H-M Happenings (January 6, 2023)
Key Dates for 2023-2024 School Year
The new year is less than a week old, but we know families are already preparing for NEXT school year. Below are some key dates that should help in your planning process.
- August 14, 2023 – First day of fall athletics/Freshmen Retreat
- August 28, 2023- First day of school
- October 18-20, 2023 – Fall break
- December 21, 2023-Jan 2, 2024 – Christmas break
- March 25, 2024 – April 1, 2024 – Easter break
- May 31, 2024 – High School Graduation
- June 4, 2024 – Middle School Graduation
CLICK HERE for the entire 2023-2024 Academic Calendar in an easily printable PDF format located on the parent/student portal.
SAVE THE DATE – January 19th from 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
We’re also asking you to SAVE the DATE of January 19th for an Informational Session about the Daily Schedule for the 2023-2024 school year. This past summer, we asked experts with Independent School Management (ISM) to audit our current Daily Schedule and provide any recommendations for improvements.
On January 19th from 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm, Dr. Aran Glancy, Hill-Murray’s Director of Innovation, will go over the key recommendations that we are considering. The goal is to design a Daily Schedule that best supports transformational learning and a positive school experience for every student at Hill-Murray.
We encourage you to RSVP here.
Dr. Glancy’s presentation will be live streamed and recorded for viewing at a later date. More information on both options will be distributed and posted on the parent/student portal early next week.
Our Winter Open House is this coming Monday! If you have friends, neighbors, teammates, siblings, other children or fellow parishioners that you think would be a good fit for the Hill-Murray community, please forward them this email and have them RSVP. They’ll get a chance to meet and learn from H-M teachers, coaches and leaders of school clubs.
They can also visit our Admissions page on our website to learn more.
Admissions Applications due January 13th
Do you have a child interested in joining their siblings at Hill-Murray next fall? If yes – please complete an application for them by Friday, January 13th, as we anticipate strong enrollment again next fall and want to ensure we save a seat for your child(ren)!
Below are steps for applying; please let Emily Sharockman or Krissy Pohl in Admissions know if you have any questions.
Hill-Murray Application for Admission Steps:
1. Please click HERE to begin the 2023-24 Hill-Murray Application for Admission.
2. Please Note: Once on the application page, please click ‘Register New Account’. This is a new site (Separate from Infinite Campus or TADS)
3.Once you have an account established, you will be able to start your child’s 2023-24 Online Application for Admission.
Apply Now for Tuition Assistance / Scholarships – Deadline January 13th
Hill-Murray TA / Scholarship applications are now available for the 23-24 Academic year. All scholarships are listed on our website. Those families who complete the TADS application for financial assistance will automatically be considered for the Need-Based Scholarships. There is no additional application to fill out for these scholarships beyond the TADS application. However, If a student is chosen for one of these scholarships, they will then need to submit an essay, thank you, and student profile information in order to accept and receive the award. Any student, regardless of whether or not they fill out the TADS application, can apply for the Non-Need Based Scholarships. The application for these scholarships can be found and completed online under the Tuition Assistance tab as well.
If you have any questions about this process please contact Mrs. Bates.
Completed applications are due by Friday, Jan 13th. Late applications are NOT accepted.
Don’t delay! Get started on your application today!
Members of our DECA chapter are competing at the district competition today, January 6th. They are competing with 12 other schools in business case studies, employment interviews, marketing projects and entrepreneurship proposals. Good luck!!
Star Students
Click here to see the World Language Department Star Students for November
TNC Summer Reading Program
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.
The Summer Reading Program students will have the opportunity to read daily, receive direct instruction based in the Science of Reading, interact with their peers during a myriad of literacy activities, take home books to keep and read, and take a journey down an individualized reading path through their interaction with a multisensory, structured reading iPad app.
Most importantly, students will discover a love for reading and a confidence that will permeate all other aspects of their lives!
The 6-week Summer Reading Program will run every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from June 13, 2023 through July 27th, 2023 from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm.
Note: NO programming July 4, 5, 6
Jump Start
Attention in-coming 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th grade students, do you want to get a jump-start on your first year at Hill-Murray? This Study Skills class will not only teach you how to be a better student, but will also get you familiar and comfortable being a Pioneer before the school year even starts. The biggest bonus to this course is meeting new friends! You will learn your way around the building, how to use your locker and combination, and how to navigate through our technology. You will also learn how to use the Library Media Center, use your PIN in the café, and you will be introduced to H-M staff members. Click here to learn more.
Speaker Series: 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.
The Sisters of St. Paul’s Monastery Sporting New Jackets from Hill-Murray!
The Sisters of St. Paul’s Monastery are shown above showing off their Pioneer Pride!
Junior College Night #2
Juniors and their parents are reminded of the Junior College Night on Wednesday January 11, 6:00-7:00 PM in the Auditorium. This is a repeat of the September program and does not need to be attended twice.
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!
ACT Prep Class
Hill-Murray will be offering an ACT prep class in January and March. If you are interested please CLICK HERE to learn more and register.
Baseball Spring Training Camp
Hill-Murray Baseball is proud to offer our 2023 Spring Training Camp!
This 4-week Baseball Camp is broken up into grade appropriate groups where players will receive training in Hitting and both Infield and Outfield Defense. Instruction is led by Hill-Murray’s Varsity Coaching Staff and is designed to prepare your athlete for the upcoming season through skill-development drills and high repetition. Registration Form
WHEN: SUNDAYS – (2/19, 2/26, 3/5, 3/12)
WHERE: HILL-MURRAY VARSITY GYM / FIELDHOUSE
Group 1 (Grades 7+): 9:45AM – 11:15AM ($150)
Group 2 (Grades 4-6): 11:30AM – 1:00PM ($150)
**See Registration Form for the TEAM DISCOUNT**
(SAVE $25 per player)
Please contact Coach Cicalello if you have any questions!
Mother’s Club Events
– Save the date for Trivia Night at 7 Vines Vineyard, Friday, February 3rd at 7:00pm. The Mothers Club invites Hill-Murray moms and their sons/daughters for a night of trivia (hosted by Trivia Mafia) at 7 Vines Vineyard. Start thinking of who will be on your trivia team and be on the lookout for a registration form in the next Happenings and on @hmmothersclub on Instagram soon!
– The next Mothers Club Monthly Coffee Meet-up is Friday, January 13th from 8-9am at Mac’s Diner in North St. Paul. Hill-Murray moms are invited to start their Friday off with a coffee drink hosted by the Mothers Club. All are welcome!
Bussing Schedule
Reminder that Friday, March 3 is the last NO BUSSING date of this school year.
