Welcome back Blackhawks!

We are looking forward to Tuesday, August 22 and the start of classes. The halls and rooms will be filled with students and teachers ready for their next chapter to start. It's always fun to see the students growth and maturity over the summer and their excitement for the new year. We expect them soaring to success this year. We want to continue to build towards the future and prepare our young people for anything the future brings.

What's New?

• Friday Early Dismissals. Every Friday, except Homecoming week, we will be dismissing two hours early for teacher collaboration and professional development time.
• All students 4th through 12th will have chromebooks for our one-to-one initiative. Students in the PK-3 will be using ipads.
• Preschool Playground - thanks to a grant completed by the Mrs. Rhodes and the preschool staff the preschool playground was replaced this summer and it's amazing.
• 4th - 6th Playground - thanks to the HPA fundraising we were able to get some financial help for some playground additions. Soon new playground equipment will be in place which was selected based on student input.
• Handicap parking at the football field and a walkway for the visitors.
• Softball Dugout - thanks to a Twins Grant and softball fundraising the school was able to update the softball dugout.
• English Language Arts Curriculum - the PK-6th grade replaced their English curriculum
• Facility and Planning Agreement - the school board has made an agreement with SiteLogiq to begin studying our facilities and help us develop a master plan for short term and long term building and facility needs.
• Handrail at high school is getting powder coated and will be reinstalled
• New desks in the third grade
• Updated flooring in a few high school rooms.
• HVAC updates have been made where needed.

Our custodial and grounds crew had a busy summer and they have done a great job in getting the school ready to go. We are also excited to have Lunchtime Solutions fueling our students through the breakfast and lunch program. Below is a button for you to click to see the monthly menus.

Our theme this year is, "WATCH US SOAR!" We look forward to highlighting our Blackhawks across the district and how they are soaring.

Property Tax History:

I will be sharing some financial snapshots throughout the year to show how the we are doing fiscally. Below you will see the property tax history of the district over the last 12 years. This year is the lowest rate it has been in those 12 years.

Let Me Introduce Myself

My name is Kathy Rhodes and I have the honor of being the Preschool through Third Grade principal. This is my 32nd year as an elementary principal and my eighth year working with the talented and dedicated Hinton Elementary staff and students. I am married to Dean who works at Total Motors in Le Mars. We have four children, Taylor who teaches in Moore, OK, is married to Josh and gave me my three beautiful grandchildren (Delilah, 8; Caleb, 4; and Noah, 1), Logan who works at Wells Blue Bunny, Madison who is in her 4th year of med school in Philadelphia, and Mitch who is in his 2nd year of studying kinesiology at USD. I look forward to getting to know you and your children better as we work together to help your child/children develop the skills they will need to fulfill their future dreams. Feel free to contact me by phone (947-4327), e-mail (Kathy.rhodes@hintonschool.com), or make an appointment to stop by and visit if you have suggestions, questions, or concerns.

Classroom Wish Lists

Over the summer, a parent requested that we post links to the teacher’s Amazon wish lists for their classrooms because they like to donate items for the classroom. The parent sent me a link to view how other schools do this. We have put a link together for our Hinton staff so parents/guardians who desire to donate to classrooms, can do so knowing that their donation is something the teacher would be able to use. If a list is not available the first time you check, keep checking. The spreadsheet will be updated as teachers create their lists. As you are back-to-school shopping for your child consider knocking a few items off of their teacher's classroom wish list!

Click on the link above in the newsletter.

Orientation for Families New to the Hinton District

A meeting will be held on August 22 in the 4-12 library from 6:00-6:30 to share information with families new to our district. The school counselors and principals will be available to share information and answer any burning questions you may have. Open houses will follow this meeting.

Open House

Open house is a great opportunity to meet the teacher, explore the classroom, drop off school supplies, and tour the building. Stopping by the classroom with a parent can go a long ways toward easing any new school year jitters and allows parents and students to get their questions answered. Several community youth organizations will be set up in the commons to share information on their programs.

Doors will open for the TK-3 open house at 6:25 on Monday, August 22, 2022. All families are asked to enter through our main doors. We have 3 year old open house and 4 year old intake meetings occurring at the preschool end of the building so only preschool families should enter through the preschool doors. TK-3 parents will not be admitted prior to 6:25 to allow teachers time to get back to their classrooms before students and parents arrive.

New Staff

We have several new staff members joining us this year in the PK-3 building. Mrs. Alexandra Rosacker will be teaching 3rd grade. Anni Funke will join our team as a special education paraprofessional. We have three staff members in shared positions, meaning the state provides sharing dollars because they are shared with other school districts. Those staff members are Jill Myers who will be our English Learners Coordinator and assist with school counseling on Tuesdays, Dean Hawthorne as a school social worker, and Lori Kounkel as our Curriculum Director. Bailey Jauer will be working the late afternoon shifts in our preschool childcare program.

First Day of School

The first day of school is Tuesday, August 23, 2022, for preschool and TK-12. The TK-3 doors open at 8:00 a.m. Staff will be at the east and south doors from 8:00-8:15 to greet students as they arrive each day of the school year. Parents who wish to walk their child to their classroom may do so from August 23-26. After the first week of school, we ask that parents drop students off on the south side and let them walk to their classroom independently. Staff will be available in the commons and halls during the first couple of weeks to guide any students who are still unsure of the way to their classroom.

Breakfast is served in the commons from 8:00-8:20. Students are expected to be in the classroom and ready to learn by 8:25. It is important for students to arrive at school on time to ensure they feel prepared/organized at the beginning of the day and they do not miss any learning opportunities.

Pick Up/Drop Off

Please observe the “No Parking” areas in front of the school between the hours of 7:45 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. The buses use the lane in front of the school for drop off and pick up before and after school. Parents dropping off or picking up their children for TK-3 should park in the south lot and children should enter/exit through the south entrance. We ask that children not be dropped off in front of the building on the east side between 8:00 and 8:15. Using the south lot where children do not have to cross in front of the buses is a MUCH safer option.

Preschool parents should use the north lot for drop off after 7:45 and pick up prior to 4:00.

PBIS Community Connections

We would like to expand our list of business contacts that might be interested in helping provide PBIS incentives. Currently Sugar Shack, Dairy Queen, Junkyard Pub n' Grub, Burger King, Chick-fil-A, and Texas Roadhouse supply incentives. If you have a contact for any other businesses that might be willing to support this program, please send the name of the business and contact to danica.held@hintonschool.com.

Label Donations

We greatly appreciate families saving Country Hearth proofs of purchase and sending them to school. It is amazing how quickly these things that would normally be thrown in the trash, add up to bring rewards to school projects.

HyVee Receipts

Our preschool raises funds by collecting Sioux City and South Sioux City HyVee receipts (receipts from LeMars cannot be used). Last year these receipts brought $340 to our program. Please send in any and all South Sioux City or Sioux City HyVee receipts dated between September 1, 2022 and May 1, 2023 to help us earn extra money to purchase needed items for our preschool program. Receipts can be dropped off at the elementary office between the hours of 7:45 and 3:45 or sent to school with any of our students.

Dates to Mark on Calendar

Aug. 26 - 2 hr Early dismissal for Staff Professional Development

Sept. 2- 2 hr. Early dismissal for holiday

TK-5 Cheer Camp Registrations due

Sept. 5 - No School

Sept. 9 - 2 hr early dismissal for PD

Sept. 12 - School Store Fundraiser begins

Sept. 14 - Fire Drill

Sept. 15 - 1:00-1:45 Preschool PBIS

Sept. 16 - 2 hr. Early Dismissal for PD

1:30-3:30 TK-5 Cheer Camp in elementary gym

Sept. 19 - 7:00 School Board Meeting

Sept. 23 - Homecoming (No early dismissal)

Sept. 29 - School Picture Day

Sept. 30 - 2 hr. Early Dismissal for PD

Hello Blackhawks! My name is Brian DeJong and I am blessed to be the 4-6 Principal and 7-12 Athletic Director here at Hinton. I also serve the district as JV softball coach. This will be by 26th year in education, 15 as an administrator. I have two children, Jack who lives and works in Ames, and Maddie who is a Senior at SBL. My stepson Justin lives in Omaha and he is a certified plumber. I come from a family of educators and athletic minded people! I love all types of sports either particiapting or watching. My favorite teams are the Oklahoma Sooners, Pittsburgh Steelers, and of course the Cubs. Feel free to contact me by phone 947-4428, email is brian.dejong@hintonschool.com if you have questions or concerns. I look forward to another great year at Hinton!

NEW STAFF

Mr. Nolan Heese (hazey) will be teaching 4th grade. Mr. Heese comes to us after teaching and coaching at Remsen St. Marys for two years. He is a graduate from Harlan. Mr. Heese will be coaching C team volleyball and will serve the district as MS boys track coach.

Kayla Fay will be teaching 4-6 Special Education. Mrs. Fay returns to HInton after teaching in Sioux City. We are fortunate to have her in our building.

DROP OFF

All students when they arrive are to meet in the Multi Purpose Room (MPR) until 8:10 AM. At that time students will be dismissed to classrooms. We do not want students roaming the halls before 8:10 AM.

CEEL PHONES/TECHNOLOGY/ITEMS FROM HOME

All cell phones/technology are to be off and put away when students enter the building. We encourage all items (trading cards, trinkets, etc) to be left at home to avoid any potential drama. Should you need to contact your child please call Janet Held at 947-4428. Also if your child needs to contact you for something they are more than welcome to see Janet Held and we will allow them to call home from the office.

OPEN HOUSE

4-6 open house will be August 22 from 7-8:00 PM. Please feel free to stop up and get aquainted to the building and drop off items. School will start Augus 23.

NEW FAMILY ORIENTATION

A meeting will be held on August 22 in the 4-12 library from 6-6:30. School counselors and administrators will be in attendance to answer any questions you may have.

ATHLETICS

Last year was a great year for our athletic teams. We had more athletes participate in the state track meet than in previous years, we had a state champ in the long jump, our baseball team was district champs and was one game from state, and the softball team won the conference for the first time in over 30 years!

• Sports passes are available for you. Please contact Diane Fay at 947-4328.
• Admission for Varsity athletic events will be $6 K-Adults. JV events will be $3 Adults $1 students
• Fall MS sports will start August 23. Practices will be held Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 2:40-4:15. Wednesday 2:40-3:15 and Friday 12:30-1:15. On Wednesday and Friday students should be on the bus to go home immediately after school.
• Before your child can practice in an athletic event they need a physical taken and concussion form submitted. Those forms are on our website under ATHLETICS.
• CHECK OUT THESE WEBSITES FOR ATHLETIC QUESTIONS
• https://www.hintonschool.com/
  
• https://www.iahsaa.org/
  
• https://ighsau.org/
  
• All post season tournament games will require online ticket orders. Those details will come out before the event. Please pass this word on as it is the wave of the future.

SPORTSMANSHIP

Please read the article in regards to sportsmanship at our events home or away.

EVENT EXPECATATIONS

Football games please we expect students to watch the game and not be across the streets at the baseball or softball fields.

When we host events in our gym we expect students to be in the gym watching rather than in the hallways or MPR.

GO BLACKHAWKS!

My name is Phil Goetstouwers and I am starting my 3rd year as the 7-12 principal in Hinton, 12th year as a middle school/high school principal, and my 20th career year in education. I have really enjoyed building relationships with our students and staff and seeing the many different individual and group successes along the way. My wife, Catherine, works from home as a school psychologist and my children, Isabella and Adriana, are starting 3rd and 1st grade in Hinton. Besides being an obvious Blackhawks fan, I'm an avid Detroit Lions fan. My two hobbies outside of school and family are pickleball and kubb. I welcome you to stop in, call at 712-947-4328, or email me at phil.goetstouwers@hintonschool.com anytime.

SwiftK12

Please remember to sign up for SwiftK12. We use SwiftK12 specifically for grades 7-12 to quickly send mass texts, emails, and calls to parents and students alerting them of school delays, cancellations, and other important school messages. To sign up, log in to PowerSchool (can do this from our school website), then you will see a navigation menu on the left side of the screen. At the top you will see SwiftReach SwiftK12. Click on that icon/words and complete the information. If you have additional questions about that, please let me know or email Ben Hertenstein at ben.hertenstein@hintonschool.com. Our school also uses other forms of communication like phone calls, emails, newsletters, Facebook, and Twitter, but the immediate or more pressing information for grades 7-12 will be sent at least through SwiftK12.

Classroom Wish Lists

As Mrs. Rhodes mentioned, a parent requested that we post links to the teacher’s Amazon wish lists for their classrooms because they like to donate items for the classroom. We have put a link together for our Hinton staff so parents/guardians who desire to donate to classrooms can do so knowing that their donation is something the teacher would be able to use. If a list is not available the first time you check, keep checking. The spreadsheet will be updated as teachers create their lists. As you are back-to-school shopping for your child consider knocking a few items off of their teacher's classroom wish list!

Click on the link below

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11EeXC6RgQqghV2ZkhtdbdxU5cOEPd8sjwk3WkaFojEc/edit?usp=sharing

Orientation for Families New to the Hinton District

A meeting will be held on August 22nd in the 4-12 library from 6:00-6:30 to share information with families new to our district. The school counselors and principals will be available to share information and answer any burning questions you may have. Open houses will follow this meeting.

WITCC Student Orientation

WITCC Student Orientation will be held at 6 pm on Monday, August 22nd in Mrs. Jacobs-List's classroom for our upperclassmen starting their online classes through Western Iowa Tech Community College. You will need your computer.

Open House

Open house is a great opportunity to meet the teacher, explore the classroom, drop off school supplies, perhaps tweak a student's schedule, and tour the building.

Open house for grades 4-12 will be from 7:00-8:00 pm Monday, August 22, 2022.

New Staff

We have a couple new teachers joining us this year in the 7-12 building: Mr. Clint Sargent will be our new business teacher and will be starting up a new student organization in the next year or two. Mrs. Jamie Renken will be our new 7th grade social studies and high school geography teacher. We also are adding three staff members in shared positions, meaning the state provides sharing dollars because they are shared with other school districts. Those staff members are Jill Meyers who will be our English Learners Coordinator and assist with school counseling on Tuesdays, Dean Watchorn as a school social worker, and Lori Kounkel as our Curriculum Director.

First Day of School

The first day of school is Tuesday, August 23, 2022. Unless students have early bird, school starts at 8:15, which is 5 minutes earlier than previous years. Students will report to their homerooms and receive their Chromebooks there, if not at Open House. Like in the past, we have a mandatory school assembly in the gymnasium that first day, starting with the seniors. Here is the schedule for that:

12th grade: 8:15-8:45

11th grade: 8:55-9:15

9th and 10th grade: 9:25-9:45

7th and 8th grade: 9:52-10:12

Get More Math

Starting 7th grade we use Get More Math curriculum, which is an online math program. So if your student is new to 7th grade or new to Hinton, or if you just want to help your student out with math more, I strongly encourage you to watch this video on Get More Math: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OJIEbFVFzo This will help your student and you understand how to navigate through it better and follow up on them to ensure they have completed the right number of questions.

Homecoming

Homecoming is the week of September 19-23rd. Coronation will be on Tuesday, September 20th, which is a change in the week as Coronation used to be on Thursdays. That decision was made for a couple reasons not in a particular order: 1) Thursday is the only day volleyball was an option that week and 2) the Homecoming King and Queen can be king and queen longer than just a day.

Go Blackhawks and "Watch Us Soar!"

WITCC Online Class Orientation - Bring Your Chromebook

First time online college students please attend the training to learn how to log-on and navigate the WITCC online classes. This will also include connecting you to Cengage - the online textbook service. The training session is in Mrs. Jacobs-List's classroom at 6:00 PM on Monday, August 22 which is Hinton's back-to-school night. You will need your computer. This is very important for your early success in college classes. Students with log-on issues and Cengage issues struggle and have a very high drop rate for the course in the first 3 days.

For those students who have taken WITCC online courses in the past, you will continue to use your same log-on credentials. You do not need to attend the meeting.

Schedules for 2022-2023

All paper schedules will be in folders on the stage in the big gym during Open House. They will be organized according to grade level. PowerSchool is also updated and schedules can be found there as well.

Schedule Changes for Semester 1 2022-2023

All schedule changes can be made on the first day of school. Each class will be called by intercom for schedule changes starting with the seniors. Schedule changes can continue to be made through Thursday, August 25. Please remember that all changes are considered requests and many sections are full; we will accommodate student requests as best as we can. We are a growing school! Watch us SOAR!

Courtney Casey joins our Blackhawk staff as the medical assistant. She has 17 years of experience in the medical field. She will be assisting Sue in all of her duties. At this time Courtney will start her day at 8:15 at the 4-12 building. Sue and Courtney will exchange places at noon. Courtney will finish her day at the Elementary school. Sue and Courtney have been busy organizing physicals, immunization records, and training to provide medical care to our students. No one is as excited to have her here as Sue.