August 2022
Dear Holdrum Families,
On behalf of Mrs. Puzzo and our teachers, I would like to welcome you to Holdrum Middle School for the 2022-2023 school year.
First, I want to welcome all incoming sixth graders and any new students to Holdrum Middle School. Please rest assured, our teachers and veteran seventh and eighth grade students are eager to lend a hand helping whether it’s giving directions to a classroom, assisting you with your locker, or just with your overall experience at Holdrum in general! The first few weeks of school will be exciting ones. You will meet new teachers, enter new classrooms, and make new friends. We are also excited to get to know our new students. If you feel a bit anxious about coming to a new school, please know that is a common experience. However, after a week you’ll wonder what you were worried about!
Throughout the summer, we have been working to ensure you have a successful and safe year in your new school. To that end, we have organized a brief 6th Grade and New Student Orientation & Tour of Holdrum Middle School. This orientation is scheduled for Wednesday, August 31, 2022, and broken down into sessions by student last name:
- A-H 8:30am
- I-P 10:00am
- R-Z 1:00pm
You will receive your combination lock and Chromebook during this tour, provided the Chromebook Accidental Damage Fee has been paid, more information on that below. The tour is not mandatory, but provides an opportunity for you to familiarize yourself with Holdrum before school begins.
Monday, September 12, 2022 is the first day of the school year. You should arrive at school no later than 7:50 a.m. Upon entry to school, please report directly to your advisory class, which is found within the summer mailing you received. This mailing will also contain your locker and the room it is located in.
This year promises to be an exciting one for all Holdrum students. We continue to align communication, collaboration, creative and critical thinking skills with the explicit tenets identified by our Portrait of a Graduate. Our teaching staff continues to develop innovative activities, meaningful learning opportunities, and real world experience.
In our continuation of focus on student wellness, Holdrum Middle School will implement year 2 of our new Social and Emotional Learning Program, The Ruler approach with our students. The Ruler approach is designed to help students and staff develop a common language to understand the value of emotions, build skills of emotional intelligence and create and maintain a positive school culture. It is an evidenced based approach to social and emotional learning (SEL) developed at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. At Holdrum Middle School, RULER will be infused into advisory sessions and throughout core and encore classes.
The River Vale School District is implementing new mandates, standards, and curriculum in the areas of science, social studies, visual and performing arts, comprehensive health and physical education, world language, computer science, and 21st century life and careers. This work has been developed over the past couple of years with our regional partners and the Pascack Valley Regional High School District. Our Math department will implement year 2 of the district’s new mathematics series, Big Ideas. This series supports the premise that every student can be successful at math through real world connections, conducting meaningful conversations, and solving complex problems and rigorous tasks. The district will engage students in rigorous mathematical content ties to NJSLS to improve progress in mathematics achievement.
As part of the ongoing emphasis on technology, every Holdrum student will be receiving a Chromebook to use in school and at home. Student responsibility with these devices is paramount as they will be asked to bring them to and from home each day. To help protect these devices, each child’s computer will require payment of a $30 Accidental Damage Protection from the manufacturer each year. This plan protects against most accidental damage. Payment of this $30 fee will be made through My School Bucks. Information can be found on our website at https://www.rivervaleschools.com/parent_resources/my_school_bucks. This mandatory payment should be made by August 30th, prior to the 6th Grade and New Student Orientation.
Our school will continue to utilize Canvas, our student learning management system where students and parents will have access to information for all their classes in one easily accessible location. We will once again offer parent observer accounts which parents will be directed how to create and use directly from the Canvas website. You will receive step by step directions that will walk you through the process.
Our students will have even more access to our state of the art Media Center, and a full slate of electives this year. We are looking forward to sharing these educational opportunities with you, to further ensure your success at Holdrum, in high school and beyond.
Some of your questions about Holdrum may be answered by visiting the Holdrum 60 webpage and watching some short presentations which provide pertinent information daily life at Holdrum. This page can be found under “Our School” on the Holdrum website.
It is my hope that Holdrum Middle School will provide opportunities for you to become a compassionate citizen, fearless trailblazer, global communicator, collaborative innovator, a problem seeker and solution maker for the 2022-2023 school year in a safe and secure Middle School environment. If you resolve to make this your best year ever, you will also help to make the Holdrum community the best place it can be.
I look forward to seeing you on September 12, 2022.
Yours in Education,
James P. Cody
Principal
The summer mailing is below and broken down into several sections for your review and action. Please note that this year many of the mandatory forms will require your electronic acknowledgement on the Genesis Parent Portal, those forms are specified below.
Part 1 - Mailing
These are the forms that you have received in the postal mailing which are specific to your child.
- 6th Grade Welcome Letter (above)
- Individual Advisory and Locker Assignment Letter
If applicable
Part 2 - Mandatory
The annual Chromebook Accidental Damage Protection Payment must be made through MySchoolBucks. The ability to pay this fee will open on August 25th and should be paid by August 30th, prior to the 6th Grade/New Student Orientation. Please click here to access MySchoolBucks.
- Accidental Damage Protection Payment ($30)
These forms require your electronic acknowledgement on the Genesis Parent Portal. On August 25th the Genesis Parent Portal will open and at that time you must log in to complete your electronic acknowledgment for all required forms. Once logged on the portal, click on "Forms" to display the forms that are available for each of your children. Click on each form and answer the question by clicking the appropriate check box, and then finalize by clicking "Update Answers" at the bottom of the screen. These electronic acknowledgments must be completed by Friday, September 9, 2022. Click here to access the Genesis Parent Portal.
- HMS Laptop Handbook
- HMS Student Technology General AUP
- Media Consent
- HMS Handbook Verification
- HMS Locker Agreement
- Approved Apps and Websites
- Health Insurance Information
- Student Dismissal Form
Part 3 - Informative
These letters do not need to be returned to HMS, they are for your review.
Part 4 - Optional
These are the forms which only apply as necessary. Please fill out forms that pertain to your child(ren) and return to HMS no later than Friday, September 23, 2022.