There will be a student council meeting this Friday, at 7:30 a.m. in room 3.
Tickets are available for the Middle School play in the office. $6.00 gets you a reserved seat. Performances are 7 PM Thursday, April 19; Friday, April 20 and Saturday, April 21. Matinee performance on Saturday, April 21 at 2:30.
Box Tops- Please clip any box tops from home and drop them off in the office.
Limited numbers of tickets are still available for the Middle School play in the office. $6.00 per seat. Reserved seating. Get yours now!
Hemlock Youth Football Registration for the Fall will be held on Sunday, April 22 and Sunday, May 20th from 5-8 pm at the Ling Elementary Cafeteria. The youth football program is for students going into grades 4-8 next year. Please pick up a flyer from the office if you are interested.
You still have time to get here!
TEENS AND DRUGS, ITS TIME TO HAVE THE TALK Lori Ziolkowski, President of Families Against Narcotics and Janelle Murray, MPH- Director of Prevention and Youth Services Bring power to the parent in their presentations about youth and substance use. Hemlock High School. April 17. 7:00 PM. Auditorium. All parents invited!
TIME IS RUNNING OUT—deadline for registration is Wednesday, April 18 at 3:00 PM!
TERRIFIC OPPORTUNITY FOR GIRLS IN GRADES 5-8!
Delta College is sponsoring Girls' Day Out!, a FREE EVENT for middle school girls designed to introduce them to the world of computer science. Activities include: Circuit Board Soldering, Web page design, CAD and 3D printing, Programming robots, and more.
This activity is open to the first 45 Hemlock Middle School girls who register using this Google Form. Click the link to register. Please review all the information-early leave time, late return time. Completing the form means you are committing to attending this event--space is limited!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScpaAy9pr74Vv5SSBJN01TkNLT02o1kvRtz7PHrBX-52UNDRQ/viewform?usp=sf_link
M-STEP TESTING for 6th and 7th graders:
The M-STEP testing window for 6th and 7th graders goes from April 30 until May 25.
7th graders will test on the following dates:
Tuesday, May 1 during second & third hours 7th graders test Math
Thursday, May 3 during second and third hours 7th graders will test English Language Arts
6th graders will test on the following dates:
Tuesday, May 8 during second & third hours 6th graders will test Math
Tuesday, May 15 during second and third hours 6th graders will test English Language Arts
Results from the robotics State Championships; the HHS Robotics Team has now qualified for the World Championship in Detroit.
They are hosting a fundraiser—Please find friends and family to eat at the Maple Grille this Tuesday.
It’s Band Fundraiser mattress sale time!! Show the attached pic when you buy your mattress and benefit the band program and HMS at the same time!!
Our musical is right around the corner. Get your presale tickets in the MS office. $6.00
TEENS AND DRUGS, ITS TIME TO HAVE THE TALK
Lori Ziolkowski, President of Families Against Narcotics and
Janelle Murray, MPH- Director of Prevention and Youth Services
Bring power to the parent in their presentations about youth and substance use.
Hemlock High School. April 17. 7:00 PM. Auditorium. All parents invited!
Ready for ice cream?
8th graders tested in Social Studies this morning. 5th graders test English Language Arts Wednesday morning. 8th graders test English Language Arts Thursday morning.
Track & Field event volunteers are needed for this season’s HHS home track meets on 4/18 and 5/11. Please contact Amber Godwin 395-3391(call/text), Amberjgodwin@yahoo.com (e-mail) if you can lend a hand. No experience necessary. Thank you!
Hemlock Middle School students to take M-STEP starting the week of April 9, 2018.
Our students in grades 5-8 will be taking the 2017 M-STEP (Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress) over a testing window that stretches from mid-April through the end of May. Different grade level students will be tested at different times.
5th graders will test on the following dates:
Wednesday, April 11 during second and third hour they will test ELA
Wednesday, April 18 during second and third hours they will test math
Wednesday, April 25 during second and third hours they will test social studies.
Thursday, April 26 during second and third hours they will test SCIENCE.
8th graders will test on the following dates:
Tuesday, April 10 during second & third hours they will test Social Studies
Thursday, April 12 during second and third hours they will test English Language Arts
Tuesday, April 17 during second and third hours they will test Science
Thursday, April 19 during second and third hours they will test Math
M-STEP testing for grades 5 and 8 starts during the week of April 9.
Why does this M-STEP test matter for my child?
M-STEP is designed to help parents understand how their child is progressing toward career- and college-readiness. It is also a tool to help parents understand where their child needs more support or additional challenges.
What will my child experience during M-STEP testing?
M-STEP is an online test that uses various types of questions to assess real-world skills, such as critical thinking and problem solving. M-STEP tests for English language arts and mathematics use Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT) for students in grades 3 through 8. CAT adjusts the difficulty of grade-level questions throughout the assessment based on the student’s responses. If a student answers a question correctly, the next question will be harder; if a student answers incorrectly, the next question will be easier.
Congratulations to 5th grader Chad Brown, our newest 1 million word reader! Great job Chad!!
Where does M-STEP fit in our teaching and assessment system?
M-STEP is just one of the types of assessment tools our district uses to inform classroom teaching and measure progress toward preparing our students to be college- and career-ready.
In the classroom, teachers use FORMATIVE assessment practices to continually monitor learning and adjust instruction. For example, Kahoot, Quizlet, Front Row, Khan Academy, and Accelerated Reader and Edgenuity are used for self-assessment, feedback, and goal setting.
Our district also occasionally administers INTERIM/BENCHMARK assessment(s) to monitor progress and inform instructional decisions. In our district, we measure progress using District Common Course Exams, tests associated with our textbooks, and NWEA MAP.
What is M-STEP testing like for students?
Most students in grades 3-8 take the M-STEP on a computer instead of using bubble answer sheets and multiple-choice tests. This allows students to show critical thinking, problem solving, and deeper understanding.
English language arts (ELA) and mathematics assessments use online Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT), which helps reduce the time students spend testing. In fact, each student is expected to spend no more than 4-8 hours on state assessments, depending on grade level.
This represents less than one-half of one percent of our district’s annual instructional time. CAT also provides a more customized testing experience for students and a more precise measurement of what students know.
Under state and federal law, all student are required to take a state assessment annually each spring. Most students in grades 3-8 take the M-STEP, which is our state’s summative evaluation, meaning that its primary use is to tell us how well our district’s curriculum and instruction align to Michigan’s rigorous standards. The state also uses the data from the M-STEP in their efforts to hold schools accountable.
