JH/HS Principal Newsletter

We have transitioned over to the month of December here at HPS which means that students and staff alike are gearing up for a final stretch run here in the first semester. It is amazing to think that we have only 15 DAYS of instruction before the start of Christmas break. I encourage all our students and staff to FINISH STRONG over the next three weeks in order to have a great finish to the 2024 year and the first semester.

Please be aware of a couple of items I included in the newsletter this month. First, please note that information for the 2024 STUCO Canned Food Drive is listed below. This is a great opportunity for us as a district to rally and help those in need during the holiday season. Second, I have included the final schedule for the last week of school for all 7-12 students. Please look this over and be aware of when your son/daughter will be taking their final test. Lastly, I have included the list of activities for the month of December. We have a number of HOME events that you can come to support Panther students this winter!

Finally, please know that all stakeholders are here for ALL students to be successful. If there are any questions or concerns you have, please feel free to reach out to the staff and administration here at Hershey Jr/Sr High School and we will be more than happy to help make sure ALL students are successful and have a great experience here at Hershey!

We are excited to announce the HPSEF November Students of the Month!! These students exemplify the hard work and character we seek here at HPS!! Grade level winners include:

7th - Rebecca Simonson

8th - Brynlee Dawkins

9th - Livia Jones

10th - Sarah Mundt

11th - Lindsay Blomstedt

12th - Zoe Schmitt

Additionally, the following students were selected as the Junior High and High School Student of the Month!

Junior High - Rebecca Simonson

Senior High - JT Lantis

We are excited to continue to work with the staff here at HPS on the importance of PANTHER MOJO. This provides a simple framework for our staff and students to come back to when remembering what is foundational here at Hershey! MOJO stands for the following:

Meaningful Engagement

cOmmon Expectations

Joy in Learning

Opportunities for Growth

This month we are focusing as a staff on the importance of OPPORTUNITY TO GROW! We want all stakeholders to know that when students are in the classrooms that 1) Learning from Mistakes 2) Student Work is Displayed 3) Students are Next Step Ready.

This year we will continue to look at and focus on strengthening our instruction through the Marzano Instructional Framework. This year we will take time to focus on the importance of Engagement Strategies in the classroom.

Another layer to our framework on the 7-12 side will be the importance of Panther M.A.D.: 4 Ways Teachers Make a Difference each day in the classroom! We will collaborate with our staff to ensure that on a daily basis our students experience 1) On Grade Level Content 2) Strong Instruction 3) Strong Engagement 4) High Expectations.

It is our hope and expectation that, through deepening our understanding of the Marzano Framework as well as revisiting the 4 areas of Panther M.A.D, we can improve the student experience and see students Learn, Thrive, and Grow here at HPS!!

12.3.24 - NHS Blood Drive

12.4.24 - Play Production @ NSAA Class C Competition (Bridgeport H.S.)

12.5.24 - JV/V GBB & BBB vs Perkins County Plainsmen (Hershey H.S.)

12.5.24 - JH GBB @ Broken Bow Indians (Broken Bow H.S.)

12.6.24 - V WR @ Ravenna Invite (Ravenna H.S.)

12.6.24 - JV/V GBB & BBB @ Gothenburg Swedes (Gothenburg H.S.)

12.9.24 - HPS School Board Meeting (Collaboration Space)

12.10.14 - JV WR @ Hershey Invite (Hershey H.S.)

12.12.24 - Play Production @ NSAA Class C State Championships (Norfolk, NE)

12.12.24 - Reserve GBB & BBB vs Ogallala Indians (Hershey H.S.)

12.12.24 - JH GBB @ Ogallala Indians (Ogallala H.S.)

12.12.24 - JV/V WR @ Gothenburg Swedes Dual (Gothenburg H.S.)

12.13.24 - V WR @ Wood River Invite (Wood River H.S.)

12.13.24 - JV/V GBB & BBB vs Cozad Haymakers (Hershey H.S.)

12.14.24 - Speech @ Cozad Invitational (Cozad H.S.)

12.14.24 - JH GBB @ Perkins County Invite (Perkins County H.S.)

12.14.24 - Reserve/JV/V GBB & BBB vs NPSP Irish (Hershey H.S.)

12.16.24 - Reserve GBB & BBB vs North Platte Bulldogs (Hershey H.S.)

12.17.24 - 7-12 Band & Choir Christmas Concert (Activities Center)

12.19.24 - JV/V GBB & BBB @ Kimball Longhorns (Kimball H.S.)

12.19.24 - JV WR @ McCook Invite (McCook H.S.)

12.19.24 - JV GBB @ Adams Bulldogs (Adams M.S.)

12.20.24 - End Q2

12.20.24 - JV/V GBB & BBB vs Ogallala Indians (Hershey H.S.)

12.21.24 - V WR @ Valentine Invitational (Valentine H.S.)

12.22.24 - 12.26.24 - NSAA Winter Sports Moratorium

12.23.24 - 1.6.24 - No School - Christmas Break

12.30.24 - V WR @ Ord Dual Tournament (Ord H.S.)

**DUE TO LACK OF AVAILABLE TEAMS - THERE WILL BE NO GREG MILLER HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT HERE AT HERSHEY - WE WILL LOOK TO HOST DURING CHRISTMAS BREAK 2025.**

All students are welcome to attend Panther Power Hour here at Hershey throughout the school year! Panther Power Hour is designed to provide a space for students to recover failed credit (11th & 12th grade only), make up tests and quizzes, or simply to have a quiet space to work on homework after school. Panther Power Hour is held Monday - Thursday from 4:00 - 5:00 PM and is staffed by an HPS teacher. The following rooms will be used for the following days:

Monday - Mrs. Swartz’s Room

Tuesday - Ms. Aylward’s Room

Wednesday - Mrs. Stoner’s Room

Thursday - Mrs. Eshleman’s Room

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Mr. Cudney or Mrs. Pettera for more information!

The Hershey Student Council will kick off their annual canned food drive on Monday, December 2nd and will run it through Wednesday, December 11th. All items are being donated locally to the Sutherland Food Pantry.

The student council has raised the bar this year and are looking to attain 8,000 points to earn a half day of school out on December 20th OR 12,000 points to earn a FULL day of school out on December 20th.

The breakdown for food items (based on need from food pantry) is as follows:

5 point items

Cereal

Canned Fruit

Canned Chili Soup

Canned Chicken

Paper Towels

3 point items

Kleenex

Spaghetti Noodles

Spaghetti Sauce

Dry Egg Noodles

Spaghetti O's

Manwich

1 point items

All Other Items

The teams for the event will be according to the following with the WINNING TEAM getting a root beer float party prior to Christmas Break!!!

Team 1: 12th - 5th - 2nd - KJ

Team 2: 11th - 6th - 3rd - KM

Team # 3: 10th - 4th - 1st

Team # 4 - 9th - 8th - 7th - Pre K - TK

Looking forward to an awesome opportunity to bless those in need during the holiday season!!!

At the end of the first semester, finals will be held for all 9-12 Hershey students. Finals will be required per board policy in all classes except music and physical education. The following will be the schedule for that week IF students meet the Canned Food Drive Goal!

Classroom Review Dates

Dec. 12th - 13th

Monday (Dec. 16th)

Content # 1: Science / English / Industrial Arts / Business / Art

Tuesday (Dec. 17th)

Content # 2: Social Studies/Ag Ed/Math/Spanish/ Health-PE-Music

Wednesday (Dec. 18th)

All Content Area Make Up & Alternative Activities

Thursday (Dec. 19th)

AM - Christmas Activities w/ ELM

PM - Semester Checkout

The Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA) and Currency are proud to sponsor Believers & Achievers, a state-wide awards program that recognizes Nebraska’s future leaders. Believers & Achievers was designed to reward high school students in Nebraska for their excellence in academics and participation in NSAA activities. Those students who show a commitment to citizenship, school involvement and community projects will be honored in the Believers & Achievers program. Seniors to be, who have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.50 (on an unweighted 4.0 scale) and participate in NSAA sponsored activities are eligible for nomination.​

This year, Hershey Public Schools is proud to announce the local recipient for this award. Panther Senior, Katie Abbott, has been selected as the recipient of this award for Hershey Public Schools. Katie represents what it means to be a student-athlete and leads the way for other students here at Hershey! Congratulations to Katie on this great award and wish her the best as she competes at the state level!

Below are some continued supports from Mrs. Pettera and the guidance office for our junior and senior students!

• EducationQuest FAFSA and College Night
• Next Step Ready Junior Night
• Continued appointments with Mrs. Pettera to review credits, career goals, and college plans.
• Southeast CC / UNO / UNL / UNK / Fort Hayes Tech / Nebraska Wesleyan / MPCC have been in our school to visit with students.
• Scholarships are posted in the Class of 2025 Thrillshare Room. New scholarships are posted as they become available.
• The next ACT test registration for the December 14th date at NPHS or NPCC.
• Make an appointment with Mrs. Pettera to review credits, career goals, and college plans.
• Make college campus visits!
• Continuing working on scholarships that are posted in the Class of 2025 Thrillshare Room. New scholarships are posted as they become available.
• Do you have your letters of recommendation?
• Is your biographical essay complete?
• Is your resume complete?
• Fill out college applications. If you have any questions be sure to consult Mrs. Pettera. Submit your application now, along with all necessary forms and application fee.
• Tell Mrs. Pettera where you have applied so transcripts can be sent.

This is a friendly reminder that we want all students in school when classes are in session! We understand a variety of things come up which may make a student miss class. As a district, the following would be counted as excused absences for students if communicated by the parent/guardian:

• Physical or mental illness of the student or of a child whom the student is parenting (a physician’s verification is required after four (4) consecutive days of absence for illness)
• Severe weather
• Medical appointments for the student or for a child whom the student is parenting without a
• Death or serious illness of the student’s family member
• Attending a funeral, wedding or graduation
• Appearance at court or for other legal matters
• Observance of religious holidays of the student's own faith
• College planning visits
• Personal or family vacation
• School sponsored activities which require students to be absent from school
• Other absences which have received prior approval from parents and the Principal

For all unexcused absences, the following policy is in place to help ensure students have the needed class time to earn credit:

• Each student will be allowed a maximum of 9 absences per class, per semester. Time missed in excess of this limit will be made up in summer school or before and after school. Absences resulting from participation in school activities or suspensions will not count toward the 9-day limit. Students and parents will be informed after 6 absences from any class. Failure to make up the time will result in loss of credit. Elementary and Junior high absences in excess of 9 days must be made up or retention may become a consideration.
• A student may receive a waiver of make-up time if he or she can successfully demonstrate with documented evidence, to an attendance committee, that all absences, for which a waiver is requested, have been excusable absences.
• Note- Suspended days do not count toward the nine-day maximum if work is successfully completed.
• The following scale will be followed on reduction of credit for students grade 9-12:
• 10-14 days absent 1 credit deduction or waiver
• 15-19 days absent 2 credit deduction or waiver
• 20-24 days absent 3 credit deduction or waiver
• 25-29 days absent 4 credit deduction or waiver
• 30+ days absent 5 credit ded./no credit or waiver

In order to get students to class on time and begin lessons, the HPS tardy policy has been updated to the following

• Weekly Tardy List Ran Monday AM from Previous Week
• Detentions / ISS Assigned by Assistant Principal
• All to Be Served by End of Current Week

• Discipline Progression
  • 0-4 Tardies - Grace Period
  • 5-9 Tardies - 30 Minute Detention
  • 10-14 Tardies - 60 Minute Detention
  • 15-19 Tardies - 1 Day ISS
  • 20-24 Tardies - 2 Day ISS
  • 25-29 Tardies - 3 Day ISS
  • 30+ Tardies - TBD

These meetings to be held at Hershey High School are a way for administration to connect and communicate with the stakeholders at HPS. They will be held in a townhall format and will highlight important items parents need to be made aware of heading into a new quarter! The next one will be planned for later in the second semester!

Below is the bell schedule for the upcoming school year. We will have ONE LUNCH for all 7-12 students with a staggered release from 5th period as detailed below:

1st Period 8:15-9:03

2nd Period 9:06 - 9:54

3rd Period 9:57 - 10:45

4th Period 10:48 - 11:36

5th Period 11:39 - 12:26

1st HS Lunch: 12:20 - 12:57

2nd HS Lunch 12:23 - 12:57

JH Lunch 12:26 - 12:57

6th Period 1:00 - 1:48

7th Period 1:51 - 2:39

8th Period 2:42 - 3:42

On Friday School is let out at the end of 7th Period at 2:39 PM.

As district and breakfast menus are updated, they can be found at the following LINK: https://www.myschoolmenus.com/organizations/300

Students and families are encouraged to communicate concerns related to the mistreatment of others. For students, a trusted adult is the recommended point of contact. This can be an administrator, teacher, coach, or other trusted person. This adult will then work with administration to respond promptly and appropriately. Parents/guardians are encouraged to communicate concerns directly with HPS Administration.

The most important part of any school is the safety and well being of the students and staff! Several items exist within schools to support school safety. These include:

• Secured access during the school day. Visitors to school must check-in at the main office after they are allowed access through the office doors. All other doors are to be closed and locked during the course of the school day.
• Standard Response Protocol (SRP) is established. This provides a consistent student and staff response to potential emergencies. More information about SRP can be found at this LINK.
• Minimizing deliveries during the school day. We understand that a parent may wish to deliver food to students for special occasions, and we appreciate this. We discourage this from being a regular occurrence.
• Minimizing student visits to vehicles during the school day. Students that forget a school-related item in their vehicles may check-in at the main office before they are allowed to visit their vehicles.

We appreciate the important part our students, staff, and families play in keeping our school safe. This year we plan on running eight fire drills, four SRP drills, two tornado drills, and two bus evacuation drills all in an effort to help students and staff be prepared in the event of an emergency.

We believe that we want to continue to prepare our students in the case of an emergency so that we are prepared in the case of a true emergency!