HMS Connection

Each month, the academic teams at HMS select two students to be recognized as Team Members of the Month. This month, the two words most frequently used in describing the students being honored were "kind" and "helpful", and we're sure you'd agree, these are characteristics we want all of our children to strive for.

Students were invited to join Mr. Smith for a pancake breakfast before school Friday morning, as a way to thank them for their positive contributions to their teams and our school.

We wish to thank these students for helping to make HMS the best school it can be.

For the safety of our students, you are reminded to please keep the bus loop clear from 7:00 to 7:30 AM, 1:15 to 2:15 PM, and 2:45 to 3:30 PM. This allows for students to safely exit and board our school buses during arrival and dismissal times.

We appreciate your help with this important safety issue.

Whether you want make music with the Junior Chamber Players and Junior Choral Spectrum, help our planet through recycling efforts with the Green Turtle Team, or get some fresh air and exercise with friends at the sixth grade soccer tournament, there is something for everyone after school at HMS. For more club and activity information, check out the attachment below.

Grade Eight students recently created movie posters featuring “The Tell Tale Heart” by Edgar Allen Poe in their English classes, marking the official start of the spookiest month of the year!

To foster a sense of community and develop school spirit throughout Hingham Middle School, each student in 6th grade, 7th grade, and 8th grade is asked to purchase a team t-shirt. The shirts will be worn for various grade specific events (team days on Fridays, Field Trips, Spirit Week, etc.).

We are asking each student to purchase at least one shirt as part of this school-wide initiative. Shirts are $20.

All the proceeds from the shirts purchased will be contributed to your student's class fund to help support and supplement grade-wide activities throughout the year. All funds raised remain with the class through 8th Grade and ultimately support the end of 8th Grade Festivities.

Please fill out the linked form for your child’s grade and hand in payment by October 9, 2025. **If you have more than one student, please fill out the form for each student.

Please put your payment in an envelope labeled with your Student's first and last name and team name.

For example: John Smith, Pirates

If the cost of the team shirt is currently an economic hardship, please contact any HMS staff member with whom you feel comfortable communicating and financial aid will be provided to ensure all students receive a shirt.

In addition, if you would like to sponsor a student that is unable to purchase a shirt due to economic hardship please let one of the class advisors know.

Cash or checks (made out to the Town of Hingham) can be dropped off as follows:

Vikings: Mrs. Orcutt (102) Vikings Order Form

Ancient Greeks: Mrs. McDonough (109) Greeks Order Form

Romans: Mrs. Curran (114) Romans Order Form

CLICK HERE: Order Form for 7th Grade T-Shirts or Scan QR code

Cash or checks (made out to the Town of Hingham) can be dropped off as follows:

Pirates: Mrs. Duncan (217)

Barracudas: Ms. Morse (205)

Sharks: Ms. Murphy (207)

Order Form for 8th-Grade T-Shirts

Cash or checks (made out to the Town of Hingham) can be dropped off as follows:

Lions: Tim Galvin (306)

Jaguars: Mark McCulloch (303)

Eagles: Colleen Dillon (316)

It might feel like summer isn't quite over now, but the HMS Ski Club is already dreaming of colder days and snow!

For the 25-26Ski Season, The HMS Ski Club will be traveling to Pats Peak on the following days:

• January 10, 2026
• January 31, 2026
• March 7, 2026

Please keep in mind . . .

• Student sign-ups for the ski club will begin in early November.

• Sign-ups for each trip take place approximately 2 weeks prior to the trip.

• Keep an eye on the HMS Connection!

Here are answers, in no particular order, to some Ski Club FAQ’s

• The HMS Ski Club is open to students in all grades, 6-8. Sign-ups will be in November.

• We have been going to Pats Peak for 20+ years. We like Pats because it is a small/medium size mountain with good proximity to Hingham. We have a routine and we stick to it.

• We have great teacher chaperones that monitor the kids in the lodge and on the slopes. We set up our “base camp” in the Valley Lodge with a big red “H”ingham flag. There is always an HMS chaperone there.

• Pats sends us our lift tickets in advance so we are completely organized before we even leave HMS.

• We use Yankee Line buses. They are bright yellow coach buses that you have likely seen on the highway. Yankee only employs competent, professional drivers and has a strict focus on safety. We communicate with Yankee, ad-nauseum, regarding traffic, weather and safety.

• We leave HMS at 5:45 AM and arrive back here at 5:30 PM.

• Before getting off the buses at Pats we review several time and safety reminders with the kids.

• Pats Peak has a highly trained ski patrol and a full medical area. Prior to each trip our school nurses review the list of students and send us with the medication and necessities that each child might need. They will often make arrangements with parents in advance.

• We stop skiing at 3:00 PM and leave Pats at 3:15.

• Check out the Pats Peak website at patspeak.com

• I’m sure we are forgetting something. Always feel free to contact us at school with any questions or have the kids see us between classes or at lunch!

Mr. Riordan, Mrs. Canney, and Mr. McCulloch

Save the Date!

There will be a kickoff meeting for the 2026 Washington DC trip on Oct 7, at 7pm in the Hingham Middle School Auditorium.

On hand will be a representative from Grand Classroom along with the trip leaders and class advisers.

Please plan to attend.

Students had some fun playing the game "Taco Tuesday" - on a Thursday - in Spanish class this week. It got very competitive as we practiced family vocabulary and tried to color in the most tacos! Our classes were filled with lots of laughter and a little Spanish!

The Social Studies Department recently visited the Hingham Heritage Museum to see the new exhibit focusing on Hingham during the American Revolution, demonstrating that, like our students, our teachers are life-long learners.

Pirate students stayed after school to work on their cell projects! It was a great CELL-o-bration!

Parents/Caregivers must complete the Parent Permission Workflow for each student at the start of the school year to ensure handbook permissions, media releases, and any opt-outs are recorded.

Please update student and contact information using the Contact Verification Workflow, as we will not be sending paper forms this year.

• 10/7 - PTO Meeting, 10:00 AM
  - DC Informational Meeting for Parents and Students, 7:00 PM, HMS Auditorium
• 10/9 - Picture Retakes, 2:00 - 3:00
• 10/13 - No School

Happy October and thank you to all those 58% of families who contributed to the HMS PTO! There’s still time to reach our goal of 90% – and if we do, the students will enjoy lunch with their grade OUTSIDE! All donations must be received by our deadline of Friday, November 7th!

Thanks to your donations, we were thrilled to sponsor our One Book, One School events last month, including a virtual visit from Song of the Whale author, Lynne Kelly, complete with an ASL interpreter. This month we will also be sponsoring a Spooky Snacks & Sweets staff room stock!

Come hear what we’ve been up to and what we have planned for the future!

Please join us at our upcoming PTO meetings scheduled for October 7th, November 4th and December 2nd at 10AM in the HMS cafeteria.

The HMS School Council is pleased to welcome its newest member, Mrs. Jessica Pastan.

Jessica and her family have called Hingham home for the past fifteen years. During that time both of her children attended South Elementary School. Her son is currently an eighth grader at Hingham Middle School, while her daughter is a senior at Notre Dame Academy.

Professionally, Mrs. Pastan is a middle school special education math teacher in the Quincy Public Schools, where she has been teaching for more than twenty years.

She is looking forward to the opportunity to serve on the Hingham Middle School Council. and is excited to contribute her perspective as both an educator and a parent, and to work together in supporting the continued success and growth of the HMS community.

A huge thank you to Mrs. Pastan and all others who volunteered to join this council!

This year we are excited to open up new volunteer opportunities within our Staff Appreciation committee. Please sign up here to help organize an event for our wonderful teachers and staff. Please reach out to hmspto.info@gmail.com with any questions.

Sixth Grade Fall Festival - 10/17

All Hingham Middle School 6th Grade Students are invited to attend an afternoon of fun and games at the 2025 6th Grade Fall Festival! Snacks, treats, inflatables, Live DJ, music, games and more on Friday, October 17th from 2-3:30pm, with a rain date of Friday, November 7th. This is an outdoor event so please dress accordingly. There will be NO LATE BUS so plan to arrange a ride home for your 6th grader. Please follow the below links to register your student & purchase ticket(s) and for volunteer opportunities. It takes a Village! Thank you for your support!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER YOUR STUDENT!

CLICK HERE TO VOLUNTEER/DONATE!

All Hingham Middle School 7th grade students are invited to an evening of Halloween fun on Friday, October 24th from 7-8:30 pm at Hingham Middle School. Join your friends for an evening of music, games, snacks, and more! This is an outdoor event so dress accordingly. Costumes encouraged!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER YOUR 7TH GRADER

CLICK HERE TO DONATE OR VOLUNTEER AT THE EVENT

All Hingham Middle School 8th Grade Students are invited to attend an evening to remember at the 2025 8th Grade Bonfire Fest! A new take on an old tradition, your student(s) won’t want to miss this exciting event as they embark on their last year together at HMS. Firepits, live music, make your own s’mores, Henna tattoos, glow in the dark games, delicious treats and more...For one night only on the Festival Grounds of HMS from 7-8:30PM! This is an outdoor event so please dress accordingly. Please use the link below to register and purchase your ticket(s). Proceeds from this event supports the funding of the epic 8th Grade Field Day at the culmination of their school year, so we hope that EVERY SINGLE STUDENT can attend!

REGISTRATION FOR 8TH GRADE FIREPIT FEST

VOLUNTEER FOR 8TH GRADE FIREPIT FEST HERE

DONATE TO 8TH GRADE FIREPIT FEST HERE

Alison Chamberlain – President

Dawn Murray – Vice President

Lauren Davalla – Secretary

Molly Richards – Treasurer

Contact us at hmspto.info@gmail.com

Visit our website

Join us on Thursday, October 23 at 6:30 PM at Hingham Middle School for a special evening with New York Times best-selling author Dr. Lisa Damour.

Dr. Damour will join us at HMS via live video to share practical advice from her books The Emotional Lives of Teenagers and Untangled on topics like stress, confidence, social media, and family connections. A Q&A will follow.

✅ RSVP here: bit.ly/Dr.DamourHingham

The 8th Grade Expedition kickoff meetings are fast approaching.

This year, for our 19th trip, we will be travelling to the canyons and features of Utah.

The informational meeting those wishing to travel is on October 9 from 2-3 in the HMS Auditorium.

The parent informational night is October 14 from 7-8 in the HMS Auditorium. Registration will be from 9-12 on the 17th. Please visit www.8thgradeexpedition.org for further information.