HCMS November Newsletter

Thank you for taking time to read this monthly newsletter. One of our goals is to ensure that our families have all of the information needed to help support your children as they make the most of their middle school years! In addition to our building monthly newsletter, each grade level team will send a weekly newsletter on Friday afternoons.

Our doors are always open should you have questions, compliments or concerns. We know that in order to provide the best education for the "Whole Child" our partnerships with caregivers and parents are essential. You will find our email addresses below.

Sincerely,

Tricia Dotson - Principal (tdotson@fsd157c.org)

Jason Crockett- Assistant Principal (jcrockett@fsd157c.org)

Tyler Sinclair- Assistant Principal (tsinclair@fsd157c.org

Academic Goal:

We will continue to provide rigor and opportunity for academic growth to all students in grades 6th- 8th.

Social/Emotional Goal:

We will support staff and student social and emotional needs and enhance the opportunity for growth in relationships with one another.

Communication Goal:

We will increase opportunities for family engagement both during the school day and through extra-curricular activities.

Safety Goal:

We will provide a safe learning environment for staff and students in our learning community.

11-5 Hot Lunch - FSP
11-6 Popsicle Sales at Lunch
11-7 Hot Lunch - Honor Flight
11-11 Veterans Day Breakfast 7:15 a.m. & Assembly 8:00 a.m.
11-12 Hot Lunch - Education Foundation
11-19 Hot Lunch - Athletic Booster
11-21 School Improvement Day - Early Dismissal 10:45 a.m.
11-24 Parent/Teacher Conferences 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. - No School
11-25 Parent/Teacher Conferences 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - No School
11-26 Non-Attendance Day
11-27 Holiday - No School
11-28 Non-Attendance Day

8th Grade Graduation 2026

Please Save the Date: Thursday, May 28th at 7:30 P.M. will be the 8th Grade Graduation Ceremony at Lincoln-Way West HS. Each family will receive 6 guest tickets for the ceremony. Graduates do not require a ticket. More information to come as the date gets closer.

Dropped off Lunches

As a reminder- Students may only have lunch dropped off by a parent or guardian. We are unable to accept food from others, including Uber eats or deliveries.

Any dropped off food must be for an individual student, not for friends or lunch tables.
Any dropped off food must not have drinks that have straws- screw tops only please.

Attendance and Participation in Extra-Curricular Activities

Students who plan to participate in extracurricular activities must be in attendance at school for at least 1/2 a day. The Hickory Creek 1/2 day time is 11:00 A.M.

Dates and Times

Monday, November 24th

10:00 A.M. - 12:30 P.M. In person appointments
1:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M. Virtual appointments
3:10 P.M. - 5:00 P.M. In person appointments
6:00 P.M. - 8:00 P.M. In person appointments

Tuesday, November 25th

8:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M. Virtual appointments

Important Information about scheduling Conferences

We welcome all families to schedule Parent Teacher conferences on November 24th and 25th. We will be using the Meet the Teacher platform again this year. Please see details below:

Meet the Teacher link for signing up for conferences will be emailed by District Office on November 7th at 10:00 A.M.
Once you have the link, you can choose which teachers you would like to schedule conferences with. There will be designated times for in-person conferences as well as virtual conferences.
The Meet the Teacher portal will close on November 14th at 4:00 P.M. Any families wanting to schedule conferences after that date, will need to reach out directly to teachers to request openings they may have.

Money Wars- Raising Money for Honor Flight Chicago

Money Wars at HCMS October 15th- November 7th. For more than twenty years, Hickory Creek has teamed up with Honor Flight Chicago to raise money for the purpose of supporting trips to Washington, D.C. for honored Veterans across the Chicagoland area. One of the ways that students help raise money for this cause is to participate in building wide Money Wars. Each week students are invited to bring cash or coins into their Advisory classes to save and sabotage other classes. At our school-wide assembly on November 11th, we will announce grade level winning Advisory classes as well as the total amount raised for Honor Flight. Please help your child support his cause.

Popsicle Sales - Raising Money for Honor Flight Chicago

The Student Council will be sponsoring a popsicle sale at all lunches on November 6th The cost of popsicles is $1 a piece.

Veterans Breakfast and Assembly on November 11th

Calling all Veterans- You are invited to the Hickory Creek School Assembly on Tuesday, November 11, 2025 at 8:00 A.M. The HCMS staff and students will be taking time to recognize the sacrifices that our Veterans have made for our country with a special assembly and a breakfast the morning of November 11th.

If your family has a special Veteran who would like to attend, we kindly ask that you complete the attached RSVP by November 7th.
Student Council will host a optional light breakfast for Veterans at 7:15 A.M. and all Veterans will be special guests of honor at the school-wide assembly at 8:00 A.M. Students will be able to escort their Veteran (s) and sit with them during the ceremony. Unfortunately, due to capacity restraints, we are only able to extend this invitation to Veterans, not other family members. Thank you for understanding.
The RSVP link for this special celebration is linked below, all RSVPs must be received by November 7th:

Hickory Creek Veterans' RSVP for Breakfast and Assembly November 11, 2025

6th Grade

November advisory is going to be busy! Classes will be finishing up the executive functioning lessons. There will also be activities in honor of Veterans Day. We will also be working through the next few digital citizenship lessons. Mondays will continue to be the viewing of Tiger TV episodes, Wednesdays will continue to be WIN Days, and Fridays will continue to be Teambuilding activities.

7th Grade

As we are now in the routine of advisory, students will continue to watch Tiger T.V. and “This Week At the Creek” on Monday’s. These episodes keep students informed about what is happening at The Creek! Students will continue W.I.N. (What I Need) days on Wednesday’s and Team Building on Friday’s. The first week of November will be a variety of Veteran’s Day activities that will bring awareness to students prior to our school wide assembly. The second week will include activities for anti-bullying month. Lastly, students will start learning about digital citizenship one of the days that teach students about balancing media in their lives.

8th Grade

Throughout the month of November, we will engage in activities in honor of Veterans Day and Anti-Bullying. We will also learn about the sense of digital media and what to share and not to share on social media. Mondays will continue to be the viewing of Tiger TV episodes, Wednesdays will continue to be WIN Days, and Fridays will continue to be Teambuilding activities.

Cold and Flu season is here! Please remind your child to:

Wash their hands frequently and before eating

Cover their mouth when coughing or sneezing

Drink plenty of fluids

Do not share personal items like water bottles and chap sticks

Get plenty of sleep

Remind your child to dress in layers here at school for comfort as temperatures throughout the building fluctuate.

If your child wears glasses, please ask them to wear them in class. We will be starting vision screenings for all 8th graders as directed by IDPH.

8th grade parents it is not too early to make appointments for your child’s next Illinois Health Exam that is required for 9th grade. You will need to provide this when registering for high school. Exams are valid if they are completed within 365 days of the 1st day of school. Keep them in a safe place until registration time!

As always, students cannot have medications here at school without the proper paperwork completed and on file with the nurse’s office. Parents need to contact the nurse annually to renew their health care plans as well. Please reach out if you have not done so already.

We still need Dental exam forms for many of our 6th graders. Please send the completed IL Dental form after their next visit. Thank you to those that have turned them in.

Students that are new to the district need to have an IL Eye Exam completed. Please get those soon.

The Caudill reading challenge is underway. Students who read three or more books from the 2026 Rebecca Caudill list are eligible to vote for their favorite title at our Annual Caudill Voting Party in February. There will be pizza and prizes raffled off. Students who read all 20 books receive a special prize. Hope to see everyone there.

Thoughts—Feelings--Behaviors

All day, every day, different things happen. We have thoughts and feelings about what’s happening. We also have different feelings in our bodies and want to do different things based on what is happening. Our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors all affect each other.

It is helpful to notice what your thoughts are, what your feelings are, and what your behaviors are. You can’t control the things that happen, but you CAN control the ways that you think about them and the things that you do. This gives you the power to deal with whatever feelings and experiences come your way!

Example: Your first time on a diving board:

Feeling: Nervous. Thoughts: “I can’t do this! I am going to fall!”. Behavior/feeling in your body: racing heart, fast breathing, tight shoulders, you get off the diving board.

Here is what happens when you CHANGE that automatic thought:

Feeling: Nervous. Thought: “I can do this! I will be careful, there are lifeguards here for safety. I GOT THIS!”. Behavior/feeling in your body: deep breaths, relax your shoulders, you jump off the diving board

We encourage all students to get involved with extra-curriculars at Hickory Creek!

Throughout the year, we will provide all sign-up information through our Tiger Time Advisory Teams page to students. There will be announcements on Power School and Tiger TV to notify students of when new activities are starting up.

Please be sure to look at the list below with your child and encourage them to keep their ears out for upcoming activities that they may want to be a part of this year.

Link for descriptions of Extra-Curriculars

Band and Orchestra

The HCMS Band and Orchestra programs will be performing on December 3 at Hickory Creek. Come see Sixth Grade Orchestra, Seventh and Eighth Grade Orchestra, Advanced Orchestra, Symphonic Band, Wind Symphony, and the Jazz Band!

Chorus

Varsity Chorus, Advanced Choir, and Show Choir are all hard at work preparing for the Fall Choral Concert on Thursday, November 20, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. They will all follow that up with a performance at the Frankfort Tree-Lighting on Breidert’s Green on December 4 at 6:30 p.m. All of our chorus members and families will also be traveling to Aurora on December 5 for a private catered dinner at the Meyer Ballroom, followed by the performance of “White Christmas” at Paramount Theater. Lots of fun coming up for our chorus members!

NJHS

During the month of October NJHS has been busy. We have completed our second meeting, taken part in many school activities, finished our first quarter, and gotten lots of school service hours in from working concessions and helping in classrooms. Students have gotten service hours from not only concessions but from other work done in the library, Spanish room, Stem room help, and more. NJHS has done lots for the community in this time with doing our service hours. Great work to everybody who has been getting in those service hours!
At our October meeting we created a project for the Veteran Day assembly. We created an American flag out of different shapes. On different shapes will be words that describe the veterans and what they did for our country.

Student Council

The Student Council held its first informational meeting on September 30th and elected its executive board members on October 7th. Congratulations to our new officers: President – Olivia Antonelli, Vice President – Mila Atieh, Treasurer – Ainsleigh McLaughlin, and Secretary – Jade Thomas.
Following the elections, members immediately began planning and promoting the annual girls’ basketball “Pink Out” game. In addition, the council will help welcome veterans at the HCMS Veterans Day Breakfast on November 11th.

Best Buddies

Best Buddies has had an amazing start to our year, with over 75 members!!! This month we are focusing on the things that we are thankful for and making sure we recognize those people who help to make a difference in our lives. We will have our next chapter meeting on Monday, November 3rd.

Mathletes

During the month of October, mathletes participated in some very exciting competitions! They engaged in a math relay, a very challenging math contest involving lots of problem solving, and an investigative scavenger hunt that had students performing math problems and getting answers that led them to specific locations within the building. There will be two more competitions on November 3rd and 10th. On November 17th, we will have our last meeting and the season’s winning team will be announced!

Drama Club

Drama club is in full swing. The students are working hard on memorizing their scripts while they add the blocking to really make the scenes come alive. The drama club's state performance is after school on November 14th at Providence. Each group has their own specific performance time, which will be posted for the student’s and their families the week of the 14th.

Intramural Soccer

We can hardly believe that soccer intramurals are almost over! There are only 4 sessions left. Soccer intramurals runs every Tuesday and Thursday from 2:15-3:15. The last session will be Thursday, October 30th.

Fitness Room Intramural

The fitness room is open from 2:30-3:15 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Students can register on snap manage to participate. We are excited to welcome a rotation of about 40 athletes consistently, with about 20 present on a given day.

Intramural Dance

Dance Intramurals is off to an amazing start this season! Dance intramurals runs Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:30-4:00pm from October to mid-December. Our dancers have been busy learning new moves, choreographing creative routines, and refining their technique each week. The energy and teamwork among the group have been incredible — everyone is so supportive and encouraging of one another. Both our girls and boys are putting in so much effort to master their choreography and build confidence on the floor. We can’t wait to showcase their hard work and talent at our performance in December!

Cross Country

The cross-country team finished their season with an awesome weekend at the state meet on Saturday, October 18th. The girls' race had 221 total runners, and our team finished 11th overall. The boys' race had 222 runners, and our boys finished 12th overall. Colt Frederich ran an impressive race and finished 22nd overall and received a medal. Congrats again to all of the athletes on an exceptional finish to a GREAT season!

Varsity Boys Volleyball

Congratulations to the boys varsity volleyball team! They clinched the DPVC tournament championship in an exhilarating match against the previously undefeated Martino Jr. High. Our team triumphed in three intense games with scores of 25-22, 26-28, and 25-23.
Alvin Jefferson was phenomenal, leading the tournament with an impressive 25 kills, while Jonas Tokarz contributed another 20 kills. Myles Arcos added 13 kills, and William Burfiend made his mark with 10 kills and 7 aces over the 3 day tournament. The team's success was also thanks to our skilled setters, KJ Owens and Diesel Enselman, who orchestrated the plays beautifully. Outstanding defense from Vinny Pacini and Aiden Black helped secure this remarkable victory. What an incredible achievement!

JV Boys Volleyball

The JV Boys volleyball team had a strong season, finishing with an impressive 8-3 record. The team showed great improvement, teamwork, and determination throughout the season. Key highlights included consistent serving, solid defensive plays, and effective communication on the court. The players demonstrated excellent sportsmanship and growth, setting a strong foundation for next season. Overall, it was a successful and rewarding season for the team and coaching staff!

Cheerleading

Both HCMS cheer teams are looking forward to the pink out basketball game this week! We have been practicing a lot to perfect our halftime performance for the game.

6th Girls Basketball

The 6th grade girls A and B teams have been working hard all season, and the improvement has been noticeable. The girls are working on fundamentals and starting to really understand offensive and defensive concepts during a game. They show great hustle and determination, especially defensively. At the time of writing this, the A team won 2 in a row, and the B team has 3 wins on the season. The girls will continue to work hard on the court in preparation for our DPVC Conference tournament on November 20 and 21.

7th Girls Basketball

The 7th grade girls basketball team got off to a great start to the season with a record of 5 wins and 3 losses. They have been improving day by day and are working hard as the regional tournament starts in about a month!

8th Girls Basketball

Our 8th Grade Girls Basketball team has had an exciting season so far with 6 wins and 4 very close losses! The girls are learning the importance of focus, teamwork, and grit! They continue to show incredible heart and determination in each game. With a little fine-tuning of the fundamentals (and a boost of confidence!), this team is ready for rematches!

6th Boys Basketball

Our 6th grade boys basketball team has been practicing hard over the past few weeks and is off to a great start! The players are learning to work together, build their skills, and support one another on and off the court. Their positive energy and teamwork have been wonderful to see. Coach Kroen is looking forward to seeing their hard work pay off when games begin soon!

7th Boys Basketball

The 7th grade boys basketball team has kicked off the season with energy, teamwork, and determination. With solid performances in their opening games, the team is showing great promise both on offense and defense. The players are working hard in practice, building chemistry, and learning to play as a cohesive unit.

8th Boys Basketball

The 8th grade boys basketball team is off to a fantastic start this season! With strong effort in practice and great focus during games, the team is already showing signs of growth and confidence. Early matchups have highlighted their teamwork, hustle, and commitment to improving every day. Coach Ford is proud of the progress, and the players are fired up to keep the momentum going. It’s shaping up to be an exciting season

Intramural Yoga

Our after-school yoga program gently weaves together physical postures, breathing exercises, and mindfulness to nurture strength, flexibility, and balance, while soothing stress and anxiety. It’s heartwarming to witness the friendships blossoming among these students. Yoga is renowned for fostering emotional balance and focus, boosting confidence, and promoting restful sleep. We invite students to explore partner exercises, often blending relaxation and stress management techniques like deep breathing, creating an enjoyable and calming experience.

ESports

HCMS is thrilled to announce the launch of the second year of our eSports intramural program! This Winter, we have 24 spots available for students to join our Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros tournaments. The Winter sessions will be held after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays in December from 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM. Please note that registration is limited and will be a first-come, first-served basis. Due to limited equipment, only 24 students can participate. Students are encouraged to bring their own controllers if possible. The first 24 students to register will be contacted with more details as the sessions approach. Those who register after the initial 24 will be placed on a waitlist or considered for the Spring session. The sign-up link will be available Nov. 3rd on Snap Mobile. Any questions? Reach out to Mr. Connolly or Mrs. Caruso

HCMS November Newsletter