Principal's Welcome

Dear HCS Families,

Welcome back!

Like many of you, I recently watched our athletes compete in Paris. I found their individual stories to be very inspiring. Just like the Olympians that many of us cheered on this summer, our students will embark on a journey filled with challenges, growth, and triumphs. This school year, as we work together to help our students reach their goals and realize their full potential, I would like students to focus on some of the traits our Olympians displayed this summer.

Perseverance: Olympians are known for their determination and relentless pursuit of excellence. As we kick off this school year, I encourage our students to embrace this same spirit of perseverance. There will be days when they face obstacles or setbacks, but it is through these challenges that they will learn, grow, and ultimately achieve their goals. Encourage your child to approach challenges with a mindset of resilience and determination.

Self-Discipline: The path to success is paved with disciplined effort and focused practice. Olympians dedicate countless hours to honing their skills. Similarly, our students will need to cultivate strong study habits, stay organized, and manage their time effectively. By fostering a disciplined approach, students will be better equipped to achieve their goals.

Passion: The passion that drives Olympians to push their limits and strive for greatness is truly inspiring. We hope to ignite passion in our students as they delve into their studies and extracurricular activities. When students are passionate about their learning, they engage more deeply and find joy in their accomplishments. Encourage your child to explore their interests and pursue their passions with enthusiasm and commitment.

Teamwork: While many Olympians compete individually, they recognize the importance of teamwork. They have coaches, trainers, and supporters who play a crucial role in their success. In our school community, we are all part of a team working toward the common goal of helping students achieve their goals. Let’s continue to work together-teachers, support staff, parents, and students-to create a supportive environment where everyone can excel.

Goal-Setting: Setting clear, achievable goals is a fundamental part of an Olympian’s journey. This year, we encourage students to set their own academic and personal goals. These goals will serve as a roadmap for their efforts and achievements.

Here’s to a fantastic year ahead, full of growth, learning, and achievement! Thank you for your continued support and partnership. To foster that partnership, I would like to provide some important information for our families.

Contact Information

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

Google Classroom and Daily/Weekly Guardian Summaries

  • I’ve found that the best way of keeping up to date with Google Classroom for my own children is downloading the app on my phone and having them sign in with their usernames and passwords. 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 is the place to find schedules, progress reports, report cards, etc. Parents/guardians should all have an account, and students have their own accounts. If you have trouble logging in, please reach out to our technology director, Mr. Rogers, at crogers@hamiltoncentral.org. Here is a link to SchoolTool: https://st4.schooltool.com/Hamilton

Curriculum Resource

Please take some time to look at this link, which answers many questions about our middle school and high school: https://tinyurl.com/HCSSecondaryCurriculumPage

Here you will find a school supply list, course overviews, graduation requirements, our bell schedule, etc. To find this in the future, click “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. A list of activities can be found here: https://mshs.hamiltoncentral.org/extra-curricular-activities

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