H-M Happenings (January 20, 2023)
Student Creativity Culminates in Final Projects
Big-Mac-Meal Project
Biology students presented their findings for the “Big-Mac-Meal” Project. Students were assigned a country struggling with poverty. Their objective was to research the country and design a nutrient-rich bar based on organic compounds that would assist in addressing world hunger. The bars were available for students and staff to sample!
Physics in Motion
Mr. Bichler’s Physics class put physics into motion! Students created projectile launchers and had to predict where their ball would land when being dropped from a specific height. After taking all the necessary measurements, student put their predictions to the test!
Save the Polar Bears
6th grade science students studied the effects of Climate Change. They completed a STEM Design challenge in which they worked to design a sailboat to save a family of polar bears as the ice they live on melts from climate change. They competed to see who could create the fastest boat!
Watch Informational Session on Daily Schedule Recommendations
Hill-Murray’s Director of Innovation, Dr. Aran Glancy, this week hosted an informational session on recommendations to redesign and enhance our student’s daily schedule.
The recommendations come from a comprehensive review of our current schedule by Independent School Management (ISM).
To watch Dr. Glancy’s presentation, please click here.
Automatic Enrollment for 2023-24 School Year
Although June is still months away, we are already looking forward to next school year! We have streamlined the annual enrollment renewal process this year.
Current students are automatically enrolled unless they withdraw by March 5th.
Tuition Agreement: An email from TADS with your Tuition Agreement was sent earlier this week. Please follow the link to complete the Agreement and secure your student’s spot for next year. Within the Agreement, you may update your payment schedule and/or payment method for next year.
Early Pay Discount: Families that pay by March 3rd receive a 1.5% Discount. Families that pay by May 5th receive a 1% Discount.
Tuition Assistance / Scholarships: Families applying for Tuition Assistance/Scholarships will receive their Award Notification and Tuition Agreements by mid-February.
Enrollment Fees: The $500 enrollment fee will be billed in March and April ($250 each month). This non-refundable fee secures your student’s place for the 2023 – 24 school year.
Withdrawals. It is important you notify the Business Office by March 5th if your student does not plan to return. Student withdrawals between March 5 and May 1, 2022, will be assessed 25% of tuition. After May 1, student withdrawals will be assessed 50% of their tuition.
Please contact Controller Colene Erickson in our Business Office if you have any questions as you work through this process. cerickson@hill-murray.org
Guest Speakers: Called to Religious Life
Today we welcomed 2014 Alum Joshua French and Sister Linda who spoke to students about their vocational call to religious life. Sister Linda shared her story of being called to Religious life as a Benedictine sister and her thoughts on what it means to be called by God to religious life.
Josh French ’14 played varsity hockey for Hill-Murray, MN State, Junior Hockey and even had the opportunity to play professional hockey. Instead, he answered God’s call to the priesthood.
Click here to watch the presentations.
Technology Tips for Teens
It’s always a great time to help our children (and ourselves!) strike a healthy balance with technology use. Experts all agree that teens should practice control and moderation now, which will help them form healthy habits for the future.
Last September, we had national expert Dave Eisenmann talk to our students here at Hill-Murray. Dave is the Director of Technology at Minnehaha Academy and frequently speaks to students, parents, and educators about Digital Health and Wellness. He is also an Assistant Professor at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, teaching classes on technology integration.
He has wonderful resources on his website. Check it out as well as his tip sheet on Top 10 Tips for Tech Healthy Kids. Share this information with your kids today!
Spring Sports Registration Opens February 1st
Registration for Spring sports will open February 1, 2023. Click here to learn about the sports offered this spring.
The Nicholas Center at Hill-Murray School, in partnership with Youth Advantage of Stillwater and The Good Neighbor Center of the East Side of Saint Paul, invites all struggling readers entering grades 1st-6th in the fall of 2023 to join us for the The Nicholas Center Summer Reading Program at Hill-Murray. The Summer Reading Program is a 6-week program that focuses on boosting literacy skills in students, including phonological and phonemic awareness, vocabulary development, morphology, comprehension and fluency. To learn more and to register, please click here.
Necessities for Reading Comprehension
Are you looking for practical strategies that you can utilize with your child to increase their reading comprehension and their love for reading? If so, we are excited for you to be joining the Hill-Murray community for Sara Johnson’s presentation on February 15th on how students read for comprehension.
Sara is Hill-Murray’s Reading Specialist. She is a licensed reading teacher, and has been trained in Orton-Gillingham and The Wilson System of reading. Sara’s approach to teaching reading has touched the lives of many children and their families over the last ten years of her career.
Click here to learn more and to RSVP.
Winter Founders Speaker Series
Join us for our Winter Founders Speaker Series on Monday, February 13! AMM Alumna Pat Barrett Wolff ’65 will share her work as the Founder and Senior Advisor of Meds & Food for Kids, a social benefit non-profit enterprise dedicated to preventing and treating malnutrition in Haiti. Samples of the product used to treat malnutrition in Haiti will be available to taste! Click here to learn more and to RSVP.
Star Students
Click here to see the World Language Department Star Students for December
Members of our DECA chapter participated in our district competition and represented Hill-Murray well. They competed with 600 students from local schools in employment interviews, case studies and entrepreneurship, finance and marketing projects. 60 of our DECA members advanced to the state competition which will be help in Minneapolis March 5-7.
Click here to see the state qualifiers.
6th grade to Sky Zone on January 26
All 6th graders will be off campus the afternoon of Jan. 26. We will leave after lunch. Students may be out of uniform in comfy (jumping clothes). Socks are provided from Sky Zone. Cost is $17.50 which will be added to your TADS account for those attending. We will be back to school by 2:00pm.
Anthony Garofalo Hill-Murray Scholarship
The Garofalo Scholarship application is now available for seniors to pick up in the Guidance and Counseling Office. This is a significant scholarship opportunity that the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, the Anthony Garofalo Education Fund, and Hill-Murray have partnered for Hill-Murray graduates who will attend the U and major in a STEM-related field. Click here to learn more and to apply.
Junior College Planning Meetings
Juniors are strongly encouraged to set up their college planning meeting with their college counselor now! We’d like to schedule these meetings during WIN, study hall or before or after the school day. We will do a graduation credit check, talk about your hopes and wishes, come up with a college list, and talk about course selection for next year. Mr. Reid’s students have the last names A-L, and Mrs. Egan’s students have the last names M-Z. Don’t wait until May to schedule this very important meeting!
Hill-Murray Baseball
The mandatory Pre-Season Parent-Player Meeting is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 5 (6:00 pm) in the H-M Cafeteria. All interested players in grades 7-12 are required to attend this informational meeting. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Head Baseball Coach, Charlie Cicalello (ccicalello@hill-murray.org).
Mother’s Club Events
Trivia Night at 7 Vines Vineyard – The Hill-Murray Mothers Club invites moms and their sons or daughters to a Trivia Night (hosted by Trivia Mafia) at 7 Vines Vineyard on Friday, February 3rd. Trivia will begin at 7pm, but you may arrive at 6:30pm to settle in and form your teams. Tickets are $20 per person and include 1.5 hours of trivia, a drink or mocktail, and the chance to win fun prizes. Food will be available to order. Contact mothersclub@hill-murray.org with any questions. We hope you can join us! Click here to register.
Bussing Schedule
There will be no busing on Friday, March 3rd and the week of March 13th – March 17th.
Please find alternate transportation for your students on those days.
