Hastings High School 520 W. South St., Hastings, MI 49058

Office (269) 948-4409 Fax (269) 948-8081 Principal Teresa Heide, teresa.heide@hassk12.org

From the Desk of Mrs. Heide Dear HHS Families, Welcome to 2020! I’m sure you are as shocked as I am as to how fast the year has progressed! Wow! Our Seniors have one semester to go, which is very bitter-sweet for me! I’m so excited to see them prepare for their next steps in life, yet am sad to think about them leaving Hastings High School! These young men and women, as well as the rest of our students, have been such a blessing to me! They are kind, energetic, fun to be around, serious, empathetic, passionate, silly, happy, etc. It’s certainly a joy to watch them change over the year, becoming more serious about their academic footprint, or excelling in the sports arena, or taking a giant leap of faith and putting themselves front and center on a stage performing in front of hundreds! Amazing young people! I have to say that I am blessed! Kids just don’t happen like this overnight, though. Kudos to all of you for your consistent drive to put your students first when it comes to getting a great education! Thank you for that! Of course, it does take a village, so hats off to our wonderful teaching staff! So many of them have found the perfect balance of encouraging students to step out of their comfort zones, yet supporting them when they fall. Of course, we all know who’s in charge up here...that’s right...the ladies in the office! They run this ship and make sure our students and staff get what they need! We are so fortunate, too, for the counseling staff. The number of schedule changes they make, the number of tissues they offer, and the careful words of encouragement they share to anxious hearts melt me inside. These ladies are so very special and take perfect care of our students. Our students, while still adjusting to the Cell Phone/Personal Electronic Device Ban, have really been very respectful and cooperative this semester. Knowing that students will have 7 hours of uninterrupted learning allows all of us to accept and move forward with this change. Thank you for your support! Maybe I’m a little biased, but I think we have some of the best students and families in the area! Our faculty and staff members are top in their field, providing their best for our students. Our vision for student success, emotional stability, the ability to think and learn at a deep level, kindness and empathy for others, and being competitive to the outside world drive us every day. Hang on to your seat because the rest of the year is going to fly by. I invite you to look at the rest of the newsletter for upcoming dates and other news. As always, if you have any questions, please call us at any time. Again, welcome to the New Year and blessings for a productive and safe second semester! Kindly, Mrs. Teresa Heide

HHS News January 2020

Athletics

Sports Schedules

To view games and event dates, check out our Sports Schedules online at www.hassk12.org/athletics

Upcoming Events

January • Jan. 10-11 - Drama Mystery: Clue On Stage • Jan. 10 - BPA Regional Conference • Jan. 10 - Report cards mailed home • Jan. 17 - Half day of school (dismissal 11:15 am) • Jan. 18 - Science Olympiad to Haslett • Jan. 20 - Board of Ed. Meeting at MS Commons • Jan. 22 - FAFSA Completion Night • Jan. 27-31 - Winterfest Week • Jan. 30 - FFA Districts • Jan. 30 - HS Choir Pre-Festival Concert February • Feb. 1 - Snowball Dance • Feb. 1 - MSVMA HS Choir Solo and Ensemble • Feb. 4 - HS Symphonic Band & 8th grade

Pre-Festival Concert • Feb. 5 - HS Concert Band & 7th grade

Pre-Festival Concert • Feb. 5 - FAFSA Completion Night • Feb. 8 - MSBOA HS Band Solo and Ensemble • Feb. 11 - MSVMA Choral Festival • Feb. 12 - Count Day • Feb. 13 - FFA Regionals • Feb. 17 - No School (Mid-Winter Break) • Feb. 19 - Blood Drive • Feb. 22 - Science Olympiad to Allendale • Feb. 26 - MSBOA District Band Festival at HHS

SNOWBALL Dance

This year’s Snowball will be held Saturday, February 1, from 8:00pm - 11:00pm in the CERC. Tickets will be on sale during lunches starting Monday, January 27, through Friday, January 31. Cost is $10 each. All grades 9th-12th welcome!

Senior Class of 2020

Photo Deadline!

Senior Portraits and Toddler Pictures for the yearbook are due to Mrs. Kingma by January 17. Contact Mrs. Kingma for details!

Counseling Department

Erin Bargo, Counselor Cathy Longstreet, Counselor Renee Herbert, Counselor Amy Collins, Counseling Secretary

The Counseling Department began meeting with all grade levels to introduce them to Naviance. Naviance will be used for Educational Development Plans and College Career lessons, which are a state requirement.

The Counseling Department is meeting with juniors to go over PSAT/NMSQT scores. Students will be taught how to link their College Board accounts with Khan Academy for personalized SAT practice. This will help them prepare for the SAT test. In April, juniors will complete the Michigan Merit Exam over three days. The SAT test will be Tuesday, April 14, the ACT WorkKeys will be

Wednesday, April 15, and the M-Step test will be Thursday, April 16. All three tests are graduation requirements and must be completed during the same school year. Please be sure your student attends all three test days.

Seniors – as you hear admission decisions from colleges, know that you have until May 1 to choose the school to attend next fall. We do NOT recommend committing to a school at this point as you have not received financial award letters from each school that you were accepted to. This information is crucial in helping to decide which school to attend. Ms. Bargo and Mrs. Longstreet will share information regarding interpreting college award letters soon.

Seniors! The Barry Community Foundation will be sending a representative to the school to assist our seniors with filling out the BCF Scholarship applications. This will be during English classes on Wednesday, January 22.

FYI - Hastings High School’s Local Scholarship Packet, which

includes HEEF Scholarships and many of the scholarships awarded at Senior Honors Night, will be shared with seniors during the senior meeting later in March.

FAFSA priority filing deadline is March 1 in Michigan.

Families may file their FAFSA after this date, but for priority consideration for financial assistance

with college, students should aim to file the FAFSA by this date.

Advisory/Lunch Time Visits

The Counseling Department schedules college and

military representative visits during lunch time and

Advisory. For lunch time visits, students bring their

lunches to the designated area to meet with reps

while they eat. Students interested in learning more

about these organizations need to sign up with Mrs.

Collins in Student Services by 9 a.m. the day of the

visit. Advisory Visit

Jan. 14 — US Army Jan. 23 — Kellogg Community College

Mr. Smith’s Corner Welcome back, Saxons! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas Break! Cell Phone Policy - A friendly reminder that student cell phones are no longer permitted at Hastings High School between 8:00 AM and 3:00 PM. Students, please make sure that your phone is turned off and placed in your book bag or locker. Students also have the option to drop the phone off at the office at the beginning of the day and pick it up at the end of the day. Parent Contact - Parents, if you need to get a message to your child throughout the school day, please contact the front office at 269-948-4409 and we will be happy to assist you. We appreciate your cooperation and support! STRONG - Here at Hastings High School, we are Saxon STRONG! Let’s continue to be Supportive, Trustworthy, Respectful, Open-minded, Noble, and Gritty. Here’s to a great second semester! Happy New Year! - Mr. Smith

“What the new year brings to you will depend a great deal on what you bring to the new year.” - Vern McClellan

Saxon STRONG

Gaming & Chess Club The Gaming & Chess Club will be meeting on Tuesday, January 14, and Tuesday, January 28, after school in room D-207. We hope to play SETTLERS OF CATAN for the month of January! Come join us! All HHS students are welcome!

THANK YOU!!

We received several generous donations of cold/flu supplies and classroom supplies that

were distributed throughout our high school building!

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who donated these items for our teachers! We are very blessed to have the

support of our amazing families and community!

The HHS Drama Department proudly announces our production of Clue: A Murder Mystery. This play, based off of the cult-classic film Clue (which was based off the popular board game), is a fun-filled adventure of murder, mystery, and laughs. Fun for the whole family! Performances are on January 10 and January 11 at 7:00 pm in the Hastings Performing Arts Center. Tickets can be purchased at the door for Adults $9, Seniors $7, Students/Children $5. The cast has been working very hard and they await your arrival!

Save the Date!

January 30 HS Choir Pre-Festival Concert

February 4 HS Symphonic Band & 8th grade Pre-Festival Concert

February 5 HS Concert Band & 7th grade Pre-Festival Concert

February 11 MSVMA Choral Festival

February 26 MSBOA District Band Festival at HHS

March 12-14 Spring Musical: “The Little Mermaid”