Happenings (October 8, 2024)
Do you know someone in your circle who might be interested in the wide range of opportunities at Hill-Murray? If so, we would love for you to invite them to our Fall Open House on Monday, October 14th at 6:00 PM. This event is a wonderful opportunity for prospective families to meet our passionate teachers, coaches, and school leaders. Please feel free to share this RSVP link with anyone who may want to attend. Thank you for helping us spread the word about Hill-Murray School!
Hill-Murray Scholarship Applications – Now Available for the 2025-26 Academic Year
All scholarship information can be found online this year under the Tuition Assistance tab on the main page of our Hill-Murray website. Scholarships are broken down into Need-Based and Non-Need Based Scholarships. Those families who complete the TADS application for financial assistance will automatically be considered for the Need-Based Scholarships. The TADS application is the only application to fill out for these scholarships. However, If a student is chosen for one of these scholarships, they will need to submit an essay, thank you, and student profile information to accept and receive the award. Regardless of whether or not they fill out the TADS application, any student can apply for the Non-Need Based Scholarships.
The scholarship application can be found and completed online under the Tuition Assistance tab. Completed applications are due by Friday, November 15, 2024. Don’t delay, get your application in today!
If you have any questions about this process, please contact Denise Bates at dbates@hill-murray.org.
Now Accepting 2025-26 New Student Admission Applications
We are thrilled by the enthusiasm surrounding Hill-Murray School and have high expectations for another successful enrollment year come next fall. To get things started, we are currently accepting applications for the 2025-26 academic year. Hill-Murray offers Rolling Admissions; once an application file is complete, which includes an online application and transcripts from your student’s current school, our Admissions Committee will review and be in touch with our decision in 7-10 business days. Although there is no “deadline” for applications, we encourage you, DO NOT WAIT, to submit an application! While we would love to welcome every student into our halls, we are committed to maintaining healthy and manageable class sizes that are optimal for every student to thrive at Hill-Murray, and we anticipate wait pools for the 2025-26 year. It is a great time to be a Pioneer! There is so much strength in our community – you are our best advocates!
Please share this link with your friends, family and anyone you think would be a great addition to the Hill-Murray family.
Please contact Krissy Pohl at kpohl@hill-murray.org (Middle School) or Emily Sharockman at esharockman@hill-murray.org (High School) in Admissions with questions.
* Please note, this is for NEW students interested in attending next fall.
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS
Winter Sports Registration – NOW OPEN
Winter sports registration is open! Click here to register.
“The Anxious Generation” Book Study for Parents
The Pioneer Institute for Health and Wellness is sponsoring a community book study featuring The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt.
Click here to learn more and to register.
Butter Braid Sale – Senior All Night Party
Planning for the Senior All Night Party after Graduation is well on its way. Your help is needed to raise funds to make this the biggest and best party ever! We are
selling butter braid pastries. Families of Seniors are strongly encouraged to participate in
this sale and all HM Families are welcome to support this sale as well.
To encourage sales, there will be a $100 cash prize drawing sponsored by Grupa Portrait
Studio. For every 10 braids you sell, your name will be entered in the drawing to be held at
the end of the sale. Thank you, Grupa Portrait Studio!
To sell online, click here and register your student. Super quick. Super easy. Then
send your personal link to friends and family for easy orders and easy pay.
Please click here for more information.
Senior Panoramic – Oct. 29
The senior all-class panoramic picture is scheduled to be taken on Tuesday, October 29th during WIN B. Mrs. Trembley will ping all the seniors. Please help remind your student! Students may wear Hill-Murray spiritwear for the photo.
Senior Yearbook Photos
Seniors! Please submit your senior pictures, baby photos, senior memories, and parent messages to the yearbook at hillmurrayyearbook.com. Please submit them before the Friday, January 10th deadline. The earlier you submit the better! If you have any questions, please contact Kaylin Gruber at kaylin.gruber@hmstudents.org.
Picture Retake Day – Oct. 29
Any student or staff member that would like to have their picture retaken or who did not have a picture taken yet for the 2024/25 school year, we will have picture retake day on Tuesday, October 29th. Students, please come in your school uniform polo shirt.
Any students who were absent from Picture Day will automatically be included. Families who want their students to retake their photo can register HERE.
Halloween Costume Contest – sponsored by Student Council
Halloween is right around the corner and HM Student Council will be sponsoring this year’s Halloween Costume Contest!
Start thinking of ideas or getting together with friends for a group costume! As always, your students costume needs to follow the following guidelines:
While we welcome this fun tradition we have some guidelines we expect students to follow. Please no masks, no weapons or items that resemble weapons, and no blow-up costumes. No cultural appropriation – this includes costumes that reinforce a stereotype or make fun of a culture or cultural tradition. All costumes must follow our neat, clean, and modest guidelines. Any student who does not want to dress up may wear black and orange or spiritwear.
Pioneer Investors Co-Curricular Club
High school students are invited to attend our Pioneer Investors information meeting on Tuesday, October 15th during WIN B in the auditorium. Students who join this club will have the opportunity to learn how to make wise financial decisions, grow their money, and make recommendations to an investment portfolio managed by the school. Students will research stocks, bonds, and mutual funds, and will learn how to create a diverse investment portfolio. The club will meet twice a month during the school day from October through May. See below for a registration form. Contact Kelly Donnelly at kdonnelly@hill-murray.org for more information.
Click here for the registration form.
Please join the HM Mothers Club at the following upcoming events:
-Monday, October 14th: Hill-Murray Open House
-Friday, October 25th: 8 AM, Coffee & Conversation at Mac’s Diner in North St. Paul
-Wednesday, October 30th: 6 PM, Parents Night Out – HM Mothers Club and HM Fathers Club hosting at Tamarack Taproom in Woodbury
-Sunday, November 17th: 2 PM OR 4 PM – Porch Pot Workshop, Gertens Retail Store – stay tuned for registration details.
Email mothersclub@hill-murray.org to be added to the Mothers Club email list or follow @hmmothersclub on Instagram!
National College Fair – Oct. 22 & 23
Parents and students of any age are encouraged to attend the 2024 Minneapolis National College Fair, which will be held on Tuesday, October 22nd from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM and Wednesday, October 23rd from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Register in advance to receive a barcode which will be scanned by each college you speak with.
Click here to register.
Click here to view the list of colleges attending the fair.
Junior Practice ACT – Oct. 16
Parents of juniors may sign their student up for the Practice ACT exam, which will be given on Wednesday, October 16th at school beginning at 8:00 AM. Students will need regular #2 pencils and a calculator. No mechanical pencils please. Please note that this is the first day of MEA Break. Email Carrie Egan at cegan@hill-murray.org or Charlie Cicalello at ccicalello@hill-murray.org to register.
JET Tour – Oct. 10
The Jesuit Excellence Tour (JET) will be visiting Hill-Murray on Thursday, October 10th at 7:30 AM in the Commons. Of the 27 Jesuit colleges in the US, the following will be represented: Creighton University, Marquette University, Loyola Chicago, Loyola Maryland, Regis University, St. Louis University, Seattle University, and Xavier University. Students of all ages are welcome, as well as parents.
College Application Workshop – Oct. 16
Seniors are invited to join us for a College Application Workshop on Wednesday, October 16th. Yes, you could sleep in, but why do that when you could complete your apps 2 weeks ahead of the deadline? This runs from 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM. Park in the senior lot and come in the Commons doors. Bring a fully charged laptop, your transcript, and anything else you will need. Donuts and juice will be served.
World Language Department Star Students – September
Click here to view the World Language Department Star Students for September!
Save the Date for Parent/Teacher Conferences – Nov. 7
School will be dismissed at 11:30 AM for Parent/Teacher Conferences on Thursday, November 7th. Conferences are in person on campus from 1:00 PM – 7:00 PM. There is no school on Friday, November 8th and conferences are all via zoom from 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM that day. Parents can expect to receive an email with a link to sign up for conference appointments. The email will be sent after the fall break (October 16-18).
OKi-Ni-Soo-Ka-Wa: Blackfeet Immersion Program
WHEN: November 2-9, 2024
WHO: 10 Hill-Murray Students & 2 chaperones (Fandrich and Goulet)
WHAT: Students will travel from MSP airport to Great Falls, Montana, where we will then travel to the Blackfeet Reservation. Once we have arrived, students will spend a week helping at De La Salle Blackfeet, an elementary school owned by the Christian Brothers located on the Blackfeet Reservation. Students will also hear from various cultural speakers, as well as spend time at Glacier National Park. Students will engage in daily prayer, nightly reflections, activities, and more.
COST: $800.00—Airfare, Meals (except travel days), lodging, transportation from the airport, speaker fees, and a trip to Glacier National Park will be covered by the school and are included in the price!
Click here for more information and to apply.
The Spanish department is offering a fabulous opportunity for current students in grades 8-11 to visit both Costa Rica AND Panama! Students will have 9 days to put their Spanish to use in real life scenarios while exploring volcanos, rainforests, beaches, historic towns, and of course, the Panama Canal! We will leave for this nine-day adventure mid-June of 2025!
Interested? Check out the full itinerary HERE! Contact Ms. Luna with any questions at kluna@hill-murray.org.
We are 6 weeks into our school year!
Parents: How is the new school year going for your student, whether they are new to H-M or returning?
Questions to ask:
-Does my child have a healthy balance of school, social connections, structured and unstructured activities, and rest/downtime?
-In terms of school work, organization of materials, keeping backpacks and lockers clean–how is my student doing?
-Am I doing anything for my child that they should be doing for themselves?
We all transition to new situations differently. If there are problematic areas that aren’t showing improvement, please reach out to Mrs. Valentine (MS Counselor) at lvalentine@hill-murray.org. Here are some questions for the dinner table that will help delve deeper than just asking, “How was your day?”:
-What made you smile today?
-Who were you kind to today? Who was kind to you?
-What was frustrating for you today?
-What are you looking forward to tomorrow or the rest of the week?
-Can you teach me something you learned today?
Mark Your Calendars!
The Middle School Halloween Party is Friday, October 25th from 6:00 – 8:00 PM. Students will be able to play games, win prizes, complete arts and crafts projects, explore a haunted house, and dance to a DJ. Costumes are encouraged but not required. The cost is $5, and students should use the student Commons entrance for the party.
Group Counseling at Hill-Murray School
The Counselors at HM and Katie Francis, The Director of the Pioneer Institute for Health and Wellness, are excited to offer optional/self-selected group counseling for students in grades 6-12 starting in late October.
Group counseling is an opportunity for school counselors to provide direct services to students in a variety of areas: academic, career, and social/emotional. Not only can these groups provide exploration of skills in any of those areas, they also provide an opportunity for student connection, which can help reduce feelings of isolation (American School Counseling Association, ASCA, 2019).
Students received an optional group interest survey through Connections on Monday, October 7th. In this survey, students were able to choose from the following options for groups they were interested in:
- High School Groups:
- Girls’ Group: Inclusive group dedicated to friendship, support, and personal growth.
- Boys’ Group: Inclusive group dedicated to friendship, support, and personal growth.
- Stress: For students who would like to talk about anxiety, perfection, and/or general stress.
- Loss and Grief: For students who would like to discuss loss and grief.
- Middle School Groups:
- Girls’ Group: Inclusive group dedicated to friendship, support, and personal growth.
- Boys’ Group: Inclusive group dedicated to friendship, support, and personal growth.
- Navigating Big Feelings: General stress, sadness, perfectionism, anxiousness.
- Changing Families: Students whose families are changing or have changed due to divorce or separation of their parents, grandparents involved directly, or living with anyone other than a biological parent, family relocation, parental job changes..
- Grief/Loss: For students dealing with the serious illness or death of someone close to them, or other significant loss.
- Relaxation/Mindfulness/Stress Reduction: Discussion and strategies to help us all in different types of situations.
Groups will be formed based on areas of interest. Students and families will receive information on the general outline of the group, meeting times, etc. These groups will not impact academic time and will be focused on supporting student driven concerns that may impact achievement in the classroom.
We look forward to supporting your student(s) and you! If you have any questions, please reach out to Katie Francis at kfrancis@hill-murray.org.
Weekly Confession
Father John will be available to hear Confession (the Sacrament of Reconciliation) on Thursdays (when school is in session) from 7:20 AM – 7:50 AM. No appointment necessary. Students, parents, and staff are welcome. There will be a guide sheet available in the Chapel.
Uniform Update
We will be sending a new link for the uniform online store. In the meantime, we have uniform inventory on site for purchase. To order uniforms, please send Lizzie Fredrick an email at efredrick@hill-murray.org. We will fulfill the order and Lizzie will let you know when it is ready for pick up at the front desk. Charges will be added to your TADS account.
Samples are still available for try on in the front lobby. The uniform store is open M – TH one hour after school for purchases and exchanges.
Next year, hoodie sweatshirts will NOT be allowed M – TH. Consider purchasing a ¼ Zip this year from the uniform store. Click here to view the options available.
