Dear Parents,

Mr. Petersen and I are excited to return as the administrators for Hopkins Junior High School.  We know from experience that your children will have the very best teachers and support staff to make their years here a wonderful and valuable experience.

When you read this newsletter, it is likely that Hopkins Academy, designed to welcome and acclimate our new seventh graders, will be in full swing.  The teachers have been preparing fun and engaging activities so that they can get to know the students and give them the opportunity to make new friends and become familiar with our campus before the first day of school. 

Our MAZE Day flyers have been mailed to you with all the information you will need for Tuesday, August 23.  There are many things to note in this packet, including the Turn-Around procedures for dropping students off and picking them up for school, and the Lunch Drop procedures, if you wish to bring a lunch to campus for your children.  Also, if your family uses AC Transit for school transportation, keep in mind that the schedules and fares may have changed, and you should probably consult www.actransit.org for the most updated information.  In addition, students can see their social studies teachers for a Hopkins agenda, which is an important source of information for you as well.  Students use it to record homework, but it also includes the District Calendar, our Bell Schedule, the “Hopkins Heading,” the Cornell note taking method we use, Hopkins’ student clubs, and our policies and procedures.

Our Parent Faculty Association is a vital part of our school community.  Mrs. Lexie Kekoa, our past president, is serving in this role until we have a new president.  We also need to fill the positions of vice-president and secretary.  I urge you to consider volunteering for these important positions.  So many activities for the students will not be possible without an active PFA, including our socials, promotion activities, and fulfilling teacher “wish lists.” If you are interested in one of these positions, please contact Lexie Kekoa at lkekoa@att.net.   Our meetings are generally held on the first Wednesday of each month in the library from 7-8:30 p.m. 

The administration and faculty are looking forward to meeting you on our Back-to-School Night, the first day of school, August 31, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:10 p.m. At that time, teachers will be distributing their syllabi so you will know their class expectations.  I want to encourage you to communicate with your children’s teachers whenever you have questions.  It is always best to go directly to the teacher since they are the ones with classroom information.  If there are any school issues, Mr. Petersen, our vice principal, and Ms. Moore, our counselor, and I are always available to help.  We take the responsibility of educating your children very seriously and want to hear from your with your valuable feedback.  We look forward to a great beginning to a new school year.

Sincerely,

Mary Miller