Basketball
- Girls’ Basketball will officially begin the week of September 14th! I am so excited to meet the girls and get the season rolling.
- 6th Grade Basketball has both an A and a B Team and both will play one after the other on the same day and same location.
- 6th Tryouts;
- Monday, September 14th from 4:00 – 5:30PM at HCMS
- Tuesday, September 15th from 4:00 – 5:30PM
- If a third day is needed, this will be September 16th from 4:00-5:30.
7th Girls Basketball
- Girls’ Basketball will officially begin the week of September 14th!
- 7th Grade Girls Tryouts:
Tuesday, September 15: 2:15–3:30 PM in the South Gym
Wednesday, September 16: 2:30–4:00 PM in the South Gym
- No previous basketball experience is required! All interested participants must: Complete registration through SNAP &Have an active physical on file
- We are looking forward to another great season!
8th Girls Basketball
- Girls’ Basketball will officially begin the week of September 14th!
- 8th Grade Girls Tryouts:
Tuesday, September 15: 2:15–3:30 PM in the South Gym
Wednesday, September 16: 2:30–4:00 PM in the South Gym
- No previous basketball experience is required! All interested participants must: Complete registration through SNAP &Have an active physical on file
- We are looking forward to another great season!
Intramural Yoga
- This will be an hour after school going through a full yoga routine to help reduce stress and improve our focus and flexibility. Registration will be available on snap manage soon and we will look to up and running in early September.
Tiger TV
- Tiger TV has its informational meeting this past week. The students learned all about the ins and outs of our Tiger TV club. The application to join Tiger TV is due by Tuesday, September 1st. We will be holding talent auditions on August 2nd and August 3rd for any members that are interested in being talent on our full broadcasts. From there, we will choose our Production Teams. Production team recording will begin on Thursday, September 17th with Production Team #1. The members should be on the lookout on the Tiger TV teams page for updates of Production Teams and important dates.
- Parents will need to complete registration through SNAP to give permission for the students to participate in the club by Tuesday, September 1st.
- We look forward to a wonderful school year!
Geography Club
- Geography club is for 6th, 7th & 8th graders to have fun, explore geography skills together through games no matter what their level or ability may be, friendly competition and lessons to help fuel curiosity and knowledge of the world. This club will begin meeting at the end of September, with the first meeting date of September 29th, every Tuesday from 2:15-3:15, students may meet in Mrs. Gatsios’s room 1710 to come be a part of the geography club. Please have your student reach out to Mrs. Gatsios on the TEAM chat feature on their school computer if they are interested and/or complete the SNAP registration information on our school website for Geography Club. A calendar of dates will be available at the first club meeting, if needed earlier please email Mrs. Gatsios at tgatsios@fsd157c.org
Cozy Coloring Club
- Cozy Coloring Club offers students a relaxing way to unwind after school. Each 45-minute session begins with a calming breathing exercise to help students transition from their busy day, followed by a short gratitude activity to encourage positive thinking. Students then enjoy quiet coloring time in a peaceful atmosphere complete with soft music and cozy lighting. Sessions wrap up with a brief reflection and cleanup. The club meets Wednesdays from 2:15–3:00 PM, starting October 14th through December 9th (no meeting Thanksgiving week). It's a wonderful opportunity for students to de-stress and practice mindfulness in a supportive environment!
The Creek Collaborative Magazine Club
- The Creek Collective is Hickory Creek's modern version of a literary magazine. Its single publication will contain a collection of original writing, photography, and artwork, all created by Hickory Creek students. Members of the Creek Collective will both produce and design The Creek Collective. Our first edition will debut in May and will truly be a production like no other! Interested writers and journalists are encouraged to check out what this club is all about at our first meeting on September 22nd. We will meet from 2:30 to 3:30. Please report to the cafeteria by 2:30.