Volume 4 Issue Number 1

hawk-eye

HORNSBY MIDDLE SCHOOLS PTSA NEWSLETTER

Welcome back Hornsby Middle School Students to a new school year, 2013-2014!
Welcome to Hornsby Middle School!
Dear Hornsby Families:
We hope that your child is beginning to understand the routines and expectations of Hornsby Middle School. No matter what grade your child entered, there is much change with increasingly difficult academic tasks. It is important to talk with your child about the work that he or she is doing in school. More than likely, when you ask your child what he or she did in school the answer is, Nothing. Now is the time to dig deeper and ask more questions about the classes, teachers, and friends. The questions allow you to better understand how your child is managing school and friends, as well as demonstrating that you care. We want to thank you all for keeping up the good work.

hornsby

PTSA Program

Officer Reed, our Security Resource Officer, will present information regarding the dangers present in the landscape of social media. The seminar is presented by the PTSA regarding the type of sites that are popular today and the threats present within the internet to include cyber- bullying and sexting. There will be time for questions and answers. The program begins at 5:15 p.m. on September 19 prior to our Back-to-School night. Those who have RSVPed and attend the seminar will receive a Chik-Fil-A meal immediate following.

In this Issue:
Moving Up to Middle School Tips for Middle Schoolers Calendar of Events / Hawk Hike Grocery Programs/Reflections Hornsby PTSA Welcomes You Fall Fundraiser

EdLine Code

Please use your activation code to access your childs EdLine. Our teachers update weekly to support the parents at home. This is an important part of communication between teacher and family.

2 2 3 3 4

SOAR

Morning Announcements

We are giving Wings to our students to recognize the good things that they do every day. Each Friday we take some time during lunch to raffle off some fun items to celebrate their accomplishments. This is a celebration for all the good things our students do during the day including participating fully in class, being prepared, showing initiative, or simply showing kindness and respect for others.

Remember that our Morning Announcements are posted everyday on our EdLine page. This is important information regarding activities, events, and opportunities for our Hornsby students and their families.

Our Fall Fundraising effort is underway beginning today. We hope that you will be able to participate in this effort. All the funds made will be used for programming and other educational materials for the students. We have many great ideas to engage our students, but sometimes it takes a little more than the idea itself. Please take the time to look over the catalogue.

Student Pictures

Ground Base

Our first Ground Base was today. Students were assigned to different faculty across the building into mixed grade level groups of 15. Name games, goal setting, and team building activities were used throughout the building. We hope this is one more way for your child to become better connected to the school.

Spring Picture day will be held on September 20th. Information will be given to the students next week. You may also make a payment on line or simply bring payment and order form on Picture Day.

Back-to-School Night

Random Student Drug Testing

Your child brought home the Voluntary Random Student Drug and Alcohol Consent to Test Form. Basically this is an opt-in form for your child to be in this program. This WJCC sponsored program provides random testing to students under parent and student consent. Please return the form in the envelope provided.

We will be hosting our Back-to-School night on September 19, 2013 from 6-8pm. The PTSA will be hosting an event regarding Internet Safety on the same date prior to the evening event. More information regarding this will follow. We hope that you will be able to come out to go through your childs schedule of classes. As always, thank you for your continued support. Regards, Dr. Byron Bishop Hornsby Middle School Principal bishopb@wjcc.k12.va.us

Getting Ready for Middle School

Here are tips for keeping cool while your child makes the leap to middle school:
1. Buy your child a combination lock. Lockers are a major source of anxiety for students. Buy your child a combination lock so s/he can practice. Once at school, hell be confident s/he can get into his locker quickly. 2. Learn the dress code. New middle school students stress out about fashion. They want the latest styles, while parents want them to dress demurely. Check with the school and find out what type of clothing is allowed. Take note of what 7th graders are wearing, shop accordingly, and try to let your child win the battle of the wardrobe. 3. Find out about extracurricular activities. Middle school students have more opportunities for extracurricular activities. Talk to your child about what interests she would like to cultivate. 4. Remind your child s/he wont be the only one new kid at school. Everyone in her grade will be new. We go back to the Girl Scouts: Make new friends and keep the old, some are silver and the other gold, says Terry. 5. Familiarize yourself with how middle school operates. Does your school have team teaching How does the school communicate with parents? Are homework and project assignments posted online? 6. Show your school spirit with spirit wear. If your child is less than enthusiastic about the school, check out the school spirit shop and purchase some T-shirts for the family. Wear them all summer. By identifying yourself as a Hornsby Hawk, you might meet other families at the local pizza place or at the pool. 7. Get to know the middle school kids in your neighborhood. Chances are theyre good kids and theres nothing to be afraid of. Once parents get into the building theyre like, These are nice kids, Terry says. 8. Help your child learn the invaluable lifelong skill of being organized. Many kids who struggle in middle school have problems with organization. They get overwhelmed, procrastinate, and dont ask for help until its too late. Give your child some responsibilities that will help him build timemanagement and other organizational skills. 9. Join the PTSA. Many parents think they arent needed or wanted at the middle school, but thats not true, Terry says. Kids, believe it or not, want their parents involved. 10. Dont fall prey to neighborhood rumors about the middle school. Find out the facts for yourself by visiting the school and talking to the principal.

The step from elementary to middle school can be a big one, but these tips will help ease the transition for both parents and children.

Moving Up to Middle School

by Patti Ghezzi (schoolfamily.com)

Your child is headed to middle school. Dont panic! You can take steps to make sure you and your child are ready. Mark Terry, principal of Eubanks Intermediate School in Southlake, Texas, has been helping families make a seamless transition from elementary school to 6th grade for years. The secret: getting parents inside the school. The thing we find the most successful is simply communicating with parents, he says. They feel like their kids will get lost, and we want to assure them that they wont. Enrolling your child in middle school is scary. Its a bigger school. Your child will go from being one of the oldest kids in school to being one of the youngest. The homework load will probably increase. The pace will speed up. The good news? Your child is ready. With your support, your child will rise to the challenge.
Journalist Patti Ghezzi covered education and schools for 10 years for the Atlanta JournalConstitution. She lives in Avondale Estates, Ga., with her family, which includes husband Jason, daughter Celia, and geriatric mutt Albany.

Order your Official Hornsby Spirit Wear at:

http://wmsbrggrafix.com/product-category/hornsby/

hornsby middle school calendar of events

september 1620
Book Fair Week

october 18
Purple and Gold Dance

november 21
PTSA Meeting

19
PTSA Meeting Back to School Night

26
Hawk Hike

20
Picture Day

27
Last day of Fall Fundraiser

The first Hornsby Middle School Dance of the year will be held on Friday, October 18 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. The PTSA is currently looking for anyone interested in helping organize and/or chaperone. If interested, please contact Louise Denkins at secretary@hornsbyptsa.org.

Lets Dance !!!

Dear Parents, Here are some super EASY ways to help earn LOTS of money, equipment, and supplies for our children at Lois Hornsby Middle School! The box tops and grocery receipts (participating partners) can all be turned into your childs homeroom teacher! Thanks for your support!

Ways to Earn Money for Our School

The Hornsby Hawk Hike will take place on Tuesday, Nov 26th. Every student will have the chance to participate in this one mile walk/run during their related arts time. The PTSA would like to provide healthy snacks to all our hike participants. If you would like to donate water or fruit for our students please contact Tami Flowers, Hawk Hike Chair, at 4flowers@cox.net or (757) 508-7349.

Hawk Hike

PTAs Reflections Program

Express yourself by participating in the PTA Reflections Program. This Year's Theme (2013-2014):

Believe, Dream, Inspire

You can submit an entry in one or more categories: Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Music Composition, Photography and Visual Arts, if you can create it, you can enter it. There's also a Special Artist Division. You can enter as many creations as you like, but make sure the work is all yours - group projects aren't eligible. Look for rules and entry forms in the coming weeks. Reflections contest entries must be submitted by Friday, October 25.

MARTINS

Just register your

Martins card at www.martinsaplus.com and assign Hornsby Middle School as the a valid benefactor. You need Martins bonus card.

HARRIS

TEETER

Hurry and link your card to Lois Hornsby Middle School (8469). If you linked in the past, you must re-link every school year. You can link up to 5 schools with your card and proceeds will be evenly split. Heres how it works: Shop at Harris Teeters! At the checkout line, simply tell your cashier to link the number to your Harris Teeter VIC card. Once the account number is linked, every time you shop during the program, 2% of the Private Label purchases will be contributed by Harris Teeter to the organizations account. Its that easy!

bottom of Just save the and send your receipts your child! them in with u have Parents like yo luable va helped us gain d supplies equipment an through for our children in the past. this program

FARM

FR ESH

Enroll your MV www.foodlio P Card at nmvpreward s.com and link yo ur card to Hornsby Mi ddle School (219242) qualifying Fo . Then shop for od Lion Bran Products at d a Food Lion Store. Food Lion wi ll credit on e point per dollar sp ent. Hornsb y ca redeem the points for fre n equipment and supplie e s.

FOOD

LION

For more information, please contact Hornsby PTSA Reflections Chairs, Lisa Stoddard (lisas@cox.net, 757-682-1020) or Cindi Webber (barbiegirl@weberkids.com, 757-903-1771)

ATION BOXTOPS FOR EDUC

s label and Just neatly clip thi h your send to school wit ual and child. The individ st will win class with the mo fun prizes!

Help Us Help Our Scho ol! Heres how it works: Visit Target.com/tcoe or call 1-800-316-6142 to desi gnate our school, then use your REDcard whenever you shop. Whe n you use your REDcardSM (Target Visa Credit Card, Target Credit CardSM or Target Check CardSM ), Target will donate up to 1% of your purchases to the eligible K-12 school of your choice.*

TARGET REDcard

Students new to Hornsby receive a new Edline account that must be activated. Teachers distribute activation codes to their students and respective families duringthe first week of school. Please contact your students homeroom teacher for your Edline activation code. Once you receive your activation code, you can activate your Edline account using the directions on the Edline web site (www.edline.net). Students and parents receive different activation codes and should keep their Edline accounts separate.

Hornsby Middle School

2013-2014 PTSA Board
Donna Jones President
President@HornsbyPTSA.org

Committee Chairs
Ginney Tenney PTSA Membership Penny Jo Adams Spirit Wear Erin Schleicher Hospitality Kelly Kelly Blayton Liaison Christine Estep Spirit Night Danny Mangosing Publicity/PR Ruth Larson Council Rep / Legislation Tami Flowers Hawk Hike Aaron Williams Beautification Jeannine Colarossi Honor Roll Crystal Thibeault Spring Fundraiser Amy Unger Dances Cindi Exton & Allison Williams Coffee Cart VACANT Teacher Appreciation Week Lisa Stoddard & Cindi Webber Reflections VACANT 8th Grade Dance VACANT Sweet Talk VACANT Collections VACANT Mini Grants Stacey Petruszynski Hawk Eye Helpers Kelly Metcalf-Meese Spelling Bee VACANT Teacher Rep

Trish Armstrong Vice President Louise Denkins Secretary

VicePresident@HornsbyPTSA.org

Michael Wells Treasurer

Treasurer@HornsbyPTSA.org

Secretary@HornsbyPTSA.org

Dr. Byron Bishop Principal

bishopb@wjcc.k12.va.us

Hornsby PTSA web site: http://www.hornsbyptsa.org

Students are already anticipating the renewal of our Annual Purple & Gold Dance in October. Those Sweet Talks with student PTSA members will be held periodically throughout the year, providing not only a sweet treat for our members but a sweet (but short) break from class. Our Honor Roll recognition celebrations will continue to provide treats and recognition to those hard-working students who make the Honor Roll each marking period. These wonderful activities are only the beginning.

Welcome from the PTSA President

Welcome to a new and very promising year at Hornsby Middle School. Each year, the PTSA sets out to assist our administration in creating the best possible environment for our Hornsby students, teachers and staff. The 2013-2014 school year continues that tradition. This year, the PTSA will contribute its time, energy, and resources to the Hornsby Community in many ways. We have many exciting plans as we start the new school year. The PTSA will continue its tradition of offering Mini-Grants to deserving Hornsby staff. Thanks to the hard work and generous donations of our PTSA members, we plan to increase the number of Mini-Grants this year. These grants allow teachers to obtain special classroom equipment and supplies to assist in reaching their students, but which are not available in the school budget. Our PTSA will continue the tradition of raising health and fitness awareness as well as funds for the school all at the same time through our 5th Annual Hawk Hike to be held in November.

offered memberships to our student body in addition to our parents and teachers. And what a great way this has turned out to be to get our students more involved in their school! Student involvement lets our children play an active part in PTSA activities, from providing meaningful input into dances, Mini-Grants, Website and Membership, to deciding how to raise and spend PTSA funds. This provides involvement, opportunities for developing leadership and decision-making skills while giving the children a meaningful voice in school activities. We would love to expand on the theory this year, with a goal of bringing more students into the committees and operations of the PTSA. If you have a student that would like to get more involved and play an active role in deciding how some things run at Hornsby, have them contact us!! If they have specific desires about helping with a specific committee, we would love to have them.

Look for more information to come! Two years ago we changed our organization by recognizing the need for a Student voice and becoming a State-Recognized Parent/Teacher/Student Association, or PTSA. This change means that we
when you join. By choosing to volunteer with you PTSA, you put your skills and hobbies to use for a great cause your child and all children in the community. Speak Up - Every PTSA member has a vote. The first function of the PTSA is an advocacy group for our children and families. You do make a difference. See Improvement - Be a part of the solution, help make positive changes. Local PTAs play an important role in fundraising to provide teacher support, provide family and student programs, and engaging social events. Be a Role Model Demonstrate to your child the importance you place on education. Enjoy the Benefits - At Hornsby, PTSA students enjoy Sweet Talks and other special PTSA privileges throughout the year.

Keep checking our website. The PTSA is working on several exciting announcements for Spring 2014. Donna Jones Hornsby Middle School PTSA President e-mail: President@HornsbyPTSA.org

What is the PTSA? Why join PTSA?

The number one reason to join the Parent (family) Teacher Student Association is to benefit your child. You also help your school. But there are many more PTSA advantages: Get connected - know what's happening in your school. Discover Resources Leadership training, networks of people,

Parent/Adult Memberships: Student Memberships: Faculty/Staff Memberships: Community Memberships:

ideas and resources, grants, scholarships. Tap into a Network Membership to VA PTSA and NATIONAL PTA are a part of your Hornsby PTSA Membership. Go to www.VAPTA.org and/ or www.PTA.org to activate your card and get more membership benefits. Watch Yourself Grow Just by joining, you are supporting your child and your school. There is no time commitment

Individuals and local units can take advantage of a host of benefits Go to www.PTA.org to activate your card for even more from our Partners. Everyoneparents, educators, students and other citizens active in their schools and communitiesis invited to join our not-for-profit parent teacher student association.

Why put the S in PTSA?

We want to make every child's potential a reality; We recognize our students and encourage their involvement in this organization; Students are intergenerational collaborators and advocates; Students will gain useful skills: community service, decision making, conflict resolution, teamwork and public speaking; They are liaisons from the student body to the PTSA; The are full of great ideas and wonderful input; Putting the S in PTSA allows the students to take ownership and responsibility in their school; and finally because They are ready for this.

2013-2014 Lois S. Hornsby Middle School PTSA Membership Form

Yes, I want to join Hornsby's PTSA. I know that as a member of the Hornsby PTSA, I will automatically become a member in the Virginia and National PTA and will be able to take advantage of the benefits of the PTA. Circle one Type of Membership Grade @ $6.00 each $ @ $6.00 each $ @ $6.00 each $ @ $6.00 each $ Donation to the PTSA: $ Total Enclosed: $ Cash Check Check#____________ Member Name: Member Name: Member Name: Member Name: M / F M / F M / F M / F
Circle one

P P P P

T T T T

S S S S

6 6 6 6

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Please make checks payable to: Hornsby PTSA. There will be a fee of $38 on all returned checks. Return completed form and membership / donation funds to: Hornsby PTSA, c/o Membership Chair, 850 Jolly Pond Road, Williamsburg, VA 23188
Student's Name:!__________________________________________________________________!Grade: 6 7 8! Homeroom:_____________________ (For Card Distribution) Address:_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Family E-mail:!______________________________________________________________ (E-mail addresses will be used for Hornsby PTSA Signup Genius, Updates and Opportunities) Family Phone:!____________________________________________ My children are in the following Grades: 6 7 8! (circle all those that apply) I hereby OPT OUT of any use of my name, number, photos of my child or myself that are used for PTSA purposes only.