VHMS Hamilton Headlines

January 5, 2021

Vol. 3, Issue 21

Virtual Learning Basics

As students enter into virtual learning tomorrow, they need to know a couple of basic things:

Schedule: We are following our regular school day schedule with Period 1 beginning at 9:15am. The district has asked us not to change our regular schedule as the belief is that we may not be in this virtual environment for long. Below is a link to the period by period schedule.
Zoom Links: Almost every student at Hamilton is assigned to a Google Classroom for each of their classes. Students need to go to those Google Classrooms for each of their classes to access the Zoom link each day for live virtual instruction. For students not assigned to one or more Google Classrooms, teachers will contact students and/or families with additional information.
A Day/B day: Thursday, January 6 is a B Day. This coming Friday is an A-Day.
Screens On: As much as possible, please encourage your child(ren) to have their video turned on while in live Zoom meetings. Having the cameras on helps everyone in the class to maintain important social and emotional relationships.
Chromebooks and Other Materials: Our building is open daily from 9am-4pm for students need to stop by to retrieve their Chromebook or other items that may be in their lockers or classrooms. Just come to our main entrance (Door #1) and push the buzzer.

The above information is also being sent directly to all Hamilton students.

Period by Period Schedule

Mask Up!

Mask wearing compliance by our Hamilton students has been excellent! We want to continue this track record of excellence when we return to in-person schooling. When we do return to in-person schooling, there will most likely still be mask wearing requirements. We ask that you talk with your child(ren) about the importance of following our mask wearing requirements while on our Hamilton campus. At this time, those requirements include wearing an approved mask that covers both the nose and mouth while inside and outside. We will keep you posted on any changes to these requirements.

Free School Meals for Pick Up

Hamilton was the first location for meal pick up on Monday of this week. Many families were able to pick up a five day supply of food for each MMSD enrolled student in their family. Unfortunately, the food truck left 45 minutes earlier than its schedule end time due to a district level conflict. This conflict has been resolved and food pick up locations are again up and running for as long as we are in a virtual learning environment. Linked below is the official location schedule for free school meal pick up.

Food Pick-Up Schedule

Reminder: Affinity Meeting for Parents Interested in Learning More About and Supporting Each Other Around Special Education in our Community

A reminder that our first meeting of a new affinity group for primary caregivers of middle school students with disabilities and advanced support needs is coming up on Friday, January 21 via Zoom. This meeting, the first in an ongoing series, is open to all interested parents, not just parents of students with identified special and advanced support needs. The purpose of the affinity group is to offer connection for parents, and to help grow understanding and advocacy in our Hamilton community around the inclusivity of all people with special needs.

Our first meeting is scheduled for Friday, January 21 at 7:00pm and will take place on Zoom. The link to the Zoom for this first meeting is below and will be shared again in future editions of this newsletter.

Affinity Group Zoom Link

Reminder for 8th Grade Families:

PEOPLE Program and ITA

8th grade students and families, are you interested in hearing more about pre-college programs? Both the PEOPLE Program and Information Technology Academy (ITA) will be hosting informational sessions in-person and virtually this month to talk more about what they have to offer. Please review the flyers below for more information.

If you have questions, please contact our 8th Grade School Counselor, Ms. Schaefer, mschaefer@madison.k12.wi.us.