H-BC Secondary Families:

Good luck to our HBC Girls and Boys Basketball Teams this weekend. Both teams play in the Section 3A Tournament in Worthington.

HBC Girls vs SWC at 6 PM tonight, Friday, March 1

HBC Boys vs HLO-F at 11 AM Saturday, March 2 at Worthington H.S. (Super Saturday)

March Newsletter

The March newsletter is online and ready for viewing. Check out the great events from last month and see what is happening in the week ahead. Read the newsletter here.

5th & 6th Grade Spelling Bee Finalists:

Congratulations to the following 5th grade Spelling Bee Finalists: Henry Selle, Garpan Martens, Addison Sammons, Charlie Wilsey, Addison Sammons and Adriana Junge.

Congratulations to the following 6th grade Spelling Bee Finalists: Eva Hubbard, Penni More, Arya Tollefson, Cheyenne Kraayenhof, Makaylie Voss and Samuel Aaning.

They will be competing at the Secondary School on Friday, March 15th at 9 AM against H-BC 6th grade students, to determine who will move on to the Spelling Bee in Luverne on April 6th.

LOOKING AHEAD:

Monday, March 4 - Trap Team Student & Parent Meeting (See below)
Wednesday, March 6 - Festival of Music in Brandon
Sunday, March 10 - Daylight Savings Time (Spring Ahead)
Tuesday, March 12 - Large Group Music Contest
Friday, March 15 - HBC 5th & 6th Grade Spelling Bee (9 AM)
Friday, March 22 - Last Day of 3rd Quarter
Monday, March 25 - First Day of 4th Quarter
Tuesday, March 26 - Middle School Solo/Ensemble Event at HBC Secondary (PM)
Thursday, March 28 - No School for Students (Staff Development Day)
Friday, March 29 - No School (Spring Break)
Monday, April 1 - No School (Spring Break)
Saturday, April 6 - SW Minnesota Spelling Bee (in Luverne)
Tuesday, April 9 - ACT Day for Juniors (8:00 - 12:00 PM)
Tuesday & Wednesday, April 9/10 - MCA Reading for Grades 6/7/8/10
Tuesday & Wednesday, April 16/17 - MCA Math for Grades 6/7/8/11
Tuesday & Wednesday, April 23/24 - MCA Science for Grades 8/10

G.R.A.D. March Madness

HBC Secondary Staff are on the lookout for students being goal-oriented, respectful, accountable and determined during March. There will be individual prizes and students will be competing against each grade level. Excited to see which grade level will be the GRAD champion!

HBC TRAP TEAM UPDATE!

2024 HBC Trap Parent & Student Meeting is Monday, March 4, 2024 from 6:30 - 7:30 PM at the Garretson Sportsmen Club. If you are unable to attend this meeting, please contact: Travis Dwire 507-920-6044 The HBC Trap Team is part of the MN Clay Target League. This opportunity is available for HBC students in grades 6-12. NOTE: Students MUST have the Minnesota Youth Hunter Safety Course completed!

Spring Assessments Coming Soon (New)

Spring Testing is an important time to check progress for our students. As we get closer to April, we will enter the Spring Assessment season. Please click this LINK to see our HBC Assessment Calendar. This will give you an idea when each assessment is scheduled for ACTs, MCAs and NWEAs.

Information for Families Regarding MCA III Assessments: (New)

MCA Statewide Assessments Dear Families,

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) requires that statewide assessments are annually administered in reading, mathematics, and science. They are designed to provide the state, districts, and schools with a snapshot of student learning of the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards.

When will HBC Students take the MCA Tests? What Grades will take the MCA Tests?

MCA Reading - (3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 10th) - Tuesday, April 9th and Wednesday, April 10th

MCA Math - (3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 11th) - Tuesday, April 16th and Wednesday, April 17th

MCA Science - (5th, 8th and 10th) - Tuesday, April 23rd or Wednesday, April 24th

What are the MCA Tests? The Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) and Minnesota Test of Academic Skills (MTAS) are reading, mathematics, and science standards-based assessments that measure student learning of the Minnesota Academic Standards. These assessments are used to meet federal and state legislative requirements. Most students take the MCA, but students who receive special education services and meet the MTAS eligibility requirements may take the MTAS instead.

Why do we give these assessments? MCA results provide valuable information for the school, district and MDE about how well students have learned concepts and skills from the academic standards. Educators and schools can use the results to plan instruction and evaluate their curriculum. Families can also use the results as one way to measure how students are doing on the content that is part of their daily instruction. School- and district-level test results are used in federal and state accountability measurements.

How are the MCA administered? The MCAs must be taken in person, even if your student is enrolled in an online program. For students temporarily learning online, they will take statewide assessments when they return to school. Your school can provide more specific information about the health and safety measures they are taking to ensure students and staff stay safe and healthy during test administration. Most students take the MCA online, but some eligible students take the assessment in a paper test book instead. For the MTAS, teachers work with each student individually using paper test materials.

FREE Activities this Spring & Summer

For the 23-24 school year (Current Year), ALL secondary students will NOT have to pay the dues/fees for the following activities: Spring Sports (golf & track), summer speed camp and also the choir/band trip to Valley Fair. This past month the Hills-Beaver Creek school board voted to waive the fees for the following after-school activities - Track, Golf, Summer Speed Camp & Choir/Band Trip to Valley Fair. This is a one time event, fees will be reinstated for the 24-25 school year. Reimbursements will/have been sent to those families that already had paid for events.

We are hoping this encourages all of our students to participate and be involved.

Child Tax Credit

Minnesotans can now claim the Child Tax Credit, with no limit on the number of children claimed. You must file a 2023 individual income tax return in order to claim the credit. Most taxpayers who are eligible to claim the new Child Tax Credit are also eligible for free tax preparation assistance. Learn more about income requirements and qualifications on the Child Tax Credit webpage. 

The tax credit of up to $1750 per child is estimated to cut child poverty by up to one third in Minnesota. Nearly 300,000 households including 513,000 children are estimated to qualify for the credit.

Save Receipts for School Supplies

Please share this information with your communities. The Minnesota Department of Revenue offers two valuable tax benefits for parents who purchase school supplies for their K-12 students: the K-12 Education Credit and Subtraction. These benefits can reduce parents’ taxes to increase their refund, but is only available for those who keep their receipts. Purchases for most school supplies, field trips, and musical instruments for school band are eligible.

Most Minnesota parents qualify for the K-12 subtraction, which reduces their taxable income. Parents under certain income limits may also qualify for the K-12 credit, which can refund up to 75% of their costs – even for parents who do not owe any taxes. Visit Revenue's website for details.

E-LEARNING: The Hills-Beaver Creek School District may conduct up to five (5) E-learning days when school can not be in session for reasons such as inclement weather. Please see the following E-learning Procedure link for more information: https://tinyurl.com/39mrsvwk

School Calendar - Makeup Days (After 5 E-Learning Days): Please note that we only have 5 E-Learning Days scheduled for the school year. Any school days missed after 5 E-Learning Days would be Make-Up Days. Please see the District School Calendar (bottom) for make-up Snow Days. School Calendar LINK

PARENT NOTIFICATION SYSTEM: (Repeat)

We will again be using our Parent Notification System to inform you of weather related late starts and other items of importance at Hills-Beaver Creek Schools. As we get into that time of year, this system is reliable, however please keep an eye on other avenues as well, such as AM 800 or FM 101.5, and Sioux Falls television/websites: KELO, KDLT and KSFY.

Open Gym Sundays - Hugo Goehle Gym - Hills & Beaver Creek Gym (New)

HILLS OPEN GYM: The Hugo Goehle Gym is open from 1:00-3:00 pm Sundays through March 24, 2023.

NEW - OPEN GYM IN BEAVER CREEK: Beginning Sunday, December 17th (due to boiler concern) there will be Open Gym at the H-BC Elementary School in Beaver Creek. K-6 grade students, chaperoned by an adult, are welcome Sundays December 11 - March 10 from 1:00-2:30pm. The gym will not be open December 24 and 31.

Deficiency Lists for 3rd Quarter- (Repeat)

DL for Quarter 3 starts on Tuesday, February 12th.

As we emphasize the importance of academics and being well-rounded students, athletes and participants of co-curricular activities, please be reminded that if students fail they on the DL and could be ineligible.

The Deficiency List / Academic Eligibility is located in Section 9 of the Secondary Student Handbook (LINK).

This slide explains the different levels of deficiencies. Parents and students will receive an emailed letter notifying them if their student is on the deficiency list. Please continue to support your student who may be struggling with completing school work.

The picture below shows the different levels of the Deficiency List.

Varsity Sport Updates

For the most updated information about sporting events, please download the HBC App or the HBC School Website

AM BUS CHANGES--For morning bus changes please call or text the bus line--make sure to identify your student and the bus number they are riding: 507-962-3240 Ext. 4.

MEDICAL ASSISTANCE & MINNESOTA CARE: See the information here: Regarding renewing Minnesota health care coverage.