Daily Announcements

As you know, each year we conduct a fundraiser through our Parent Advisory Committee to raise funds for items such as: water bottle fillers, computers, cafeteria tables, choir risers, band equipment, 3D printers, etc. This year, we are not asking the students to participate in a fundraiser. Instead, we are asking families for a donation to Horizon Middle School. Your donation will be tax deductible.

You can donate through the Bismarck Public School Foundation at https://www.bpsfoundation.com/donations/hmspac/ or if you prefer to donate using MyPaymentPlus https://www.mypaymentsplus.com/welcome. You can also send cash or check to HMS and indicate if you would like a receipt and how to get it to you.

I sincerely appreciate your consideration to this version of a fundraiser in these times where selling raffle tickets is deemed unsafe for our students.

Sincerely,

Dr. Penny Veit-Hetletved

HMS PAC President

7th and 8th Grade Summer School Information and Registration 

6th grade summer school parent letter

6th grade summer school registration

Parent-Teacher conferences will be held virtual March 9 & 16 from 4:00pm-8:00pm.  Sign ups were emailed to parent/guardians. 

For more information, contact your student's homebase teacher.  

There will be a girls tennis preseason meeting on Monday, March 15 at 6pm in the CHS auditorium.  

Click on this link for Track and Field parent meeting information. 

Students can sign up for Track and Field in Student Services.  

Girls soccker will have practice and a parent meeting on March 22.  Check out this link for more information. 

6th grade girls can sign up for soccer with Mr. Wright.  7th and 8th grade girls can sign up in Student Services.  

The following information was emailed to parents/guardians on February 17:

1. A message from Dr. Tabby Rabenberg, Principal

Hello Horizon Husky Families!

Since all students are back in the school, their backpacks and cell phones must remain in lockers. Backpacks and cellphones are becoming a serious safety hazard. Students will be able to go to their lockers in the morning, at lunch, after school, and at the instructor’s discretion. Students are using this week to acclimate to the new procedure which will be enforced next week. Thank you for your support!

2. A message from the school Nurse Kelly Dietz, BSN, RN-BC

This is a reminder about the Bismarck Public Schools policy regarding illness and COVID testing.

All students that present to the nurse’s office or Student Services complaining of illness will have their temperature checked and be screened for COVID symptoms.

Symptoms include: • Fever (100.4 or greater) • Loss of taste and/or loss of smell • Fatigue • Headache • Muscle/body aches • Chills • Cough • Shortness of breath • Abdominal pain • Diarrhea • Vomiting • Nausea • Congestion/Runny nose • Sore Throat

*If 2+ symptoms are present, the student must go home.

Per the District policy, if students are sent home with a white slip, they may not return to school until one or more of the following criteria are met:

▪ Student has tested NEGATIVE for COVID-19 (when symptomatic, you must wait for PCR test results to come back prior to returning to school)

▪ A healthcare provider has diagnosed student with another illness that does not require exclusion

▪ Student has been excluded for 10 days AND is fever-free for 24 hours without using fever reducing medications AND symptoms are improving

We ask that a copy of the negative COVID test and/or doctor’s note is sent to school when student returns. Our goal is to keep students safe and healthy while in school. We thank you for your patience and understanding of the District’s COVID policy.

3. Horizon Health Fair and Virtual Blood Drive

7 th grade students will be presenting their PBL Health projects.

Thursday, February 25 will be “B” days classes;

Friday, February 26 will be “A” day classes.

Periods 1/2 8:50-10:00 Periods 3/4 10:20-11:30 Periods 7/8 2:00-3:10

Area business professionals will be sharing education/career information.

We will also be hosting a blood drive to help supply the much needed demand for blood to save lives. Please consider donating.

There is a great need for whole blood, platelets, and red blood cells. This year, the drive will not be in the Bloodmobile, it will be a Virtual Sign-up and then you make your appointment for a day and time that works best for you.

Please sign up now and schedule your appointment for the week of Feb. 22-27. You will go to the Vitalant building to make the donation.

Please remember to use your same email for all the Horizon Middle School Health Fair sign-up, scheduling and appointment arrivals. 

Vitalant sign ups

4. PAC Fundraiser

As you know, each year we conduct a fundraiser through our Parent Advisory Committee to raise funds for items such as: water bottle fillers, computers, cafeteria tables, choir risers, band equipment, 3D printers, etc.

This year, we are not asking the students to participate in a fundraiser. Instead, we are asking families for a donation to Horizon Middle School. Your donation will be tax deductible. You can donate through the Bismarck Public School Foundation here or if you prefer to donate using MyPaymentPlus here. You can also send cash or check to HMS and indicate if you would like a receipt and how to get it to you.

I sincerely appreciate your consideration to this version of a fundraiser in these times where selling raffle tickets is deemed unsafe for our students. Sincerely,

Dr. Penny Veit-Hetletved HMS PAC President

5. Traffic and Drop Offs/Pick-Ups

Thank you to everyone who has helped make the morning drop offs and afternoon pick-ups easier.

If someone else is dropping your student off or picking them up, please share the following information with them:

• DO NOT USE THE NORTH PARKING LOT TO DROP OFF OR PICK UP STUDENTS. This is a huge safety concern for students and staff. This area is only for busses and staff parking.

• If your student is registered to use the school bus, start using it.

• Carpool

• Consider dropping off and picking up your student at the lighted sidewalk located on Fountainblue Drive behind the school.

• In front of the school, please do not drop off or pick up your students in the middle lanes. The middle lanes are for travel only.

• Always watch out for pedestrians and make sure students are using the crosswalk.

6. Parent Teacher Conferences March 9 & 16

The Spring Parent Teacher Conferences will be virtual. More information will be emailed soon.

Morning Drop Off and Afternoon Safety

There have been several incidents of staff nearly being hit by cars dropping off students in the north parking lot in the mornings. 

DO NOT USE THE NORTH PARKING LOT TO DROP OFF OR PICK UP YOUR STUDENT.  This is a huge safety concern for students and staff. This area is only for busses and staff parking. 

Morning and Afternoon Traffic

In order to help ease the morning traffic congestion on Ash Coulee Drive, consider the following:

*use the bus if your student is registered for it;

*drop your student off at the lighted sidewalk located on Fountainblue Drive behind the school

*carpool

Cell phones are to be put away and turned off during school.  To make a phone call, go to the front office.  If sick, go to Student Services.  

We would like to feature some pictures of distance learners and students learning at home on hybrid days into the 2020-2021 yearbook. If you have any at home learning pictures you would like to have considered for the yearbook, please email them to Lisa Symens . We would love to see school  projects, learning environments, technology set ups, families helping each other, or anything else that shows what distance learning and hybrid learning looks like at your home! Be creative & clever – we want to feature YOUR KIDS! Please be sure to include student first and last name, grade level, team and a brief description. 

Health forms can be found here.

PARENT INSTRUCTIONS FOR STUDENTS TAKING MEDICATIONS AT SCHOOL

1. Medication should be taken at home if at all possible. Medications not required during school hours may be declined for administration at school.

2. Medications that a child has never taken before must be started at home before requesting the school to administer them.

3. Medications needing to be given at school are to be brought to and from school by a parent/guardian.

4. All medications (prescription or non) must be in their original container with a current unaltered label. The medication must be unexpired and prescription labels must be dated within the past 12 months.

5. Tablets must be sized for proper dosage (e.g. cut in half, etc.) prior to bringing them to school.

6. Parents should provide the dosing utensils (e.g. cup/spoon) where needed.

7. Limit amount of prescription medication brought to school to the amount needed for 2 weeks or less. Limit the amount of non-prescription medication to 10 doses or less. Please do not bring large quantity sizes.

8. Medication authorization forms must be completed and signed by the parent/guardian before medication is given. Forms are available online and at the school office.

9. Students who carry and self-administer inhalers or EpiPens require physician approval and signature on specific BPS forms, which are also available online and at the school office.

10. Medications will be kept in a secured office area and will be administered by designated trained staff or a school nurse. Emergency medications will be stored in the office area and/or other locations allowed by the student’s Individual Health Plan.

11. Parents should encourage their child to report to the office on time if they receive a daily medication. School staff will call the child’s classroom if they do not come on their own.

12. Timely refill of the prescription is very important and is the responsibility of the parent/guardian.

13. Expired medications will not be administered.

14. Parents are responsible for their child’s medication. Parents must pick up all unused (expired or current) medication when the school requests, and/or by the last day of school.

JULY, 2016 BPS

On the Horizon Issue 2

On the Horizon Issue 1

North Dakota requires all 7th & 8th graders to have received the meningococcal and Tdap vaccines prior to 7th grade, or if you're new to the district as an 8th grader.  You are able to receive the vaccinations any time after your 11^th birthday. 

Students who are not up to date by October 1 will be excluded from school and this will count as an unexcused absence.  Contact your child’s health care provider or Burleigh County Health (355-1540) about the immunizations your child will need. 

Please fax the updated immunization certificate copy to Student Services at 323-4555 or email Kelly Dietz for more information.  

*If you have already received the required vaccines and submitted a certificate copy last year, you do not need to submit another copy this year.

The Horizon Band is collecting Dan's Supermarket receipts and Box Tops. 

For every $150,000 worth of receipts collected, the band will receive $1,000 that will go towards band instruments.  Students can drop off the receipts in the box in Student Services.  We need the original receipts, so please no photocopies or cut receipts.  We will be collecting the receipts all school year.  

To submit Box Tops, go here. 

Check out this link for the Chromebook Troubleshooting Guide if you're having problems with your Chromebook.  

Or watch this video here for more help. 

Due to the pandemic we need to make a few changes. 

Parents need to call the office at 323-4550 when picking up their child and the secretaries will send them out. Please remind your child to not EVER get into someones vehicle they don't know.

Deliveries like flowers and balloons will not be accepted. Along with that we are asking parents to not deliver things that are not urgent to school such as water bottles, forgotten books or sports clothing.

Remind your child that they should NEVER text or call their parent from their cell phone. That is against school policies. They need to come to student services and use the phone. If they are going home sick, we will direct them where to wait and they will be in the office and ready to go when you come to pick them up.

Masks are required.

If you have questions, please call 323-4550.

There has been a change to the policy regarding sports physicals for the 2020 – 2021 school year. 

If an athlete had a sports physical last school year, they will not need one for the upcoming school year.  Instead they will need a Form B (link below) that is filled out and signed by a parent or guardian. It is electronic so it will need to be uploaded to the rSchool online registration just like a physical would be. 

**All incoming 7th graders will need a current physical if they are planning to participate in athletics regardless if they had one for BMFL or any other organization last year as 6th graders.**

rSchool online registration for the 2020 – 2021 school year opens July 1. https://century-ar.rschooltoday.com/

Pay for the sports fees on My Payments Plus around August 10. 

Form B link: https://ndhsaa.com/uploads/files/NDHSAA-Preparticipation-Form-B.pdf   

The office cannot accept paper copies of the Form B or physicals.

Upload the physical into rSchool after you register for your sport. 

Questions about registering?  Contact Mark Hager at 323-4900 extension 6521.

All chromebook repairs are going through Century High School.  There are 3 ways to log a ticket (see below).  From there we will either troubleshoot or replace as needed, but our whole repair model is running through CHS at this time. 

Anyone with chromebook issues on district chromebooks is more than welcome to submit a ticket and we will get back to them as soon as we can.

They can fill out form

http://bit.ly/BPSSupport2

email

chs_tech@bismarckschools.org

or call

701-323-4925 and leave a message

Girls' Basketball Bracket *updated 3/5/21

Boys' Basketball Bracket *updated 3/5/21

Championship & State Qualifying Games – Saturday, March 6 – Bismarck Event Center

                        SESSION 1: Main Arena

• State Qualifying Girls’ Game #9 – 10:00am
• State Qualifying Girls’ Game #10 – 11:45am
• Championship Girls’ Game #11 – 1:30pm

Intermission – Clear out Arena

SESSION 2: Main Arena

• State Qualifying Boys’ Game #9 – 4:30pm
• State Qualifying Boys’ Game #10 – 6:15pm
• Championship Boys’ Game #11 – 8:00pm

             Tournament Admission:  Session 1: $11.50                    Session 2: $11.50

•    Doors will open at 9:00am for session 1, and doors will open for session 2 after facility has been cleared-approximately 3:45pm.

Fall kindergarten registration is now open for children who will be 5 years old on or before July 31. Go to https://www.bismarckschools.org/kreg to get information to complete your child’s registration. If you don’t have access to a computer, you can visit any public elementary school to use one or stop by Central Registration at 806 N. Washington St., door #2. If you need assistance, email registrar@bismarckschools.org or call 701-323-4110. Students who attend BECEP can be registered for kindergarten at BECEP by March 12. NOTE: Parents are strongly encouraged to register their K-5^th grade students as soon as possible to help ensure placement in their neighborhood school. The sooner a student is registered, the higher the probability of them attending their boundary school. Due to capacity limitations, those who wait too long may be placed in a different school and required to wait until the following year to be enrolled in their boundary school. 

The Bismarck Public Schools Foundation (BPSF) has established a BPS Family Assistance Fund.  Those that wish to donate may do so through the foundation website or by mail. To donate online, go to https://www.bpsfoundation.com/donations/bps-faf/. To donate by mail, send checks to the BPS Foundation at 806 N. Washington St., Bismarck, ND 58501 and write “BPS-FAF” in the memo line. Families seeking assistance are encouraged to reach out to their counselor or social worker who will connect them to established community resources as well as submit requests for funding needs that cannot be met within existing resources. The BPSF thanks those who have already reached out to volunteer and/or provide monetary donations to help those within our community who are struggling.

The Bismarck School Board will meet at 5:15 pm at the City-County Building at 221 N. 5th Street. The public is invited to attend the meeting or watch it LIVE on cable channel 2.

BPS summer band camp is for students entering 6th grade and will take place August 9-13 & 16-19 at Simle Middle School, 1218 Simle Dr. Choose the morning (9-11:30 am) or afternoon session (12:30-3 pm). Reminders about the camp will be sent via email by the district. For up-to-date information, go to www.bismarckschools.org/Page/162. For questions, contact Fine Arts Secretary Nicole Fitzgerald at 323-4082.

Hardcopy registration *return to music teacher by Apr. 30
ONLINE registration *due by June 1

Bismarck Public Schools will not have classes Monday, March 15 due to Staff Development Day. Classes resume Tuesday, March 16.