Principal's Welcome

Dear HCS Families,

Welcome back! We hope everyone enjoyed a fun and restful summer with family and friends.

Important Update: New Cell Phone/Device Policy at HCS
As we prepare for the new school year, I want to share an important update regarding student device use. In line with a new directive from NY State, HCS will no longer allow students to use personal internet-enabled devices—including cell phones, earbuds, and personal laptops—during the school day, from their arrival at school to the last bell. Here is what this will look like at HCS:

Cell Phone Procedures 

  • 6th Grade: Students will place their phones in a secure locker inside their homeroom teacher’s classroom each morning. The teacher will then lock the locker for the rest of the day. Students will be able to get their phones after the bell at 2:45. This is the same protocol that was used last year for our 6th-grade students.
  • 7th–12th Grade: Students will be issued a clear, lockable case (NuKase) by the district. Before entering school, students must place their phone in the case and show staff that it’s securely locked. The locked phone should then be stored in their backpack or locker (not in their pocket). At the end of the school day, students will unlock their cases at designated exit stations. We’ll also have unlocking stations on school buses to reduce congestion and to help students who may forget to unlock inside the building.
  • Forgotten Cases: If a student forgets their case at home, they will need to store their phone in the office safe.
  • Late Arrivals & Early Dismissals: Students arriving late will secure their phone in their case at the attendance office. If a student needs to leave early, they can unlock it at the attendance office during sign-out.

Additional Information & Resources


Getting Started
During the first few days of school, students will receive training on how to use the NuKase, review expectations, and receive their personalized case. Students will be responsible for bringing their case to school every day.


Emergency Communication

  • In an emergency, please contact the main office at (315) 824-6320. Students will also have access to office phones if they need to reach you.
  • For non-urgent messages (like changes to pick-up plans), please call the attendance office at (315) 824-6301. If there’s no answer, please call the main office. We’ll get the message to your child promptly while minimizing classroom disruptions.


Support for Students

  • Anxiety or Phone Separation Concerns: We understand some students may feel anxious about being without phones. Our school counselors are here to help. If you have concerns, please reach out to the counseling office so we can develop a supportive plan together.
  • Academic & Social Benefits: This new policy is designed to reduce distractions and help students stay more focused in class. We also hope it will encourage more meaningful, face-to-face interactions among students.

Thank you for your support as we work to create the best possible learning environment for all students. We’re excited to partner with families to help our students thrive—both academically and socially—this year!


Other Important Information for the 25-26 School Year:

Contact Information

  • Please make sure your contact information on file at the school is correct.
  • We may send information through email, text, automated phone call, or paper mail.


Google Classroom and Daily/Weekly Guardian Summaries

  • Many parents find that the best way of keeping up to date with Google Classroom is downloading the app on their phone and having their child(ren) sign in with their username and password. The passwords are saved, so you only need to enter them once. After that, you can open the app any time and toggle between your children’s accounts. Each child’s account will display a number of different classes. By clicking on each class, you can check upcoming assignments, missing work, grades, etc.
  • Google Classroom also offers an email update called the daily or weekly summary. This allows you to receive an email every afternoon - or once per week - containing upcoming assignments and missing work. If you have any concerns about your child falling behind, I recommend the daily summary. (To change the frequency, scroll to the bottom of any summary email and click Settings.) Please note that summary emails do not contain grades. To check grades, you can use the app as described above.

School-Wide Announcements

  • HCS uses ParentSquare for school-wide announcements. If you have an account, you will receive the morning announcements (Daily Bulletin) and other information.
  • Please check your notification settings and make sure they are set to your preference. Log into parentsquare.com and choose “My Account” followed by “Notification Settings”. You may see up to three groups: ES (Elem. School), JSHS (Jr-Sr High School) and District. For each group, you can choose to receive messages instantly or in an evening digest.


SchoolTool

SchoolTool houses schedules, progress reports, and report cards. Parents/guardians and students each have their own account. If you have trouble logging in, reach out to our tech director, Mr. Rogers, at crogers@hamiltoncentral.org. Link: https://st4.schooltool.com/Hamilton

Curriculum Resource

Take some time to look at this resource, which answers many questions about our middle and high school: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1LyDg68PIhzQLZmOS_5RRPUist18Zn2jA36oSUKewt6I/preview?rm=minimal&slide=id.g10cf1b1a4ff_0_4. Here you will find a school supply list, course overviews, our bell schedule, etc. To find this in the future, click “Departments” and then “Curriculum” at the top of the HCS website.

Extracurricular Activities 
I encourage all of our students to join one or more clubs or sports. Our students make HCS a great place to learn, and their involvement in activities is one of the contributing factors. By engaging in extracurriculars, students build better connections with their peers, adults, and the school as a whole. Parents and guardians, please encourage your children to get involved.

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As always, please reach out if you have any questions or concerns as the year progresses. I look forward to a great year for everyone in our HCS community!

Sincerely,

Mark Arquiett

MS/HS Principal

marquiett@hamiltoncentral.org

(315) 824-6320