Principal's Message May 2, 2025 (school painting, EOG and retests, EOG study resource, staff appreciation week help, family survey, and more!)
Hello Heritage Families!
Oh my goodness, so much going on here at HMS!!!! Couple of things first. Our school is still getting painted. All main hallways are complete along with the two soffits in the building (right when you come in and near the cafeteria). The trim will be done next week and I have truly enjoyed hearing the excitement from kids, staff, and families to say how it looks so good. Looking forward to you all seeing it soon.
Upcoming Events:
- Tuesday, May 6: PTA meeting 6:30 PM in media center
- Wednesday, May 7: NJHS Induction Ceremony at 6 PM
- Tuesday, May 13: Band Performance
- Tuesday, May 13: 8th grade Cultural Arts Performance during 8th-grade students' electives
- Wednesday, May 14: Flora Festival
- Flora Festival is an annual HMS fund raising event. Wednesday 5/14 from 4:00 - 6:00 after school, will be Student vs. Staff kickball & soccer games, Carnival games (cornhole, egg races, sidewalk art, and face painting to name a few), and food. Kona ice & Kona Pizza (https://konopizzardu.com) will be there as well as concessions. Everyone is welcome to come out and enjoy the fun, so bring the whole family. Tickets are $6 which can be paid in cash at the event or by using the Go Fans app. https://gofan.co/event/3531743?schoolId=NC68157 Come out and see our student leadership in action!
- Thursday, May 15: Chorus Performance
Carpool and Walker's Pass
Over the past three days, we conducted a trial by staggering student dismissals using walker passes to assess whether this approach could enhance carpool efficiency and ensure a safer exit for our students. We sincerely appreciate your patience and cooperation during this trial period. After evaluating the trial, we will revert to our standard dismissal procedure, where all students are dismissed simultaneously.
Please know that student safety remains our top priority. We are actively collaborating with WCPSS Risk Management to explore further improvements to traffic flow, especially as we prepare for the return of all tracks.
EOY 8th Grade Celebrations - Save the date/time!
- Track 1 - May 28th at 11 am
- Track 4 - June 25th at 11 am
- Track 3 - June 26th at 11 am
Please reach out to your child's teacher/s with any questions about the celebration.
EOG/EOC Testing Dates and Save the Dates for Remediation/Retesting
Testing dates for track 1:
- Tuesday, May 20 - Reading EOG
- Wednesday, May 21 - Math EOG/EOC
- Thursday, May 22 - Science EOG (8th) & 7th Math for Math 1 7th grade students
- Friday, May 30 - ELA Retesting
- Monday, June 2 - Math Retesting
Testing dates for Tracks 3 & 4:
- Thursday, June 12 - Begin NC Extend 1
- Tuesday, June 17 - Reading EOG
- Wednesday, June 18 - Math EOG/EOC
- Friday, June 20 - Science EOG (8th) & 7th Math for Math 1 7th grade students
- Friday, June 27 - ELA Retesting
- Monday, June 30 - Math Retesting
Students in Grades 6-8 will take the Math and Reading EOG/ EOC State Test, and 8th grade Science EOG at the end of this school year. Should your child meet the criteria for our EOG/ EOC Remediation and Readministration program you will receive an invitation for your child to attend. For your planning purposes, the program dates for the end of the school year are: May 30 and June 2 for track 1 and on the dates of June 27 and June 30 for tracks 3, 4. Transportation, breakfast, and lunch will be provided. Any questions, please reach out to our testing coordinator Ms. Onofre at tonofre@wcpss.net.
EOG Prep LearningExpress available for 4-8 graders
https://www.nclive.org/r/learningexpress
EOGs are just around the corner! Help your students succeed with LearningExpress! This user-friendly online tool provides elementary and middle school students (grades 4-8) with targeted practice in math and English language arts. With interactive tutorials, practice tests, and skill-building exercises, LearningExpress supports both classroom learning and independent study. Whether you're a teacher, parent, or student, this resource is a great way to reinforce key concepts and boost test readiness. Start practicing today! Visit LearningExpress for free access with your library card.
Staff Appreciation Week (May 12 - 16)
Although officially staff appreciation week is the week of May 5, we are waiting for all staff to be tracked in to enjoy in the festivities and show our appreciation for their hard work and dedication! So, how can you join in the celebration and apprecation?
- Volunteer by clicking here.
- Donate by clicking here.
- Do you have a teacher or staff member you would like to recognize for making HMS a great place to learn and grow? Please use this link to submit Notes of Appreciation! These messages will be delivered to staff members the week of May 12th. Let's fill their buckets up!!!!
Family Survey - please complete!
Parents - we really want to hear from you. Only 15% of our families have responded! We respect your feedback and your feedback is what helps us grow so we can be better for your and our students. Please complete today! Open through May 16! Complete the survey once for each school where you have a child enrolled. If you have more than one child enrolled in the same school, you will only need to complete the survey once.
Athletics
It's the last week of the athletic season for home games, and this week, all students can attend the games for free! On Tuesday, our boys' soccer team will host River Bend at 4 pm. Then, on Thursday, our girls' softball team will host Neuse River at 4:15. Tickets are $6 on GoFan or available for cash purchase at the gate! Come out and cheer on your Patriots!
Meet the Coach's Night!
For any rising 9th-grade athletes, please save the date for the following Meet the Coaches Nights at your high school:
- Wake Forest HS - May 20 at 6pm (Lindsey gym) - DATE CHANGE TO HS PLAYOFFS
- Rolesville HS - May 19 at 6pm (main gym)
- Heritage HS - May 21 at 7pm
- Wakefield HS - May 22 at 6pm (main gym)
HMS Football Camp!
The Heritage Football Camp will start on Tuesday, May 13th and is open for all 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. Camp will run on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 3:15-4:45. You will need water and tennis shoes. In order to participate, you must have all of your Dragonfly paperwork submitted (http://dragonflymax.com/forms/P3GSFT) and up to date. If you have football camp questions, please see Coach Wrighten. If you have Dragonfly questions, please see Mr. Miles.
May Membership Drive: Join HMS Athletic Boosters
The Heritage Middle School Athletic Booster Club is now official and welcoming membership! Join today, either through membership ($25 per family) or corporate sponsorship. Help us reach our goal to have 100 families join this spring! You can also donate to the Booster Club in its inaugural year in any amount at your discretion. Membership contributions go toward purchasing safety gear, updating uniforms, equipment, and providing quality coaches for our teams.
Sports Physicals
Student-athletes, get ready for the 2025-2026 season with a $10 sports physical at OrthoNC AND support Heritage Athletics simultaneously! Open to all levels of athletes. All proceeds go directly back to Heritage! You do not need to wait for your annual physical with your Primary Care Physician. Secure one of the OrthoNC physicals and you are guaranteed to be covered for the entire school year.
Sign up here: https://orthonc.com/services/sports-physicals
PTA Updates:
- Next PTA meeting is May 6 at 6:30 in Media Center. All are welcome! We're still looking for someone to come forward to act as Treasurer and VP.
- Staff Appreciation Week Coming Soon! See attached flyer. Sign Up to Volunteer & SIgn Up to Donate
- 8th Grade Dance: The 8th grade dance will be held May 30 from 6-8pm. It will take place in the HMS Cafeteria. Snacks will be available for purchase and Kona Ice will also be available for purchase. This is for HMS 8th Grade Students ONLY. 6/7th graders and Non-HMS guests (including siblings) are not permitted. Students tend to like to dress up for this event. Please note: WCPSS dress code applies and students will not be permitted to leave until the dance is over.
Tickets can be purchased online before the dance for $5 or $10 in cash at the door the night of the dance (exact amount). Click here to purchase tickets. Online ticket sales will close May 27 at 5p.m Tickets will be distributed by the student’s homeroom teacher on May 29th.
PARENTS: WE NEED YOUR HELP! DANCE VOLUNTEER SIGN UP HERE (YOU MUST BE A WCPSS VOLUNTEER: Sign Up Here **Please note that you must complete the WCPSS background clearance to serve as a volunteer. You must submit the WCPSS background clearance by no later than May 16, 2025 to serve as a volunteer. Click here to submit for background clearance.
Phew, that was a lot! Thank you for making it to the end. Have a great weekend!
Yours,
Amy Light, Principal
