March 3-7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

February 3-7

Good Evening Junior Titan Families

• February is here and with it is the opening of our new science building. February 6th at 9:30 AM we will officially open the classrooms with a ribbon cutting ceremony. We are so excited to have four brand new classrooms for the middle school. 
• Last week saw the end of basketball season. Congratulations to our Girls team on their first place finish. Congratulations to our Boys team on their 3rd place finish. 
• Flag Football is up next. Sign ups coming soon.
• 8th graders the deadline to vote on your class t-shirt design is Friday. Be sure and vote.
• Our February SSC meeting is on Wednesday the 5th at 3:30.

Let’s have a great week and as always Remember to Stay Titan Strong.  

---

January 28th, 2025

Good Evening Junior Titan Families

The opening of our New Science Building is just around the corner. There are some finishing touches on the exterior happening next week to make sure we are ready for the February 6th Ribbon Cutting Ceremony.

This past week our Boys and Girls Basketball teams won their playoff matches and are going for the championship this week.

The PTO is having a virtual meeting on Monday 1/27 from 7PM-8PM. See the post from Ms. Chen with additional details and the link to the meeting.

Congratulations to Madeshwar Suresh, Meleak Zewdineh, and Maxelin Gonzales. They place in our spelling bee and are going to the Regional Qualifier.

Have a great week and remember to Stay Titan Strong. 

---

December 20th, 2024

Greetings Junior Titan Families-

As we enter the Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Years break I want to start our weekly updates with some gratitude. Thank you to the students, staff and families of Hercules Middle School for such a great start to our year. Nothing is perfect, however there are so many positive things happening. Two Thirds of our students were on the first quarter honor roll. Our School Site Council has already met three times to date. Most years it is once or twice in the first semester. The teachers have held three parent nights- the Welcome Back Festival, 6th grade family night, and  Parent Volleyball night. The PTO held a wildly successful Zombie Run. Thank you all. A special thank you and appreciation is due to someone who has often been the first person you see when you enter Hercules Middle School for the entire 11 years we have been our own school. (Originally, the Middle School was part of the High School). Ms. Petroni is retiring at the end of December. She started off as a volunteer in 2001 for Hercules Middle High School. From there she worked part time in the career center and then took over student services for Hercules Middle School in 2014. We wish her the best in her new ventures. Thank you for being a part of Hercules Middle School Ms. Petroni.

 

And now the updates:

• A Titan Welcome to Ms. Lewis- our newest teacher. She has filled our RSP vacancy.

• Both the boys and girls basketball teams won this week. Good job Titans!

• The PE department held a Jingle Bell Run for fun yesterday. 100 plus students doing laps wearing bells was quite a sound. 

• On Wednesday the Music Appreciation class held a mini choir concert in the rotunda for the staff. 

• Thursday saw the return of the Student Staff Volleyball Game. This year the Staff took the win. 

• Thank you to the PTO for the staff luncheon on Wednesday. Plus a special thank you to Tina for the charcuterie spread. 

• Congratulations to Mr. Hahn's 6th period class on their award winning door decoration.

• When we return from the break there will be 2 weeks remaining in the Semester. 

• Winter dance ticket sales resume in the new year. $12 Cash. Tickets are also on sale at this link over the break. The dance is Friday January 10th 5:30-7:00. 

• Classes reconvene on January 6th. 

• Over the break please take some time to review good digital citizenship with your students. Discuss the importance of empathy and respect online. Remind students of the need to guard personal information and having solid passwords that are not shared with peers. Review social media and group chat posts. 

Have a fantastic break and as always Remember to Stay Titan Strong

---

Week of Dec. 16-20

Hello Junior Titan Families

With one week to go until break, here are the weekly updates:

• Winter Dance Tickets are on sale starting Monday 12/16. $12 Cash only. The Dance is on January 10th. 
• This is a spirit week
  • Monday Holly Jolly Hat & Socks
  • Tuesday Winter Twinning or tripleting or quading or….
  • Wednesday Ugly Sweater Contest
  • Thursday- student staff volleyball game. Students are the Icebreakers wear blue, Staff are the icebergs and wear White
  • Friday Cozy Day aka PJ day
• Thursday 12/19 is the next Principals Coffee Chat. This is an afternoon coffee chat that starts at 4:00 PM
• Last week saw the Boys and Girls Basketball teams both get Victories in their first games of the season. 
• Congratulations to all of our music students on last weeks concert. 

Let’s have a great week and Remember to Stay Titan Strong. 

---

Week of Dec. 9-13

 

Hello Junior Titan Families

There are just two weeks to go until the next break and before we know it it will be 2025. As we get into the second week of December here are the updates. 

• Progress reports were handed out today (12/6) during 7th period. Please review the progress report with your student. 

• December SSC meeting 12/11/24 @3:30

• The Winter Area Concert for Band & Orchestra is Wednesday December 11th starting at 7:00 PM in the High School Gym.

• Congratulations to Ms. Besas' first period class. They donated the most items to our canned food drive. 

• Basketball season is just about to start. Our first games are Thursday December 12th for the boys and girls. Both games are away. 

Safety continues to be an overall focus for us. At a Middle School, this takes on many different aspects. From telling students to slow down when running to class, reminding everyone about wearing their school ID’s, to having re-entry meetings when students return from suspensions, and many, many more things.

At home, you can help us with a few things we are noticing that are impacting our campus by having conversations with your students.

• First, traffic safety. Students are running across the street without looking, entering and exiting vehicles in the middle of Refugio Valley Road, and generally not being aware of their surroundings.
• Second, group chats and social media. We are getting increased reports of chats that include derogatory language, harassment, and threats. Many of these are from unknown numbers. Part of online safety is how to navigate these types of chats. We encourage you to have a conversation with your students about who is in their group chats, and the content of what is in them. Please reach out to the school if there are concerns.
• Lastly, appropriate use of technology. Students are very creative and aware of limitations and how to circumvent them. This can be looking for ways to stream movies in class, starting a group chat on a Google doc or older Google classroom link, or sharing proxy servers with their friends.

Please remind your students that at school, the focus should be on academics. These activities can interfere with their learning, and with the chats, create an environment that is not welcoming. Working together we can improve the safety of our students. 

 

Have a great weekend and Remember to Stay Titan Strong

---

Week of Nov. 18-22

Hello Junior Titan Families

With one week to go until the Thanksgiving Break there is a lot ​going on at the Middle School. 

• The Volleyball seasons wraps up next week with Semi Finals on Tuesday and hopefully the Finals on Thursday. 
• With the conclusion of Volleyball, it is time for Basketball to start. Sign-ups continue in the cafeteria and Try Outs start on Wednesday November 20th
• The 6th grade class was the top raiser for the PTO Zombie Run. The class will receive hot chocolate and donuts on Wednesday.
• The HMS Food Drive continues this week. The last day to drop off canned fruits, veggies, baby food, meat or dry beans and pasta is Friday November 22nd. 
• Friday November 22nd is a minimum day. Classes are dismissed at 1:45
• Looking ahead, progress reports will be distributed the week after Thanksgiving break. 

Next week we are focusing on our ​value of Titans are Kind. 

Have a ​great weekend and remember to Stay Titan Strong. 

---

Week of Nov. 4-8

Hello Junior Titan Families

Just a few updates for this week. 

• Tuesday November 5th is a minimum day. Classes are dismissed at 1:45
• Wednesday November 6th at 3:30 PM is our next SSC meeting. 
• Thank you to everyone who donated to the PTO Zombie Run fundraiser. With your help we raised over $22,000. 
• Coming next week we have Family Fitness Night on November 13th from 6-7 PM. Join the PE department for a night of Volleyball.

​Have a great night and remember to ​Stay Titan Strong

---

Week of Oct. 28-Nov. 1 Update

Hello Junior Titan Families

• Tomorrow is Halloween. Students are allowed to wear costumes but, no masks or face coverings, no weapons, no gore or drippy make up and the costume must meet dress code requirements.
• There will be a costume contest during lunch on the 31st.
• Halloween is a minimum day with classes dismissed at 1:45.
• Friday November 1st is regular day of school.
• All secondary schools are in session on Friday. 
  
• Thank you to the PTO and PE department for a tremendous Zombie Run. To date we are just $35 short of raising $22,000. There are still two days left to donate https://app.99pledges.com/fund/HMSzombierun
• First Quarter report cards are being mailed home this week.
  
• Next week, Tuesday November 5th is a minimum day. Classes are dismissed at 1:45.

---

Week of Oct. 21-25

Hello Junior Titan Families

Here are the weekly updates

• Last week in Volleyball the Boys and Girls teams won their games. Good work Titans!
• The 1st Quarter ends on Tuesday, October 22nd. Report Cards will be mailed home next week.
• The Zombie Run is this Friday, October 25th. There is still time to donate to the PTO fundraiser. 
• Halloween is coming up next week. Students are allowed to wear costumes but, no masks or face coverings, no weapons, no gore or drippy make up and the costume must meet dress code requirements. If you have questions about specifics, please contact the main office. There will be a costume contest during lunch on the 31st. 
• October 31st is a minimum day.

Have a great evening and remember to Stay Titan Strong

---

Week of Oct. 15-18

 

Hello Families,
October is a busy time of the school year. The first quarter is winding down. Middle school sports have started and we’ve settled into the rhythm of school. Last Thursday our boys and girls volleyball teams started the season off strong with wins. 

 

Coming up this week-

• No School on Monday. Classes resume on Tuesday.
• Wednesday 10/16 our Advanced Band and Orchestra have their first concert of the year. 7:00 PM in the High School gym.
• Thursday 10/17 to is the next coffee chat with the Principal. It is an afternoon chat starting at 4:00 PM.
• The district is hosting a "Parents As Partners conference on Saturday 10/26 from 9:00-1:00 at DeJean Middle School.
• Lastly, our Zombie Run Fundraiser is going strong. The run is Friday 10/25.

That’s all for the updates. Have a great day and remember to Stay Titan Strong. 

---

Good Evening Junior Titan Families

Just a few updates to start the week. First, the PTO is meeting tomorrow Monday October 7th at 6:30 PM in the Cafeteria. The PTO has a tremendous impact on our school all are welcome to tomorrow’s meeting.

Thursday, October 10th 5:00-7:00 PM the district is hosting College and Career Night at El Cerrito High School. Please see the flyer for additional details.

Have a great evening and remember to Stay Titan Strong.

---

Week of Sept. 30-Oct. 4

Greetings Junior Titan Families
Short updates for this week. 

• Progress reports where handed to students on Friday 9/27. Please review the progress report with your student.
• If you haven't completed the educational benefits form today is the deadline. The form is available on PowerSchool. Please see Ms. Chen's previous posts for details.
• Finally a HUGE thank you to the PTO and everyone who contributed to last years color run fundraiser. We have two BIG FANS installed in the Gym. They are making a huge difference. Thank you so much. 

---

Week of Sept. 16-20

Greetings Junior Titan Families

A few updates to start the week.

• First, thank you to everyone who attended Back to School Night. It was great to see so many families. The slides will be posted to our website and sent out on ParentSquare later in the week.

 

• We are doing make up iReady testing this week. Be sure to have your tablet charged and ready to go daily.

 

• Thursday the 19th is the first Principals Coffee Chat of the year. Please join us at 9:00 AM for coffee and snacks. This is a time of updates, questions and conversation. Sign-in in the main
  office.
  
  Have a great evening and remember to Stay Titan Strong.

---

Mid-Week Update Sept. 3-6

Hello Junior Titan Families

Here are some midweek updates

• iReady: Tomorrow and Friday, students will be taking the English and Math iReady diagnostic. Please make sure your students charges their tablet tonight and brings it to school tomorrow. 

 

• SSC & ELAC:  We are looking for Parents to join our School Site Council (SSC) and English Language Advisory Council (ELAC)
  • The SSC annually reviews and updates the School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA), including proposed expenditure of funds allocated to the school. The SSC supports student achievement through continuous development, monitoring, and evaluation of the SPSA. The SSC meets roughly once a month, and is composed of Parents, Students, Teachers and Staff members. This is an elected position, with a 2 year term. We have 2 vacancies to fill. If you are interested please fill out the linked form.
  • The ELAC provides the site with input in support of our English Learners. We need one member who is the parent of a student in ELD class. If you are interested please fill out the linked form. 

 

• ID’s: Students are required to wear their student ID’s while on campus and at school events. Please make sure your student has their ID with them every day. Students without an ID will report to the office or scan our QR codes in their classrooms to get one. Replacement ID’s cost $5.00 each. Please remind your student to wear their ID every day. 

 

• Back to School Night: Next Thursday, September 12th is Back to School Night. Families are invited to campus from 5:15-7:30. We will begin in the cafeteria from 5:15-6:00 with a parent welcome and information session. Class visits will go from 6:00-7:30. Students will bring home a half sheet of paper with more information on Tuesday. 

 

• Office Check In: Students who arrive at school after 9:00 AM must report to the office before going to class. Students arriving prior to 9:00 AM can proceed straight to their 1st period class. The turn around gate closes at 9:00 AM. After 9:00 please use the main gate to drop off students. 

 

Have a great evening and remember to stay Titan Strong.

---

Week of Sept. 3-6

Hello Junior Titan Families

The first two weeks of school are now in the books. All of our classrooms are staffed with either a teacher or a long-term substitute. The Welcome Back Festival last Friday was well attended and was an amazing time. I am excited for what this school year holds. 

Here are this week's updates:

Monday: Monday is the Labor Day Holiday. School is closed. We will see everyone on Tuesday.

SSC & ELAC:  We are looking for parents to join our School Site Council (SSC) and English Language Advisory Council (ELAC) 

• The SSC annually reviews and updates the School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA), including proposed expenditure of funds allocated to the school.
• The SSC supports student achievement through continuous development, monitoring, and evaluation of the SPSA.
• The SSC meets roughly once a month, and is composed of parents, students, teachers and staff members. This is an elected position, with a 2-year term. We have 2 vacancies to fill. If you are interested, please fill out the linked form.
• The ELAC provides the site with input in support of our English Learners. We need one member who is the parent of a student in ELD class. If you are interested, please fill out the linked form. 

ID’s: 

• Students are required to wear their student ID’s while on campus and at school events.
• Please make sure your student has their ID with them every day.
• Students without an ID will report to the office or scan our QR codes in their classrooms to get one.
• Replacement ID’s cost $5.00 each. Please remind your student to wear their ID every day. 

Band and Orchestra: As our Band and Orchestra classes are back in full swing, we are taking stock of all of our instruments. If your student borrowed an instrument over the last couple of years and you still have it home please return it to the office. We got a few back to start the year and hope to find a few more. 

 

As the year begins, I want to let you know that the school board has adopted an Antiracism Policy (0415.3) that the district is implementing. As we start the year, I want to remind everyone that racialized language causes real harm and is not permissible. In addition to being harmful, this type of language goes against our Titan values: Titans are Kind, Titans are Safe, and Titans are Responsible. 

• If there is an incident of racialized harm, please report it to the office immediately so we can quickly investigate and address it. We utilize a combination of consequences and education when addressing situations.
• Hercules Middle School strives to use restorative practices as we move towards equipping our students to be supportive and inclusive members or our community and to repair harm.
• Please talk with your students about the importance of using positive language and refraining from derogatory language of any kind.
• We are having our first grade level assemblies this week and empathy, kindness and using positive instead of harmful language (including racialized language) will be the topic. 

 

I hope everyone has a great weekend and remember to Stay Titan Strong. 

---

Greetings Junior Titan Families.

 

Welcome to the 2024-2025 School Year. Our staff has been working hard to get the campus ready and we are excited to welcome all of our students back to school on Monday. This update will include a ton of information to help with the start of school.

 

Bell Schedule

School starts at 8:40 this year. We encourage all students to be on campus prior to 8:30 daily. The turn around gate will open at 8:00 AM. Students who did not complete the walk through registration earlier in August should report directly to the cafeteria. If you did not completely walk through parents may accompany their student to the cafeteria. School is out at 1:45 on Monday. 

 

Student Drop Off and Pick Up

Traffic on Refugio Valley Road can quickly back up. Dropping off early and picking up 10 or more minutes after the end of school will help avoid some of the traffic. When dropping off you may use the turn around. The turn around gate is where students should enter the school if they arrive prior to 9:00 AM. After school the turn around is blocked off to accommodate our school buses. Please make arrangements to meet your student at an alternative location such as Redwood Street. With ongoing construction, we will be looking for ways to adjust drop off and pick up as needed. Please do not park in the Staff Parking Lots. 

 

Schedules 

Students will receive their schedule on Monday morning in their advisory period. At the time you are reading this the schedules in PowerSchool will be set for Monday. We have been working hard to create schedules based on student requests, needs and availability within the master schedule. Please note our policy on class changes. Changes are only available for the following reasons.

• Schedule mistakes such as a missing period or double periods of the same course.

• Being placed in the wrong level for the course

Requests based on teacher or period preference or switching Elective topics will not be granted. If there is a larger issue to consider, please contact your counselor. Please understand that there has been a large volume of emails at this time and it may take 24-48 (business) hours to respond.

 

Counselors

Serve our students we have two fantastic counselors. 

• Erika Nelson, erika.nelson@wccusd.net   last names A-L

• Lorissa Wong,  lwong@wccusd.net  last names M-Z

 

Closed Campus

For the safety of all of our students and staff we are a closed campus. We utilize the turn around gate as our single point of entry and exit. Students are not allowed on the High School side of campus unless accompanied by an adult. All visitors are required to sign in at the front office. 

 

Lunch

We are continuing with the universal lunch program. All students have access to free breakfast and lunch in the cafeteria. As always, students can also bring food from home for lunch. Students and Parents are not permitted to use food delivery services such as DoorDash, Uber Eats and the like. Thank you for your understanding. 

Deliveries

From time to time items like homework, musical instruments, lunches, etc. are forgotten at home. Parents can bring the items to the turn around gate up to 9:00 AM or go to the front gate after 9:00 AM and the item(s) will go to the main office. Students can come and pick them up during lunch, passing periods or after school.

 

IDs

Students are required to wear their student ID’s while on campus and at school events. Please make sure your student has their ID with them on Monday. Students without an ID will report to the cafeteria to get one. 

 

Cell Phones

Hercules Middle School is a cell phone free zone from the start of school to the end. This policy is in place to support students in maintaining an academic environment that minimizes distractions. Each classroom this year will have a cell phone locker. Teachers will either have students place the phones in the locker at the start of class or have them place them in their backpacks. The phones should be off in either location. If a student is using a phone during class time the teacher will have them place the phone in the locker or the student will be sent to the office. Lunch and passing periods are also cell phone free times. If a student needs to contact you by cell phone they can come to the main office during lunch or passing periods to make the call from there. EXCEPTIONS- If a student has a documented medical condition that requires their phone for health reasons they will keep their phone on their person. 

 

Upcoming Dates

Friday August 23rd- Welcome back festival

Tuesday August 27th- 6th Grade Desert Luck

Thursday September 12th- Back to School Night

Thursday September 19th- Principals Coffee Chat

 

Once again welcome to the 24-25 School Year. I am looking forward to greeting our students Monday Morning. Have a great weekend and Remember to Stay Titan Strong.