• March 10, 2023

    Dear Horizon Community Middle School Families,

    Congrats to students in our band for an amazing concert on Wednesday night at Smoky Hill! And good luck to our wrestlers competing at the district wrestling meet tomorrow (Saturday, Cherokee Trail High School).

    As we wrap up the week before the week before Spring Break, I ask that all parents chat with their students about remaining focused on academics (while still having fun with the Color Battle). Spring can bring lots of energy and stress, and we urge our students to persevere, achieve, positively connect, and be kind as we end another grading period.

    On the topic of our Color Battle, please consider supporting us during our largest fundraiser of the year. Funds go directly to the classroom to support our students and teachers. Your student has an access code where donations can be made.

    Have you heard?! Cell phones are a challenge at school! We recognize that there are many perspectives related to phones in school, and we want to consider all voices as we design a more structured plan for next year. Please come to our Family Engagement Night on Tuesday, March 28th (more info below) to hear our DRAFT proposal. 

    Next, the CMAS test is coming soon! PARENTS & FAMILIES – THIS TEST IS VERY IMPORTANT TO US! Please see below for information related to the state assessment next month. We are excited for ALL of our students to show how well they are performing academically on this VERY IMPORTANT test.

    Finally, as we look to the last quarter of the year, please consider volunteering at HCMS if you are available. While many opportunities can be found on our Volunteer Webpage, some areas where we are always looking for assistance is in our hallways and cafeteria (and at recess). As middle school energy increases in April and May, we can certainly use some extra adults supporting our students. Interested? Just fill out our Volunteer Form and we’ll show you what you need to know.

    Thank you for your continued support! Have a great weekend!

     

    Brad


    Dr. Brad Weinhold
    Principal
    Horizon Community Middle School
    720.886.6101 (office)
    720.767.2352 (cell)
     

     

     

    CMAS Information

    The upcoming CMAS test (April 12-14, 2023) will provide an opportunity for our staff to measure our academic achievement and growth. Results from the CMAS will be used to design and improve instruction as well as focus intervention (for students who need additional assistance understanding the material) and extension (for students who already understand the material) efforts.

    Score reports that students and families receive may allow for individual academic goal setting, monitoring of growth, and may be used to inform future course selection. The CMAS will be administered following similar test taking procedures as those used for high school ACT and SAT tests. Performance on the CMAS is not connected to grades in classes at HCMS.

    Interested in learning more? Check out this CDE CMAS Information to read more about topics such as score reporting and how school accreditation is impacted by participation rates. You can also view this Family Guide to Assessment.

    Also check out this CCSD Assessment Information, which includes content related to student exemption.

    If you have any questions about the CMAS test, please contact Ms. Clare Dardis, Campus Administrator, at cdardis@cherrycreekschools.org

    Planning ahead, please note that we will be collecting computers from ALL HCMS STUDENTS in advance of the CMAS test. This will allow for a more efficient and accessible assessment environment. Need help with a broken computer? Submit a ticket through IncidentIQ with a description of the problem.

     

    March Madness Reading Challenge

    March Madness Bracket of Books is coming to Horizon Community! How does it work? To begin, 16 popular books have been selected for the bracket. During Advisory Class from March 6th – 16th, students will visit the library to complete a prediction bracket based on who they think will win. In other words, students will vote for their favorite books! Prizes will be awarded for the most accurate prediction brackets. Students may participate even if they haven’t yet read the selected books. Please encourage your students to participate in this fun challenge intended to promote reading at HCMS, and please contact Mrs. Libby Ames, HCMS Librarian, at eames2@cherrycreekschools.org with questions.

     

    Horizon Community Family Engagement Night – March 28, 2023

    The next HCMS Family Engagement Night is on Tuesday, March 28th. At this meeting, we will be reviewing a proposed Cell Phone Plan for the 2023-2024 school year. This will be a great chance for our community to provide feedback on how we can best support all school stakeholders, particularly students, as we navigate the complexities of cell phone use in school.

    Families who attend will be entered into a drawing for a fun prize! Families/parents are encouraged to bring their students to join and ensure that student voice enhances the conversation.

    The format for the evening is as follows:

    • 5:30pm: Potluck Food & Social (feel free to bring snacks or a dish)
    • 6:00pm: Whole-group Conversation (Cell Phone Plan)
    • 7:00pm: Breakout Group Conversations (Accountability, PTCO, PASS)

    Childcare and a Spanish-speaking interpreter will be provided. Please contact Dr. Brad Weinhold, HCMS Principal, at bweinhold@cherrycreekschools.org with questions.

     

    8th Grade End of Year Dates

    May 18th – 8th Grade Awards Ceremony at SHHS*

    May 24th – 8th Grade Dance

    May 25th – Last Day for 8th Grade

    May 26th – Last Day for 6th and 7th Grades

    *The 8th Grade Awards Ceremony is not a graduation/continuation event. Cherry Creek Middle Schools do not hold graduation ceremonies for 8th grade students. Students (and families) who will be recognized with an award at the 8th Grade Awards Ceremony will receive an individual invitation.

     

     

    English:
    Please contact Erin Taylor at etaylor7@cherrycreekschools.org for support with this resource in your language.


    Amharic:
    እነዝህን መረጃዎችን በተመለከተ በቋንቋዎ ዕገዛን ለማግኘት ከፈለጉ እባክዎን ተሊሌን በዝህ
    እሜይል ያግኙዋት thirpa@cherrycreekschools.org


    Arabic:
    يرجى الاتصال بـ (جميعة صباحي أوجاودة العلمي) على (jsebbahi@cherrycreekschools.orgأو
    jdajanialami@cherrycreekschools.orgللحصول على الدعم مع هذا الموردباللغة العربية .


    Chinese:
    如有需要,请经由 ctaylor9@cherrycreekschools.org 与凯瑟琳•泰勒联系,以您的语言获得此资源 的支持。


    Hindi:
    अपनी भाषा में इस संसाधन के समर् थ न के लिए कृपया जेम्स रसाइथिी को jrasaily@cherrycreekschools.org पर संपकथ करें।


    Korean:
    귀하의 언어로 이 자원에 대한 지원을 원하시면 (리아 리) 에게 (llee6@cherrycreekschools.org) 로문의하십시오.


    Nepali:
    कृपया जेम्स रसाइथिीिाइथ jrasaily@cherrycreekschools.org मा तपाइथको भाषामा यो संसाधनको सहयोगको िागी सम् पकथ गननथहोिा।


    Russian:
    Пожалуйста, обращайтесь к Ларисе Бака по адресу: lbaca3@cherrycreekschools.org для получения
    поддержки с помощью этого ресурса на своём языке.


    Somali:
    Fadlan la xiriir Omar Nur cinwaanka emaylka onur2@cherrycreekschools.org si aad u hesho macluumaad ku qoran luqadaada.


    Spanish:
    Si necesita ayuda con este recurso en su idioma, póngase en contacto con Ilse Chavez Maldonado en ichavezmaldonado@cherrycreekschools.org, Rosa Han en rhan4@cherrycreekschools.org, Helena Gognat en hgognat@cherrycreekschools.org o Monica Pantoja en mpantoja@cherrycreekschools.org


    Vietnamese:
    Vui lòng liên hệ với Thuý Ngọc tại Lchung2@cherrycreekschools.org để được hỗ trợ về tài nguyên nàybằng tiếng Việt.


     




  • Click on a date below to read past weekly messages from Principal Dr. Weinhold.

  • March 10, 2023

  • March 2, 2023

  • February 24, 2023

  • February 17, 2023

  • February 10, 2023

  • February 3, 2023

  • January 27, 2023

  • January 20, 2023

  • January 13, 2023

  • December 21, 2022

  • December 16, 2022

  • December 9, 2022

  • December 2, 2022

  • November 22, 2022

  • November 18, 2022