Dear HFMS Families,
The 2025-2026 school year is up and running and we are excited to be back in business. So far we are getting to know our students and learning about their distinctive abilities and needs. One thing about middle school for sure – it’s full of middle schoolers. That means there is a vast array of personalities, backgrounds and unique experiences suddenly all thrown together and yes, sometimes there are interpersonal differences. The staff of HFMS and I have taken a significant amount of time during these first few weeks to talk to our students about what to do when we are not getting along with others. The short answer is this – tell an adult! More specifically, tell an adult who works at HFMS. The full version would be to tell an adult who works at HFMS when the event occurs, and then tell your parent/guardian when you get home. I personally guarantee that if we are aware of issues between students as they occur that we will address them all in a swift and timely manner.
I also want to take this opportunity to thank both our students and families for your overwhelmingly positive support of our newest incarnation of the cell phone policy. Anyone who has ever tried to communicate with a middle schooler with a cell phone knows the real pain that exists in such a situation. And while many of our students were good about keeping it out of sight, the truth is it was still a big distraction to the education process. I also want to assure you that we have designated phones available and that you may call the school at any time you need to speak with your child and vice versa. Parents/Guardians and students will always be given the opportunity to talk to each other as requested. I have a lot more I could say about cell phones and things like social media especially, but it’s only September so we’ll save that for another time. For now, thank you for helping us to put education first.
In closing and 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. Public education is best when we work together!
Have a great weekend!
Eric R. Vandell
Principal, HFMS evandell@k12.wv.us
