Greetings HFMS Families,

Happy New Year and welcome back!  I hope that everyone had a great Holiday Break and the time was well spent with friends and family.  A new year brings with it the promise of many things and one of those things is the possibility of inclement weather.  As of today, we have only utilized one of our five “free” snow days so we can still celebrate (or not depending on your perspective) the next four snow days.  After that and as a reminder, we will utilize the virtual option or the official name - non-traditional instructional day, so that learning can take place remotely from home with each student using their assigned Chromebook to complete assignments from Canvas. 

In the coming weeks, our teachers will be reviewing this procedure with students and will also provide office hours on those days so that students can reach out for support as needed.  Additionally, on those days our admin and counseling teams will also be offering office hours throughout the day in case students and/or families need additional support beyond teacher support.  The office hours for administrators and counselors will be posted on our website prior to the next snow day and we will be available during the specified times. 

Just in case, you also have my email address listed below and can use that at any time you need support or assistance on a snow day or any day.  If for some reason we use up our 5 non-traditional instructional days, then unfortunately we would have to start talking about adding days on at the end, but we don’t like to talk about that around here so let’s not for now.

So that’s a lot about snow days but I wanted to make sure we are all on the same page as we move forward because it’s not getting any warmer any time soon.  As always, please do not ever hesitate to reach out to myself or our admin team if there are questions or concerns you have at any time throughout the school year. 

Stay warm,
Eric R. Vandell
Principal, HFMS
evandell@k12.wv.us

The end of the second grading period was December 19th. Report cards will be sent home with your child on Friday, January 9th. Please be sure to ask your child for their report card, progress reports, and attendance letter.

We are half-way through the school year! You can monitor your child's grades at all times through Canvas. The Canvas Parent portal can be viewed online using a computer or on a smartphone via the Canvas Parent App. Please be aware that the parent app is blue, while the student app is red. The features on these apps are different and it is encouraged that parents and guardians utilize the parent app. Please reach out to me via email for help getting access to Canvas Parent App. You will need a unique pairing code for each of your students. 

Questions? Please feel free to reach out to erin.maranda@k12.wv.us or via telephone 304-535-3221 at any time!

-Dr. Maranda

The PTO is asking for volunteers to help with Basketball Concessions. If you would like to sign up to work the concession stand, please use the following link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C044CA4AD22A5FEC16-60711450-basketball

Improve Your Child’s Sleep to Reduce Absenteeism 

Children ages 6-13 need 9 to 11 hours of sleep and ages 14-17 need 8 to 10 hours. Inadequate sleep can lead to mood swings, behavior problems, increased symptoms of ADHD, problems with learning, and illness.  

The National Sleep Foundation and Centers for Disease Control offer the following tips to help your child get more sleep: Minimize activities that involve bright lights, excitement, or stress at least an hour before bedtime such as exercise, video games, cell phone usage, and television. Restrict cell phones and other electronic devices from your child’s bedroom during sleeping hours, maintain a regular sleep schedule by having a designated bedtime, avoid caffeine especially after midday, and avoid large meals before bedtime. Creating habits that will make your child more rested can improve their health and make your morning routine less stressful.  

Thank you, 

Mrs. Waller, 
Assistant Principal 

Math Tutoring Reminder: Students wishing to attend may stay after school. Transportation is NOT provided and parents must be able to pick student up by 4:00pm. The schedule is as follows:

-Tuesdays, 3:00-4:00pm with Mr. Propst (Room 134)
-Wednesdays, 3:00-4:00pm with Ms. Williams/Ms. Amoroso (Room 307/309)
     *Teachers will alternate weekly