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Volume 4, Issue 1
September 2012
Important Dates:
October 2:
Dental Sealants
October 3:
Fall Sports Picture Day
Dental Sealants
October 6:
Football Extravaganza—6:00
p.m.—BHS Stadium
October 10:
Parent-Teacher Conferences—
4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
October 12:
NEOEA Day—No School for
Students
October 18:
Board of Education Meeting—
Ad Bldg.—6:30 p.m.
October 20:
Make a Difference Day—9:30
a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
October 26:
1st Grading Period Ends
October 31:
Student Council Halloween
Party —3:00 p.m.—5:00 p.m
November 1:
Board of Education Meeting—
Ad Bldg.—6:30 p.m.
Fall Sports Awards Program—
6:30 p.m.—Auditorium
November 4:
Report Cards Available for
Review
November 6:
Teacher In-service—No School
for Students
November 11:
Academic Awards Program—
TBA.
November 16:
H.E.S.K.E.T.T. Night—5:00
p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
November 19—23:
Thanksgiving Break
Heskett Middle School
Principal/Main Office
440.439.4450
Assistant Principal’s
440.439.4485
Guidance/School Fees
440.439.4472
Athletic Office
440.439.4852
Heskett Fax Number
440.786.3572
The Golden Message. . .
Greetings Bearcats:
What a wonderful start to the 2012-2013
school year! Thank you for sending your
children to school ―Dressed for Success‖ and
―Ready to Learn‖. I am especially pleased
with how nicely our new seventh graders
have transitioned to Heskett Middle School.
It is just amazing how nice the students
look and how well they are prepared to
meet the challenges of middle school. Parents/Guardians, your support is greatly
appreciated and truly making a difference
here at Heskett Middle School.
This is such an important school year for
our students. The State of Ohio has created new K-12 Educational Standards for
our children. These academic content standards are guidelines that describe what
children are to learn in each subject and
grade in every school in Ohio and 45 other
states. Please go on the Ohio Department
of Education’s website to review them with
your child. These standards are more rigorous and require more reading to ensure
that all of our students learn the knowledge
and skills most valued by employers and
higher education. We must continue all
the good work that was put in place last
year at Heskett Middle School. Please
consistently encourage your children to
READ, READ, and READ everyday. The
more our students develop a habit of reading, they will become better learners and
experience more academic success. It ’s a
proven fact that...good readers make excellent students!
Parents/Guardians, I am asking you to help
your child to dedicate a portion of his/her
day to reading something. Demand that
your child(ren) put down the phone, turn off
the television set and stop playing video
games for long periods of time. It is important for our children to engage in activity
that will promote thinking and generate
curiosity. Try to spend quality time with
your youngsters to promote learning in and
out of school. Read with your child and
share interesting newspaper articles to involve them in meaningful and important
discussions over dinner. Our students have
demonstrated that they are more than capable of learning anything and everything we
teach them. Students who practice reading
everyday become lifelong learners.
Let’s work together to make education a
priority in their lives. Let’s set the bar high
for them; expect their best and hold them
accountable every step of the way. Let’s
give them the quality education they deserve and make 2012-2013 a great year for
all of our students. Everyday students are
learning that Respect is a Right and a
Responsibility of all members of our
school community. Please reinforce this at
home by discussing with your children what
it means to be a respectful person at home,
school, and in the community in which you
live.
Together Everyone Achieves More!
Parent/Teacher Conferences are scheduled for Thursday, October 10th please
plan to attend. Your child’s teachers will be
available to discuss his/her academic progress with you. I also want to invite you to
attend our Make A Difference Day on
Saturday, October 20th. This is a National Day of Doing Good from 10 a.m.
to 1 p.m. Please join our Bearcat family on
the nation’s largest day of service as we
celebrate our school’s pride and our family’s
joys.
Again, I look forward to continuing our
partnership in making sure all of our students have a productive and safe learning
experience here at Heskett Middle School.
Sincerely,
Virginia A. Golden
Principal
Page 2
Heskett Middle School
News for the Class of 2016—Mrs. Ratkosky
I am excited to be working with you and your student this
academic year. I am happy to say
that I see great things happening
with the class of 2018. Overall the
class of 2018 is polite, conscientious and full of potential. Many of
the students' are already involved
with the various athletic teams. I
hope the students' will continue to
become involved in many of the
extra-curricular activities that are
offered here at Heskett. Please
remember that to continue to be
involved in these extra-curricular
activities students' must represent
Heskett in a positive manner both
academically and socially. This
means dressing for success, getting to class on time, completing
both class work and homework,
and conducting yourself in a positive, mature manner at school and
at all school events and activities.
One issue I would like to
address is the amount of tardies
that my 7th grade class has accumulated since the 2nd week of
school. I have noticed that I have
many students arriving late to their
next class as well as to school.
Students have 3 minutes to get
from one class to the next. Many
teachers use the first 5 minutes of
class to go over the key elements
that were learned the day before.
Parents if you could remind your
child how important it is to be on
time to class and to school I would
greatly appreciate it.
Our goal is for the students
to succeed in school and I believe
that by us working together this
can be accomplished. Here are
some guidelines to assist your
child in completing assigned work:
Make sure your child had a
quiet, well-lit place to do home-
work...Avoid having your child
your do homework with the television on or in places with other
distractions, such as people
coming and going.
Make sure the materials your
child needs are available...Ask
your child if special materials will
be needed for some projects
and get them in advance.
Help your child with time management...Establish a set time
each day for doing homework.
Don’t let your child leave homework just before bedtime.
Be positive about homework...Tell you child how important school is. The attitude you
express about homework will be
the attitude your child acquires.
When your child does homework,
you do homework...Show your
child that the skills they are
learning are related to things you
do as an adult. If your child is
reading you read too. If your
child is doing math, balance your
checkbook.
When your child asks for help,
provide guidance, not answers...Giving answers means
your child will not learn the material. Too much help teaches
your child that when the going
gets rough, someone will do the
work for him or her.
When the teacher asks that you
play a role in homework, do
it...Cooperate wit the teacher. It
shows your child that the school
and home are a team.
If homework is meant to be done
by your child alone, stay
away...Too much parent involvement can prevent homework
form having some positive effects. Homework is a great way
for kids to develop independent,
lifelong learning skills.
Stay informed...Talk with your
child’s teacher. Make sure you
know the purpose of homework
and what your child’s class rules
are.
Help your child figure out what
is hard homework and what is
easy homework...Have your
child do the hard work first. This
will mean he will be most alert
when facing the biggest challenge. Easy material will seem
to go fast when fatigue begins to
set in.
Watch your child for signs of failure and frustration...Let your
child take a short break if she is
having trouble keeping her mind
on the assignment.
Reward progress in homework...If your child has been successful in homework completion
and is working hard, celebrate that
success with a special event to
reinforce the positive effort.
Thank you for coming to Open
House. I was able to meet many
of you during this time. I encourage you to consider joining the
Heskett PTSA and the Heskett
Athletic Boosters. Both organizations support continued success
for our children. For more information please contact (440)4394450. Your continued support allows us to provide a well rounded,
academic environment which in
turn will provide the opportunity for
your child to reach his/her fullest
potential both academically and
socially.
Page 3
Heskett Middle School
News for the Class of 2017—Mr. Gibaldi
I can’t believe that midterm have come and gone and
the end of the quarter is of the
1st quarter is quickly approaching. The eighth grade
class is doing well and making
great strides with their academic and athletic accomplishments. Remember, the bar of
expectation has been raised
and I have no doubt that you
will prevail. It is imperative
that you continue to stay focused with completing all assignment on time, read 30
minutes a day, study hard for
your test and quizzes, some to
school on time and come to
school dressed for success. The
1st grading period is a very important marker for making
any necessary adjustment
with your academic goals and
getting involved with extracurricular activities. If you
plan to participate in athletic
events, you will need to pass 5
classes in order to be eligible.
As a reminder,
cell phones are not to be visi-
ble, heard, or used at anytime
during the school day; this includes texting. Cell phone
zones have been established
this school year. The use the
cell phone zones areas are limited to before or after school.
Students don’t
forget to take advantage of the
mediations services available
to you by Ms. Hogue or Mr.
Gibaldi. The mediation process
is the first step you should use
to resolve any issues you may
have with a peer. Seek out the
help of you counselor or assistant principal, we can’t help
you resolve a problem if we
don’t know about it.
I have a great
class and I encourage you to
continue polishing your leadership skills. I am here to assist you with whatever it takes
to help you reach your greatest potential while you are
here at Heskett Middle School.
The maturity level is quickly
rising with many of you. I will
not waver on my high level of
expectation. I have no doubt
that you all will exceed my
expectations.
Many of our 8th
grade students are preparing
for the Washington D. C. trip.
This trip is an outstanding
educational opportunity for
our Heskett students. I am
very excited to share this
wonderful experience with
you and cannot wait for the
departure date. Students,
please make sure to maintain
your eligibility throughout the
course of the year. I would
hate to have any of you miss
out on a great experience.
Finally, I encourage parents to come out to the
various sporting events, concerts, and plays. Consider
joining our Heskett Parent
Booster Club and or the
Heskett PTSA. Your participation is a great way to have
family days together and provide additional support to our
Heskett students.
7th Grade Volleyball News
The 7th Grade Girls Volleyball is off
to a GREAT start. There record is
current 8 – 0! We have had consistent serving by: Chamar Johnson,
Morgan Payton, Tia Kubulins, Kyla
Beville, Kayla Marshall, Dymon Lymon, and Ladaishare Lockwood. We
have also had some great sets and
blocks by Chyna Martin, Angel
Nimmer, and Nia Holloway. And
let’s not forget about our awesome
passes by: Nadia Clinkscales,
Marshe Gary, and Madison Olds.
We are almost half way thru the
season but still have 5 more home
matches. We hope you can take a
few minutes and come support all
the hard work and dedication these
young ladies have shown. I am very
proud of each and every one of them
and I hope you are too!!!!
WAY TO GO LADY BEARCATS ~
KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!
Coach Browning
Page 4
Page 8
Security Awareness—Mr. Garey
GYM CLASS
HALLWAY LOCKERS
Students who have gym class
need to bring a padlock so that
they can secure their personal
items a gym locker. Many students have gotten into the habit
of not locking up their belongings and leave them lying on the
benches of the locker rooms.
Please encourage your student to
lock up their personal belongings. Remember gym lockers are
only to be used during gym class.
Locks that are left on gym lockers are cut off daily after 5PM.
Every student at Heskett has
been issued a working Hallway
Locker. If your student’s locker
is not working then be sure to
have them report all locker problems to the office. Known locker
problems are repaired daily.
Remind your student to mix up
the combination dial on the lock
and double check that the locker
door is closed and locked when
they are done using it. Students
are not allowed to share lockers
with another student; this is for
each student’s protection and
insures that no one else has access to your student’s belongings.
LOST & FOUND
Heskett has a collection of unclaimed house keys and eyeglasses along with coats, gym
shirts and hats. Have your student check with Mrs. Browning
in the 8th grade Service Center to
claim their lost items.
Valuables
Please discourage you student
from bringing large amounts of
money or valuable electronic devices to school. These items may
be lost or stolen and end up causing a disruption of school day.
Dr. Dixie Benshoff—Psychologist
Dr. Dixie Benshoff—Psychologist
Recent studies reveal that one in five
children has a diagnosable mental
disorder, yet two thirds of those affected don’t get the help they need.
We are not sure why that is the case,
but one theory is that we, as adults,
don’t always recognize when a child is
in need of professional help. If your
child is hanging out with a peer group
that has a negative impact on him or
her, or if your child’s grades suddenly
plummet, it may be time to consider
professional help. Warning signs include appetite or sleep disturbances.
If suddenly your child no longer wants
to participate in activities that he/she
used to enjoy, it might be time to
check with your pediatrician, the
school counselor, or one of the community agencies. Many times counseling
is free or based on a sliding fee scale.
If you have insurance there should be
a phone number on the back of your
card that you can call that will give
you a list of providers whom your insurance company pays for. The most
important thing is to listen to your
own intuition. If you are worried
about your child, a ―mental health‖
checkup might be in order to either
reassure you that your child is just
going through a normal stage of devel-
opment or that he or she might benefit from professional help. Most mental health disorders are very treatable, but early intervention is important.
Page 5
Heskett Middle School
7th Grade Volleyball News
This year, the following girls tried out
and made the 8th Grade Girls’ Volleyball team:
Karla Ashford, Shayla Ferrell, Kayla
Grayson, Rajoniq James, Victoria
Jones, Megan Littleton, Morgan Sanders, Kristen Sanford, Sha Aire Thomopson and Janise Williams.
This is a talented group of individuals
that work hard and represents the
Bearcats well. So far this year, the
team has defeated Warrensville,
Cleveland Heights and Milkovich
Middle Schools! The Bearcats hope to
continue dominating the court and
look forward to seeing you at the
games!
Coach Cormack
Athletic Eligibility Policy
A student’s eligibility to participate
in a sport will be based on the previous 9 week grading period and Bedford Board of Education policy. A
student must maintain a GPA of 2.0
and have passed at least five (5) of
his/her classes in the quarter preceding his/her participation in a
sport or . This means that when
grades come out at the end of each
quarter, students involved in any
sport or
activity must meet the abovementioned requirements, or they will
forfeit participating in the sport or
activity. If a student is ineligible, he
or she can be reinstated after five
weeks, if the student’s teacher verify
that the student is now passing five
classes and has at least a 2.0 GPA.
activity. This means that when
grades come out at the end of each
quarter, students involved in any
sport or activity must meet the above
mentioned requirements, or they will
forfeit participating in the sport or
activity. Verification will be done in a
five-week interval during mid-term
and final grades of the quarter. Once
a student is eligible for a quarter, eligibility will not be checked again for
that quarter.
Students who fail to return
school equipment or uniforms will be
held responsible for the replacement
cost, and may be excluded from activities until compensation is made.
From the Baton of Ms. Jennifer Shauf...
“The beautiful thing about learning
is nobody can take it away from you.”
requires practice outside of class and is difficult.
B.B. King
* I would recommend private lessons for
every student. Our students that earn money
for college scholarships generally have taken
private lessons. If you need help finding a
teacher, please contact me.
* Thank you to the amazing number of parents who represented your children at Open
House. If I missed meeting you at Open
House, please join us for Heskett Conferences
on October 10.
* Have you seen your son’s or daughter’s
instrument today? If not, please ask where it
is. They should be practicing at home every
day to continue to progress. Band is all about
working and creating something together. In
order for this to happen, students have to be
independent enough to learn their individual
parts. Did you know that playing a musical
instrument is only one of two known activities
where both sides of the brain are used simultaneously? Playing a musical instrument well
* If your son or daughter is struggling with a
concept, the band room is open from 7:45 8:10 every morning. They may receive help
from me or a peer tutor. Please encourage
them to continue to raise their grades by coming in for assistance.
* Please keep your ears open for fundraising
opportunities... Thursdays and Sundays this
year are Zeppe’s pizza days for the band beginning in October. More information will
follow soon! (There will also be some fundraisers to help students pay money towards
band camp at the high school. )
* December 12 our band students will attending a workshop at the Rock “N’ Roll Hall of
Fame. More information to follow! Chaperones will be needed. Students need to be
working hard to be eligible to go.
“It takes a village to raise a child.”
Please contact me at any time...
[email protected]
440-439-1500 ext. 3736
Page 8
Heskett Middle School
Washington, DC Trip
The 8th Grade students will once again have the
chance to experience one of the greatest cities in
America when we attend our annual Washington,
DC trip. Our trip will begin at midnight, Wednesday, May 15th and conclude on Friday, May 17th
around 11:30 p.m. Some of the sights that the students will be able to see include the White House,
Mount Vernon, Arlington National Cemetery, and
the new Martin Luther King Memorial, just to name
a few. Students must maintain at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA, have no failing grades, and receive no
more than 3 behavior referrals to be eligible to attend. The total cost of the trip is $400 which includes all meals, transportation, entry fees, and
lodging. The students will receive an informational
packet the week of September 26 which has many
more details about the trip. We hope that all of our
8th grade students can attend this amazing trip. If
you have any questions, please contact Mr. Johnson
at: 440-439-4450, ext. 6722 or by e-mail at:
[email protected]
The Guidance Corner
The guidance department would like to welcome
everyone to Heskett Middle
school. They are looking forward to working with students, parents, and teachers
to make sure that everyone
has a successful school year.
Ms. Hogue is the 8th grade
counselor and Mr. Brinson
II is the 7th grade counselor. Please feel free to reach
them by email or telephone.
They are always willing to
help. Ms. Hogue’s e-mail address is:
[email protected]
and her phone number is
440.439.4530, extension
3335. Mr. Brinson’s e-mail address is: [email protected] and
his phone number is 440-4394473.
The department also has
a number of activities planned
for the upcoming year. Some of
the activities include: MAP
testing, group counseling, individual counseling, classroom
guidance, OAA, ACT & SAT
testing, scheduling, and 8th
grade Career Day on November 16, 2011.
Page 7
Heskett Middle School
JOIN US UNDER THE LIGHTS. . .
5TH ANNUAL
MIDDLE SCHOOL FOOTBALL EXTRAVAGANZA
@ BEDFORD HIGH SCHOOL
“BEARCAT STADIUM”
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2012
HESKETT 7TH GRADE TEAM VS. ROXBORO MIDDLE SCHOOL 6:00 PM
HESKETT 8TH GRADE TEAM V. MILKOVICH HEIGHTS MIDDLE SCHOOL 7:30 PM
COST
$4.00 ADULTS
$2.00 STUDENTS
GO BEARCATS!
Tickets on
sale now!!!
Page 8
Heskett Middle School
PROGRESS BOOK INFORMATION
ANOTHER NEW FEATURE:
YOU, THE PARENT, NOW HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO VIEW
INTERIM REPORTS (HMS AND BHS ONLY) AND REPORT CARDS
(K-12) ONLINE WHICH WILL BE POSTED THE FRIDAY FOLLOWING THE END OF THE MID-TERM/GRADING PERIOD.
ONCE LOGGED IN, SELECT AVERAGES/PROGRESS DETAILS/
ATTENDANCE OR SCHEDULE, CLICK ON REPORT CARD AND
THEN SELECT THE APPROPRIATE REPORT CARD FORMAT
(INTERIM OR REPORT CARD) IN THE DROP DOWN TO VIEW DETAILS. IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE CORRESPONDING COMMENT
FOR A COMMENT CODE, SIMPLY CLICK ON COMMENT 1 OR
COMMENT 2 UNDER ASSESSMENTS AND THE LINK WILL APPEAR FOR YOU TO FIND THE COMMENT ASSOCIATED WITH
THAT CODE. PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE ARE UNOFFICIAL
COPIES THAT WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED BY OUTSIDE SOURCES
AS OFFICIAL SCHOOL TRANSCRIPTS.
THIS IS MERELY A QUICKER, MORE EFFICIENT WAY TO ALLOW
YOU ACCESS TO YOUR CHILD’S CURRENT GRADES.
NOTE: HARD COPIES WILL BE MAILED FOR MID-TERM REPORTS AND REPORT CARDS FOR THE 1ST MARKING PERIOD
ONLY! ANY PARENT WHO WISHES TO STILL RECEIVE A HARD
COPY, PLEASE CALL MRS. DIETRICHS AT (440) 439-4472.
THANK YOU FOR GOING GREEN!!