Principal's Note - Oct 12, 2021
Good afternoon, Holmes Families!
I hope that you enjoyed the long weekend, and I hope it was a helpful mental break for your students! Our teachers used today to get caught up on grading, planning for instruction, and other important tasks. Thank you to our amazing PTA who provided lunch from El Paso to our staff! It was delicious!
Speaking of our amazing PTA:
- They are hosting restaurant night at the Loopy's Eatery tomorrow, October 12th. See the flyer below. You can order online or in-person; just mention Holmes!
- Spirit Wear is here! We have to open the boxes and get things organized, and should be able to begin distributing Spirit Wear this week.
- Our next PTA meeting is Wednesday, 10/27, at 6:30 PM. We'll send the Zoom link out that afternoon.
- Looking for a way to burn your middle schooler's energy on the November 1st Teacher Workday, the day after Halloween? Scroll down for the flyer for Go Ape to do that AND raise money for the Holmes PTA!
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SEL Screener - Tuesday, October 19th
A few weeks ago, Ms. Giron sent out a message notifying families about the upcoming Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener that is being given to all students in grades 3-12 in FCPS. Holmes students will take the screener on Tuesday, October 19th, through their SOAR class. For more information about the screener, please visit this site HERE. If you would like to opt your student out, please complete the bottom of this letter and have your student return it to your student's counselor as soon as possible.
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Water Bottles Students are still not permitted to use the water fountains at school. Please ensure that your student brings a reusable water botle with them to school every day and has it labeled with their first and last names. At the beginning of the school year, all 6th graders and other new students to Holmes received water bottles with their names on them. I plan to order more, but it would be very helpful if all students carried water bottles with them every day. |
Here are today's newsletter topics:
Holmes Updates
- Student Services - Important Information
- 2021-22 Blue-White Calendar
- 2021-22 Bell Schedule
- This Week's Schedule
- After School Program This Week
- Voices of Now
- Kiss-n-Ride Reminders
- Important Upcoming Dates
- How to Stay Connected to Holmes MS
FCPS Updates
- Stay Connected with FCPS
Please feel free to reach out and let us know what questions you have. Thank you, and have a great week!
Sincerely,
Margaret Barnes
Proud Principal, Holmes MS
HOLMES UPDATES
This Week's Schedule - 10/11-10/15
To help families and students keep track of the Blue-White Day calendar, I will also have a section in the Sunday update with the week's schedule. The Blue-White Calendar will also be on the inside cover of student agendas and can be found HERE on our school website.
- Monday, 10/11 - STUDENT HOLIDAY / Indigenous People's Day
- Tuesday, 10/12 - WHITE DAY
- Wednesday, 10/13 - BLUE DAY (SOAR & ER 5)
- Thursday, 10/14 - WHITE DAY
- Friday, 10/15 - BLUE DAY (SOAR & ER 6)
After School Program This Week
We had a great turnout for after school activities last week, and we are going to make some adjustments to the plan this week.
- Students should check Schoology for messages from Ms. Parker about how to sign up for specific activities
- When we dismiss at 2:15, students attending after school will be dismissed to their activity locations (rather than the cafeteria), and a "Super Snack" will be brought to that location.
- If students don't want to stay after for a club, they can always stay after for Hawk Club, which gives students time for homework the first hour and time for recreation the second hour.
- Late buses run Monday through Thursday. Friday is pickup only.
- Late buses typically arrive between 4:30 and 5:00, so students could arrive home as late as 5:30 or 6:00. You are also welcome to pick them up any time from after school by 5:00.
- Your student's late bus is DIFFERENT than the regular late bus. Mrs. Parker will go over late bus assignments with students each day after school.
- For any and all questions related to the after school program, please contact Mrs. Parker at @email.
Voices of Now
Voices of Now: Voices of Now is a partnership with Arena Stage in Washington DC in which students write their own original play which is then performed at a festival in May. We do not yet have all of the details about this year’s offerings. However, please click here to express your interest and we will follow up with more details when they are available!
More information about Theatre offerings at Holmes Middle School can always be found on the Holmes Middle School Theatre Department Website (you will need your child to log into their @email for this website to work).
Important Upcoming Dates
- Wednesday, 10/27, 6:30 PM - October PTA Meeting
- Friday, 10/29 - Last day of Quarter 1 / 2-hour early release
- Monday, 11/1 & Tuesday, 11/2 - Teacher Workdays / Student Holidays
- Monday, 11/1 - Holmes MS PTA Fundraiser at Go Ape! (flyer below)
- Tuesday, 11/2 - Mini-Conferences (In-person and online)
How to Stay Connected to Holmes MS
Please stay in touch with us throughout the year by:
- keeping your contact information up-to-date throughout the year
- visiting the Holmes MS website
- signing up for News You Choose
- following us on Twitter
- monitoring your student's progress with SIS Parent Account
- join the Holmes MS PTA and attend meetings
FCPS UPDATES
Stay Connected with FCPS
Being connected to your school and division is important every year, and even more so now as we navigate our return to school. The best way to stay informed is to sign up for newsletters through News You Chose.
Your school and FCPS have a variety of topics you can choose from, including:
- School Newsletters- featuring everything you need to know about your child’s school
- FCPS This Week- a weekly newsletter featuring news and happenings from across the division, published Wednesday mornings
- School Board Meeting Update- a recap of important news coming out of school board meetings, published the Friday morning after the meeting
- FCPS Employee News- weekly updates just for staff, published Tuesday mornings